English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “Strategy, Strategy, Strategy”

There goes my hero.

After a season 2 premiere that featured largely recap in “That’s the Idea, Ochaco,” My Hero Academia picked up the pace with “Roaring Sports Festival” and “In Their Own Quirky Ways.” “Strategy, Strategy, Strategy” furthers the U.A. Sports Festival story arc.

As the episode title suggests, there’s a lot of, well, strategy. The next challenge is a cavalry battle. This entails picking three teammates to carry one as a rider, and all four collaborate to protect one another. Each player is awarded a headband with points which are doled out based on placement in the preliminary competition.

Strategy occurs on several levels. There’s individual strategy of selecting teammates who are most likely to win, as well as group strategy. Within teams, it’s necessary to not only fight together but communicate well. As series protagonist Izuku Midoriya, aka Deku (Justin Briner) came in first, he’s given 10,000,000 points. Naturally, the entirety of class 1A aims to take out Midoriya who pairs up with Ochako Uraraka (Luci Christian), Fumikate Tokoyami (Josh Grelle), and the oddball Mei Hatsume who relies mostly on her homemade gadgetry.

I enjoyed the quick pace which propels the plot yet doesn’t feel rushed. The continued onus on the sports festival remains interesting. Notably, this derives from differences in competitions. Whereas the entry was a relay race, the next leg is a cavalry fight. This affords an opportunity to witness not only quirks but how heroes use their quirks both individually and together.

Additionally, I appreciated the competition between classes. Todoroki (David Matranga) is personally invested in a rivalry against Deku while Tenya Iida (J. Michael Tatum) opts to fight against Midoriya purely as a means of self-preservation and pride. Although Class 1A embarks on a personal mission to attack Deku, Class 1B emerges from the first half of the cavalry battle with more success. In a strategic move, Class 1B used the preliminary games to scout the competition and quirks of Class 1A.

Though “Strategy, Strategy, Strategy,” remains entertaining, it’s the third straight episode focusing on the sports festival. I’m increasingly interested in Todoroki’s rivalry with Deku, and its source. Moreover, I’m curious when the villains will once again reappear. Still, while “Strategy, Strategy, Strategy” concentrates once again on the sports fest, the episode stays fresh by offering a unique competition.

My Hero Academia season 2 strikes again with a strong episode, and proves its second season even better than its superb first series run.