My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 23 Review: Tenko Shimura: Origin

| September 11, 2021 |

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Young Shimura in My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 23 — *Photo: Funimation*

This My Hero Academia review contains spoilers for Season 5, Episode 23.

"Yous're correct. I just want to destroy."

There's an inherent adventure of ruining the magic that surrounds certain characters past answering all of the questions that contextualize them—especially when information technology comes to villains—but My Hero Academia has not just avoided this particular story struggle, simply excelled in the territory and turned the claiming into some of the bear witness's most powerful episodes. They're the perfect amount of dark and haunting without feeling exploitative or off the mark from what the series should represent.

In that location is no shortage of villains in the serial and My Hero Academia'due south "My Villain Academia" story arc has risen to the occasion past choosing some of its more cruel and unstable villains to put under the microscope. The culmination of this is of form Tomura Shigaraki, the head of the League of Villains, the serial' central antagonist, and a grapheme who's increasingly been positioned equally Izuku Midoriya's dark counterpoint. Previous episodes have provided flashes of Shigaraki's grim by, simply it's goose egg compared to what'southward uncovered in "Tenko Shimura: Origin;" an first-class episode that, as its championship suggests, at that place's a lot more than to Tenko "Tomura Shigaraki" Shimura than the audience realizes.

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Shigaraki has commanded an air of intimidation e'er since his first appearance, largely because the cluster of severed hands that decorate his face is definitely a wait that would give villains like Red Skull or 2-Face break. My Hero Academia casually dropped the bomb of backstory that these easily are really from the members of Shigaraki'due south family; a morbid badge of courage over how much he'due south inverse. "Tenko Shimura: Origin" is the first time that the specifics of this tragedy get unpacked and it easily ranks upwardly there with the series' most devastating moments.

Shigaraki's flashbacks are so heartbreaking because there'south a real sense of calm and happiness in their normal suburban life that the audition knows will decay into ash at a moment'due south detect. The complete annihilation of one'southward family unit is plenty to intermission fifty-fifty the most donating of heroes. In that location's no scenario in which this loss feels adequate, but "Tenko Shimura: Origin" doesn't hold back when information technology comes to the fear, sadness, and shame that dominates the "nascency" of Shigaraki.

The episode details that Shigaraki loses everyone–non just his mother and father, but besides his grandparents and even his domestic dog–which leaves him in a newly harash earth. The almost gutting collateral damage from Shigaraki's burgeoning Quirk is his sister, Hana, who was always in that location for him. Even after all of this hurting it'due south still possible to picture a version of Shigaraki that's able to alive a healthy life–perhaps even as a hero–if he nonetheless had Hana by his side for back up. This isn't a villain who had nobody for support. It's a villain who destroyed his back up and left himself with nobody.

Shigaraki'due south past pain helps fuel his electric current fight confronting Re-Destro. The Meta Liberation leader inadvertently triggers an epiphany in Shigaraki that leaves him more ready than ever to set the earth on fire. Re-Destro preaches over the inherent connection between an individual'southward Quirk and the user's temperament, which in Shigaraki'due south case paints the picture of a villain who is only interested in destruction. Re-Destro chastises Shigaraki'due south undisciplined rage and that a life full of destruction that doesn't in plow create anything benign isn't sustainable. Re-Destro isn't necessarily wrong in this assessment, but it's yet quite powerful that the sheer nature of erasure is plenty for Shigaraki. He's treated like a character who literally has nix to lose, dissimilar Re-Destro, which is 1 of the nigh terrifying things in the world.

This disharmonism of ideals and Quirks culminates in a sprawling boxing that's beautifully blithe where the whole urban center faces destruction. Shigaraki loses more of the ties to his past equally the hands of his family unit besides slowly become destroyed. The destruction of these keepsakes is a satisfying manner to provoke Shigaraki'due south memories regarding each of these hands' respective family members and the role that they played in his life before he fully committed himself to evil, buried himself in pain, and evolved from Tenko Shimura to Tomura Shigaraki.

These "My Villain Academia" episodes have been able to improve the serial through their unique perspective, only they've likewise carefully established deeper parallels betwixt its opposing characters. Shigaraki's transformation into a conduit for All For Ane hits harder once it'due south portrayed every bit this toxic version of the genuinely empowering and fostering relationship that exists for Midoriya every bit All Might's One For All successor. This is a simple, yet thematically rich idea that My Hero Academia has teased throughout its 5 seasons, but it finally pushes it to an explicit point that thankfully strengthens and continues to add depth to the rivalry that exists between Shigaraki and Midoriya. It's no coincidence that Shigaraki as a child looks almost identical to Deku.

The existing pain and residual trauma that festers from All Might and All For 1's feud becomes reignited through their successors and turns the powerful showdown to a conflict that becomes representative of something much bigger and more powerful. It'southward non just a battle between a hero and villain, but ostensibly a conflict between generations of pent upwardly good and evil. "Tenko Shimura: Origin" is even able to further fan the flames in this respect with its casual revelation that Shigaraki's grandmother is All Might's quondam mentor (and onetime I For All bearer), Nana Shimura. This connects the dots between heroes and villains, and One For All and All For One, in even more than rewarding ways that will surely atomic number 82 to an emotional accident-upwards between these factions next flavor.

"Tenko Shimura: Origin" is quite focused on Shigaraki's past pain and information technology allows these moments to properly breathe rather than run the risk of rushing this necessary development and having information technology feel unearned. There's still a urban center-wide skirmish that takes place effectually all of these irreproachable reminiscences. The rest of the League of Villains, in particular Spinner, lend a hand against the Meta Liberation Army's horde of recruits. These distractions don't amount to much and the Not-Ninja Turtle receives a massive dose of humility. Information technology's still a helpful reminder of the full scope of this war and that Shigaraki and Re-Destro's showdown is just one corner of calamity.

"Tenko Shimura: Origin" is true to its name and doesn't disappoint when information technology comes to its look into this fragile, hateful villain's by. My Hero Academia's shift to the dark side continues to bear strange, delicious fruit as it further humanizes the individuals that the series has conditioned its heroes and audience to hate. This episode opens up My Hero Academia in a major way, simply with side by side week's penultimate installment too prepare to unpeel more than layers of Shigaraki, it's currently unclear if these two episodes could have been combined into a solo entry or if there's enough trauma in Shigaraki'due south life to become around.

After all, satisfaction is an crawling that's very hard to scratch…