My Hero Academia is back again after a short time off, and the 2nd cour is here. The heroes have their names, they got new adventures, and you may learn a thing or two about One for All and taiyaki.
The last time we saw Izuku, he met Gran Torino, All Might’s old homeroom teacher for 1 year, and he looked dead. He’s fine, turns out the blood was just ketchup from the food he spilled. So Gran Torino asks who Izuku is, and Izuku replies. Only to have Gran Torino ask again who he is, revealing that the old dude is an old dude. As is, Izuku looks to call All Might to tell him this won’t work, but as Gran Torino goes through Izuku’s luggage, the old man wants Izuku to do something: Fire his One for All at him, to test Izuku’s ability to handle it. It seems like the mood has changed. Until the old man asks who Izuku is again. Knowing he has no time left, Izuku is about to leave. Gran Torino shows him exactly why that’s not happening. He takes off at high speeds, bouncing from one wall to the next, getting above Izuku. Seeing the way the festival played out, and knowing All Might sucks at teaching (even if they have the same ways of lecturing), Gran Torino will teach Izuku how to use One for All.
Izuku puts on his new costume, which was modified without his acknowledgement, the new version β suit. Gran Torino wants Izuku to fire a One for All. Even though Izuku thinks of the risks involve, Gran Torino doesn’t care. He starts to fight Deku himself. As he lands blows, he reveals that Izuku is the 9th holder of One for All. The tiny old man is too fast for Izuku to see, as the small space makes his movements even more so. Izuku gets One for All working, predicting where and when Gran Torino will strike. But even so, Gran Torino is no slouch, as he dodges Smash, and takes down Izuku easily.
He can see the doubt Izuku has in his powers, and can also see Izuku’s strong admiration for All Might. He tells him it is what keeping Izuku in “shackles” from getting stronger, making him stiff. Izuku himself needs to figure out what One for All’s power actually is.
In Hosu City, Iida is with Hero Manuel. Manuel knows Iida had better offers, but Iida is too focus on getting vengeance for his brother. As for the guy who did it, “Hero Killer” Stain is meeting with Shigaraki and Kurogiki, as they want him to join up with them. Shigaraki wants to kill All Might, and “break everything” he doesn’t like. Like Deku. Stain actually hates people like Shigaraki, and knows he’s acting childish with his desires. Kurogiri and their master, who’s listening in, brought Stain in to teach Shigaraki to just mature.
Back with Izuku, he’s thinking of how One for All is making him stiff, and needs to be more flexible with it. Seeing how All Might used it up close, he remembers that Quirks are part of the body, so he has to distribute One for All evenly. In Tokyo, hero Best Jeanist (who is literally a guy wearing all jeans) doesn’t like his new student, King Explosion Murder Bakugo. Sure he doesn’t like him, but he wanted a challenge from others. Seeing Bakugo work, he likes how the raging jerk can control his Quirk, but he has one fatal flaw: His ferocious nature at thinking he’s the best. It gets Bakugo angry, of course, but Best Jeanist captures him quickly in wires. He has a lot to do in a week, but he believes he can make Bakugo into an exemplary hero.
With other students, they are with various heroes of all types:
- Kirishima and Tetsutetsu both with Hero Fourth Kind
- Uraraka with Hero Gunhead (and his “cute voice”)
- Yaoyarozu and Kendo with Hero Uwabami (she wanted them cause they’re cute)
- Jiro training with Hero Death Arms
- Tsuyu working at a marine station
- Mineta house-cleaning Mt. Lady’s place (of course, he’s with her)
- Todoroki with his dad.
Throughout this, the heroes get taught all sorts of things through Day 1: Getting taught manners, what heroes do, how they earn paychecks, how popularity/public demand changed the hero game, etc. As for Izuku? He couldn’t find anything on Gran Torino, and got no hero work at all with Gran Torino. So to help, he decides to practice using One for All, with only 5% of its power, getting to use it better like he’s breathing. He decides to test this by hopping up the wall of the building, and jumping to the next, and back and forth to the top. His first try? He gets his power set, but his execution fails. He has to distribute his power through his arms and legs during the jumps. But as he tries once more, he fails again. And again. And again. And again. He tries this till the morning, having the old man wake up to him in bad shape.
Gran Torino knows it will take Izuku time to get used to this. Unlike All Might, who was able to use One for All at the start. It’s why Gran Torino did nothing but harshly train All Might, making him scared of the old geezer. He also had to train All Might like that, to the promise of his sworn friend who passed on, the 7th carrier of One for All. Izuku didn’t know All Might’s predecessor passed away, since All Might never told him. But enough of that, time for a taiyaki breakfast. As the taiyaki cooks, Izuku thinks of One for All again. Serving the taiyaki, Gran Torino bites down to a frozen serving. He explains how the it’s a turning one, and how the heat only works on the plate, not the taiyaki. This leads Izuku to the metaphoric realization of One for All he needed.
He thinks of One for All as “flipping a switch,” using it when needed. But if he used turned it on in the beginning, with all the heat going throughout his body, then One for All can be used. Gran Torino is glad he finally figured it out. Now, he wants Izuku to test out One for All on him.
The return of MHA gave us Gran Torino in all his glory. For one, he is just as fearful as All Might has shown him. His quickness combined with how he can take down Izuku like it’s nothing shows that he is not to be messed with, as does his way of teaching Izuku the ways of One for All’s power. Of course, he is still an old man, and that leads him to being senile at times. It’s not just forgetting Izuku’s name. He forgot he destroyed his own microwave fighting Izuku, so expect some more old man hi-jinks to insure. As for Izuku, it’s great to see him finally get to know how to use One for All without hurting himself. The taiyaki metaphor, while weird, was pretty good to me. Mostly cause I know what it’s like using a turning microwave for many years, and have experience many times the harsh hell of dealing with foods still being frozen after cooking for some time. Mostly, this episode was okay after a 1 week cut-off. Gran Torino giving Izuku what for, and Izuku’s night training were the highlights. As was the Japanese RPG Ending. My only tiny nitpick with this episode was that Eraser Head told the group in the last episode that the students couldn’t go out in public with their costumes on. And what happens? In the public with their costumes on. Then again, they were with the Pro Heroes, so I guess it’s different with them? Other than that, an above average episode that leads us into Day 2 and beyond of training.