Dark Might’s Twisted Gospel
Justice, deception, and the truth that sets us free
Hey there, amazing readers! If you're in the USA, I hope you had an awesome 4th of July—whether it was spent with family, friends, or just enjoying some good old fireworks (stay safe, otaku!). If you’re outside the States, I hope your week has been wonderful as well. With the summer anime season in full swing, let us know what new shows you’re watching! I’ve got a long list—and barely enough time to keep up (jump to the links below, by the way, to see our impressions of all the new shows).
One movie I did recently finish is My Hero Academia: You’re Next. As a big MHA fan, the moment I saw it had hit Netflix, I wanted to check it out.
It introduces some new characters with unusual quirks (which is saying something in the MHA universe!) and keeps the mystery alive throughout. The central conflict revolves around a girl named Anna, who’s kidnapped by the movie’s main villain, Dark Might—a twisted imitator of All Might.
If you’re not familiar, All Might is the most powerful hero in MHA and a beacon of justice. Early in the series, he passes on his legacy to Deku and the new class of heroes to become the next generation of justice.
Without giving away spoilers, there is a moment in the film when Dark Might gives a rousing speech. It reminded me of a parallel in scripture.
Dark Might takes All Might’s ideals—truth, justice, peace—and warps them into a dark, crooked version of justice. That instantly reminded me of how the enemy of our souls operates in real life. The Bible says Satan is the father of lies. He doesn’t just oppose God—he twists what’s good into something corrupted. He whispers things to us like:
“Don’t waste your time trying to be perfect and live a holy life. Just be who you are and ask for forgiveness later. Jesus already forgave you, so don’t worry about it! It will be fine, I’m sure you’ll get into Heaven, right? Don’t even think about it too much.”
Of course, God tells us not to steal, lie, or murder, and that satan has come to do just that: kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:9-10).
Dark Might’s methods and hubris are similar to satan’s. He not only wanted to get rid of the heroes, but he truly believed his way was better than All Might’s, which brought to mind the verses below.
You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
~ Isaiah 14:13-14 (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah mentioned how the devil sought to usurp the throne of God and claim for himself the title of the Most High. He was booted out of Heaven to Earth with the angels, whom he also corrupted. Dark Might made a similar invasion to Japan, coming over from Europe with his mafia family, which was composed of quirk users.
Let’s not fight this battle alone! Just like Class A, who went into the floating fortress created with Dark Might’s enhanced quirk ability, there’s no need to be a lone wolf. One of my favorite aspects of being a Christian is that we are all dealing with the same struggles.
We need each other, just like you who're reading this right now. Do your best to regularly attend a local church, not just an online bible study or watching a YouTube sermon. If you're more introverted or shy, that’s OK Challenge yourself to take that step and make some new friends at church.
Iron sharpens iron! Read the bible, get around some seasoned believers, and break bread together. Much love, and see you next week!
BtT In Review
We covered more than two dozen premiering anime series since last week’s newsletter, including those for Nyaight of the Living Cat, Cultural Exchange with a Game Centre Girl, Ruri Rocks, The Summer Hikaru Died, My Dress-Up Darling (Season 2), Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, Call of the Night (Season 2), Secrets of the Silent Witch, Dan Da Dan (Season 2), Dealing with Mikadono Sisters Is a Breeze, Gachiakuta, and Turkey!
Check any of those posts, or head to our master post of first impressions, where you can find snippets of all our fuller reviews, screencaps, streaming links, and more!
A new episode of The Power of God and Anime Podcast dropped! You won’t want to miss Mike’s conclusion of his Job series as he looks toward Yuri Briar and Spy x Family for how we sometimes act as if we know better than God himself.
The above audiogram is just a snippet of the entire episode. You can subscribe and listen to us on a variety of platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and others.
Twwk is at Anime Maturi this morning, joining ShortStuffArts on her panel, Biblical Themes in Anime. If you happen to be at the con, join us at 10 am in Room 310. If not, he’ll be providing a wrap-up when it’s his turn on Substack later this month!
Our man Luke has a little fun this week with the high price of anime stores. Check out more of his fun content on YouTube and Tiktok!
What if you made friends with the second prettiest girl in the class? What if your championship-hopeful soccer team was lacking in manpower? And what if the party members were the ones who killed the hero? All those questions—a whole lot more—are answered in the titles we reviewed in this week’s Reader’s Corner!
See y’all next week, and God bless!