I was on YouTube the other day and fell down a rabbit hole… landed on that scene where Harvey meets Mike for the first time.
I remember catching it years ago, right before the show dropped, and instantly knowing I was going to watch it. That was during my golden TV stretch — Sons of Anarchy, Rescue Me (right before it ended), Hell on Wheels, The Walking Dead, Shameless, and Suits all in rotation. People in the comments always say stuff like:
“Nobody talks like this in real life.”
Cool. I’m not watching Suits for real life. Mike’s intro was straight anime protagonist energy:
- Crazy smart but coasting through life
- Held back by a friend who was basically a walking plot problem (Trevor)
- Thrown into a high-pressure moment where his quick thinking and memory opened a door he had no business walking through
From there, every episode felt like he was “unlocking” a new ability — running circles around people, outmaneuvering Louis, impressing Rachel, holding his own with Harvey. Then came Play the Man. The mock trial. Jessica, Louis, and Rachel all watching. And Mike? He holds back because he doesn’t want to destroy Rachel in front of everyone. Noble move… but he takes the L. That was his first real “anime beatdown” moment — the hero who’s been racking up wins finally gets smacked back to reality. They could’ve made him a legal consultant and kept it safe… but then it wouldn’t have felt like watching a season-long shonen arc in a suit and tie.