All’s Justice is the third installment in the tag team 3D arena fighting games developed by Byking Inc., with this one being a direct follow-up to My Hero One’s Justice 2. I appreciate that the game wastes no time getting into the action, aside from a basic tutorial to reintroduce you to the game’s mechanics. Just a few minutes in and you’re free to explore the city overworld to fulfill missions, battle online, or engage with the game’s story mode, which covers the Final War arc of the anime series. Suffice it to say, this shouldn’t be your main entry point to the My Hero Academia franchise, since a lot of context and buildup is missing from this game, and I don’t think it’s the ideal way to experience the My Hero Academia story.

The voice acting and music remain top-notch, carrying over the original soundtrack and voice cast from the series. When the game goes all out with dynamic, expressive presentation, the story shines. The cel shading on the 3D character models looks great, and some cutscenes use fast cuts and dramatic poses that really take advantage of the 3D environments in a way that rivals iconic moments from the show. However, these moments are few and far between, with most of the story told through awkward still frames from both the game and the anime itself. In fact, some points in story mode look very cheap, as if someone just grabbed a screenshot from the anime to shift around or zoom in on, like it was edited in Windows Movie Maker.

Story Mode offers a variety of branching paths, depending on which character you choose to follow. Whether it’s Todoroki going after Dabi, Endeavor fighting All For One, or Uraraka confronting Toga, Story Mode gives players a bit more variety from previous installments, given that this is the part of the story where multiple battles are technically taking place simultaneously. Even if there is a particular character or play style that you prefer, a lot of these battle scenarios make sense and act as a good vehicle for showcasing everyone’s abilities without compromising the original narrative, unlike a lot of other fighting games that will sometimes need to make up new scenarios just for the sake of showing off all of the characters. Granted, this setup has a tradeoff: less environment variety during Story Mode. There are plenty of fun combat environments to explore in the game’s other modes that perfectly depict iconic areas from the series, but since the final arc only took place at a handful of set locations, like the floating Hero Academy, those are where a majority of the fights take place, and it gets visually dull.

The combat itself is the best this series of games has ever had. Byking Inc. built on the foundation of the previous games, creating a combat system that is fast-paced without feeling as janky or floaty as before. The learning curve is definitely a bit higher here due to the increased speed and character move sets, but that makes sense given this is the third installment and the power levels/abilities of a lot of the cast. However, the controls are still incredibly easy to grasp for newcomers; it just might take a second to fully adapt to how aggressive these characters can be. There are basic attacks that can be executed both on the ground and in the air, with a combo system that integrates the game’s tag-team mechanic, where you can either have your teammates deliver damage or swap mid-combo in order to build up the pain. You can also deliver Plus Ultra attacks or enter an enhanced mode once your battle gauge is full enough to maximize even more damage.

The particle effects and unique animations for everybody’s finisher moves are pulled right out of the series with additional flair that does not feel forced. Whether it’s the story mode or online matches, you’re bound to have a good time for a couple of hours, both by yourself and with friends, especially if you’re a diehard fan of the series. Outside of that, the game doesn’t really offer much. There are a few missions that will put you in unique scenarios, with a majority of them being combat-focused. It can be fun to reach certain achievements with specific handicaps or under different circumstances, but these missions feel a lot like filler. You can cover most of the game’s content in just a couple of hours, but it’s hard to say how much of a shelf life this game has beyond the basics.

Even at its best, there is nothing here that you haven’t seen before compared to other 3D arena fighters. Like the previous installments, this game doesn’t break new ground, even if it is a definitive improvement across the board. If the main goal was to create a fighting game that organically integrated the new moves and forms of all these unique characters from the series, then it succeeded. If you are a diehard fan of the series or have played the previous installments, then you are the audience that is definitively going to get the most out of this game. If you’re not, this game will have limited appeal to you. This game is meant to enhance the experience of an established fan rather than draw in potential new ones.

You know, I think Iruma may be too good at some things. Specifically, I think he may be too skilled at being Irumi, or at least at playing that role and not thinking about the consequences, although in his defense, why would he think, “Oh, better not be too skilled with the bow during this competition I’m doing in drag, otherwise Bachiko’s boss will want me to marry Robin.” Of course, revealing his gender might just get the head of the family to want him to marry Bachiko instead, so either way someone’s going to have to intervene to keep him from having to wed one of his teachers. That’s a whole new way to make the student/teacher romance trope uncomfortable.

Fortunately, if there’s any one thing this season finale demonstrates, it’s that the Misfit Class will always have people to back them up. The open sequence of each of the Misfits being honored by their Harvest Festival teachers makes that abundantly clear, especially since at least three of them appear to have turned down offers to coach demon king candidates from other schools. (That doesn’t mean they’ll all back Iruma, though, even if Sabnock has already declined his uncle Baal’s offer.) Their arrival at school is another good indicator of their sway – kids are lined up ten deep in front of Royal One just to catch a glimpse of them. That’s heady stuff, even if a few are more annoyed than anything – although Clara is already an exemplary senpai and Purson seems impishly delighted to show off his disappearing trick for the new kids. You can see why Sullivan made Iruma wear the disguise glasses; the poor kid would’ve been swarmed otherwise, although in all fairness, Eito’s burgeoning Iruma obsession probably owes a lot to his big sister Eiko’s more than anything else.

The new school year comes with some updated character designs for most of the class, primarily in the form of jewelry from their mentors. It’s amazing how much that one earring changes Iruma’s look, although Goemon’s new headband is also very distinctive. (Agares’ just sort of looks silly, but that’s more due to his pointy hair [head?] than anything else.) Keroli pulls of the pince-nez look surprisingly well, though. And Elizabetta’s new dress? Gorgeous. I like it much better than her original design, but then the Music Festival also made me an Elizabetta fan, so perhaps I’m more inclined to be generous now.

As far as finale episodes go, this isn’t particularly final. It’s basically the introduction to a new arc, wherein the Six Fingers, aided and abetted by Baal, are poised to make their next entry and the main cast moves up a year in school. (At least the only new character introduced is Eito, who actually stands to be a good point of view character for the first years.) Mostly we’re meant to understand that a year has passed since season one, and Iruma’s comfort level shows that even better than the first day of school. Look at how his design has changed since then – the earring and painted nails make him look more like his demonic classmates and show him making an effort to fit in. When he pulls his hair back, he looks older. And he’s clearly very comfortable where he is, no longer afraid of being the only human at school. I’m worried that will come back to bite him later on, because revealing his true nature would absolutely feed the fires the Six Fingers are building and stoking. We’ll just have to hope that Azz and Clara will continue to have his back no matter what.

And so ends another season with the Misfit Class. It never managed to reach the highs of Lilith’s Carpet, but the mere existence of that episode elevates the entire show. I hope we don’t have to wait too long until the next arc is animated, but in the meantime, at least the English translation of the manga has basically caught up with the anime, so we won’t have to be on pins and needles waiting to find out what happens next.

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Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun is currently streaming on
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