Written by: Gabriel Castillo | Published on: May 31, 2021
The final match kicks off with instant excitement, intense development, and massive shounen energy!
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Summary
The final matchup of the training battle starts with a duel that leads to an uncontrollable force bursting from Izuku Midoriya. The young hero’s friends come to help and he meets the spirit of his quirk’s predecessor! There's no time to rest as the fight continues.
Something Spooky
To start things off for the final match, the notorious villain All for One — currently locked up — seems to be reacting to something or someone. Apparently, he feels the presence of his younger brother! This practically foreshadows that something big is about to go down. Meanwhile, All Might receives a call from Gran Torino about the vestiges of One for All. They discuss Nana Shimura’s past experience and a very important message from the vestiges: “it is not time yet”. Now that quirk is with someone else, is it that time already? Time for what? Definitely a spooky series of events.
Something Triggers
The final match of the joint training battle commences! Immediately, Izuku Midoriya rushes forward to grab the opponent’s attention but his plan goes sideways as Class 1-B prepares for this exact situation and catches Class 1-A off guard! The haughty Neito Monoma barrages Deku with a verbal and physical assault while the rest of his team attacks Ochaco Uraraka and the rest. However, the entire fight goes awry as black lightning-like cords gush from Deku’s arm and the young hero cannot control them and the pain is evident on his face! The battlefield suddenly fills up with destructive energy!
Something Sweet and Shounen
The big bad opening the episode, the strange experience of the quirk’s predecessor coming to light, and an uncontrollable explosive power that lashes out signals an omega shounen moment about to happen. And it is a glorious moment. As Deku’s quirk rampages like an angry sea urchin on steroids, Uraraka braves the mess and embraces the distraught hero — what a sweet moment. Hitoshi Shinso rolls up as Uraraka calls for his help and he says the most typical shounen statement so that Deku responds.
The brainwashing works and Deku ends up meeting the spirit of his quirk’s predecessor and owner of Black Whip (the uncontrollable power shooting out of Deku’s arm). The two have a meaningful, heartwarming, and exciting talk about what’s to come from One for All. This whole sequence is wonderfully shounen-esque and incredibly enjoyable. Unsurprisingly, as soon as Deku snaps back to reality, the training battle continues and an all-out brawl between Class 1-A and Class 1-B ensues!
VERDICT
Author's Rating: 9.2/10
This episode was incredibly fun and it hyped up the future so well! The little bit with All for One at the start did an excellent job of setting up the excitement for the rest of the episode. The whole sequence with Deku’s quirk going wild was an excellent display of shounen elements; Uraraka and Shinso’s joint effort was especially lovely! One for All’s predecessor’s words absolutely hits the heart though; it was a much-needed reminder for Deku, and everyone struggling right now, that you are not alone. The characters and their struggles shined in this episode! Next up, a student brawl!
Now that the powerful emotional stuff is done, the fight is about to start! How will Deku work with his quirk now? Can he still even control it? Will All Might, Vlad, and Aizawa sensei need to step in? Now that there’s no hiding around, how will the students battle each other face-to-face? Find out in the next episode!
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My Hero Academia Season 5 is available for streaming on iQIYI with new episodes every Saturday 17:30 (GMT + 8)
