Izuku Midoriya vs. Shoto Todoroki

Izuku Midoriya vs. Shoto Todoroki is a battle fought between Class 1-A students Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki in the second round of the U.A. Sports Festival's Fighting Tournament.

Prologue
After leaving Ochaco in the waiting room, Izuku encounters Endeavor in the hallway. Endeavor commends Izuku's impressive power and how he used it in his win over Hitoshi Shinso. He compares Izuku's Quirk to All Might's.

Nervous, Izuku walks by Endeavor and thinks about how he can't let Endeavor know about One For All.

Endeavor mentions that it is his son's duty to surpass All Might and his match with Izuku will be a good test. He asks Izuku not to hold back or disgrace either of them. This makes Izuku remember Shoto's declaration that he refuses to use Endeavor's fire in his left side and how he will win the festival without it. Endeavor finishes his thought and apologizes for bothering Izuku. The young man turns to Endeavor and sternly states that he is not All Might. Endeavor asks what Izuku means. Izuku goes on to say that although Shoto is Endeavor's son, Shoto is not Endeavor.

As Izuku and Shoto make their way to the stage, they recall their conversation following the Cavalry Battle. Excited for the upcoming battle, the crowd roars as Present Mic introduces the two competitors. They both take the stage and mention that only one of them can walk out of this fight the winner.

In the stands, Tenya asks Fumikage how he thinks the match will end up. Fumikage replies that it depends on Izuku's ability to close the distance between them. Tomura Shigaraki watches the Sports Festival from his hideout, his master tells him to watch closely because the two of them could become formidable obstacles to him in the future.

Inko Midoriya watches her son from home, and even Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady are paying close attention to the monitor while on security duty. In the faculty section of the stands, Thirteen recalls that Izuku and Shoto tried to save All Might during the U.S.J. Incident. All Might states that they are more alike than they both realize. Just prior to Present Mic announcing the start of the match, Izuku and Shoto both mull over strategy.

Battle
Shoto starts the match with a freezing attack and Izuku counters with a Delaware Smash that breaks apart the ice wave. Shoto creates a shield of ice behind him to prevent him from being blown out of bounds. He confirms his expectation that Izuku is willing to break himself in order to counter his attacks. Shoto barrages Izuku with ice again and forces his opponent to break another one of his fingers to negate it.

Izuku thinks over his strategy. He admits he does not know enough about Shoto's fighting style because his attacks are so quick. Izuku decides his best bet is to endure and find an opening during their battle. Shoto continues his assault and Izuku breaks another finger to destroy the ice wave. Shoto quickly follows up with another ice attack, forcing Izuku to break the last finger (other than his thumb) on his right hand. This time, however, Shoto withstands the force of the smash and creates a pillar of ice he climbs in order to get closer to Izuku.

Izuku destroys the ice stairs by breaking his middle finger on his left hand, but Shoto evades and jumps into the air above his opponent. Shoto crashes down and tries to hit Izuku with a freezing punch, but he evades. Shoto expands the ice until it reaches Izuku's fleeting foot. With no other choice left, Izuku sacrifices his entire left arm to counter with a full powered smash attack.

Shoto withstands the shockwave from Izuku's smash. As he gets up, Shoto mentions that attack was far more powerful than Izuku's previous moves. Izuku reacts by realizing that not only is Shoto's Quirk powerful, but his judgment, mobility, and reasoning are great as well.

Shoto taunts Izuku about wearing himself out while defending against the ice barrage. He apologizes and then thanks Izuku for helping him anger his father because he will not use his fire. Shoto believes Izuku can no longer fight because of his broken hands and sends another ice wave at him. Izuku refuses to give in and counters by using his broken finger to defend himself with a Delaware Smash.

Shoto creates a shield of ice just in time to prevent him from falling out of bounds. Izuku mentions that Shoto is trembling, and figures out that Shoto's body cannot compensate for the drop in temperature created from generating so much ice. He surmises that Shoto could offset this temperature by using the heat from his left side, but knows that Shoto refuses to do that. Irritated, Izuku yells at Shoto, telling him that he has yet to injure his opponent and that he needs to use all his powers to win.

Angry, Shoto questions Izuku's provocation and asks if Endeavor bribed him to try and draw out his fire. Shoto rushes Izuku, but Izuku notices his movements are much slower. The instant Shoto lifts his right foot, Izuku strikes his stomach with a Quirk enhanced punch that sends Shoto flying back. Shoto manages to partially freeze Izuku's broken arm before getting hit. He recovers and tries to freeze Izuku again, but his ice is too slow and Izuku can dodge it now. Shoto rushes Izuku and tries to freeze him, but Izuku blows him back with a minor Delaware Smash.

Despite his injuries, Izuku continues to sacrifice his fingers in order to keep Shoto away. He does this so much that eventually, he is unable to make a fist. Shoto tries to freeze him and Izuku presses his thumb against his cheek and flicks it to create yet another shock wave that blasts Shoto back. Shoto asks why his opponent is putting himself through so much pain. Izuku replies that he will do whatever it takes to become a hero.

Izuku headbutts Shoto in the chest and yells for him to give it his all. Izuku admits he can't relate to what Shoto has gone through growing up with Endeavor, but he goes on to tell Shoto he does not deserve to be the best if he is not going to use his full power. As frost overtakes Shoto's body, he recalls his terrible past and tells Izuku to shut up. Izuku rushes Shoto and hits with another Quirk enhanced punch, telling his opponent holding back is why Izuku will surpass him.

As Shoto falls to the ground, he remembers his mother burning his face. He slowly recovers and states that he will continue to reject his father. Izuku passionately replies that Shoto's Quirk is his own and not his father's. Izuku's powerful words allow Shoto to remember a positive memory about his mother telling him to be his own hero. Impassioned by Izuku and his mother's words, Shoto unleashes his flames. Shoto asks why Izuku is helping his opponent and states that he wants the same thing, he wants to be hero.

Izuku commends Shoto's incredible blaze, but Shoto tells Izuku that even though he is in a hopeless situation he will not hold back. They both charge up their Quirks and prepare for one final clash. Cementoss and Midnight step in to stop them from killing one another.

Shoto sends a giant ice wave at Izuku, which the latter avoids by using One For All in his legs to jump over it and dive at Shoto. Shoto heats up the air and melts all the ice in preparation for a giant flame attack. Izuku counters with a smash attack with his broken arm. Although Cementoss interrupts, their attacks collide and destroy the stadium.

When the smoke from the explosion clears, Izuku collapses outside the ring. Shoto stands alone inside the stage with half his shirt burned off. Midnight announces that Izuku is out of bounds and that Shoto Todoroki is the victor.

Aftermath
Following the epic conclusion of the fight, members of the crowd mention Izuku's reckless Quirk and his attempts to provoke Shoto.

Shoto encounters Endeavor while exiting the arena. Endeavor warns him to control the energy output of his left side. Proud, Endeavor asks Shoto to work by his side after he graduates from U.A. High School. Shoto explains that the only reason he used his fire is that he forgot about Endeavor during the fight. He tells his father he does not need him and walks away.

Izuku is taken to Recovery Girl's Nurse's Office. Recovery Girl explains to All Might and Izuku that the bones in Izuku's right arm were shattered. She tells All Might that he has pushed Izuku too far and she does not approve of the lengths Izuku will go to in order to make his idol proud.

Ochaco, Tenya, Minoru, and Tsuyu abruptly enter the room to check on their friend's condition. Izuku says they should be watching the matches, but Tenya explains the stage was far too damaged from the battle. Minoru mentions that the battle was frightening because of how badly Izuku hurt himself. Recovery Girl kicks them out of the room so that she can perform surgery to remove the bone fragments from Izuku's joints.

Izuku apologizes to All Might for losing the match. All Might replies that Izuku did a great thing for Shoto because he helped the young man accept himself. Izuku says Shoto looked sad when he was unfreezing Hanta and he was trying to figure out why when he should have been trying to win. All Might tells Izuku that meddling where they do not have to is the essence of being a hero.

Trivia

 * The battle was ranked #1 on WatchMojo's top 10 anime tournament battles and #2 on their top 10 anime battles of 2017.

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Izuku Midoriya kontra Shoto Todoroki