My Hero Academia Chapter 413 Review – “Leaden Mass”

My Hero Academia has gone into 2024 with Izuku Midoriya vs Tomura Shigaraki as main headliner. All the other battles are over. This is the final battle Kohei Horikoshi has been building towards. The fight has delivered with Shigaraki proving why he is the final boss of My Hero Academia. No matter what Midoriya has thrown he has been completely overwhelmed by Shigaraki’s seemingly unlimited power. That led to a major surprise of Kudo, the second One For All user, telling Midoriya its time for him to give up his Quirk. What does Kudo mean by this? Let’s find out with My Hero Academia Chapter 413.

CREATIVE TEAM

Writer & Artist: Kohei Horikoshi

SYNOPSIS

All Might wakes up when he hears the voice of Star & Stripe calling out to him. While Edgeshot tells him to stay awake due to his injuries, All Might realizes he is still connected to One For All’s vestige world.

Meanwhile, as Shigaraki attacks him Deku asks Kudo within the vestige world why he should give up One For All. Kudo reveals that Shigaraki’s incredible power comes from a culmination of all that built his hatred into a lead-like casing around his soul. Kudo goes on to state that during their fight Star & Stripe was able to create a scar-like opening within Shigaraki that they can exploit.

Deku does not want to give up his Quirks but Kudo says their only way of stopping Shigaraki is from fighting him within All For One’s vestige world. As they talk Nana Shimura understands why Izuku Midoriya doesn’t want to give up One For All or any of his Quirks is because they were given to him by his hero.

As Shigaraki continues his attacks Deku activates Blackwhip (which Kudo mentions is what is the Quirk keeping Midoriya alive) throughout his body. As Deku unleashes a barrage of attacks on Shigaraki the Blackwhip forms around his body changing Deku’s appearance. End of chapter.

REVIEW

Once again, Kohei Horikoshi shows that he has had a long-term plan for all the major events that have happened up to this point. My Hero Academia Chapter 413 is proof of that as Star & Stripe is shown to be the key to this story. Without her, the possible chance to Tomura Shigaraki wouldn’t even be open to our heroes. In that opening, we get many complications of what the actual results of risking everything on going through it.

From the moment Star & Stripe made her debut she stood out as one of the best characters in this series. She had a presence that radiated pure confidence. It’s that confidence that made her come across as an important character. Horikoshi shows that fact by having Star & Stripe continue to have a great impact on this story.

That importance didn’t just end with her destroying a large number of Tomura Shigaraki’s Quirks. Star & Stripe had the long-term plan of also providing an opening for All Might and the other heroes to ultimately defeat Shigaraki. By simply creating this opening Star & Stripe shows how she truly represented hope.

However, this hope is one that comes with an extreme gamble. By One For All and all of Izuku Midoriya’s predecessors Quirks, there is a huge risk. That risk is making Shigaraki an all-powerful Demon Lord with no one to stop. Even if they can stop Shigaraki all the users of One For All also have time to worry about. Because if they are not quick enough to destroy the casing around Shigaraki’s soul within the Vestige World this gamble will be for not.

Then there is the Midoriya factor in all of this. Horikoshi does a great job of showing this decision is not an easy one. And it’s not just because of the involved. For Midoriya risking One For All would be giving away the thing his hero, All Might, entrusted him with. That is a trust that means everything to Midoriya.

Nana Shimura recognizing this fact brings her back to the forefront. She has been silently trying to not let her feelings about Shigaraki being her grandson cloud what the heroes must do. But now Nana may understand that she can’t simply let her other predecessors control things. Nana could use her familial connection to be the one to crack open the hatred that’s formed in Shigaraki.

There is also the wild card of All Might that Horikoshi continues to go back to. All Might sensing the discussion going on inside One For All’s Vestige World isn’t random. What exactly it could mean for the role All Might still will serve in this story will be an interesting one to see play out.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My Hero Academia Chapter 413 was all about setting up for the next stage in this final fight. That set-up is a risky gamble that could ultimately lead to Tomura Shigaraki’s defeat or him destroying the world. This creates even greater intrigue into what happens next in this story.

Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10

Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10

Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10