Heartwarming / My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia is a story about superheroes. Of course there's going to be moments that inspire and bring a smile to the reader's face.

Spoilers Off applies to all "Moments" pages, so spoilers are unmarked.

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Entrance Exam, Quirk Apprehension, & Battle Trial Arcs

• Midoriya's hearing the words he wanted to hear ever since he was a child, after learning he had no powers and no chance of becoming a hero, and from his childhood hero too!
  All Might: Young man... You too can become a Hero!
  • The scene is even more heartwarming in the anime, where it has a beautiful musical theme specifically for that scene, "You Can Become a Hero" and is complimented by amazing looks and animation.
  • The moment is even better because of All Might earlier telling him he couldn't become a hero. If All Might had just told him from the start that he could be a hero, that would be nice, but it could have been an empty platitude. This scene is so genuine because All Might is specifically telling him "I'm sorry, you proved me wrong."
  • Midoriya's narration at the end of the episode, especially after everyone kept telling him he'd never become a hero:
    Midoriya: Dreams can become reality. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that this is the story of how I became the world's greatest hero.
  • Midoriya's crying at All Might's new declaration is this mixed with Tear Jerker. We know he's over the moon and that this is the greatest moment of his life so far, but he looks like his heart is going to rip in half as he shriek-sobs, completely overwhelmed with emotion.
  • Also while funny, All Might giving Midoriya an autograph without having to ask is rather sweet of him. Shows how much of the Big Good he really is in this world.
• In the first episode, Midoriya comes across Bakugo, who had earlier suggested that he needed to kill himself, being consumed by an oily villain. A lesser hero would call this karma, especially after the day Midoriya has had, but Midoriya, still powerless at this point and without knowing exactly why himself, jumps in to save his classmate. Even though a full year before he would go on to become a professional hero, powerless and terrified, Izuku's heart already blazes with the inspirational flame of courage and kindness that dwarfs the mightiest Heroes'.
  Bakugo: Why the Hell are you doing this, I didn't ask you to save me!
  Izuku: I don't know! My body moved before I could even think why! You looked.. so scared... I can't just let you die!!
• At one moment little Midoriya says that he wants a Quirk "just like [All Might]'s!".^noteIn Russian translation of Episode 1. He got his wish after all.
• All Might tells Midoriya that of all the heroes he knows, he is the only one worthy of inheriting his power.
• All Might's method of training Midoriya into someone who can handle the power of One for All is to have him clean trash off a beach. He explains that this is because his idea of a hero is someone who doesn't just fight villains and rescue people, but who also helps out their community.
• Uraraka's Establishing Character Moment: she saw a kid tripping and she ran to use her (Zero Gravity) Quirk on him because she didn't want to see him fall, and then she wished him good luck in his exam. And Deku is immediately flustered upon looking at her.
• Izuku is at zero points and struggling to find a robot he can destroy (as the others keep getting attacked by somebody else before he can and he doesn't know how to use One For All) when the Zero-Pointer appears. He begins to crawl away in fear - until he hears Uraraka whimpering and asking for help after getting trapped by rubble. Cue Let's Get Dangerous! moment as You Say Run kicks in and Izuku runs towards the humongous robot, unleashing his first Smash and annihilating it in one punch.
• Uraraka asking Present Mic if she can give Midoriya some of her points, because she wants to repay him for saving her.
  • Present Mic assuring Uraraka that she doesn't need to give Midoriya any of her points. He even calls her "little listener" and pats her on the head!
  • Relatedly, All Might showing Midoriya Uraraka's request. He could've easily given Midoriya the news without showing him what she did, but he still wanted Midoriya to know that his actions were appreciated.
• Given that the entrance exam is all about beating up on monsters, it can give the appearance that U.A. only cares about combat ability. The result of these rules turns out like some special event in an MMORPG; bickering, resource hogging and taunts included. The existence of Rescue Points shows that U.A. does indeed care about more than that. With a single action, Midoriya went from zero to sixty. As All Might says, why would a school for heroes turn away someone who selflessly acts for the wellbeing of others? With the Rescue Point rule, nice guys do not finish last.
• Aizawa's surprise physical exam was likely made for the sole purpose of eliminating Midoriya from the Hero Course after seeing his entrance test results. When he gets into Midoriya's head at the ball throwing test he sees two options before the boy, give up or go all out and make himself a liability. Midoriya surprising Aizawa by Taking a Third Option and showing his own potential puts a smile on Aizawa's face that can only be described as "this little shit is awesome."
• Midoriya's superhero costume: It features a jumpsuit that his mother had bought for him, as an apology for having given up on his being a hero when he was a child, and a headpiece that is a blatant homage to All Might (complete with two 'antenna' and a faceplate with what looks like a wide grin). When All Might notices this, he has difficulty hiding how excited he is.
  • When you look at that costume's design on his notebook (which is the first thing to appears in the first ending), next to the drawing there's an annotation reading "Something cool like All Might!", showing how deep his admiration runs.
• After Deku's win against Bakugo, he's come face to face with becoming the popular kid in class as everyone is praising him for his good job. Given how badly he was treated in his last school, it's kinda nice to see him becoming the popular kid.
• Midoriya is elected the class rep but shortly afterwards decides to give the position to Iida since he seems more capable and managed to calm the whole school when they were panicking. Everyone in class seem fine with this decision.

USJ Arc

• Kirishima says he wishes that he had a more flashy Quirk to help him get noticed better, since his doesn't seem all that impressive, but Midoriya assures him that his Quirk is awesome and he's sure to become a pro with it.
• Tenya's goal is to be as great a hero as his older brother. To honor his family, but also be his own man.
• Despite being her opponent in the training exercise, despite getting really into his role as a villain, and despite only knowing each other for a few days, Iida doesn't hesitate to comfort Uraraka as she tries to keep from throwing up after using her powers too much.
• Tenya is told by everyone to escape to U.A. to get help and everyone tells him he is not a coward for doing this. No. 13 taking the time to remind Tenya about using his Quirk to help in any way he can, even if it is running away, despite being in combat with a teleport villain, and the ensuing efforts from the other students to help Tenya escape from said villain is great.
• It's a small one, but Chapter 19 had Midoriya stop himself midsentence to honor Tsuyu's request to be referred to by her given name.
  • When he, Tsuyu, and Mineta launch their plan to beat back the villains, he does so on his first try:
  Midoriya: Tsu, Mineta, now!
• While it doubles with Nightmare Fuel, there's Aizawa getting beat up while saving his students. Especially since he'd been such a mean teacher until now. In particular, when Shigaraki reaches out to disintegrate Tsuyu... he finds that he can't. He looks back at Aizawa to see that, despite being beaten senseless, having his elbow destroyed, both arms broken, and his face smashed into the concrete until it's a bloody mess, Aizawa has lifted up his head to use Erasure on him and keep him from hurting Tsuyu. A Father to His Men indeed.
• Tsuyu is faced with Tomura, a manic villain with the power of disintegration by touch. To her right, Midoriya is about to be killed by Nomu, a hulking brute. She could escape from both, in fact she could do it pretty easily with her Quirk. She doesn't. She makes a last ditch effort to save Midoriya, an exemplary display of heroism from her.
• Seeing how angry All-Might was when he went to fight Black Mist and his allies, you can tell he cares deeply for his students. Especially as he spent most of the day saving lives all over, he took the time to take on a group of villains if it meant keeping his pupils safe. He even tells Midoriya that he saved him once again when he was about to go out like a light.
  • Every single student who sees him immediately brightens and smiles. You can tell they believe him wholeheartedly when he says his iconic phrase:
    Have no fear, students. I am here.

Sports Festival Arc

• Uraraka revealing that her motivation to be a hero is for her family's sake, which gets a HUGE bit of encouragement from Iida going 'BRAVO!' in a very bombastic way. She's embarrassed by it, but she looks touched by his kindness. Plus, both Iida and Midoriya realize how helpful her powers could've been for her parents, which she enthusiastically agreed with.
  • Extra points because her motivation is initially revealed as just becoming a hero for money, a typical shallow motive that you see all the time in fiction. Then Uraraka explains that she doesn't want the money for herself, she wants to help support her family after they insisted that she not use her gravity-based powers as part of their construction company, immediately changing it from greedy to caring.
    • It gets better. When it is first said she got into the hero path for money, she says she knows it's a selfish and shallow reason... but Iida instantly counters with "What's wrong with wanting to support yourself" and Deku agrees.
• Chapter 27: There's heartwarming with every person that joins Midoriya's team for the cavalry battle:
  • Despite the huge target placed on Midoriya's head after getting the highest bounty, Uraraka, who wanted to win the competition for her family, was still willing to be his partner. Their friendship was more important than any other factor.
  • Midoriya's overwhelmed by Mei Hatsume's energy at first but once he sees that she based her jetback's design on a pro hero, they click so much that Uraraka is flabbergasted.
  • We don't see Tokoyami accept but it's implied that he said "sure" when Midoriya tapped him on the shoulder; no declaration of war here.
    • The anime has his response being, "Very well, use me. I leave it to you, Midoriya". Because he was intrigued by Midoriya's plan on how to use Tokoyami's Quirk, despite only seeing it a few times to that point.
    • He's also rather humble about it, but Tokoyami is quick to assure Midoriya that he doesn't need to apologize for falling short during the cavalry battle — they didn't get their bounty of points back, but Midoriya gave Dark Shadow the opportunity to snatch enough points for the whole team to make the top four!
• In Chapter 34, after Shinso's flashback over everyone saying he'd make a good villain, the audience and his classmates congratulate him on his match and tell him he'd make a fantastic hero. There's a panel where his eye is hidden by a speech bubble, but looking at the rest of his face you can tell he's on the verge of crying from joy.
  • What makes this better, is that most of the heroes look pretty evil themselves! They might know how it feels to have a Quirk that's considered 'evil', but became heroes anyway!
  • Several pro-heroes say his Quirk would be useful in their line of work and express sympathy for his situation.
  • The cherry on top is that the first hero who outright stated interest in having Shinso as a sidekick looked like a dragon-human hybrid with wings, so his Quirk is likely a heavy combat focused one. That such a guy would honestly appreciate a more passive Quirk like Shinso's enough to want to help mold him as a hero in the future is very touching.
  • Finally, one of the heroes who praises Shinso's performance is Ms. Joke, a hero who appears again later in the manga about 70 chapters later. Her Quirk, like Shinso's, is completely ineffective against robots like the ones fought in the practical exam, meaning she probably wasn't in the Hero class either, and yet, she's a pro hero. There's hope for Shinso yet.
• After Todoroki and Sero's Curb-Stomp Battle (in Todoroki's favor), the audience unanimously encourage Sero not to feel bad about losing. Though this ends up getting under his skin, it was a nice gesture.
  • Let's not forget Todoroki thawing Sero out while apologizing for going overboard.
• In Chapter 37, Uraraka's father's words of encouragement to his daughter who is depressed after her loss.
  • Ironically, Bakugo unintentionally does the same when the crowd is hounding him for fighting a "delicate" girl:
    Bakugo: "Delicate" my ass.
  • Aizawa scolding the crowd when they start booing Bakugo for "picking on" Uraraka, pointing out that Bakugo is actually showing Uraraka respect by taking her seriously and that if they can't tell the difference, they should go home and change jobs. He may be hard on them but do not insult Aizawa's students.
  • Present Mic lets it be known right from the beginning that Uraraka is the person he's rooting for. Looks like her plea to him during the UA admissions test left a big impression on him.
• Chapter 39 combines this with a moment of awesome for Midoriya. He calls Todoroki out for making excuses to not use his fire powers, and at the end of Todoroki's flashback we see that he was a fan of All Might as a boy, too. This is right before he finally lets his left side ignite for probably the first time since his mom got institutionalized. All Might and Todoroki even note how strange it is to have someone helping their opponent during a match.
  • In the same chapter, we see a flashback to young Todoroki watching an interview with All Might when the latter says that all that matters is who you are, not where you come from, that truly matters. It really drives home just how important All Might is, and it's heartwarming to think that there might be many kids out there whom All Might helped just by talking on live TV.
• Chapter 40: While it was expected of Uraraka and Tenya to visit Midoriya in the infirmary after losing to Todoroki, Tsuyu and Mineta join them too. It shows that a friendship sparked between them during the Villains Invasion Arc.
  • From the same chapter, All Might doesn't praise Deku for trying so hard to the point of injuring himself severely, but he does praise him for putting Todoroki's psychological well-being over his own success. All Might claims that is what a real Hero does.
  • Next chapter turns it up even further. When Midoriya is questioning if someone else should have been chosen for One for All, All Might reassures him by telling him about how he also was born Quirkless, and how Midoriya is the best candidate for the ability because he exceeds all of All Might's expectations.
• Chapter 44 has several good moments:
  • All Might is there to deliver medals to the winners of the tournament, and in doing so gives words of encouragement to the top 3 and says how any of the students have the potential to go even further.
    • Adding to it is that he gives Todoroki an encouraging hug and pat on the back when he was told that Todoroki wants to be like him but he isn't sure. He's basically giving him the same encouragement he always gives Midoriya to someone else. Even gives Tokoyami a hug, much to the bird-headed teen's confusion-discomfort.
  • Uraraka arrives home to see her parents came to visit her and congratulate her on how well she did.
  • Todoroki decides it's finally time to go see his mom for the first time in years to talk to her about how they've both been.

Vs. Hero Killer Arc

• After the first two hero names were so... weird, the other kids were nervous before Tsuyu brings up her hero name; Froppy. A name she came up with as a child. Everyone instantly falls in love with it and start cheering for her (And even thank her for bringing everything back to normal).
  • Kirishima's chosen hero name, Red Riot, done as an in universe Shout-Out to his favorite hero Crimson Riot. Midnight can only smile softly at this before warning him of the pressure of living up to such a name. Kirishima understands and says he is ready for it.
  • Adding to it is Uraraka's huge grin when she sees Midoriya choosing Deku as his hero name, as she suggested it so long ago. Midoriya even (indirectly) thanks her for giving the name he once disliked such a huge turn.
    • More to this is everyone's surprise at having chosen this as his hero name, because they know it is a name that has brought him grief in the past, their concern for their classmate and friend is touching.
• Chapter 53 reveals how much Midoriya has helped Todoroki. He was able to overcome his issues enough to not only visit his mother, who was back to her loving and supportive self, but signed up with his father's hero agency for the work experience. Not because he's ready to forgive Endeavor, but because Todoroki has grown comfortable enough with himself to acknowledge that, as big a scumbag as he is, Endeavor is still No. 2 hero after All Might, and thus there is a lot that he can learn there.
  • Todoroki then pays it forward to Iida, inwardly sympathizing with the sort of tunnel-vision that hatred can cause. Outwardly, he snaps at Iida for refusing to accept his friends' help, and tells Iida that if he wants to stop them from helping him, he should stand up himself and be the hero he wants to be. The narration and Iida's inner thoughts imply that this is something of a Heel Realization moment for him, as he realizes that his Revenge Before Reason antics haven't been properly honoring his brother's example.
  • Then there's Todoroki immediately responding to Midoriya's call for help: all he knows is his location and that, since he didn't give any details, he's probably in trouble. He simply tells his father "my friend needs help," tells him to send reinforcements, and rushes to his classmate's aid.
• While the police chief explains that the official capture of Stain has to go to Endeavor (as crediting Iida, Midoriya, and Todoroki would require also reprimanding them for a serious breach of hero ethics that might make it difficult for them to become heroes in the future) he does extend his personal thanks for what they've done with a deep bow.
  • While Todoroki gets angry when it seems like the police chief is going to get them in trouble for fighting Stain, he notably only defends the actions of Iida and Midoriya as heroically stepping in in a desperate situation, even though his own actions could fit under the same defense. He only really cares about his friends' reputations being besmirched, not his own.
• As Midoriya's week with Gran Torino is up, he asks Midoriya his hero name to remember, reflecting that Deku is likely going to be a great hero in the future.
• During the arc we see that Bakugo has interned at the agency of the No. 4 Hero Best Jeanist. Who, aside from Eraser Head, probably understands the boy better than anyone else. Jeanist acknowledges Bakugo's potential from the beginning, noting it's his attitude that holds him back. Best Jeanist spends the week with Bakugo making sure he can live up to his potential and working on his greatest weakness with a patience that can only be described as Saintly.
  • What's more, he considers helping the next generation to be his greatest duty as a hero. Makes you wonder what kind of teacher he could have been.
• Jiro cracks a smile when two hostages she helps evacuate tearfully thank her and call her a hero.
• Episode 32 is an anime only arc focusing on some of the other student's internships. The main focus being Tsuyu a.k.a Froppy and her work with pro heroes Selkie (who has the powers of a spotted seal) and Sirius (who's hearing is incredible). After a particularly dangerous incident with a villain named Innsmouth the local maritime police apologize for putting a student through such a difficult time only to be admonished by the pro hero team for seemingly looking down on her. Tsuyu worked hard and is accepted by those around her as someone to watch for, which is beautiful when you remember her history.

End of Terms Exam Arc

• In Chapter 60, after swiftly losing to Tokoyami in the sports festival and spending more time as a Ms. Fanservice than a crimefighter during the work experience week (due to being chosen by the heroine more for her looks than her abilities), Momo is obviously feeling very down on herself as an aspiring heroine. As a result, seeing her face light up when her fellow classmates turn to her for help with studying for the finals (since she has the highest grades in the class) is just precious.
  • Adding to it is in the Anime's portray of the scene, while she shows how makes comments on how rich she is compared to the others, she isn't meaning anything by it... plus the others admit that she's too adorable to get angry at about it.
• In Chapter 63 is Todoroki and Momo vs Aizawa.
  • Aizawa actually pausing in his villain act to give Todoroki a mini-lecture about how inconsiderate Todoroki had been to Momo up to that point. He neglected to follow Momo's lead when she already had a strategy in mind, and Todoroki pulls back for a moment to let her enact this plan.
  • Todoroki telling Momo that he was the other person who voted for her to be class president, because he believed in her. This is part of what helps her start to get her confidence back. She's almost in tears and blushing very warmly after hearing that from him.
  • In the next chapter, Momo nearly loses because of a mistake (she instinctively reaches for a catapult lever without looking but misses it) and expects to be reprimanded for her slip. Eraserhead told her that he was the one that screwed up and that she earned her victory. The thing is, Momo did slip at one point and it was pure luck that she managed to pull it off anyways. Aizawa decided to let her have her victory without criticism so that she could get her confidence back again.
• Koda and Jiro vs Present Mic.
  • Jiro's encouragement helps Koda manage his fear of bugs long enough to swarm Present Mic. It is the sight of her ears bleeding that galvanizes him to act.
  • As the pair cross the Escape Gate, Koda is carrying Jiro bridal style which looks sweet.

Forest Training Arc

• Chapter 73 has Midoriya asking Todoroki if he knows a way to get through to Kota to help him with his anger, while Todoroki tells him that while he does need to try empathizing with Kota first, Midoriya is the kind of person to help others without even meaning to with his actions.
• Midoriya's triumph against the villain Muscular. Along with being a Crowning Moment of Awesome, it's a happy tearjerker. Against all odds, Midoriya is able to find the resolve to protect Kota, at the cost of permanent physical damage and scarring to his arms. It's truly the moment that Midoriya becomes a hero to someone. To top it off, the episode of the anime ends with Kota tearfully proclaiming Midoriya to be "My hero," against a freeze frame of Midoriya triumphantly standing tall and letting out a scream of victory.
  • A small one, just before the fight, Kota says how it's all people like Muscular's fault, showcasing that even with his hatred for heroes, his heart is at the right place.
• In Chapter 83, when Midoriya wakes up in the hospital, nearly everyone in class shows up to see him. The only ones who aren't there are the Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Hagakure, who are hospitalized themselves, and Bakugo, who was abducted.
• Shoji tells Midoriya that he has to choose to save Bakugo (who's being targeted by the villains) or Tokoyami (whose Dark Shadow Quirk has gone berserk). Midoriya chooses to save them both.
  • Another case of heartwarming from Shoji is his willingness to help out Deku in anyway he can even, carrying him around while he's still hurting and outright stating that he'll make himself bait for Tokoyami so that Deku can go.
• Tomura refusing to send the new recruits into danger, claiming he wasn’t that heartless. It's the first sign of his Character Development into a Benevolent Boss.

Hideout Raid Arc

• While in the hospital, Midoriya recieves a heartfelt thank you letter from Kota for saving his life. It's very sweet, but also very funny as it starts out with Kota apologising for punching him in the balls.
• All Might praises Momo for planting a tracker on the Nomu. Not only was it a great display of creative thinking and quick judgement but it demonstrates how she has grown since the final exam.
• Oddly enough, All For One's lenience towards Shigaraki in Chapter 89, saying that even if he fails, he can just try again.
• That all the students come together to rescue Bakugo is heartwarming enough, but the final part of Midoriya's plan stands out: Bakugo, being the stubborn ass that he is, would never accept help from anyone he considers a rival, like Midoriya or Iida, so Midoriya specifically has Eijiro, Bakugo's Bash Brother, hold out his hand. True enough, Bakugo smiles and takes it, delivering an Insult of Endearment in the process.
• Magne, a trans woman, being accepted and cared about by her friends in the League of Villains is this on its own, especially since the League is very respectful of her gender identity (and even beats someone up when they misgender her).
• All Might is very secretive about his true form, since he feels that it would demoralize the people if it were discovered. Chapter 92 has it exposed on live television. After a moment of confusion, the people... resume cheering for him.
  • After All For One reveals that Shigaraki is the almost certainly indoctrinated and brainwashed grandson of All Might's beloved mentor, Shimura Nana, All Might very understandably begins to have a breakdown. What snaps him out of it? Hearing an innocent civilian tearfully begging for his help, and for him not to lose.
  • The anime underlines this, showing the thousands of people who are cheering for All Might to win despite his obvious weakness.
    • Out of the Class 1-A students, besides Uraraka, the anime highlights the reactions of the usually emotionless Asui, the always serious Tokoyami and the Nominal Hero Mineta. Even they are crying and cheering him on.
• All Might knows he is hardly the ideal mentor to Izuku and that he's hardly in any proper state to do so. But that fact doesn't stop his conviction to guide or shake his faith on his successor. That is incredibly heartwarming.
• All Might telling Izuku that from now on, since he can no longer be a hero, he'll devote himself entirely towards raising up his successor. While hugging Izuku...
• Tiger is this for LGBTQ readers: a transman pro hero who is loved by his team, respected by all his fellow heroes and students, who also kicks major villain ass.
  • As a whole, together with the implications that the setting of the manga is actually a futuristic earth, it may have the view that various sexualities and gender identities are accepted in the hero society.
• When All Might is about to have his last clash with All for One, he remembers his teachers words of encouragement. And they aren't hot action words of never giving up or breaking his limits like most shounen stories. But kind encouragement.
  Nana Shimura: Do your best, Toshinori.
• In its own way, All Might's actions after defeating All for One. Battered, bruised, bloody, and broken, All Might barely has the strength to stand after his vicious final battle. But he knows that everyone is watching him, and that the people need reassurance after the horrifying fight. So he gathers himself and raises his fist in triumph while his heroic theme plays. Not for himself, but for everyone else.
  Edgeshot: He shouldn't push himself.
  Gran Torino: Let him be. He's still working. This is his last job. A final act as the Symbol of Justice and Peace, and the Number One Hero.
• When All Might comes over to Midoriya's house he sees all the posters of him, and it brings a smile to his face, especially since he no longer has the power of One For All.
• When All Might and Aizawa visit the parents to talk about the plan to move the students into dorms, we get some surprising moments:
  • Kyotoku Jiro tries to act like he's against it, but Kyoka interjects that in reality he was all for it since seeing All Might's final fight put him into a rockin' mood crying out how awesome it was for him to be Kyoka's teacher. The stern facade was simply because he wanted to look the part of a caring father to her. After the visit, Aizawa offers to buy All Might a drink, seeing as it was the latter's heroism that had done the convincing.
  • Mitsuki Bakugo reveals that she read deeper into Aizawa's comments about Bakugo during the press conference^note In particular, his comment that if the villains think they can get Bakugo to become a villain, they are very mistaken. than most others and saw this as a sign that U.A. is actually paying attention to Bakugo. This allows her to place her trust in them. Now it's All Might's turn to offer Aizawa a drink; he hadn't respected Aizawa's keen observation so much until this point.
    Mitsuki: He's a hot-tempered brat, and we know he's a pain, but please train him hard and make him a good hero.
• While it possibly means ending her son's lifelong dream, Midoriya's mother refusing to let her son continue attending U.A is done out of love and concern for her son and his health.
  • Midoriya, although unhappy, actually does agree to his mom's suggestion of having him attend a different hero school, as he realizes he hasn't been taking into consideration how much pain his mother felt having to watch him constantly hurt and in danger.
  • And then Midoriya and All Might manage to convince her to let Midoriya stay at U.A. when he shows her a letter Kota sent him thanking him for saving his life, and All Might bows to her promising to protect and train Midoriya, even if it costs him his life. This is all enough to convince Midoriya's mother to let him continue to stay at U.A., and beseeches All Might that he must live at any cost so as not to deprive Midoriya of a great teacher.
  • During this scene, there's a flashback to Midoriya's childhood with him playing with his mom, pretending to be a superhero saving her. It's both heartwarming and adorable, especially seeing little Midoriya in an All Might costume.

Provisional Hero License Exams Arc

• When Class 1-A is introduced to their dorms, Aizawa reads the riot act against the five students who tried to save Bakugo, and the others who did nothing to stop them from doing it through the proper channels, stating that aside from Bakugo (the victim), Hakagure and Jiro (who were incapacitated), he would have expelled them for their actions. To lift their spirits up, Bakugo takes Kaminari and forces him to overload and become ditzy for the class' amusement. He then proceeds to fork over the exact amount Kirishima spent on the night-vision goggles used for their rescue operations.
• Chapter 99 has Tsuyu caring deeply for her friends (the ones that tried to save Bakugo) to the point that she apologizes (in her own way) to the group and wishing to go back to the way things were before. The group (consisting of Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Iida, Midoriya, and Kirishima) then cheer Tsuyu up and thank/apologize to her for setting things straight. This doubles as a Tearjerker.
• With his time as a hero done and his true form being made public, All Might has since devoted himself to becoming a better teacher and is shown spending more time advising all of his students, not just Midoriya, while they train on their special techniques. He even bought a book on teaching, with the several bookmarked pages showing his own constant study to be a real, better teacher.
• Power Loader's relationship with his student, Hatsume. Despite constantly threatening to ban her from his lab, due to Hatsume having a tendency to go overboard with her inventions, he is actually quite impressed and proud with the output of creations she's made in such a short span. He even asks Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka to show patience with her antics since he's confident that Hatsume will become an effective support for the heroes in the future.
  • When Mineta asks Midoriya why he didn't change the base design of his costume, Midoriya decides he wanted to keep it since it was the costume his mother made for him.
• While watching the first round of the exam, Ms Joke ribs Aizawa about his uncharacteristic attention towards his students. She teases him and asks if he is worried. Aizawa's response is predictably blunt, but is also unexpectedly genuine. He thinks on how in their own ways, Midoriya and Bakugo both inspired their classmates to constantly push higher and reach further.
  Eraser Head: Joke, I'm not worried. I can't wait to see what they'll do.
• In an anime-only battle in Episode 55, Yaoyorozu, Jiro, Tsuyu, and Shoji are trapped in a room by a rivaling school. The temperature in the room rapidly drops, forcing Tsuyu to go into hibernation. To keep her from completely going out cold, Yaoyorozu makes a blanket, and, until they break out, Shoji cradles a swaddled-up Tsuyu in his arms.
  • Moreover, the fact that when Intelli locks herself with Yaoyorozu to make sure she doesn't pass, the others refuse to abandon her instead of taking the chance to pass themselves. True Companions indeed.
  • Another case of heartwarming in the anime, is Shoji looking back fondly on the memory of Deku's determination to save both Bakugo and Tokoyami even in his incredibly wounded state.
• Aizawa telling Ms. Joke about how two students in his class (Bakugo and Deku) despite not being leaders of the class have affected everyone with their determination to get better and win, and how he therefore has every confidence that the class will do well in the competition
• Kaminari shows how much he cares about his buddies when they get captured by a rival student in Chapter 107. He takes what the guy has said quite an insult and gets back at him before Bakugo and Kirishima are released to return the favor of being saved. And all of that is capped off with this brilliant line:
  Kaminari: QUIT DISSING MY MATES, DAMN IT!
• Chapter 107 shows Bakugo has come a long way emotionally, he now shares grenades with Kaminari, and uses weaker, short-ranged pinpoint attacks against an enemy to avoid hitting a helpless Kirishima.
  • Even further: The following chapter implies he is starting to see Midoriya as a Worthy Opponent, seemingly admitting that it would be impossible for Midoriya not to pass the test.
• After Aoyama attempts a Heroic Sacrifice, believing himself to be the weakest link, the entire rest of the Class 1-A that hasn't passed the exam yet comes together and uses his distraction so everyone can pass, even more Iida telling him that he is the only one that doesn't see himself on the same level as the others.
  • Adding to it is Aoyama was personally affected by Iida's dream, reminding him of a time when he asked his parents why he was so different. So he decides to get as many people to him as possible because he was down by two already, so Iida could pass without him. Adding to this moment is also Iida trying to talk Aoyama out of his Heroic Sacrifice. Luckily the others show up.
  • Iida's own Quirk could have snagged him victory well before Aoyama, but instead he sticks with him and runs alongside him, showing he truly does see Aoyama as an equal as they achieve victory together.
• Chapter 109: Uraraka's feelings towards Midoriya. She admits that she finds him cool for following his dream, and is inspired deeply because of this (to the point that she might've fallen in love with him). This forces her to think to herself what he means to her, and she decides that it's more important that he remain The Paragon, to herself and everyone else. She decides to put whatever personal feelings she may have for him aside, at least for now, so as not to interfere with that: another reminder of how much she keeps her thoughts on the ground. Gutsy girl...
• Chapter 113: All the students from the different schools joining forces to protect the civilians from Gang Orca's men. Extra points because at the start of the stage the Hero's Association even said that they weren't looking for someone to fill All-Might's shoes, but a generation of heroes willing to work together for the greater good.
• Chapter 114: Yoarashi apologizes to Todoroki for picking a fight with him during the exam, accepting blame for causing both of them to fail. Todoroki, for his part, admits that his actions at the Yuuei entrance exam were the cause of the whole mess, and acknowledges that Yoarashi helped him realize how much his past was still weighing him down. It's not the start of a friendship, since Yoarashi openly admits that he still doesn't like Todoroki, but they part on much better terms.
• Chapter 116: After a stressful encounter with AFO, All Might receives a photo of Midoriya's provisional Hero License, thanking him for the help on the drive back to UA. The softness in All Might's expression and Midoriya's happy smile with his reply is absolutely adorable.
• Chapter 118: During their fight, Bakugo admits he always thought that Midoriya had the skill to surpass him, and that he always thought that this is what Midoriya was trying to do. Midoriya is visibly shaken realizing that Bakugo actually did always considered him a rival.
• Chapter 120: All Might showing up at the end of the fight between Bakugo and Midoriya and being Dad Might to Bakugo as well as Midoriya. He realizes that each sees him a little differently.^note Whereas Midoriya sees a hero that saves everyone, Bakugo sees one that never loses to evil. He assures them both that they can rise to the top by challenging each other as friendly rivals, learning from each other to build themselves up in the areas where they're lacking.^note Midoriya building his strength and Bakugo learning to feel for others.
  • Not only does Bakugo start taking this to heart, but he promises to All Might and Izuku that he'll never reveal the secret of One For All.
• Chapter 121:
  • Bakugo, to the surprise of many, actually compliments Midoriya (granted, it's on his own bashful way, stating that he hated how quick he was and how he was barely able to react) and gives him advice, stating that the shoot style is not suitable with punches. Consider again that Bakugo did this out of his own will, while he could just keep quiet, but the fact he chose to compliment and advise to Midoriya is a huge jump on Character Development for him.
  • Shinso is implied to have been working out and training since the Sports Festival. Midoriya's words are likely still with him, and he still wants to become a hero. This is heightened by the fact that it seems that he has been recognized by his efforts before. It's a great hint towards his big breaking-out moment later in the Joint Training Arc.

Shie Hassaikai Arc

• Season 4, Ep. 1:
  • To frame the recaps at the start of the anime's fourth season, a freelance photojournalist named Taneo Takuda gets permission to follow Class 1-A through a day in their lives after All Might's retirement. In actuality, he's deduced that All Might's "You're next" was a Passing the Torch moment, and goes looking for All Might's successor. After correctly working out that Deku is the one All Might is training to be the next Symbol of Peace, he promises to keep it a secret because he loves All Might for saving his father years ago, and his real reason for being there that he didn't even tell his paper about was that he just wanted to know, himself, that there was hope for the future.
  • In the same episode, the emaciated All Might got showered with gratitude from a shopkeeper who gave him an umbrella and large bag of meat buns on the house, which All Might then shared with Deku and the rest of 1-A.
  • During the student roll call, there's a brief clip of Momo using her Quirk to make an umbrella for a student who forgot hers.
• Chapter 126:
  • Seeing All Might interacting with the other teachers as an equal is quite sweet and fun, nobody treats him any differently, even though all look up to him.
  • Mirio being a sweet Nice Guy to Midoriya. They have a truly nice and respectful relationship of senpai-kohai, and it's stated that All Might is sure to have chosen Mirio as his successor had Midoriya not appeared.
• Chapter 131:
  • Midoriya's chance meeting with Eri is a perfect demonstration of his heroism (or Chronic Hero Syndrome). A child bumps into him from out of nowhere, and he quickly picks up how scared she is. It's implied that he doesn't believe Chisaki's line about her being his daughter, but it doesn't matter. Sir Nighteye's warning against making Chisaki suspicious doesn't matter either. A child is terrified and pleading with him for help. What kind of hero would turn their back on her? That protective embrace and threatening glare are magnificent.
  • The flashback involving All Might and Sir Nighteye shows a tender side to the latter. He would rather his infallible foresight be wrong then for his prediction about All Might to come true. His plan was for his idol/mentor/friend/etc. to find a confident and smiling successor and retire comfortably. They even agreed on who and what kind of person that successor should be, just not the retirement part.
  • The revelation that All Might had accepted his inevitable death until he met Midoriya, who gave him the will to say "Screw Destiny" and try to stay alive to see the boy grow into a hero worthy of being the Symbol of Peace.
• Chapter 133: A flashback has Kirishima feeling down about how he doesn't think his Super-Toughness measures up to the Quirks of his classmates. It's Bakugo who gives him words of encouragement, saying that he thought the coolest thing about All Might's battle with All For One was how All Might never broke or backed down, no matter what All For One hit him with, indirectly saying that Kirishima has that same strength.
• Chapter 135: Despite his previous harsh treatment towards Midoriya, Sir Nighteye is actually quick in this chapter to defend both him and Mirio when they were getting blasted by another senior hero for failing to save Eri. Not only does Sir Nighteye take responsibility since they were following his orders, but he also takes back his previous criticism of Midoriya, praising him for attempting to take the initiative.
• Chapter 136: Eraserhead gives Midoriya encouragement, saying while he held Eri, she must have felt something other than despair. He is later proven right, as even though she's still terrified at her ordeal, Eri remembers how kind Midoriya's hands felt.
• Chapter 137 has Todoroki and Iida consoling Midoriya over his troubles in his internship. Midoriya is clearly down and the others attempt to cheer him up, with Iida even using the same words Midoriya used for him.
  Iida: "If you find yourself in a bind with no way out, say something. That's what friends are for." When I was being foolish, you spoke these very words to me.
  • This sadly, leads to Midoriya break down and start crying lightly, but he is very thankful for Iida's words, he quickly starts cleaning his own tears stating that heroes don't cry, however, Todoroki disagrees. The boys then share their food with Midoriya to guarantee he eats properly.
    Todoroki: I figure that heroes cry when they need to, don't they?
  • What makes this more heartwarming is that the one to make Iida and Todoroki so much nicer and open about their feelings was exactly Midoriya, who helped Iida in the Stain Arc and Todoroki in the Sports Festival and the Hero License Exam. It's nice to see that they developed into True Companions after facing the whole ordeal.
• Chapters 135-138 are a continuous one for Fatgum, who is the first person to defend Sir Nighteye's actions when Rock Lock gripes at his organization for being ineffective, showing the most outrage at the thought of what Chisaki is doing to his daughter Eri, and for still finding time to be polite upon entering a Yakuza residence and apologizing that the heroes are entering with their filthy shoes.
• In Chapter 140, we see the relationship between Mirio and Amajiki. It's revealed that Mirio and Amajiki inspired each other to become better heroes, which gives Amajiki the courage to take on three powerful villains at the same time.
• Chapter 145:
  • Kirishima, down on himself and ready to give up on U.A., accidentally activates a hologram of an interview Crimson Riot once gave. In it, he acknowledges that he's frequently afraid when he charges headlong into danger and only idiots and *Beep* are never scared. To him, death is simply less frightening than the idea of failing people he has the power to save because he hesitated like he did as a sidekick. These words, which Kirishima heard but didn't fully understand as a little kid, give him the inspiration he needs to move forward and shows why Crimson Riot was his role model.
  • The flashback shows how Kirishima changed his hairdo to represent his new resolve to never back down from danger, still upset he didn't help Mina deter the threat of a huge villain. Mina sees this in the springtime and rather sweetly ribs him for getting too worked up over nothing and that he should ditch that gloomy face if he wants to become someone new, and looks forward to telling everyone about his high school debut. Mina was Kirishima's wingman from day one.
  • In the same scene, Mina also notes that Kirishima's hair gives him horns just like she has, implying there's just a bit more to Kirishima's choice of hairstyle.
  • As the flashback ends, Fatgum acknowledges Kirishima's efforts.
    Fatgum (To Tengai and Rappa): The two of you are gonna lose! Wanna know why? You made a mistake, and so did I! We underestimated the hero, Red Riot, and his chivalrous spirit!
• Chapter 146 continues the above moment as Rappa is still conscious after Fatgum's attack, but instead of continuing the fight he shows Fatgum to a medical room so he can treat Kirishima's injuries, saying how much he likes him and wants to fight him again someday.
• Chapter 148 has an odd villainous example. After Nighteye destroys part of Twice's mask, he begins losing control of his mental state, suffering from split personality without it. It barely takes a moment before Toga ties a piece of cloth over the exposed section, bringing him peace of mind and bringing out tears of gratitude from Twice.
  • And then there's Shigaraki pointing out that he considers both Toga and Twice important people to him, and that he isn't sending them to join the yakuza because he considers them expendable pawns. Rather, he's tacitly offering them a chance to get payback for Magne's death by sabotaging them from the inside.
  • A small moment, but both in the manga and anime, Twice and Toga immediately snap upon hearing Magne being referred to as "he" rather than "she" by Overhaul; which is sweet, especially since Magne's death is generally a greatly disliked plot point.
    Toga: Don't make that mistake again.
• Chapter 150: In a mixture of this and Tear Jerker, Mirio realizes that Eri didn't just go back to Overhaul because she was scared; she also believed that if Midoriya and Mirio tried to save her, then Overhaul would kill them. Mirio then concludes that even though Eri must have believed that he and Midoriya willingly abandoned her, "she still chose to return to hell" rather than see them get hurt. Mirio then KOs Sakaki and Nemoto, before catching up to Overhaul and Eri.
  Eri: Why...? You've gotta... stay away. Or he's gonna kill you.
  Mirio: I can't let you down again. Don't worry! I'll be your hero!
• Chapter 152,
  • Miro explains why Superheroes Wear Capes. It is not to look cool, it is to have something to drape over crying girls to comfort them (and to obscure a villain's ranged shot).
  • Mirio's smile while Taking the Bullet for Eri. She's been hurt and abused so badly by Overhaul that she's been conditioned to believe that she has no choice but to just take it. In the moment before the bullet hits, Mirio reaches her and gets her attention so she can see him giving her a reassuring smile that says everything is going to be okay. And then, even after his Quirk has been destroyed, he proves it by continuing to protect her from Overhaul long enough for the other heroes to catch up, making it a CMOA as well.
• Chapter 153, Nighteye's genuine concern during his, Deku, and Eraserhead's Big Damn Heroes save of Eri and Mirio. In stark contrast to Nighteye's usual coldness, the Rescue Hug and So Proud of You he gives to Mirio shows that they have a mentor/protege relationship every bit as close as Deku and All Might's.
  • Even Rock Lock gets a moment — we see that the guy isn't as bad as he was made out to be due to having justifications for worrying about child heroes: he's a recent father of a baby boy with a loving wife back at home. Having one of his own, he understood how precious children were to everyone. He may have come off a bit harsh (and he realizes this), but he was just looking out for them in his way. But he also takes back his earlier concern and admits he's come to respect that all the 1-A students part of the raid were living up to the hero ideal even under such dangerous conditions.
• When Eri is willing to go back, Deku says he'd help her no matter what. Why? Both because he still wants to do so no matter what, and because she'd been truly scared and crying.
  • What convinces Eri to jump off a rock pillar into Deku's arms? Seeing Mirio's cape fluttering on the updraft caused by the pillar's rising. Just his cape, by association with him, is enough to inspire hope in the distressed. This is why Mirio was a possible candidate for All Might's successor as the Symbol of Peace.
  • The anime ups the feels even more by setting the scene where Deku catches her to the sound of "Might+U", a slow and beautiful vocal rendition of "You Say Run" that was originally made for the upcoming movie.
  • And he keeps his promise of not letting Eri go or getting her hurt further when it's his turn to face off against Chisaki, even when her Quirk goes haywire almost immediately after the fight.
• As Eri and Deku are falling back to the ground after launching into the air from Deku losing control of his power behind his kick, she looks at his face and sees him wearing a big grin. Clearly, despite the rage he was feeling moments earlier during his fight with Chisaki, Deku has taken to heart the lessons learned from All Might and the H.U.C. actor. He's doing everything he can to keep a scared child cheerful while she's in the middle of a harrowing experience.
• Chapter 157: Eri reawakening her Quirk heals Deku by literally reverting the damage that One for All does to his body... but then starts to tear him apart from the inside. Chisaki talks down Eri's power, calling it a curse that she can't control (echoing Eri's mother's own words after Eri accidentally unmade her husband), and warns Deku to turn her over to him for his own health. Deku simply ties Eri to his back and says outright that Eri's Quirk is kind and gentle because it healed him before he could even feel pain. Eri just cries like nobody's ever said that to her before.
  • Midoriya even asks her if she'll lend him her power (Rewind).
• Chapter 159: Chisaki's flashback immediately after The Unmasking by Midoriya shows that as a child, he got into a fight with someone who called the Shie Hassaikai a villain organization. His adoptive father scolded him for breaking the yakuza's code against harming someone outside the underworld, but thanked him for trying to protect the yakuza's honor. For all his faults, he seems to genuinely love his adoptive father since childhood.
• Chapter 161: Rock Lock's injuries turn out to be non-fatal, and we get to see his wife and son visiting him in the hospital. His wife has even crumbled into Inelegant Blubbering in the post-op room as she rushes to hug him.
  • Though his death is incredibly sad, Sir Nighteye thanks Midoriya for proving the future is not immutable. If Midoriya can defy his Death Flags, then so may All-Might; Nighteye no longer dreads the future because of this. He then uses his last Foresight to look into Mirio's future. Despite his Quirk being destroyed, Nighteye says that he will be an excellent hero, before he dies with a small smile on his face, and one last wish for society to keep smiling. Quite ironic and fulfilling for the serious and seemingly humorless hero who wanted to make humor a big part of life.
• Chapter 162: Midoriya is saddened by the events during the battle with Chisaki and believes that Mirio should have been the one to receive One For All. Mirio, for his part, is also saddened by Nighteye's death and the loss of his own Quirk, but remains optimistic and gently refuses Midoriya's offer.

Remedial Course Arc

• Chapter 163: The entirety of Class 1-A checking to make sure their intern classmates are doing okay, physically and mentally, after their mission. Satou prepares cake, Momo offers to make herbal tea, and Iida tells everyone to give them some space until he is sure that they're feeling up to all the attention. It's moments like these that make it clear that despite their differences, the class really cares for each other like one big family.
• Chapter 165: Those who failed to get their hero licenses during the initial exam have to "win the hearts" of the Precious Brats of Masegaki: a bunch of unruly, Quirk-gifted children as punishment. Bakugo wants to teach them a lesson using violence because that's "how he was raised", but Todoroki suggests that there's a better way to discipline them. That's a heartwarming moment in itself, but then Bakugo takes the fact that Todoroki was abused into consideration, and lets him try to talk to them peacefully first. It doesn't work, but it shows that Bakugo, of all people, is becoming more sensitive to other people's feelings.
• Chapter 166: A bait-and-switch moment: after Todoroki, Yoarashi, and Utsushimi succesfully win over most of the kids (which is a moment in itself because a good chunk of this involved Todoroki and Yoarashi cooperating to create a playground), Bakugo goes over to their ringleader, who's been the most arrogant so far, standing on the sidelines watching, and is now struggling to understand what just happened, and in typical fashion, roughly grabs him by the arm, and yells at him to join in the fun. Then the next page, we see he has an expression of of genuine regret and shame on his face, as he explains to the kid that:
  Bakugo: You're their leader, aren't you? If all you do is look down on people, you won't be able to recognize your own weakness.
  • It's even treated as such by the kid, who admits Bakugo's genuine words touched him.
  • Which is Heartwarming in Hindsight, since it shows that Bakugo's interactions with Deku really did change him for the better.
• Chapter 167: A surprising one from Endeavor upon seeing Todoroki again. The narration even points out that bit by bit, even a big Jerkass like Endeavor has stopped to reconsider things in the wake of all that has happened. Even though Todoroki tries to brush his father off, as soon as his back is turned you can see Todoroki is smiling and seems proud of how far his father has come.
  Endeavor: You've changed a lot.
  Shoto: Shut up.
  Endeavor: Shoto, I'm proud of you, son. So... I will become a hero you can be proud of, too.
  • Further cemented by the fact that Endeavor's eyes are now SOFT, as opposed to the permanent crazed/obsessed Death Glare that had been taped to his face until now.
  • Gang Orca breaks character as a Drill Sergeant Nasty to offer words of praise to the trainees, showing that not only does he have a soft spot for them, but he also loves children.
• Chapter 168: Aoyama opening up to Deku, telling him he, too, has a Quirk that causes problems for his body.

U.A. School Festival Arc

• Chapter 169: Kyoka is very, very shy about showing off her musical talents in front of people, but Denki finds it really awesome that she can play so many instruments, which makes her blush with adorably quivered lips. Then, Koji tells her how cool it would be if she did a performance live on stage. The student who almost never speaks opens up without restraint around her just to give her a genuine compliment, pointing back to how those two faced down Present Mic and he openly spoke for the first time around her for her benefit.
• Chapter 170:
  • Eri requests for Deku and Mirio to visit her in the hospital, where she blames herself for all the trouble they went through in their battle against Overhaul. Mirio reassures her it's not her fault, and they just wanted to see her smile again, but it turns out that she can't even force herself to smile. Deku's very first thought is to invite her to come along to U.A.'s cultural festival, and even Aizawa readily accepts and agrees to talk it over with the principal.
  • Though Eri's trauma caused her to physically forget how to smile, she hasn't forgotten how to feel joy or excitement as Mirio's explanation of candied apples causes her eyes to visibly light up and make her mouth water.
• Chapter 174:
  • Coming off the offhanded "You're fired" given by Ashido in the previous chapter, she clarifies here that they're just reassigning him. They need someone to maneuver Aoyama around during the performance so he can use his Navel Laser, and they noticed how Midoriya managed to make the lonely Aoyama open up about himself.
• Anti-Villain Gentle and his assistant La Brava's partnership is simply adorable, and a ready respite after the previous arc's 'big bad' Overhaul.
• Chapter 176:
  • Kyoka opens up a little more and shows Izuku all the advice she wrote to all the members in her notebook. When Izuku notes that everyone will be so happy to see this, Kyoka admits she wrote it precisely to hear someone say that. In fact, she'd taken her cue to write everything down from Midoriya: right down to using his favored brand of notebook.
  • Eri finally gives a tiny, but absolutely adorable smile when she says she's looking forward to the school festival. It may be a very small one, but it's nonetheless extremely heartwarming to see her start to smile again after all the crap she was put through.
• Chapter 178: La Brava's flashback combined with Gentle's own memories of how the two of them met just show how much better they've made each other's lives.
  • In an excellent case of "show, don't tell" that makes Gentle and La Brava's relationship more heartwarming, we see La Brava worrying about whether or not the persistent dark circles around her eyes that she gained from her past hikikomori lifestyle would put off Gentle, and looking depressed as she tries to wipe off a little bit of it from her eyes. Gentle, noticing this, goes ahead and uses a permanent marker to gives himself his own dark circles around his eyes so they could match La Brava's.
• Chapter 179: Throughout their partnership, the power-up from La Brava's Quirk has always been their trump card to break through obstacles that Gentle couldn't get through on his own. When faced with Izuku, who still has a strength advantage even after the power boost, La Brava is broken up over the idea that her love might not have been strong enough. Gentle immediately counters that there isn't any fault in her or her feelings.
  • The chapter ends with an interesting example in the form of Midoriya and Gentle's, almost literal, head-to-head clash. Gentle, who is revealed to have been an utter failure in his attempts to become a hero, facing nothing but ridicule and dismissal, has developed a massive inferiority complex. It hasn't been helped by the fact that his crimes fail to garner him the kind of attention that he would like, leading to further dismissal. But, for the first time, he's facing someone who's looking him in the face and genuinely taking him seriously.
    Gentle: "If you don't have heart, go ahead and laugh at me! I don't care! I know what's important to me!"
    Midoriya: "I'm not laughing, Gentle!"
• Chapter 180: Gentle is defeated, and as the pro heroes are closing in on him, no doubt to arrest him, all he can think about is what will happen to La Brava. He knows full well that she will be held accountable in his scheme, but tries to lessen her culpability by attempting to remove Deku from the scene with his Quirk before surrendering to the pros. As foppish, misguided, and delusional as Gentle has been portrayed to be, there is still one person who he is willing to give up everything for without a shred of self-interest in consideration.
  • A flashback shows that Gentle didn't want to have her actively part of his crimes, and had to be convinced by La Brava to allow her to do so. He even regrets having 'made her like this', taking her in and burdening her with being his partner in crime (though the flashbacks have already revealed that it was entirely her own choice).
  • Although Gentle was defeated by Deku and he had to surrender, he got what he always wanted all his life: acknowledgement. Deku took him very seriously throughout the battle. Given his own track record, Deku even told Gentle that he was the toughest opponent he has ever fought.
• Chapter 181: After the battle, Gentle has a change of heart, when he realizes just how selfish he was. He also regrets the fact that he allowed La Brava to help him in the first place. He thanks Izuku and wishes him well, before being apprehended by Hound Dog.
  • Izuku realizes why his battle with Gentle was the toughest. It was because Gentle was fighting for La Brava's sake while Izuku was fighting for Eri's sake. Izuku finally understands where Gentle's motives are coming from so he backs up Gentle's story to minimize just how serious their altercation actually was.
  • Izuku upholds his promise to Eri by arriving at the last minute and she's just ever so slightly smiling.
• Chapter 182/Episode 86: Overhaul's grip on Eri's psyche is broken at last as she smiles brightly at Class 1-A's performance. Mirio crying tears of joy really punctuates this scene. The sheer JOY on Eri's face cannot be overstated, nor how heartwarming it is to see.
  • It's not just the imagery, but what really completes that image is that what Mirio internally says that really hammers home the idea that the sacrifices they made were worth it and that, when you combine Sir Nighteye using foresight on Mirio before he died, that Sir Nighteye will ALWAYS be with Mirio.
    Mirio: Can you see this, Midoriya, Sir? She smiled...! She smiled!
  • In a flashback, Jiro sits down with her parents and breaks the news that she's going to become a hero instead of a musician. They approve, but this line is what really hits home:
    Kyotoku: Kyoka...you can do whatever you want. Just remember this: your mom and I became musicians because that's our great love. But this stuff can take a while. You have to pay attention to how things make you feel.
    Mika: Choosing a career is a big decision, and you have some good options. Maybe you can help others with your sound. In that sense, musicians and heroes aren't too different, right?
  • On the same panel as the above line, Jiro has a huge smile as she's singing; she's not just genuinely giving it her all, but also having an absolute blast as she's doing so. At the beginning of the arc, she'd been very reluctant to talk much about her music since she saw that as more of a hobby and nothing to do with her being a hero. After all the coaxing and encouragement she's gotten here, she's finally able to let out her musical side and prove her mother right: that there's nothing wrong with being both a hero and a musician.
  • The U.A. upperclassmen who showed up to Class 1-A's performance simply to criticize them go from aloofly dismissive when the show starts, to being unable to hide their enjoyment when the music and effects really kick off, and start cheering and dancing with everyone else.
  • The anime version of the concert is really heartwarming as well, with everyone having great fun, and Eri's big bright smile as she breaks through the darkness, to the beat of "Hero Too", an optimistic song that exemplifies why the students want to become heroes.
  Mirio, crying Tears of Joy: Are you seeing this? Midoriya, Sir! Look at her, she's... smiling!
• Chapter 183 is loaded with sweet moments:
  • Eri looks absolutely adorable as she excitedly recounts her impressions of the concert to Midoriya. Complementing the scene are the latter wiping Tears of Joy, and Mirio imitating Eri's gestures.
  • The U.A. upperclassmen formally apologize for their behavior towards Class 1-A,. And thanks to word of mouth, even some of the students who didn't personally see the concert received the feelings that the class had poured into their act.
  • Nejire's appearance in the Miss UA pagent; the previous year she tried to out do Kanzaki in showiness, which didn't work because it didn't fit her personality. Her friend and classmate tells her she has her own way of shining and she floats around the stage, seeing all her friends and coworkers cheering her on as she uses her Quirk to make a rose of light above them. Instead of focusing on winning, she just enjoys the moment like she always does and in the end, it works and she wins her last Miss UA pagent before she graduates.
  • What were all those extra things Midoriya bought in the previous chapters? Ingredients to make candy apples (plus food coloring borrowed from Satou), as he predicted that no stores in the festival might sell them.^note If you look at the festival montage closely, one of the panels is in fact Midoriya hard at work making the candy apple with a smiling Satou helping. Eri's smile upon biting into it is adorable.
  • Gentle is being interrogated by a gorilla policeman, who notes in no uncertain terms that it's a good thing Gentle was arrested before it was too late, offering him a chance to turn his life around.
  • Another one, as Gentle asks the officer for the finest black tea during the short break of his interrogation. Gentle only drinks certain tea for certain situations, meaning that not only does he consider his arrest and possible rehabilitation worth celebrating, but also one of the finest moments in his life.

Pro Hero Arc

• Chapter 184:
  • With nowhere to go except foster care, Eri gets adopted by the U.A. staff. A happy ending for her, considering she might have ended up with someone as bad as, or even worse than, Overhaul.
  • The Wild Wild Pussycats pay a visit to Class 1-A to celebrate Ragdoll's reinstatement, as while she's still unable to return to active duty, she can still help her teammates as an office lady and Mission Control. She's also regained much of her former energy, which is really heartwarming to see.
  • Kota also returns, and although he's too proud to admit it, he started looking up to Izuku so much that he bought the same exact kind of shoes his hero wears.
• Chapter 187: Shoto regularly keeps in touch with his mother, sending her letters about his life at school and his friends. It would seem the Todorokis are well on their way to becoming a normal family unit.
  • Rei points out to her children that she has regularly been receiving her favorite flowers during her stay. Thing is, the only person who knew her favorite flowers was Endeavor, and she only told him once. Maybe there is a heart lurking around deep inside of him.
• Chapter 188: Even while beaten and bloody on top of losing an eye, Endeavor continues to fight to prove himself worthy of being #1, with the nearby civilians cheering him on for the first time rather than lingering on the fact that he isn't All Might.
  • The boy who dissed Endeavor for not acting like his usual jerk self is screaming at the news coverage to stop portraying it like there's no hope, defending Endeavor. Looks like he's a true fan after all.
• Chapter 190: Shoto's entire reaction to watching Endeavor and High End's fight. He echoes Endeavor's words at how he wants people to watch him become a great hero and is outright relieved to see him win the fight in the end. For someone like Shoto to react so strongly shows that, for as many issues him and Endeavor have, they're still father and son and care about each other greatly.
• Chapter 192: Todoroki being willing to reserve judgment after Endeavor proves his atonement. It's definitely a step up from their previous antagonistic relationship. It's also quite sweet how he subtly references Midoriya on how he inspired him to be better.
• Endeavor, horribly injured and running on mostly adrenaline, jets out of the rubble and chases down High-End in a last-ditch gambit to defeat the monster. While he's internally grumbling about how he always hated the UA motto of "Plus Ultra", he nonetheless screams it out while performing his most powerful blast right to High-End's face—all while All Might is watching and cheering him on. For all that Endeavor has had a one-sided rivalry with All Might for years (bordering on obsession), he has come to emulate and appreciate All Might's example of heroism.
• Endeavor's internal monologue while taking down High End. He's equating the Nomu with the abusive monster he has been, and fears he could continue to be in the future. His final blast is both to kill it, and turn his life around. He also thinks intensely of his children and a younger Rei.
  Endeavor: Villain... I see it. You... are me. From the past... or another future. Burn up. Be at rest.

Joint Training Arc

• Chapter 193: In a Wham Shot, the first user of One For All, Yoichi Shigaraki, starts talking to Midoriya and assures him that he is not alone. Midoriya's dream concludes with all of his predecessors looking at him with kind expressions, seemingly aware that he is the ninth wielder of One For All and welcoming him.
  • Midoriya tells All Might he saw Nana Shimura and how she looked so beautiful. All Might cheers up.
• Chapter 194: Shinso is given a chance to enter U.A's prestigious Hero Course. It is implied that Aizawa was training him. Midoriya is also overjoyed at seeing him.
• Chapter 196: After the initial clash with the 1-B team, Shinso is well aware that his inexperience is holding him and the team back, but Kaminari points out that what Shinso was able to do kept him from getting knocked out by Shishida, and says he's rooting for Shinso to be a great hero someday.
• Chapter 198: Even though his team won the first round, Shinso still feels frustrated that he wasn't able to apply enough of what he learned in the fight. To this, Aizawa, in an almost fatherly sort of way, steps in to reassure him, saying that it took him six years to master his binding cloth and that if he was able to do everything right away, he wouldn't have to work so hard. This really goes to show how close their student-mentor relationship is.
• Hawks takes Tokoyami flying and indirectly inspires the creation of Fallen Angel. Tokoyami's childlike enthusiasm makes it even more touching.
• Chapter 200: Todoroki says that it was foolish for Kendo to confront Yaoyorozu by herself. He says that, if Kendo had done so with her entire team, then he'd be worried, but the fact she did so by herself means that Kendo (and Class 1-B as a whole) have underestimated Yaoyorozu. Goes to show how much Todoroki respects the rich girl. Needless to say, shippers went wild.
  • In the next chapter, he expresses worry that Yaoyorozu might lose her confidence again after her team's loss to Kendo's.
• Chapter 202:
  • Even with her self-declared rivalry with Yaoyorozu, Kendo still accompanies her to the infirmary while looking on concerned. Goes to show despite their rivalry, it's still a Friendly Rivalry nonetheless.
  • When All Might calls Midoriya aside to make sure he's feeling OK after his Quirk started acting strangely, Bakugo notices it and comes over to make sure Izuku isn't in danger from One for All (of course, while insulting him and acting like he doesn't care). Just the fact that Bakugo actually gives a damn speaks volumes for how far he's come.
  • A small but sweet moment: Iida is feeling more upbeat than usual, and tells his team that it's because his older brother has been making great progress ever since his injury caused by Stain. He then gets ready to show his team what he is made of, both as the class president of 1-A and as Ingenium's successor.
  • When Pony starts getting irritated and speaking in Engrish, Honenuki calms her down by assuaging her concerns in English no less.
• Chapter 208: Bakugo telling his teammates they can save him if he gets in trouble. Why is this significant? Midoriya's plan to rescue him back in the Hideout Raid arc hinged on one person reaching out to him. Now he's perfectly comfortable with being saved if it means victory. A far cry from the tyrant Class 1-B had been expecting from the Sports Festival.
• Chapter 209:
  • A few panels showcase Deku's Character Development. At the beginning of the story, he was timid and diffident. Now he is a lot more confident and upbeat, similar to Mirio. He easily shrugs off Kacchan's insults, knowing that he doesn't mean much. He is seen as one of Class 1-A's most capable students. Deku is viewed as a threat by the opposing team from Class B so much that they make it their topmost priority to check his advance or else he will crush them. When his own teammates are nervous, Deku cheers them up and decides to draw most of the battle around himself with the others as support. His teammates are counting on him to win the round.
  • Monoma has a surprising moment when he encourages Tokage and his teammates after the former apologizes to him for her defeat at Bakugo's hands and therefore ruining 1-B's overall chances of winning the Joint Training Session.
    Monoma: Just what exactly are you apologizing for Tokage!? We fellow comrades were once inexperienced, and as we reflect on our past, we have surely grown since then. Although class B might have lost the battle, we have not yet lost the war. I want you all to know this. Those who are serious and do not wish for trouble to arise, or those who are brash and draw unnecessary attention away from others... Whose approach do you deem correct? Each person plays no more than a supporting role in another's life. Only you are the protagonist of your own life.
• Chapter 211:
  • Monoma expressing empathy with Shinso — revealing that he also underwent a similar struggle to get to where he is due to the nature of his Quirk.
  • As Midoriya's Quirk begins to go berserk, Monoma's first reaction after being forced to dodge is to immediately call out to Shinso in order to make sure that the latter is unharmed.
  • Uraraka jumping in immediately to give Midoriya a Cooldown Hug.
• Chapter 212:
  • Uraraka's desire to be a hero is much like Midoriya's, she saw how heroes could make even the saddest of people smile, but she wonders who is there to help the hero when they need help. Responding to herself, she dives in straight towards Deku to help calm him down.
  • Shinso, for the first time in his life, uses his Quirk without any underhanded questions and with a single, honest, statement without his fake vocal cords and a really comforting smile behind it stops Midoriya.
    Shinso: Midoriya! Let's fight again!
    Midoriya: ...YEAH!
• Chapter 213: The bald user of One For All encourages Midoriya to work hard and carry out his task. He also explains the importance of controlling emotions while using Quirks, especially anger. He once again repeats the You Are Not Alone message to Deku.
  • Midoriya's first reaction after awakening is get worried about Uraraka being injured. Monoma tries a sneak attack on Deku but Uraraka wards him off. Midoriya returns the favor by catching Shinso's capture tape which was intended for Uraraka.
• In Chapters 214-215, Midoriya is able to control his heart long enough to use his newfound Quirk for a short time. Specifically, he calms down by noticing how the previous user of One for All that spoke to him reminded him of All Might. By focusing on the support and encouragement of his mentor, he's able let go of his fear and anger.
• In Chapter 216, Shinso deduces that the joint training also doubled as his transfer exam, and while his team didn't win the final round, Shinso showed enough talent, dedication and willingness to improve that Aizawa allows him to pass. He finally gets to achieve his dream and learn to become the hero he's always wanted to become.
  • What's significant is that before, he knew he wasn't able to pass because the entrance exam emphasized powerful Quirks or Quirks with high utility, but since the entrance exam used robots, he couldn't actually show off his power. Instead, the teachers put him up against the existing heroes-in-training with a little bit of training himself to match up against them and thus put him in an environment where his Quirk can truly shine. Not only did he pass with flying colors, he was able to use his brainwashing to save all of the students from Midoriya's Quirk going out of control.
• Chapter 217:
  • Classes 1-A and B hanging out together after the exercise. It's cute to know that there are no hard feelings and that everyone is still friends with one another.
  • Todoroki decides to text his father because he wants to train with him. Endeavor's reaction, and keep in mind that he's currently holding a villain by the throat, is to start giggling like a child because he's so happy.
  • Deku cheering Eri up when she gets down about her Quirk. Also, Monoma gives Aizawa a nudge when Eri starts getting sad, indicating that he cares as well.
  • A subtle one, but Monoma largely dropping his Large Ham, Green-Eyed Monster tendencies during his meeting with Eri (after a little when he first arrives), instead acting unusually gentle and calm throughout, as if he realizes that his usual antics would be likely to scare her. He also can be seen giving her a reassuring smile after the attempt to copy her Quirk fails

Meta Liberation Army Arc

• Chapter 224: Twice's undying loyalty to the League and all of its members comes to shine, as the moment he learns that Giran had been kidnapped, he immediately vouches for a rescue operation, on the sole foundation that "Giran is his friend", and gets extremely upset whenever anyone tries to oppose the idea.
  • Tomura’s anger at the Army toying with Twice’s emotions, claiming he won’t forgive them for it.
• Chapter 226: The implication that the reason why Toga is able to copy Uraraka's quirk is because of how strong her affection is for the latter can come across as this... in a nightmarish sort of way.
• Chapter 228: When Twice finds the unconscious and grievously-wounded Toga, his personalities argue for a while, the "darker" side of him being dismissive about her critical condition, at which point the "lighter" side prevails and he bursts out in tears, telling how much he cares about her and the League of Villains as they gave him a place to belong, and showing he treasures the handkerchief she used to replace his ripped mask back in the Shie Hassakai arc. It cements his role as a twisted version of The Heart for his group.
• Chapter 229: The pure joy in Twice's face as he, despite being overwhelmed in dread and despair, drives himself onward to save Toga and consequentially, finally gets the one confirmation that he has both dreaded and hoped for ever since his big trauma settled in. He is indeed the real one.
• Chapter 230: Twice's Declaration of Protection:
  Twice: If my friends are villains, it's only natural that I save them. I don't have many friends, that's why they're all important to me!
  • Also with his self-doubt crushed, Twice's clones now compliment and bounce off him instead of contradicting him.
• Chapter 232: A group of Twice's clones gets confronted with the "all of them think they're the original" hang-up, only to almost immediately shake it off because it's not important compared to completing their mission. It is remarkable determination from a man who was terrified by that very conundrum for years and shows just how much he's put that barrier behind him.
• Chapter 234: Shigaraki's memories of his family are all sweet. His sister, Hana, comforted him after he got scolded. His mother took care of him when he started getting sick. And his grandparents made him ohagi to cheer him up. Crosses into Tearjerker because of what happened to his family.
• Chapter 236: Even though Tenko had a deep inner desire to retaliate, he was still concerned with the lives of everyone except his dad, refusing to believe that he still hated his family at the time, instead claiming that a villain attacked them. When they die in front of his eyes, he mourns their deaths and even apologizes to his dad until the latter tries to hit him with a pair of garden pruners.
  • It even extends to his sister, who tries to apologize to him, and his mother, whose last action was to try and hug him before she died too.

Endeavor Agency Arc

• Remember the fan who stuck up for Endeavor on live tv way back in the Pro-Heroes Arc? Apparently, his words hit home for a lot of people, who are now calling him the "Can't You See?" Kid. People have largely gone from being highly critical of the heroes, like we saw after the Training Camp Arc, to rallying behind them. Even though, as Mt. Lady points out, this is as much a prayer for the heroes to succeed in All Might's absence as it is gratitude, it's still refreshing to see that kind of respect from the public.
• Aizawa dressing Eri as Santa Claus for the Christmas Party. Apparently, Eri took Midoriya's words of encouragement to heart and is implementing a positive outlook on her life.
  • Eri, having never experienced a holiday like Christmas before, confuses it with other holidays. She enters saying "Tricky Treat" while holding painted Easter eggs. It's all really cute.
  • Izuku and Bakugo have nowhere to go for their internships, so after the party, Shoto offers them a chance to intern at his father's agency.
  • Before that, when Bakugo's asked if he's going back to Best Jeanist for his internship, he briefly ponders the report that the hero is missing, clearly feeling a secret concern for his once-unappreciated mentor and hinting that he's come to respect Jeanist more than he'll let on.
• The whole Christmas Party, unsurprisingly, as the class gets to kick back and have a good time together for the holiday.
  • When Jiro's providing music, most of the class shut their eyes and enjoy the sound. The exception is Kaminari, who is gazing rapturously at her.
• Eri wrote a cute little letter thanking Midoriya for her good time in the School Festival. Complete with spelling mistakes. When seeing it, Midoriya and his mother break into tears when she tells him that she acknowledged how much he grew.
• The encounter with the villain Ending really shows how far Endeavor has come in trying to be a better person, from leaping out of a car to try and save Natsuo without a second thought, to internally praising how much Midoriya, Bakugo, and Shoto have improved on their abilities, to prioritizing Natsuo's safety over being the one to defeat Ending.
• Afterwards, Endeavor reveals his plan to build a new home for Rei and their kids to live in once she's out of the hospital... but he won't be coming with them, because he realizes it will only cause his family pain to have him around after what he's done. After years of using his family to further his own goals, he's solely focused on their happiness over his own.
• A relatively subtle moment happens in Chapter 252 when Bakugo angrily refuses to tell Midoriya and Todoroki what he's chosen for his hero name, saying that there's someone else he has to tell first. Recall the flashback 10 chapters earlier, when Best Jeanist asked Bakugo to return to him once he earned his provisional license and came up with a hero name, and you can see who Bakugo's referring to. For all Bakugo complained that his work-study with Best Jeanist was a waste of time, it's implied that he actually is starting to respect Best Jeanist and take his teachings to heart.

Paranormal Liberation War Arc

• Back in Chapter 242, during the surprise gift exchange, Midoriya gets a bag of mochi chips while Uraraka gets an All Might keychain, gifts clearly given by the other. In Chapter 253, it's shown that Uraraka keeps that keychain in the belt of her costume. It's sweet that, even though she's locked down her feelings for him, Uraraka still thinks of Midoriya when out in the field.
• Chapter 254: This is a bit of Fridge Heartwarming, but some students from 2-A talk about how Aizawa expelled them, but here they still are, in UA. As it turns out, Aizawa specifically asked for the right to both expel his students, and also re-enroll them later on if he thinks they've grown. This is a sort of Tough Love where he makes them experience failure and then grow stronger because of it. The man really wants his students to grow strong.
  • Therefore, back in the Introduction Arc, even if Midoriya had failed to impress him, it's very likely Aizawa would've given him another shot later on.
• Chapter 255: Aizawa manages to get through Kurogiri to Shirakumo, if only briefly.
• Chapter 256: After Deku shows how far he’s come with Black Whip, he makes sure to thank Uraraka for putting herself in danger to help him back when he couldn’t control it. She responds by telling him that seeing Black Whip motivated her to add grappling hooks to her costume. Then they fist bump over the fact that they lift each other up.
  • Four of their classmates, including Tsuyu, are watching this and they seemed pretty pleased by this development...
  • If you look carefully, the fistbump looks like a heart.
  • After Ashido debuts her new technique, “Acidman”, she excitedly tells Kirishima that she created it by imitating “Unbreakable”. Kirishima seems to be pretty flattered that he inspired the move.
  • All Might thinks on how much Deku has grown since first receiving OFA, noting that the kid no longer looks to All Might for direction and is finding his own way as a hero.
  • The Big Three and Eraserhead comforting Eri when she is crying over irritation in her horn, with Aizawa in particular being uncharacteristically gentle.
• Chapter 257:
  • At first glance, Bakugo seems to be his usual Jerkass self, teasing Deku that he'll most likely get a "useless" Quirk like Float next, but in hindsight it almost seems like he's trying to encourage Deku to bring it out to its fullest potential. And Deku for his part doesn't back down from the "argument".
  • Later, during the Hot Pot party, everyone's having an absolute blast, talking about how a whole year has almost passed and everything that's happened since then. Deku in particular feels blessed with All Might having watched out for him and he actually having (somewhat) casual conversations with Bakugo. It's definitely been an eventful year, with bad times, of course, but also good ones.
  • Aizawa finds All Might sitting out in the cold, and the former #1 Hero admits that even though he's resolved to live and help nurture his successors, he feels helpless in the sense he can't do that much for them. Aizawa kindly tells him that him just being alive and teaching at U.A. gives people strength.
• Chapter 258: Twice has such a liking to Hawks that he openly asks for advice about talking about the Liberation Army's ideology and gives him important information. Hawks genuinely considers him a very decent guy.
  • Too bad he has to use this intel to set up the raid, and later reluctantly kills Twice.
• Chapter 263: Midnight and Tokoyami doing their best to encourage Kaminari when nerves get the better of him.
  • Tokoyami remembers their time practicing together for the big performance, and how Kaminari happily told him that they ought to give their best for Jiro, seeing as she loves music so much. It goes to show both Tokoyami and the audience that for all of his ditziness and slightly perverted antics, Kaminari definitely cares about his friends.
  • Jiro expressing concern over whether Kaminari will be able to take care of himself in the field and Yaoyorozu comforting her.
  • Kaminari finding his courage when Midnight tells him to focus on what matters most to him, leading him to immediately think of Jiro. She in turn tries to encourage him from afar.
    Jiro: Get it done, Chargebolt!
• Chapter 264: Hawks promising to help rehabilitate Twice, and get him a fresh start in life. Hawks may have only gotten close to him to get info on the Paranormal Liberation Front, but he genuinely believes that Twice is a good person who is only looking out for his friends, and someone like that deserves a second chance. He even calls him by his name, Bubaigaware, and never once refers to him as "Twice."
  • At the end of the chapter, we see Dabi rushing through the crumbling ruins of the Liberation Front's base. In his internal monologue he doesn't blame Twice for the attack at all, despite knowing that he gave up the information that made it possible.
• Chapter 265: Dabi arriving in the nick of time to save Twice.
• Chapter 266:
  • As they are tag-teaming to try and outmaneuver Hawks, the normally aloof Dabi gives Twice a brief pep-talk as he creates an opening for his comrade to escape. All of which is capped off by the two sharing a high-five for luck as they pass each other.
  • Before Twice is killed by Hawks' feather blade, he creates one more and sends it to save Toga and Compress from a hero. The clone then apologizes to them for being tricked again, sees Toga's small scratch on her face, and gives her back her handkerchief she gave him to cover his face. As Toga hugs him goodbye, Twice throws Hawk's words back him for calling him unlucky, considers himself very happy to have made friends before dying.
  • The handkerchief starts melting when the clone falls apart, meaning that Twice specifically made it so that his final clone would be carrying it.
• Chapter 267: Tokoyami defying Fatgum's orders and rushing back to the mansion in order to save Hawks from Dabi at the last moment, showing how much he cares about his mentor.
• Chapter 269:
  • Endeavor takes a moment to cauterize Mirko's wounds, saying he still owes her for helping him back in Kyushu. Through gritted teeth, Mirko replies he doesn't owe her anything.
  • When Present Mic goes after the doctor, he flashes back to when he, Aizawa, and Shirakumo were still students planning on having a hero agency together. And after punching the old fat bastard, he explicitly says that that was for making his friend cry.
  • In a flashback to an earlier conversation, Aizawa tells Present Mic: "If you're going [on the hospital raid], I will too." He makes it clear that he intends for the two of them to find out from Garaki how to save Shirakumo's mind and reunite with him.
• Chapter 270:
  • While trapped in his own Mental World in the midst of a deathlike state, Shigaraki comes across the ghost of his sister Hana, who apologizes for not standing up for him on the night his Quirk manifested. Instead of getting mad, Shigaraki assures her that he doesn't hold it against her. The sight of a giant visage of his mother also causes him to temporarily assume the form of his childhood self as he tells her that he's going to be okay. Even though he fully intends to continue down the path of villainy, it's somewhat touching that Shigaraki still cares for part of his family.
• Chapter 274:
  • Upon realizing that Shigaraki has not only sensed him but plans on coming towards him, Izuku is quick to leave his friends in order to protect them.
  • Meanwhile upon realizing that Shigaraki will be after Izuku, Bakugo is quick to follow Izuku in order to protect him. Which is a far cry from the boy who ruthlessly bullied him from the beginning of the manga.
• Chapter 275:
  • Midoriya of course is concerned about him coming along, at first, but Bakugo (in his usual Baku-tone) says he's not letting him take on Shigaraki alone.
    • Sure, he claims he's just using One for All as bait to take down Shigaraki himself, but Bakugo and Midoriya are still moving side-by-side to fight the leader of the League of Villains. With flashbacks showing a time where Midroiya was just trailing behind his childhood friend-turned-bully, it shows that, on some level, they consider each other equals.
  • At the end of the chapter, Aizawa glares down at Shigaraki, thoughts racing through his head: wondering how Midoriya and Bakugo knew what Shigaraki was up to, Crust rotting away in front of his eyes after saving his life, flashbacks of Shirakumo. Eraserhead then mentally swears he'll avenge the latter two while saying this out loud:
    Aizawa: Shigaraki... Don't you dare lay a rotten finger on my students.
• Chapter 276:
  • Aizawa is understandably worried if he will die, and how his death (and by extension, the loss of his Quirk) could wind up in thousands of lives lost, but refuses to let himself be killed since he still needs to watch over and protect his students (which also includes Shinso).
    • This marks the third appearance of Aizawa's knife in the series. The first time, he used it to cut off part of his scarf when he needed to free himself from it during Todoroki and Yaoyorozu's final exam. The second time, Toga started being able to use it to her own benefit once she was captured, and Aizawa needed to free himself from it. The third time? He's intending to use it to kill Shigaraki.
  • As Midoriya and Bakugo rush forward to help protect Eraserhead from Shigaraki, they remember all the times he has protected or defended them.
    Midoriya: Sensei! This time...
    Bakugo: It's our turn!!
• Chapter 277:
  • Midoriya telling Aizawa and Gran Torino that the worst-case scenario for him would be losing his teacher who had watched over him for all that time. For Midoriya, losing Aizawa is an even worse outcome than losing One For All.
    • And in a more subtle heartwarming moment, Bakugo exclaims that they should fight Shigaraki rationally, which is an attitude that he's clearly emulated from Aizawa and his past lessons.
    • Aizawa's reaction to Midoriya saving him definitely counts. He thinks back to the beginning of the series, during the Quirk Apprehension Test, where Midoriya's use of One For All was still self-destructive and Aizawa made it clear that he couldn't become a hero with that kind of power. And now Midoriya's clashing with the monster that Shigaraki had become and Aizawa can only look on in awe at how far he had come since then.
  • After Endeavor pushes Shigaraki away from Midoriya and Bakugo, the very first thing he asks of them is where Shoto is. No matter what you think of him in the long run it's clear that Endeavor's entire outlook has changed since he decided to try becoming a better hero and father, and it's very heartwarming to see him go from pretty much the worst dad ever to a father who puts his son's safety as his main priority, even in the midst of a war.
  • Though Gran Torino's of course furious at Shigaraki perverting the legacy of his deceased friend, Nana Shimura, he's also adamant on making sure his old pupil, All Might, doesn't have to suffer anymore because of him. For all his teaching methods and grumpiness, Torino's sick of watching the hero he trained hurt so much.
• Chapter 278:
  • As Midnight's telling Yaoyorozu to cook up an anesthetic to knock out Gigantomachia, she adds that she won't force her student to be the one who administers it. Her thoughts before a Front member attacks her from behind are a flashback of the Joint Training Arc, where Midnight predicted she'd make a fine leader one day. The teacher trusts her judgement.
  • As Yaoyorozu finds her resolve and begins putting together a plan, she goes to say something, but Kaminari tells her the assembled students all know that the moment they put on their costumes, they have to be heroes. Every single one of them stays put, despite the odds.
• In Chapter 284, a conversation between Bakugo and All Might indicates that Bakugo does, in fact, regret bullying Midoriya and is trying to change himself.
  All Might: I don't want to speculate and talk about things I'm not sure of because I'm worried for him [Midoriya]. You are too.
  Bakugo: Something doesn't feel right. It makes me wanna keep him at arm's length. Back then, I ignored my own weakness, so I ended up bullying him.
  All Might: But now you're sincerely helping out with his training. That's your way of trying to atone... right? (Bakugo is silent) Though I'm sure he doesn't see it that way.
• Chapter 285: While also being a Tear Jerker, Bakugo's sacrificial leap to save Midoriya from imminent death cemented him as a bona fide Jerk with a Heart of Gold, even in the eyes of detractors.
  • There's also his Internal Monologue about how his body moved on its own, a Meaningful Echo to Midoriya's remarks when saving him from the Sludge Villain. At long last, Bakugo is repaying Midoriya for saving him at the start of the series.
• Chapter 287: Yoichi Shigaraki rebuts All For One's arguments by praising Midoriya's resolve to save people no matter what, and deems him worthy of wielding the Quirk.
• Chapter 288: As Toga goes off to search for Ochaco, Spinner briefly comforts her over the loss of Twice and lets her know that her comrades will be waiting for her to come back:
  Spinner: Toga. I know we're just a gang of strays who happened to find each other... but you're not the only one feeling messed-up over Twice. The League was the only place he felt he could belong. And the boss probably wants us to stick together. I know that doing what we want is the villain way... but you'd better come back to us.
  • It’s nice to see that after Twice’s death, Spinner seems to have inherited Jin’s role as The Heart, so as to keep supporting his teammates.
• Chapter 289: Iida insists on running ahead to warn the heroes fighting Shigaraki, even if it means disobeying orders, saying that three of them are his classmates, and of those three, two of them (Midoriya and Todoroki) are "dear friends" who taught him a valuable lesson.
• Chapter 291:
  • If Endeavour's opening narration is to be believed, he really cared about Toya, raising him to become a hero despite possessing only a fire Quirk because of his latent talents. He also cared for Fuyumi who only possessed an ice Quirk, with a panel showing him watching over both his children during their childhoods. He even admits that he was prepared to let go of his rivalry and resentment with All Might if Toya could become a great hero.
  • Just as the above, if Endeavor is to be believed then Rei was willing to have more children with him because she wanted her kids to encourage one another. Which goes against the non-consensual relationship Shoto and Dabi believed it was. For as horrible as it is now, these small things do imply their marriage did have a good start.
    • The anime expands a bit of Enji's flashback to show Rei smiling as she watches Enji train Touya, implying there was a time where she fully trusted Enji with his training and was also supportive of their Hero goals.
  • When Endeavour is paralyzed with grief as Dabi moves to kill him, Todoroki begs Endeavour to move to save himself with tears in his eyes. It shows how far these two have come since their first interaction in the series.
• Chapter 293:
  • As the flashback shows, Mirio heard about the full-scale mission that was about to take place from Bubble Girl, so he humbly asked Eri to try and give him his Quirk. At an encouraging nod from Aizawa next to her, the little girl walked up, placed her hands on both of the third-year's cheeks, and said with a bright smile:
    Eri: Don't be sorry. This's why I'm training!
    • And seeing as we watch Lemillion back in action, it's safe to assume it worked on the first try. Mirio thanks Eri again while he's facing the Nomus.
  • Nejire saying she feels fine after seeing Mirio back in action despite being burned.
  • Bakugo jumps right back into the fight, but there's a slight difference. As he's launching himself, he notes how condensed and faster the explosions from his hands were back when he saved Midoriya and successfully replicates the sensation while aiding Best Jeanist, Lemillion, Ingenium and Nejire Chan.
    • Plus he hasn't forgotten the promise he made that he'd reveal his new Hero name to Jeanist first and foremost (sorta a Bakugo-way of saying thanks for the lessons). Of course, Jeanist considers the name, "Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight," another dud, but at least Mirio gives him props for the (unintentional) sense of humor.
    • And then Mirio recites the motto of his former mentor, showing he hasn't forgotten Sir Nighteye.
  • Despite his limbs being wrecked, Deku intervening against Dabi to save Shoto and says it his business as Shoto is his friend and Endeavor is his mentor who made him stronger.
  • Deku finally has a chance to counter Dabi's Hannibal Lecture, meant to discredit Endeavor and crush the hopes of everyone listening. He doesn't disappoint, pointing out that while Endeavor did some awful crap in the past, he's making an effort to atone for what he did.
    Deku: Sure, the past never dies! And that's why I'm watching Endeavor real hard as he tries to be better! And guess what?! You aren't Endeavor!!
    • Note Endeavor's expression as he hears this. What happens next implies that Deku inspired the new Number One to push himself beyond his limits, just like All Might would have.
    • The remark is also an Ironic Echo to what Midoriya said during his first conversation with Endeavor. Back then, he'd said it to express the fact that Todoroki was his own person with his own desires, not just a tool for Endeavor to realize his dream of surpassing All Might. Now, this line is to express that despite everything he knows about Endeavor, he understands that Endeavor's a better person than his revenge-obsessed villain son, since Endeavor wants to change for the better.
• Chapter 294:
  • When battling the Nomus, Iida tells Bakugo to retreat, using his full Hero name, prioritizing the safety of his fellow Hero and classmate over the fight in front of him. This is a far cry from who Iida was in The Hero Killer Arc, who now prioritizes the safety of others over his own desires.
    • Also notable is Bakugo's response, while he doesn't say it out loud, he does mentally agree with Iida's decision, following his Class President's advice for the first time in the series.
  • As Best Jeanist begins choking Compress and Spinner into unconsciousness, Compress is able to tell Spinner that he truly loved the League of Villains and states that Shigaraki is the key to their victory, showing his faith in his leader as he uses his Quirk to maim his own body to free his allies.
    • This is taken further as Compress leaps up Gigantomachia's back and affirms to himself that Shigaraki is the one who will accomplish what his great, great grandfather infamous villain, Oji Harima could not.
    • On his way up Gigantomachia, injured, besieged by Jeanist’s Quirk, and short on time, Compress still takes the few extra seconds to free the trapped Skeptic, despite him never having been a part of the League of Villains in the first place (and his overbearing personality). Let it not be said that Compress doesn’t care about every one of his comrades.
• Chapter 295:
  • Spinner re-affirms his status as The Heart of the P.L.F. when he vocally objects to the All For One-controlled Shigaraki’s cold decision to abandon Compress, Gigantomachia, and Toga to the heroes as punishment for Tomura’s failure. Not that All For One actually cares, of course, but it’s the thought that counts.
• Chapter 296:
  • In the midst of the fight's brutal outcome, we get Ochaco and Tsuyu working tirelessly to save as many people as they can. Seeing people be saved and reunited with their loved ones provides some much-needed hopefulness in an otherwise devastating situation.
  • It's a rather bittersweet moment, but two of the kids from Masegaki Elementary are desperately clinging to hope, since Shoto "Five Weenies" Todoroki told them it'd be fine. That's not much comfort for the current situation, but it shows that heroes' actions can have an impact on people, even Todoroki and the others' participation in the humiliating and almost punitive remedial training.
• Chapter 297:
  • While in the process of making her own escape a female prisoner takes a moment to free Overhaul from his cell with little prompting needed.
    • Once Overhaul is freed the first thing he does is call out for his boss, clearly worried for him.
• Chapter 298:
  • Spinner professes his loyalty is to Shigaraki, not AFO, and more or less calls out the latter. Apparently, Shigaraki and Spinner also play video games together.
  • Thinking about Dabi, Todoroki comes to the conclusion that he'll have to be the one to take him down because Endeavor can't. Their relationship has come a long way if Todoroki shows that much awareness and concern for his dad's safety.
  • What does Bakugo do when he hears about Midoriya's comatose condition? Dashes to Midoriya's room in the hospital, even though he's also injured. All Might is already there beside the bed.
    • Before that there's his classmates' genuinely delighted response to his waking up (Mineta outright cries and hugs him), and Bakugo asking after not only Midoriya, but also Todoroki, Aizawa, and all their other allies, showing a rare look of completely sincere concern as he does so.
• Chapter 299:
  • Despite his terrible childhood as the loveless product of an abusive, criminal father and a passive mother, Hawks escaped those familial ties and eventually became a hero. This was thanks to Endeavor who was both a comforting figure through his childhood through a stuffed doll, and also the one to capture and arrest his horrible father. The time when his mother bought him the Endeavor doll is one of the few fond memories he has of his parents.
    • Back to the present, Hawks decides that regardless of what Dabi revealed being true or not, Endeavor is still the man who, even if indirectly, saved Hawks from a miserable life, and he won't turn his back on him now.
  • Hawks remarks that Twice was "a decent guy" who wanted to help others, showing that while he ended up having to kill Twice, his sympathy for him was genuine.
  • In the message she's left to him, Hawks' mother says that while she's sorry for having revealed the truth about him and his origin (even if under threat), she's proud of what he's become, a far cry from the times she questioned why he was even born.
  • The last panel of the chapter shows two little bumps protruding from Hawks' back, a sign that despite the horrible burns he suffered there, his wings haven't been lost and have started regenerating. After being frequently accompanied by Icarus symbolism, Hawks may now become a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
• Chapter 300:
  • When Wash comes to a scene of a crime and can only witness that the villains and some armed civilians have taken each other out with horrific collateral damage, he's berated and thrown objects at by some civilians. While visibly upset by that, he soldiers on and keeps helping. Wash looks silly and it's known to be popular for advertising, which led some fans to even theorize he was little more than a corporate mascot; instead, between saving a lot of people during the war, being immediately back to work, and deciding to go on despite the pressure, he shows much more conviction than the serious-looking Yoroi Musha, who instead decides to retire.
  • Endeavor is hitting rock bottom. The realization of his past sins and how they have contributed to creating the current situation, along with the huge pressure of being considered responsible by many for the ongoing downfall, is crushing him. Then his family comes — the whole family. Rei is there too. Contrary to the fears the reveal of Dabi as her older son Toya would plunge her back into insanity, she looks to have found a new resolve, and immediately calls out to her husband, telling his family have suffered more than himself, as to tell him that he mustn't give up on his journey to betterment. To top it all off, she's carrying a flower in her hand — the same kind of flowers that Enji himself would bring to the hospital staff for her. No matter how angry she might be towards him for everything he's done, she proves that she still has faith in him.
• Chapter 301:
  • There are two small ones in what is otherwise a very devastating chapter. The first depicting Endeavor's courtship with Rei. While it's finally confirmed that their marriage was one of convenience, he's shown spending time with her and learning about what she likes and dislikes, and it’s very much implied that he did genuinely fall in love with her. The latter comes at the end of the chapter, where Rei makes it clear that while Endeavor is not allowed to wallow in self pity, she is just as much to blame as he is for what happened to their son.
  • In a flashback, Endeavor is shown trying to steer Touya away from the hero life, encouraging him to go to school and play with his siblings instead, because Touya using his Quirk is physically hurting him.
• Chapter 302:
  • Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo all acknowledge that they, not just Enji, share some responsibility for Toya becoming Dabi.
  • Rei says that she's grateful for Shoto forgiving her and seeing her as his mother again despite having every right to resent her, and calls him "our family's hero."
  • Shoto then reveals that he was the one who talked to Rei, since he's realized that this isn't his battle to fight, nor is it Enji's — all the Todoroki family must come together to stop Dabi, which drives Enji to tears.
• Chapter 303:
  • Hawks and Best Jeanist return to the Grand Central Hospital not only to comfort Enji, but to also help him support stopping Dabi. What's even more heartwarming is that Hawks still regard Enji as role model despite his actions, presumably from understanding that he is willing to own up to his mistakes and that he is regretful of his actions. This, of course, touches Enji more and reignites his confidence and strength.
  • Hawks, clocking just how hard Shouto suffered under his family, compliments Shouto for being brave enough to reconcile with his parents. Coming from a broken family, Hawks seems touched that the Todorokis are in a healing process.
  • For those who were worried about Bakugo, the fact that he's lively as ever will come as a relief. And in his own way, he's "encouraging" Midoriya to get better soon...
    Bakugo: DAMNIT, FREAKIN' DEKU!! WHY D'YOU GET TO SNOOZE WHEN I'M AWAKE?!
• Chapter 305:
  • Despite being told that Tomura is beyond saving and is under All For One's possession, Izuku still wants to save him. Not the monster that is Tomura Shigaraki, but the frightened and sad boy that is Tenko Shimura. The image of Midoriya as a child walking over to Tenko exemplifies this (although Izuku has reserved the option of killing Tomura as a last resort).
  • During the discussion with One For All's previous wielders, the vestige of All Might has been sitting stoically, not responding to anyone . . . until Midoriya says the following:
    Midoriya: One For All is a power to save people, not to kill. All Might taught me that lesson.
    • That actually causes the Vestige of All Might's expression to change for the first time, becoming wide-eyed. Midoriya then continues on with how All Might and all of the wielders of One For All saved countless people, and changed a power meant to destroy an enemy into a power that saves and protects the innocent. By the time Midoriya states that he wants to save the "crying child" within Shigaraki, the essence of All Might is moved to tears.
    • A nice extra touch is that while All Might is crying, One For All's original wielder places a comforting hand on All Might's shoulder.
  • Especially touching? All the other predecessors — barring the two that have been facing the wall up till now — are very much on board with Midoriya's line of thinking, saying they only brought up the kill-or-be-killed situation to test his resolve.
• Chapter 306:
  • While it overlaps heavily with Tear Jerker, there's something heartwarming about the fact that Izuku leaves behind letters explaining himself to his class. He might feel that he has to protect them is to go on the run, but that doesn't erase the bond he's built with them over the past year, a strong enough bond that he felt comfortable opening up to all of them about a secret that's traditionally been held very close to the chest by his predecessors.

Dark Hero Arc

• Chapter 307:
  • Despite the conflict between the two, Grand and the Taguchi defenders both show willingness to put their lives on the line for each other. Yo goes all out in an attempt to stop Muscular (now called Jailbreaker) from attacking the defenders (as his partner tries in vain to keep them from gearing up and heading out to face him) and the defenders immediately start heading out the moment Muscular overwhelms Yo, aiming to save him.
• Chapter 309:
  • After Muscular is dealt with, the defenders get a stretcher out for Yo to help carry him to shelter. Why? They don't want anyone dying, just like him and Tatami. He also notes that he's willing to at least hear them out.
• Chapter 310:
  • Deku saving a scared young woman from armed civilians who assumed she was villain simply because she had a mutant-type Quirk and startled them with her appearance. In the aftermath, Deku gives the woman her umbrella to protect her from the rain and assures her that peace will return.
  • All-Might bringing Deku who is patrolling non-stop a packed lunch to keep up his strength. The masked Deku expresses his gratitude, showing that despite the circumstances, his personality remains unfazed.
  • Yoichi Shigaraki, the first user of One For All, manages to talk the second user into helping Izuku. The second and third users were both resistance fighters against All For One, and had to resort to lethal violence because AFO was at the height of his power, and the Quirk One For All was still in its weakest stages. As such, both of them believe that Izuku's more idealistic outlook is a ridiculous delusion. Yoichi appeals to the second user by pointing out You Are Better Than You Think You Are.
    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? (...) Yes. One For All emerged from the will to resist my brother, but... the moment your hand reached out to me was when One For All was truly born.
• Chapter 315:
  • Even after all this time, all Chisaki wants to do is to undo the mistake he made and bring his adoptive father back.
  • When Lady Nagant threatens to shoot Chisaki, Izuku moves faster than the bullet and saves him. Chisaki tortured Eri for years, killed Sir Nighteye, caused Mirio to lose his Quirk and caused tremendous problems for the heroes leading to the raid on the Shie Hassaikai — but for Deku, right now he's someone in danger.
  • Deku manages to neutralize Lady Nagant by breaking her arm. Nagant loses control of Air Walk and falls off — only for Deku to rescue her. Then, he tells her that he knows she was holding back — the bullet she had fired at Chisaki was off course, and if she had been serious, she could have easily crippled or killed Izuku rather than just trying to make him surrender. And finishes it off by stating that, just like she fell into the darkness, she can still return to the light. The cynic Lady Nagant is so moved by Deku's selflessness that she almost calls him a true hero. Pity that All for One chose to ensure there was a Heel–Face Door-Slam in place...
  • Finally, Hawks showing up and grabbing a falling, burned Lady Nagant, begging her not to die.
• Chapter 316: The fact that, despite Overhaul establishing himself to still be an irredeemable monster, having no remorse for his treatment of Eri and calling Deku a "diseased maggot" (even though Deku just saved his life moments earlier), Deku is still willing to heal the boss for him and hold up Nagant's end of their deal, seeing that Overhaul truly does care about his boss and regret his treatment of him.
• Chapter 317: The fact that Mt. Lady is still going as a hero, despite faith in heroes being at an all-time low. Considering how many times she's been battered, bruised, beaten up, tossed aside, or even shown to be repeatedly in the red financially, the fact that Mt. Lady keeps going anyway proves that she's not the Glory Hound she's made out to be. At the very least, it's admirable behavior.
• Chapter 318: With the focus being on Izuku during this arc, everyone wondered what the other students were doing. At the end of this chapter, Bakugo shows up in a Big Damn Heroes move to help Izuku deal with a villain and sends a message to tell his classmates he's found Izuku.
• Chapter 319: Though most of them have only known Izuku for about a year, Iida and Class 1-A express how much they truly care and want to stay by his side.
  Iida: No matter how great a burden One For All may be, Midoriya is our friend. And we can't very well be expected to go smiling into the future knowing that our friend is walking this thorny path alone.
  • Despite Endeavor's objections due to the presence of the evacuees, Principal Nezu agrees with 1-A and states that Izuku is free to return to UA at any time if he so desired, as he and every UA student by extension fell under the UA protection the moment they were accepted into UA.
    • What is worth noting is how Nezu words this statement. He says that Izuku is free to return — a sentiment that Izuku does not currently share, and right now, he needs to be told and shown that by his fellow classmates in order to understand otherwise.
    • Nezu also mentions that all students of UA are deserving of their protection, even graduates like All Might himself, reminding everyone even though Toshinori dedicated his life to protecting others, there are still people who want to protect him as well.
  • At the end, the entire class makes it clear to Izuku that You Are Not Alone and that they are ready to stand by him, no matter how much he rejects their help.
  • Notably, Bakugo shows just how well he knows his oldest friend, even if it's in his usual harsh way. He spells out to Endeavor exactly why they should be worried about Deku and shows that, despite his temper, he really does know Deku better than anyone else. For a character who spent his early apperances as the most vitriolic and cruel bully imaginable, Bakugo shows not only his character development in acknowledging the strength of others, but that, deep down, he's always paid just as close attention to Midoriya as Midoriya did to him.
    Bakugo: You don't understand anything about Deku. That damned nerd is insane, he doesn't take himself into account. He always just insists he's fine. It's the same way All Might became the symbol of peace. We can't stop him.
• Chapter 320: As Izuku begins his escape attempt from Class 1-A, some of the less prominent classmates get their chance to shine by appealing to him through their shared adventures.
  • Koda loudly declares to Midoriya Principal Nezu's invitation to return to UA.
  • Sero comments on Black Whip after countering it with his Tape, which gets Midoriya to remember how Sero helped him learn to control his new Quirk.
  • Jiro thanks Midoriya for helping her organize her notes ahead of the School Festival.
  • Ojiro reminds Midoriya of how angry he got at Shinso for insulting Ojiro during their match at the Sports Festival.
  • Sato reminds Midoriya of making the candy apple for Eri.
  • Kaminari bluntly states that he and Midoriya have little in common, but he still considers Midoriya his friend and wants him to come back with them to UA.
  • Shoji recalls the Training Camp and how Midoriya complimented their collection of Quirks when they went to save Bakugo and Tokoyami.
  • Tokoyami, while using Ragnarok: Womb to trap Midoriya, reminds him that it was his idea to use Dark Shadow's offensive power for defensive purposes, back during the Sports Festival.
  • Asui gets this:
    Asui: I’m not weeping and moping around anymore. Because you matter to me. You’re my friend, and when we’re scared, we tremble together. When times are tough, we cry together. So, if you’re dead set on being some comic book superhero... then Class A…won’t let you live that fantasy alone.
  • And, through all of it, Deku comments that he knows that they really want to help him, because Danger Sense never activates during the entire fight.
• Chapter 321: In addition to Shoto's pleas for Deku to let them fight with him, Ochaco explaining that they just want to walk alongside him, Mineta revealing that he'd never admired Deku's powers, but the fact that he was always able to lead them to victory even when he was terrified, there's Iida throwing Deku's words back in the Stain arc right back at him with a tearful grin.
  Iida: Sticking your nose into other people's business... is what makes a true hero, right?!
  • Ochako tries to catch Izuku from behind as he slingshots away, only missing by tenths of a second and hugging the air. Izuku's deliberate closing of his eyes when he hears Ochako implies that he knows his resolve would collapse if he saw her.
• Chapter 322: In the previous chapter, it is implied that Bakugo might want to apologize to Midoriya for everything (he just says "there are so many things I have to tell you"), here, he finally gets the chance to do so.
  Bakugo: Do you remember what I said, when Shigaraki stabbed me through the gut?
  Midoriya: I don't.
  Bakugo: “Stop trying to win this by yourself.” But there was more on my mind. The reason I got impaled was cuz my body moved on my own. Our whole lives, I looked down on you. You were Quirkless. Obviously way behind me... but somehow, it always felt like you were ahead of me, too. I hated that. I wished you would disappear. I couldn't accept that. So, I bullied you to make sure you stayed away. I had to reject you, so that I could be superior. I had to win, so I could beat you. Then we both got into U.A., where not one thing played out the way I wanted it to. Every day, I was forced to see how strong you were, and how weak I was. Saying this out loud doesn’t change a thing, but it’s still how I feel… Izuku… I'm sorry for everything.
  • This heartfelt apology is followed by Bakugo telling Midoriya he did everything absolutely right and his choices weren't misguided. But his ideals will not carry him on forever. He needs to rely on his friends too. Midoriya apologizes for having said that they couldn't keep up before, taking back his words and saying it was cruel of him. Too tired to carry on, he collapses, Bakugo softly saying "I know" and bracing him for support, as Class 1-A takes him back to U.A.
  • Throughout Bakugo's speech, Midoriya's Blank White Eyes, clouded with despair over the lonely path he feels he must walk to save everybody, slowly regain their pupils as he slowly processes and understands what Bakugo is saying, realizing that his rival is baring his honest feelings to him out of sincere regret for his past misdeeds, that all his classmates share his willingness to be there to support him, that he can trust them and let them be there for him when he needs their help the most. The emotional impact is furthered by both Izuku and Bakugo reverting to their childhood selves, then moving to their middle school uniforms, their UA student uniforms, and finally their current hero costumes as Bakugo not only apologizes to Izuku face-to-face in the rain , but called him by name. It parallels the anime's first opening sequence wherein Izuku and Bakugo were facing away from each other, unable to look directly at their childhood friend due to the complex emotions that drive a wedge between them. Bakugo's apology to Izuku has been a long time coming, and as the lyrics say: 'The Day... has come'.
  • When Izuku is rejected entry into the fortified UA campus by the citizens taking shelter inside, denying him shelter out of fear that Shigaraki or All For One could come for him and catch them in the crossfire, Izuku tries to turn and walk away without a word, only for Uraraka to grab his hand and reassure him it's ok, that he can stay beside them, regardless of the danger, before turning the face the protesting mob arrayed before them, remembering her own thoughts about who will protect heroes when they themselves need aid.
    • Izuku's look at Ochaco when she grabs his hand. It manages to transmit exhaustion and wonder together.
• Chapter 323: Ochaco makes good on the previous chapter's claim and picks up a megaphone, telling everyone that Izuku has been running himself into the ground for their sake, and asks people to really look at him and see the person. It works, as people calm down and recognize Izuku.
  • Blink-and-you'll-miss-it example: as we see people reacting to the growing panic of the crowd, there's single panel of Eri being comforted by Monoma of all people. It seems he's not the dark side of UA anymore.
• Chapter 324: Ochaco's heartfelt declaration is not only heartwarming in itself, but also a fantastic Call-Back to the early chapters, complete with Ochaco declaring UA to be Izuku's "Hero Academy" the same way All Might did to the both of them, and Izuku himself collapsing in tears. For bonus points, the chapter ends with Kota and the mutant-Quirk woman Izuku rescued a few chapters earlier rushing toward him.
  "This is the story, of how we ALL became the greatest heroes."
  • For extra bonus points, remember that Kota is the same kid who used to hate heroes so much that he punched Izuku in the nuts as soon as they met. Izuku was there for Kota to help him through his darkest moments, and now it's Kota's time to return the favor and be there to help comfort Izuku through his own darkest times.
  • Kota even wanted red trainers because they looked similar to Deku's own when he saved him from Muscular.
  • The anime adds even more extra points with Ochaco's speech backed by the return of "You Can Become A Hero", the music that played back when All Might first gave Deku hope for his future.
• Chapter 325:
  • Mineta, of all people, being the one to attempt to rush to the distraught Deku's side to comfort him, with Iida stopping him only because the situation demands that the civilians reconcile with heroes right now more than ever. Kota and the tall lady with the mutant-Quirk hug and embrace him.
  • Kota begs Deku not to cry anymore, while the huge lady tells Izuku she was rejected from all the other shelters because of her appearance, but glad she came to the Academy, as she got to meet her "Crybaby Hero" again.
    • Even more touching in the anime, when Kota breaks from Ragdoll to run to Izuku's side, there is a close-up on his shoes: the ones he begged Mandalay for after the Summer Camp, insisting on them being red like Izuku's were.
  • The old man who asked Midoriya if he wanted to be a hero all the way back in Chapter 1 makes a return, standing up for Izuku and the rest of the remaining heroes, asking the crowd what right they have to shun and hate the same people they're expecting to save them.
  • In a beautiful double spread of civilians handing out umbrellas to the students, Deku, hand being held by Iida, finally gets to reunite with his mother, and as both are overwhelmed and crying, the man who was at the front of the crowd demanding Deku leave is seen holding an umbrella over Deku to keep him dry, looking clearly apologetic as Mineta and Kota run up to hug Deku.
  • The civilians all offering their umbrellas up to protect their heroes from the rain.
  • After the scene at UA, we focus on Nezu and Aizawa. We learn that Kurogiri and several other Nomu have been relocated to a hospital, in an effort to restore their original selves. Instead of writing them off as lost causes, there are still people willing to try and save them.
• Chapter 326:
  • Stain is outraged when he hears All Might talking badly about himself, initially calling him a fake. However, All Might doesn't feel any bloodlust from him (as well as some of Stain's last words all but acknowledging he knows he's been talking to All Might), implying Stain's just trying to inspire him to keep fighting, pointing out that even after losing his powers, he's still an inspiration to the new generation of heroes, who are still fighting even with the peaceful world he created being destroyed. He then leaves All Might with information he gathered while in Tartarus and challenges All Might to come after him later.
    • Notably, regarding the heroes Stain talks about and praises, look at who's among them. Iida. A sharp contrast from their initial fight, with Stain lambasting him for not acting like a hero.
    • Not just Iida, but all of Class 1-A, implying Stain considers each and every one of them to be true heroes like All Might.
    • It's also implied that, instead of trying to spread his ideology or continue his killings, Stain has spent most of his time since escaping Tartarus and getting his gear back keeping tabs on Midoriya and All Might.
  • In the latter half of the chapter, we learn that a civilian regularly comes by to clean up the vandalism of All Might's statue. The civilian in question happens to be the very last person that All Might rescued back in the Hideout Raid Arc. The last we saw her, she was teary-eyed and frightened, but now her gaze is determined.
    Civilian: (speaking to the statue of All Might) I'm doing my best. You too, ok?
    Yagi: [watches her silently, tears beginning to form in his eyes]

• Chapter 327:
  • 90% of this chapter could be considered a Breather Chapter for this arc, as after several months of downward spiraling in his time as a vigilante, Izuku and the rest of Class 1A both give and receive several more acts of compassion the moment the former is allowed back into U.A.
    • During the bath scene, Bakugo stops himself from calling Izuku 'Deku' midway through his re-affirmation and calling him by his first name. And in return, Izuku lets him know that it's okay to still call him Deku, showing that the meaning has completely changed for him.
    • Izuku, despite his exhaustion, remembers that the last time he talked to All Might, he pushed the former hero away when offered a bento, so he holds off on sleeping until he can apologize in person. Luckily, he gets to do just that when All Might pays an immediate visit to Alliance Heights.
    • Todoroki is mindful the whole time of the above, telling the others to settle down so Izuku can rest. And when Izuku finally falls asleep on the couch, Todoroki immediately takes notice and covers him with a blanket, all while continuing his conversation with Jiro, Yaoyorozu and Kirishima about Endeavor and Dabi.
    • Jiro, feeling inspired from their performance in U.A. Cultural Festival, decides to hold a meeting with her old band to discuss plans on how to lift the civilians' spirits. Putting the Band Back Together, so to speak, whether it's another song discussion or a different activity altogether, really shows how far she's come from being excited but extremely nervous to lead a team and become her own hero.

• Chapter 328:
  • A flashback to the day of the Tartarus breakout shows that he may be a twisted and psychotic killer, but Stain does have a heart in him that cares for others, even if he's willing to shed as much blood as necessary to enforce his ideal on the world. Overhearing one escapee gloat that the day has finally arrived when he can start "collecting females again", Stain instantly slits his throat rather than allow him to roam the outside world, and when he stumbles across a dying prison warden in the monitoring room, clutching the recording data from the prison cells with the last of his strength, he takes the data from him, but assures the man that his last efforts were not All for Nothing, and the information will be delivered to "the right man" before the room collapses on top of him. Neither of these actions benefit him in any direct manner, and Stain makes it clear that he knows he won't be thanked for them, but he does it anyway, simply because it's the right thing to do.
    Warden: Akaguro..are you...a man? Or a beast?
    Stain: I'm merely an ally to the world as it should be. But a beast all the same.
  • As a sign of how respected All Might was as a hero internationally, his plea for aid to the international community, alongside Hawks and Endeavour's, has been met with universal agreement by several foreign heroes from different countries, who express frustration with the current social collapse in Japan as well as the fact that they cannot immediately jump to aid him due to international politics. The only exception is America's own number one hero, who already left for Japan before her superiors could give her the green light.
    Stars and Stripes: My master's in a pickle! Why would I think twice?

U.A Traitor Arc

• Chapter 337:
  • 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 lead to All Might's retirement— something Bakugou 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, Bakugou 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.
  • Adding to the above, the chapter ends with Izuku extending his hand to Aoyama, and repeating the same words All Might told him at the start of the series: "You can still become a hero!". Rather than condemn Aoyama for his actions, Midoriya is willing to give him a chance to atone, showing that he understands how much pain he's going through for all that has happened.
  • Jiro comforting Mina and Ojiro comforting Hagakure are brief moments, but they are very sweet.
• Chapter 340:
  • Aizawa tells Aoyama that, while it is likely the latter will have to leave U.A. once the war is done, he is still going to do everything in his hand to not only prevent that, but ensure he can redeem himself and stand next to his friends in the fight.
  • During this speech, there is one panel of Kurogiri, showing that Aizawa is also planning to help his old friend return and cast away All for One's corrupting influence.
  • The last panel shows the return of another character: Hitoshi Shinso, now wearing an advanced hero costume and ready to join 1-A in the war.
• Chapter 341:
  • Dabi burning down Toga's run-down home to make Toga move on and not be reminded by her hurtful past. Dabi may not be the most caring League member, but he motivates Toga to smile as they plan to destroy the world and have the last laugh. Even Toga notices this and said it was unusually kind of him.
  • Dabi had a vial of Twice's blood which he gave to Toga to use as well as some closure. It gives another reminder that Toga genuinely adored Twice when she talks about and mourns him.
  • Spinner makes it very clear that he's only still with All For One at all because he cares about Shigaraki, and expresses concern for Shigaraki's current state of being. Though they may be villains, Spinner and Shigaraki were True Companions.
• Chapter 342
  • The farewells class 1-A has with their families and loved ones. Deku gets a particular one as he says goodbye to both Eri and Kota who have finally met for the first time in canon!
    • One notable moment during the goodbye montage is Shoji and "Ordinary Woman" shaking hands, the implication being that, somewhere between her and Kota comforting Midoriya and this scene, they've bonded from their shared experiences as mutants experiencing Fantastic Racism. This plays a huge role in the next arc as Shoji and Koda face Spinner.
  • Midoriya seeks out Uraraka to thank her for speaking in his defense and profusely compliments her when he thinks she's being self-deprecating.
  • The multiple Sympathy for the Devil moments in this chapter, such as Midoriya and Uraraka commiserating on the complicated feelings of compassion they feel for Shigaraki and Toga. Also Todoroki optimistically shares his plans to share a meal with Toya once the war ends.
  • Iida, Kirishima, and Bakugo keep Todoroki company in his room out of concern for his mental state. Bakugo even gets a small smile out of Todoroki when he jokes that Toya's favorite food is hot udon (to contrast with Shoto's love of cold soba).

Final War Arc

• Chapter 344:
  • Due to the nature of Monoma's Quirk requiring him to copy Quirks which would leave him mostly harmless on his own, he's often been told in his childhood that he would never become a hero. Vlad King comforts him over this, reminding him about the roles everyone has to play in this plan, and there's no such thing as a "bit character".
    Vlad King: You have, and will always be... a star.
  • Cue Monoma laughing in glee as he's using Warp Gate to bring The Cavalry, and being the major lynchpin for the heroes' plan.
    Monoma: HAH HA HA HA HA! THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!
• Chapter 353: When Todoroki finally wins his match against Dabi, the news quickly make the rounds, emboldening his classmates. Of special note is Bakugo, who states he never doubted Todoroki would win, and even says his name instead of the nickname "Icy Hot" he used for Shoto before.
• Chapter 355: How does Jiro deal with All for One trying to break her spirit? By ignoring his words and declaring her outrage over him being the reason her friends cried.
• Chapter 356: Endeavor sacrifices his right arm, his victory arm, to protect Hawks, Tokoyami and Jirou from All for One's attack.
• Chapter 357: As he fights All for One, Endeavor thinks about how he has to survive so that he can create a better future for the next generation of heroes, remembering Todoroki showing his quirk to the children during the remedial exam, before imagining him going to join his friends (including Bakugo and Midoriya.) He notes that he has to keep paying his penance and watch over Toya in the future.
• Chapter 371:
  • Shoji is revealed to have scars in his face when a racist attacked him with a pitchfork for touching a nonmutant. He's never let that twist him: instead, he wants to prove the racists wrong by becoming a great hero.
    • In a flashback, we see Shoji's trust in his classmates when he tells them his story and shows them his face, and all of them jump to his defense at hearing of his hometown's Fantastic Racism. When he shares that he only has one memory where he was actually happy about his appearance and abilities, — saving a little girl from drowning in a flood — a handful jump to him and vow to make more happy memories, cuddling under his arm webbing like a big blanket.
  • Koda has his Quirk awakening and unleashes a huge flock of birds... because the Hooded Advisor was mocking Shoji.
• Chapter 372:
  • The little girl that Shoji saved didn't find him scary or creepy. She apologizes to Shoji after he was attacked for saving her, and that the attackers made his face scary. It's no wonder Shoji wants to be a hero.
  • Koda's father was a nonmutant who defended his mutant wife from multiple racists that tried to attack her because of her horns.
  • When Spinner reaches Shirakumo/Kurogiri's room, he turns around to see he's completely alone. Present Mic informs him that Shoji's words and the efforts of the hospital workers finally got through the whipped-up crowd, and they chose to give up.
• Chapter 378:
  • After a long absence... no, after all the hell she went through, Lady Nagant is BACK, and her eyes have a determination that says it all. She's finally fighting for what she believes in. She's fighting for the person who saved her and restored her faith. She's fighting for Izuku. And so once again, All For One proves that his greatest enemy is himself - HE arranged for Nagant and Izuku to meet, HE did it to try and break Deku, and HE started the chain of events that led to the exact moment where Nagant takes her shot.
    • Rock Lock is shown to be the one that gave her the OK to support Izuku, showing that he, too, believes that the kid he once didn't consider hero material is now their greatest hope to defeat All for One.
  • After an even longer absence than Nagant, Gentle makes a triumphant return to repay the example Izuku set and become the hero he always wanted to be. The society might have failed Gentle once, but instead of becoming a villain who takes it out against the people who have nothing to do with their predicament, he rises up to become a better person and never forget why did he want to become a hero in the first place.
    • It's also worth to mention that Gentle's plan in his debut was to sneak into U.A. School Festival, which due to villain uprising and their attacks on school was heavily protected, and so the Festival would be cancelled. Now, Tobita is saving the same school from falling to the ground, saving countless lives on island. It's a nice representation how much Gentle has changed.
• Chapter 380:
  • When Gentle sees several Business Course students filming him and Izuku's epic fight with Shigaraki, the former villain's first thought is to tell them to get to safety.
    • The students rebuff him - because filming the events is the way they can help restore people's hope in heroes. La Brava, moved by this, quickly hacks into their phones so that the entire footage can be streamed live to the entire world.
  • When Kurogiri sees Eraserhead and Present Mic falling off the control room, attacked by multiple Twice's, he teleports them to a safe place. Shirakumo isn't yet out of the fight.
  • The Shiketsu High hero students make their return in glorious fashion, saving multiple people and dealing a heavy blow to All for One's plans.
• Chapter 381: In the midst of Tokoyami's Shut Up, Hannibal! speech as he unleashes Dark Shadow's full might on All For One, there's a panel of young, adorable Tokoyami cuddling up in bed with an equally young and adorable Dark Shadow, with it being all but said the two grew up more as brothers rather than just Quirk and Quirk-bearer.
• Chapter 383: Even though they're in a rough situation, Ashido and Kirishima take the time to reassure one another.
  Kirishima: (after Mina saves Shinso) Oh no! You're dehydrated! I'm sorry, Ashido! I was useless once again...
  Ashido: Now... we're finally even.
  Kirishima: You idiot! We were always even!! You've always been my hero!
• Chapter 384:
  • Two news copters are covering the fight between Izuku and Shigaraki, both of them intent on showing the world that Japan still stands, that its heroes haven't given up yet.
  • Among the people seen watching Gentle's broadcast are Melissa Shield, the Shimano siblings, and Rody Soul and his siblings - people Izuku saved in his past adventures, now watching as Izuku becomes the world's greatest hero.
• Chapter 385:
  • Despite his reputation as The Friend Nobody Likes, Mineta gets one when he decides to distract All For One and offer up his Quirk (even if for a silly reason) as long as Tokoyami doesn't lose his. Considering the way Dark Shadow is clearly sentient (see the mention of Tokoyami's youth in Chapter 381 above), Mineta probably realizes that Tokoyami losing Dark Shadow would be equivalent to losing his brother.
  • As one of UA's mobile shelters is sabotaged Death Arms, who had retired as a Hero, saves a group of people from a collapse. He says that his body moved on its own as he recalls Izuku at the time of the Sludge Villain incident. He scolded the boy back then but now Izuku has become an inspiration for him to be a hero again.
• Chapter 388:
  • When asked by Rei to bring her to Dabi, an UA robot seems to hesitate as it should be counter to the current directive of bringing the civilians to safety, yet it honors her request. While mostly humorously, the robots have been shown to be not stupid (according to Horikoshi, they even tried to rebel at one point in the past); it's like this one understands Rei's need despite the situation. As its electronics succumb to the infernal heat, it keeps giving a thumbs up to Rei.

• Chapter 393:
  • Despite being stabbed, losing blood, and being bombarded by legions of clones Uraraka never stops trying to reach out to Toga. She may have been unable to understand Toga in their last encounter, but this time Uraraka is determined to try to understand her enemy and save her. Thanks to all her experiences throughout the series Uraraka is able to empathize with her enemy and show her genuine understanding, while still making it clear she cannot excuse Toga's crimes. The young hero brings Toga to tears by complimenting Toga's smile, being the first person ever to not call it creepy or twisted. After her quirk awakening sends both the legion of clones and her allies floating in the air, Uraraka goes to Toga, promising to let her drink her blood for the rest of their lives. To cap it all off we see Toga and Uraraka as children meeting each other, Uraraka offering to let Toga drink her blood.

• Chapter 394:
  • Uraraka successfully reaching out to Toga and getting her to open up to her. While this doesn't erase Toga's crimes it is still incredibly sweet to see Uraraka trying to make Toga feel accepted and seen as a person rather than a monster. Toga stands down and accepts Uraraka's attempts to empathize with her are genuine.
  • Ochaco openly stating she is in love with Izuku. After being afraid to acknowledge her romantic feelings for so long and being sure it would hold her back as a hero, it is Heartwarming in itself.

• Chapter 395:
  • A heavily wounded Endeavor shielding his family from the onslaught of the Sad Man's Parade. Fortunately for the family the doubles disappeared after Toga reached her time limit.
  • Hawks again expresses his regret at having to kill Twice to one of the dissolving Toga clones. He really didn't want to kill Twice.
  • Also doubling as a Tear Jerker, Himiko Toga, touched by Ochaco's sincerity and strength of resolve to reach out to her, decides to atone for her actions by transforming into Ochaco and, in an act mirroring Twice saving her life during the My Villain Academia arc, transferring her blood to Ochaco. And, while Ochaco protests, Toga replies she doesn't want to live in a world without Ochaco in it, choosing instead to die free and save the first person who reached out to her since Twice's death, when even she didn't believe in herself.
  Himiko Toga: I'm Himiko Toga, and I lived exactly how I wanted to. I was just a normal girl... with the cutest smile in the whole world!

• Chapter 396:
  • All Might clearly cherishes his friendship with David Shield. Despite David's misguided attempt to restore All Might's power leading to his fall from grace and imprisonment, All Might still loves the man as the brother he never had. To further highlight the bond between All Might and the Shields, we learn Melissa is the one who created All Might's armor and support items. She watches on as her Uncle Might fights his greatest enemy for his successor's sake.
  • The powers and weapons of All Might's armor are all based and named after the powers of the Class 1-A kids. All Might isn't fighting for himself, and he wanted everyone to know that.

• Chapter 398:
  • Back when Toshinori met Nana, he reveals he's lost his entire family - but he doesn't seek revenge against the killers. No, his aim is to allow everyone to protect their own lives while he steps up and becomes the Symbol of Peace, to bring everyone the hope of a better tomorrow, no matter the cost to himself. This is what convinces Nana to make Toshinori her successor.
  • During the fight, All Might finds himself in the place where he met Izuku back at the beginning, with the rooftop where he revealed his secret in eyesight. Even though he has multiple internal injuries and knows he's close to death, he powers through everything knowing that Izuku still needs his help.

• Chapter 400: One of the people watching All Might's fight with All for One is a young boy who silently begs for All Might to win this decisive fight. Even when he's Quirkless and suffering from grave injuries, Toshinori Yagi is still inspiring people as the Symbol of Peace.

• Chapter 404: Doubling as Awesome, the teamwork between Izuku and Bakugo is brief, but seamless. Without saying a word, they both know what they need to do in order to get Bakugo to All Might and trust in each other to make it happen. And in Izuku's case, he does his part by using the second holder's Gearshift to launch Bakugo toward All Might and All For One as quickly as possible, knowing full well that he's risking suffering the backlash of it during his own very important battle with Shigaraki.
  • And when even this doesn't seem like it will be enough, it shows how the boy from Chapter 400 isn't the only one praying for All Might to live. Countless people all over the world are watching and hoping for him to be saved. At the same time, meteorologists are detecting a strange change in the weather as the hopes and wishes of all these people form a wind behind Bakugo that gives him *just* enough of a boost to snatch All Might out of All For One's clutches, blowing the villain's arms off in the process!

• Chapter 405: As people around the world react at shock over the kid who saved All Might from All For One, Mahoro and Katsuma Shimano recognise Bakugo and beging cheering him on.
  • The final conversation between All Might and Sir Nighteye wherein his former sidekick confirms that All Might was indeed supposed to die here and now but, much like with Eri, the energy created from people praying for his safety gave Bakugo the boost he needed to save Toshinori. Nighteye even makes sure to assure All Might that he deserves to live after he ruefully notes that the mentor usually dies to motivate the apprentice. Not only is it a nice aversion of the usual trope but it also shows that All Might's life has just as, if not more, value then his death would have been.
  • Before Bakugo goes off to fight All For One, All Might gives him the final support item that he didn't have a chance to use "the Great Explosion Muder God Dynamight" before entrusting his student to defeat his Arch-Enemy. Bakugo's response to this gesture, a genuine toothy grin, unlike his usual bloodthirsty smiles, which shows how unambiguously happy Bakugo is to receive the support of his hero

• Chapter 406: It's a minor moment, but when All for One briefly sees Bakugo as the Second Torchbearer, calling him Kudo, Bakugo replies by stating he's "Kacchan Bakugo", embracing the Affectionate Nickname Izuku gave him when they were kids.
  • Bakugo's parents are watching the fight on TV: his father doesn't want to watch for fear of what's going to happen to him, but his evidently-proud mother insists that they have to, noting that right now their boy must be "smiling like he always does."

• Chapter 407: For all of the horror-show that is AFO's origin story, seeing him and his little brother just sit down and try to read the same comic together like a pair of normal kids comes off as surprisingly sweet.
  • It's also revealed that the very first Quirk AFO ever stole was Spearlike Bones, the Quirk that belonged to his own dead mother. He kept it all the way to the present.

• Chapter 409:
  • The chapter starts with a sheer contrast to the grim origin story of All For One being a parasite to his twin and dead mother: The birth of Katsuki Bakugo with his parents brimming with happiness.
  • Cut to the present day as Bakugo is revving up to take the heavily mutated All For One head-on, where Bakugo promises Izuku he won't stand in his way anymore, punctated with the past image of Izuku being bullied at school by Bakugo, except his shadow is no longer there.
  • During the epic Curb-Stomp Battle courtesy of Bakugo, All For One is left completely helpless as his Quirks have stopped working for him. The reason why? The vestige of Hawks he took alongside his Fierce Wings Quirk in the Vestige Realm had started a meet-and-greet with the other Vestiges, with several happy to see the Number Two Pro Hero including one being comforted by him alongside others scornfully glaring at their dwindling tormentor while they're off to go meet Hawks. Even with his real self left injured and Quirkless, Hawks still manages to be a beacon of hope wherever he goes.
  • Bakugo acknowledges that while he was the one to finish All For One off for good, he couldn't have done it without the efforts of everyone else. This kid's clearly come a long way from the glory-hog he was at the beginning of the story.
  • On top of all of this; Bakugo's parents, who've loved him ever since birth, got to witness him putting an absolute end to one of Japan's biggest threats. You can only imagine how proud they must be to see their boy come this far!
• Chapter 416 involves a small callback to the earliest chapters of the manga. Ochako encouraged Izuku to embrace 'Deku' as his own name because, to her, it sounded like 'you can do it'. And over four hundred chapters later, what does one civilian say, watching as Izuku bravely leaps at Shigaraki?
  "You can do it!"
• Chapter 418 sees Deku struggle with Shigaraki in a Battle in the Center of the Mind, at which point Deku echoes his hero's iconic words:
  "That's why...I AM HERE."
• Chapter 420: The flashback shows that Aizawa and Mic were transported to an unknown location by Kurogiri. While the latter is furious and believes the friend they know is long dead, the former points to the fact the villain is crying. While Mic tries to plays this off, Aizawa refuses to give up and states that since their died as a U.A. student, as teachers its their responsibility to guided "wayward students" until their graduation. With effort, Eraserhead manages to reach their friend whose first words is to address Mic by his first name leaving the man in tears.
  Mic: Memories...never fade...
  • When Aizawa arrives calling for all heroes who can to make their way to the front lines, one of the first ones to offer himself up is Death Arms, who'd previously retired due to public ridicule, meaning his heroic spirit is still burning after having been rekindled in Chapter 385.
  • The civilians, who were in serious doubt of the heroes before, do what they can by offering refreshments to any heroes in need, as well as their shirts and jackets to be used for heroes who are injured.
  • Eri, knowing that Deku is getting badly hurt, decides to slice off her horn so Aizawa can use it on Izuku and heal him. Aizawa berates Ectoplasm for letting the little girl do something so risky, but Ectoplasm replies that she learned the idea of being willing to sacrifice herself from Aizawa.
  • When Aizawa uses the horn on Izuku, he relays Eri's wish to him: to one day sing for 1-A, the same way they sang for her during the Cultural Festival. As the energy of Eri's Quirk begins to restore his arms, Izuku bursts in grateful tears.
• Chapter 421: "We Are Here" could not have been a more appropriate title. Lots of heartwarming and awesome moments here.
  • The rest of Class 1-A still capable of fighting shows up at Deku's side, which is not only awesome, but really solidifies how far every one of them has come.
  Kaminari: When we saw our pal keeping up the good fight...
  Yaoyarozu: How could we possibly not take action?
  • Not only does Class 1-A show up, but other assorted students and pro heroes, including the likes of members of Class 1-B, Shiketsu High, as well as some of the faculty and staff of U.A.. Not only that, but eagle-eyed readers can see in the double spread the likes of Gentle Criminal himself, who'd gone through his own redemption thanks to his fight with Deku, and the now-retired Death Arms, who'd previously quit due to public ridicule, but had his heroic spirit rekindled by everyone's actions during the final war.
  Everyone: We... ...are here!
  • In a strange, villanous example, All For One remarks that Yoichi's Cessation of Existence left him with a gaping hole of loss, and that "all color faded from his world." Even if he refers to him as his "obsession", All For One truly was distraught at the loss of his brother's vestige.
  • During Sero's speech to All For One, he remarks how much he noticed his classmate Todoroki had it rough, citing that having to defeat his own brother Toya/Dabi was something he shouldn't have had to go through, and showing his full concern for his friend's feelings. This is followed up by what's essentially a father-son Flashfire Fist from Shoto and Enji.
  • Someone approaches Deku offering a hand to help him stand, and it's none other than Yuga Aoyama, the U.A. traitor, whom Deku offered a second chance even after such a deplorable act. Deku remembers this and is moved to tears.
  • The final words of Chapter 421 give a big Meaningful Echo when you consider the origins of Midoriya's hero name. While Bakugo used to use it as an insult, essentially calling him useless, Uraraka remarked that it sounds similar to 'dekiru', meaning 'I can do it!'. Everyone watching him, everyone cheering his name, has only this to say:
  "You can do it."

Bonus Chapters, OVAs, Openings & Movies

• Training of the Dead
  • At the end of the OVA, Deku gets hospitalized by Bakugo, who, after being de-zombified, beat up Midoriya. Soon after, All Might visits Midoriya in the hospital and brings cake. Turns into a Funny Moment by way of Black Comedy, after it's shown that Midoriya is so beaten up that he's basically mummified, and he can't have any cake because of it.
  • Tsuyu and Mongoose are such close friends the latter refuses to bite her. Aoyama is willing to, though.
• Tsuyu's bonus chapter after Chapter 84, where we learn the origin of why she insists on being addressed by her first name: She had a hard time making friends because she always had to help out around the house, along with her classmates being unable to read her perpetually neutral expression. She then met a snake girl named Mongoose, who she quickly became friends with. When Mongoose asked Tsuyu if she could address her by her first name, it gave her the idea that it was a sign of friendship.
• The opening sequences for the anime show Midoriya gradually getting closer and closer to All Might. In Season 1, All Might is a faraway shining ideal who Midoriya, dressed in his middle school uniform, could only wistfully reach for. In Season 2's first opening, All Might is in sight, leaping through the rooftops of the city as Midoriya looks on with confidence in his U.A. gym uniform. In Season 2's second opening, All Might lands in front of Midoriya, who is wearing his hero costume this time, and takes the boy's hand as both give each other warm smiles. At the end of Season 3's opening, Midoriya is confidently standing alongside his inspirational mentor. Then, after the climactic Episode 51, we get another opening — this one showing All Might standing behind Midoriya and urging him forward. From the fourth season's opening, we first see Midoriya reaching out to his dream, and confidently leaping forward all on his own. This gradual progression shows Midoriya taking one step closer to achieving his dream by literally getting closer and closer to All Might, the man he's looked up to all of his life, with each new chapter of Midoriya's life as a Hero-in-Training. The latest opening represents All Might's retirement and transition from idol to mentor.
• A lot of people received the crossover campaign of Avengers: Infinity War and My Hero Academia as this, thinking how awesome it must be for Horikoshi to be working on a crossover with a franchise he is a fan of.
• It sours into a TearJerker when you consider what happens to Eri, but during the first ending to Season 4, the montage of her infancy implies that her parents genuinely loved her before her Quirk manifested. Main instances include her mother gently comforting and feeding her, and Eri busy at work drawing a messy but happy picture of her family.
• The second ending to Season 4 features a bittersweet evolution of Midoriya and Bakugo's relationship with All Might and each other. The first two shots show their childhood and middle school selves with a flexing All Might on a daylit background, meant to represent the prime of his hero career when he served as Midoriya and Bakugo's idol. The next shot is Midoriya and Bakugo in their hero uniforms with the sun beginning to set on All Might, his time as a hero coming to a close. Finally, All-Might's de-powered form looks up at the dawn which signifies the start of a new generation of heroes lead by Midoriya and Bakugo. This last shot also shows the two in the clothes they wore during their fight at Ground Beta and is the only one where Midoriya and Bakugo are facing the same direction, since they are now finally starting to work together after (mostly) settling their personal conflict.
• One chapter of the fifth light novel centers around Eri's first Christmas after being freed from the Yakuza, and virtually the entire faculty of UA independently deciding to sneak into her room on Christmas Eve in a Santa outfit to leave her a present.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

• see My Hero Academia: Two Heroes.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

• see My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising.

Others

• This sketch for Chapter 120 shows the girls of Class 1-A together in loving harmony. True Companions in and out of canon indeed.
• Eiichiro Oda of One Piece fame opened the volume 77 SBS by showing fanart Horikoshi submitted ten years ago that was featured in a volume.
  Oda: The same person who, as a boy, submitted this postcard, is now a widely recognized and extremely successful professional mangaka himself!! Not only that, but his work actually ended up being serialized in the Shonen Jump magazine right alongside "ONE PIECE" itself!! This news gives me ecstatic joy. You see, a bit back at the Jump new years event, he himself actually came forward and told me about this. You should've told me earlier, I would've totally rooted for you!!
  • And now Horikoshi is paying it forward, the two sidekicks introduced in the Hideout Raid Arc Centipeder and Bubble Girl? They were designed by fans and included in the manga. Now with the 4th season they have been animated as well. Imagine the boost those kids got from seeing their creation put into the pages of one of the most popular manga out as well seeing them animated, we might even see the next Horikoshi in them.
• This is Horikoshi's first long-running series after his first two were hit with the ax at 16 and 37 chapters respectively. Not only that, it's widely acclaimed and a huge success. All of that persistence and hard work paid off in a situation that would make many others quit.
• In an interview, Horikoshi reveals the inspiration behind Deku and his mom playing hero — it's based off of a game he and his mother used to play when he was young.
  Horikoshi: ...when Deku was younger, he and his mom have a scene together [where Deku's mom says, "Help me!" and Deku says "I am here!"] I actually used to do this exact same thing with my mom when I was younger, and we played at the park's playgrounds. We called it the "King of the Jungle." My mom would go inside the jungle gym at the playground and say, "Please save me, Leo," which is the name that I used to call myself when we played this together.
  I have that memory of pretending to be Leo and playing with my mom at the playground, so I wanted to incorporate that into the story. As a reader, it's probably a scene that does not hold much meaning, but as for me, I cried while writing that scene.
• While the Pro Hero Arc was going on, Horikoshi ended up on the receiving end of harassment and death threats by people accusing him of promoting child and domestic abuse^note The arc focused on Endeavor trying to acclimate to accepting the role as the No. 1 Hero, along with trying to change himself in becoming a better person. Some fans didn't take that very well, believing Horikoshi is shining child and domestic abuse in a positive light. In response, many fans immediately got together to show their support for him during this time, even creating the hashtag, #PLUSULTRAforHorikoshi.
• The fandom has been all in on Aizawa as caretaker for Eri, with fanart of her doing typical cute little girl to her father things. The girl who started out with no one now has a family, with Dadzawa as the gruff-but-loving father figure, Mirio as the doting big brother, and lots of friends who are delighted to see her.
• Fans were understandably distraught when Nemuri Kayama, AKA Midnight, died in action, due to being a very popular and visible character in the main series and spin-off material. It inspired a touching tribute fan art to the fallen hero.
• Mirko has received a lot of love for her fierce determination and ability to soldier through the loss of multiple limbs and still come back fighting on with multiple prosthetics, similar to Ectoplasm. It's had a positive effect on disability awareness by showing that you can be a hero even if you have physical issues.

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