Did Bones ruin an iconic Deku-Shigaraki scene in My Hero Academia season 7? Manga vs. anime, explored

Modified Sep 17, 2024 06:53 GMT

My Hero Academia might have ruined a memorable Deku-Shigaraki scene (Image via Bones).

My Hero Academia season 7 recently released episode 17, and one of the most memorable moments was a Deku-Shigaraki scene where they stood ready to start their final battle. While a great moment and one the series had been building for years, there have been some discussions regarding whether Studio Bones did justice to this scene or not.

There is no denying that author Kohei Horikoshi only got better as an artist throughout the years and the final war arc shows the peak of his art style, which is why My Hero Academia season 7 was always going to have a difficult job adapting this storyline.

However, the Deku-Shigaraki scene is pivotal to establishing their ensuing combat and should have gotten more love from the studio.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series.

Explaining whether this Deku-Shigaraki scene was ruined by My Hero Academia season 7

The comparison of the Deku-Shigaraki scene (Image via @Apprehensive_Low1406 on Reddit).

Episode 17 of My Hero Academia season 7 continued with the final war arc and also started what is going to be the definitive clash between Izuku "Deku" Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki.

This battle has been a long time coming in the anime and the Deku-Shigaraki scene where they are standing in front of each other is one of the most celebrated in the manga. However, the overall approach of Studio Bones wasn't the greatest.

For starters, a major issue that most fans have pointed out is how the anime version doesn't feature the UA school building falling down, which is something that adds to the atmosphere of the manga.

The emphasis on Shigaraki's insane red eyes as well as lightning falling also gave the moment a rather ominous and apocalyptic feel that the anime adaptation is sorely missing.

This doesn't mean that the version created by Bones is bad by any means, but there is no denying that it could have been better.

After all, My Hero Academia has been one of the most popular anime series of the last decade or so and its final battle should have gotten the best possible treatment.

My Hero Academia season 7 and its overall treatment

Another comparison between the anime and the manga (Image via Bones and Shueisha).

There is no denying that Studio Bones was always going to have an uphill battle when it came to My Hero Academia season 7.

Author Kohei Horikoshi has always been praised for the quality of his artwork. But the latter arcs of the series saw his abilities reaching a whole new level in terms of aesthetics and details, which is something that a lot of animation studios tend to struggle with.

However, examples such as the Deku-Shigaraki scene also serve as a way of showing that studios can make the wrong creative decisions at times.

A good example of that is the now-infamous "blue sky" that is used during most of the final war arc thus far, which, according to some fans, takes away the atmosphere from the conflict.

Final thoughts

The Deku-Shigaraki scene in My Hero Academia season 7 could have been better and there are some valid arguments that could be made regarding other key moments of the anime adaptation as a whole.

However, this doesn't mean that this scene doesn't have its own charm and impact.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande