Following the completion of their final exams, Aizawa announces to the class that they will all be going to summer camp, even the ones that failed. Some members of the class decide to go shopping at a mall to have fun and buy supplies for the trip. Left on his own, however, Midoriya is cornered by Shigaraki, and the following exchange inspires Shigaraki's villainy.
Tropes:
- Alone with the Psycho: Played with since Izuku wasn't entirely alone, but the passerby are still too caught up in their own business to pay attention to his situation, and Shigaraki likely would have followed through with his threat to kill them if Izuku had called for help.
- Breather Episode: Played with. On one hand, this episode is a breather between arcs, mostly focusing on the class preparing for camp next season; on the other hand, it's also a development episode for Shigaraki, who approaches Izuku for a conversation, but the scene is very tense and uncomfortable, while setting the stage for the tonal shift of the arcs to come.
- Character Development: The whole point of this episode was to give Tomura a motivation to kill All Might. In the end, his answer is to destroy the peace that was created by the Pro Hero.
- Evil Counterpart: If earlier moments didn't get this point across already, this episode makes it quite obvious that Tomura is being set up as this to Midoriya.
- Harmful to Minors: Shigaraki, an obviously creepy-looking adult wearing a hood, manages to take a 15 year old Izuku hostage in the middle of a crowded shopping mall and no one notices. Lucky that he only wanted to talk this time...
- I Lied: Aizawa once more declares this when he says that those who fail won't attend camp. However, he decides to give them all a break. That said, those who fail will need to do extra school work while at camp.
- Knight of Cerebus: This episode sets Tomura Shigaraki up as one, as it not only begins to frame him much more seriously as an antagonist than before, but it also heralds his eventual Character Development, as well as a marked shift in tone for the following arcs.
- No Name Given: Inspired by the Hero Killer Stain, two new people are among the handful who want to join the League of Villains: A crazed Yandere-like girl named Himiko Toga and an overly scarred boy who only goes by "Dabi". When Shigaraki asks for the latter's real name, he refuses; he promises to reveal it later.
- Oh, Crap!: Izuku, when he realizes the identity of the hoodie-clad man who's approached him at the shopping mall and now has his hand on his neck...
- The Reveal: This is the first time we see Tomura's face completely unobscured. Viewers will probably be eager to see it covered up again.
- Season Finale: Of season 2. It's basically a cooldown episode following the Final Exams while setting up the next arc for season 3, which is the School Trip.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: When Shigaraki asks Izuku what sets him apart from Stain, Izuku points out that Stain at least has the conviction and reasoning to follow through with his beliefs and how he is inspired by All Might to do so. Unfortunately, his response manages to inspire within Shigaraki the conviction to topple hero society and a renewed desire to kill All Might.
