WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 339, "The Story of How We All Became Heroes Part 2” by Horikoshi Kohei, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
As the My Hero Academia manga heads toward its endgame, a lot of older characters are reappearing. Chapter 339 has reintroduced Hatsume Mei, support item genius and an old friend of both Midoriya Izuku and Iida Tenya. Much like the heroes, Hatsume proved how much she's grown in her craft -- and may have just earned the title of MHA's Best Girl.
Hatsume was one of the UA Sports Festival's most impressive contestants for good reason. As a member of the support course, her performance in the tournament was unprecedented. When she finally got the chance to prove herself solo, she took complete control of the match to show off her ingenious inventions before dropping out in style. Hatsume may have only had the spotlight for a moment, but she quickly proved to be one to watch out for.
Both Midoriya and Iida witnessed firsthand the efficacy of Hatsume's gadgets during the Sports Festival, so it's no surprise she was the one they turned to when they needed repairs to their hero costumes. Iida required an entirely new set of armor while Midoriya sought repairs for his Mid-Gauntlets, a support item created by Melissa Shield that enabled him to surpass his 45% limit on One For All.
While catching up with Hatsume, Midoriya and Iida discover she has almost no idea of the predicament that MHA's outside world is currently in. Her engineering talents were enlisted in upgrading the UA security system, which has kept her very busy. Even after the initial task of fortifying the barrier was over, Hatsume continued to work on it as hard as ever, making continuous updates and upgrades to the technology protecting those within UA's walls. Even her classmates are in awe of her dedication.
On account of her busy schedule, Hatsume initially refused Midoriya and Iida's requests to repair their suits. They accepted her decision in good faith and were redirected to the other support course students so their needs could be fulfilled. While they were speaking, however, they didn't notice she had already started work on both their projects. By the time the conversation was over, Hatsume had completed both the new Mid-Gauntlets and Iida's armor. Repairing both support items within such a short period is a feat in and of itself but, even more impressively, Hatsume finished both without even taking a break from the conversation.
Apart from ensuring everyone in UA's continued protection, Hatsume just gave Deku his greatest tool back by fixing the Mid-Gauntlets. He is sufficiently powerful on his own for now, but they allow him to go all out against any extraordinary villains he might encounter. Aided by the Mid-Gauntlets, he was able to defeat the dastardly villain Muscular in a matter of seconds in their rematch, whereas his victory in their first meeting cost the young hero both arms.
Hatsume's efforts were commended but she brushed the praise off, saying that was just her (and the rest of the support course's) way of being a hero. She has given the heroes their greatest offensive advantage and probably doesn't even realize it. Even if this is the last readers see of Hatsume Mei, it'll be enough to call her one of My Hero Academia's best girls.
