My Hero Academia Explores Kirishima and Ashido’s Past Relationship

The latest episode of My Hero Academia has given us the greatest triumph of Red Riot to date, along with some of the hardest hitting action scenes in the franchise ever. With Midoriya, Kirishima, and a slew of professional heroes making their way through the headquarters of Overhaul's Yakuza gang, Red Riot and Fat Gum find themselves separated from the rest of the group thanks in part to the quirk of one of the nefarious criminals. Squaring off against the villainous duo of Rappa and Hekiji of the "Eight Bullets", we get a better insight into Kirishima's past as well as his relationship with the acid spewing student, Ashido!

Prior to joining UA Academy, Kirishima was a normal student who looked down on his own quirk, believing that his ability to harden was a detriment rather than a strength. When Red Riot first manifested his power, he even cut his own eye and wondered if he would ever become a hero. After seeing his classmate Ashido stand up for her fellow students who were being menaced by a giant, menacing threat shrouded in a cloak, Kirishima found himself unable to move and save them in the process.

Taking this into account, Red Riot decided to train harder than he ever had before after witnessing a video of his inspiration, Crimson Riot, discussing how even he would be scared sometimes in fighting against villains and risking his life. Gaining acceptance into UA Academy, Kirishima and Ashido met one another, with Acid Girl commenting on his new red hair and ribbing him for the big change in his life.

Whether or not these two classmates will ever enter into a romantic relationship is a question for another day but it's clear that the two have a big influence on one another's lives, with both having one another's backs for the rest of their lives.

What did you think of this flashback into Kirishima's past? Do you see Ashido and Red Riot eventually becoming a couple? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and UA Academy!

My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi and has been running in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has powers, even though he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he's eventually scouted by the world's best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes. The series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release since 2015. My Hero Academia will also be launching its second big movie, Heroes Rising, in Japan this month.