My Hero Academia 6x20 Reaction and Commentary: Hired Gun

[@AGoodwinTV]

Update: AOT coming tomorrow! For copyright reasons I split up the KZbin versions in 2 parts for the 2 episodes. Part 1 will be tomorrow and part 2 the day after. Both versions and the full extended version will be up in a few hours on Patreon

[@ultracollectorz9970]

Thank you good sir. 👍

[@r4nsom__]

Epic

[@amodking]

Can we vote on a new anime to watch? I really want you to see re:zero

[@AGoodwinTV]

@@amodking yeah votes happen on Patreon, but it might be a while until I choose the next show because there's so much going on right now

[@miahan8988]

So excited! I bet you’re gonna love one thing that’s gonna be back 😆 SPOILERS The Shoulder Pat 😭❤️

[@timothy1871]

Having to watch All Might in this position now is so sad, I guess he now knows what it was like for Nighteye who was constantly trying to get him to slow down and take care of himself

[@yas7689]

omg how come i missed this parallel

[@raec5426]

As Yoichi (1st OFA user), brought up point that he could have easily been killed as being the enemies' brother, 2nd user took enough time to stop before just shooting to look in his eyes and reach out to him. Thus, he helped begin the cycle of OFA, with that first act of reaching out. That theme of reaching out to people (like Deku does in the latest OP) has been consistent.

[@phari4820]

And it goes all the way back to episode 1 when Deku reached out to Bakugou, both when he was captured by the villain and in the flashback when he fell into the river and Deku reached his hand to him, which is the same symbolism that's being used a lot this season

[@mrrd4444]

Something very cool and sweet about Hawks leading Endeavor away while Jeanist catches all the debris being thrown. This is no longer the time of individual heroes, it's a time of teams and support systems. Which is why Endeavor is wrong to think staying with Deku would burden him - but it's reasonable for Endeavor specifically to think that, since he's trying to do it with his own family.

[@xxtaichouxx]

This man has a great perspective and he articulates it very well this channel needs more support

[@JasmineTeaEnjoyer]

so fucking true

[@raec5426]

It's funny because a lot of people want MHA to stay super gritty with this atmosphere with Deku to subvert expectations, but good to see you enjoy it for what it has at its roots despite the shift in the atmosphere.

[@gayninja6567]

Fun fact: Lady Nagant’s voice actor in the sub also voices Anya from SXF.

[@ashhabimran239]

Looks like she followed in her parents' footsteps

[@phari4820]

Twilight and Yor taught her well

[@kayoh310]

The dub VA is way better.

[@gatr2897]

I'm so obsessed with Lady Nagant she's instantly one of my favorite characters

[@Rearnold1987]

As a manga Reader, so cool to see her Animated. Love it.

[@samuelclayhills3298]

With All for one the implication is that he is so detached from humanity that he can't feel enough hatred against specific people. The sad thing with Shigaraki is that he has on mulitple ocasions chosen evil he willingly got All for one the quirk inplanted into him. A running theme has been him being questioned by other villains, Stain asking about his convictiom, Overhaul asking about his plan and Redestro asking about his ideology. Every time he as duobbeld down on just destruction with some vauge society bad rethoric to get people to join. Every other villain who questiond him had something a little more. Stain genuenly belived in a idealized hero but whent with too extreme measurres. Overhaul wanted to make things upp for his father figure with monsterous means. Redestro wanted to liberate quirks with more extreme measurres. Shigaraki is basically exactly what All for one needed a ball of hatered so that he can becom an even better demon lord.

[@ladynoluck]

The heteromorph/mutant (people with quirks that cause non-human-looking appearances) discrimination/prejudice has been simmering in the background of the series with Spinner, the heteromorph hate group the League of Villains killed in that recent flashback, etc. Some other hints to it were also removed from the anime, but we’ll see more about it as we go. Now that things aren’t going as they want it to and society has collapsed, people are turning to their prejudices to feel safe and find scapegoats. A minor spoiler is that this animal lady will get rejected from multiple shelters because of this prejudice.

[@type1eagle994]

From Gran Torino’s point of view of killing a person in order to save them, I see as putting down a rabid animal, and it’s the only humane thing to do in order to prevent other people and the animal from getting more hurt. It all depends on if Shigaraki is too far gone.

[@HaydenStephens515]

1:18 - 1:28 Bro, those were my exact thoughts! It’s like we’re psychically-linked or something!😮🤯

[@corruptedteka]

Ah !!! You guys watching the dub are finally starting to catch up, huh ? I've gotta say, there's an episode I think you're really going to love. Couldn't stop thinking of you while watching it. Obviously I'm not telling you what it is, but DAMN. MHA has been really tugging at the heartstrings in some very interesting ways. Bleakness, fear, loneliness... It really gets to be really heavy on the conscience. Which is why at every turn, we're holding out for HOPE. That's what made Madoka Magica so good, and that's what's making this arc of MHA so emotional to me. We're always tense, waiting for SOMETHING to spark. It's so very interesting.

[@Tubular_dude_20y_ago]

Fun fact, in that scene of civilians heckling Endeavor and co. Twice's boss that fired him when he was a teenager was in the crowd.

[@Tiraliass]

nope, different hair color. the two antenna are common for horikoshi to draw in background characters.

[@kamronspencer4910]

@@Tiraliass anime might have changed it but in the manga they had literally the same face.

[@Windjammer19]

I think he just means, Shigaraki is suffering, but if you can't talk him down and end this peacefully, then you need to kill for two imporatant reasons: 1) to keep more people from dying/gettin hurt and 2) to end Shiraraki's suffering. A mercy kill basically.

[@illusionz8214]

Excited! Love your analysis of episodes, please never stop making content ❤

[@raec5426]

*FYI:* MHA author commented with citing the movie, "Wanted" and thanking Angie for the inspiration of Nagant with curved bullets. lol

[@AGoodwinTV]

That makes a lot of sense

[@raec5426]

@A Goodwin TV Yeah, Horikoshi is actually very open about his references. - So as it relates to Avatar since people think he got influence from it when he said he didn't know of it before: Avatar obviously borrowed from Eastern concepts itself. There's other series (from Japan) with these similar themes that pre-date Avatar. Flame of Recca for example with similarity of Todoroki family plot of having 2 siblings with different color fire abilities, sibling with scar, and older sibling rivaling younger sibling - Hey, that sounds familiar... as that predates Avatar. lol Also Hitman Reborn similarity of stuff with past users like Deku has too. Another series to predate Avatar. Maybe Avatar and/or Horikoshi got influence from that. Horikoshi is very open with his references like mentioning Deku and Spiderman similarity for powers, influence of Naruto, Star Wars, Akira, etc. So literally has no reason to pretend to not know about Avatar when definitely wasn't much of a known series to Japan, especially awhile back. People just look to Avatar with bias of familiarity from the West, especially bias of nostalgia as maybe growing up with it as a kid.

[@Kaika433]

Fun fact: the gauntlets that Deku is using are the same that the ones Melissa created in the first movie

[@scottvgamer1163]

Not the exact same, but a prototype.

[@Ryan_gogaku]

Yeah. They said these are "mid" gauntlets, whereas the movie ones were "full" gauntlets, but same same, just less absorbing power.

[@superz8020]

Lady Nagant is actually based on Angelina in that movie, Wanted

[@alexanderwiles2003]

its still mad to me the vigilantes in the start said "someone who looks like that shouldn't be out so late "and "what were we supposed to think" when they're legit running around late at night in a group with weapons at the ready to attack anyone. and its interesting how prejudice is returning so those with strong quirks who can protect themselves will rise and those with weak quirks or obvious quirks will be either dominated by the strong or ostracised by both groups in fear of what they are capable of and it reminds me of the all for one flashback from awhile ago where we see him take the giant toothed jaw quirk from a guy because he had been poorly treated since it scared people.

[@HelenaSan425]

Can't wait for u to see EP 21 and 22

[@lrcreator1384]

I can’t stop watching it, I can’t wait for this input

[@Kaempfdog]

Lady Nagant’s Sniper Battle is among my favorites of MHA. Even though I know DARN well Deku is completely broken inside and is forcing himself forward on fumes, this is a fight I never bore of. I got some analysis as per usual. The return to the MVA scenes made me so happy because of scenes like that unsettling one of attacking the 8 foot fox girl. They all needed the full context of MVA. It really sets in the part of society that in a way justifies their will to destroy society. (Emphasis on in a way. Not every way.) This world isn’t as shiny as it appears. Endeavor having to deal with the backlash of the public is equally unsettling. I wanted to briefly bring up his press conference after admitting Dabi was his son. Whose bone headed idea was it to ANNOUNCE TO THE PUBLIC that the Families of UA High are evacuating TO THE SCHOOL?! That’s like saying to the villains “Here is where you’ll find the best hostages.” And it drives me insane to this day they just TELL THEM. For more than one reason, but we’ll leave it at that for now. Just…keep it in mind. Back to the scene of Endeavor worrying about Deku taking the burden of the public, I’ll say while it’s not direct, he’s DEFINITELY feeling it. It’s one of the bigger problems with being an empath. Distance and non direct emotions aren’t that helpful. It’s true the blame of the war doesn’t land on Deku, he knows DARN well he would be EQUALLY hated if the public found out that EVERYTHING in the war on the villain side was prepared to fight HIM SPECIFICALLY. I’ve talked to MANY Empaths since this arc occurred in the manga and regarding other fictional Empaths and even about me and others being Empaths. We all would’ve felt the blame anyway no matter where it went. And the fact it hits a teacher of his that he trusts and admires being Endeavor? There’s some HEAVY guilt there. And in the state he’s in? That’s ROUGH. Even more so people that are NOT shy of piling on the burden is the other holders of OFA demanding Deku put an end to a 200 year conflict. We FINALLY get confirmation why the 2nd and 3rd holder were holding out. Because they were not just from AFO’s strongest hold on the country, but apart of a rebellion AGAINST him. And the 2nd holder? It’s LEADER. To hear Deku wants to reach out and save Tenko Shimura? Had to be a slap to the face. And I LOVE that the 1st holder said, oh sure. Yet YOU reached out to me and STARTED OFA proper. And THAT gets them BOTH to come forward and basically offer their quirks right then and there. It’s ALL out. The vestiges are working in perfect tandem. Coaching his use, and literally EVERY second he fights he gets stronger. Not as fast as it’s GOING to get once he gets the prime, but I’ve said my piece why that’s impossible for now. Stockpile is still his greatest weapon. There would be no other quirks without the stockpile. This also covers a bit of the mystery of AFO NEEDING Shigaraki. And the hatred, and more. This is where I started looking into the limitations of AFO. How many quirks can he steal at once? How does his quirk work? Can he only give with one hand and take with the other? Regardless what his limitations are, Shigaraki or AFS surpasses whatever limitations he had. And considering what AFO used against Nana in the OVA…yeah, we haven’t seen JACK of what AFO can really do. Much like Deku, Shigaraki surpassing his master has a LOT to live up to. And then there’s Lady Nagant. Of course the Public Safety Commission had a designated individual before Hawks. He’s in his early 20’s isn’t he? Like 22? And since what we know what HAWKS has to do, you can only imagine what SHE has done. And we FINALLY have a villain in the same class as Stain. The hero trained villain type. Having a whole scene DEDICATED to gushing about how good she is with her quirk, how good the quirk is and only NOW finding out what Snipe’s quirk is in the anime. Her coming out under the cover of rain, being Endeavor’s, Best Jeanist’s, AND All-Might’s worst conditions to assist. (SPECTACULAR atmosphere by the way.) She makes her deal with the devil and gets a new quirk, and not just any quirk, the one that AFO uses to just unsettlingly look down on you. (Which is why he didn’t just walk off island Tartarus. GREAT detail.) And KNOWING even with OFA, Deku is meant to RUN from her. And she’s sniping a freaking KILOMETER away through BUILDINGS. The stage has been set for a TRULY awesome fight I love. She does NOT mess around. And yeah, yet another episode that reminds me just how much I love the Rogue arc. It’s SO good.

[@JDP5127]

I will say the rain is kind of a mixed bag for Endeavor. The rain should help keep him cool longer, but that probably does not outweigh the fact that his visibility would be garbage, since every attack would be accompanied by a cloud of steam. On the other hand, he is probably used to fighting in poor visibility since the bright flashes of his flames would also wreck his visibility, and obscure his vision.

[@DetroitSmash]

*I know this probably goes without saying, but hero society has seen better days.*

[@Ryan_gogaku]

You need a shower and a hot bath soon, and badly.

[@thealdoc]

you are too late, spiderman! GUNS have been LEGALIZED!

[@natsuotodoroki]

I wanna watch the reactor or the show, but my eyes keep drifting over to that watermelon! 😅

[@The__Southpaw]

I agree that Gran Torinos line is interesting. But with the whole Shigaraki being controlled by AFO I can't help but think that maybe person being killed is AFO and Shigaraki somehow survives and... then something. Not sure if Deku would find some common ground with him and save him with the power of friendship or if Shigaraki would lose his quirk and all of AFOs quirks which would force him to re-think his life or something.

[@gayninja6567]

This episode gives off major Gotham city vibes.

[@robinmartin2818]

If you're having trouble with anime faces, a trick I personally use is to focus on the hair. That's why I lot of animes go out of their way to give their characters very unusual hairstyles and colors.

[@timothy1871]

Always love your observations man

[@JasmineTeaEnjoyer]

Hori while writing this season of MHA: 🔥🔥🔥✍✍✍✍✍🔥🔥🔥 also we get yet ANOTHER absolute 10/10 baddie with a cool as fuck quirk, this show is a goddamn factory for incredible character designed hot as fuck thicc powerful female heroes, and I am so fucking here for it.

[@itzronobi4805]

The baddest I mean best character had finally arrived

[@gantashiro978]

That line "Sometimes you have to kill someone to save them" is very interesting cuz we don't know what saving Shigaraki looks exactly. I don't know if Deku will save Shigaraki by killing him and essentially freeing Tenko from his eternal suffering because I agree that killing someone is under no circumstance actually saving them it's destroying them for me it felt like Gran Torino was trying to keep the idea of killing Shigaraki as an option in his mind. But if the circumstance is one where there's no possible path to saving him Deku killing him could be a form of mercy depending on if his suffering can be relieved without killing him or not. But I think Deku will truly find a way to save Shigaraki without killing him. I wouldn't be so sure about this if it wasn't for Deku seeing that child Tenko crying within Shigaraki and made it clear that he does want to be saved it's not just Deku's interpretation of it. It'll be interesting to keep in mind as we see Deku go down this path. Even though he's been so adamant for killing Shigaraki it's relieving at least for me to see that Gran Torino isn't trying to stand in Deku's path of wanting to save him and entrusting the decision to him.

[@AGoodwinTV]

This is very aligned with my thoughts on that statement as well

[@yingyang7448]

From a meta perspective, Deku is going to save Shigaraki because it's a Shonen Jump series. I'd be genuinely surprised if Deku kills him.

[@gantashiro978]

@Ying Yang and Deku actually killing another person is something that would be shocking to see no matter who he's facing I just can't picture Deku killing someone

[@TechnoArpan]

The way I understand it, it's like putting down a rabid animal. Sometimes, there's just no other way and it's much more humane to kill them so that they don't cause pain to others and themselves

[@yingyang7448]

@@TechnoArpan Yeah, for real. The amount of people Shigaraki killed has to be in the several thousands by this point as well as causing absolute panic and chaos for the millions that live in Japan and for other millions of people outside of Japan. From a realistic perspective, he would definitely have to die but that would betray the spirit of the show.

[@azenar1894]

Rizzuku Himdoriya

[@ek3241]

Great reaction and review as always

[@TheFrelano]

Just wanted to say that the movie you mentioned with the curved bullets is "Wanted". And great reactions as usual!

[@AGoodwinTV]

Thanks! I found out from comments that actually Lady Galant is based on that movie

[@alvaroguel9623]

Your outro always gives me so much joy 😂

[@Litgaming776]

Lady Nagants quirk are so cool!

[@Llmonty_]

Ay Goodwin I re-watched your my hero academia qna and I was wondering if you'd wanna check out Gurren Lagann It perfect matches all of the reasons you had for loving my hero and it has one of the best anime dubs out there. I'd love to hear what you have to say about the themes at play in the show. Also your my favorite reaction KZbinr out there love your videos 💙 Oh yeah and it's only 27 episodes

[@ahnmadehv51]

ok but counterpoint: what if, at this point in time, the best potential for the greater good that Shigaraki has is to die without causing anymore harm? What if that's what it mean to save him? To stop him from becoming even worse

[@AGoodwinTV]

Good question. I think while we can maybe argue it might be in the (present) world's best interest for Shigaraki to die, it isn't saving him. His getting worse also isn't saving him, that's letting him fall further. Killing him would prevent him from getting worse but I don't see that as saving him, as getting worse isn't the only option. Saving him would mean returning him to a place where he has the chance to be "whole" for lack of a better term and a place where he might realize the potential of what he could do if he were to remove his hatred.

[@Ryan_gogaku]

I think this relies on finding something good to achieve through his quirk. How do we find purpose in decay? I think at least we can imagine accepting that destroying an oppressive system is potentially a good, if incomplete.

[@ahnmadehv51]

@@AGoodwinTV thanks for the answer!

[@Mellow15]

cant wait to see your take on the one hour aot special

[@illusionz8214]

That isn’t her brother…. It’s overhaul

[@AGoodwinTV]

Yeah I got there eventually

[@SilverFang95]

We need an mha arkham city/knight type of game. Also, All for one is kind of like the joker.

[@eduardodelim3908]

My mommy Nagant. .rawr

[@RoyMust4ng]

Im calling it now, we are going to have a scene where Deku reaches to Shigaraki and is gonna be side by side with 2nd user reaching 1st user.

[@Ryan_gogaku]

2:00 I don't know who this is. Is it a series I haven't watched, or is it Hoenheim?

[@AGoodwinTV]

The great Erwin Smith 😁

[@Ryan_gogaku]

Ahh, I have never seen AOT. [ducks for shelter]

[@RayGunga13]

nice

[@nickp3065]

The "Dark Hero" arc name brings vigilante and or villainous vibes and I thought Deku would go in that direction. For this reason dislike that name now and I prefer using a name that reflects his actual emotions so I call it "Sad Hero" arc.

[@raec5426]

Well dark doesn't necessarily mean it's about being morally dark. It has meaning in it being dark in a different way for the context. People wanting Deku to be a villain/morally dark literally makes no sense, and sounds forced for "cool" aesthetic as it doesn't fit the story organically. Keep it for fan AU. lol

[@nickp3065]

@@raec5426 you are correct that it makes no sense that is why I dislike it and I said that.

[@raec5426]

@nickp3065 I think the label isn't really bad within the actual context though. lol

[@Ryan_gogaku]

I mean, Horikoshi himself called it 黒いヒーロー, "black hero," so at least there's something he wants us to see in that. Given, it could be a play on "black and white," and how Lady Nagant speaks constantly in color metaphors.

[@nickp3065]

@@Ryan_gogaku All those names "Dark Hero", "Dark Deku", "Black Hero" are not similar at all. Each has a different meaning even if people use them as the same.

[@FiniteMC]

Day 17 asking for Bocchi the Rock reactions

[@Ryan_gogaku]

Join the Patreon for voting? But it's pretty tough right now. AOT S4 starting, Haikyuu has a while left, and Hunter x Hunter has had hundreds of votes for years and Goodwin said he'd start it soon.... but who knows?

[@FiniteMC]

@@Ryan_gogaku I would love too, but I'm broke. I'm also a minor :D, so I don't have a way to pay digitally. Otherwise, imma jus keep reminding so when he has a slot free he'll think about it :).