Summary
My Hero Academia’s Joint Training arc is easily one of the series' weakest, but that doesn’t mean that viewers should skip over it. Despite giving some much-needed screentime to some of the series' smaller characters, the arc’s overall lack of stakes and length combine to make it one of the weaker portions of the series to date.
My Hero Academia’s Joint Training arc sees classes 1-A and 1-B pitted against one another in a series of team-based mock battles, intended to give both classes more firsthand experience battling against others. Also joining the melee is Hitoshi Shinso, who was first introduced backin the Sports Festival arcas a student from UA’s general education course aiming to join the Hero course, potentially replacing one of the students already enrolled.
Shinso’s return is a highlight of the arc, and fortunately, due to his situation, he gets to battle twice, once with Class 1-A and once with 1-B.
The Joint Training arc ofMy Hero Academiacovers chapters 194-217 in the manga and episodes 91-100 of the anime, comprising the bulk of season 5’s first half.
The Joint Training Arc Simply Has No Stakes
The Joint Training arc contains a lot of action as a result of the way that it’s set up, with 5 major battles to play out between Classes 1-A and 1-B. Each of these battles goes on for a few chapters/episodes, and do succeed in putting some characters in the spotlight for the first time in a while, while others (in 1-B) are just being introduced for the first time. Given howother UA-based arcs, like the Examsor the Sports Festival, progressed, that seems like it should still be pretty interesting, and the action (especially in the anime) can certainly keep one entertained throughout.
However,the arc’s real problem is that, in the end, there’s nothing at stake here. The amount of action crammed in keeps it from really being considered a breather arc, but that action is largely just occurring for the sake of it. This isn’t a tournament, like the Sports Festival, nor is it an exam that their future hinges on. It’s essentially just a training arc (as the name indicates), but one that’s not really about gaining new powers so much as showing off how far some characters have come.
Of course, the arc does contain an incredibly important moment: the reveal that One for All not only harbors great power, but also contains within it the Quirks ofOne for All’s previous users, which Deku discovers by activating the Fifth User’s Blackwhip for the first time. It’s a radical shift as to what Deku’s working with in terms of abilities, and many fans have debated whether or not this reveal was a good thing for the series as a whole. It’s certainly an interesting turn to take, but it does change Deku tremendously as a hero.
The Joint Training Arc Still Features Some Good Character Moments
The structure of the arc, focusing on small groups fighting one at a time, enables some characters who’ve been out of focus to finally get their moment in the spotlight once again. Notable among these is Momo, who has come a long way from her performance alongside Todoroki in the Final Exams arc, now capable of making and executing plans and even thinking on her feet in a way she couldn’t before. Fans are also given more of a glimpse at Tokoyami and his internship with Hawks, revealing how the now-number 2 hero helped him to develop a new technique.
Even bigger characters like Bakugo and Todoroki are given a moment to re-evaluate themselves. For Bakugo, this is a time to prove that he’s as on top as he ever was, showing off with a completely one-sided victory against his Class 1-B rival team. Todoroki begins to realize that, like it or not, he’s going to need his father’s help if he hopes to master his fire powers, and actually makes the first move to initiate some extra training with Endeavor–opening the door for the later Endeavor Agency arc.
Depending on one’s personal feelings towards the secondary characters in Class 1-A, this arc could rank just about anywhere compared to the arcs that had preceded it. Those who like to spend time with the class as a whole andcharacters like Mina Ashidoor Kyoka Jiro are likely to enjoy the arc a lot, while those who are here mostly for the plot will find this arc becomes tiresome rather quickly.
What Makes Joint Training Arc My Hero Academia’s Weakest
As noted above, the Joint Training arc’s big failing is mostly that there’s nothing at stake here, and as a result very little of what happens in this arc has a lasting impact on the story. This gives some fans the feeling that it can or should be skipped, at least up to Deku’s fight, but to do so would be to miss out on some good character moments for other members of the class. Even characters like Monoma, who has thus far been as 1-dimensional as possible, get a bit of growth here, showing that he has some depth to his character after all.
Part of the arc’s problem is its sheer length. At 10 episodes, the Joint Training arc lasts a long time for those watching week-to-week, and 24 chapters is obviously even longer. During its original release, the Joint Training manga arc saw quite a few hiatuses from creator Kohei Horikoshi, which made it drag on even longer. For those eager to return to the plot, spending so many chapters on inconsequential practice battles was a brutal slog.
Looking back on the arc now, when fans can easily binge it all in a single day, it still feels a bit long, but not quite so torturous as it was watching or reading week-to-week. For those who just like to enjoyMy Hero Academia’s world and characters, the arc can be a surprising delight, as everyone gets their opportunity to shine for the first time in a while. It makes it easy to see howspinoffs likeTeam-Up Missionscame to exist, which takes a more day-in-the-life approach to the series.My Hero Academia’s Joint Training arc may be among the worst the series has to offer, but if this is as bad as it gets, thenMy Hero Academiais in a truly great place.
My Hero Academia
Cast
Anime series My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers in a world where most have them. Despite his lack of abilities, he enrolls in a prestigious hero academy, striving to learn the true essence of heroism and fulfill his dream of becoming a hero.
