100% Action! | My Hero Academia Vol. 17 Review

Story and Art by Kohei Horikoshi
Published by Viz Media

 

In a world of superheros and villains, organized crime as we know it is all but a thing of the past. A new type of organized crime is born in its stead. In My Hero Academia Vol. 17, the Yakuza are led by a Quirk user and have formed a shaky alliance with the League of Villains. This set of chapters continues the rescue mission put together by former sidekick of All Might, Nighteye. Izuku Midoriya (Deku) joins the mission as part of his internship with Nighteye and gets to learn just the kind of people the Yakuza are and the man who leads them, Overhaul. Volume 17 consists of chapters 148-157 and delivers high stakes action and pits our heroes against some terrifying foes!

We were introduced previously to third-year student Mirio Togata (Lemillion), known as one of the “Big Three” of UA High School. After learning just how awesome he is, I’m happy to seem him get some solo cover time! The design is simple and it’s only elements are of course mister million himself and the spikes protruding from the ground. Did a Quirk cause them? And why is Mirio’s cape in tatters? I’m a huge fan of mangaka, Kohei’s artstyle. It literally and figuratively breaches the panels and it brings me back to the style of American comic books. 

My Hero Academia Vol. 17 begins by showing us what ultimately became of Overhaul’s gang and The League of Villains. The alliance remains unstable and it seems like one team cannot rely on the other. Clashing agendas becomes yet another obstacle the villain, Overhaul, has to deal with. Loyalty is the most important thing to Overhaul and he surrounds himself with people willing to die for him and their plans. This is a man, as we learn who will do whatever it takes to reach his goal and if that means dirtying his hands with the League, he certainly isn’t beyond it. Perhaps, where he is willing to compromise is where his weakness is.

My Hero Academia Vol. 17

We are driven through the different “teams” that consist of the rescue for the little girl, Eri. Each victory gets more and more exciting as you go! Everyone gives it their all and we all learn something new about what being a hero means to students and mentors alike. Who knew an internship would turn into such a dramatic affair?

Drama is usually followed closely by tragedy in My Hero Academia Vol. 17. While the action escalates and our heroes complete feat after feat, it is hard to watch them take a loss. But tragedy does not always mean death; it can also mean the loss of something. It is a plot fitting for a man whose villain name and Quirk are called Overhaul. A complete deconstruction of the current order of society; a redistribution societal control. Perhaps this is how the Yakuza comes back to power- by bringing down those who pushed them away in the first place.

The story in My Hero Academia Vol. 17 progresses rapidly with hardly enough time to process what may have happened to certain characters and the action simply moves on with plans on filling us in later. There were moments where I thought I should have felt really sad, but honestly, I was flipping through the pages because the movement of the scenes were fast! Nearly every page is filled with fighting and truly shows us what it means to be a battle manga. I’m all for the fights, but perhaps I was a little disappointed in how much I didn’t care about certain characters. That isn’t to say that they are not great characters, but simply put; I wish I had more time to get to know them before you throw a wrench at me. 

My Hero Academia Vol. 17

We get thrust into the crux of the rescue mission with Deku of course fighting off with this arc’s antagonist, none other than Overhaul. If it wasn’t clear before, Overhaul’s Quirk allows him to disassemble and reassemble anything as he pleases. Essentially, he can heal just as easily as he can destroy. It was a lot of fun, yet terrifying to see just what he could do with that kind of power!

The fight between Deku and Overhaul doesn’t end this volume so be sure to be on the lookout for Volume 18 to find out how their fight ends! Other than that, we have some major characters that are in grave danger. Just how will the rest of the cast of My Hero Academia respond to the conclusion of the his rescue mission? Deku is going to have to really dig deep if he wants to survive and win this time. Just one touch can lead to his final moments! Izuku Midoriya’s dream of becoming the world’s greatest hero is in jeopardy and he will have to give 100% of himself to get out of this alive.