Episode 88

His Start (始まりの) is the eighty-eighth episode of the My Hero Academia anime and the twenty-fifth and final episode of the fourth season.

Summary
Fuyumi and Natsuo Todoroki visit their mother Rei at Fujiya Hospital to check that she is fine, and to give her clothes as the days begin to get colder. Rei is glad to see her children, and Fuyumi complains that Natsuo is never at home and he probably has a girlfriend, to his embarrassment. Natsuo says their mom is looking very good. Rei comments that their brother Shoto regularly keeps in touch with her, sending her letters about his life at school and his friends.

Then, Natsuo abruptly says that yesterday, “he” officially became number one. Fuyumi tries to stop him since she does not want to talk about a sensitive issue in front of their mother, but Rei allows him to continue. Natsuo comments on how the outside world is unaware of the negligence and abandonment to which his father Enji Todoroki subjected his children, commenting that for him his father is a complete stranger, nor his mistreatment of her and Shoto. He can't stand that everyone behaves as if nothing had happened. Natsuo says that after ten years, Rei has still never received an apology from him, acting like he is leaving the past and his blood relatives behind.

However, Rei says that’s not true and Natsuo asks why she’s defending him. Rei reveals that their father has actually visited many times, which surprises Fuyumi. Rei says that on each visit he always brings Rei her favorite flowers. She says she told him one time, around when they first met, that she liked this type of flower. However, they still haven’t met face to face because she’s still too afraid of him and the doctors also said it is not a good idea. Despite everything, Rei believes he’s trying to face his past and his family head-on.

Meanwhile, back at Kyushu, Endeavor prepares to face High-End in midair. Hawks is surprised to see that Endeavor can fly, although he corrects him that he simply uses his Quirk to avoid falling. Their conversation is shortly interrupted when High-End regenerates his burns and taunts Endeavor if he really thought that he could beat him with that attack. Endeavor thinks back to the Nomu he had previously encountered and realizing that there are differences between the types of Nomu, with the black Nomus having the ability to regenerate their wounds. He’s thinking that if that’s the case, this one is special even within that group because it can talk, so he wants to capture it alive to get information out of it.

He heats up the fingers of his left hand to attack the Nomu with Hell Spider, but the creature manages to dodge Endeavor's attack and grab Endeavor with an elastic grasp, and immediately he slams Endeavor through the entire building, sending him to the other side of it.

Endeavor frees himself from the grasp of High-End by releasing a great flare of fire that incinerates his arm, but the creature quickly regenerates the lost limb and wraps Endeavor up from the sides. Then, he proceeds to fling Endeavor through the entire building, cutting several of the top floors. Endeavor gets a hold of himself and admits that the Nomu is stronger and faster than him.

The top of the building has been so damaged by the Nomu attack that it begins to come off. Fortunately, Hawks uses his Quirk, Fierce Wings, to manipulate his feathers and evacuate all the people from the damaged part, depositing them in a safe place, to immediately assist Endeavor in battle.

Endeavor attacks the Nomu again with a more powerful version of Hell Spider and strikes High-End with multiple fire streams that not only cut the Nomu in pieces but also turn the collapsing top half of the building into rubble. In spite of everything, the Nomu is not destroyed, and the part of the body that contains the head manages to move away to begin regenerating.

Hawks uses his feathers to hold part of the debris and complains to Endeavor for cutting the building too roughly. Endeavor yells at him to stop complaining and reserve his strength for combat. Hawks replies that having used too many feathers, he now has trouble flying. High-End continues to regenerate his body but some heroes who had come to back up Endeavor begin to attack him. Annoyed by their interference, High-End releases several minor Nomu through the streets of the city to take care of them.

Endeavor begins to worry about the situation. The Nomu has just shown to own one more Quirk, and last but not least his body begins to overheat due to the heat generated by his own Quirk. As High-End continues to regenerate his entire body, Endeavor analyzes the situation. He realizes that the Nomu is only interested in fighting the strongest opponent – in that case, him -, and is thinking rationally enough to disperse reinforcements so no one can interfere in their fight.

A pair of white Nomu pounce on civilians in the area, but Hawks uses long feathers as blades and cuts through the Nomu, saving the civilians in the process, whom he immediately drives away using his smallest feathers. He tells everyone to keep evacuating, as he says to himself that power types enemies aren’t his “forte”.

In the sky, High-End is asking Endeavor if he's done shooting heat rays because he isn't able to do it anymore due to a limitation. Begrudgingly, Endeavor accepts High-End's intuition about his Flashfire Fist’s major drawback: the technique compresses and contains flames under extremely hot temperatures and releases them in a single-blow ultimate move. If he uses it recklessly, his body overheats and his bodily functions deteriorate. But Endeavor also knows that he can't hold back against this incredibly strong monster. Endeavor started a family for his Quirk's major drawback.

High-End attacks again with its transforming arms. Endeavor evades and charges up his flames into a single brilliant heat ray. The flame hero attacks with his ultimate move: Prominence Burn, burning Nomu's body to ash.

The High-End appears to have been defeated. However, Endeavor realizes too late that he wasn’t able to disintegrate the whole Nomu because the creature tore his head off to avoid completely being incinerated. The Nomu mocks Endeavor for not killing him, and while regenerating, he attacks Endeavor with elastic bone-blades which strike him in the face, potentially destroying his left eye.

Everyone is horrified to see Endeavor being overwhelmed by the Nomu. Inside a taxi, Fuyumi and Natsuo watch in horror their father being defeated. At U.A. High School, several teachers and students are watching the broadcast of the battle. Toshinori grips at his stomach wound, worried for Endeavor. At Heights Alliance, some of Class 1-A are also watching the battle. Shoto is watching his dad being defeated on live television, and grits his teeth in frustration that his father is losing, remembering that his father promised to become the greatest Hero of them all.

At the battlefield, High-End stands over the defeated and injured Endeavor, saying he finds the battle boring and wonders if there are any stronger Heroes for it to face. A helicopter above reports the battle; that several Pro Heroes are fighting Nomu while the new Number One Hero, Endeavor, is lying on the ground after being severely beaten by the leading Nomu and the overall scene is similar to the one in Kamino Ward three months ago.

Suddenly, a barely conscious Endeavor leaps at High-End and launches another fire attack at him, but the Nomu dodges and says Endeavor was too slow before he grabs him and plows him trough several buildings. After getting rid of Endeavor, High-End shouts demanding stronger opponents.

Fuyumi and Natsuo watch Endeavor struggling to get up as he coughs up blood. Natsuo doesn't understand why his father continues fighting instead of fall back and wait for reinforcements, especially knowing that he can’t be like All Might. That is the reason why he gave up on trying to become better than him and started a family. However, Fuyumi tell him that their father has always been ridiculously stubborn about giving up.

The panic spreads among the citizens, who desperately try to escape, pushing and shoving in their panic to get away, while the security forces and various heroes try unsuccessfully to reassure them. The panic increases when High-End approaches them. As the news broadcast shows the civilians in hysteria, the reporter laments that all this is the result of not having a symbol.

At U.A. High School, Shota comes running into the Heights Alliance dorms to find Shoto already watching the battle along with the other 1-A students, still surprised that his father is losing the battle so easily. Suddenly, they hear someone on TV is screaming at the camera person to stop running their mouth. It turn out that the Endeavor fan from earlier interrupts the reporter as his friends try to restrain him. He calls out the TV crew for giving up on Endeavor, pointing out that his flames are still burning and telling the viewers to look as Endeavor is risking his life for them right now.

High-End heads toward the evacuation area but Endeavor propels himself through the air toward him. The Nomu is looking back at Endeavor in surprise and asks if he has regeneration abilities too but Endeavor reminds himself that his body is already at its limit. High-End attacks him, stabbing his body, but the Flame Hero says that he's grateful as the pain that High-End inflicted on him is stopping him from losing his consciousness.

Endeavor is aware that capturing the Nomu is impossible, so he sets out to eliminate him by destroying his head, as the creature always tries to protect it. As both of them duel in the sky, Endeavor tells High-End that he won't go down until he turns the Nomu's "ugly mug" to ash.

Hawks steps in to lend an assist, surprising the Nomu who tries to get rid of him. The Number 2 Hero remembers watching Endeavor being the only hero who is trying to surpass All Might. High-End attacks Hawks again, succeeding in striking him, but not before he managed to send a few of his feathers to boost the new Number 1’s speed, that catch his flames alight and burn, making Endeavor look like he has flaming wings, and propel him to the final clash.

With the help of Hawks' feathers, Endeavor manages to punch through the High-End's teeth with his flame fist and tries to burn it from the inside out. However, High-End is still able to regenerate all of the damage Endeavor is causing, and propel himself to crush him into a building. Hawks is concerned because his feathers are almost burned and the Nomu seems to be resisting Endeavor's flames, but the Number 1 Hero calls on him to use what he has left to push him and High-End into the sky, while he holds on tight to the monster's body. Hawks obeys Endeavor's order.

The battle creates a massive gust of wind which buffets the civilians. The reporter nervously details how Endeavor is still fighting even after all his struggling. As Enji's children watch him continue to fight, Shoto becomes more determined towards Endeavor's success as he thinks of Hiroshi's words on the news, clenching his fiery side's fist with the flames he inherited from him.

Hawks tells Endeavor that his feathers have been burned up and he can't help anymore, but the Hero says it’s enough. With a final blast, Endeavor propels himself and High-End into the sky. Hawks understands what Endeavor intends to do: ascend into the sky where he can unleash his full power without having to worry about hurting anyone in the vicinity. Endeavor lapses into thought as he carries High-End up into the air. Then he addresses the Nomu that reminds him of himself from the past or, perhaps, from a distant future, but its time to him to burn up and be put to rest.

After remembering how much he hated his school motto, Endeavor uses his special move, "PLUS ULTRA Prominence Burn" to go beyond with his powers to burn away Nomu. Everyone, witnesses and spectators, watch the intense fireball with suspense until Endeavor and High-End fall from it and crash down onto the ground with a fiery impact. When the flames and Smoke disperse, the Nomu is thoroughly incinerated and Endeavor stands up with one arm held high, striking a victorious pose.

The civilians react with joy at Endeavor's victory, as Hiroshi yells that Endeavor is standing, and it is a sign of his start. Toshinori Yagi, who was watching from the teacher's lounge, stares at the TV in disbelief. Shoto, surrounded by his classmates and homeroom teacher, squats down in relief. Izuku turns towards the television as he narrates that heroes cannot stop moving forward, and with All Might retired, the new generation of heroes must carry his will.

In the episode's stinger, Izuku is sleeping in his bed wearing his sports uniform. He has a dream in which he sees the previous users of One For All, as well the memory of the man who would be known as All For One facing his younger brother, the first user, and the creation of One For All. Izuku tries to reach them. The first user interacts with him, acknowledging him as the ninth user of One For All, and grabs his hand.

Izuku suddenly wakes up to see he's activated One for All in his sleep and damaged his room.

Quirks

 * Hellflame
 * Hell Spider
 * Prominence Burn
 * PLUS ULTRA Prominence Burn
 * Shoulder-Mounted Jets
 * Super Regeneration
 * Transforming Arms
 * Power
 * Fierce Wings
 * Storage
 * Half-Cold Half-Hot
 * All For One
 * One For All

Locations

 * Fujiya Hospital
 * Fukuoka
 * U.A. High School
 * Heights Alliance

Battles & Events

 * Endeavor &amp; Hawks vs. Hood (Concluded)

Anime & Manga Differences

 * The scene of Eraser Head ushering Eri out of the room when Endeavor's fight is being broadcast is cut from the anime.
 * Most of the students' dialogues while watching the fight on TV are omitted.
 * In the anime, Hawks tries to warn Endeavor about the High-End attack. In the manga, Hawks is unaware of this as he is busy fighting the Nomu.
 * The anime omits several scenes from the manga related to Endeavor and Hawks' fight:
 * Endeavor inner monologuing a mental tally of High End’s Quirks.
 * Hawks talking to other heroes after defeating two white Nomu.
 * Two heroes try to catch a falling Endeavor.

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