Episode Air Date
12-06-2025
Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for My Hero Academia, Episode 140, “Specter,” now streaming onCrunchyroll.
This week’s episode ofMy Hero Academiafeels like itshouldhave been a great disappointment, what with the death of a promising and charismatic character arguably far too soon. Yet, it’s a testament to the directing and some clever writing that I feel no such dissatisfaction at all; in fact, this episode makes the wait for the rest of the season all the more exciting.
Episode 139 got Season 7 off to a bombastic startas Star and Stripe - America’s #1 hero - was intercepted by Tomura Shigaraki, who was keen on stealing her quirk, New Order. After pinning him down, the audience was left with anticipation as a barrage of cruise missiles was headed straight for Star, with the fleeting hope that they might put him down for good.
Star and Stripe’s “Wonderful Dream”
Two episodes. More accurately, two episodes, the cameo at the end of Season 6, and another cameo in the filmMy Hero Academia: Two Heroes. That isnota lot of time for a character to be on the screen in a series as long as this one, and to know that she has died this early in the season might understandably make one think “Huh, well that’s kinda dumb.” But honest to god, it’s as if she’d been around a full season with how earned her death feels.
Last month, we wrote aboutJujutsu Kaisen Season 2,a few of its most major death scenes, and questioned what goes into making a character’s death feel earned, as opposed to cheap and lazy. In it, the conclusion reached was that “a well-earned death is one where the character’s ultimate role is not overshadowed by their unmet potential.” If only that had been written now, Star and Stripe’s death might have been the model for a satisfying sendoff, despite the tragedy of it all.
Why Her Death Hits Hard
With such little time to get to know Cathleen Bate,My Hero Academia’s most paramount tools were the performances and directing, areas where Episode 140 excelled. Actress Romi Park (Hange Zoe inAttack on Titan) absolutely nails it as Cathleen, whose charisma appropriatelyevokes the image of All Might, the hero who inspired her. But it’s the ways she’s different from her idol that really endear the viewer to her in such a short time.
Her having an entire flight crew backing her up was a great choice. Beyond their utility in the fight and their usefulness as expository characters in the prior episode, they have a very personal bond with Cathleen that shines even greater this week. Any character comparing themselves to All Might is bound to hold themselves to a high standard, and often that standard can be a poison to one’s sense of worth.
Having these dudes support her and tell her not to overthink her limitations was incredibly wholesome, and they are a crucial reasonwhy her battle with Shigaraki hits as hardas it does. She would rather go down and leave a nasty mark on her opponent than sacrifice a single one of her bros just for the vague chance of defeating the enemy. Not only would it have failed, but it would be an insult to everything she believes in as a hero.
The Specter of Star and Stripe
For those to whom Cathleen’s death was spoiled but who remained ignorant of the larger context surrounding it, this episode well and truly feels like a victory for the heroes. It’s no wonder why New Order would be such a sought-over power by All For One, but by creating a rule that her quirk opposes other quirks, Cathleen turned it into a Trojan horse. After an entire season spent watching Shigaraki only grow in power, this episode was such a cathartic turning of the tables.
Cathleen Bate ends her brief time on the show projecting two equally powerful images at the same time. At once, she is a fallen hero whose passing feels tragic, yet to cushion the heartbreak, she simultaneously evokes - as the episode’s title suggests -a specter, haunting Shigaraki’s steps. Even when he tries to discard New Order, her voice returns, denying him release from the pain he brought on himself by daring to take her power. Once again, Romi Park kills it.
Class 1-A Gets a Much-needed Extension
Star and Stripe is dead, but Shigaraki has been dealt a critical blow, and much of his arsenal of quirks is depleted. The urgency that made the wait between Seasons 6 and 7 so much more agonizing has been abated by the timetable getting pushed back, giving the heroes a week to prepare. It’s not a lot of time, but it does mean the students are taking center stage again.
It looks to be another small training arc of sorts, which might not sound super exciting, but this goes back to what was said last week about returning to something familiar. The heroes have been given a gift, and they’re going to make the most of it.For all the sadness that Cathleen Bate’s death brought, she also made something abundantly clear in her incredible last moments:
