My Hero Academia Final Season Episode 3 Review: Bakugo Unleashed At Last
Victory surges through Episode 3 of My Hero Academia, with Katsuki Bakugo shattering past bravado to fight through blistering pain and seize the spotlight. Long the loudest rival to Izuku, he finally proves just how far his grit and growth can go.
Major spoilers for My Hero Academia Final Season Episode 3. If you wanted a victory lap for Bakugo, this is it. The episode plays like a payoff for years of messy growth, bad attitude, and buried guilt — and Bones turns it into a full-on spectacle.
Bakugo drops in — literally — and steals the whole show
After everything in the Final War arc, Bakugo has been through the wringer. We already watched him put his life on the line for Izuku. Now, in Episode 3, he shows up at the exact second All Might needs him. Izuku literally launches Bakugo toward the former No. 1, and the handoff is slick and weirdly emotional given how those two rivals usually operate.
All For One does not take it well. Watching the big bad short-circuit because someone spoiled his plan is both funny and cathartic. Bakugo rockets All Might to a rooftop, All Might tries to check on him, and Bakugo fires back with a 'you frail old man' that lands like classic MHA banter.
The redemption thread finally tightens
The flashbacks are actually placed with purpose this time. We get echoes of Bakugo’s Season 3 breakdown — the reminder that he was just a kid buckling under pressure — crosscut with Sir Nighteye warning All Might about how this story could end. The point is simple and effective: save All Might, protect the legacy, and let the kid who blames himself make it right.
That trauma from the day All Might burned out saving him has been hanging over Bakugo forever. This rescue flips it. He pays the debt back, accepts that he can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Izuku, and you can feel him stop carrying that weight.
He pushes his Quirk past the redline
Once the fight clicks in, Bakugo unlocks what feels like the full shape of his power. He chains explosions with wild precision, chases All For One at missile speed, and he’s grinning through it like he finally found his lane.
'I'm the real Last Boss.'
That line hits like a declaration. It’s the start of Bakugo vs. All For One, and honestly, it feels like overdue justice.
Bones makes it look ridiculous (in a good way)
The episode is a visual flex. When Izuku sends Bakugo in, the rainbow streaks wrapping him are mesmerizing without getting cheesy. The explosions are gorgeous and dangerous at the same time — the kind of animation that sells speed, weight, and impact in one shot. From the way Bakugo moves like a homing missile to a few lore-nod parallels to Kudo for fans who track that stuff, Bones is operating at a high level here.
Do a couple of evacuation updates and progress-report cutaways kill the momentum? A bit. But not enough to matter. The rest is that strong.
- Best moment: Bakugo realizes what his Quirk can really do and never lets up.
- Best villain reaction: All For One melting down the second someone outplays him.
- Needle drop line: 'I'm the real Last Boss.'
- Smart flashbacks: Season 3 breakdown + Nighteye’s warnings frame the stakes cleanly.
- Fun character beat: Bakugo calling All Might a 'frail old man' mid-rescue.
- One nitpick: The evacuation/progress report interludes are the only flat spots.
- Final touch: Ending on Bakugo calling himself 'Kacchan' reads like he’s accepting himself — and Izuku — on new terms.
- Big picture: This feels like one of 2025’s standout anime episodes and a sign the final season isn’t just back on track, it’s outpacing expectations.
If you bailed on the show a while ago, this is the episode that might pull you back. My Hero Academia Final Season is streaming on Crunchyroll.