Amongst all of this destruction is the new Colossus surrogate character from 1-B, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu (which is somehow not a Key & Peele “East/West Bowl” character), who can turn himself into steel. He makes a strong first impression and also puts Kirishima and his regular Hardening quirk to shame with his superior ability. The same can be said for Hanta Sero and his ability to dispense tape from his arms, which even momentarily gives Bakugo pause. On that note, of course Bakugo rages and goes berserker for a little to remind everyone that he’s still just as important as Midoriya and that the spectators should lose their minds overhim and no one else.

The obstacle challenge sees its first major complication when the terrain shifts up to a highly scattered, precarious setting that favors those that are excellent jumpers or can stay in the air. This once again provides ample opportunities for select students like Asui, Todoroki, and Hatsume, who perhaps does the strongest in this atmosphere with her Attack on Titan-esque maneuver gear.

The episode continues with this theme where various students get grouped together based on their similar quirks that allow them to overcome new hazards. It’s not only a smart way to introduce some new characters and quirks, but also a natural way to get these students to make some new friends or rivals.

For what it’s worth, most of the students that rise to the top of the competition are from 1-A, not because they’re necessarily better than the students from the other classes, but simply because they’ve faced enough real dangers that they’ve learned to not hesitate or hold back. The other classes are supposed to view them as competition, but in any other situation they’d be viewing these peers as role models.

Perhaps the best part of this episode is the persistent free-for-all aesthetic that’s rampant the entire time. At times these squabbles are the focus and at other moments they just strike between each new challenge, but the episode never lets you forget the chaos that everyone’s lost in. It’s arguably the first time that these characters have been caught up in such a situation and so it’s entertaining to see how everyone copes with the excess of obstacles that are around them. All the while, Midoriya lugs a hunk of metal with him through all of this madness. His actions almost feel like some long-shot plan to solve a problem in a video game, which frankly makes perfect sense for the character. There’s also the same sense of jubilation present when it actually works.