Threads of Hope (一縷の希望たち Ichiru no Kibō-tachi?) is the one hundred and twenty-fifth episode of the My Hero Academia anime and the twelfth episode of the sixth season.
Summary[]
Now back on active duty, Best Jeanist restrains the League of Villains.
Before he jumps out of the plane, Best Jeanist watches Dabi's pre-recorded message, realizing that he was waiting for when the Heroes could not prevent mass destruction and faith in them was waivering. He jumps out of the plane, declaring that he will not allow for the League of Villains to get their way as they will spin a Thread of Hope together. Using the many carbon fiber wires he brought with him, he binds all the members of the League with his Quirk, including Gigantomachia.
Bakugo smiles at the thought of Best Jeanist being missing, while Dabi is dumbfounded by his presence, saying that the corpse Hawks delivered to him was real. Best Jeanist tells Dabi that being greedy will cause him to come apart at the seams, like cheap denim. Dabi, however, says that just because Best Jeanist is alive, that doesn't mean his past has suddenly disappeared. Enraged by his statement, Shoto punches Dabi with his fire. Mr. Compress cannot believe that Gigantomachia has been pinned down, while Spinner, tied up with Tomura, feels like something on his body is about to break.
Dabi breaks free from Best Jeanist's wires.
Spinner ponders over Jeanist and his enhanced reinforcements, and comes to the conclusion that Gigantomachia's stamina is not infinite, as before when they arrived at Jaku City, he suddenly looked out of breath the second he finished following his orders. Spinner understands that Gigantomachia can't go all out without any instructions, so he attempts to wake up Tomura so that he can begin the destruction he was talking about. Nejire Chan appears, attempting to strike Tomura with Nejire Flood, but becomes engulfed by Dabi's flames, much to the horror of Shoto and the others present. As Nejire Chan falls out of the sky, Dabi shouts to Endeavor that yet another young person with a bright future has been burnt by his flames, as he breaks free from the restraints. Ingenium catches Nejire Chan before she can hit the floor. Shoto desperately begs Dabi to stop, while Deku tries to make himself move. Best Jeanist falters, but steels himself, not allowing for the No. 1 Hero to fall here.
Tomura issues Gigantomachia with the command to destroy.
On the verge of consciousness, Tomura thinks about his childhood home, wanting to destroy it, as well as to stop his itching. Tomura partly wakes up, and issues Gigantomachia to destroy, giving the beast a huge boost in power and causing Best Jeanist to struggle with containing him. Elsewhere, with the Heroes fighting the Near High-End Nomu, half of the force on both sides are reported to be out of action, while four of the Nomu divert and start to head in Tomura's direction. Burnin is aware of the coordination of the Nomu and prepares to attack them, only for another Nomu to lunge at her, before it gets attacked by another Hero.
Gigantomachia and Best Jeanist continue struggling against each other, while Shoto begins to clash with his brother. Shoto tells Dabi that one of the villains he called to action almost killed Natsuo, questioning why he would do that when he supposedly cried clinging to Natsuo. Dabi replies that he would have been fine if Natsuo died, as it would have caused Endeavor to suffer. In disbelief, Shoto asks Dabi if he is crazy and Dabi confirms, saying he no longer feels anything anymore. He begins to push back against Shoto, excited by the prospect of finally killing his younger brother.
An all-too-familiar face returns to battle.
Mr. Compress tells Spinner to look behind Best Jeanist, spotting the Nomu arriving at Best Jeanist's location, preparing to strike. Deku also sees this, once again telling himself to move, as he knows that if Best Jeanist loses concentration, Gigantomachia will break free from his bindings. Deku devises using Float and Blackwhip in combination, so that he can move even if his limbs won't. He yells, saying that he cannot be someone who cannot save a single person, and that he has to help Best Jeanist. Before the Nomu can attack him, Lemillion appears and quickly dispatches them with his Quirk, surprising Deku.
Deku, still in shock, asks Lemillion how he got here. He responds by saying that he was contacted by the team over at the Villa, and used Permeation to get there quickly, as the villain hideout the Nighteye Agency was occupying was not that far away. Phasing into the ground, Lemillion thinks back to how he got his Quirk back. A day before the raid occured, Bubble Girl informed him of the operation and he expressed his wish to help. He asked Eri if she can restore his Quirk, as he knows of the training she's been doing with bugs and lizards over the last couple of months using small amounts of energy. He apologized to Eri for using her in this way, but Eri said not to be sorry for this is why she had been training. Touching his cheeks, Eri uses her Quirk to restore his.
Using his newfound power, Bakugo rushes over to Lemillion's position.
Back in the present, Lemillion thanks Eri, but realizes he does not have enough power to take out a Nomu with a single punch, and proceeds to shout for help. Bakugo thinks back to the Explosions from when he protected Deku from Tomura and how they were nothing like they were before, being faster, stronger, and more condensed than usual. With these new explosions, he makes his way over to Jeanist and attacks the Nomu at the same time, with Ingenium and Nejire Chan also arriving as backup.
After saving Best Jeanist, Ingenium tells Bakugo that he shouldn't have done that lest he perish from pushing himself too far, while Lemillion asks Nejire Chan if she is alright after having been hit with Dabi's flames earlier. Nejire Chan replies that she is feeling better now that he is here. Bakugo thinks back to the conversation he had with Best Jeanist about his hero name, as the Hero asks him if he can look outside of himself now, referring to him as "Bakugo". Bakugo says that was just a temporary name and that starting from today, he shall be known as "Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight".
Dabi attempts to burn Shoto up.
Best Jeanist believes the name to be childish; Ingenium finds it to be too long; Nejire Chan calls it too violent; both Mr. Compress and Spinner agree the name is lame; while Lemillion calls it a "good" hero name, calling it fun. Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight shouts that its not meant to be, as he crashes into the floor. Lemillion recites his motto - the words of Sir Nighteye - saying that a world without humor and smiles will not have a bright future.
With Gigantomachia still struggling, the rest of the Heroes fight the Nomu, while Dabi fights with Shoto in mid-air. He says that the Heroes look like they're having fun battling on the ground beneath them, before grabbing his brother, saying that he looks like he is having a tough time, causing Shoto to make the same point, saying that Dabi's body is burning up, but he simply replies with how happy he is that Shoto was raised to be a kind person. He turns to Endeavor, who is still standing on the ground with a stunned expression on his face, and is excited by the thought that his "masterpiece" is about to burned up and killed by his "failure". Dabi then asks Shoto what expression he thinks Endeavor will have on his face when he is burned up by his flames.
Using Blackwhip in a new way, Deku launches an attack on Dabi.
Suddenly, Dabi is ripped from Shoto by Blackwhip. Dabi looks in confusion, as it's shown that Deku has shot Blackwhip from his mouth, in a form he dubs "Froppy Style". Dabi tells Deku to not interfere with another family's affair, as he incinerates Blackwhip with his flames. Deku replies stating that is his business because Shoto is a good friend and Endeavor is his mentor who helped him get stronger. He agrees that the past may never disappear, and that is why he is looking at the Endeavor now, who is working hard to repair the damage done. He shouts at Dabi that he is not Endeavor, which helps break Endeavor out of his shocked trance.
Dabi retorts that everyone already knows that, and says that Deku should feel bad for him, as he considers himself a crime committed by an ally of justice. He says justice collapsing has allowed evil to thrive, and he is pointing out where to put the blame. He states that the future that is coming will be chaos and the lip service the Heroes deliver will be driven extinct.
Endeavor strikes Gigantomachia, knocking him down.
Before Dabi can finish his words, Deku feels a strange sensation in his head again, and notices that Gigantomachia is about to break free from his restraints, but before he can react, he sees Endeavor using every last bit of his strength to fly and knock the villain down, himself losing consciousness in the process. Gigantomachia tries to fight back, but suddenly finds himself losing his strength and collapses, much to the confusion of the League. Lemillion explains that the report from the Villa was that the sedative given to Gigantomachia by the students had no effect, but is now working, as the same students help the wounded return to the Villa.
Best Jeanist expresses confidence in saying that the sedative taking ahold at this moment is no coincidence and was the effort of numerous people wearing him down for long enough for it to work. He states that even the thinnest of thread can be used to make a strong rope, but says that had even one thread come undone, their work would be for nothing. At the same time, Eraser Head, Mirko, Gran Torino, and Ryukyu are being escorted away and treated for their injuries.
Best Jeanist plans on finishing the fight.
Dabi and Shoto continue to fight, as the former says that things were just heating up with Shoto replying that in a battle of wills, the Heroes have the upper hand. Dabi says he is proud of his younger brother and they clash once again. Meanwhile, Lemillion continues battling the Near High-End Nomu. He notices that despite their movement being simple, their speed and persistence are abnormal, and reckons that each one are as strong as the Nomu from Kyushu. Ingenium demands that Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight fall back due to his poor condition, something that Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight is forced to admit, as Ingenium and Nejire Chan stand their ground to distract the Nomu, so that Best Jeanist can divert his attention to the League.
Mr. Compress thinks about the predicament he is in and how the restraints are so well done, that he is unable to use his Quirk on them and that he can't do anything except touch his bottom. He notices Tomura's situation is no better, and thinks about what Spinner said before: everyone who was brought together by him, including Dabi and Himiko Toga, has not yet achieved their goals, before the League is choked out by Best Jeanist's new Ultimate Move, Blackout Bind.
Characters In Order of Appearance[]
- Deku
- Gigantomachia
- Best Jeanist
- Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight
- Ingenium
- Dabi
- Shoto
- Mr. Compress
- Spinner
- Tomura Shigaraki
- Nejire Chan
- Endeavor
- Nao Shimura (Flashback)
- Kotaro Shimura (Flashback)
- Burnin
- Lemillion
- Natsuo Todoroki (Flashback)
- Centipeder (Mentioned)
- Bubble Girl (Mentioned)
- Tamaki Amajiki (Flashback)
- Ochaco Uraraka (Flashback)
- Tsuyu Asui (Flashback)
- Eri (Flashback)
- Hanta Sero (Flashback)
- Majestic (Flashback)
- Rule
- Mudman
- Vines
- Shemage
- Sugarman
- Tentacole
- Creati
- Pinky
- Red Riot
- Crust (Flashback)
- Eraser Head
- Mirko
- Gran Torino
- Manual
- Rock Lock
- Ryukyu
- Present Mic
- Mt. Lady
- Midnight
- Hawks
- Himiko Toga
Quirks[]
Locations[]
- Jaku City
- U.A. High School (Flashback)
- Gunga Mountain Villa
Battles & Events[]
Anime & Manga Differences[]
- Burnin's fight with the Near High-End Nomu is extended.
- A moment of Mirio watching Eri train her Quirk is added in the anime.
- The Villa Raid Backup Team is shown evacuating during Best Jeanist's monologue.
- Dialogue is added to Shoto's fight with Dabi in the anime.
Trivia[]
- The roar for Godzilla from the 1998 film Godzilla was used for the Lamprey Nomu.