Score: A-

To say this episode had some ominous elements to it would be understating things. Deku’s monologue and simply the expression Iida had showed how things might get pretty tense moving forward. This would appear to be the big fallout from Ingenium’s injury and why it is so important. Iida has had to not only find out that his brother and idol was seriously injured after a villain defeated him. His brother’s career as a hero is over and he may never even walk again. That is a terrible realization for most people, but what is basically their family quirk…is all about running. Not only is his brother now disabled, but also in a sense quirkless. There is no doubt a lot of bubbling rage under the surface with Iida. While you hope he isn’t going to do anything crazy…that monologue doesn’t give me hope on that front.

It’s understandable that Iida doesn’t know how to express his anger and pain to his friends. While friends can be there for you, it is hard for people to show weakness. I can see someone like Iida who is the class rep and respects rules finding it hard to vent to his friends. Who knows where his head is at right now, but he’s definitely hurting. Sometimes you just want to keep friends at a distance from your personal tragedies. What is clear is that Iida isn’t ready to ask for help or lean on his friends. Though you hope he is being rational enough not to go after Stain alone. His brother nearly died and Stain has seriously injured or killed around 40 heroes at this point in time. But there is little doubt he’s taking a risk since he turned down more prominent offers for this one.

Of course Deku has his own responsibilities and pressures right now. While he’s worried for Iida he probably doesn’t know how to approach a friend going through something like that. Part of that reason is likely that he hasn’t really had any friends before arriving at UA. Others consider Bakugo a childhood friend and I can’t really say that’s an appropriate description. Not that it’s easy in general to approach a friend who isn’t willing to ask for help. Deku has to worry about mastering One for All and meeting the expectations others have for him. At the same time he has to do that without continuing to worry others that he’s going to constantly get hurt.

There was some lighter stuff to be had in this episode. No doubt that selecting a hero name is a fun thing for these kids. Deku may be a bit extreme, but I could see a lot of these characters coming up with various hero names when really young. Heroes are the stars of their society and trying to choose something similar to one’s idol has to be tempting. It is also a way to feel one step closer to reaching their dreams. I could understand those that find it a bit embarrassing to proclaim their choice to the class. These names can be a bit over the top, but they are code names after all. Something like All Might sounds ridiculous, but once the public accepts it…then it becomes pretty normal to say out loud.

Sometimes I really wonder what Bakugo’s goal as a hero even is. Would anyone hope for someone called “King Explosion Murder” to rescue them? I mean sure it fits his crazy personality, but it isn’t exactly a good hero name either. Is he still just running hot because of the Sports Festival? At least other characters were having fun with it. I swear Jiro and Kaminari are either going to end up dating or killing each other. She just can’t give up on teasing him. Some names made real sense for characters like her Earphone Jack (basically just using her quirk name). And in a sense her using Kaminari as a “human stun gun” during the USJ attack ended up similar to his decided hero name. I also like Ochaco’s Uravity name. That is a cute hero name that suits her. Also cool was Kirishima’s Red Riot, honoring his idol.

Other hero names came with more baggage to them. I liked that Iida wasn’t ready to take on his brother’s name yet. Maybe because emotionally he’s nowhere near able to handle what has happened. It would be a touching and honorable choice to carry the mantel of his brother and his idol forward. But, that is a tough one. By going with his first name right now he can make it easier to switch to Ingenium if he feels ready for it. It may be for similar reasons that Todoroki is also using his first name. He may not feel like he deserves a hero name until he’s saved his mother from his father and being in that mental hospital. There may be another reason, but I’m not sure right now.

I do like Deku’s stance for his. It does throw another chip in that DekuxOchaco ship, but also it makes sense. She turned that name from an insult into an inspiration for him. He’s not ready as he is to take on a name similar to All Might though maybe down the road he’ll want to. Right now he’s good with Deku and will work with that.

I do find it crazy how Deku got zero scouting requests. Ok, it makes sense that some would be worried about the self-destructive nature of his quirk. But literally no one saw the potential? He pushed Todoroki to the brink and their match was the most insane to watch of the whole thing. No one was moved by the passion and self-sacrifice Deku was throwing out there? Oh well, I suppose it works out fine. Honestly even if there was dozens I think All Might would push Deku to go with the Grand Torino invite. If only because….he might be too afraid to turn it down. Honestly this sounds like the best possible situation for Deku. This is someone who was close to All Might’s predecessor and was at one point his teacher. Not sure why he stopped teaching after a year, but we’ll probably find out.

If All Might respected this person enough to send him a letter at the start of S2, he has to be a decent person. Though I can say clearly from having watched the end of the episode…he’s really weird. This should lead to Deku gaining more control over One for All. He knows the need to gain more control and not kill himself while using the quirk. Also I do like Ochaco’s thinking for her internship. She wants to save people, but learning how to fight will give her more options. With this episode we’re now moving into the second half of this season. Though apparently there will be a stoppage in airing so we’re going to be without this show for a couple weeks and then resume with the rest of the Summer series. Here is hoping that Boku no Hero continues to be awesome going forward.