In MY HERO ACADEMIA #308, available from Weekly Shonen Jump on April 11th, 2021, Midoriya arrives in the nick of time to save Yo from Muscular aka Jailbreaker, but is the Deku ready to face the villain who almost killed him in his first year at U.A.?
The Details
- Written By: Kohei Horikoshi
- Art By: Kohei Horikoshi
- Translation: Caleb Cook
- Letters By: John Hunt
- Release Date: April 11, 2021
Was It Good?
Yes. Like a fine meal you’ve anticipated all day that’s ready to come out of the oven, this issue gives you just a taste of what’s to come for our main character. It shows and tells that this Midoriya aka Deku has grown and matured in several ways. This is the hero’s journey comics fans live for.
The art is exciting, kinetic, and just plain exhilarating. If there’s one, minor criticism, it’s the use of panels and space. This fight between Deku and Jailbreaker is a big fight, but it’s crammed into so many small panels that it’s like watching an epic event through a keyhole. This has more to do with the limitations on time and page count, but the issue could have benefited from more and bigger panels.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Deku has arrived to save Yo from getting crushed by Jailbreaker. Jailbreaker recognizes who it is right away, despite Deky keeping his mask on, and you can feel Jailbreaker’s excitement rising because he realizes he gets to have a rematch against the only person able to beat him in a brawl.
Deku leaps from the rooftop carrying Yo and shrouded in mist or smoke. He delivers Yo to Tatami for protection and medical attention. Tatami recognizes the voice but can’t place who saved Yo.
The smokescreen quirk is a new manifestation from one of the previous wielders of One For All. Not only is Deku using new quirks to his strategic advantage but we see him mentally conversing with the original owners who instruct him to use the quirk more effectively. It’s the most bizarre form of on-the-job training you’ll ever see and it’s amazing.
What Deku’s mental conversation also shows is that he no longer has a mentor but a whole team of mentors that know exactly what he’s going through and are there for him 24/7. This reservoir of knowledge and experience understandably has helped Deku grow (mentally, emotionally, and physically) by leaps and bounds over the last few months.
Deku jumps back into action using the smokescreen for camouflage, black whip for swinging and lashing like Spider-Man, and danger sense to avoid Jailbreaker’s blows. As Deku flees more than fights, he questions Jailbreaker about his motives. Here we see even more growth and maturity as Deku tries to understand what makes his opponent tick rather than simply focusing on how to beat him up. Deku’s questions appear to probe for a way to de-escalate Jailbreaker.
Despite Deku’s best efforts, Jailbreaker is clear he simply wants to destroy. Deku accepts that some villains don’t want to be reached, and he begins opening up his fighting tactics to neutralize Jailbreaker as fast as he can.
How Does It End?
Deku makes several useful observations. Muscle fibers are not indestructible as individual strands. “THIS IS ALSO MY FULL POWER!!”
Final Thoughts
MY HERO ACADEMIA #308, available from Weekly Shonen Jump on April 11th, 2021, exemplifies everything right about the hero’s journey. The art is adrenaline-fueled goodness, and the story leaves you rabid for what happens next.
Score: 9/10
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