MY HERO ACADEMIA CH. 311 – An Honest Review

In MY HERO ACADEMIA CH. 311, available from Weekly Shonen Jump on May 9th, 2021, Deku sees the first inklings of All For One’s villains making their move, and Endeavor learns the price of being exposed for past sins.

The Details

• Written By: Kohei Horikoshi
• Art By: Kohei Horikoshi
• Letters By: John Hunt
• Translation By: Caleb Cook
• Release Date: May 9, 2021

Was It Good?

Yes, because it spent some time focusing on consequences for Endeavor and heroes asked questions about All for One that may play a bigger role later.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

We begin with Endeavor capturing some low-level, escaped criminals (read our MY HERO ACADEMIA CH. 311 review to get caught up). It may seem like a throwaway scene, but there’s a very important piece of dialog in it. The criminals credit Endeavor for their escape. Not directly but because Endeavor was exposed as being abusive to his family, the public lost faith in heroes and the hero organizations lost members due to demoralization.

In short, Endeavor did as much damage as All For One, depending on your point of view. Remarkably, a shonen comic is tackling a difficult subject (a public hero who was abusive in private) and weaving it into a story in a very grounded way. The public and every hero or villain involved is reacting in a very real and human way that dramatically elevates the impact of the story.

To make matters worse, Endeavor is jeered and shouted at by crowds of civilians after he turns the criminal in. both the villains and the public are blaming Endeavor for his sins, and you can see through the art how Endeavor struggles to keep fighting under the weight of his quilt and the public pressure.

Meanwhile, Hawks and Best Jeanist discuss how much space they can give Deku to let him do his thing while simultaneously acting as bait to draw out All For One. Hawks wonders aloud why Shigaraki’s rage is vital to act as the next host for All For One. Why isn’t his strength enough that he needs an emotional component?

The talk leads to the open possibility that All For One needs Shigaraki’s rage because he has none of his own. You get the distinct impression that this line of thought is going somewhere more disturbing about All For One than anyone suspected.

While the top heroes continue talking in the car following Deku, a grenade goes off to cut Deku off from his support team. We conclude the chapter with the beginning of the end of Deku’s search.

How Does It End?

All Might has a flashback to an old friend. Deku has a close call that was close on purpose. “Come Quietly…”

Final Thoughts

MY HERO ACADEMIA CH. 311, available from Weekly Shonen Jump on May 9th, 2021, sets the stage for the rematch of the series with some heroes being forced to accept the consequences of their actions and others exploring the motivations of villains. Light on action but heavy on thought-provoking ideas, this is another excellent chapter in the series.,

Score: 9/10

★★★★★★★★★

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