My Hero Academia episode 152 shows a darker aspect of superhuman society, which affects both heroes and villains equally, and how Shoji Mezo, one of the hero candidates copes with and overcomes it.
Shoji Mezo is one of the unsung heroes shown in My Hero Academia, who belongs to such a superhuman category and are easily misunderstood and discriminated against due to their deformed outer appearance which happens due to the effect of the quirk they hold.
This attribute of Shoji adds a new perspective to this good vs evil shonen anime, so let’s discuss how his appearance affected My Hero Academia episode 152.
Table of Contents
Everything Is Not About Good Vs Evil
Unlike its previous episode, My Hero Academia episode 152 explores the thin line between good and evil and not good vs evil.
Up till now, except for some exclusive villains like Hero Killer Stain, no other villains especially not any demographic of villains are not provided with any backstory that could justify their actions.
However, that deficiency is duly addressed in My Hero Academia episode 152, since in this episode physically deformed superhumans or Heteromorphs and their suffering take precedence over anything else.
It also shows how those villains were made up of upstanding citizens.
Just like in the period of colonization in our civilization, in the world of My Hero Academia, there exists extreme racism against those with different kinds of quirks, especially those with deformed bodies, as shown in My Hero Academia episode 152.
This discrimination doesn’t see any good and evil in people, since just like Shoji, Spinner was also a victim of this, which led him astray.
Showing this kind of similarity between hero and villain this episode blurs the line between them and compelling one to think about how a single choice can decide one’s future path even though they live in the same situation.
All the crowd that followed Spinner as their idol and decided to take back their right seemed to choose an easy way out compared to Shoji since it’s easier to say than do, and that’s where a blurry line is drawn in this episode which can disappear any time.
In fact, there was an instance where that was about to happen, where Shoji’s heartfelt pleading almost reached the crowd and almost dissolved that blurry line of good vs evil and made the crowd a gathering of unfortunate individuals, in dire need of consolation.
What Makes Shoji Mezo Different From Other Heteromorphs In My Hero Academia Episode 152
There were some prospective heroes in My Hero Academia whose pasts haven’t been disclosed till now, Shoji Mezo is one of them.
However, in My Hero Academia episode 152, Shoji finally gets his own past flashback, where he is always shown to be oppressed, discriminated against, and feared for his outward appearance.
Just like the villain Spinner, he could have gone astray driven by vengeance, which probably could have been one of the most predictable outcomes.
However, Shoji chose to do the arduous task of reforming public sentiment instead of vengeance, this may make him a goody-two-shoe, but that also is one of the reasons he could be the most symbolic hero, to whom the crowd can relate.
In this episode, the crowd was shown to be incited and led on by another dark-hearted and scheming Heteromorph, which made them more inclined to follow the lead of Spinner, but even for an instance their heart resonated with Shoji’s plea of not seeking vengeance, that was also due to the so-called “goody-two-shoe” nature of Shoji.
However, he wasn’t just a tolerant softie all the way, since he also was quite brutal while pounding Spinner who was gone cuckoo due to his immense hatred and overload of the second quirk he received from All For One.
So, in short, Shoji Mezo is a peace-seeking young hero who is always trying to build a good position for the unfortunate of his kind and never forgets to uphold justice in this process, and that’s what makes him different from other heteromorphs who have already given up and seeking vengeance.
Spinner And Shoji, Both Sides Of The Same Coin
Spinner and Shoji Mezo both came from the same kind of background of being oppressed and discriminated against due to their outward appearance.
However, their future path branched away from each other due to the choices they made, as shown in My Hero Academia episode 152.
While Shoji chose the path of reforming public opinion, Spinner did choose to seek vengeance from society.
In fact, Spinner may seem more human because he has shown the human weakness of the fragility of trust, but then again, this is an anime about the bright light of hope.
And, that is why Shoji gets the center stage in this episode, as he shows as a possessor of superhuman willpower by holding on to the hope for a bright future.
There was an instance where Spinner asked Shoji that, if the people who oppress and discriminate against them change their stance, what will happen to the oppressed’s accumulated hatred and pain?
That was the most humane thing I have ever heard from a villain ever, however, this is an anime that can’t have a somber mood lingering on it, so Shoji’s answer of cutting the chain of hatred took precedence over all.
So if we filter out the color glass named anime theme, then both of the characters, Shoji and Spinner may be just two unfortunate people with different opinions, just like, both sides of the same coin.
Final Thought
My Hero Academia episode 152 shows a small society in a 23-minute duration, where the fine line between good and evil is nearly non-existent.
However, to carry the story theme properly, this episode creates a blurry line between those two ultimately, and somewhat manages to make the hero stand on a podium successfully.
I’m not saying that this was a forced effort, or unnecessary one, according to the story theme the hero Shoji shows and gets what is needed properly, but his appearance itself isn’t the main focus in My Hero Academy episode 152, but the effect his existence brings forth is the topic of interest.
So, it is safe to say that the existence of Heteromorph Shoji Mezo was indispensable to depict the story of this episode properly.
Since Shoji’s effort was for naught in stopping the heated-up crowd, it is also a spectacle to see what could happen in the next episode.
