Summary

  • Tartarus ensures social harmony by imprisoning high-risk villains with cutting-edge security measures.
  • The prison's unique design includes straitjackets, high-tech chairs, steel-plated hallways, and smart sensors.
  • Inmates are closely monitored through cameras, guards with advanced weapons, and bugged visiting rooms to prevent escapes.

In the My Hero Academia universe, dangerous villains with powerful quirks and evil intentions pose an existential threat to hero society. As they wreak havoc, the heroes are pushed to take extreme measures in a desperate attempt to keep them at bay. Sadly, some villains thrive in chaos and are unperturbed by the most vicious huntdowns launched after them. Therefore, once captured, the heroes go the extra mile to ensure that such villains don't get to walk freely ever again. For this specific purpose, Tartarus, the high-security prison specifically designed to detain unpredictable villains with dangerous quirks, was established.

While not much is known about Tartarus' history, the prison has been deemed reliable enough to incarcerate terrifying villains like All for One, Hero Killer: Stain, Muscular, Kurogiri, and Overhaul, among others. But what makes the high-security penitentiary so trustworthy? In this article, we look at Tartarus' security measures, unique design, and protocols to understand why the jail is so reliable.

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What Makes Tartarus So Special?

The Advanced Penitentiary Ensures Social Harmony By Keeping Dangerous Inmates Locked-Up

Equipped with cutting-edge defense technology and high-standard security protocols, Tartarus is used to imprison high-risk villains. As a safety measure, the prison is constructed on an island about 3 miles away from the mainland. The only way to travel in and out of the jail is through a bridge that connects the island to civilization. Giant gates are erected on each side of the bridge to prevent any forceful entry, while each vehicle is checked heavily by guards present on the premises. In emergency circumstances, the bridge is designed in a manner that it would collapse one section at a time to prevent any escape attempts or unauthorized access.

Tartarus is divided into six cell blocks that are specifically designed to detain inmates with different threat levels. Some villains possess extremely powerful quirks and are thus required to be separated from others due to security reasons. The worse crimes a villain has committed, the deeper their cells are located on the island. For someone as dangerous as All for One, it would mean being imprisoned in a cell 500 meters below sea level.

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Once incarcerated, the prisoners in Tartarus have their freedoms heavily restrained. Not only are they forced to don full-body straitjackets but are also made to sit on high-tech chairs, which are presumably equipped with cutting-edge tools that immobilize them. Outside the cells, the hallways and doors are steel-plated and designed in a manner to withstand the force of destructive quirks. Heavily-armored exteriors also make any escape attempts seem futile.

In addition to straitjackets and high-tech chairs, Tartarus authorities employ other ways to keep the prisoners in check. Each cell is fitted with multiple cameras to keep an eye on the inmates at all times. Tartarus guards are always on their toes to ensure that any peculiar movement by the villains does not go unnoticed. Since they are dealing with dangerous combatants, they are equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and have the permission to even use lethal force when necessary. To add another layer of security, every single conversation between the Tartarus guards is also recorded and heavily tracked.

Apart from cameras, there are also smart sensors all over Tartarus that monitor the inmates. They not only keep information about prisoner's vitals but also observe minute changes in their behaviours. These sensors are smart enough to even make decisions based on an inmate's thoughts. In case, a villain were to try and use their quirk, they would risk being fired upon by automated machine guns.

At Tartarus, the worst inmates were kept alive using feeding tubes and IV fluids. Police and Pro Heroes are allowed to talk to them to conduct investigations and gather information. This is typically done through visiting rooms where a guest can speak with the villains from the opposite side of a glass window. Like the inmates' cells, these visiting rooms are also under surveillance and give guards a 360 view of the meeting. The room is equipped with computers that constantly monitor a prisoner's brainwaves to give the observers a detailed understanding of what a person is probably thinking.

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Tartarus's visiting rooms are also bugged so the guards know what's being discussed between the villains and the visitors. This is done to ensure that there is no security lapse and the inmates don't have the opportunity to pass on information or hatch an escape plan using their manipulative tactics. All of the security measures come together to make Tartarus a walled fortress that seems nearly impossible to penetrate.

In a world that is riddled with conflicts, a high-security prison like Tartarus provides civilians with a sense of safety and assurance that is necessary for social cohesion. While it may be a grim place for the inmates, its overarching goal surpasses all individual concerns as it puts people's security and well-being over everything else.

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Release Date
2016 - 2025-00-00
Network
TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
Directors
Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano
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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Daiki Yamashita
    Izuku Midoriya (voice)
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Kaito Ishikawa
    Manga Fukidashi (voice)

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.

Studio
Bones
Creator
Kōhei Horikoshi
Streaming Service(s)
Hulu, Crunchyroll