Episode 21

Battle On, Challengers! (奮え！チャレンジャー) is the twenty-first episode of the My Hero Academia anime and the eighth episode of the second season.

Summary
Once the massive amount of ice Shoto created is cleared from the stadium, the third match in the first bracket of the finals tournament begins. The bout is between Ibara Shiozaki from Class 1-B and Denki Kaminari. Present Mic introduces Ibara as an "assassin" which she takes exception to, and decides to correct him. She claims that it is her humble quest to spread good across the world, and that she would never kill her opponent.

The announcer apologizes while Denki muses over how cute he thinks Ibara is. He regains his focus and asks Ibara out on a date, promising to console her after her defeat. Denki starts the battle with his Indiscriminate Shock technique, but Ibara blocks it with her Vines Quirk and ensnares Denki at the same time. With her opponent immobilized and short circuited, Ibara is declared the winner of the match.

Neito Monoma takes the opportunity to taunt Class 1-A, but Itsuka Kendo stops him and apologizes. The crowd is impressed with Ibara's performance, and Mt. Lady calls Ibara the perfect sidekick for Kamui Woods, but he only responds by telling her to get back to work. Izuku takes notes on her and starts to annoy Katsuki and his classmates with his muttering. Ochaco stops him by telling him to relax, and then he decides to share his notes on her Zero Gravity Quirk.

The fourth match is supposed to begin next, but Tenya equips support gear and Midnight scolds him for it. He pleads for her to allow it because Mei offered him the equipment in order to keep the match fair. Aroused by Tenya's sportsmanship, Midnight allows him to wear the equipment and the "battle" begins.

During the course of the match, Mei uses the opportunity to advertise her support items instead of actually fighting. After ten minutes of cat and mouse, Mei leaves the ring and apologizes for tricking Tenya, who is deeply upset that she turned their match into a commercial for her support items. As Izuku takes notes on Mei, Ochaco decides to silently leave the stands.

Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama duel in the fifth contest. Tsuyu roots for Mina, while Minoru pleads for Yuga to knock her clothes off. Izuku believes Mina is at a disadvantage due to Yuga's ranged Quirk, but Mina knows his weakness because the two were a team during the Battle Trial. Yuga rapidly fires his beam at Mina, but she slides swiftly across the ring to evade his lasers using her acid Quirk. Yuga gets a stomach ache after shooting off a large beam and Mina uses this opening to melt Yuga's belt and uppercut him. Yuga is knocked unconscious and Mina moves on to the next round.

The sixth contest begins at once, with Fumikage facing off against Momo. The latter nervously contemplates her strategy, but the fight suddenly begins and Fumikage uses his Dark Shadow to barrage her with a flurry of strikes. She is able to create a simple shield to block him, but Fumikage focuses his attacks on her shield and pushes her out of bounds, ending the match rather quickly. Momo is disappointed with her loss, believing she never got to show off her skills. Fascinated, Izuku comments on how Fumikage is incredibly powerful and Mashirao replies that he feels bad for Momo.

As the seventh match between Eijiro and Tetsutetsu begins, Tenya happens upon Ochaco in the waiting room. Izuku joins them since Eijiro's fight is dragging on, with the two consistently trading blows using their similar Quirks.

Ochaco and company discuss her upcoming match against Katsuki. Izuku points out that Katsuki will use his full power to defeat Ochaco, and offers her a strategy to beat him. However, Ochaco refuses. She admits that she feels embarrassed for relying on Izuku during the Cavalry Battle and declares that she will do her best to defeat Katsuki on her own.

After striking one another over and over again, Eijiro and Tetsutetsu knock each other out. Midnight affirms that the match is a draw and the winner will be decided after the next match via an arm wrestling contest. Both contestants are hauled off on stretchers, and the next two participants take the field for the final fight of the first bracket: Ochaco Uraraka versus Katsuki Bakugo.

Locations

 * U.A. High School
 * Sports Festival Stadium

Battles & Events

 * U.A. Sports Festival
 * Denki Kaminari vs. Ibara Shiozaki
 * Tenya Ida vs. Mei Hatsume
 * Yuga Aoyama vs. Mina Ashido
 * Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Momo Yaoyorozu
 * Eijiro Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Anime & Manga Differences

 * Some of the fights are slightly extended, unlike in the manga, which include:
 * Denki Kaminari vs. Ibara Shiozaki.
 * Tenya Ida vs. Mei Hatsume.
 * Yuga Aoyama vs. Mina Ashido.
 * Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Momo Yaoyorozu.

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