My Hero Academia Season 4 Finale Ending Explained

This article contains major spoilers for the My Hero Academia season 4 finale ending.

My Hero Academia is the type of long-running action series that’s easy to get addicted to and fall in love with its many endearing characters. There’s also a very humble, relatable aspect of Izuku Midoriya’s journey from a passionate boy with no special abilities to someone who’s now one of the most accomplished heroes-in-training at U.A. High. My Hero Academia has impressively turned up the stakes each season and it’s effectively shown a shifting landscape in the show’s world where danger has slowly been on the rise. 

My Hero Academia season 4 tackles what’s arguably the show’s most mature territory yet with the chilling “Shie Hassaikai Arc.” Overhaul steps in as the new major villain and his team of assassins aren’t just extremely powerful, but their agenda to erase Quirks from the world makes them a serious threat. On top of all of this, Overhaul’s ultimate weapon stems from an innocent girl who’s been brainwashed beyond belief to think that torture is a form of love. This season of the show is proof that My Hero Academia is more than just a flashy action series and while the season 4 finale ends things on a very strong note, it’s easy to get lost in the chaos and miss some of the finer details.

What Is The Threat That Challenges Endeavor?

The major obstacle that is unleashed in the My Hero Academia season 4 finale is a Nomu. Nomu has been faced before in the series, but the show stresses that this is a bio-engineered version of the monster that’s more powerful than the variety that was faced before. Nomu’s regenerative abilities are still present and even more robust (and disturbing) and the creature has been instilled with a series of Quirks that makes him a mystery to Endeavor. He never fully knows if he’s seen everything that Nomu has to offer. 

The largest change here is that this Nomu is actually quite intelligent and capable of speech. He uses his skills in a very efficient manner where he’s able to split himself into an army of Nomus that can attack the public and then use his regeneration skill to recover the lost mass. It’s enough to turn this Nomu into a considerable threat for the city. 

Who Is Endeavor’s Number Two?

Endeavor does a very good job against Nomu and displays some new skills in the process that pack quite the punch. However, Endeavor likely wouldn’t have been able to overcome Nomu if he didn’t have Hawks fighting by his side. Hawks gets a substantial introduction in the previous episode as the hero that really pushes Endeavor to accept the new level of responsibility that he faces. Hawks may be a cocky, young hero that’s reached a high level of success at an early age that’s left him out of touch in many regards, but he’s still passionate about doing what’s right. 

Hawks takes care of many of the duplicate Nomus that are produced and consistently covers Endeavor when he needs backup. Not only are Hawks’ aerial skills and feather projectiles a tremendous asset, but he even uses his feathers in tandem with Endeavor to help give him a speed boost and allow him to access even more power. Hawks is more than happy to proudly wear the label of Endeavor’s Number Two.

How Does Endeavor Defeat Nomu?

Endeavor shows off intense abilities like Flashfire Fist Hell Spider that easily level the city, but Nomu’s regenerative skills are just too powerful. Endeavor and Hawks can wipe out all of Nomu’s duplicates, but he just continues to make more. Endeavor attempts to incinerate Nomu from the inside out as a way to beat him, but even that doesn’t work. Finally, after an intense burst of heroism and pride, Endeavor pulls off a powerful new move that symbolizes his rise to the top: Plus Ultra Prominence Burn. The maneuver entails Endeavor flying Nomu high up into the Earth’s atmosphere so he’ll burn up in conjunction with Endeavor’s Quirk. It’s an extreme move that finally works, but it nearly costs Endeavor his own life in the process.

Is There A New Number One Hero?

Endeavor’s last-ditch effort to defeat Nomu almost becomes a suicide mission, but it’s a strategy that works. There are moments of uncertainty during Endeavor’s battle where the public are in genuine panic. They’re not just worried that they might get hurt, but they’re terrified that they no longer have a Number One hero to depend on for disasters like this. The fact that Endeavor is willing to risk his own life to defeat the enemy is exactly the kind of extreme dedication that they’ve been looking for. The powerful way that Endeavor defeats Nomu acts as the best kind of indoctrination for him as the public’s new Symbol of Peace. Everyone, including his neglected family, appear to have at last accepted him as All Might’s replacement. 

What Lies Ahead For Endeavor?

Endeavor comes out on top with Nomu, but it’s only the beginning for him. This is a hero that has a very checkered past and much of season five will likely explore his complicated feelings over whether he deserves the public’s adoration and how he can repair things with Shoto Todoroki and the rest of his family. Beyond the emotional and personal hurdles that Endeavor will have to pass, there have been frequent hints that the League of Villains and other evil organizations have been steadily growing in power. Much like how the heroes have experienced a shift in power, so have the villains, only they appear to be doing better at the moment. Endeavor is definitely going to have to help handle the fallout of whatever individuals like Shigaraki and All For One are planning. 

What’s Going On With Deku And His Post-Credits Dream?

Midoriya seems to temporarily access some kind of Speed Force-esque equivalent for One For All users. Maybe next season Midoriya will inherit their powers or gain some kind of singularity where he can tap into their collective energies so he can truly achieve 100% of his Quirk. It definitely appears that Deku is going to go through some kind of power upgrade, with the storied history of his Quirk playing a big factor in the transformation. There’s also the question as to why Midoriya has this dream now and if perhaps these past One For All users are specifically reaching out to him because they’re aware of a major threat that’s on the way where he needs access to a greater reservoir of power. 

Wherever My Hero Academia season 5 ends up going, you can bet that we’ll continue to keep you updated!