You know, since I'm about to start officially writing the adaptation for this story, I think it's time give an actual review for the story. Because I feel like everyone who's yet to see the movie should hear what I have to say. Now yes, I dislike the fact that this movie essentially took away from from what could've been an amazing Season 5. And before anyone argues, I'd point back to how the MLA Arc was handled. With pointless filler and the arc that should've come after preceding it, there was a significant drop in quality for the season as a whole. It wasn't terrible, but it certainly could've been a lot better, especially considering what Bones has done.
But that's not what I'm here to advocate. I hope that Bones takes their time with Season 6. If it has to be delayed for whatever reason, then that'd be fine.
Anyways, onto the movie! Seeing this in the dub felt really surreal, especially with how things have gone over the past few years. So I commend the cast and crew for making this all work. And I'd like to offer some personal shout-outs to particular cast members.
Ryan Colt Levy really enjoyed getting to play Rody from what I remember. He and Justin Briner had such great chemistry as a duo throughout the film. If he does come back to the series at some point, I'd love to hear him as Rody again.
Robbie Daymond did a pretty good job as Flect Turn. My only experience with hearing him is as Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen, and he sounds so different compared to that character, I actually thought I was listening to someone else. He's solid as this cultist leader villain, but can really sell the anger and righteousness in his performance.
Everyone else did a fair job. If I have to label anyone as improved, it'd have to be David Matranga as Shoto. If you've seen the film, I'm sure you probably know what scene I'm referring to.
Anyways, the story itself is pretty solid! Heroes around the world are called together to deal with the terrorist organization known as Humarise after they unleash their dubbed Trigger Bombs in a populous. Most of Class A is involved, sans Tenya, Mina, Yuga, Koji, and Toru from what I remember. I feel like Tenya could've gotten involved somehow, but I digress.
Izuku, Katsuki and Shoto are joined with Endeavor as they're in Otheon. And while they're there, they get to join the heroes in trying to track down their Trigger Bombs. Right away, I wanna say that the stealth suits that were heavily advertised got shafted right after the first five minutes of the movie. That really bugged me, especially seeing as how they could've gotten brought into the final battle. The suits themselves looked really cool in my opinion.
Then there's our introduction to Rody, a delinquent whose wish is to make money to provide for his little brother and sister. He's an intriguing character, especially with his bird, Pino, always by his side. He and Izuku first meet during an incident in which he was part of a jewelry theft, and I was definitely entertained with their interactions. The physical comedy was fun, especially with Izuku chasing after the train, him begging for forgiveness when he believes Rody isn't a criminal like he thought, and Rody himself getting all freaked out.
And that brings us to another part of the story: Izuku's framing. Him being wanted is essentially Humarise's ploy to capture him and Rody along with the case they have that supposedly provides vital information. Fortunately, Izuku and Rody escape, but are left on the run.
From here, the story mainly focuses on these two on a cross-country trip to the neighboring country. While there's some hilarity, there's also some heartfelt moments. We get some background on Rody, which is something I felt like we never really got with any of the other movie characters such as Melissa Shield or Katsuma and Mahoro Shimano. Rody's not Quirkless, but he's not striving to be a hero. He's just a person trying to get by for the sake of his family. And a lot of people seem to have resonated with him, seeing as how he got voted into the Top 10 of the most recent character poll.
Rody does try to get the case away so that he can go back to his family, but he ends up almost getting killed if not for Izuku. It's nice for Izuku to have the discussion of his dream with someone who doesn't share it, but doesn't entirely hate it. Heroes didn't help Rody, and he thinks they're all just in it for money. Izuku isn't, and that gives Rody the opportunity to open up more to him.
There's a nice little montage in the middle of the film with Izuku and Rody on their road trip with wonderful visuals. By the way, the soundtrack is amazing for this movie. Asian Kung-Fu Generations' two songs are already really good, by Yuki Hayashi's score is so much fun to listen to. My favorites definitely have to be Todoroki's Counterattack and The Spirit to Succeed.
When we get to the point where Izuku and Rody unite with Katsuki and Shoto near the end of the second act, there's a really... well, awkward scene. I've never seen long takes like this done in anime before, so this was... a bit jarring. Katsuki and Shoto's fight against the Humarise members from the helicopter is a strange, yet interesting scene because of how it looks. It isn't terrible, but it's definitely something I wasn't expecting and would've preferred to be a fight with a few cuts here and there. Because they move around a lot.
Anyways, our heroes discover that the case actually had a secret compartment that contained a puzzle mechanism which Rody unlocks since he did something similar as a kid. From there, they discover what they find out is a disarming key and an SD card containing records on what Humarise was planning. And I have to admit, they've got an ingenious plan. By luring out all heroes to the bombs around the world, they could easily eliminate the hero population and then start their takeover.
So it's finally time for our Big 3 to act as they head to the villains' main base with only so much time to spare. Katsuki, Shoto, and Izuku each get individual fights against Humarise members (technically, Katsuki gets two...). Really good visuals in these battles. Katsuki is up against twins with whip blades for Quirks, and it gets really bloody. Kinda makes what happened in the manga seem tame... But he shows a lot of resiliency, especially when he manages to take them down with his Howitzer Impact. To be honest, I kinda wish he had another finisher. We've seen it three times in these past few movies.
That said, Shoto gets an amazing fight as well. Where in the last movie, he had to fight with ice, here he's pulling out his fire with his Jet Kindling. And as I mentioned, the voice acting makes this scene against Leviathan especially sensational. Curiously, he didn't end up as messed up as Katsuki or Izuku, but maybe I'm missing something...
Then there's Izuku VS Flect. This was my favorite fight of the movie and my favorite of Izuku's thus far. For one, it's a much longer battle that really drives home just how far he's come. He has to not only deal with Flect's reflecting Quirk, but also lasers shooting him around the room.
I think to back to one of the tracks that played during the fight, when Izuku's just pummeling away at Flect to keep him away from Rody, even though he knows it's futile. It's a really strong track that builds up with everyone around the world fighting at their best. And as the music continues building, Izuku finally manages to break through Flect's defense.
Speaking of whom, he's actually a villain that can be sympathized with. He was abandoned by everyone around him because of his Quirk and thus led him on the path to believe in the Quirk Doomsday Theory. When Izuku calls him out for not trying to change that, his anger does feel righteous in a way. Out of the three main movie villains we got, he's definitely the most complex. That's not saying a lot considering what characters Wolfram and Nine had, but Flect's definitely top tier for me.
And his battle against Izuku, as I said, is the highlight of the film for me. The building score and the back-and-forth blows they trade just feel so connected. And when You Say Run came back, that was amazing.
I haven't talked about the animation because of what I said earlier. It's amazing animation for sure, but there's also stuff that it takes away from in order to make a lot of money. I really do hope the higher-ups making these decisions on movies will think more on the anime itself as it heads into a crucial arc for Season 6.
Anyways, Izuku defeats Flect, and Rody wound up saving the world after all by disarming the bombs with milliseconds to spare. Well, Pino did, but you get the idea. Rody and Izuku's friendship is really genuine in this film. Pino, being Rody's tell as part of his Quirk, shows just how truly sad he is that he'll have to say goodbye to his friend. And it's a nice and touching goodbye. At the end, Rody goes on to take on more respectable work, along with getting ready to take on his dream of becoming a real pilot someday.
And that's that! Now what'd I think? Overall, a really solid movie. Definitely felt like a story that didn't have to connect with things in the main series. But it was a really well-rounded story that showed us just how far some of these characters have come.
Rody's definitely a favorite of mine. In fact, I'd say he was the film's highlight. I don't know if I ever felt that way with the other movie characters we got. Here was something special.
This was a fun adventure. Though part of me wishes that we got more from the other countries. Heck, I would've loved to see some other stealth suits from Class A.
I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you guys not to look at this movie as just a stupid cash-grab. It's a good movie. A solid 8/10 for me. Hopefully, I can do it justice in my upcoming adaptation...