My Hero Academia Shares Heartbreaking Eri Update

The core of My Hero Academia‘s Shie Hassaikai arc was the young Eri. This tragic presence had been growing up in a series of terrible circumstances, and was outright abused by the villain Overhaul. Izuku Midoriya and the rest of the heroes’ drive to save her from him was the impetus behind the raid on the Hassaikai group, but Eri had been abused for so long that she had begun to think so little of herself. By the time Deku and the other heroes were able to help at all, she had believed that she wasn’t worth saving.

This was part of the mental torture Overhaul was exerting on Eri on top of the physical trauma, so by the time they had successfully saved her, she was technically already gone. On top of her out of control (and incredibly powerful quirk) keeping her isolated from everyone else since the rescue, the latest episode of the series broke our hearts with an update on her current condition.

Episode 81 of the anime sees Izuku Midoriya and Mirio Togata visiting her in the hospital, and while she’s on the path to recovery following the fight with Overhaul she is at such a damaged state that she no longer has the capacity to smile. She can’t even remember how that’s supposed to feel:

Episode 81 reveals that she had been wanting to meet with Midoriya after he helped save her from Overhaul. She has been kept in the hospital quarantined from those around her, but the doctor mentioned that her quirk had calmed down in the time since. She only knew Lemillion’s name, so had requested to meet with the two of them since she’s been so concerned about their well being.

Upon meeting the two, she apologizes for putting them through so much pain and the fact that Mirio lost his quirk “because of her.” No one has updated her on Sir Nighteye’s status (as it would just be another thing piled on the poor girl), so she’s been worried about him as well. All of this has left her at such a low point, that Deku hopes inviting her to the upcoming Culture Festival could cheer her up. She desperately needs some joy in her life.

What do you think of Eri’s current situation? Are you hoping to see her join in on the U.A. Academy festivities too? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!

My Hero Academia was originally created by Kohei Horikoshi for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 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.