“My Villain Academia” is the second arc in the fifth season of the hit anime My Hero Academia from Studio Bones. It is based on a superhero manga written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi.

Shigaraki (Eric Vale) has been tasked by the mad scientist Daruma Ujiko (Mark Stoddard) to convince the All-For-One (John Swasey) bodyguard Gigantomachia (Cris George) to join the League of Villains. Spinner (Larry Brantley), Twice (Newton Pittman), Compress (Kent Williams), and Toga (Leah Clark) are trying to help him but are failing. However, they are lured by the Meta Liberation Army, a rival villain group, to a secret city and a battle ensues. Summoning Dabi (Jason Liebrecht), the League of Villains goes to war, but the MLA leader Re-Destro (Sonny Strait) has plans for Shigaraki as secrets are revealed.

I usually do not enjoy arcs where the villains get the spotlight, but this one was different. It showed some depth, revealing the truth behind the origins of several of the villains. Their stories are tragic but do not celebrate their evil. It gave them emotional weight and showed how a little bit of imagination can make heroes or villains seem not so two-dimensional.

One of the things that stood out was the animation. It truly brings out the emotion that hyped up several moments, particularly when we see the tragedy that turned Shigaraki into the leader of the League of Villains and how Toga became a bloodthirsty vixen. These moments were capitalized by the illustrations and it was a cut above.

Of course, the season was rounded out by two OVAs that were comedic. I guess after hitting us with such heavy topics in “My Villain Academy,” they wanted to remind us there are still humor. As the next part of the show kicks off, it will be exciting to see where it goes.

Check out this clip below:

This review is based on the English dub.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Some foul language, Brutal violence, Disturbing images

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