Tropes:
- Anti-Climactic Unmasking: U.A's Thirteen, a teacher who introduced the USJ training facility to the students back in Season 1, is seen without the helmet for the first time in the series when greeting a waking Midoriya. There is no impact from it in terms of story, but it can be a surprising reveal to the audience that she's confirmed to be a human female.
- Bittersweet Ending: Class 1-A finally convinces Midoriya to return to U.A. with them. The teacher Thirteen informs him that the situation throughout the country is slowly calming down for the moment thanks to his efforts, especially with many vigilantes giving up and seeking shelter while additional Heroes are dealing with any potential rioters and Villain escapees. Unfortunately, they all learn that many of the refugees in their own school have started protesting against Midoriya coming back after hearing the news, but Uraraka promises he won't have to face this alone.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Neither side is wrong about the other.
- On Deku’s side, he’d wished that his classmates did not follow him because AFO is in pursuit of him and refused to allow anyone else in harm’s way.
- On the rest of Class 1-A’s side, All For One might target U.A. anyway in order to lure Midoriya into a trap, all the while genuinely concerned for his welfare. If All For One does decide to attack, at least they will be there to protect the school and everyone inside.
- Continuity Nod:
- Most of Class 1-A reminds Midoriya about what he did for or said to them throughout their first year. Whether it was during the USJ or training camp incidents, or the U.A. Sports or Cultural Festivals, he had been a great help or inspiration for them all.
- Even before they met in U.A, Kirishima recalls a story about "a young boy" rushing in to help someone, implying that Midoriya's attempt to save Bakugo while Quirkless had inspired him just like Ashido did when she saves two students from Gigantomachia.
- All For One's corruption of All Might's "It's Your Turn" keeps replaying in Midoriya's head since last episode.
- Most of Class 1-A reminds Midoriya about what he did for or said to them throughout their first year. Whether it was during the USJ or training camp incidents, or the U.A. Sports or Cultural Festivals, he had been a great help or inspiration for them all.
- Chekhov's Gun: During the Cultural Festival in Season 4, Principal Nezu had made extra security measures to further protect U.A. Since last episode, he announces that he will finally make use of it.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Each of Class 1-A has their own individual Quirks, but Midoriya has six in one package, and the latter improving and utilizing five of them since he left U.A. means that none of them can actually beat him. Instead, they have to work together and capture him, which is a herculean task in itself, while reminding him of all the good he did for them in hopes of calming him down.
- David Versus Goliath: Class 1-A, the "Davids", are trying to stop the "Goliath" known as Deku from escaping. Midoriya's holding back, unable to use half of One for All's maximum output and is more interested in fleeing rather than fighting, and his classmates' combined efforts just barely slow him down.
- Fighting Your Friend: Less of a fight and more of a chase.
- Heroic RRoD: By the end, Midoriya's body finally collapses after weeks of endless moving around and fighting. Shoji ends up carrying him all the way back to school before he can get back on his feet.
- Ironic Echo: The strategy Midoriya used to help rescue Bakugo in Season 3 is used here to finally catch Midoriya.
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Midoriya once more tells everyone that he left U.A. because All For One and Shigaraki are a threat to him and he risks the lives of everyone around him if he ever returned. While the crowd back at the school shares the same sentiment later, the students deconstruct this during their "fight" because the Villains still pose a threat even if he's not there. As such, they feel they should help him fight them no matter where, or when, either one might attack.
- Jerkass Ball: Midoriya, stubbornly refusing to accept help, tells his classmates that they can't keep up with his One For All or the Villain All For One. He finds out how wrong he was when they worked together to stop his escape.
- Jerkass Realization: While he didn't see it at first, Midoriya soon calms down enough to witness everyone's resolve and how much they went through to stop him so they can bring him home. He then realizes that he had made a serious mistake: by telling them all they "can't keep up" with him earlier, he not only underestimated them, but also insulted them after all of the trials they have been through together since the school year started.
- Loophole Abuse: Two of One For All's Quirks are used against Midoriya during his escape attempt.
- Sero manages to catch his Blackwhip because it is physical energy, so it can be grabbed in some way. He helped Midoriya shoot it out more efficiently before the evacuation and raid missions.
- Danger Sense only triggers if Midoriya is in mortal danger, at risk of getting hurt or killed by someone. His friends trying to catch him obviously have zero intent to harm, even with their strongest attacks, so he is not able to anticipate any of their moves. This can also be seen as a Logical Weakness.
- Manly Tears: Ida sheds a couple while he recalls the below Meaningful Echo, and a moved Midoriya is quick to follow suite. Naturally.
- Mask of Sanity: The classmates can already tell that Midoriya is not looking good. Upon losing his mask again, he is seen as the teenager he is, utterly scared of the responsibilities he holds as well as the fear of losing everything and everyone that ever matters to him because of it.
- Meaningful Echo: Midoriya once told Ida, while saving him from Hero Killer Stain that, according to All Might, "meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero". Whereas Ida wanted to deal with Stain alone and willing to die for his mistake of revenge, Ida reminds Midoriya of these words when he and his friends finally catch him, even though Midoriya insists on dealing with AFO and Shigaraki by himself.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: To say that U.A. had undergone some renovations would be a serious understatement. By the time Midoriya finally comes back, his school grounds have transformed into a giant fortress thanks to its barrier system, as a means of keeping the Villains out and the students, families and any refugees in. Hagakure and Sero tease that the barrier is just the start.
- Obviously Not Fine: No one is buying Deku's stubborn insistence that he's "fine". Seeing the look on his face seals it.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: While he's not always explosively angry and liable to snap at anyone, Bakugo has been like this for so long, it's what his friends (and by extension the audience) have known him best for. So it comes as no surprise that his apology to Midoriya requires him to be calm and rational, more so than usual, to get his point across.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Yaoyorozu puts it nicely that reuniting with Midoriya was the "easy" part, but actually bringing him back to U.A. will be even more difficult. Endeavor and Nezu previously talked about the concerns for the school's refugees as the rumors of Villains seeking out Midoriya specifically will soon reach them. When the students come back to U.A, they see the citizens demanding not to let Midoriya in.
- Wham Line: Once Midoriya's classmates finally get him to settle down, Bakugo confesses the reasons why he has been obsessed with trying to be the best and what led him to constantly bully his classmate. It all culminates in two things even Midoriya didn't expect, despite their rivalry improving: being called by his actual name, Izuku, and a sincere apology.
- Worf Had the Flu: Ignoring food and sleep, Midoriya has been running on fumes by the time Class 1-A found him. If he had found the time for either, he would have had a bit of energy to leave them in the dust. Even so, the class still had a struggle in their hands just to keep up thanks to One For All. And that's not including the fact that Midoriya was deliberately holding back so he doesn't hurt anyone by accident.
- You Are Not Alone: The big thing Class 1-A is trying to get through to Deku. With Bakugo's above Wham Line, they succeed. He adds that there are times when Midoriya's ideals or even OFA won't be enough, which is why they have to work together to bring hope to everyone.
- You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: Since childhood, Bakugo had started using the nickname "Deku" on Izuku Midoriya in resentment, and that hasn't changed even after they evolved into proper rivals in U.A. So, it is very telling that Bakugo has finally called him by his real name for the first time in years, in order to emphasize just how serious and genuine his apology really is, and even Midoriya himself didn't see this coming.
Saying this out loud doesn't change a thing, but it's how I feel... Izuku... I'm sorry for everything.
~Katsuki Bakugo
