English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “Battle on, Challengers!”

Battle on, Garth.

Season two of My Hero Academia thus far focused on the U.A. high school sports festival. “Victory or Defeat” entered the finals of the sports fest with a tense battle between series protagonist Deku aka Izuku Midoriya (Justin Briner) and Hitoshi Shinsou. Once Deku bests Shinsou, the finals continue. Whereas “Victory or Defeat” assumed the form of a massive battle, “Battle on, Challengers” focuses on a slew of matchups.

Ibara Shiozaki defeats her opponent, Denki Kaminari handily with a neat quirk: her head of hair is actually ahead of vines. There’s a comedic moment when Kaminari waxes internally on how cute Shiozaki is. Before they fight, he asks “So what do you say me and you go out after this? I’d be happy to treat you to a bite…and comfort you after your loss.” It’s an unusual means of asking someone out.

Although most of My Hero Academia has featured a high pace aside from the intro episode, “Battle on, Challengers!” really amps up the action. It’s fast paced hopping from face-off to face-off. Meanwhile, Deku takes notes on the competition. He notes his opponents’ quirks. Largely, this aids Midoriya in strategizing to beat his challengers.

One of the best battles finds class 1-A president, the honorable and straightforward Iida against Mei Hatsume. The zany Hatsume comes from the support class at UA academy and specializes in creating gadgets. She’s one of my favorite characters with her immense enthusiasm. Rather than actually fighting, Hatsume uses her time in the ring as a commercial to show off her creations.

I appreciated the jumping from challenge to challenge. This provided an excellent overview of quirks. It’s incredibly fun seeing an overview of quirks and how heroes in training use their powers. Still, most of this season has been focused on the sports festival. Though it’s interesting, I’m keen to learn what’s going on in the world outside the sports festival as well as explore different locations. A lot of My Hero Academia season 2 concentrates on the same location: in and around the U.A. Academy arena.

However, varied episode structures and formats keep the season fresh. I’d like a bit more variety and insight into the world outside of U.A., but nevertheless, I enjoy the onus on all U.A. classes and overview of quirks and abilities.