Episode 122

Katsuki Bakugo Rising (爆豪勝己：ライジング) is the one hundred and twenty-second episode of the My Hero Academia anime and the ninth episode of the sixth season.

Summary
Taking advantage of Ryukyu's warning, Eraser Head manages to pull out his knife right as the Quirk-Erasing Bullet hits his leg. Thinking about his time with Eri, without hesitation, he is able to make the rational decision and slices his right leg completely off, preventing the drug from spreading, all while keeping his Erasure still active. Tomura Shigaraki can only look on and grumble to himself just how cool Eraser Head really is.

He's able to take advantage of everyone having their guard down for the moment, unleashing a shockwave that breaks him out of Deku's grasp, and right toward Eraser. He declares he's about to finish this stupid game, and despite held back by Deku's Blackwhip, he's able to grab Eraser's face and slice it with his fingers. Before he can do more damage, he's suddenly attacked by a Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall courtesy of an arriving Shoto.

Tomura remembers back to when he used Search, he noticed someone following Deku and Bakugo, realizing it was him. Deku proceeds to attack him with a punch to the gut, using Blackwhip to reinforce his arm, sending Tomura flying backward. Deku tells Eraser Head to please stay alive, as he looks on to see his eyes have been shut. Now with Erasure no longer active, Tomura emerges from a cloud of dust, confidently asking what the Heroes plan to do now, as his Super Regeneration begins to heal all of his wounds, stating they have only delayed the inevitable.

Meanwhile back in Jaku City with the evacuation team, Ingenium continues to try and get in contact with Shoto and the "house arrest boys", but receives no answer. Uravity suggests going after them, when they hear civilians watching a news broadcast on their phone and begin to worry. They listen in as they report that a giant villain has begun its rampage from the Gunga Mountains straight towards Jaku, issuing an immediate evacuation on all of the cities it will be passing through. An anxious Uravity states all the Heroes had been brought together for this mission, and there's no one left to stop it, as Gigantomachia proceeds to barrel through the populated cities.

Back at Gunga, the U.A. students can only look on in horror at the devastation left behind by Gigantomachia, unable to see what happened to the Pro Heroes who tried to stop him. Tsukuyomi, still watching over the unconscious Hawks, recalls as he had just managed to save the people in the recovery area from several large boulders, wondering what just happened. Creati thinks back to when Majestic had used his Quirk to send the students away to escape the chaos, sacrificing himself in the process, and believing they are only alive because the giant Villain didn't consider them a threat. They wonder why the anaesthetic hasn't take effect yet, with Grape Juice questions if they made the right decision, and if they were doomed to fail from the beginning.

Elsewhere in Jaku City, Doctor Kyudai Garaki, while in police custody, gleefully gloats upon hearing of Gigantomachia's impending arrival, commending their valiant effort at the hospital, but Tomura's awakening will turn the tide of the battle. He further reveals that Gigantomachia is a walking calamity that lives and dies for his master, and that the Nomu were modelled after him, to be the perfect soldiers for the Demon King. He declares Tomura will destroy their hero saturated society.

Deku watches Tomura with anger in his eyes, Shoto uses his ice to cool off Endeavor, allowing him to return to the fight, and Bakugo is annoyed at himself for not being fast enough to do anything. Manual and Rock Lock try to stabilize Eraser Head's severed leg, with the latter telling Deku to run, but he refuses. Tomura announces it is time for everyone to die, but before he can touch the ground, suddenly his body rips open, spouting an array of blood, which Deku takes notice of.

Tomura is greatly confused at what is going on with his body, knowing his body sustained a hefty amount of injury with his Quirks erased, but now that Erasure is undone his Super Regeneration should be active again. He then cautiously asks Deku what the day's date is, realizing it hasn't been four months yet. Deku also realizes the same thing, that Tomura's body is unable to handle the full power of All For One, just like his own experiences with One For All, all due to him being released from his containment at just 75%.

Tomura states he'll just rely on Decay to finish everyone off, but Deku jumps into the air, carrying Tomura and everyone else with Blackwhip, activating the Quirk of the 7th user: Float. Rock Lock realizes they're flying, and Gran Torino recognizes it as Nana Shimura's Quirk. To prevent Tomura from using Decay on the ground again, Deku declares that he will keep him up in the air and finish him with everything he's got. His control over Blackwhip starts to get more erratic, so he drops the rest of the Heroes on the ground, telling them to take care of the injured.

Endeavor tries to quickly recover, lamenting that he should be the one fighting, not some kid, while Bakugo yells to Deku that with Eraser out of commission, he's in danger of having One For All stolen. Deku simply yells back that he is the only one who can keep Tomura in the air to prevent him from destroying everyone. Tomura responds that if Deku likes the sky so much, once he takes One For All from him, he will send him straight to heaven along with all of his friends, but Deku yells he won't let him hurt anyone anymore, pulling him closer as he begins to pound away at him.

Anxiously watching the fight go down, Bakugo thinks back to a day several months ago before the War. All Might had requested Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Hanta to help out Izuku with training his "new power". The students are confused by Izuku's puffy hairdo as he explains it is because of a game where he tries to catch Katsuki with Blackwhip, only to lose everytime, with the students yelling at Katsuki for going too far. They say how they want advice from Hanta due to the similarities with his Tape Quirk, and while he suggests asking Shota for help, All Might says he is busy with other matters so they are unable to ask for assistance.

Ochaco says she too is still learning to control her whips, but All Might says he wants her to use her Zero Gravity Quirk to help him with body control while in mid-air, using this training as justification to cover up for practice when Float is unlocked. After telling them about what he knows about their powers from his notes, Ochaco tells him to imagine swimming in the air, using Zero Gravity on both of them, using Air Force to propel himself around.

While he continues the training, All Might sits with Katsuki on the side, explaining how Float is similar to Zero Gravity and that the training will help give him some future control to prevent it from unexpectedly manifesting like Blackkwhip. After a moment of silence, Katsuki tells All Might they won't be able to keep One For All a secret for any longer, especially since the Quirk has gone beyond just simply "Super Strength". All Might says that is why they aren't telling anyone about anything beyond Blackwhip, reminding Katsuki about what he said the night he learned about One For All, that it could put others at risk too; it's not just villains that seek power.

After another moment of silence, Katsuki tells All Might that while Izuku has complete faith in him, he still has some questions. He asks him why he removed the cause of death of the fourth user of One For All in the notebook, considering he included the death of the fifth, sixth, and seventh. He asks him if he's keeping a secret about One For All, but All Might denies this, saying he is still unsure about it and doesn't want to say anything until it is confirmed for himself.

He continues that he is concerned about Izuku, and that he knows Katsuki is too. Katsuki admits that Izuku always thinks about others instead of himself, and that it always freaked him out about him. As a kid, he was never able to understand his own weaknesses, and bullied Izuku for it. All Might recognizes that as the reason Katsuki is helping Izuku with his training, as a form of penance, even though Izuku may not consider that as such. He goes on to say that as the reason why he compared him to Endeavor, as they both changed their image, and that when the time is right, he believes he will be able to talk to Izuku about his true feelings.

Back in the fight, Deku continues to pound away at Tomura's body with his 100% smashes. Even despite him still smiling, he can tell that his regeneration has slowed down, meaning he is doing damage. He thinks about that even despite the damage being done to his own body, he knows One For All is a power cultivated to defeat All For One, and that he is the one who must defeat Tomura here and now, no matter the cost. He proceeds to unleash a back-to-back assault of Detroit Smash, Wyoming Smash, and St. Louis Smash, preventing Tomura from doing nothing but tanking them. He laments the Heroes for pushing him to his limit, before rebuking Deku and his power for getting in the way of his dream, which he declares is what his power is for.

Releasing a Texas Smash, Tomura tries to think of another Quirk to stop him, but is unable to in-between the barrage. The Heroes on the ground look in awe at the incredible battle above, but Bakugo says that Deku will die at this rate, since he's been using his legs and Air Force to avoid the recoil while using multiple Quirks at the same time to keep Tomura in the air. He says that it has become a war of attrition to see who can wear the other out first, and against his regeneration, Deku won't survive that.

He's come up with a plan, telling Endeavor to conserve his fire as he will blast him up toward Tomura to finish him off in one final attack, while Shoto accompanies cooling him off for extra measure. While protecting the injured, Rock Lock looks on at the kids doing the fighting, but also remembering he acknowledged Deku as a Hero a while ago. Bakugo blasts forward into the air, as Endeavor says to launch him when Blackwhip is at its furthest, getting away from the blast for extra measure.

As they are approaching in range, Bakugo thinks about his words on One For All and All For One being the same, and that even if One For All is a "cursed power", he knows it is their only hope, as images of Deku in their past, juxtaposed to his current state, flash through his mind. When Tomura is extended out, Endeavor is launched forward, grabbing onto the Villain, yelling at Deku to get away. Before Tomura can retaliate, Endeavor unleashes a PLUS ULTRA Prominence Burn, completely incinerating him.

As Tomura screams out in pain, the voice of All For One calls to him, telling him to lend him his body, as everything goes blank. Suddenly, several Rivet Stabs emerge from the charred body, stabbing into Endeavor and causing him to fall, wondering how he is still alive. "Tomura" mutters out "little brother" as he unleashes several more Rivet Stabs toward Deku. Then, without even thinking, Bakugo's body moved on its own, blasting forward at incredible speeds, pushing Deku out of the way and taking the hit to the chest.

Locations

 * Jaku City
 * Gunga Mountain Villa
 * U.A. High School
 * Ground Beta

Battles & Events

 * Paranormal Liberation War
 * Jaku Hospital Raid
 * Hospital Raid Team & Trainees vs. Tomura Shigaraki (Continued)
 * Gunga Mountain Villa Raid
 * Villa Raid Team vs. Paranormal Liberation Front (Continued)
 * Villa Raid Team & Trainees vs. Paranormal Liberation Front (Concluded)

Anime & Manga Differences

 * The Villa Raid Team's final clash with Gigantomachia has been altered.
 * Sugarman saving Grape Juice is removed, as well as Shemage and Vantablack's appearance being ommited.
 * Fat Gum and Suneater are shown face-to-face with Gigantomachia.
 * Tsukuyomi protecting the people in the recovery area is expanded upon.
 * Majestic being attacked by Gigantomachia is shown.
 * The Paranormal Liberation Front following behind Gigantomachia's rampage are not shown in the anime.
 * Additonal dialogue is given in the aftermath.
 * Eraser Head getting his eye scratched out by Tomura is given more emphasis in the anime.
 * Mirko being escorted off the battlefield by Ryukyu's Sidekick is not in the anime.
 * Endeavor uses PLUS ULTRA Prominence Burn against Tomura in the anime, whilst he only uses Prominence Burn in the manga.
 * Right before Bakugo is stabbed, he thinks about himself accepting young Izuku's hand, referencing the cover of Volume 29.