Episode 34

"Gear Up for the Final Exams" is the thirty-fourth episode of the My Hero Academia anime and the twenty-first episode of Season 2.

Summary
Time has passed since the end of the workplace training; it is now the final week of June and there is one week left until the end of term test.

In Class 1-A, everyone is talking about the end of term test; Denki and Mina admit that they haven't been studying due to the many events that have taken place throughout the semester, to which Fumikage agrees. Rikido notes that the end of term test will be more difficult than the mid term tests. Minoru smugly remarks that there is also an exercise test, sarcastically saying that it will be tough (only because he doesn't have low grades), much to Mina and Denki's annoyance. Izuku encourages Denki and Mina to do their best because he wants to go to the forest lodge with them; Tenya also encourages them while Shoto remarks that if he had just attended classes normally then he would not have such low grades, to which Denki asks Shoto to mind his words. Meanwhile, Momo (who has the highest grades in the class overall) says that she can help them with studying, although she is not confident about the practical exam; Mashirao, Kyoka and Hanta ask for her guidance which makes Momo blush with pride and gratefully decides to help them. Eijiro sees that Momo is being virtuous to which Katsuki angrily reminds him that he is also virtuous, saying that he will tutor him until he bleeds (since he has the third highest grade in the class).

In the lunchroom, Izuku, Tenya, Shoto, Ochaco, Tsuyu and Toru eat at a table, discussing about how they will perform in the end of term test; they have high hopes about the written tests but not about the exercise test since they do not know what it is. Then, Neito bumps into Izuku, causing him to apologize. Neito notes that Izuku, Shoto and Tenya had an encounter with the Hero Killer and as a result has caused Class 1-A's popularity to rise even more. Neito remarks that his class will one day get into such danger, sarcastically saying that it will be scary and they will get hurt. Suddenly, Itsuka shoves Neito onto the floor and reprimands him for making fun of Izuku, Shoto and Tenya's encounter with the Hero Killer, apologizing for Neito's behavior. Itsuka says that she head them talking about the exercise test; she reveals that the exercise test is a battle simulation fighting against robots just like the Entrance Exam. Izuku is shocked that she has knowledge about the exercise test, to which Itsuka says that she gained the knowledge an upper class man. On the floor, Neito criticizes Itsuka for revealing the knowledge on the exercise test, as he wanted to use that hidden knowledge to forestall Class 1-A and defeat them. Itsuka drags Neito away and hits him again, reminding Neito that they don't detest Class 1-A.

Back in class, Izuku reveals the content of the exercise test to the class, much to Denki and Mina's happiness; Mezo notes that they are happy because they don't have to adjust their Quirks for real life opponents. Katsuki says that he doesn't care about who he will be fighting in the exercise test, since he will just blow them away. Angry, Katsuki confronts Izuku, saying that Izuku is starting to get on his nerves. Ochaco wonders if Katsuki is referring to Izuku's movements during the Foundational Hero Studies. Katsuki says to Izuku that he doesn't want the same hollow result like the Sports Festival. Katsuki says that they will determine who is the better man by their grades; Katsuki remarks that he will show the power gap between them and defeat him. Seething, Katsuki says that he will also defeat Shoto as well. Katsuki angrily walks out. Eijiro notes that Katsuki hasn't been agitated in a while to which Fumikage says that Katsuki's animosity is getting the better of him. While Katsuki walks through the corridor, Shota notes that Katsuki has become worse.

Throughout the final week before the end of term test, all of Class 1-A is studying hard; Momo has formed a study group with Kyoka, Denki, Mina, Mashirao and Hanta where she helps them study by lecturing them. Class 1-A writes the end of term written test which they all pass.

Now, the day for the practical has come. Class 1-A is waiting outside the Practical Exam Area - Center Plaza with many U.A. teachers. Shota says that without a doubt they have some knowledge on the exercise test, to which Mina and Denki exclaim that it will be fighting against robots. Suddenly, Mr Principal jumps out of Shota's scarf and reveals to Class 1-A that they will not be having a battle simulation against robots for their practical exam

Mr Principal explains that the recent surge of villains has caused the school to increase the quality of their training methods in order to increase the students' battle experience; Mr Principal says that from now on, U.A. students will be having battle simulations similar to real life battles; Class 1-A will be the first students who will have real life battle simulations. Mr Principal reveals that Class 1-A's practical exam will be forming pairs and facing one of U.A.'s teachers in combat, shocking Class 1-A. Mr Principal states that Class 1-A's pairs and the teachers they will fight has been decided. Shoto and Momo will be paired together and face Shota in combat for their practical exam. Shota says that Izuku and Katsuki will be paired together, much to their shock. Izuku and Katsuki become more surprised to learn that they will be facing All Might in combat for their exercise test. All Might tells the duo to cooperate together to defeat him.

Shota says that the ten teams will be transported by U.A.'s buses to an uninhabited training city area where their exercise test will take place. The remaining Class 1-A pairs are shown: The Principal versus Denki and Mina, Thirteen versus Yuga and Ochaco, Present Mic versus Koji and Kyoka, Ectoplasm versus Fumikage and Tsuyu, Midnight versus Hanta and Minoru, Snipe versus Mezo and Toru, Cementoss versus Rikido and Eijiro and Power Loader versus Tenya and Mashirao.

The U.A teachers explain the practical exam win conditions; each pair must either handcuff their assigned teacher or one of them must escape the battlefield. The two optional win conditions must be accomplished within 30 minutes. By accomplishing one of the win conditions, the pair will win and pass the practical exam. The U.A. teachers will also be using super compact weighted bracelets (courtesy of Mei Hatsume) to handicap themselves. Recovery Girl is monitoring the practical exam while Izuku watches until his turn comes.

Eijiro and Rikido are the first to take the practical exam and they face against Cementoss. Cementoss creates cement walls, to which Eijiro and Rikido respond by activating their Quirks and smash down the cement walls. Eijiro and Rikido keep smashing their way through Cementoss' cement walls, but the more walls they destroy, the more walls Cementoss keeps creating to keep them at bay. Cementoss tells Eijiro and Rikido that their weakness is drawn out battles and advises the duo to push their strength to the limit. However, Eijiro and Rikido start running out of stamina and Cementoss's walls overwhelm the duo, causing them to fail the exam.

The next pair to take the practical exam is Fumikage and Tsuyu. Immediately, their opponent Ectoplasm multiplies and creates many clones of himself that surround Fumikage and Tsuyu. Ectoplasm says that all of the U.A. teachers will not hold back.

Anime & Manga Differences

 * Class 1-A and the U.A teachers are already at the practical exam site as opposed to traveling there by bus in the manga.
 * The structure of the practical exam is different than in the manga. Instead of each Class 1-A pair taking the practical exam simultaneously, each Class 1-A pair takes turns.
 * The first pair to take the practical exam is Eijiro and Rikido, whom fail the exam much earlier than in the manga.