WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 8, "Match 3 Conclusion," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
Classes 1-A and 1-B are giving it their all during My Hero Academia's Joint Training Exercise arc. This is the first time since the U.A. sports festival that these students have faced each other in combat like this, and, already, some dark horses from Deku's rival class have established themselves as serious powerhouses -- such as the mushroom-slinging Kinoko Komori and the air-hardening Kosei Tsuburaba. But what about Pony Tsunotori?
The third match is well underway in Episode 8 of Season 5, and several hero students are eventually captured or knocked right out. In the end, just two students are still standing: Pony and the support hero, Mezo Shoji, of Class 1-A. This is an unlikely match-up, to say the least, and it becomes anyone's guess how the duel will turn out.
Pony Tsunotori Weigh Her Options Against Class 1-A
This match features some serious powerhouses, such as Shoto Todoroki, and he really asserts the full extent of his incredible firepower during it. However, Class 1-B won't just roll over and die for him. In fact, Shoto and the runner, Tenya Iida, are both on the back foot against the gutsy Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and Juzo Honenuki. After a bitter struggle, both sides knock each other out. Juzo takes a serious blow to the head but manages to trap Tenya under a huge water tower to shut down his high-speed sprinting. Shoto and Tetsutetsu fight to a draw, and Sen Kaibara and Mashirao Ojiro both wind up in jail. Therefore, it falls to two students to finish this: Pony and Shoji.
Neither of these characters is exactly a scene-stealer, especially compared to the likes of Shoto, the brilliant Momo Yaoyorozu, or even Neito Monoma. These characters are happy to blend into the background and humbly support their team. But now they are forced into the spotlight, and they are not timid about it. In fact, Pony is downright aggressive about her combat strategy, and Mezo Shoji shows off just how advanced his Dupli-Arms Quirk has become. This is no time to hold back.
Mezo Shoji Becomes Class 1-A's Last Hope
Pony Tsunotori has a horse theme -- from her name to her hero costume and her ability to run quickly on all fours -- but her true power lays in those two curvy horns on her head. She can fire these horns at high speed to form piercing projectiles and can also telekinetically control them to move around in unexpected ways. This works for up to four horns at a time, and like Hawks and his feathers, Pony can use those horns to grab onto someone and move them through the air. Earlier in the match, Pony uses this power to catch Mashirao and throw him into the jail cell, and she can also fly through the air while standing on her horns. That's her best bet against the many-armed Mezo Shoji.
Pony determines that she can't defeat Mezo Shoji in a close-up brawl, but if they're the only students left, she can't call for backup. Pony doesn't even have time to put Shoto and Tenya in jail, so she realizes that her strongest option is to avoid losing, rather than take a serious risk while trying to win. Heroes don't always have to fight in a do-or-die manner; sometimes, survival is the best bet, especially if there is a solid chance of reinforcements coming soon. In this fight, there are no reinforcements en route, but it's still worthwhile to practice for such a scenario.
Shoji can extend his arms rather far to catch people, but he can only reach so far. So, Pony takes hold of Shoto in her arms, then grabs Juzo and Tetsutetsu with one horn each, placing both boys high in the air, out of reach. Pony then stands on her last two horns and floats high in the sky while carrying Shoto, well out of Shoji's reach. Though frustrated, Shoji is vaguely impressed, realizing that while Pony can't win, she can also deny Class 1-A its victory, and that will have to be good enough for now. Pony even uses the match's 20-minute time limit to her advantage, and as planned, the timer hits 0:00 before Shoji can come up with a daring plan. Pony gets the draw she wanted and Class 1-B will have to take its victory another time. Sometimes, patience is key.
