My Hero Academia: Who Is Better Between Overhaul and Shoto Todoroki?

 My Hero Academia has several heroes that are powerful enough to rival the strongest protagonists of Shonen anime. Even the prestigious U.A. school students are so skilled that they are on par with the Pro Heroes and even villains. Although they are still in training, they must not be underestimated. Mirio Togata was one such hero student who was considered better than some top Pro Heroes. Unfortunately, he lost his powers when he fought alone with the yakuza. But there is another student who is sometimes overshadowed by the struggles of the protagonists, even though he deserves much more attention. Son of the current hero no. 1, Shoto Todoroki had a tough childhood, but he has grown up to become a valiant fighter who can challenge any villain.

Despite being in training, Shoto’s skills with his Quirk are exceptional, and he seems like an outlier among his peers. But what if he were to fight with a powerful villain from the series? Who would win? The most challenging villain for Shoto will be Overhaul. He has a strong Quirk that will test Shoto’s unique Quirk and push him to his limits. 

Shoto’s Powers

Shoto is lucky to have inherited the right combination of Quirks from his parents. His mother, Rei, had an ice Quirk, while his father, Endeavor, is the flaming hero. Endeavor married Rei with the expectation that one of their children will get a combination of their Quirk and then fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming the hero no. 1. It turns out that his father’s prediction was right, and Shoto was inherited with the powerful flames from one side of his body while the other side creates ice. The two complemented each other and gave Shoto immense powers that made him a strong candidate for becoming the best hero. 

However, his powers did have their limitations. The fire half of his body can cause heat stroke, while the ice half can cause frostbite. However, he had the option of continually alternating between the Quirks, which would take care of both the downsides. It means that Shoto’s Quirk is also self-regulating if one is mindful of its use.

Whenever Shoto has fought, he has proved to be very skillful in the use of his Quirk. The villains and heroes have struggled to put up with his quick and agile tricks. Not only does Shoto have a powerful Quirk, but he can think on his feet. He also has a great understanding of his opponent’s weaknesses and knows how to exploit them for his advantage. So, overall, Shoto is a powerful future top-hero who might even become the hero no. 1 someday.

Overhaul’s Powers

Overhaul’s Quirk allows him to reshape and rearrange matter with just a touch. He even uses it to heal himself and even regrows his body parts. He can use anything around him for defense by rearranging and reshaping it down to its molecular level. In fact, his power even allows him to fuse his body with someone else’s to become stronger. There are no limits to his powers when it comes to offense. He can use anything and reorganize it to the molecular level in order to use it as a weapon. Overhaul is a dangerous villain who is not afraid of using any means necessary to take on his enemies. His powerful Quirk gives him immense powers to fight with even the top pro-heroes. 

Who Would Win?

The hypothetical fight will probably start like most of Shoto’s fights. He will use a barrage of ice to overwhelm Overhaul, but it would hardly worry him. Overhaul will easily be able to reorganize the ice and attack Shoto right back. Shoto can use either ice and fire half to counter the attack. The fight will likely continue this way for a while until Shoto starts getting tired. Even if any of Shoto’s attacks hits overhaul, he can heal himself in a moment. Shoto’s fire will not be of much use since Overhaul creates a defensive wall to protect him from such attacks. However, Shoto will struggle to deal with Overhaul’s attacks. He can reorganize the entire ground leaving Shoto no solid surface to stand upon while he constantly throws sharp projectiles. A critical blow will eventually hit Shoto, and Overhaul will win. 

Source:-    My Hero Academia

 

Sony to Acquire Crunchyroll and Its Implications for the Anime Fans

There have been several reports that Sony is negotiating the final stage acquisition of Crunchyroll, the anime streaming service. If the recent updates are to be believed, it will be paying almost a Billion dollars to add Crunchyroll to its repertoire. It will be another step for Sony to become a Monopoly in anime since it already has a 95 percent stake in Funimation. Since Crunchyroll is such a huge name for the anime industry, the deal will have a significant impact on all the fans around the world.

 The recent deal has raised the question of whether we are going to see an anime streaming wars. As of now, the big names include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and HiDiVE. All of these companies have a varying level of influence, but some have the upper hand, Netflix being the most prominent player. They have shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Crybaby, and Castlevania (inspired by anime). There are also a few shows licensed by Crunchyroll or Funimation that they stream. 

 On the other hand, streaming giant Amazon Prime Video has Vinland Saga, Abyss, and Banana Fish, to name a few. However, recently it seems that they are moving away from the anime genre. Hulu has been a Funimation partner, which gives access to both the platforms to share titles. So, when the deal is done, and Sony officially buys Crunchyroll, other streaming sites will have no other choice but to deal with Sony since its subsidiaries Crunchyroll and Funimation are everywhere in the anime industry.

 Four years back in 2016, there were rumors that Funimation and Crunchyroll might partner up; however, the deals were stalled when Sony acquired Funimation. Soon, AT&T bought Crunchyroll in 2018, and it seemed that the merger would never happen. Now that Sony is on the verge of acquiring both of them, we might see history repeat itself. It would make sense if Sony merges both the companies, but how the consumers will feel about it remains to be seen.

 As of now, the anime industry will have to wait to see what lies ahead for it. It is impossible to predict the long-term repercussions of the Crunchyroll deal. So, it is best not to see the acquisition negatively; although it’s true that Sony’s influence will undoubtedly increase, there is still room for others to make an impact. If Sony wants to think about customers’ interests, then all they need to do is bundle both Funimation and Crunchyroll together and offer them at a lower price. If they focus too much on profit-making, we might see a decline in the quality of the content since they will control such a massive chunk of the anime streaming services. 

However, the deal might fall through, and the anime fans’ present-day anxiety might just be needless overthinking. So, for now, what the fans can do is not overthink the repercussions of Sony acquiring Crunchyroll because it might turn out to be a good thing.

Source:-    Sony to Acquire Crunchyroll and Its Implications for the Anime Fans

 

Tite Kubo’s ‘Burn the Witch’ Is Good Enough to Stand on Its Own

Tite Kubo is the creator of the manga Bleach that later became the material for arguably the best anime of all time. So, when Burn the Witch came out, there were many expectations from it because of Kubo’s name. The fans expected it to be a spinoff of the leading franchise, which would be quite similar to his best work, Bleach. Although Burn the Witch is set in the same world as the famous anime, surprisingly, there is a lot of difference. It does pay tribute to the older franchise, but its storyline is unique enough to have a fan following and identity of its own.

The new franchise, despite taking inspiration from the former, manages to be independent. The visual flair of the story appears to be like Bleach reborn in a modern setting. The visual connection of both of them is through a fundamental element that has been used to tie them together. Like the monster hunter theme, where professionals roam the streets looking for monsters to destroy them using specialized equipment, they use dragons to fly into battle and report to the western branch of Soul Society called the Pipers. They track rogue dragons and other creatures that prove to be threatening the peace. 

When the deuteragonists, Ninny Spangcole and Noel Niihashi, take their responsibilities, heartbreak, chaos, and adventure. The two girls being the main character for a Shonen action is refreshing to watch, and it is an essential aspect in which Burn the Witch differs from Bleach. Even though they are in the same universe, the latest franchise is more of Bleach’s spiritual successor than a true sequel. 

The two worlds are similar enough to each other that Ichigo Kurosaki can pay a visit to the deuteragonists of Burn the Witch, and it would make sense. It is as if Tite Kubo has gone with the same premise but with a new skin. Burn the Witch could be called the cousin of Bleach, which would be an appropriate analogy. The new franchise is refreshing enough that newcomers and hardcore Bleach fans both enjoy at the same time. 

The biggest strength of Burn the Witch is that it is a loose adaptation of the Bleach franchise, so it is good enough to entertain even newcomers who have little knowledge of the famous manga or the anime. Since it is just a miniseries/ movie, it does not need anyone to look at other places for references. New fans can enjoy the work of Tite Kubo, which is one of a kind, without having to put in too much time going through Bleach, which would have taken a long time to digest. Another way of looking at this is the people who enjoy Burn the Witch can try Bleach, which will be an experience to cherish.

If you are a Bleach fan, Tite Kubo’s Burn the Witch will impress you. You will be able to see the inspirations that have been drawn from the previous franchise. However, if you have never read or watched Bleach, you still don’t need to worry; there is no better way of being introduced to Tite Kubo’s work than this miniseries/movie. 

Source:-   Tite Kubo’s ‘Burn the Witch’ Is Good Enough to Stand on Its Own

 

Sarada’s Mastery of Upgraded Sharingan and Sasuke’s Role in Her Recent Development

Recently, Boruto’s Team 7 is going through a tough time both in the manga and the anime. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has been giving a lot of clues that Boruto has a challenging time ahead of him. However, the daughter of Sakura and Sasuke Uchiha has stepped up time and time again. In a recent novel of the series, Sarada has proved her ability to use Three Tomoe Sharingan. Although recently the Kara organization has been too good for Team 7, and they have struggled to compete with their arch-enemies. However, Sarada is undergoing intense training with Naruto to prepare for the next battle with them. 

The recent novel named Sasuke’s Story: Star Pupil recounts the story of the last member of the Uchiha Clan and his daughter Sarada. Sasuke can be seen working hard with his daughter to prepare her for the troubles she will have to face in the future. At her age, he recalls that he used to be engulfed in hatred and wanted revenge on his brother Itachi who had caused the death of his clan. His resentment has taken over his thoughts, and he ended up joining Orochimaru. However, much later, he did realize how wrong he has been and finally learnt that he was unfair to himself. Ultimately, he found a place in the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha, where he learnt to let go of his past. 

Recently one of the Boruto fans has pointed out how Sarada was able to get access to the 3 Tomoe Sharingan. It allowed her to read the movements of the opponents and copy their jutsu as well. The fan points out Sasuke was always behind her, teaching her to have faith in her abilities as later she used the 3 Tomoe Sharingan in a fight against Boro in the novel. We now know that her father has played a considerable role in her development, and the novel ensures the fans know the struggles that she has been through.  

When she was given the leadership of Team 7 for some time in the manga, she showed everyone what she was capable of. It was not only about her Sharingan powers, but her captaincy of the team was quite impressive as they confronted the Kara Organization. Sarada is surprisingly not involved in the current battle as Naruto, Sasuke and Boruto take on the Kara Organization and Jigen. However, it seems likely that she would get involved some way or the other before the battle ends. When she fights alongside Sasuke, she will be even more motivated to do well and prove her abilities. Her recent mastery of the Sharingan has already surprised many, can we hope to see something else that we are not expecting from her? 

Source:-    Sarada’s Mastery of Upgraded Sharingan and Sasuke’s Role in Her Recent Development

 

Monster Slaying Manga from Shonen Jump That You Should Try

Since Monster-slaying seems to be in fashion, we had a look at some of the most praised and loved Manga in the genre that you should checkout. The list contains stories that have been running for decades to reasonably new ones that challenge even the well-established ones.

Our Blood Oath 

Our Blood Oath is one of the reasonably new titles on Shonen Jump. It is based on Red pledge and follows the story of two siblings. Shin and Ko are no ordinary siblings since Ko is a vampire while Shin is a human. Even though they have a bloodline full of vampires, the brothers choose to fight the blood-sucking monsters to protect innocent people.

The series has evolved some great vampire designs that are previously unseen. They have shown the courage to move past generic humanoid designs as the animalistic monster vampires do set the series apart from others in its genre. Although it is ranked relatively low, it would be unfair to judge it from its ranking only since the series is relatively new, and very little of it is out as of now. But the Manga, with its unique plot, does seem very promising, and it would be intriguing to see how it builds upon its promising start. 

 Hell Warden Higuma

Hell Warden Higuma, as its name suggests, focuses on the life of Higuma, who is a Hell Warden. Started alongside Chainsaw Man in 2018, the protagonist of the Manga is given the responsibility to find evil demons that have possessed innocent humans. He has to exorcise the human to send the demons back to hell. Higuma has an army of hands at his disposal to help him with his job. 

A human possessed by a demon will probably not know, but the signs are there. The human will tend to undergo a significant personality shift, which often transpires as the possessed picks up destructive and sinister traits. The aim of the demons is to absorb the lifespan of its victims to sustain itself. Hell Warden Higuma gives a lot of time to Higuma and his history; by doing this, it presents a very close look at the effects of monster hunting on an individual. It also shows what type of person would choose to sign up from such a job. 

 Burn the Witch

The Manga Bleach created by Titu Kubo needs no introduction. It quickly grew popularity after its release and got an anime adaptation as well. Burn the Witch is set in the same world as Bleach and focuses on the deuteragonist Noel Niihasi and Ninny Spangcole. Both of them are witches who spend most of their time-fighting dragons who are taking over the city. 

Burn the Witch in 2018, was published as a one-shot, but it had to be serialized this year because of its growing popularity. If you are not familiar with the world of Bleach, you won’t be able to resonate with this series. But, if you are someone aware of the Bleach world, then Burn the Witch is probably the Manga you are looking for.

 Jujutsu Kaisen 

Jujutsu Kaisen is the story of a high school student named Yūji Itadori. He joins an Occult Research Club in his school only with the motive that he will have enough time to meet his grandfather, who is in the hospital. The Occult Club accidentally finds a talisman that holds a very dangerous curse. After the club accidentally unleashes the curse, many other evil curses descend on the school since the powerful talisman curse can give anyone the power to destroy the world.

To protect the people he loves, Yūji consumes the rotting finger talisman himself and becomes the host of the curse. He is then introduced to the world of shamans who are doing their bit to protect the world from falling into chaos. The school’s superiors finally had to decide to sentence Yūji to death, but before he is killed, he has to consume all the cursed rotten fingers so that both can be destroyed simultaneously.  

Jujutsu Kaisen is a unique monster-slaying manga that is hard to replace. Even though you might not be a fan of the genre, Jujutsu Kaisen has the potential to make you a fan.

Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man has been running on Shonen Jump since 2018 and has been a massive hit of 2020. It is set in a world where devils regularly attack humans, so hunting devils obviously becomes a lucrative career choice. But there are also humans who make pacts with devils for materialistic gains.

Denji, the protagonist, is an unfortunate young man who is struggling to pay off his father’s debt to the yakuza. He earns money by selling his organs, hunting devils, and working as a lumberjack. His dog Pochita is a devil who can turn itself into a chainsaw, which proves very useful for Denji in his lumberjacking. The yakuza are aware that they can make Denji do whatever they want, so they send him to fight a zombie devil. But it turns out that the yakuza had made a pact with the devil and wanted to use Denji as a sacrifice. When the devil kills Denji, his dog Pochita fuses with him giving him all his powers and a new life. Denji, with Pochita’s power, quickly destroys the zombie devil; when a team of government devil hunters arrives, they offer him to join them, which kicks off his journey as a Public Safety Devil Hunter.

Chainsaw Man is often compared with Deadpool because of the violence and brutality that it portrays. But the series is able to stand out on its own because of its unique and well-written characters. The show deserves to be a sleeper hit, and if there is one series that you should go for from Shonen Jump, then it must be Chainsaw Man.

Source:-  Monster Slaying Manga from Shonen Jump That You Should Try

 

Rent a Girlfriend: The Upcoming Season 2 and Possible Release Dates

After the protagonist, Kazuya Kinoshita, is dumped by his girlfriend, he goes online to rent one. The one-month long dalliance with his ex Mami Nanami has made him take such a drastic step as he hopes to find the right balance in life. He meets his rented girlfriend, Chizuru Mizuhara on an online app. But thinking that she is too good to be true, Kazuya gives him a low rating for which he is later reprimanded by her. He takes her to meet his grandmother after she collapses in the hospital, to his surprise, his grandmother really likes Chizuru when she gets to know her. Kazuya then keeps renting her to make his friends and family happy, but things get weird when they find out that they are next-door neighbors who attend the same college.  

Released earlier this year, the show became a huge success this year. The show was able to compete with other anime like In/Spectre, God of High School and Tower of God, which have been great hits of this summer. Even though season 1 of the show has just concluded, the excited fans are already speculating release dates of season 2. The season finale just premiered this Friday, and it has been officially announced that the show is renewed for a season 2.

However, the announcement of season 2 is hardly a surprise looking at the success that Rent a Girlfriend has had. Whenever there is a discussion over the continuation of an anime, the two most decisive factors are source material and the popularity that the show has been able to achieve. Rent a Girlfriend has been the second most popular show in Japan on Netflix after Fire Force, which means it has enough fans rooting for it to make a return. Then there is the question of the source material. Rent a Girlfriend manga already has over 150 published chapters and the season 1 is probably going to cover only 50 chapters which means there will be over hundred chapters that will still be available for the upcoming seasons.

So, since the show ticks, both boxes of popularity and source material and it seems that we can expect not just season 2, but many more seasons after that. With the material of more than a hundred chapters already available, everything is ready to go, and the fans aren’t wrong in expecting the second season as soon as possible. As far as the official dates for the release are concerned, there are no announcements regarding it as of now. But the fans can expect to see the show again by next year’s summer, so the wait hopefully is not going to be that long. Rent a Girlfriend is probably going to continue its successful run even after season 2 if its current fanbase is to be believed. If you are a fan, then you can rest assured, Rent a Girlfriend is here to stay.

Source;-   Rent a Girlfriend

 

Perfected Super Saiyan Blue is Officially the Strongest Super Saiyan Form

Dragon Ball Super is a Japanese anime and manga series. It has been just as successful as all the other shows of the franchise. But what is the most powerful form in all of the Dragon Ball anime franchise? This has been a long-contested question among the fans for a long time and still continues to be so. But now we might have the answer.

The Saiyan Prince Vegeta was the only one with the ability to use the strongest super Saiyan form. He was pushed to break his limits by Jiren in one of the tournaments he participated in. He tried many times to achieve Ultra Instinct but when he gave up on that, he was able to accomplish the Super Saiyan Blue Evolution form. This form of Vegeta was so powerful that he was able to challenge Goku’s Kaio Ken x20 Super Saiyan Blue.

Surprisingly, there were also instances when The Saiyan Prince was able to become mightier than that. He was even able to surpass even the God of Destruction. He tried to test and observe the true nature of his powers. When he joined forces with Goku to fight Jiren, he was able to hurt him a lot of times. Vegeta knew he was not able to get desired results in his attempts to use Ultra Instinct so he focused more on Super Saiyan Blue form. So, that he can know to what degree he can further increase his strength while Goku focused solely on the Ultra Instinct.

Vegeta surpassed all his previous powers and while fighting Jiren along with Goku, he completed his Super Saiyan Blue transformation. This Super Saiyan form of Saiyan King was way more dominant than its anime counterpart. Jiren was of the opinion that the power of Vegeta in that form was as good as Goku’s Ultra Instinct. All of this transpired in the Dragon Ball Super Manga while he was competing in the Tournament of Power. Although both of them fought very bravely against Jiren. But to no avail, as Jiren was single-handedly able to dominate both of them. But that shouldn’t make one think that he was not capable enough. The Saiyan Prince always had the ambition of surpassing Goku. Which he achieved even though for a short time. It means that perfected Super Saiyan Blue is the mightiest of all Super Saiyan modifications, with Vegeta being the only one ever to achieve that form.

Source:-  Strongest Super Saiyan