Episode 53

The Test (THE 試験) is the fifty-third episode of the My Hero Academia anime and the fifteenth episode of the third season.

Summary
Mei Hatsume is excited by the idea of helping Izuku establish a fighting style centered around kicking. Mei says she'll whip up new leg parts for Izuku and he reminds her that he doesn't want major changes to his costume's basic design. Mei remains excited by the challenge and gets permission from Power Loader to proceed. As Izuku and Mei continue talking about his style change, Ochaco watches with a dejected expression.

Four days later at Gym Gamma, Izuku breaks apart the falling rock that threatens to hit All Might by showing off his new fighting style and costume upgrades. Denki and Eijiro commend Izuku on his new moves and are surprised by his new fighting style. Izuku explains he got powerful new soles from Mei Hatsume and claims Shoot Style isn't quite a super move, but All Might argues that it's a big step in the right direction. Shota warns All Might to stay a safe distance away from the training session to avoid being injured. All Might apologizes to Katsuki, who storms off shortly after telling All Might to be more careful. This makes All Might realize that he's the one being protected now.

Izuku notices that Denki and Eijiro both have new costume upgrades as well. Denki gets excited about his new style, but he's interrupted by the arrival of Vlad King and Class 1-B. Neito taunts Class 1-A as usual and gets stopped his tracks when Shota reveals that Class 1-A and Class 1-B will not compete against each other for the provisional hero license exam. Shota goes on to explain that most of the participants in the exam will not be first-year students either and will have more experience than Class 1-A.

That night at Heights Alliance, the girls relax together in the common area. Mina, Toru, and Momo discuss how hard they have been working for the fast approaching exam. Momo says her body can't yet handle the ultimate move she has in mind while Tsuyu reveals that her new move is more frog-like than ever before. The group tries to get Ochaco's attention, but her mind is elsewhere. Tsuyu manages to get her attention and Ochaco reveals that her heart has been elsewhere recently. Mina believes that Ochaco is in love with either Tenya or Izuku. This embarrasses Ochaco and she uses her Quirk to float away. Ochaco catches sight of Izuku practicing his kicks outside the window and stares at him affectionately.

On the morning of the Provisional Hero Licensing Exam, Class 1-A travels to the National Dagobah Arena. Minoru is nervous about getting his license and Shota encourages his student to do his best. Shota tells all his students that if they manage to get their licenses, they will have become semi-pros. Eijiro gets hyped up and initiates a Plus Ultra chant, but is interrupted when Inasa Yoarashi appears and chants it himself. Inasa's classmate, Seiji Shishikura, tells him that he shouldn't barge in like that. Inasa apologizes by slamming his head into the ground and loudly proclaims that he's sorry.

Shota immediately recognizes the first-year student out of Shiketsu Highschool, the best hero course in western Japan. Inasa loudly claims he loves U.A. Highschool and wanted to say Plus Ultra just one time in his life. Shota tells his class that Inasa got the best scores of those admitted to U.A. through recommendations, but he turned down his acceptance. Izuku is surprised to learn that Inasa is a first-year who's abilities are supposedly above that of Shoto's.

Much to his displeasure, Shota is approached by Emi Fukukado who emphatically calls out his hero name. She tries to make him laugh and flirts with him, but Shota shoots down all of her advances. Izuku happily explains that Emi is the Smile Hero: Ms. Joke and that her Quirk is named Outburst, which causes her victims to laugh uncontrollably. Ms. Joke introduces Class 2 from Ketsubutsu High School. Two of her students, Tatami Nakagame and Yo Shindo, excitedly greet Class 1-A. Yo introduces himself individually to some students, but Katsuki brushes him off, doubting Yo's sincerity in his words. Tatami asks Shoto for his autograph, having watched him perform at the U.A. Sports Festival. Shota tells his students to get ready for the exam, and Emi realizes Shota likely left out an important piece of information when explaining the exam to his students.

The exam participants congregate in a large, rectangular room. Yokumiru Mera, a worker from the Hero Public Safety Commission addresses the students. He begins by telling the students how tired he is and how the Commission is understaffed. Yokumiru explains that the exam is a free for all. Heroes respond to crises extremely quickly nowadays, and as a result, the students will be tested on speed. To accomplish this, only the first 100 students out of the 1540 gathered to take the exam who complete the first test will move onto the next one. Each student has six red balls and three targets to attach to their body where they are visible to others. The students must hit other students' targets - once a student has all of their targets hit, they are out, and whoever attached the third ball claims the defeat. Participants need to eliminate two students to move on to the next phase of the exam.

The rectangular room unfolds and reveals the large arena with varying environments. Yokumiru attributes his tiredness to the work spent on the elaborate terrain reveal. In the stands, Emi sits near Shota and jokes about his fly being down. She remarks about Shota having twenty students and that it is unusual he hasn't expelled anyone yet. Then Emi decides to bring up the piece of information that Shota did not tell his class yet.

Izuku realizes that people will remain with students from their school and suggests that Class 1-A move as a unit. Katsuki immediately walks off and Eijiro chases after him. Shoto goes off on his own as well because it's difficult for him to use his Quirk in a large group. Izuku states that it's a poor idea to go off alone because of the U.A. Sports Festival since everyone already knows about Class 1-A's abilities. Emi says that although the test is always different, one tradition remains the same in every exam: the immediate hazing of U.A. students.

Yo Shindo leads the attack as he and his peers throw their balls at Class 1-A. Izuku immediately counters with a Shoot Style kick and his peers defend themselves using their Quirks. Shota explains that he didn't tell his students because it wouldn't change the fact that they'd have to overcome obstacles like true heroes must do every day. He also says that Pro Heroes Quirks are also widely known and apologizes that his students are more advanced than hers. Izuku leads his classmates and encourages them to keep fighting.

Locations

 * U.A. High School
 * Development Studio
 * Gym Gamma
 * Takoba National Stadium

Battles & Events

 * Ultimate Move Training (Finished)
 * Provisional Hero License Exam
 * The Crushing of U.A. (Started)

Anime & Manga Differences
The anime adds the following:
 * In the anime, Inasa excuses himself from Class 1-A as he leaves with his classmates.
 * In the anime, it is explained that in the first exam, only the person who lights up the third target will get credit for the other examinee's defeat. This is not the case in the manga. Additionally, when Izuku is reflecting on this information, he supposes that the other examinees will be stealing the others' targets. In the manga, he figures that the examinees will be stealing each other's balls.
 * Yokumiru expresses his exhaustion more often in the anime than in the manga.
 * Some reactions to the announcement that only 100 examinees will be passing the exam.
 * Flashbacks of the sports festival.

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