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 continue to duke it out during their training exercise in My Hero Academia Season 5, and neither group of fledgling heroes is backing down. With three matches now complete, there’s plenty of new talent to size up. In Episode 8, Shoto Todoroki and Tenya Iida are up to bat with their 1-A squad, and must give it their all against unexpected challenges.
With Todoroki’s Half-Cold Half-Hot Quirk and Iida’s Engine Quirk, both students have harnessed their formidable powers to achieve greatness. However, their true strength stems from a deeper sense of personal growth. Episode 8 dives into how Todoroki and Iida’s family background pushes them to kick their Quirks up to the next level. Even though Todoroki and Iida weren’t able to snag a win, the Class 1-B match marked great progress in their training.
Tenya Iida Speeds Up With Recipro Turbo
As depicted in Episode 7, Iida went through a painful upgrade process after his provisional license exam which meant removing the mufflers in his legs – essentially pulling out his baby teeth. He continued to train without the mufflers, which made the new ones growing in their place much stronger. This tuning process has been passed down in his family for generations.
In Episode 8, Iida was trapped by Class 1-B’s Mudman until he turned on the jets with his special move “Recipro Turbo.” The move propels him out of the ice and now lasts ten minutes in total after the tuning process. "Recipro Turbo" not only allows him to capture 1-B student Sen and rescue his teammates, it gives him remarkable speed that Deku deemed much “faster than Gran Torino.”
Iida’s stunning performance is bolstered by his determination to honor his brother, who went through a traumatic and devastating fight against Stain. Keeping his brother in mind, Iida used his keen intellect to make informed decisions as a calculated rescue hero.
Shoto Todoroki Pushes His Fire Beyond Its Limits
In the early episodes of My Hero Academia, Todoroki refused to use the fire side of his Quirk in rebellion against his father Endeavor, the #1 hero now that All Might is out of commission. While he’s since started claiming ownership of it, he still heavily relies on his powerful ice half. In Episode 8, Todoroki realized his ice walls didn’t serve as strong enough obstacles for Tetsutetsu, who smashed through them with his Steel Quirk. This eventually encouraged Todoroki to create a wall of flames, but that still didn’t deter the Steel Tetsutetsu, who’s able to withstand intense heat.
While being pummeled by Tetsutetsu’s hardened fists, Todoroki started to recall moments from his harsh training with his abusive father Endeavor. Along with the memory of Deku urging him to take ownership of his Quirk, Todoroki’s memories inspire him to unleash some intense fiery potential, igniting his body and increasing his scorching temperature beyond anything he's accomplished previously in My Hero Academia.
Even though the fight with Tetsutetsu and Mudman eventually knocked him unconscious -- resulting in a Joint Training Battle draw -- Todoroki demonstrated a level of strength in his fire side that may finally be comparable to his already impressive ice side. Going forward, Todoroki’s skill will only develop as he builds resolve in overcoming his traumatic childhood experiences stemming from the perfection of his Quirk.
