My Hero Academia's Shie Hassaikai Arc Delved into Darkness

Summary The Shie Hassaikai arc introduces major character deaths, including Nighteye, taking the series to darker depths than before.

Overhaul, a chillingly realistic villain, pushes boundaries by using child experimentation, demonstrating a separate grand goal from the League.

The arc highlights new topics like super-power drugs, exploring the challenges and consequences heroes face in their daily lives.

The Shie Hassaikai arc of My Hero Academia marks a dark turn for the series, as it begins to feature some themes and moments that radically outdo anything in the story thus far. It features the first major character death in the series, and a villain who's sometimes a little too close to reality for comfort.

One of the longest arcs in the series to date, only behind the Paranormal Liberation War and the ongoing Final War arcs, the Shie Hassaikai arc was a deliberate attempt by series creator Kohei Horikoshi to create a bigger, darker story arc than anything he'd done before. The arc involves the eponymous Shie Hassaikai, a remnant of the Yakuza which attempts to ally with the League of Villains. It's soon discovered that their leader, a man calling himself Overhaul, is using a child in horrible experiments, prompting the need for a raid on their hideout by the heroes.

The Shie Hassaikai arc covers episodes 62-78 of the anime, and chapters 122-162 of the manga. Episode #64, the premiere of season 4, is an anime-original episode.

The Shie Hassaikai Arc Introduces Many Important Players

One thing this arc is noteworthy for is introducing a number of characters who go on to have a massive impact on the series. First are the "Big Three," the top upperclassmen at UA: Mirio Togata, Tamaki Amajiki, and Nejire Hado. Mirio is easily the most important, as he ends up working alongside Deku for most of the arc, and is soon revealed to have been a candidate for One for All. This prompts the audience to ask the difficult question, "was Deku really the right choice to be All Might's heir?", a question few series are bold enough to ask.

Other major characters include Sir Nighteye, All Might's former sidekick who Deku goes to work with. Sir Nighteye, as a character, is dragged down a bit by a bizarre scene featuring a tickle machine, but otherwise is a deadly serious hero who faces any challenge with a stoic expression. Sir Nighteye happens to be the first major character in the series to die, killed by Overhaul's attacks, although he lasts long enough for a truly moving goodbye with All Might and Mirio.

Of course, one can't talk about new characters without getting into Overhaul himself. Overhaul is interesting in that he's a separate villain with his own plans, unconnected to the League and Shigaraki, other than his attempted alliance. His goals are completely different, although just as grand, aiming to rid the world of Quirks and return humanity to the way it was. He's a more realistic character in some ways, portrayed as an abuser to the young Eri in a chilling manner.

My Hero Academia Explores New Corners of Its Universe

Given how it's relatively detached from the villainy that came before, the Shie Hassaikai arc gives the series a chance to explore some new topics. One big topic in this arc is drugs, particularly the fantasy super-soldier drug known as Trigger (although that name isn't used in this arc), which empowers Quirks far beyond their usual limits. Kirishima's spotlight episode in particular shows how dangerous this can be, as Quirk powers can easily go beyond what their user can tolerate and control.

This arc also gives a look into what life is like for Pro Heroes on a day-to-day basis. Nighteye is performing investigations into the Shie Hassaikai, while Fat Gum and Ryukyu are shown handling villains on the streets. It gives an idea as to how hero team-ups actually work and all the planning and coordination that goes into such a massive effort, and allows Deku and the other students to learn what their own lives will be like if they do become heroes.

The Shie Hassaikai Arc Gets Truly Dark for the First Time

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While My Hero Academia had some dark moments in earlier story arcs, the Shie Hassaikai marks a big shift in the tone of the story, at least temporarily. The relatively happy school life is almost entirely cut out here, focusing exclusively on the internships and those who secured them. It does mix up who gets the focus compared to previous arcs, allowing Uraraka and Kirishima to shine some.

The darker tone manifests almost immediately, with Deku initially being rejected by Sir Nighteye and seen as a failure already, even before having a chance to prove himself. Even when Nighteye takes him on, the relationship is a bit adversarial, with Nighteye intending to prove Deku isn't worthy of One for All. There's also the matter of Nighteye's prophesied death of All Might, which while not depicted, is made clear to be extremely grisly.

Overhaul's abusiveness towards Eri certainly brings the arc a new level of darkness, as it draws more heavily from real life than, say, Shigaraki does at this stage. Deku's first encounter with Eri is absolutely heartbreaking under these terms, as it's the first time he isn't able to save someone. His control and manipulation of her is sickening to watch, and it makes it all the more satisfying when Deku finally defeats him.

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The arc also doesn't shy away from dire consequences of the hero's actions, either; Sir Nighteye is killed in battle, something that's been very possible all along, but had yet to happen. It forced Deku and the other students to realize that the heroes don't always come out on top, and even if a mission is accomplished, it can come at a high price. There's also the loss of Mirio's Quirk due to Overhaul's Quirk-deleting bullets, which went on to become a major recurring problem in the series.

One can't discuss the story arc without getting into Deku's big battle with Overhaul, where he's able to use his full power without fear thanks to Eri's Rewind Quirk. It's one of the most hyped up, exciting moments in the series, getting to see Deku really go all out against an opponent who can take the hits.

All in all, the Shie Hassaikai arc introduced a plethora of important new characters, explored new aspects of what hero society is like, and took the story in a darker direction. While it can feel a bit detached from what came before, Overhaul is an easy villain to hate, and the desire to see him brought down emerges almost from his first appearance on screen. Eri makes the perfect distressed damsel, an innocent and cute child who absolutely needs a hero. My Hero Academia outdid itself with the Shie Hassaikai arc, and laid the groundwork for even bigger arcs ahead.

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