The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 6, Episode 24 "A Young Woman's Declaration," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
In keeping with Season 6’s trend of emotionally charged storylines, Episode 24 proves to be another major highlight for My Hero Academia. By revisiting several innocuous details and unresolved character moments from the series' first season, this latest installment invites fans to recontextualize their favorite characters within the now-defunct Hero Society, and fully appreciate the task ahead of Class 1-A and the remaining Pro Heroes.
MHA has never shied away from self-referencing, and the several callbacks to Season 1 allow the narrative to expand the themes that made it such a fan-favorite story while adding some depth to its oft-overlooked supporting cast. From Principal Nezu’s genius being vindicated to Uraraka Ochaco’s declaration, here’s how Season 6 pays homage to Easter eggs and plot points that have been several years in the making.
Deku’s Very First Fan in MHA Reappears in Season 6, Episode 24
Deku’s return to UA was fiercely debated between the heroes and the regular civilians who didn’t want the school to become All For One’s next target. Several factors influenced their eventual decision, but the final catalyst that warmed them up to Deku -- and the rest of the heroes at large -- was one unnamed crowd member who summarized everything the heroes had been trying to put across and added his own personal touch. He implored his fellow shelter seekers to hear the heroes’ plea out and advised them not to remain mere audience members since the stage the heroes used to “perform” on had been destroyed.
Longtime fans will recognize him as the crowd member who watched Mt. Lady’s debut fight with Deku in My Hero Academia's very first episode. He took note of how passionate Deku was in studying the heroes and was the first on-screen character to encourage the boy's far-fetched dream. If he recognized Deku as the student he encouraged all those months ago, he didn’t show it here -- and that was beauty of this throwaway moment. The point of Uraraka’s speech was to look past his powers and status as a hero to acknowledge the tired, struggling student in front of them. Whether he recognized Deku or not didn’t matter; anyone else in that position deserved the same grace he was asking his fellow citizens to extend.
Principal Nezu Upgraded the UA Barrier Because of Shigaraki’s Taunt
Principal Nezu’s high intelligence has been teased and hinted at since My Hero Academia’s beginning. After months of covert preparation, he’s finally revealed his master scheme to defend UA from any villain attack, including Shigaraki’s Awakened Decay Quirk. The school itself has been divided into a many-layered grid with parts that can function independently of each other. At the first hint of an invasion, the inhabitants of UA can be quickly ferried through a subway network connecting to other Hero Schools like Shiketsu High that are similarly protected.
These upgrades to the UA barrier are the result of Principal Nezu playing the long game against Shigaraki. The young villain’s very first act of defiance against UA was the petty use of his Quirk to Decay the UA barrier, allowing unauthorized journalists access to the school. Evidently, Principal Nezu acknowledged his childhood as the declaration of war that it was, and has dedicated his High Specs Quirk to countering Shigaraki’s Decay. The results of his months of preparation are now evident near Season 6's end. He’s designed a system capable of countering not only Decay in its Awakened form, but any other form of villain invasion.
Uraraka Is Once Again Midoriya’s Hero in Season 6
My Hero Academia has always been primarily focused on Midoriya's exploits, but somewhere in the background Uraraka Ochaco has always been monitoring his progress along with viewers. Deku became a very real hero to Ochaco during their very first exam, and has since influenced her idea of heroism in one way or another. After quite a bit of soul-searching, Ochaco has finally come into her own heroic identity -- not in spite of her crush on Deku but because of it. Her newfound conviction stems from her long-standing desire to see everyone smile. After watching Deku closely for so long, she began to wonder who was supposed to comfort the hurting heroes.
Being the hero’s hero is too difficult a job for Ochaco to take on alone, and luckily she’s not planning on doing so. Instead of attempting to maintain the stoic facade of strength, she’s laid bare the current plight of hero society and is urging everyone to support those fighting, even if it's just to let them have a moment of reprieve. Her declaration imitates a Japanese school tradition in execution where students reveal trivial secrets -- like their crush’s identity from atop the school building -- but she’s announcing something much more important in this case. She, and the hero society at large, will always be there to extend a comforting hand to heroes like Deku when they need it -- just like she was in their very first meeting.
Deku’s Subtle “I Am Here” Debuts in Season 6
The one aspect of All Might that Deku always admired most was his ability to save everyone, no matter the danger he faced. “I am here” was his idol’s war cry, and he hoped to one day become a hero of All Might’s caliber. His official debut as a hero has been a lot less triumphant than the All Might videos he loved to watch online, but it's even more impactful for that reason.
After everyone’s speeches were said and done, one crowd member remained especially vocal about Deku’s entry into UA. What finally convinced him was Midoriya's solemn promise to restore hero society back to a sense of normalcy. Deku has had every intention of doing this since the Paranormal Liberation War, but his word is doubly binding now that he’s announced his goal to the world at large. Will he live up to the impossible standard that All Might set regarding a hero’s arrival on the scene, or will All For One finally succeed in reshaping My Hero Academia's entire world in his own image?