WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 334, "Parting Gift” by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook, and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
The My Hero Academia manga has taken a rather dark turn for the past few arcs and although the story has never been more exciting, many fans still miss the series' more light-hearted beginnings. Anyone who's missed Class 1A all this time is in luck as the latest chapter finally reunites Izuku Midoriya (or Deku as he's more popularly known), Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki.
The trio, who interned together at Endeavor's agency, was last seen together right at the beginning of the Paranormal Liberation War. Each of them had unique experiences during the war that forced them to acknowledge their weaknesses. It also gave them new goals to strive towards. They're undoubtedly fully rested, more powerful than they've ever been, and charged up to face the insurmountable task ahead with the rest of their class.
During the war, Shoto was forced to confront his family's dark past once again. The League of Villain's Dabi revealed his true identity as Touya Todoroki, Shoto's long-lost older brother who everyone assumed was dead. In the heat of battle, Touya easily blasted his way through Shoto’s most powerful attack and threatened to reduce Shoto to ashes as Endeavor watched. He only released Shoto on a whim because their father fell unconscious. The aftermath of the war, saw Shoto resolving to bring Touya to justice for his many crimes, along with Endeavor and the rest of their family. And who knows? Shoto might have finally mastered Flashfire Fist off-screen.
Katsuki had perhaps the most dramatic change during the war and after. During their battle with Tomura Shigaraki, Katsuki saved Deku's life by taking an almost fatal hit meant for him instead. It placed him out of commission for quite some time and he had to wait until Class 1-A had finally cornered Deku to share with him how he truly felt. Katsuki apologized for all the years he spent bullying Deku and his horrible behavior since they had both joined UA. Another aspect of his reformation was shown through the stellar teamwork he displayed with his classmates as they attempted to capture Deku. It was a far cry from the one-man army Katsuki was stubbornly attempting to be near the series' beginning.
Deku's growth since the war has been nothing short of astronomical. Currently, he's able to use One For All at 45% as well as 5 of the 6 previous One For All user's Quirks. Despite having many of his core beliefs challenged and shattered by the Paranormal Liberation War and its aftermath, Deku still retains the optimistic view of heroism. This is just as well, as the latest chapter reiterated that a controversial character might be looking out for him to save them.
Tomura Shigaraki's body is currently being fought over for control between his and All For One's consciousness. Tomura's agreement with All For One never included having his mind being eroded away for his body to serve as a new receptacle for All For One and ever since their merger, he's valiantly tried to fight off his sponsor. Upon overhearing Star and Stripe's final promise to All For One of another hero rising up to strike him down, Tomura's mind immediately went to Midoriya. The duo has never been on good terms with each other but Deku staunchly believes his duty is to save Tomura from All For One. If this chapter's hints are to be believed, he just might.
Apart from granting them an extension on the countdown until Tomura's body is fully ready, Star and Stripe's fleet recorded every aspect of their battle, including Tomura's Quirks, strategies, and battle tendencies. This information should prove invaluable to the heroes as one of All For One's greatest weapons has been the mystery with which he operates. Having foreknowledge of the Quirks he might have at his disposal may give the heroes an additional advantage as they could form strategies to neutralize otherwise devastating attacks. While Chapter 334 didn't show much interaction between Deku and the rest of 1-A, the feel-good moments fans have yearned for might be coming in later chapters. Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto are definitely not the only class members with new skills and it would be a golden opportunity to show what the rest of Class 1-A would have to offer in the coming battle against All For One.
