The fifth season of the anime series My Hero Academia (also known as "Hero Academia") will begin airing in April! One of the highlights is the joint combat training between Class 1-A and Class 1-B! The unique personalities of Class A and Class B shine through in this joint training session, where we'll introduce the matchups, match developments, and results, with spoilers included!
Joint Combat Training Overview
Class A and Class B's joint training takes place in a training ground modeled after an industrial area. There's little open space, and visibility and footing are poor. Teams of four people are formed, and the training involves pretending that each team is an enemy (villain). The first person to capture four people and put them in a specially constructed prison will be the winner. This time, a Shinsou Jinshi from the General Course will participate once in each of Teams A and B, which will make each team five people, but the victory condition of imprisoning four people will not change.
First Round: Group A: Asuki, Koda, Kirishima, Kaminari + Shinso; Group B: Maruba, Shiozaki, Shishida, and Rin
The first round saw Group A's Asuki, Koda, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Shinso training alongside Maruba, Shiozaki, Shishida, and Rin. Group B launched a preemptive attack early on to avoid being detected by Koda's reconnaissance and to prevent Kaminari from preparing. Shishida and Enba, who led the charge, were brainwashed by Shinso, who was wearing a voice changer, but Enba quickly removed the brainwashing. Koda was captured, and Kirishima was also captured when his opponents refused to attack head-on. With Asubuki capturing Enba, Group A was also tied at 3-4.
First Round Results: Group A Victory
At a 3-4 disadvantage, Group A was able to defeat Shishido and Uroko thanks to Asubuki's quick thinking and Kaminari's use of himself as a decoy, allowing Shinso to brainwash Shiozaki. This forced the opponents to focus their attention on Shinso, allowing them to defeat Shishido and Uroko. Once the situation was right, they could dominate the game simply by being there. Asubuki and Kaminari's quick thinking made use of Shinso's power and created a checkmate situation, resulting in a victory for Group A in the first set.
Second Round: Group A: Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Hagakure vs. Group B: Kendou, Kuroi, Fukide, and Komori
The second round saw four trainees: Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Hagakure, and Kendou, Kuroi, Fukide, and Komori. Kuroi Domination from Group B, with its Quirk that allows it to blend in with Kuro, launched a preemptive attack by using Tokoyami's shadow. Kuroi pretended to target Tokoyami, but then captured Ao and escaped. Tokoyami pursues them, using his Quirk, but these are Kento's strategies, designed to isolate Yaoyorozu, Class A's most important brain.
Results of the Second Round: Class B Victory
Conveniently separated, Class A captures Aoyama, and Hagakure is entangled in spores by Komori's mushroom Quirk, becoming covered in mushrooms. Now separated, Yaoyorozu faces Kento in a one-on-one battle, but using her Creation Quirk, she entrusts Tokoyami with a tool to resolve the situation. Tokoyami receives the tool and captures Komori, but mushroom spores enter her trachea, rendering her unable to fight. Hagakure is engaged in combat with Fukide, but Kento, who has captured Yaoyorozu, joins them and captures her, securing a 4-0 victory for Class B.
Third Round: Group A: Todoroki, Iida, Shoji, and Oshiro vs. Group B: Tetsutetsu, Kaihara, Tsunotori, and Boneless
The third round saw four people training: Todoroki, Iida, Shoji, and Oshiro, and Tetsutetsu, Kaihara, Tsunotori, and Boneless. Todoroki's freezing technique opened the door, but was rendered ineffective by Boneless's softening Quirk. Todoroki and Tetsutetsu then faced off against each other, and Iida and Oshiro struggled as Boneless's Quirk disrupted their footing. Iida pursues the troublesome Boneless at high speed, but Boneless, realizing he can't win, flees to the ground. Iida doesn't pursue him, instead joining forces with Oshiro and capturing Kaihara.
Result of Round Three: Draw
While Todoroki and Tetsutetsu clash head-on, Shoji confronts Tsunotori. Boneless intervenes, exploiting Todoroki and Tetsutetsu's negligence. Using his softening ability, he destroys the foothold, knocking Todoroki unconscious. Iida rushes to the scene and defeats Boneless, but just before he is unconscious, Boneless softens the building. Tetsutetsu, also on the brink of collapse, collapses the softened building, rendering Todoroki, Iida, Tetsutetsu, and Boneless incapable of fighting. Meanwhile, Tsunotori captures Oshiro and puts him in a cage. However, realizing he cannot win a one-on-one fight against Shoji and that it is impossible to safely transport an unconscious enemy, Tsunotori evacuates himself and his teammates to a safe area and the time runs out. The third round is a draw.
Fourth Round: Group A: Bakugo, Jiro, Sero, and Sunato; Group B: Bonto, Awase, Kamakiri, and Torikage
The fourth round will feature training for four people: Bakugo, Jiro, Sero, and Sunato, along with Bonto, Awase, Kamakiri, and Torikage. Group B, anticipating that Bakugo, who is a loner and lacks teamwork, will act independently while the other three provide support, will devise a hit-and-run strategy to induce mistakes without directly engaging Bakugo. While the strategy of Bakugo taking the lead and the other three supporting him was sound, the fourth round turned out to be a one-sided affair.
Fourth Round Results: Group A Victory
Group B's strategy of ignoring Bakugo, who they would never have been able to beat if they played normally, and targeting the other three, fell apart when Bakugo supported his teammates and played as a team. Instead, Bakugo moved freely as an attacker, while the other three supported him. Initially thought to be acting independently, the Bakugos displayed flawless teamwork, allowing Bakugo to fully demonstrate his strength. He captured all four members of Group B in less than five minutes, leaving them virtually no chance to do anything, securing a complete victory.
Round 5: Group A: Midoriya, Uraraka, Ashido, and Mineta; Group B: Monoma, Yanagi, Kodai, Shoda, and Shinso
Round 5 features five people: Midoriya, Uraraka, Ashido, and Mineta, along with Monoma, Yanagi, Kodai, and Shoda, plus Shinso. Group B sees Izuku as their biggest threat and is on guard. Izuku acts as a decoy to disrupt the situation, but Monoma appears. Wary of Monoma copying Shinso's Quirk, Izuku becomes cautious, but then All For One goes out of control and manifests the Black Whip, becoming uncontrollable. With Uraraka's help and Shinso's brainwashing Quirk, Izuku's rampage subsides, but then he speaks to All For One's remaining will. The Black Whip is the Quirk of All For One's sixth successor.
Fifth Round Results: Group A Victory
Despite some irregularities, the match continues and escalates into a melee. Monoma attempts to copy Izuku's Quirk, but One For All's properties are incompatible with copying, so the attempt fails. Monoma is captured by Uraraka. Ashido and Mineta show surprisingly good teamwork, but are pushed back by a 2-on-3 situation. However, with Uraraka's help, they defeat and capture the three. Izuku also captures Shinso, and Group A wins. Group A also wins overall.
[My Hero Academia] Joint Combat Training Summary
Here's a summary of the matchups and results for the joint combat training scheduled to air in Season 5 of My Hero Academia! This episode reveals the hidden secret of One For All and also sees Deku awaken to a new power. It's one of the highlights of Season 5, so we're looking forward to its broadcast starting in April!
