WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter #296 “Hellish Hell,” by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
Chapter #296, “Hellish Hell,” provides a look at the world of My Hero Academia after some massive destruction, in far more detail than ever before. Not only are the lives of innocent bystanders depicted, but the mix of emotions from all levels of Heroes is highlighted in this chapter. From veteran Heroes giving up, to rising Heroes suffering the loss of cherished teachers, creator Kohei Horikoshi is preparing the readers for a hurtful future.
Dabi’s plan to crush Endeavour’s reputation succeeded as many are questioning the current Number One Hero’s credibility. Some are wondering if Endeavor will bounce back, some are expecting him to explain himself, while others completely disregard him and demand his retirement. Endeavor has never been one to be sullied by the opinions of the public, but now with his current outlook on heroism and finding out that Toya, known as Dabi now, is alive, his mental state is currently all over the place.
Endeavor, like Deku and Dynamite, is suffering from some severe wounds and has completely exhausted himself to the point of unconsciousness. Recovery Girl may be able to fix most of his current injuries, but the damage done to his reputation will not be fixed so easily. Most likely, Endeavor is going to step down from the Number One spot and begin his own escapade to hunt down Dabi and confront him. Of course, that’s assuming that Endeavor regains his mental state.
With the loss of so many Heroes, and the incapacitation of many higher ranking Heroes, who’s left to protect the people from another devastating attack? The hierarchy of the students working hard to save the survivors, while the veteran pros just stare at the rubble and question their impact on Heroism is the shifting tide in the current story. The rise of the new Heroes is happening before our eyes, while the decimation of a lost generation of Heroes is symbolized by all the rubble and destruction that surrounds them. Even though the UA students have lost so much, their Hero spirits have not waivered. This is a good sign since All For One is going to finally play his own hand against the Heroes.
With the majority of the top Heroes out of commission, it’s time for the villainous genius to land a devastating blow on the Hero society. There was a total of ten Near High-End Nomu dispatched to create a diversion, and only seven survived. All For One clearly has a plan involving the Nomu, but there might be other High-End’s laying dormant until they’re awaken by their master. If that’s the case, then All For One was planning on this from the start and even allowed his own villainous allies to suffer casualties at the expense of saving the stronger Nomu for himself. This is not for certain yet, but knowing All For One and his current disappointment with Shigaraki, he probably has something shady up his sleeve.
The fact that All For One refers to freeing his “real body,” as Shigaraki is shown in an unconscious mental state, means that he’s planning to completely take over Shigaraki’s body. This is bad news for both Heroes and villains, and the plot is starting to shift for the next arc. The Heroes will face off against All For One, while Deku will try to save Shigaraki from All For One’s clutches. The Hero/Villain dynamic is fluctuating a bit, and it will be interesting to see who sides with compassion and who delivers on revenge.
