My Hero Academia: You’re Next Review

Directed By: Tensai Okamura
Written By: Yosuke Kuroda; Based on the manga series, My Hero Academia, and characters created by Kohei Horikoshi
Runtime: 110 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence and bloody images.

Justin Briner – Justin Briner
All Might/Dark Might – Christopher R. Sabat
Mauricio Ortiz-Segura – Giulio Gandini
Anna Scervino – Kayli Mills
Clifford Chapin – Katsuki Bakugo
David Matranga – Shoto Todoroki
Luci Christian – Ochaco Uraraka
Michael Tatum – Tenya Ida
Jessie James Grelle – Fumikage Tokoyami
Brina Palencia – Minoru Mineta
Colleen Clinkenbeard – Momo Yaoyorozu
Caitlin Glass – Mina Ashido
Patrick Seitz – Endeavor
Zeno Robinson – Hawks

Deku and the aspiring heroes-in-training of U.A. return for the fourth theatrical entry of Kohei Horikoshi’s world-famous My Hero Academia franchise. Deku seeks to become the successor of his mentor and idol, All Might (Christopher Sabat), but in My Hero Academia: You’re Next, he meets his match in the form of a new villain who assumes All Might’s visage, declaring himself the new symbol of peace.

The film’s curious title, You’re Next, presents a microcosm for the entire series. It represents Deku and his classmates who seek to become the next generation of heroes to protect the world and the successors of everything All Might represents. You’re Next takes place after Deku’s recent battle with Tomura Shigaraki. While Shigaraki took a temporary retreat, the battle left the nation of Japan in shambles. Quirk-empowered villains fill the streets, and the students of the U.A. must now restore law and order to the country.

With the spirit of the general public already severely shaken, a new villain arrives, Aldo Gollini (Sabat), resembling All Might in his prime. He soon declares himself “Dark Might,” using his enhanced Alchemy Quirk to build a giant floating fortress that he plans to use to bring down U.A.’s new defensive HQ and barriers and remake Japan as a nation for villains. It’s now up to Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki (Matranga), Katsuki Bakugo (Chapin), and the rest of Class 2-1 to confront Dark Might and the other members of the Gollini family to protect Japan and defend their ideals as heroes.

Much like the previous My Hero Academia films, You’re Next is a standalone, one-off filler adventure. It’s not canonical with Horikoshi’s manga, which is usually the case for such film adaptations. That means all the main characters get together for a big fight with a one-off villain, and nothing can happen that alters or shifts the status quo for the main manga storyline. If any event does occur, it would have to be resolved by the end of the film, but nothing like that takes place here.

Despite the filler format, You’re Next acts as a great snapshot of where the characters are at this current point in the storyline and shows how much they’ve grown and developed, both as characters and aspiring superheroes. The main attraction of You’re Next is in showcasing Deku’s overall growth. Considering Deku could barely utilize One For All, the Quirk he inherited from All Might, without wrecking his body in the earlier seasons, he has now tapped into his Quirk’s vast potential. Deku can access seven distinct Quirks of the previous wielders of One For All, and he is no longer the green-as-grass amateur that he was at the start of his superhero career. As a seasoned veteran, Deku has faced many trials and tribulations. However, the unbreakable spirit that inspired All Might to choose Deku as his successor remains.

Even Bakugo showcases much of his recent character growth in You’re Next. While still brash and quick to anger as ever, he proves to be an effective leader and strategist for his U.A. classmates in the fight against the Gollini family. As the story’s secondary protagonists, Bakugo and Todoroki get a reasonable amount of fight scenes and action beats throughout the film.

Also at the heart of the story is the mysterious cyborg butler Giulio Gandini (Ortiz-Segura). At first glance, he’s seeking to assassinate Anna Scervino (Mills), an innocent victim whom the Gollini family cruelly exploits for Dark Might’s plan. Gandini wants to rescue and free Anna from her torment, seeing no other way to do so than by killing her. Deku forms an unlikely partnership with Giulio, seeking to help Giulio and Anna, along with bringing down Dark Might. Giulio is the most interesting addition to the story, and Bakugo even provides a witty remark regarding his presence as a “cool side character.” He’s part cyborg who has sacrificed everything to serve his mistress, Lady Anna, and he receives a fairly harrowing backstory. He also drives an awesome motorcycle ripped straight out of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira.

As a one-off villain, Dark Might does not receive much in the way of depth or time to truly develop his character, but it is nice to see All Might’s voice actor, Christopher Sabat, play around with voicing an evil version of All Might, who perverts and twists the hero’s ideals. His all-out brawl with the trio of Deku, Todoroki, and Bakugo provides one of the film’s most eye-popping action scenes.

Besides seeing the growth of all the U.A. students since they became second years in school, You’re Next provides a larger budget and theatrical canvas for Studio Bones to work with. Director Tensai Okamura and the animators at Bones put extra effort into showcasing the U.A. heroes with utmost visual splendor. You’re Next is not a groundbreaking, earth-shattering experience since it cannot seriously affect the path of the current storyline, but it still provides a rousing, uplifting adventure for Deku and his friends that is undoubtedly “Plus Ultra.”

My Hero Academia: You’re Next is now playing in theaters across the U.S.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Deku faces off against All Might's dark, twisted double in the rousing anime adventure My Hero Academia: You're Next. Although it takes the format of a standalone, one-off filler adventure, the animators at Studio Bones continue to work their tails off, providing a rousing, inspiring, action-packed superhero clash. The film highlights Deku's growth since the first episode, now tapping into the full potential of All For One, and his other classmates also have some decent screentime. It's a fun anime action adventure that fans of the series will certainly enjoy.