My Hero Academia Season 2 Episode 20 Recap – Listen Up!! A Tale from the Past

Shining Light

Midoriya thanks Gran Torino for his internship as he prepares to leave. The old man doesn’t think he’s done anything considering what happened, but Midoriya assures him that he’s gained much to think about. Gran Torino warns him that he shouldn’t be too confident after what happened to Stain, especially since he sustained another injury and failed to maintain five percent of Full Cowl. He still has a lot to learn to live up to All Might.

Before leaving, Midoriya asks why the public doesn’t know of Gran Torino, especially since he mentored All Might. The old man admits he dislikes hero work and only gained a license to use his quirk for something else. All Might should know the rest of the details.

As he leaves, Torino hopes that the name Deku can also grow as the Symbol of Peace someday.

Back in class, the students talk about their experiences and recognize how much a week of work changed them. The best experience comes from the trio of Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya. They talk about the Hero Killer’s connection to the League and then discuss Stain’s video on the internet, which painted him in a cool light.

Iida agrees he might be cool, but his intentions are ultimately evil. He then acts with a surge of inspiration to settle the whole class back to their seats.

Rescue Training

Later, All Might takes them to a nearby facility, all costumed up for a rescue training race. They’re taken to a dense industrial zone in a race of five per round, with the main goal of rescuing All Might, who’s at the center.

Midoriya’s classmates worry about him as he could end up injured again. He’ll go against Sero, Ashido, Iida, and Ojiro for the first race. Sero exhibits the best advantage at first due to his tape’s mobility, but Midoriya surpasses him with his Full Cowling move as he hops into the air.

Bakugo recognizes it as his move and gets mad at his childhood friend’s improvement again. The others are equally surprised, but soon Midoriya slips and falls. Sero wins first place with Midoriya planted on the ground. Still, All Might compliments his progress and asks him to meet after class. The time has come for him to learn about One For All.

Later, Midoriya meets him with a serious expression. He explains that One For All can only be transferred with the intent from the holder and can’t be taken by force. One For All was derived from a quirk named All For One, a quirk that can steal other quirks and transfer them to others.

Quirk Origins

Years ago, the holder of this quirk caused chaos in Japan by stealing others’ quirks and giving them to his followers. That man’s younger brother was petite and frail but had a strong sense of justice. The villain forced a quirk unto that brother that can stock power. As it turns out, the younger brother had a latent quirk that enables him only to grant quirks to others. The power-conserving quirk and the ability to pass it to others became the basis of One For All.

The defeated younger brother entrusted his power to others to defeat his evil brother, who has since gained an immortality quirk.

All Might is thought to have killed All For One already, but he somehow survives as the brain of the League of Villains. One for All was granted to defeat All For One. It’s a burden passed on to Midoriya.

Without hesitation, Midoriya accepts it wholeheartedly. All Might thanks the boy, not telling him he might not be around when the time comes.

Our Thoughts

With great worldbuilding and characters, this high school hero story surely has the chops to go against the best of western superhero comics. 4.5/5.