My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 16 Recap – Win Those Kids’ Hearts

License Training

Bakugo feels uncomfortable after seeing Inasa try to get close to Todoroki. The examiner Mera meets the eleven people enrolled in the course to explain the day’s session.

At the bleachers, Present Mic leads both Endeavor and All Might to find their seats. All Might wants to find a more conspicuous location, but this gets thwarted when Endeavor cheers his son to go beyond the others. The rest of the examinees are surprised to find the no. 1 and 2 heroes all here. Inasa still hasn’t gotten over what Endeavor did to him before.

Mera tells everyone to calm down and introduces Camie to everyone. Her memory was wiped a few days before the exam, so she was given an exception to take the course again. She introduces herself to the others in a bubbly way, but Seiji and the teacher from Shiketsu know that something sinister happened to her after hearing Midoriya’s account.

Seiji feels ashamed at not being able to catch Himiko for doing what she did. Now that they’ve lost the Symbol of Peace, there must be something that should be done about it soon.

Mera lets Gang Orca in, who immediately antagonizes the examinees for not learning their lesson. Everyone stands to attention as the whole atmosphere changes. Orca yells at them like a Drill Seargent. He rounds up Todoroki, Bakugo, and Inasa due to their unproductive combination of strength and arrogance. What they lack is compassion. This weakness must be solved in order for them to grow. Camie quietly questions why she’s lumped in with the group.

Test of Compassion

The door opens to welcome their test–a group of unruly elementary students. The children immediately poke, prod, and insult the examinees. Their teacher apologizes profusely for their behavior, as this group of kids is the most difficult ones in their grade. Orca encourages the four examinees to capture their hearts.

Feeling bored at the lack of music or commentary, Present Mic starts dictating the struggle between the examinees and the rowdy children.

All Might asks Endeavor what’s on his mind. Endeavor tells him that the crime rate this month is three percent higher than the previous year. He adds that he’s been working hard to stop crime, but all he hears is All Might, and how the legacy he’s built is crumbling away. He wants to know the symbol of peace really means.

Bakugo chases the kids who took his gadget while Camie struggles to contain the girls. The teacher is especially worried since the students are way past the crucial moment of respecting their elders. She hopes that the hard-working heroes can inspire them.

In a Bind

Hearing this, Bakugo decides to end it by finding the class’ ringleader to beat him up. A rebellious student starts questioning his upbringing. Inasa steps up by talking to the kids about being a hero but gets demoralized after being asked about his failing grade. Todoroki seeks a better solution.

Upstairs, All Might admits to Endeavor that even he doesn’t know what the symbol of peace is. All he knew was that a ray of light was needed during his time of rampant crime. Even so, he gave up a lot in pursuit of his path. All Might tells him to carve his own path instead of following the symbol that he laid.

Todoroki tries to tell his life story to the children but it doesn’t go well. Camie thinks this regular approach is too simple and suggests they show them their quirks instead. Bakugo agrees that this wins them over. The children ready themselves to face off with their own quirks while everyone is worried about the consequence.

Our Thoughts

Not much to say but it’s a fun filler episode with a deep discussion between the top heroes. Rating: 3.5/5.