And now, here are the moments from My Hero Academia that failed to go beyond Plus Ultra.
Keep in mind:
- Sign your entries
- One moment per work to a troper, if multiple entries are signed to the same troper the more recent one will be cut.
- Moments only, no "just everything he said," "The entire show," or "This entire season," entries.
- No contesting entries. This is subjective, the entry is their opinion.
- No natter. As above, anything contesting an entry will be cut, and anything that's just contributing more can be made its own entry.
- No ALLCAPS, no bold, and no italics unless it's the title of a work. We are about unleashing our Tranquil Fury here and no need for yelling.
- Explain why it's a Dethroning Moment Of Suck.
- Retloclive: I've come to enjoy the My Hero Academia series, but one moment I just can't overlook is the Midoriya vs. Shinso match during the Sports Festival arc. To sum the fight up, Midoriya was on the verge of losing, because he was about to be forced out of the arena ring under the control of Shinso's brainwash power. However, Midoriya's One for All power kicks in within his mind at the last second to allow Midoriya to hit himself, which broke Shinso's control over Midoriya since damage to the target ended up being the brainwash power's weakness. For a series that tries real hard to show off how knowledgeable and resourceful Midoriya is when it comes to his character and way of fighting, it was really disappointing that it took quite a blatant Ass Pull to help Midoriya get past a brainwashing power instead of trying to learn how to counter it.
- Andariel: There is a character in this series that I hate above all else. No, it's not the Big Bad All for One, not the Psychopathic Manchild Shigaraki, not Overhaul, and not even the Abusive Parent and Nominal Hero Endeavor (though I'd happily push him into a woodchipper). Oh no, the one I hate the most is Bakugou Katsuki. Why? Oh, you don't have to look farther than the first episode/chapter where he tells Izuku to commit suicide. You don't say things like that to a child! You don't say things like that period! I don't care if that was the case of Early-Installment Weirdness, that moment cemented my hatred of him forever and ever.
- Shadow 200: Seconded and agreed, after watching Sasuke ruin Naruto and get off scot free over and over for being an entitled self-serving asshole who sell them out in a heartbeat, here I see that we have another jackass of a character who has little to no redeeming qualities who threatens physical violence towards everybody if they so much as breathe but everyone in the show acts like he's the coolest and can do no wrong. Even Izuku the main character who he told to commit suicide acts like he's done nothing wrong. What the heck ever happened to jackass's being treated like the scum they are for how they act instead of nowadays being put on pedestals and revered?
- Gene 0129: I third this, especially since he was supposedly a childhood friend in the past. In hindsight, I now believe the Sludge Villain did nothing wrong and I wished he succeeded in suffocating/absorbing Katsuki that day.
- Swiss 666: While the character has got better over time, Bakugo is one of the reasons I can't like the series as much as I'd wish, also due to not small sections of his fanbase who will excuse anything, from downplaying his early suicide baiting or his mother's lackluster parenting, through victim-blaming Izuku, up to painting Bakugo as some tragically misunderstood bleeding heart who's merely bad at communicating. All of that diminishes the very point of his character, starting as a piece of garbage and developing slowly but positively from there. Unfortunately the writing of the manga doesn't help: we are sometimes told that Bakugo's attitude is problematic (like his failure at the provisional license exam, or when his part in an interview was completely cut out), yet any character interacting with him weirdly under-reacts to his constant yelling and verbal abuse like it was no deal; seriously, at times it feels like there was a completely different character in front of them. Can't help but think that Horikoshi wanted to develop him more but he's forced by editorial mandate to keep him an asshole. Also, his famous breakdown: I can't fathom how it's considered the moment that made him likable by many. Sure, he began a path of further betterment from there, but it just showed openly how petty and ridiculous he had been in his hatred towards Izuku.
- Kage Tsuki 88: Another agree even though this entry is written as of the Villains Hunt Arc and willing to admit that Bakugo has developed over time. As seen on MHA's YMMV page, Bakugo coming across as a Karma Houdini and how Izuku treats Bakugo in a positive matter in spite of the bullying and the Suicide Dare very much falls under Values Dissonance, but just because Japan doesn't see an issue with it doesn't mean it's okay. If anything it makes things worse IMO. While no culture/society is perfect and I'm not gonna like like there are any, it's something I find absolutely repulsive and one that I can't really let go.
- The Lucky Cat: I love My Hero Academia, but there's one scene in Season Three that instantly drives me to fury. So All Might and Aizawa have to go visiting the parents of their students in order to confirm they are okay with their kids boarding at UA for their own safety. They visit Bakugou's parents and Mitsuki quickly establishes herself to be the worst parent in the series not including Endeavor and Chisaki. She starts by hitting Bakugou in the head for no good goddamn reason (literally, he wasn't doing anything in that moment to deserve it, he was just sitting there), insults him in front of his teachers and then tells him it was HIS FAULT he was abducted by villains because he was "weak". She shows absolutely no concern over her son or any relief he got out of his situation unharmed. And what do All Might (the man Bakugou has idolised since childhood) and Aizawa (the man who fought an entire league of Villains single-handedly to protect his students) do about this blatant Victim-Blaming and emotional abuse happening right in front of them? Why, nothing! They just sit there and do nothing. Hell, Toshinori lampshading how dysfunctional the family is was meant to be funny! Yes, it's really fucking funny that Bakugou's extremely traumatic situation is being made light of, his mother is horrible bitch and his father is a useless enabler. It's hypocritical to boot - you know he wouldn't have sat there in silence if it was his precious Midoriya getting treated that way. Hell, later on Bakugou gets in a fight with Midoriya because he blames himself for All Might's depowering and it's made blatantly clear that nobody bothered to talk to Bakugou about what happened, and he even refers to himself as "weak" - just like his mother said to him! The guy is sixteen and was kidnapped by supervillains who could have easily killed him, his mentor lost his powers and it takes Bakugou having an emotional breakdown for anybody to acknowledge that! What's worse is that even after Toshinori makes it clear to Aizawa that Bakugou's been badly affected by all this, and Midoriya also suffered a lot because he was there when Bakugou was kidnapped, Aizawa punishes them anyway! Kind of goes to prove that bullying does start at home - Mitsuki Bakugou's treatment of her son is not funny, I hate her and I hope something horrible happens to her in the future - she deserves it.
- The Mister Sonic: How you basically always need "permission" to use your Quirk. I really do not understand what I'm supposed to be thinking here...they act like the number 1 reason the students shouldn't have fought Stain isn't because they were young and inexperienced and could've easily gotten themselves killed, but because it was "unlawful"? And they all got scolded and apologized for it? That's a really shitty start, but then comes what I don't care what anyone else thinks, because this is just morally disgusting. The absolute worst thing in the entire series that made me hate Aizawa and Tsu, both whom I thought were cool before. In Season 3, after the Hideout Raid Arc, when Aizawa says he would've expelled everyone for letting the team go and get involved with the fight without permission had All Might not retired. And then Tsu makes them all apologize for it. Even though Bakugo would've been killed by the villains. All Might would be dead because he would've been distracted by avoiding Bakugo during the fight instead of going all-out on All For One. And All For One would be back in power finally as a result. H-How am I ever gonna watch that arc again?! What the hell was I supposed to think of our heroes during it?! "Mmm they're totally doing the wrong thing going out and saving this guy who's life is totally in danger like real heroes I mean they're not even fighting but fuck it they even thought about hurting that law's feelings" Whyyy?! They were doing the absolute rightest, bravest things they could've done and that law's a piece of shit! If murder was completely legal, would you just go kill anyone you don't like?! I swear, I bet the author voted for Iron Man in Civil War...In the Comic.
- Valiona I'll second this, except for the part about Tsuyu. She actually didn't make anyone apologize for what they did; she just made the (admittedly harsh) statement about how if they disregard the rules, they'll be no better than the villains, then later told Bakugo's rescue team how guilty saying that made her feel. In fact, I'd argue that this means Aizawa's willingness to punish of the twelve who didn't participate was even more unfair, since some of them tried to stop them, and didn't know for certain until when Aizawa told them. You could make an argument that the decision to punish Midoriya and the others was justifiable, but treating the twelve who might have known and did nothing about it the same way is ridiculous.
- Crackalacking: First off, I never liked Mineta; he goes beyond the boundaries of a perverted comic relief character in anime (like Sanji, for instance) and has me seriously questioning if the kid is mentally ill. On top of that, he's annoying, cowardly, and smug, as well. I tolerate him at best and loathe him at worst. One moment of his, however, has assured me there's nothing sympathetic or likeable about him in the slightest. He makes a pass at Eri - Eri, a child who lived under a monstrously abusive stepfather, and has become such a Broken Bird that she's physically forgotten how to smile - telling her that he "can't wait to see her in 10 years"! It wasn't funny. At all. It was disgusting, creepy, tone-deaf, and
it completely derailed any and all character development he's had in previous arcs. Fuck Mineta, I hope the little bastard gets offed by one of the villains in the near future. - I Like Robots: I adore My Hero Academia and consider it one of the best Shonen out there. That said, there's one moment in the Training Camp Arc that feels way too contrived for me to stomach in a way that's similar to the end of Izuku's match against Shinso in the Sports Festival Arc: the ending of Izuku's fight against Muscular.
Most of the fight is great: The stakes are high against a villain with an incredibly powerful Quirk who's outright gunning for murder, with Izuku showing his stuff as a hero, jumping in solo to protect Kota at the expense of his own well-being to fight a villain out of his league in experience and power. He puts up a pretty decent fight, but ends up losing a desperate clash against Muscular as he tries to hold him back, crying and mentally apologizing to those he cares about in a highly emotional scene.
But then something happens to allow Izuku to wake up and attack again: Kota using his Quirk to splash Muscular with water. Uh...really? Muscular being distracted for a few seconds by a light splash of water allows Izuku to have a sudden Heroic Second Wind, get up and summon the power to beat him? That's the most blatant Plot Armor I've seen in a while, and fails badly at being a satisfying end to a great setup.
Sure, Izuku's finishing smash against Muscular is cool and all, and I get that Izuku's the main character and that the series has a Framing Device of Izuku narrating his journey to being the greatest hero, and thus him surviving each encounter is given, but other fights and obstacles in Izuku's way have him get by on the effectiveness of his strategies, his knowledge of his opponents and their weaknesses, and teamwork as well as his own drive to succeed in ways that are much more plausible and don't feel completely contrived.- caulifla: Spoiler for a recent chapter: in chapter 254, it's revealed that, while Aizawa expelled the students that didn't impress him, he later re-enrolled them. Um...what? That's a giant Ass Pull: not only it is clearly written to make Eraser Head looks less like a jerk, but it makes no sense when at the beginning we see several characters surprised he didn't expell anybody and implying that expulsion was a big deal.
- curiouskat: My DMOS for the series is All Might's so-called "teaching prowess". It's proven In-Universe that All Might is a rookie at teaching, but no one really calls him out on it other than Aizawa, and it's always brushed off as him being antagonistic because All Might is the number one hero—which of course means he's supposed to be revered and can do no wrong. This is especially highlighted after his battle against All for One at Kamino; now, because he's deflated he thinks he's useless, and as a result is stagnant when it comes to teaching, most importantly when teaching Izuku. Most of the time Izuku hits a roadblock with his Quirk, his first consultant is All Might, who just goes “Sorry kiddo, I don't know what you’re talking about. I received it 100%, perfection on the first try” and just shoves him onto someone else in hopes that he’ll learn something from them instead. Well, he does, but that's just luck on All Might's part. The time that he actually does have Izuku by himself to train in the woods, he’s so lazy with it and subconsciously steps back because he believes that just because he doesn’t have the Quirk anymore, it means that just barking shoddy advice and telling him tidbits is enough. It's no wonder this kid is so reckless with his Quirk: he desn't have the right teacher and if the right teacher is within his grasp, they can't teach him or pay attention to him long enough.
- Some New Guy: Midnight's death. A complete and utter waste of one of the most beloved characters in the series, just when she was starting to get development through her bond with Aizawa and Present Mic. What makes it sting even more is that it happens entirely offscreen and the only reason we even know about it is a news report. The fact that she was literally the only major character to die and that she's immediately forgotten by both the characters and the plot itself despite how major a character she was just completes the insult.
- Swiss 666: Even if it may be just an unfortunate coincidence, Midnight was also the only relevant female UA teacher (Thirteen is much less important and for a long time her gender was even left ambiguous), in a series that's already often criticized for the treatment of its female cast. Given how her death will likely motivate several students, it's hard to shake off a sensation of fridging.
- Swiss 666: The Meta Liberation Army arc, also known as My Villain Academia, is an example of great ideas with bad execution. While the concept of an arc centered on the villains is fine in itself, I think this is the one that has caused the most problems to the series in the long run.
- Deku's additional quirks are often cited as the worst power creep of the series but in truth, Shigaraki in MVA takes the cake: he gets a first significant power-up after some Training from Hell, a much bigger power-up when near defeat, and another huge power-up given by the Doctor at the end of the arc, with such a rapid advance/ to endgame levels that the heroes cannot but rush behind since; it's the growth Shigaraki should have had over several arcs, scrunched into one. Twice's "awakening" is more of an unlock but still makes him so dangerous they found no better way than to off him before he could even effectively use his power again. The arc also introduces the idea that anyone can get a "quirk evolution" in a pinch, setting up future situations where characters from either side of justice may get convenient power-ups.
- Shigaraki changes motivation once again, now it's "I hate everyone, I want to destroy everything, except what my True Companions here like". He's regressed to little more than a Generic Doomsday Villain and while his past (especially the monstruous grooming by All For One) is tragic, it's harder to care about him. We are also told he's grown so much but after doing something on his own in the Overhaul arc (and it was merely sweeping in after Overhaul's defeat), he's back to counting on what All For One has left for him and to follow a path someone else laid out for him. He doesn't even command the MLA afterwards, leaving us to believe people like Toga and Twice would have the competence to run it.
- The Meta Liberation Army is ridiculous. They are introduced as this huge organization that has been around for decades undetected, infiltrated society at all levels, amassed huge wealth and manpower, are apparently prepared to wage war on the Japanese government, and are ready to come out in the open - yet for some reason they are afraid they'd be overshadowed by half a dozen criminals on the run, so they decide to force them out to fight. Even if we entertained the idea the MLA are grossly out of their depth and almost all their "liberation warriors" are little more than mobs of indoctrinated civilians, dozens if not hundreds of attackers have a hard time bringing the League of Villains down even before Twice manages to become a literal One-Man Army. The only top member of the MLA to be killed off is Curious, also the only woman among them, with all the discourse brought *once again* on how the series treats its female characters. Furthermore, in the Meta Liberation War arc, almost all the damage is brought forth by Shigaraki, Gigantomachia and the Nomu, none of them part of the original MLA which is basically wiped out, along with all the potential characters like Re-Destro and Trumpet had, making them even more of a little device to increase the villain threat.
- With the MLA the series also reinforces, once and for all, the idea that no villains can ever keep some spotlight beside All For One, Shigaraki and the League of Villains. This way, over time the pool of prominent villains has ended up shrinking.
- Lastly, one moment I really hated. Earlier on the tension is built on Gigantomachia being in a sleep phase, so Shigaraki and pals have to hold on until he wakes up and comes to Deika City. However as the situation starts looking dire, it's revealed the Doctor could send a signal to wake Machia up anytime, so what was the use? And in the end Machia comes only to witness Shigaraki having won, something he could have acknowledged regardless if apparently the Doctor has got some control over him.
- The arc being something of a Sacred Cow among the western fandom doesn't help. And while it deserved a better adaptation in the anime than being rushed into a mere five episodes that also cut several scenes from the initial part of the arc, once trimmed to the essentials of its plot it lays its own flaws even more bare. It set up a "no going back" situation that the series never really recovered from, running at an increasing pace towards its finale ever since.
- Magister Flopsy: My dethroning moment of suck was actually at the end of the Paranormal Liberation Front arc when all that build up over multiple years towards Shigaraki becoming the Big Bad while All For One was just the All Might to his Deku turned out to a bunch of Blatant Lies and it was all building up to All For One pulling a Grand Theft Me on Shigaraki. If the lesson Deku had to learn is "What does it mean to be the greatest hero?", the lesson Shigaraki had to learn is "What does it mean to be the greatest villain?" and every time one of them came closer to answering their question, the other comes closer to answering theirs in equal measure. This moment completely destroyed that parallel between them, because psyche All For One was the final boss the whole time. Horikoshi seems to have realized that he's completely obliterated the parallel he's spent the last decade building up because the final arc is laying the damage control on super thick, but at this point I don't trust it.
