My Hero Academia Season 3 Episode 23 Recap – Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2

Challenge

Now that All Might gave his power to Midoriya and considering that they’re both fans of All Might, Bakugo wants to fight. Midoriya refuses and suggests they could do it in a training room instead.

But Bakugo wants to see what All Might saw in him. He wants to confirm if Midoriya‘s way of admiring All Might was better than his. Midoriya finally sees what he means, remembering how difficult it was to idolize the hero after realizing he was quirkless.

Midoriya moves back, but Bakugo comes in for a right-hand strike. He thinks it‘s a feint and gets hit with a blast. A security robot reports the incident and calls for Eraserhead to intervene, but someone stops him outside.

Midoriya pleads for his friend to stop. Bakugo remembers how Midoriya was always behind him even when he pushed him away. They looked up to the same person, but now they‘re not equals.

One of Bakugo‘s blasts gets countered. As Midoriya tries to help his friend, he finds him spouting his frustrations at why he wasn‘t favored. He reveals the guilt he felt at possibly causing All Might‘s retirement.

Clearing the Air

Suddenly it all became clear. If only Bakugo was able to defeat the League of Villains, All Might wouldn‘t have had to give up his power at Kamino. He knows they wanted to keep things a secret, but the feelings came bursting out of Bakugo.

Midoriya sees that his friend has been carrying it more than him all the time. He realizes he‘s the only one who could validate those feelings. Now he‘s determined to see if his Shoot Style works on Bakugo’s power.

Bakugo hits him once and follows up with a throw. Midoriya learns to keep up in speed and goes in for a kick, unknowingly raising his power up to 8%.

They meet for a heavy clash of quirks, with each incurring hits. Their competitive sides awaken as they meet in the air for another clash. Midoriya switches things up and lands with a punch. He‘s determined to prove that All Might made the right choice.

Still, Bakugo grasps his shirt and blasts him to the ground. He proclaims himself as the winner as they try to catch their breath. Suddenly, All Might arrives to stop them, saying he heard what they talked about.

An Apology

He apologizes for not seeing it sooner. Bakugo asks him why he chose Midoriya. All Might simply says that the quirkless one had what it takes to be a hero, he simply put them both on even ground. Bakugo admits he‘s also weak, which caused All Might to retire.

All Might tells him it was inevitable. Bakugo‘s fixation on winning, and Midoriya‘s urge to help others is something they must have in equal amounts to become a proper hero. Midoriya admired Bakugo‘s strength while Bakugo feared Midoriya‘s heart. Now that their feelings are clear, they should acknowledge each other. Winning and helping others is the path to becoming a hero.

Bakugo slumps down and asks Midoriya how he‘s losing even when the strongest guy is behind him. Midoriya swears to get better to defeat him. Bakugo then promises to keep their secret by his own accord.

To clear all doubts, All Might explains One For All‘s story to him, adding that his downfall after helping Bakugo is not the boy‘s responsibility.

Bakugo still swears to surpass him someday and challenges Deku that he‘ll carve his own path to surpass him. Midoriya swears he‘ll go even higher — now they‘re proper rivals.

They get a proper scolding from Aizawa back at the dorms. They get a harsh punishment for house arrest and cleaning duties.

Our Thoughts

Absolute banger episode that distinguishes the line between friends or rivals and strength versus heart. I rate this 4.5/5.