WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 5, now streaming on Funimation, Crunchyroll and Hulu.
My Hero Academia's recently ended fifth season was chock-full of unexpected developments and stunning character decisions. These curveballs were surprising enough to keep things exciting, but not so unpredictable that they seemed contrived. From the return of old foes to Quirk upgrades, here are five of MHA Season 5's biggest plot twists.
Hitoshi Shinso's Return to Action
Hitoshi Shinso first appeared in My Hero Academia during the UA Sports Festival and quickly made a name for himself. He stood out as the only student from the General Studies course to make it to the Tournament Round of the festival. Shinso's creepy Quirk, Brainwashing isn't too suited for combat but when given the chance, he showed its usefulness for hero work.
Now in Season 5, he's armed with the same Binding Cloth as Eraserhead and a new support item -- Persona Cords -- Shinso proved himself a key player in both teams he was a part of. He also aided in stopping Deku's rampage. His performance was impressive enough that the UA teachers approved his request to join the Hero course, meaning MHA fans should expect even more of him in the future.
Deku's Blackwhip & One For All's Other Secrets
Deku began MHA Season 5 concerned about One For All -- and rightly so. Right in the middle of his Joint Training match, uncontrollable black tendrils of energy sprung out of his body, threatening both his and his classmates' safety. It was only through Ochaco Uraraka's quick thinking and Shinso's Brainwashing Quirk that Deku was able to get Blackwhip under control.
While he was still under Shinso's control, Deku's subconscious was transported to One For All's inner realm. There he spoke to Blackwhip's original wielder, Daigoro Banjo, and learned the true nature of One For All. Daigoro revealed that Deku would soon manifest all the Quirks of One For All's previous users. Their Quirk factors had fused with OFA's core and would eventually be available for him to use at will. Upon returning, Deku chose to lock Blackwhip away rather than use it immediately, judging the Quirk too powerful for his current level. One thing's for sure as My Hero Academia continues: Deku is set to become even more of a powerhouse.
Endeavor's Reformation & Relationship to Shoto
Following his sudden promotion to #1 Pro Hero, Endeavor resolved to become better in every respect and spent most of Season 5 proving just that. His behavior was very different from how he'd acted in previous seasons of My Hero Academia. For starters, he was no longer completely fixated on Shoto alone.
Endeavor might not have been the biggest fan of the idea at first, but he took Bakugo and Deku under his wing during their work-study. He devoted equal attention to all his charges, devising unique solutions to all their challenges and encouraging them all to aim even higher. Endeavor's guidance proved invaluable as Bakugo learned to create even stronger and more precise explosions, while Deku was able to get a handle on Blackwhip for the first time.
His new attitude didn't just apply to his hero work, either. Endeavor made an effort at home to rebuild the family he'd torn apart. When he realized his presence would be too painful for Natsuo and Rei to bear, he planned to move them to a new location. Endeavor decided his family's happiness was supreme, even if it meant he wouldn't be a part of it. This selfless act remains the most surprising thing Endeavor has done so far.
The League of Villains' Quirk Awakenings
During their Season 5 battle against the Meta Liberation Army, several members of the League of Villains gained some major power-ups. Toga and Shigaraki received Quirk awakenings, while Twice overcame his unique complex.
Twice had always refused to make copies of himself for "personal reasons." The My Villain Academia arc finally revealed his harrowing past, but the sight of his comrade in danger enabled him to push past his trauma. Twice is now able to make unlimited doubles of himself, making him a veritable one-man army.
Meanwhile, Toga's Quirk awakening was simple but quite dangerous. Her transformations are no longer just skin deep -- she can now use the Quirks of those she's transformed into to their full extent. She quickly showed just how dangerous this new power-up could be, by floating several Liberation Army members with Uraraka's Quirk and then dropping them from a fatal height.
Shigaraki's Quirk, Decay, is no longer limited to objects he's directly touching but can spread to anything else that object was in contact with. His Quirk became destruction incarnate, as the chain reaction it now sparks is literally unstoppable. These villains might not have attended UA, but they truly understood the school's Plus Ultra motto.
Meta Liberation Army Leader Re-Destro Submits To Shigaraki
When the Meta Liberation Army first challenged the League of Villains, they intended to completely wipe them out. Their grudge with Shigaraki and co. was not one that could be appeased by reaching a compromise. Yet as Season 5 of My Hero Academia went on, the two factions ended up becoming one.
The MLA's leader Re-Destro acknowledged Shigaraki's true liberation and ended up handing the reins of his army to the villain leader. Along with the masses of the Liberation Army, Shigaraki gained control of countless resources, including news media and a leading support item company. In an instant, the League of Villains went from a small group to an actual army. The resulting entity was named the Paranormal Liberation Front, and Shigaraki's goal of "doing whatever we want" promises even more exciting events in My Hero Academia's upcoming seasons.
