Chapter 40

Emancipation (れ) is the fortieth chapter of Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia.

Summary
Shoto has activated his fire power. Endeavor, filled with joy after seeing Shoto finally use his fire power, walks down from the bleachers to watch the match at a closer range, telling Shoto to surpass him and realize Endeavor's ambition. Both Shoto and Izuku power up for their final attack; Shoto launches a great wave of ice at Izuku while Izuku jumps forward using One For All to get as close to Shoto as he can and launches a great wind pressure blast at Shoto. Cementoss creates a cement wall between the two combatants in an attempt to stop them, however, both Izuku and Shoto press onwards with their attacks. After thanking Izuku, Shoto uses his fire power to ignite the cold air (generated by his wave of ice) to create a huge wind blast which, along with Izuku's wind pressure attack, creates a huge shock wave that blasts both of them back and destroys Cementoss' cement wall in the process. The shock wave is felt throughout the entire arena.

After the shock wave subsides and the dust clears, Shoto is seen standing in the ring with a quarter of his shirt ripped off and without any injuries. Izuku, however, is standing out of bounds. Izuku finally succumbs to his grievous wounds and falls flat onto the ground. Shoto is declared the winner and thus Izuku is eliminated from the tournament event.

Shoto leaves the ring and encounters his father in the corridor. Endeavor tells Shoto that he is proud of him for accepting to use his fire power and that he has become the perfect upgrade of him. He goes on to say that after he graduates, he will let Shoto become his sidekick. However, Shoto tells Endeavor that he cannot change so easily and that he hasn't rescinded his disavowal of him. Shoto then says the only reason he used his fire power was that he forgot about Endeavor for a second. As he walks away, Shoto says that he needs to contemplate his fire power.

Izuku is taken to Recovery Girl's office who scolds All Might for making Izuku push his limits while healing his injuries, and tells All Might not to try and praise Izuku for being so reckless. Suddenly, Izuku's friends; Ochaco, Tenya, Tsuyu, and Minoru enter the room, wanting to see how Izuku is doing. However, Recovery Girl makes them leave, saying that Izuku is going to undergo surgery. Even though weak and in pain from his severe injuries, Izuku apologizes to All Might for being unable to live up to his expectations and that all he wanted to do was help Shoto after seeing his sadness. He then asks All Might for forgiveness. All Might responds by saying that his match was simply an unfortunate outcome. He proceeds to praise Izuku for helping Shoto with his problem, saying that reaching out and helping people with their personal problems is one of the principal qualities of a Hero.

Chapter Notes

 * Cementoss and Midnight intervene in Shoto's and Izuku's final attacks to prevent further damage to their bodies.
 * The fight between Izuku and Shoto ends with Shoto as the victor.
 * Izuku's classmates see All Might in his weakened form, but they are oblivious to who he is.
 * All Might tells Izuku that the essence of a true hero is giving help that's not asked for.

Author's Comment
"My hair is down to my shoulders now. I looked in the mirror for the first time in a while and was freaked out."

- Kohei Horikoshi

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