Anime Lovers

My Hero Academia Season 7 episode 20 was one that showcased another pillar of this series in comparison to other anime—its voice cast. I think the performance by Ayane Sakura (Ochako) and Misato Fukuen (Toga) was the best display of voice acting in My Hero Academia since Daichi Endo’s performance as Twice in Season 6.

Sakura’s and Fukuen’s Performance

Scriptwriting questions aside, Sakura herself mentioned she cried during the recording session for Ochako in this episode, expressing that she could barely even see the script due to crying so much. Everyone in the recording studio praised her effort and rightfully so. It’s not very often that we, as fans, watch a series and come out of it wanting to praise the voice actors/actresses themselves. But that’s not to say we never do. Without them, the anime we love wouldn’t hold a special place in our hearts in the first place.

Ochako has been one of my favorite characters from the beginning and I have Sakura to thank for that. She also had a brilliant display of voice acting towards the end of Season 6 as well when she was screaming from the U.A. rooftops, an episode in what I considered the most emotional of the season at that time.

But it wasn’t just Sakura. Her chemistry with Fukuen as their constant back and forth throughout the episode showed how incredible of a voice-actress pair they make. Fukuen even mentioned that at one point during the recording session, she felt as if her throat was about to give out, and I can understand why. Up until this point, we haven’t seen Toga go on such a course of emotional monologues as we have in this episode. Thanks to Fukuen’s performance, she unfortunately was sore for 2-3 days after the fact.

Fukuen credited Ayane for her brilliant work stating that the only reason she was able to take her talents to another level was because Ayane pushed her to get there with her own respective performance. It shows that when an anime has a lot of build-up between two characters the emotions from, not just the script itself, but from the voice actors and actresses come alive in that moment as well.

Some fans that everyone should ignore will always slam voice actors and voice actresses for crying during their performances. But when you dedicate over a decade of your life to characters that Sakura and Fukuen have in My Hero Academialike many of their colleagues, I can imagine you become attached to that character in ways fans can’t understand.

Ochako and Toga’s Climax

One of the best character dynamics in My Hero Academia finally reached its climax in this episode and it’s a story of one with complicated emotions and clashing contrast. As mentioned previously, with Ochako being one of my favorite characters in the series, seeing her go all out and pave her own way on what it means to be a hero gave me goosebumps.

I’ve talked about with friends how gravity users in anime and manga always tend to be some of the most overpowered characters possible. Yet, with Ochako, it’s almost as if series creator Kohei Horikoshi purposely held her back with good reason. Even in this episode, Ochako admits she will never think about using her quirk to harm people just as Toga did. And given how other heroes undoubtedly use their quirks to pummel their opponents, Ochako takes the path less traveled once again.

As the newswoman said in this episode, the entire fate of the war was on Ochako’s shoulders to keep Toga’s emotions in check. Seeing other heroes such as Hawks and Iida possibly awaiting the worst, Ochako went plus ultra and surpassed all of her limits. Puking from overuse of her quirk while bleeding out from a stab wound all while doing everything necessary to stop the one villain who could wipe out an entire country. How can anyone dislike Ochako?

Toga and Ochako lie in parrel to Shigaraki and Deku. This episode was a clear indicator of wondering “what could be” if Deku and Ochako met the other two before evil decided their fates. Despite what it could’ve been, having Toga and Ochako relish in the moment of what currently is as they carefully floated back down when it was all over was a testament to how all it takes is one person to change someone’s life for better or worse.

I appreciated Toga’s character on the grounds that her ultimate goals weren’t rooted in some world domination takeover villain cliche. It’s the same way people love Dabi’s character as well. Much like Dabi, Toga is simply, in a good way, a different kind of villain. The absence of love in Toga’s life mirrored the outpouring amount of love that Ochako’s parents gave her. While Toga was surrounded by hate, Ochako was always surrounded by the opposite.

It’s a greatly written dynamic that I enjoyed to the fullest coming to life in the anime. Whenever the two clashed, I just knew we were in for some great moments. Sure, some things Toga may have pursued were a little corny, but she’s a teenage girl. Is that such a bad thing? Well, the killing part was, at least.

My Hero Academia Season 7 Episode 20 Production

It sucks knowing that episode 20 might be considered a fallout to many given the fact its predecessor was considered by many to be one of the greatest episodes in My Hero Academia history. I will admit that at this point in the manga, the dialogue itself came across as slightly cheesy to me. But I’d be damned if anyone said the production team didn’t make this episode even better than it was originally intended to be on top of the vocal performances.

I’ll leave the manga/anime art comparison to social media engagement farmers because I loved what I saw in this episode. If I didn’t know what was going to be said, and remained an anime-only fan, I would’ve undoubtedly been emotional watching it. Sakura, Fukuen, and the production team deserve a round of applause for their work.

Following up on last week’s episode was no easy take. Yet, everyone this week gave their all and I could feel that in the episode. One key animator in particular, Akira Iwamotois looking to be a promising young talent at Bones after seeing his work in today’s episode. Veteran music composer Yuki Hayashi even mentioned that composing the music for the scene where Ochako and Toga flashback to meeting their younger selves was a difficult challenge for him.

If anything, I truly believe that My Hero Academia Season 7 episode 20 was a perfect showcase for how much care is being put into this series despite what critics say. At one point in the episode, there was over 30 seconds worth of full-body movement animation thanks to Iwamoto. For a series many complain about having still images, this episode should be talked about a little more for its production.

The animation towards the end and even the scene transitions were wonderfully done. And that’s not something easy by any means to pull off in the middle of a high-stakes fight. There’s such a thing as great animation during a fight, but it’s another to embed creative visual storytelling while blending that with a voice actress’s performance. And I think that’s what made this episode special.

My Hero Academia Season 7 Episode 20 Wrap-Up

I know this episode won’t go without its fair share of criticism, I just believe it should be one that fans can sit back and realize this series means as much to the voice cast as it does to us. These aren’t just professionals, they’re veterans with a love and passion for the medium just like we have. When they give their all to this work, we should give them thanks for it in return. Simple as that.

Episode 20 rating: 9/10

Episode 21, titled “Battle Without a Quirk” will be released on Saturday, October 12, 2024. If you enjoyed episode 20 then be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! The season finale will showcase All Might’s final battle against All For One so stay tuned! Crunchyroll is streaming the anime with English subtitles.

Screenshots via Crunchyroll
©K. Horikoshi / Shueisha, My Hero Academia Project