The sixth season of My Hero Academia seems to have ended on a fairly positive note. Deku finally got the rest he needed and he’s ready to face the threat of Tomura Shigaraki and All For One with the help of his fellow Heroes and classmates. However, it’s kind of a downer when one thinks about how this season ended as a win for those villains on the battlefield.
This might have been fixed by the very next arc in the series, the Star and Stripe Arc. It would have been a place where the Heroes got one over on these villains and thus ended the season on a more positive note. Assuming Season 7 follows the manga, it should begin with a battle between Shigaraki and America’s No. 1 Hero, Star and Stripe. It doesn’t quite end with Star and Stripe winning, but it does end with Shigaraki losing. Whether this would have been a good place to end the sixth season depends on what reaction the anime wanted to get out of fans — it’s all about whether viewers feel properly satisfied by the ending.
Where’s the Best Place to Show the Star and Stripe Arc?
On one hand, this could have made Season 6’s finale a lot like Season 4’s finale. It would have prevented the season from ending on a non-action episode while also portraying the Heroes as the winners they need to be. If the season ended with this “loss” for the Heroes, the villains would have still looked tough, but it would have made beating them feel like more of a possibility.
On the other hand, there might not have been enough time to present this arc in its entirety. For how decently paced the 25 episodes of Season 6 are, it’s difficult to imagine how the contents of this arc could fit into it neatly; this season didn’t even have time for a recap filler episode like the last four seasons, nor did it have any filler episodes for that matter. Even if the rest of the season were compressed or a 26th episode was added, this arc would still need at least two or three episodes to be properly expanded upon. Cramming in this arc might have led to the same pacing issues as at the end of Season 5.
Ending Season 6 as an overall win for the villains’ side was also important. It fits the theme of failure that’s permeated its 25 episodes. Ending the season on a win for the villains also gives beating them a necessary sense of difficulty. Its brilliantly unique mix of hope and despair sets the tone for Season 7.
Ending Season 6 on the Star and Stripe Arc may have helped with its overall mixed tone, but it didn’t have to. The season ended on a positive enough note as is. This upcoming arc is better off being presented in its entirety at the start of Season 7.
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