The more I look at this opening the more obvious the references they’re making are becoming, that and I’m starting to like it a bit more. Much to my predictions, the end of this episode is where the real meat of the series begins and I’m glad that they’re not wasting anytime getting to what I consider an early climax of the first big arc of BnHA. For those who haven’t read the manga, I’ll tell you right now that things are going to get pretty exciting real fast.
Training starts bright and early for both Classes 1A and 1B as the latter enter the forest to find their 1A counterparts being pushed to their absolute limits. Aizawa and the 1B instructor explain that quirks are like muscles, the more you work them and tear them, stronger muscles will take their place. Thus it’s only logical that the more someone trains and exceed their bounds can they strengthen themselves. The two instructors are also assisted by the full 4-member Pussycats with the previously met Mandalay and Pixie-Bob and the new Ragdoll and Tiger. Deku himself is trained by Tiger to strengthen his physicality even more to withstand One For All’s effects.
Later that day, the kids are tasked to make their own dinner and Deku looks for Kouta to bring him the curry they made. Deku goes all the way up to a small hill overlooking the forest and finds Kouta there before he tries to connect with him and indirectly share is own story about quirks and heroes. Kouta doesn’t want any of it and tells Deku off and the latter decides to return to camp. As the kids sleep away, Tomura’s villain team meet by the nearby hills and a quick headcount has them at seven. The ring-leader of the operation, Dabi, states that they’ll strike when all ten of them arrive.
The five kids who failed their practical exams are taken in by Aizawa for remedial lessons while the rest go about their toughening up training for the day. Pixie-Bob happily announces that they’ll be having a little Test of Courage game at night as to give the kids something fun to look forward to. The kids make their own dinner again and the five students are helplessly dragged away from Aizawa to continue lessons despite their literal cries of protest. Class 1A is up first to pair up in twos to make their way through the mountain trail while the 1B kids set up spooky detours to slip them up. All types of shenanigans occur with the duo pairing and eventually five pairs have been sent off into the mountains where 1B is doing a decent job with their traps. However, Kendo notices a purple fog seeping through the trees and saves her friend while the others begin to see smoke coming from the mountain. Pixie Bob is quickly incapacitated as the villains reveal themselves.
10 villains, 40 kids, 2 teachers, 4 heroes, and 1 kid get all caught up in one hell of a night in woods. Not only is the setting for the fiasco interesting with how divided the kids are, the villains actually came with a plan of attack to divide and conquer. There’s not much else to say other than to wait and experience the frantic dual-arc we’re now thrown into, I’m very much looking forward to when the action finally begins and everybody scrambles into cooperation.
Lair of the Idle 