Sorry Avengers, ‘My Hero Academia’ Just Became The Best Superhero Saga Worth Watching

This week we finally reached major turning point in the superhero genre – a moment that was so epic and powerful that it left many fans in a place of intense emotional feels. No, we’re not talking about the game-changing events of Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War – we’re talking about the epic showdown that took place on the latest episode of My Hero Academia!

Episode 43 of My Hero Academia was appropriately titled “My Hero” and it finally delivered the moment where young Izuku Midoriya had to finally step and prove that he was indeed a hero, by facing off against his first true villain threat: the powerful and totally psychotic Muscular!

Izuku and Muscular’s fight was set up as a direct Easter egg echo of Spider-Man’s battles with his nemesis Venom, as Muscular himself points out when stating his quirk power (the ability to increase his size, power and speed of his muscles) was a more powerful version of Izuku’s “One-For-All” power. What Muscular didn’t count on was Midoriya’s commitment to the Spider-Man code: with the great power of One-For-All at his disposal, Midoriya was moved to fulfill his great responsibility of protecting an innocent young boy – even when the cost of doing so was seemingly certain death.

Warning – Avengers: Infinity War Spoilers Follow!

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In a moment that rivals Tom Holland’s gut-wrenching Spider-Man death scene in Avengers: Infinity War, Izuku is nearly crushed to death by Muscular. The young boy’s monologue is heartbreaking, as he apologize to those he’s about fail, and those who will be shattered by his death – that is until a last minute save gives Izuku the chance to break his own limits and unlock a new level of power needed to defeat his foe. In a true Spider-Man moment, Izuku is left standing, bloodied and battered, his costume torn, but now every bit the hero he aspired to be.

Avengers: Infinity War blew our minds with its big twists and shocks, no doubt about that; however, the film doesn’t have the clear and poignant depiction of pure heroism that is so deftly and effectively depicted in the “My Hero” episode of My Hero Academia. Fans of the show have already offered an outpouring of praise and emotion about the episode and Izuku’s greatest heroic moment, to date, and it seems to have hit quite a few of them right in the feels!

Of course, Infinity War has fans freaking out pretty hard right now, too; after all, a lot of fans were not prepared to see so many of the MCU heroes meet their untimely end (in some brutal ways, too boot), or that the film would end on such a dark and somber note, with half of the MCU being erased from existence.

However, for all of the shock factor in the film, there is also a fair amount of criticism centered around Avengers: Infinity War‘s lack of emotion in the midst of all the plot movements and overstuffed roster of characters. Meanwhile, My Hero Academia is able to distill the core richness of superhero fantasy (especially the Marvel Comics kind) in a succinct twenty-minute story of a young hero having to overcome insurmountable odds, all in the name of protecting innocent people. Didn’t see much of that noble protective spirit during Infinity War… just saying.

We’ve already made the case for why My Hero Academia is revitalizing the superhero myth in important ways, and episodes like “My Hero” prove it. The way the series invokes classic themes and tropes of the genre is exactly why we argue that this is the perfect gateway anime for superhero movie fans who are pining for the nostalgic glow of those classic Superman or Spider-Man movie franchises. Now is the time to start watching, if you haven’t – and as our video above explains, reading the Boku No Hero Academia manga is just as rewarding.

My Hero Academia is simulcasting season 3 Sub episodes every Saturday on Hulu and Funimation streaming services. My Hero Academia English Dub will start airing on Toonami on May 5th.

Avengers: Infinity War is now in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.