ARC from Netgalley.
The action doesn't stop! AND the story continues, not just fighting!
Highlights:
- Bakugo, Deku, and Shoto are training with Endeavor. He is trying to get them to do their moves so much that they become second nature. Their goal? Be quicker at stopping a villain than Endeavor.
- The 3 boys get invited to the Todoroki family home for dinner. Here we meet Fuyumi, the older sister who keeps everything running, and Natsu, who has come home but blames Endeavor dad for the death of their brother Toya (Why do I suspect Toya is not dead? Given the fire appearance, maybe he is Dabi?) Endeavor is trying for absolution not forgiveness, so he will build them a new home so mom can come home from the hospital and he will stay at their old place.
- On the way back from dinner, Natsu gets abducted by Ending, a villain with a grudge against Endeavor. Seeing his son in danger, he freezes for a moment, which is when the 3 boys achieve their goal. Working together (including Deku using Blackwhip) they take down Ending
- Aizawa and Present Mic get called in by the police to see if they can interrogate Kurogiri. Testing shows that Kurogiri is actually a Nomu, using the body of their friend Oboro Shirakumo. They are able to break through and get the clue "Hospital" (which tells them that Shigaraki is in the hospital undergoing a procedure)
- Class 1A returns from winter break and shows off their new abilities
- All Might helps Deku discover that the next quirk that will come for him from One-For-All will be Float (once he masters Blackwhip)
- Hawks and Twice are becoming friends (which will not bode well when Hawks goes back to not spying)
- The Heroes gather together for an assault on the mountain where the hospital is holding Shigaraki. Battle begins next time!

This one was great! Can definitely see the chaos to come. How long will they build up Shigaraki's return?
Strong recommend.

My Hero Academia is a must-purchase for all libraries who serve teens and this volume is no different. Those who have been reading the Vigilantes spin-off also get a surprise visit from a character, which also manages to be one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the entire series.

God I just love this series so much and I am so thankful that I have been fortunate enough to read them a few months in advance.

Every time I think I'm going to hit a volume that is a dud, I get an action packed volume instead! There is so much going on in this manga, and so many things falling into place to build up for one epic conclusion. I only wish that this volume wasn't rushed. I would have liked it if we spend a little more time watching Bakugo, Deku, and Todoroki training with Endeavor during the winter. But I am very interested to see how all of these different storylines collide in the future! And from the sounds of it, the League of Villains is not going to be easy to take down next time.

My Hero Academia has had a strong year, winding up on many top manga of the year lists. By mangaka Kohei Horikoshi, the series is published in English by VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump imprint and current individual chapters can be found on the Shonen Jump App. Last volume, we got a terrifying and sympathetic look into Tomura Shigaraki’s background and origin story. Horikoshi flexed his ability to write villains beyond redemption in volume 25, and now, in My Hero Academia Volume 26 we get the chance to see a story of atonement for the current number one hero: Endeavor.

My Hero Academia Volume 26 is localized in English by Caleb Cook and features touch-up art and lettering from John Hunt. While this volume lacks big action sequences against notable villains, it does feature powerful and emotive scenes for multiple characters. This volume contains chapters 247 through 258 of the series, focusing on the Endeavor Agency arc. This arc pairs our trio, Midoriya, Bakugou, and Todoroki with Endeavor as a mentor. Set up with the new number one, the three have different things they want to take away from the experience. For Midoriya, he wants to see what he can do with his new powers awakening. Todoroki wants to learn how to channel his fire and make it his own. And in a moment of self-reflection, Bakugo wants to understand his weaknesses.

While we get a nice montage of the boys learning and even taking on a minor villain who has a past with Endeavor, the importance of this volume is how Horikoshi confronts the Number One hero’s history of abusive behavior. As a character, Endeavor has stirred a lot of fandom talk, mainly about whether or not he deserves a redemptive arc and if that redemption would downplay his abusive actions towards his kids and his wife.

Through a dinner party and villain confrontation, Horikoshi answers that question with a resounding no. Endeavor will probably never be forgiven for his actions by his family and that’s the point. Horikoshi focuses on displaying Endeavor’s actions and the people who had to live through them, giving the characters the agency to shun their father’s attempts to fix their relationship. But that’s where this volume excels, because Endeavor isn’t asking for forgiveness, and Horikoshi isn’t apologizing or making little of the character’s actions. Instead, Endeavor is looking to atone, which puts the power in his children to accept the acts but doesn’t push them to do so.

But Endeavor isn’t the only thing in My Hero Academia Volume 26 that puts you in your feels. In the volume, Hawks and the Safety Commission have managed to get their hands on top-secret information about a big villain attack coming soon. This pushes the heroes to begin their preparations and causes Eraser Head and Present Mic to pay a visit to Tartarus prison to visit the imprisoned Kurogiri.

Last month, in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Volume 8, readers got the chance to see Aizawa’s background as a student before he became Eraser Head and in the process, learned about the traumatic confrontation that led to the death of his best friend. The reveal here, that Kurogiri is connected to Eraser Head and Present Mic, is shocking and puts the two in a vulnerable position—one we haven’t really seen from Aizawa in this series so far. The emotion that Horikoshi writes for these characters is heartbreaking and is pushed by his artwork for the chapters. When Kurogiri is on the page, Horikoshi’s talent as an artist shines through. Shrouded in dark clouds, Horikoshi is somehow able to showcase depth in darkness, and the emotional expressions he illustrates for Aizawa and Present Mic hurts to read, in the best way.

The closing pages of My Hero Academia Volume 26 are strong, and as someone who is current with the chapters out now, it ends on a note that will lead into a new arc, and a scary one at that. Overall, this volume is a strong showing for Hoikoshi’s talents as a mangaka and is a nice breather before the disaster that’s incoming in volume 27.

This series just gets better and better with each volume! There was lots of fantastic character development in this newest volume, and I really liked seeing more interaction between Todoroki and his family. I felt like the beginning of the series focused too much on Deku and not enough on the cast of supporting characters, so I'm glad to see the author is starting to flesh out the rest of the characters and sub-plots.