Chapter 47

Struggling (蠢く Ugomeku) is the forty-seventh chapter of Kōhei Horikoshi's Boku no Hero Academia.

Summary
At U.A., Naomasa meets with All Might. He tells All Might that the Police Force have tried everything to get information out Nomu, however, everything they tried did not work. Naomasa says that they instead looked into Nomu's background through DNA analysis and have discovered that Nomu was once a human with a criminal record. Naomasa explains that the DNA analysis also revealed that Nomu has the DNA of at least four different humans mixed with his own. Naomasa concludes that Nomu is an artificial human made to measure up to multiple Quirks and that having all the DNA in his body as well as his body modified caused Nomu's brain activity to stop. Naomasa tells All Might the real issue is that Nomu's DNA is of primary concern because it contains multiple Quirks. Naomasa says that Nomu could not have acquired multiple Quirks in any way (unless Nomu acquired the Quirks through advanced genetic familial permeation). Naomasa theorizes that someone with a Quirk that can grant Quirks is behind Nomu's acquisition of multiple Quirks. All Might becomes concerned.

In Gran Torino's apartment, Izuku puts on his Hero costume (which has not only being repaired but redesigned as well) and faces Gran Torino in a mock battle. However, Izuku is unable to keep up with Gran Torino's incredible jumping speed and is constantly hit. Izuku prepares to use One For All and predicts that Gran Torino will attack him from behind. Izuku's prediction turns out to be correct, allowing Izuku to get into position to hit Gran Torino, but Gran Torino pushes Izuku's arm out of the way. The mock battle ends with Gran Torino telling Izuku that he is too rigid and his awareness is disjointed which are some reasons he is unable to use One For All properly. Gran Torino explains that Izuku's main problem is that thinks One For All is special. Izuku asks Gran Torino to explain what he means, but the elderly Hero tells Izuku to figure that out for himself and goes to eat something.

In the borough of Hosu City, Tenya in his Hero costume goes on patrol with Manual from the Hosu City Hero Office. Tenya ponders that the Hero Killer Stain was the one who critically injured his older brother Ingenium, deciding that he himself will chase after Stain, unable to forgive the Hero Killer for his crime, declaring that he will avenge his older brother.

Meanwhile, in the League of Villains' hideout, Kurogiri brings Stain to the League of Villains hideout to meet with Tomura Shigaraki. Stain sees that it was Tomura's League of Villains that raided U.A. and that Tomura wants Stain to join his League of Villains. Stain asks what Tomura's goal is, to which Tomura replies that he wants to murder All Might and destroy anything that is unsatisfiable to them such as some of the students from Class 1-A. Seeing that Tomura is being childish, Stain says that Tomura is being foolish and that there is no sense in bloodshed without a cause. The mysterious voice on the monitor orders Kurogiri to allow Stain and Tomura to continue talking, saying that Tomura's meeting with Stain (an experienced infamous villain) will stimulate Tomura's growth.

Back in Gran Torino's apartment, Izuku ponders deeply about his problem with controlling One For All that Gran Torino pointed out. Izuku suddenly figures out what Gran Torino meant; that he has been thinking of One For All as a trump card which has made him "rigid" in its use (unable to use it properly) and that in order to control One For All properly he must be "flexible" (thinking of One For All as a simple body function). Izuku goes to write this crucial discovery down in his notebook, dumbfounded that he didn't realize the problem sooner when it was in front of him all the time. Izuku decides to drill in the repetition of thinking One For All flatly (as a simple body function). Gran Torino is outside and overhears Izuku finding the solution to his problem in controlling One For All. Gran Torino ponders that Izuku's thought process is flexible and commends All Might for finding an excellent successor.