Awesome / My Hero Academia - Final Act Saga

Main Awesome Index | UA Beginnings | Rise of the Villains | Final Act Saga | Final War Arc (Part 1, Part 2)

As the culmination of My Hero Academia finally entering its final arcs, the Awesomeness was bound to intensify.

Spoilers Off applies to all Moments pages, so all spoilers below are unmarked!

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Dark Hero Arc (Chapters 307-328, Episodes 132-138)

• Chapter 307:
  • Muscular is overwhelming Shindo through the latter’s last-ditch effort to stop him from attacking the nearby citizens and Nakagame, negating his attack through wrapping himself up in more muscle fibers than Grand’s Quirk can affect, and is primed to turn the young kid into a bloody meat paste when he’s suddenly blind-sided out of nowhere and his hulking frame flying into a building. Holding the unconscious Shindo, the chapter ends with a shot of Deku standing before Muscular, revealing that he’s progressed enough in controlling OFA’s powers that he now possesses the same Glowing Eyes of Doom All Might had before. In combination with his tattered hero costume and Gran Torino’s raggedy cape Deku’s hero costume now looks actually pretty badass and intimidating, in contrast to the goofy-looking ensemble he had on when first wearing it, showing how far Izuku’s coming in becoming a hero from the beginning of the story.
  • Props should be given to Grand who, despite being rudely rebuffed by the civilians he was trying to escort to safety, still goes ahead and puts his life on the line to stop Muscular, a nigh-unstoppable foe to somebody of his current training and abilities from reaching them. Bearing in mind, Shindo’s Quirk actually affects him with the knockback of his own attacks, meaning he’s at a disadvantage against a hardened slugger like Muscular in a protracted fight, but he doesn’t back down regardless of the odds. Shindo demonstrates he’s improved enough with his Quirk that he can actually form a vibro-knife with his equipment, and when muscular has pummelled him into a building and is about to switch targets to Nakagame and the civilians in hopes of a better match, Shindo pulls his ultimate move on him — taking advantage of the fact that he can’t move anyway to unleash his vibrations to the maximum in order to push through Muscular’s defenses and reach his main body. It doesn’t work, but it’s made clear that, despite his attitude, Shindo does have the heart of a true hero in him.
    Shindo:(Priming his Ultimate Move)Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. If there's anything heroes oughta have at this point, it's a rock-hard spirit that refuses to bend or break!
  • It would have only escalated the situation for the worse, but despite their refusal to work with Shindo or believe in heroes anymore, the citizens prove that they weren’t all talk when they said they were going to defend their town with their own hands, immediately starting to head out to save Grand when it looks like the young kid is about to be killed before them.
• Chapter 308: The entire chapter is a highlight for Izuku, showing how far he’s progressed in mastering his powers and potential as the future greatest hero in Japan.
  • First, he deftly avoids Muscular’s charge, even carrying Shindo in his arms, leaving him with Nakagame and a promise that there won’t be any further damage done now that he’s on the scene. Even more impressively, despite Muscular being a rampaging and unreasonable brute of a man, Izuku actually manages to keep his promise.
  • Next, Izuku reveals another of his stored Quirks from OFA — Smokescreen — which isn’t very impressive on paper, especially since Izuku can’t actually see through the cover he creates, but when combined with Black Whip, Float, OFA’s natural Speed and agility enhancements and Danger Sense forewarning him of Muscular’s attacks, Izuku is able to lead him around like a Matador, constantly dodging his blind attacks until he’s able to take the psychotic villain off guard once he over-swings, wrapping him up with Black Whip and smashing him into a nearby canal for their final face-off
  • Izuku then queries Muscular about his motivations for becoming a villain, trying to ascertain what drives him to be the way he is, showcasing how his brief meeting with Tomura in OFA’s mental world has affected his perception of villains, trying to see them as people in pain rather than monsters that have to be put down for the good of others. It falls flat because of Muscular being exactly the kind of deranged maniac he seems to be on the surface but it’s heartwarming that Izuku is taking steps to try and save not only civilians, but also the villains who feel driven to their current situation because of their treatment by society. Especially in light of Twice's tragic demise and Toga's question as to whether or not people saw him as a person who needed to be saved.
  • Finally, Izuku caps off his streak by revealing his trump card against Muscular. Knowing that Muscular can tank One For All at his current 100%, Izuku has instead been waiting out the villain, having noticed from his initial attack hitting the building below him and not right at him that Muscular’s muscle armour had been affected by Grand’s last attack something the dumb brute himself hadn’t noticed in his frenzy, and his futile attacks against Midoriya have over-stressed his muscle armour to the point it starts disintegrating around him, leaving his protection uneven and allowing Deku to strike a powerful blow through an opening.
    • Even more impressive, it’s later revealed that Izuku is able to keep fighting despite the grievous wounds he suffered going 100% against Tomura because All Might gave him some Mid-Gauntlet support items to re-enforce his limbs, but said items cannot withstand Izuku’s 100% attacks, thus he was limited in the amount of power output he could use against Muscular. Izuku beat Muscular last time by going beyond 100% in a head-on fight, which had long-lasting consequences for himself and many others. This time around, he instead beat him by using the supporting powers of OFA in tandem with his Natural Analytics to control, coral, and neutralise the same opponent who came closer to killing him than anybody else within the span of a single chapter, showcasing once again that Izuku’s greatest weapon isn’t the strength he gains from OFA, but his keen intellect, combined with the multiple options his new powers afford him in fights.
• Chapter 309:
  • When Inko was discussing with All Might about Izuku's dangerous future, Izuku came up with the boldest solution to postpone the impending danger: leave U.A. so he can focus on himself with All Might to solve the problem, while protecting his friends from future threats from Shigaraki. Considering that entering U.A. was one of his life's dreams and how much work hard he went through to get in, it is quite impressive that he decided to leave his school to protect everyone he cares about without hesitating.
    • Double points for also showing how far Deku has come. With his determination and all the things he learned from his friends and companions, he isn't hesitant to abandon something he had always loved to help others in need. No wonder All Might picked him as his successor.
• Chapter 310:
  • Izuku saving a scared woman with a mutant Quirk from a trio of armed civilians by just talking them down. Afterward, when she makes a comment on things returning to normal, Izuku only has four words to say: "I'll make it so."
  • The backstory for how the first three One For All users know each other is both this and heartwarming: the second and third users were the leaders of a resistance movement against AFO and spent considerable manpower not just fighting against him, but breaking into the building containing a particular vault. When they finally get in, they find out what the contents were: Yoichi Shigaraki, AFO's younger brother.
    • The reason why they were so hesitant on supporting Izuku is also revealed: they considered his vow to save Tomura a "ridiculous delusion". Granted, they do have their reasons to be so jaded, having to fight tooth and nail in a war where victory meant life and defeat meant death. But Yoichi then proceeds to tear through that line of thinking:
      Yoichi: A ridiculous delusion? Such a sad way to see it... Then tell me this... why, on that day... knowing full well of my ties to your "mortal enemy"... did you reach out to me? Our battle never could've begun if you hadn't taken me from this room on that day.
    • Just the weight of that decision to save Yoichi. The second and third users are the only reason that One For All could even be "born" to begin with. If they had killed Yoichi, that was it. One For All would have been snuffed out in the cradle and All For One would've not only brutally retaliated, but likely had been unstoppable for future generations to deal with.
    • Yoichi's words are enough to sway the 2nd and 3rd users to put their trust in Izuku, and at the end of the chapter they are seen standing alongside him, ready to provide their guidance. The past One For All users are now finally all united as one.
• Chapters 311-312:
  • The chapters are a combined moment of awesome for Lady Nagant, the female prisoner locked up in Tartarus, finally demonstrating why she was included amongst dangerous lunatics like Muscular and Moonfish — she’s a former hero who worked with the Public Safety Commission in a similar capacity to Hawks, with the hero himself hinting that her role involved similar high-risk wet work like his stint as a double agent in the Paranormal Liberation Front, and outright telling Izuku to run if she ever appears in front of him, even acknowledging that Izuku’s multiple powers and sheer strength with OFA mean he’s more than capable of handling himself against any other escapee from Tartarus — EXCEPT HER.
  • Nagant introduces herself with a frightening amount of precision and control over the incoming fight with Izuku, cutting off his signal from the monitoring All Might, arranging a simultaneous attack designed to cripple his mode of transportation if not kill the former #1 outright and sniping Izuku’s phone clear out of his hand — all whilst standing atop a far-away building in a prime sniper’s position and a clear line of sight on the young hero, who was totally unaware of her presence until she’d already shot at him. The fight has barely started and Izuku is almost totally at her mercy, despite all the precautions he’d made with All Might and Endeavor.
  • The details of Nagant’s Quirk are revealed-and perhaps the most awesome part of it is that her threat level comes mainly from herself and not her inborn powers. Snipe, the other resident long-range shooter, admits that his own Quirk — which guarantees his bullets will hit any target within 600 meters that he can see — isn’t always precise with where he actually strikes, but Nagant can be even more accurate from 3 kilometres away — and the secondary effect of her Quirk lets her craft bullets made from her own hair into any form she wants, from curved rounds to hollow points. Nagant then proceeds to demonstrate how unbelievable her shooting skills are when she easily nails Izuku — a moving mobile target with extended versatility mid-air through a combination of Float, Blackwhip and OFA’s raw speed — with a curved bullet straight round a building corner and into his escape trajectory, to the point that even with danger sense, Izuku can’t fully dodge the attack. And to top it all off, she manages to make her shots as far as 3km WITHOUT a scope, so that means her bullseye shots are all from her eyesight and skill alone.
    • On top of that, the final moments of the chapter have her not backing down, even as Izuku has triangulated her location and is charging towards her position, showing no fear of a power-type like Izuku closing the distance between them, and remaining confident in her victory with the addition of the newest weapon granted to her by AFO-Air Walk.
  • A villainous example for AFO, who, in flashback, accurately predicts Izuku’s likely course of action upon recovering from the recent battle with Tomura would be to leave UA on his own, as well as the best course of action to take to capture him, even with the likelihood of him being watched over by several of the remaining top heroes, down to the ideal weather conditions to minimise communication between Izuku and his guardians. Did we mention that this happened during the Tartarus breakout, weeks before Izuku actually left UA? AFO proves once again that the most dangerous aspect to himself isn’t his Quirk, but his devious and experienced mind, planning out the necessary moves to checkmate Izuku and the other heroes before they even begin their own countermeasures against him.
  • Credit to Izuku though — even disadvantaged as he is, he still proves to be a tricky and powerful opponent for Nagant, using Danger Sense to react to her shots, grabbing one of them before it can pierce him, even as the recoil blasts him backwards straight into Nagant’s second power-type blast, and reacting fast enough to deflect that shot with his support gauntlets — something Nagant notes is a first even for her. On top of that, Izuku was even able to calculate her location based on those attacks even whilst under fire.
    • It’s a testament to his potential, but Nagant admits she can see why AFO singled Izuku out as a threat to be pre-emptively neutralised after seeing his performance in battle, and the mastermind himself admits Izuku would become a serious hindrance to their shared dream of removing the current societal status quo if left unchecked.
      AFO: You seek the Downfall of Hero Society. But your dream will never be realised as long as that boy is around.
• Chapter 313:
  • All Might’s car gets totalled by two hired thugs using Thunder Spears to pierce through the armoured glass, forcing All Might to bail out of the moving vehicle at high speeds, showcasing he’s still got the quick thinking and skills of the former Number 1 to make a safe landing. Having lost his Quirk, and his old injuries leaving his body emaciated, All Might is now basically weak enough that even an average civilian could probably take him out, in addition to all communications being cut off preventing him for calling for Aid, leaving his basically defenceless and exposed before two hardened criminals. Despite the dire situation, All Might’s concern is only for Izuku, aware that this is just a delaying tactic to separate them and render his young protégée vulnerable to AFO’s machinations, Thoughts of his promise to protect and raise Izuku correctly to Inko running through his head, All Might makes it clear to the would-be assassins that it doesn’t matter what preparations they’ve put into stopping him, or how realistic it is for him for beat them. He Does. Not. Care.
    All Might: [Advancing on his attackers with a seething Death Glare] Stand Aside. That boy has bourne so much more than I ever have — a burden I forced on him!! And still, he idolises me!! The day anything happens to that kid, is the day I die!!
    • And in the face of his sheer Heroic Willpower, both powered individuals can only cower and run away from a man far weaker than them, with no hope of victory if they actually fought. It's a fantastic Call-Back to Gran Torino saying that All Might was the only one he could imagine replicating Stain's feat of intimidating the Pro Heroes with force of will alone, and the wavy artwork of All might’s terrifying glare directed at his attackers drives the parallels home.
  • On Nagant’s side of the battle, she showcases she’s adapted to Air Walk fairly well in addition to her existing Quirk, being able to use the recoil of her gunshots to propel herself around at high speeds to reposition herself at any 3D point she desires, being able to pick and choose whatever angle of attack she wants to in sniping her target. This enables her to sneak in close enough to Izuku that Danger Sense can’t even warn him in time to dodge her high-speed rounds anymore, and move away before he can get a lock on her new position, forcing Izuku to abandon his plans of directly assaulting her position by relying on rapid movements to confuse her aim. Given Izuku’s demonstrated how difficult it is to use an entirely new Quirk in addition to your existing one, it’s made clear that Nagant had put a lot of time and effort into preparing herself and her strategy to best neutralise him. About the only reason Izuku even has a chance against her is that AFO didn’t see fit to tell Nagant that Izuku had multiple Quirks, allowing him to blindside her with more abilities than she was expecting.
  • Izuku again demonstrates his fast reflexes by knocking away a shot from behind mid-air, and his even faster thinking when Nagant’s follow-up hit from an unexpected angle leads him to realise he’s also dealing with an opponent that possesses multiple Quirks like himself, and being too close to her actually benefits her more than himself, due to Danger Sense no longer being able to react quickly enough. Changing tactics, Izuku instead uses the 6th’s Quirk to create a full-out smokescreen, large enough to cover a city block, in order to by himself time to prepare his next move — the 3rd’s Quirk Fa Jin. The vestiges caution him against using it, pointing out that he’s literally not even tested using it in the first place, and it’s risky to do so under fire without getting a full handle on how the power works for him right now. Despite this, Izuku is apparently able to use it without issue, using Black Whip to levitate various objects on his person — from Gran Torino’s cape, to his mask and backpack — out of the smokescreen at multiple different angles, distracting Nagant with decoys so he can get the drop on her, via smashing his way straight up through the ceilings of a nearby skyscraper from the ground floor to the rooftop to obscure his assent long enough to close the distance. The chapter ends with Izuku grappling with Nagant, the young hero in training having outsmarted an older and far more experienced former hero, with additional abilities on top of her already-impressive existing skillset.
• Chapter 314: Izuku vs. Nagant continues with moments from both of them. First, Nagant reveals she's a real pro, as she uses the instantaneous retraction and extension of her Rifle Quirk as a makeshift weapon, hitting Izuku in the side point-blank to force him off her and then barely dodge the follow-up shot at the last second, giving her time to flee into the darkness of the surrounding area. After the last chapter made it look like Nagant had lost the minute Izuku got his hands on her, it shows how skilled she is to be able to fight off a close-range specialist with an unwieldy weapon like her sniper rifle, especially considering the form it takes somewhat handicaps her right arm’s range of movement when extended.
  • Nagant then proceeds to snipe Izuku relentlessly from multiple angles whilst the latter is still in mid-air, using bullets with microphones imbedded in them to allow her to simultaneously give him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech about the hypocrisy of the "peace" that heroes have defended all this time, revealing she was once hired by the PSC in a similar vein to Hawks’ role as a spy, except her role involved pre-emptive assassinations of dangerous targets or people who could upset the status quo and the public belief in heroes as pillars of morality, a hypocrisy that wore her down over time. The imagery is not pleasant, but it’s clear that Nagant has amassed a sizable body count throughout her career. In fact, it’s hinted that the only reason Izuku’s able to fight back as well as he has is that Nagant was ordered to take him in alive, meaning she has to go for debilitating rather than lethal shots, and her reluctance to outright maim a child led her to give him a fair warning first.
  • On his side of the battle, Izuku shows how his Quirk control is not the only thing that’s improved about him, showcased a firmer strength of moral character than he ever has before, aware from Tomura’s ranting and the sights he’s seen of the breakdown in social order that the world is not simply divided into good and bad, but nonetheless, he still believes that there is worth in him trying to help people, no matter the reason or what crimes they’ve committed. The Izuku that started the series would have been devastated at the news that the hero society was not quite the morally clean image it presented to the public, but Izuku has come far enough as a hero that even finding out the Awful Truth only makes him more determined to try and save those in need right now. Notably, Izuku’s persistent Dull Eyes of Unhappiness that he’s possessed throughout the arc finally start to regain some of the old fire he had in him back during earlier chapters, showing how Izuku’s been able to strengthen his resolve despite the horrific sights he’s seen and the enormity of the task ahead of him.
    “Maybe I was ignorant. But I’m starting to see things clearly. It’s not all black and white. Most things in this world are shades of grey. A blend of fear and anger. Which is exactly why... I’ve gotta extend a helping hand!”
    • He then caps that speech off by revealing he’d been baiting Nagant’s attacks in midair the whole time to analyse her shots’ trajectory and pin her location down again, focusing and shooting out Blackwhip with "Pinpoint Focus" extending the Quirk to a length more that 5 times the normal size he uses it for, showcasing how much the Quirk has been improved by it’s incubation inside OFA, and allowing him to rocket himself straight at her at a speed she can’t comfortably dodge.
  • Nagant finishes off by showcasing her quick wits, realizing Izuku is expending a lot of effort into reading and dodging her attacks accurately to then track her down, she decides to increase his mental burden by levelling and aiming her next shot straight at Overhaul, whom Izuku hadn’t yet noticed was nearby. Not only is it ironically karmic, as Nagant is unintentionally replicating the same sequence of events that cost Mirio his Quirk back during the hideout raid, but this time with Chisaki himself as the intended victim, but it also forces Izuku into a no-win scenario. Either he switches focus to Overhaul to protect the Jerkass from his due karma, leaving himself open to Nagant in the process, or he allows Overhaul to die to focus on beating Nagant, proving his idealistic words of saving everybody, heroes and villains, to be a hollow lie — granting Nagant the ideological victory in the end.
• Chapter 315, the conclusion of Izuku vs. Nagant:
  • As the Third had warned, using too many Quirks at once had overloaded Izuku's brain, leaving him unable to react quickly enough to Nagant's counterattack earlier. But he took the hint and, contrary to Nagant's thinking, had actually dialed back, putting away Danger Sense, Smokescreen, and Float. He's maneuvering solely with One For All and Blackwhip, all the while building up energy with Fa Jin to pull off his final stroke.
  • We learn just how Fa Jin works. By moving one's body over and over like a pump, you can build a charge of kinetic energy you can then uncork all at once. Using this, Izuku has been constantly moving his legs during the latest exchange, building up a hell of a charge in them for a technique that allows him to safely and briefly use the full force of One For All: One For All Pseudo 100%
    • This can't be understated. Izuku has always been noted to have the potential to be stronger than All Might's full power thanks to the way OFA accumulates power over the generations. With Fa Jin Izuku is now briefly able to reach levels of speed and power equivalent to his 100% without hurting himself in the process, even when using only 45% of OFA at the moment. Once Izuku masters 100% and adds Fa Jin's power on top of it, he could easily reach up to 150% power, capable of unleashing attacks that eclipse All Might's own impressive demonstrations of strength. He could even possibly hit hard enough to give Gigantomachia pause.
  • Now only juggling three Quirks, he can figure out what to do. First, whipping his legs around, he uncorks and mimics an All Might technique, propelling himself so fast he outraces Nagant's bullet and knocks Chisaki away from the shot. And here's the kicker: that was only using one leg.
    Deku: There's something everyone my age has seen - All Might, the Symbol of Peace, MOVING FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET! FAUX ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!
  • Before Nagant can figure it out, Izuku unleashes his other leg: Pseudo-100% Manchester Smash! And he aims the kick right at Nagant's weak point: her right arm. Break her arm, break her Rifle; Nagant neutralized! Izuku has defied the Sadistic Choice.
  • But now it gets interesting. Izuku reveals that he knows Nagant had been holding back the whole time. That shot meant for Chisaki was off. Plus, she had Izuku dead to rights in the beginning. If she had really believed in All For One, why didn't she aim for his spine?! Izuku has turned this into an "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight. And the Broken Bird is listening. Like with Stain long ago, Nagant finally sees someone who could really live up to the hero ideal. She finally begins to smile...
  • BOOM! The Chessmaster All For One had been fully prepared for Nagant to fail and had left a booby trap along with that Air Walk Quirk. But as Nagant begins to fall to the ground, Hawks swoops in a Big Damn Heroes moment, desperate to save his senpai.
    • Cruel it may be, but there's something to be said about AFO's overall goal in setting up this fight. His comments about hearts being easily swayed and the failsafe he implanted in Nagant to ensure her compliance imply that this was his true intention all along. Nagant, though skilled and dangerous, was ultimately just a broken woman used and abused by the system. Aware of this, AFO pointed her in Izuku's direction, but deliberately withheld vital information on the true scope of his abilities, leaving her unprepared to deal with him and eventually in a losing fight. Regardless, Izuku is nonetheless able to reach through Nagant's cynicism, able to see the she's a good person deep down — only for AFO's preparations to render his efforts to Save the Villain pointless in the end, devastating Izuku. Either Nagant would be able to capture Izuku or he'd have the futility of trying to save a Tragic Villain akin to Tomura rubbed in his face — either way, AFO wins. The fight for OFA is one that requires emotional willpower to resist AFO's absorption abilities, and thus the Magnificent Bastard is setting up these fights for Izuku well in advance of their rematch in order to wear him down physically and emotionally as well, no matter what choice Izuku makes.
• Chapter 317 features the second fight between Izuku and AFO's Hired Guns... and it's isn't even a fight. Hawks gets informed by All Might that Izuku instantly beat the attacker off-panel, punctuated by a shot of Izuku suspending him from the celling with Black Whip, his more ragged costume granting him an even more menacing and intimidating appearance toward his foes, showcasing the level of Power that Izuku can unleash now that he can utilise Fa Jin to reach Pseudo 100%. Even more so, this implies that Izuku struggled so much against Nagant either because her long-range fighting style was a bad match-up for him, or her sympathetic qualities meant that Izuku was also holding back in that high-intensity fight — a trait he's now lost thanks to AFO's threats to keep hurting those around him just to torment the boy.
  • It's tragic to see, but as Izuku rushes from battle to battle non-stop to keep saving as many people as he can, his Clothing Damage worsens to the point that he looks outright demonic, staggering down the street in clothing so ragged and covered in blood and filth from his fights that it looks like the Berserker Armour more than the goofy hero costume Izuku once wore, Black Whip coiling around him almost subconsciously, hinting that Izuku is using the tentacles to keep himself moving even when his body is shutting down from exhaustion. Its a testament to his sheer willpower to push himself beyond his limits for the sake of others, even as that same self-destructive mindset also grinds down at his body and soul.
    "I hear this guy is covered in mud, blood, and scars. Looking at him, you wouldn't think he's really a Hero."
• Chapter 318: The chess match continues. Izuku knows he has to keep the pressure on All For One, yet All For One knows this, too, and counters by keeping the pressure on Izuku. This time, he sends Dictator, a Villain who can control bystanders and use them as Human Shields, meaning he can exploit Izuku's greatest weakness in that he won't harm the civilians. Izuku, meanwhile, has being running himself ragged to the point that he collapses to his knees before the fight even starts and drags himself upright seemingly by sheer willpower when he realises he has to fight again. Being forced to 'take things easy' against the helpless civilians proves to be too tall an order for the exhausted hero and Izuku basically collapses under their assault, still thinking that he'll save them even as his body is shutting down on him from reaching his limit. But then, someone else steps in to help. With all the focus on Izuku, one was beginning to wonder what his old classmates have been doing in the meantime... until Bakugo takes out Dictator with a pinpoint AP Shot and relays a brief but critical message, "I found him, guys!"
• Chapter 319: Now we catch up to what Class A was doing. Sure enough, they didn't take Izuku's farewell letter sitting down. Especially Bakugo, who knows more about Izuku and One For All than anyone else there. They quickly figure out Izuku and All Might are teamed up with Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist. And Bakugo especially knows Izuku's crazy streak when it comes to saving people means that this is a very bad idea. So Uraraka suggests they get Principal Nezu involved, who surprisingly turns out to be 100% on board with the idea. They want to bring Izuku back, and he replies that the door's still open for him and that U.A. is prepared should All For One decide to attack. He also tricks Endeavor to come to the school and let slip a clue about Izuku's whereabouts, leading to Bakugo finding and taking out Dictator last chapter.
  • Bakugo specifically gets props, not only for calling out Endeavor on how bad an idea it was to use Izuku as bait with his Chronic Hero Syndrome, but also calling Izuku out on how self-defeating his current attitude is to their childhood dream of becoming the Number One hero.
    Bakugo: (Sarcastically clapping) Wow, real inspirin'! All hail the mighty inheritor of One For All! But tell us this... are you smiling now?
  • Then comes Izuku's reply. He hesitates for a moment, as if about to go My God, What Have I Done?... but instead he steels himself and seems to get a Heroic Second Wind. Bakugo's pointed question has just reminded him why he was running himself into the ground.
    Midoriya: (Strained voice) If I'm going to smile again...if I'm going to see a world where people can live in peace...I need to keep moving forward. So please...everyone...stay out of my way!
  • And so we see a weary but still determined Izuku rising to his feet and donning his tattered hero costume one more time. And it's a good thing his mask is on, because he's probably giving his old classmates a Thousand-Yard Stare. It sells how, despite being at the end of his physical and mental limits, he's still capable of fighting back hard enough that probably no one member of Class A could take him on alone. Good thing they're not fighting alone. Instead, his classmates stand firm and basically reply:
    Bakugo: Let's just see you try and make us, you All-Might-Wannabe!
• Chapter 320 is basically a long extended moment of each of Class A pulling their weight to Hold the Line against Midoriya, whose sheer strength and deep-seated fears about them getting hurt by AFO (like Gran Torino, Aizawa and Bakugo were right in front of him) — or worse, getting their Quirks stolen (like Ragdoll's; recall, Midoriya is the only one in the class who knows what it's like to be Quirkless) — make him near impossible to hold down or restrain for long. Even more impressively though, it's clear that Izuku is massively holding back so as not to hurt them as he escapes, which puts into perspective just how powerful he is that his combined class' best efforts can only slow him down, and the fight is more about getting him to accept that he doesn't have to fight this battle alone despite holding OFA.
  • On the other hand, despite them being outmatched in terms of Izuku's sheer power and variety individually, each member of the class works together well to keep countering his various attempts to flee, taking Izuku off-guard despite his in-depth knowledge of their powers and preferred tactics, showing how they're also stepping up to handle the immense task of restoring order to society in this chaotic time.
• Chapter 321: Endeavor showcases more of his Character Development to an individual thoughtful about the welfare of others, noting that Dictator may have been working with other Hired Guns to ambush Midoriya, and that Kirishima and other UA students should secure the perimeter of the fighting to avoid any civilians getting hurt, even as he notes that they'll likely share the growing anti-hero sentiment and won't be thankful for their efforts. This is in stark contrast to when he was training Izuku, Bakugo and Shoto during their internship, wherein he saved a civilian from getting hit by a runaway car, but Midoriya was the only one who comforted her in the aftermath whilst he lectured the other two on the need to be better when lives are on the line. He also shows that Class A's rebuke of him and the plan to use Midoriya as bait in Nezu's office stuck with him, denying Hawks' suggestion of having Jeanist use his Quirk to restrain Midoriya just so his classmates are the ones to reach him in the end, aware now that force won't stop Midoriya from seeing the error of his self-destructive mindset, and trusting the next generation of heroes to see the job done, rather than treating them all as kids who will only be a burden on the operation.
  • Surprisingly, Mineta gets a moment of his own, being launched Fastball Special style at Midoriya and grabbing onto him with a line made of his sticky balls, calling out Midoriya for thinking that One For All is a special power that has to settle the fight with All For One alone because of its immense strength, stating that what made him think Midoriya was an amazing hero was the way he managed to formulate a plan to take down the Villains attacking the USJ despite his own terror and inexperience, using all his classmates' Quirks together to achieve victory.
    Mineta: I never thought it was your power that made you awesome!
  • And all this time, the class keeps telling Midoriya that they are fully aware of the danger. They're not asking him to protect them; they're simply asking to stand with him in his struggle.
  • Despite all his classmates' pleas, Midoriya still refuses to listen, combining Blackwhip as a Slingshot launcher with 45% Full Cowl and Fa Jin to reach Pseudo-100% and rocket himself away at high velocity... only for his classmates to reveal they've prepared to counter even that move. Utilising a 0.1 acid coating from Ashido as a wind shield to cut down on their air drag, Class A replicates Midoriya 's own plan to save Bakugo back in Kamino, using Todoroki's ice to make a ramp, with the classmate's strongmen launching them in pursuit of him, further empowered by Todoroki's Flash-Freeze Heatwave and Bakugo's new Cluster Explosion moves as propellant on top of Uraraka rendering them weightless to catch up to the fleeing Midoriya. This gets punctuated with a flashback to the Second Holder noting what Midoriya needs most to stop running himself into the ground isn't people telling him to think about himself more, but being shown that he's surrounded by people who can keep up with him, even with his 'special' abilities granted by One For All.
    Second Holder: If there's anything that could bolster Izuku Midoriya right now, it would be... those who share his resolve. Those who can match his pace, and keep running alongside him.
    • On the other hand, Midoriya's sheer level of strength and speed is further showcased by the fact it takes all his classmates' combined efforts just to briefly reach the same level of Pseudo-100% speed he achieved near-instantly, highlighting how much of a powerhouse Midoriya's become, even if he's still not fully mastered the full extent of One For All's power at the moment. Iida visibly hurts himself catching up to Midoriya and Bakugo admits he can't keep up with the sheer speed Midoriya can achieve, putting the young hero trainee roughly in a power level equivalent to Endeavor or any of the other top heroes remaining in these chaotic times. Keep in mind that Midoriya just got his Quirk a little over a year ago and has been constantly depicted as struggling with the basic steps of having a Quirk that his classmates mastered during their kindergarten years during his time at UA. Now he's finally been able to make One For All fully his own, and, even if he cannot withstand its full strength yet, he's clearly leagues above anybody in his age bracket and probably many adult heroes as well, even with only about half of One For All's power firmly under his control.
  • The highlight moment goes to Iida, with Bakugo acknowledging that even with his new speed boost, he's not built to move at the turbo-power velocities that Midoriya's capable of moving at now, but Iida — with his own drive to keep pace with Midoriya — is, launching him with a further explosion to catch up to Midoriya and grab him by the hand even as the G-force visibly cracks his glasses and his protective armour to to the point his tears are visibly showing (due to a massive wind hurling towards his face). And to top it off, he rebukes Midoriya's desperate pleas to leave him alone with a speech that calls back to how both he and his brother inspired Iida to become the hero he wants to be.
    Iida: I will not!. Ingenium the hero will dash across the land to take a lost child by the hand. "Because giving help that's not asked for, is what makes a true hero!"
  • And the anime shows this entire fight with amazing detail, as everyone does everything they can to make Izuku see reason - crowned with Izuku's first leitmotif, "You Say Run", kicking in just in time for the climax to coincide with Iida getting through to his best friend.
• Chapter 322 finally gives us a moment that most of the fanbase has been waiting for ever since Chapter 1: Bakugo finally gives Midoriya a sincere apology for the years of bullying he put him through. It's awesome not in a "HELL YEAH!" way, but rather in how it brings a long-standing (and highly controversial) conflict to a satisfyingly emotional conclusion.
  • In addition, Kirishima, after catching him, makes a confession of his own. He recalls something he heard on the news two years ago: about how a kid his age rushed to save his friend from a villain. Kirishima now realizes the kid was Midoriya. Even way back then, his heroic spirit proved to be an inspiration. Later, Thirteen reveals that his solo journey had bought the remaining Hero Society precious time to prepare defenses and get civilians to safety.
  • The aftermath. Midoriya finds himself recuperating back at U.A. However, upon entering the now heavily-armoured building, the class is confronted by the civilians taking shelter inside forming a human blockade to bar Izuku's entry, having deduced that he was likely the kid that Shigaraki was hunting for and wanting to cast him outside so the highly-destructive madman's inevitable rampage won't catch them in the crossfire. The scene echoes Young Tenko's own experience with the Bystander Syndrome plaguing society, with Izuku almost ready to turn and walk away from the safety and security he's longed to return to to keep the citizens safe, except for one difference. Tenko was alone, with nobody to turn to but AFO, but Izuku has his classmates standing by his side. And this time, they're the ones ready to protect him. The chapter ends with a resolute Uraraka, staring down a protesting public, echoing a question she had asked herself the last time she saw Midoriya in trouble, during the Joint Training Exercise:
    Uraraka: Who will step up to become Heroes... when it's the Heroes who are in trouble?
• Chapters 323-324 confirm Uraraka has found the answer to her own question. Or rather, she realizes she has to be that answer. In spite of all the technology U.A. has to ward off a potential attack from All For One, the refugees inside (which, should be noted, include both Midoriya's mother and Uraraka's parents) are still too scared of having AFO's number one target in their midst. The anger is about to boil... when suddenly she steps up. She takes the megaphone and Zero-G's herself (recall, something she never takes lightly) to the top of the main building to address everyone. She acknoweldges their fears... and then points out that Midoriya is fully aware of their fears and that he had fled the school for several months for that very reason. Midoriya has beaten, battered, and exhausted himself for their sake, still knowing that AFO's next attack could come at any time, and that it was they, his classmates, who brought him back so he can recover and prepare for the next fight. Even Bakugo, in his own way, notes that what's plaguing everyone the most right now is fear. Earlier, Principal Nezu had opined that fear was keeping people from having the empathy and understanding needed to come together and trust Heroes again. The feelings she's always had for Midoriya, which she'd kept bottled up for his sake, now come pouring out in a new, constructive way. If even heroes need heroes, then she will be Midoriya's hero, and she does this by appealing to everyone to understand him: "That First Step" Nezu had mentioned and also the title of Chapter 323. And it works. People take a look at Midoriya in his ragged condition and the realization starts to dawn on them. Some of them even recognize him from his earlier heroics.
  Uraraka: Just because he has a special kind of power doesn't make him a special kind of person!
  • 324 continues her plea, and it's becoming clear her heart is in this, reducing lots of the heroes and students to tears (eventually including Midoriya himself). Even Uraraka herself has to pause to wipe tears from her own eyes. And the core of her plea boils down to the same thing that drives Midoriya; she, too, wants to see people smile. As Midoriya finally collapses, Kouta and the bystander from Chapter 310 rush to his side as Uraraka's plea finally gets the bystanders to make a move. And for Midoriya, he comes to a realization:
    Midoriya: This is the story of how I became the world's greatest hero...actually, this is the story of how we became the world's greatest heroes.
• 325 has the man Deku encountered all the way back in Chapter 1 continuing Uraraka's plea, pointing out that Deku isn't trying to hide with them, but trying to rest before the world tears him apart, that no other place would take him in. As well, he tells them about how All Might showed them what it meant to be a real hero and if these kids were the only ones still fighting when all other heroes have hung up their capes, shouldn't they finally step out of the sidelines and help, too?
• Chapter 326 focuses on All Might, who's been depressive due to how he feels he's made things worse for Midoriya... who should show up to save the day but Stain of all people? Stain delivers a harsh speech to All Might, telling him he doesn't even believe he's the real All Might, since the hero Stain knew would never give up that easily, and then challenges him to come get him. Though Stain's an evil bastard, he's the only one who can tell All Might exactly what he needs to hear, and proves his devotion to his philosophy.
  • To be specific on that front, despite All Might stating his efforts were in vain due to what happened to the world, Stain points out it couldn't be further from the truth, both regarding how his students are still fighting to protect people and fix the world, as well as how his actions have inspired others, like the woman he saved during his last battle as All Might constantly working to keep his statue clean of graffiti, still holding faith in him.
    • He also notes that, in his mind, what makes All Might who he is isn't tied to his powers or abilities but his willingness to fight for others and the hope he inspires in people. Couple that with the challenge to come after him, it's clear he's still hoping Toshinori is worthy of finally taking him down, powers or no.
    • It's also a fantastic middle finger to AFO from Stain, given how the former used his ideals and the public perception of Stain as a means of recruiting more competent villains to the league and bolstering Tomura's desire to become a more realised villain. Part of AFO's grand plan is to weaken the willpower of the Torchbearers, including Toshinori, through doing whatever he can to push them past the Despair Event Horizon so they won't be able to resist his next attempt to steal One For All. By bolstering Yagi's spirit and showing him that his efforts are not in vain, Stain has indirectly derailed the megalomaniac's plans, much in the same manner that he indirectly used Stain's own rampage against heroes for his own ends. To cap it off, he leaves Toshinori with information he'd gained from Tartarus about the villains — information that, unlike Nagant's, is likely to be far more accurate and damaging to AFO's plans simply because he'd never factored Stain in his attempts to grind Izuku down, so the hero killer has gone out of his way to find the intel necessary to take him down simply because, for all that he's a crazed and insane killer himself, even he cannot stand the hell that AFO has cast society into for his own ends — a hell that stands as a stark contrast to the society that Stain envisioned when he began his killings.
• Chapter 328: As vile a person as he may be, AFO is a master strategist. Instead of the two-month window the heroes thought they had, Tomura’s body will be ready in 38 days, meaning that by the present time, he’ll be ready to take OFA in 3 days. All Might notes this inconsistency was because AFO rigged the hospital data to support this false information well before the heroes raided the building. Remember, AFO was arrested months before Garaki first contacted Tomura and began preparing him to become a worthy vessel to inherit AFO’s Quirk. This means that AFO foresaw that would lose to All Might and everything since then has gone exactly as he planned. If not for Stain approaching All Might and giving him the data from Tartarus that recorded the schedule discussed between AFO and his vestige implanted in Tomura, the heroes wouldn’t stand any chance of victory.
  • As the nations of the world squabble with each other over whether to send aid to Japan to fight AFO, America's number one hero Star and Stripe bypasses all the red tape simply by leaving for Japan without her government's permission. After all, how can she refuse a request from her very own mentor, All Might? Not to mention, many other foreign heroes who are friends of All Might have also been threatening to leave for Japan of their own accord if their respective governments continue to waffle.

Star and Stripe Arc (Chapters 329-335)

• Chapter 329: Whilst she isn't given time to do anything yet, the way other characters talk about Star and Stripe gives no illusions about how powerful a force she is. Hawks and Jeanist note that it's incredibly reassuring to have somebody like her on their team, their wording implying that she's even stronger than Endeavor as a hero, and All For One himself calls her 'The strongest woman around' all but stating that she's the Action Girl in the hero business. He even admits that, despite all his careful planning, the next encounter still comes down to a risky gamble simply because of her sheer strength, stating that if she were to roam free, she be 'far more than a mere nuisance' to his plans, but if he can claim her Quirk before she can arrive in Japan, then settling the ongoing revolution within the country will be a mere formality, implying that her power is strong enough that, combined with his own, he can easily trump even OFA's enhanced capabilities at present. To that extent, Tomura himself appears at the chapter's end, confronting Star in mid-air atop a flying Nomu, clearly aiming to nip the potential Spanner in the Works before she can help the heroes, but the odds of his victory are uncertain even with his improvements.
  • All For One further reveals that his grand plans aren't simply limited to Japan, revealing that he has friends in organised crime spread across the globe, ready to start causing trouble so as to prevent further international interference from other countries. Star and Stripe's attitude means that this wouldn't be enough to deter her from directly interfering in his plans, necessitating Tomura's direct involvement, but it all but guarantees that if he succeeds with her, he'll be able to prevent further reinforcements to Japan's besieged heroes. He also reveals privately to Spinner that, contrary to what the latter thinks and his actions thus far have indicated, obtaining OFA is not the entirety of his Evil Plan, but merely the midgame goal, and he has grander ambitions underway that can only be safely achieved if he removes his brother's pesky Quirk as an opposition.
• Chapter 330: Star gets to show off her Quirk in combat and it quickly becomes clear why she's viewed so highly — Her Quirk, New Order, is a flat-out Reality Warper ability. So long as Star can touch a target and correctly name it, she can set any kind of rule or condition she can think of to either empower or restrict the target. Her initial demonstration? Using it on the air itself to create a star-shaped atmospheric vacuum void around Tomura that severely debilitates him and leaves him wide open for her allies in the bomber jets escorting her and acting as mid-aid platforms for her to fight on top of to blast him with a barrage. When his attempt to retaliate with their own ammunition forces the rest of the fighter jets to back off, Star is quick and strong enough to grab the laser shot at her and impose a rule upon it that it's holdable in order to block the attack, again showing both her sheer versatility with her power and how skilled she is, since her speed and reflexes aren't being enhanced by her self-imposed rule. In fact, when Tomura attempts to take advantage of the fact that she has a limitation on the number of rules she can impose to close the distance to her once the void evaporates, she reveals that she always has one rule placed upon herself to give her strength near to All Might's top OFA levels, even if she can't quite equal the sheer force OFA had built up by his prime, demonstrating by catching Tomura off-guard with a mean haymaker that blows him away. Furthermore, she uses the same punch to establish the 'physical contact' part of her Quirk to impose a rule upon Tomura — if he moves, his heart will stop. In the span of a single chapter, Star and Stripe nearly won outright against Tomura, if not for some unexpected consequences brought about by his current condition that she couldn't possibly have known about, showing just why she's the number one hero of a super country like America.
  • Star's fighter escort deserve a mention here. Star's rule only grants her super-strength, and without them, she can't fly or pull off the necessary aerial maneuvers needed for mid-air combat, unlike Tomura with his multiple Quirks to achieve the same effect. Whatever Quirks they have aren't going to be much use to them inside a bomber jet's cockpit, and in the kind of fight Star's having with Tomura, it would be very easy for them to be killed by the collateral damage of their clash — in fact, Star outright tells them that if they die, she'll at least make sure to send their bodies back to their families, underlying the risks they're taking to help her. Nonetheless, they show no fear in rushing into the battle alongside her against a foe that could shred them and their machines like papier mâché, pulling off coordinated maneuvers to make sure Star always has a foothold to attack Tomura with and even working alongside her New Order abilities to attack Tomura with laser beams that their aircraft are outfitted with. It's the closest thing to having a Badass Normal army entering a super-powered fight as this series has gotten so far.
    • Star herself reveals a retroactive one for All Might — its turns out that she was one of the little girls All Might saved during his sojourn in America as seen in the prologue of Two Heroes, and that his actions inspired her to become as amazing a hero as him, even if he never realised their past connection. Proof, if ever more was needed, that All Might was the Big Good of the series beyond merely his ability to personally save others.
  • Of course, AFO/Tomura isn't one to let the heroes have things all their own way. It turns out that, thanks to the ongoing possession of his body and mind, Tomura's mental state is undergoing what is effectively as Split-Personality Takeover from AFO's consciousness, resulting in a blend of personality that combines both their mental states and can no longer be classified merely as 'Tomura Shigaraki' meaning that he's immune to New Order's rules, allowing him to retaliate just when Star thinks she's got him beaten with an attack that apparently causes a massive electrical explosion visible from miles away
• Chapter 331: 'TomurAFO' showcases that despite his current mental instability, his current state of being combines the intelligence and perceptiveness of both Tomura and All For One into one nasty package. Despite the briefness of their clashing and how one-sidedly Star beat him down with her Quirk, he's able to deduce a rough estimate of its strengths and limitations based only on how it affected him and the environment — Star has an upper limit on how much New Order can enhance a target's strength, but no limitation on how it can weaken them, and whilst her understanding of a target's identity needs to mesh with their own in order to affect them with New Order, for targets that lack a self-identity, like non-sentient objects, New Order's Reality Warper nature has increased effectiveness over them. All of this deduced despite America keeping her Quirk's information a national secret, and Star pounding him down with her Quirk the whole way.
  • Star further demonstrates exactly what it means to have total control over non-sentient objects, solidifying the air around her into a facsimile of her appearance, but 1000 times bigger and then proceeding to pound the crap out of Tomura with the barely-visible colossus, hitting him so hard that he can't retaliate at all and his Healing Factor is the only reason he's not killed outright. She then follows up by solidifying the lasers her escorts fire into a massive pillar that her creation wields to stab Tomura like a manifestation of the Godly spear Gungnir, pinning him to the sea bed and frying him with the concentrated energy at the same time
    • A point must be made for Tomura's sheer durability throughout all this, as despite the immense forces Star's hitting him with, he's neither dead nor unconscious, and even pinning him with the laser spear isn't Star's finishing move — she's just doing that to hold him down and prevent him from fighting back, not believing for a second that she can kill him even with the god-like power she's channeling against him.
  • Star finishes up by revealing her trump card-unconfident of her chances alone against Tomura and determining that he's a threat on a global scale, rather than a problem for Japan alone to deal with, she decides to use her special authority to have Admiral Agpar launch America's newly developed Intercontinental Cruise Missiles codenamed 'Tiamat' at Tomura to try and finish him off for good. To put that in perspective, Star believes that Tomura is such a powerful and dangerous opponent — not to mention incredibly resilient — that she feels fully justified in trying to Nuke 'em in order to put him down.
• Chapter 332: Both TomurAFO and Star come to the conclusion that the letter must undo her Laser rule to successfully enact her planned Finishing Move on Tomura's body — which he mentally notes has to be powerful enough to utterly vaporise him, or he'll regenerate and resume the attack, again underscoring how durable Tomura's become since his awakening — which they both mentally compare to a game of Hot Potato. Star manages to have her gigantic air contsruct grab the missiles mid-air with precise timing whilst her backup swoops in to blast the rising Tomura as he launches himself upwards, giving Star enough time to touch the Tiamat missiles and redirect them straight at the immobilised supervillian, represented by her air construct landing a literally explosive punch that blasts the ocean away from them and rips a hole in the cloud bank, visible even to Endeavor kilometres away on Japan's coastline. Just as Star's catching her breath and looking down as the devastation she's wrought, she notes a tiny, precisely dug hole in the bottom of the seabed, before the horrifically-mangled TomurAFO bursts from the ground like a demon rising from Hell, sporting a triumphant Nightmare Face as he bares down on the defenseless Star before she can recover, and doing what both Tomura and All For One do best: Placing his hand upon Star's face, spelling the end for America's hero.
  • Despite that, TomurAFO notes that his victory was still a close one: had he been a second slower with his timing of digging into the earth to dampen the blast, as well as switching places with his Nomu to distract Star's backup with the wrong target, Star would have killed him, even with his sheer resilience.
  • Star's reflexes deserve a mention. Her air construct doesn't actually stop the missiles' forward momentum when it catches them, and Star is visibly yanked off the bomber she's riding on by the sheer force of them. If she'd been any slower in touching missiles that were moving at hypersonic speeds, she notes her arm would have been torn off from the strain.
  • Star's unnamed backup again gets some credit: Not only do they keep up the pressure on what they 'thought' was Tomura with equal ferocity to the No.1's own attack, TomurAFO has to have his damaged Nomu self-detonate to give him enough of an opening to close the distance on Star before her team can interfere. One member even commands Star to use her Construct to smash both Tomura's body and his fighter jet together once he lands on him as the nearest stepping stone to leap at her, reasoning that he's hurt enough that the detonation from his jet should be enough to kill him, even if he has to sacrifice his own life. Star very nearly goes through with it too, only relenting at the last second because she recognises that it still wouldn't be enough to kill TomurAFO, showing that both her and her backup are willing to sacrifice anything of themselves if it means protecting others from TomurAFO's insane ambitions, but they won't force others to make pointless losses if they can protect lives instead.
• Chapter 333: TomurAFO successfully steals New Order from Star, hitting her with his decay Quirk in the same instant, and gloating about how he's now basically invincible with her incredible power backing him up, as Star's apparent last-ditch order to herself to not succumb to the decay fails and she begins crumbling into dust. However, just as he prepares to unleash an order of his own, there's a sudden shot of the inside of AFO's vestige realm, with the twisted mental fusion of AFO and Tomura being confronted by a confident vestige of Star in a Badass Armfold... before the scene returns to the outside of Tomura's body as his flesh grotesquely swells up and starts violently exploding from within. Even as she crumbles to nothingness, Star smirks that she got one over on her killer by imposing a rule on her Quirk before it was stolen. A rule that her Quirk will rebel inside 'TomurAFO' and attack all the Quirks inside his body, visually represented by the vestige image of Star Hulking Out and tearing apart the AFO vestige with its bare hands, face twisted in a roar of fury like the manifestation of all of AFO's previous victims finally paying him back retribution for the generations of suffering he's imposed upon them simply because he wanted their powers. Even better, 'TomurAFO' laments that he can do nothing to stop this attack — his own power can only 'give or take Quirks', not destroy them outright, and for all his nigh-limitless power, he's totally helpless against Star's one-sided beating. As a sign of how desperate he is by this setback, TomurAFO is actually willing to 'give New Order up', desiring to hand the power back to the American pilots that accompanied Star before his body is destroyed from the inside out — only for them to blast him with another barrage of lasers whilst he's struggling with his disintegrating body, counterattacking him so ferociously in retaliation for Star's death that he has no choice but to cravenly flee to the mainland to find an easier target to pass the Quirk to, rather than attempt to subdue them by force.
  • Even better, her Quirk is not simply causing damage, it's actively deleting all the Quirks that 'TomurAFO' has, with him noting that he cannot pull the same trick he did before to reflect the pilot's lasers back at them because the requisite Quirk was just destroyed in New Order's frenzied attack — meaning by the end, he's going to end up with less Quirks than what he started with. These are Quirks and powers that AFO painstakingly chose and prepared for Generations in order to best outfit his eventual vessel with to make him the most powerful man alive once All Might was removed from the picture — and thanks to this miscalculation, all those irreplaceable Quirks are getting destroyed or damaged, permanently weakening AFO for his eventual rematch with Midoriya, rather than empowering him even more like he thought would be the outcome. Izuku's actions in the prior arc have demonstrated how much more powerful he's gotten since AFO unintentionally allowed him to unlock further levels of power within OFA thanks to his attempted theft of it, and now the power gap between them has further decreased, again thanks to his miscalculation.
  • Star also had the thinking to not only do this, but also attempting to prevent herself from decaying, which is noteworthy for how fast she must have used the Quirk twice in quick succession as it was being stolen. She really is a chip off All Might's block.
  • Just as awesome is how Star’s actions reflect the sheer impact All Might has had on heroism and the indelible mark All Might’s example has had on the world. All Might may no longer be the Symbol of Peace, and AFO may have brought hero society to its knees, but his legacy stands proud. Star and Stripe’s actions embody the ideals All Might stood for, and demonstrate that for all the chaos and problems brought by the loss of the Symbol of Peace, heroes across the world continue to fight on behalf of others no matter the cost.
  • The crowner of it all? Every previous defeat All For One has had, he handled with his typical calm and grace, always knowing he had a way out since it was part of the plan. This time? It's not part of the plan. TomurAFO is completely caught off-guard, and flies into a panic, desperately searching for someone to off-load his dangerous new Quirk onto and baying for Star's blood. Star did what no hero, not even All Might himself, ever did — she angered All For One.
    Damn you, specter of All Might!
  • Before, only One For All had a chance of fighting back against All for One. Star’s battle has confirmed that more heroes with Quirks that can fight back against All For One are being born and that no longer will the user of One For All be alone in the fight against All For One’s evil. Indeed, it's a fitting dose of Laser-Guided Karma that All For One, who stands opposed to the manga's themes of legacy and succession through his possession of his own successor to turn him into 'The next me', suffers his first true, unequivocal defeat at the hands of a younger generation hero that All Might once saved, proving that the good he did and the example he showed as the No.1 are capable of inspiring others to take up the cause he wasn't able to finish himself, and one day, the younger generation will overcome All For One, no matter what he plans.
• Chapter 334: All For One's humiliation continues. Despite being able to successfully flee the pilots thanks to him having stolen the Nomu's Wings Quirk before it detonated, he's utterly panicked the whole time, due to the damage New Order's inflicting within him actually starting to deteriorate All For One's Quirk, thus putting his entire plan to preserve his existence through Tomura's body in jeopardy. By the time he finally manages to reach the mainland and find a suitable bystander, All For One plans to first steal his Quirk to bypass the 'destroys other Quirks' rule on New Order, allowing him to preserve it and its immense power for later subjugation, only for Star's vestige to taunt him that he's too late. In the time it took him to find another host, New Order's rampage ended up damaging it as much as it destroyed the other Quirks within All For One, resulting in its own self-destruction from wearing itself out in its valiant attempt to destroy All For one for good. All For One, who is defined by his total control over people and Quirks for generations, is denied the ability to control a single damn thing about New Order, only able to impotently watch as Star's vestige fades away into the ether on its own terms, taunting him that as long as people continue to save each other, the will of a true hero will be passed on, and someday, somebody with that same willpower will put an end to him for good. She even taunts him with her last breath, calling him 'John Doe', as a mockery of how his own attempts to secure his legacy beyond his lifespan are doomed to fail because he's fundamentally incapable of leaving any 'true' legacy for another to inherit from him, leaving him an utter nobody in the end. All For One's last retort about how he's ultimately the winner because he survived their fight whilst she perished comes off as a massive Sore Loser's meek attempt to have the last word in the end, highlighting how he was utterly beaten in this encounter, unable to salvage any of his trademark dignity and grace after Star thoroughly humiliated him.
  • Star's final words even resonate with Tomura, causing a representation of his young 'Tenko Shimura' self to emerge from the gaping void formed in the twisted TomurAFO fusion's chest, speaking Izuku's name. It seems that, just like Izuku got a glimpse of Tenko's real self deep down during All For One's last attempted theft of OFA, he in turn got an understanding of his selfless heroism, and some part of Tomura wants to be saved by him, believing that he can do so above all other heroes.
  • Even beyond that, it's confirmed that New Order's attack undid some of the progress All For One had been making in completing his Split-Personality Takeover of Tomura's psyche, which her team was able to pick up on thanks to them rigorously monitoring everything about his body during the battle, using the advanced equipment in their fighter jets. Their team leader makes sure to pass this along to All Might, letting him know that it will take at least 1 week before Tomura's stabilised again, giving the heroes time to mount an effective counterattack now that All For One is finally on the back foot.
    • The absolutely shredded state of the TomurAFO vestige in the aftermath of New Order's attack implies that not only did she destroy an untold number of his stockpiled Quirks, she might have actually damaged All For One's Quirk itself. This is the same Quirk that he used to cement himself as the undisputed Evil Overlord of the world during the rise of Quirks, the very same Quirk that his plans to create a younger doppelgänger of himself in a stronger body hinge upon, and Star seems to have permanently damaged it. Even if All For One's body still has an undamaged copy of the Quirk inside it, it's hinted to be inferior to the original, and the damage inflicted might have permanently crippled its signature ability to stockpile other Quirks, if not severely hampered its effectiveness in stealing other abilities. To say nothing of the hints that many of the powers that Tomura relied upon to one-sidedly overwhelm the heroes during the war are either outright gone or permanently crippled, including his healing factor. No matter what spin All For One puts on this fight, his utter loss and derailment of his carefully-crafted plans is undeniable.
• Chapter 335:
  • Despite a crushing humiliation at the hands of Star, All For One remains undeterred that he will be victorious, once again highlighting his sheer tactical brilliance. As he explains to an impatient Dabi, he has an intricate network of contingency plans he can follow, most of which are formed years or even decades before he needs them. This is because whenever he encounters an unforeseen variable, he can just divert to a backup plan and still accomplish his goals. This almost makes Star's efforts in the last few chapters seem pointless as All For One gloats that his plans have only been temporarily delayed, not completely defeated.
    • This is also highlighted as he listens to a screaming Tomura, cursing All Might and any that follow his legacy. All For One confirms that the process to turn Tomura into the next 'him' is still underway and he now shares Tomura's boundless hatred of All Might on top of his own.
    • As All For One completes his monologue to Dabi, he comments that while it seems events are not going in his favor, stating he has friends to spare as the last panel shows a silhouetted Toru Hagakure, seemingly confirming her as the U.A. traitor.
  • Star still deserves credit, however, as while All For One maintains his composure, he's still not smiling and flat out admits that his backup plans were strictly emergency contingencies, never intended to be his main one. He had a best route to his endgoal, and Star completely derailed it. He also admits that the original All For One Quirk was indeed damaged, though to what degree is unknown.

U.A Traitor Arc (Chapters 336-342)

• Chapter 336:
  • Horikoshi deserves some major props for The Reveal this chapter. There have been bits and pieces of information sprinkled throughout the story, from the suspicious absence of her vote during the class President voting on the day Tomura broke into UA, her unconfirmed presence during the USJ attack, to her unconscious state in the aftermath of the Hideout raid apparently being the cause of All For One being taken off-guard by Izuku's interference during the fight at Kamino, to her lack of an official description box for her Quirk and powers, much like Toga's own abilities weren't shown whilst she was disguised as 'Camie' during the Provisional Licence exam, that all seemingly point to Hagakure as The Mole within 1A. This is compounded by the last chapter having a Traitor Shot of her as its cliffhanger... only for this one to reveal that she's not the traitor... Aoyama is. Horikoshi used Hagakure as a Red Herring and scattered subtle hints throughout the series all pointing to her that numbers fans picked up on, only to reveal that that was a smokescreen for the true traitor. He even had Aoyama act suspiciously towards Izuku and draw attention to himself, only to seemingly reveal that Aoyama was sympathetic towards Izuku's Power Incontinence and was suffering from a case of No Social Skills, which helped deflect suspicions from him, only for this chapter to reveal that that was actually his suppressed guilt for betraying and endangering his classmates pushing him towards nearly confessing to Izuku. Suffice to say, Horikoshi is a masterful storyteller, to successfully build up the identity of The Mole and still have it be a shocking twist.
  • Bakugo having the sheer balls to unhesitatingly term All For One, The Dreaded, the man who almost killed All Might on his own twice over and still crippled him, the one responsible for the current downfall of society, as 'Ol' Nutsack Face'. Bearing in mind that Bakugo has actually met All For One, and been exposed to the same sense of palpable dread that left Izuku paralysed in fear and hallucinating images of his own impending demise— in fact, during the war Bakugo almost died at All For One's hands by Taking the Bullet for Izuku. The fact that he has no problems taking smack about such a terrifying figure, one that would leave people with PTSD even if they hadn't nearly perished because of him, speaks volumes about his character.
• Chapter 337:
  • Yuga Aoyama presents another What Could Have Been situation for Midoriya. Like him, Aoyama was born Quirkless, but because his parents are of high society, a Quirkless child would've been utter scandal, so they used their connections to find All For One, who gave Yuga a Quirk in exchange for becoming The Mole...or else (as was graphically demonstrated to them). Finding out the truth, that Midoriya had also been Quirkless, drives Aoyama into a despair-filled attack with his Navel Laser... which gets deflected by Hagakure's Light Refraction. And it's Hagakure that delivers one hell of a What the Hell, Hero? to Aoyama. Then Midoriya ends things before they get any worse, using Blackwhip to capture the Aoyamas for questioning, revealing that Hagakure was the one who snitched to Midoriya because she knew that Midoriya was capable of subduing Aoyama and his parents without hurting them, or letting anybody else get hurt in the scuffle.
  • Speaking of Hagakure, Horikoshi puts hundreds of chapters of uncertainty to rest by finally showing everyone a glimpse of Hagakure's face. To perhaps everyone's relief (particularly shippers), Hagakure is revealed to be...just an ordinary girl. Invisible, but otherwise as sweet and ordinary as her voice and manners made her out to be.
  • So Aoyama is forced to face his classmates and the faculty. Justifiably, the rest of the class has their turn railing at him. But it's once again Bakugo who cuts to the chase. He knows the Aoyamas' motivations. But then, as Aoyama once again admits himself as a Villain, Midoriya plays the flip side of the coin. Why did he turn around and help back during the training camp, ultimately resulting in his own rescue? Why did he subtly confess "I know" in cheese back during the Culture Festival? Because he was attempting a Quiet Cry for Help...much like Nagant was subtly doing. And then, he takes a surprising stance. He declares the whole idea of labeling people as villains as a stigma, a path to darkness that was ruining more people than everyone realized. People otherwise capable of redemption were being given the Heel–Face Door-Slam, leaving them Trapped in Villainy. Bakugo then figures out Midoriya's plan: to turn Aoyama back around...and offer him a chance to make things right.
    Midoriya: Aoyama...you can still become a hero!
    • It bares repeating — this is Midoriya's idea, not one of the older heroes or the police's, but Midoriya, the young inheritor of the greatest power to defy All For One, finally taking steps to lead the counterattack against the shadowy manipulator and beat him at his own games. Since this strategy is based around the concept of empathy and forgiveness for past sins, it's practically guaranteed that All For One's extensive planning hasn't predicted such an outcome — in fact, he outright states that he's planned for Aoyama being publicly exposed as the traitor and can still proceed regardless, but the idea that his classmates would be still willing to forgive Aoyama and even work with him to deceive All For One is something he's too arrogant or uncaring about to comprehend.
  • Doubles as Heartwarming: Bakugo's Character Development gets an understated moment. He's just learned that Aoyama helped provide the information that led to the attack on the training camp, the same attack that got him kidnapped, exposed to lethal danger and eventually led to All Might's retirement — something Bakugo developed a massive Guilt Complex over, to the point be needed to vent his issues in a no-holds barred brawl with Izuku to start recovering from. More than anybody in the class, Bakugo would have every right to condemn Aoyama for his duplicity, but instead, he focuses on the Commonality Connection he and Izuku share, noting what a small world it is. Though unstated, he's clearly remembering his own bullying treatment of Izuku prior to him inheriting One For All, and understanding the social stigma that drove Aoyama's parents to seek aid from All For One, demonstrating how much he's matured and become more empathetic since the start of the series.
  • When the authorities are first interrogating Aoyama, Nezu tries to get the class to step outside while the questioning takes place. They flatly and unequivocably refuse to do so. This is their friend and their classmate here, and no rules are going to keep them from understanding how this happened.
    Nezu: May I ask you children to leave the room?
    Todoroki: No. You may not.
  • Dabi gets teeny-tiny one, getting AFO to walk back his Affably Evil vernacular and admit to seeing his "friends" as tools.
• Chapter 338:
  • Tsukauchi is forced to restrain Aoyama just in case AFO managed to find some way to rig Aoyama's Quirk. But upon learning that the Aoyamas can only relay information when AFO demands it, Midoriya and his classmates realize this is the opening they need. If Aoyama can reverse his role, they can trick AFO and gain an advantage. The faculty and the police, however, question whether this is wise, but now Iida speaks for the class by agreeing with Midoriya's sentiment that what Aoyama needs now more than anything is for the class to offer him a second chance. Just then, Aizawa chimes in from his hospital room on a tablet held by Present Mic. By declaring that he has no intention to expel Aoyama, he agrees with the class. And sensing Midoriya needs help right now, noting that he hasn't actually got any details worked out in his head yet, he offers his own plan, to which the Aoyamas (and the reader) are presently left unaware, but which is apparently well-thought out and plausible enough that Nezu and the more-cynical Tsukauchi genuinely consider it as a possibility to start turning the tables on All For One.
  • Agreeing with the plan, the class watches the Aoyamas being taken away and make their preparations. Midoriya and Iida decide to hit the Development Studio for costume adjustments... and Déjà Vu strikes when the door to the studio blows up again. When the smoke clears, Hatsume has once again fallen on top of Midoriya, boobs first... but instead of being funny (which it kinda is), the steely look in Midoriya's eyes shows this time is different. He has hero work to do.
  • The class collectively wearing a Death Glare as they begin preparations to enact Aizawa's plan— even characters with non-threatening character designs like Minata and Koda get in on it, showing how seriously they're treating this, and angry they all are over All For One's exploitation of their classmate. The only exception to this montage is Hagakure, since no one can see her face again. Instead, she's the one who rallies the rest of the class.
• Chapter 339:
  • This chapter gives us something different: how to be Awesome as a Supporting character. Seems with all the work with the U.A. Barrier and all, Power Loader and the Support Course have been pretty busy. But the spotlight is on Hatsume. She is designing and conceptualizing at warp speed, constantly coming up with new ways to help... because that's what Support people are supposed to do. And then, almost backhandedly with her left hand alone, she provides some replacement equipment for Midoriya (a new pair of Air Force Gloves with bracers) and Iida (replacement armor), meaning Class A is now ready to take the fight back to All For One. Bear in mind, Hatsume did all that before her colleagues could properly measure Izuku and Iida to start working on their gear themselves, implying that she's memorised and retained their measurements from the last time they sought her help and whilst also simultaneously working on some new ideas for the evacuation shelters to transport civilians out of the danger zone with her right hand.
  • Class 1a starts prepping for a full-class training simulation, incorporating Midoriya as the centre of their searching/fighting strategy, showing how much he's improved as a hero from when he started, to the point that he's now a lynchpin that the whole class can work around in tandem with his full array of abilities.
  • Meanwhile, Nejire-chan and Suneater are busy helping Fatgum over in the west, helping evacuate people over to Shiketsu, which (as expected) is built up and fortified much like U.A. It goes to show that All For One isn't the only one who can come up with elaborate and multi-layered plans. Toshinori's been busy, too.
• Chapter 340:
  • We finally get some details regarding the heroes' overall scheme to defeat All For One and the League's remnants. Aware that the Hive Mind shared between All For One and Tomura's body — each of which now counts individually as the World's Strongest Man — would render any attempt to fight them together meaningless, as they would simply coordinate their overwhelming might to crush them outright, All Might states that they need to separate them by a distance at least 10 kilometers in order to have a fighting chance against them individually. Not only that, since Dabi's wide range AOE attacks would threaten any coordinated team efforts, he also needs to be isolated as well — all of their opponents need to be separated and dealt with individually if the heroes are to have any chance of winning, selling the threat level of each remaining villain left standing. Whilst they admit it's a simple plan with a lot of flaws in its execution, it also matches with the growing theme of unity that's being brought in the wake of All Might's retirement — the weak but coordinated teamwork needed to replace the overwhelming strength of the outstanding individual. And unbeknownst to the heroes, this plan also digs deep into the League's biggest weakness right now — the same lack of trust and coordination between the remaining members, with Tomura almost literally being replaced by the sociopathic All For One and having no qualms about discarding his allies if it benefits him and Dabi's more selfish motivations and attitude being brought to light making it clear neither one has the same level of trust with their "teammates" that the original League did between themselves that allowed them to prevail against overwhelming odds. In fact, looking back at the Paranormal Liberation War, several of the victories that were scored by the Villains' side were caused by the weaker or less powerful villain members putting themselves on the line to interfere at a crucial moment, like Compress' ambush against Midnight and Kamui Woods putting her in a position to be killed, or Spinner being able to awaken Tomura when he was almost beaten by using his remaining hand to unleash his instinctual hate. In fact, Tomura and Gigantomachia, the two most powerful individuals in said war, technically lost their fights in the end, showing how the story's theme of teamwork and unity is being brought forward as it approaches the climactic fight.
  • Upon verifying that Aoyama isn't rigged to explode like Lady Nagant, Aizawa theories that he only gained access to that particular ability upon breaking free from Tartarus, thus the only method of actual control he has over Aoyama is the 'seed of fear' he planted in him and his parents — one that Aizawa is determined to destroy even by force, spelling out to Aoyama the grim reality that, even if he should help them take All For One down, he'll likely still get thrown out of UA and forever branded by his past mistakes going forward. However, Aizawa refuses to allow Aoyama to submit to this fate out of some misplaced sense of atonement for his sins, pointing out that his friends are still willing to believe in his ability to be a hero, as so is he as his teacher, with a panel of Kurogiri being shown to emphasize that Aizawa not only wants to redeem his student from All For One's corrupting influence, but also his old friend as well, and he's not giving up on either of them.
    Aizawa: That said...I won't allow you to slink off haunted by those sins and die a pathetic quiet death. Not as long as I'm a hero course teacher and you're my student. Because none of the lessons I teach my students are about living a life burdened by guilt. As ashamed and despicable as you feel, you will walk alongside the friends who still reach out to you.
  • And the kicker to this is the final panel of the chapter, showing Shinso, now garbed in more advanced hero gear than his last showing, being called away by his classmates, Aizawa's words making it clear that he aims to have his protégé get his turn to shine as a hero alongside Aoyama.
• Chapter 341:
  • One the villains' side, both Dabi and All For One get their moments here, proving All For One's statement about their similarities true as they each work on patching the very same cracks in their unity that the heroes are targeting by convincing their more sympathetic remaining allies to join them in this final battle out of loyalty to their friends, both deceased and in suffering, in essence using a twisted version of The Power of Friendship against the heroes, despite both of them clearly being incapable of such emotional bonds themselves.
  • Dabi immolates Toga's old house to forcibly give her some closure on her past, cynically pointing to that the world doesn't care for their suffering or happiness regardless, so they should just do whatever makes them feel happy regardless of the cost, and revealing his ultimate Trump card against the heroes: A vial of Twice's blood that he took from his corpse before Machia absconded with them, pointing out that if Toga uses it, she can enact the Sad Man's Parade regardless with her Power Copying abilities. Even worse, Twice showed that blood can be safely replicated and used from Clone Donors back during the MLA arc, meaning that if Toga duplicates him once, she'll be able to create an endless supply of Twice's blood to maintain her transformation as long as she needs to, rather than it being a one-time thing. Hawks sacrificed everything to stop that exact outcome — his morality and his public image in striking down a broken man like Jin In the Back — and Dabi not only used that to throw mud on the very image of heroes along with his own origins, he was fine with risking such an invaluable ability like that by setting up Twice in a position where Hawks would be forced to kill him to stop him because he'd already planned ahead on how to pull it off without Twice, showing how smart Toya is that he could out-play even a talented double-agent like Hawks so thoroughly that every choice he made that day would be All for Nothing in the end.
  • All For One and Skeptic converse with Spinner, pointing out that, despite his weak showing on a combat front compared to the rest of the league, he's actually become a Hope Bringer to the Heteromorph-type Quirk users of the world with his public showing against heroes, with flashbacks to Izuku's battling against the random villains showing that many of them were copying his costume, and thus, even with Tomura currently disabled and in agony whilst he's recovering from his damage against Star and Stripe, and without Re-Destro, the remnants of both organizations can still achieve their revolution by relying on Spinner to lead the masses, and 'pull the trigger' for them all. For somebody who's often overlooked compared to his more outstanding allies, it shows that Spinner genuinely does have talents that others recognize, even if he's only going along with it to achieve Tomura's dreams in his stead.
    All For One: Know this Iguchi. Everyone can be somebody's hero!
  • Speaking of Tomura, though the imagery is not pleasant in the slightest, Spinner sees him apparently pushing his hyper regeneration past its limitations to forcibly regrow his missing fingers on his left hand. The only reason Tomura wasn't able to enact his wide-range AOE attacks during the war more often was that his right hand alone was the only way he could use the move, so by forcibly regrowing his digits, Tomura is showcasing his determination to use his Quirk's full destructive potential in his rematch with Izuku.
• Chapter 342:
  • All For One again gets to show his Crazy-Prepared nature, as it turns out he managed to smuggle several pawns of his inside the UA evacuees, sending them orders to unsettle the civilians there and 'fan the flames' until Izuku is again forced outside UA and into the next stage of his trap, demonstrating how thoroughly he's spun his web to outmaneuver Izuku regardless of what choice he makes. However, as part of UA's unspoken counterplan Izuku and the rest of the UA student voluntarily leave to move to a makeshift fortress outside of UA in preparation for their counterstrike. Whilst All For One's Mole gloats that they've only made his plans easier to achieve, the Students, All Might and all their remaining allies are working hard to blindside the mastermind with their own plans, both sides working to deceive the other and catch them off-guard in their final, decisive strike — which goes into motion by the chapter's end. The final battle has begun.
  • Both Izuku and Uraraka have a heart-to-heart over their Sympathy for the Devil towards Tomura and Toga. While they both acknowledge that their archenemies have committed crimes too unforgivable to ignore, they won't let that blind them to the pain the latter two have gone through, nor the ongoing suffering of those like them. From everything they've experienced during the War, both children know now that the problem is not just the villains facing off against them, but the societal issues that caused the villains' suffering in the first place, and they are determined to do something about it.

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