Today, we do a first here on Dahubbz. We return to a series for a follow up manga review. We will be looking at My Hero Academia Volume 2. So, if you haven’t read my review of volume 1, check that out here.

Spoilers: Spoilers for Volume 2 of course, but no major spoilers for the series itsef.

So what does Volume 2 do to improve upon the foundation of Volume 1? A lot, I would say.

The Plot: This is one area I would give a B for improvement. Honestly, Volume 1 kinda showed us what was up, so there didn’t need to be a lot revealed or added to the plot in this volume. The characters progress through their training protocols which include team battles and a planned rescue mission. The big addition here are the villains. Sometimes I struggle to fully grasp whats going on due to the nature of black and white art. That is true here. This means I’m not 100% sure what all the villains do, but they come off as being a threat we should take series.

Characters: Easily where the show improved the most. We got to meet or get a better understanding of soooo many characters it would be hard to keep track of everyone. Here we first meet the League of Villains (This name seems to imply, like with other examples in the first two volumes, that the series is heavily influenced by Western Comic Books.). Tomura Shigaraki stands out for design more than function, as I am not even entirely sure what he does.
(This picture does not even do him justice.)
But his associates more than make up for it with their quirks.

The gang literally takes on a giant shadow whose quirk is akin to opening portals.

As for heroes, so many were on display here. Tsuyu Asui, a frog lady. Momo Yaoyorozu who can create countless new creations just by knowing their chemical make up. Denki Kaminari, the power of electricity. We also explore Izuku, Bakugo, Iida, and Uraraka’s quirk a little more in depth. Shoto Todoroki is still kind of a mystery but I suspect he will be a big player in the future.

The World: You could argue this section actually took a hit. Instead of the whole world being a sandbox, we are now confound to the school of U.A. This isn’t completely bad due to the fact I’m pretty sure we will eventually graduate and move past the school, thus opening up the world. For the school itself it is really cool. The book shows there is more than just super heroes here which is neat. A plus for the world is we finally saw some upper tiered villains and that is exciting.

Recap
Action: This volume really steps up the action. If Volume 1 was lacking in that department to you, this volume makes up for it.
Romance– I stand by nothing major has happened. My money would still be on Izuku and Uraraka, but now Izuku and Tsuyu have teamed up I suppose that is always an option.
Plot– The plot has been progressed slightly through trials and villains emerging.
Characters: Gotta stand by A+. Honestly, I feel like this category improved the most despite already being an A+.
The World: The world still hasn’t been fleshed out, but the school has potential for the time being.
Humor: Again, this is something the book does very well.

Verdict: “A near perfect introduction Manga. It showcases the potential for interesting characters, sly humor, possible love subplots, and intense action scenes. It serves as a great origin manga” Me when discussing Volume 1.
Yeah, I just feel like this is a better Volume 1 and if I enjoyed Volume 1 a lot, I’m going to enjoy this volume as well.

Score: 9.2 out of 10. Again I feel like this a step in the right direction but I’m hesitant to give it a much higher score. We’ve moved past the grind/level up formula for now (No doubt it will return when a bigger threat arrives, I’m sure!). That time instead was invested in awesome fight scenes and character development. So far the show is smart with it’s situations, obstacles, and character creation making each new challenge a joy to see how the characters figure out a way to survive.

I’m getting early Naruto vibes, which to me is never a bad thing. For starters we finally got the heated rivalry battle of Izuku and Bakugo. It was satisfying for a round 1 duel when I know they will throw down again. Characters have teamed up for simulations just like Naruto’s Team 7. And we get a very early look at a potential world threat in Tomura Shigaraki whose similar in role to Orochimaru.

This is definitely a series we will be revisiting for Volume 3. So stayed tune!

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