Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 6, Episode 20The latest episode of My Hero Academia saw a surprise appearance by a villain who was defeated by Deku long ago, but rather than returning as a threat, he’s looking more pathetic than ever before.
Episode 20 saw Deku matching wits with the assassin known as Lady Nagant, a sniper who used to be a hero until she couldn’t handle the Hero Public Safety Commission’s hypocrisy any longer. It was revealed that she was given this mission when freed from Tartarus and that she negotiated not just on her own behalf, but on behalf of Kai Chisaki, AKA Overhaul, as well. As Deku traversed the skyline trying to dodge Lady Nagant’s bullets, he managed to catch sight of Chisaki atop a roof, and even recognized him, leaving the young hero stunned.
Overhaul Returns to My Hero Academia With a Tragic Twist
Overhaul, as most fans know, was the villain of the Shie Hassaikai arc, and possessed a particularly dangerous power that allowed him to deconstruct and reconstruct anything he touched into whatever form he wanted. Once he outlived his usefulness to Shigaraki and My Hero Academia’s League of Villains, though, Shigaraki cut off Overhaul’s hands, ensuring he could no longer use his Quirk, and left him to be picked up by the police. Overhaul was then thrown into Tartarus, apparently, where he met and got to know Lady Nagant. It seems the former hero took pity on him, and so when the jailbreak occurred, she helped Chisaki to escape as well.
Overhaul remains one of the most dangerous villains that Deku has ever fought, and his defeat was only possible thanks to Eri’s Rewind Quirk in My Hero Academia keeping Deku’s body in fighting shape. Now, however, Chisaki doesn’t have his mask, his position of power in the Yakuza, or even his Quirk. He’s little more than an ordinary man now, unable to defend himself, much less attack. None of that, of course, changes the fact that this is the same man who used and manipulated Eri, or who wanted to overthrow hero society, but he isn’t a threat like this, and can’t be treated as one. His role here isn’t exactly clear yet; he could simply be along for the ride, or he may be a distraction, something to throw Deku off his game. Lady Nagant clearly prepared for this, after all, so finding out about Deku and Chisaki’s previous encounter might have made him seem useful.
What’s most interesting, though, is what this says about Lady Nagant. There must still be some element of the hero inside her if she’s willing to protect a helpless man, even if he has done evil things. Overhaul has surely been more of a burden than an assistant throughout this, and yet she’s kept him around anyway. That suggests that there might still be a way to get through to her, and if there is, Deku will find it. For now, though, My Hero Academia‘s face-off between the two will continue.
New episodes of My Hero Academia air on Saturdays, via Crunchyroll.