Summary
The Endeavor Agency arc ofMy Hero Academiamay not be as impactful as some other arcs, but it does reaffirm its namesake hero’s turn towards redemption by showing a new side of the series' number one hero. Endeavor begins to behave as not only the top hero should, but more like the father he’s never been.
This arc focuses on Midoriya, Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki as they begin their work-study with Endeavor. While Endeavor is excited to see Shoto, he makes it very clear that this isn’t indicative of a change of heart towards his father. Midoriya and Bakugo are at first left out to dry, but after receiving a coded message from Hawks, Endeavor begins to take their training very seriously, and turns out to be a surprisingly good teacher. Bakugo and Midoriya get someinsight into the Todoroki family lifeas well, as they’re invited over to dinner, which soon goes awry.
The Endeavor Agency arc inMy Hero Academiacovers chapters 241-252 in the manga and episodes 101-106 of the anime. In the anime, the Endeavor Agency arc comes before the Meta Liberation Army arc, while in the manga the Meta Liberation Army arc comes first.
A Turning Point for Endeavor
The Endeavor Agency arc marks a major point in the redemption of Endeavor as a character, and his transformation into a person whose actions are more befitting of the number one hero. While Endeavor initially only wants to train his son, he soon realizes that the top hero should be guiding all three of these youths towards their future careers, as every hero is likely to be vital in the coming confrontation. Endeavor is a difficult teacher, to be sure, forcing the trio to chase him around constantly as he jets from incident to incident, resolving them with a speed that would make all but All Might envious.
However, Endeavor is hard on these three because he was this hard on himself; in his experience, this kind of exhausting activity is just what it takes to rank as highly as he does.Endeavor’s struggle for the top has always been portrayed as one built on hard work, it’s just that it was never quite hard enough to surpass All Might. Despite the difficulty, Endeavor does remain reasonable, affording the students breaks and dismissing them early when they need to get rest. It’s clear following this arc that Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki all benefit greatly from his training.
My Hero Academia’s Pro Hero Arc Establishes a New Era
The Pro Hero arc of My Hero Academia is short and sweet, as it reveals how the world has changed without All Might standing as Number One.
The Todoroki family drama comes up once again in this arc as well, finally revealing that Shoto’s older brother Toya Todoroki died at a young age. Natsuo blames Endeavor for this, and Endeavor even seems to blame himself for it, realizing that he pushed the boy too hard and that this is what ultimately drove him to the actions that led to his death. It finally explains why the Todoroki family is so very fractured, andEndeavor starts to realize that as long as he’s around, the others will never be able to appropriately move on, to the point where he eventually removes himself from the family, thinking it’s for the best.
The Focus Shifts to a New “Big Three”
While there’s been a slow transition over the course of the past several story arcs,this arc really represents the moment that the trio of Bakugo, Midoriya, and Todoroki emerge as the main heroes of the series. Midoriya was obviously the main protagonist already, but the classmates who get the most focus have gradually shifted from Uraraka and Iida to Bakugo and Todoroki, and having the three of them together for this arc only further emphasizes that these are the new faces ofMy Hero Academia.For those who enjoy the other characters in Class 1-A, that can be a bit of a problem, as they do hog the spotlight from this point forward.
The anime does make up for this a bit by adding an episode of original content focusing on Asui and Uraraka’s work study assignment, which turns out to be the tie-in episode for the third movie. It’s a perfect example of what “filler” should be, expanding on events that definitely happened off-screen. Still, aside from these two, the other students' work-study experiences are limited to only a handful of still frames showing who they’re working with. It’s a major departure fromthe original internship arc, where scenes of the other students' training were shown.
Whether the transition away from an ensemble to a focus on these three is a good thing or not is likely to vary from person to person. Bakugo and Todoroki are easily among the most popular characters in the series, so it makes sense to give them more spotlight, and Todoroki’s ties to Endeavor give him a good reason to be getting extra focus at this particular moment.
Hawks Brings Intrigue with His Double Agent Act
The other important element of this arc is Hawks playing the double agent. Not only does it provide important information on the Meta Liberation Army, an upcoming major threat, butit also provides somegood characterization for Hawks, as his inner thoughts contrast strongly with his lackadaisical outer persona. While Hawks might appear carefree and even a bit lazy, he’s actually shrewd and calculating, and his means of conveying information to Endeavor was extremely clever.
Hawks' investigation is given a bit more weight in the anime due to the two arcs being switched around; while manga readers had already seen the showdown between the League and the Meta Liberation Army, the anime saves that for a big season 5 finale, so these serve as curious tidbits that tease the upcoming confrontation. Changing the order of the story arcs is a bit odd, but it ends up working just as well in this order, so there’s little harm done.
Overall, the Endeavor Agency arc is one that’s more character-driven than a lot ofMy Hero Academiastorylines, with less of a focus on big confrontation and villains. Given what lies ahead, it’s definitely important to get the students more hands-on experience in the real world, and the arc fulfills that well, at least for Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki. The Endeavor Agency arc may not be the most consequential, especially compared to the Meta Liberation Army, but it features some important moments that help makeMy Hero Academiasuch a high-quality series overall.
My Hero Academia
Cast
Anime series My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers in a world where most have them. Despite his lack of abilities, he enrolls in a prestigious hero academy, striving to learn the true essence of heroism and fulfill his dream of becoming a hero.
