WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 8, "Match 3 Conclusion," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
My Hero Academia, "Match 3 Conclusion," continues the ongoing training bouts between Classes 1-A and 1-B. With Kendo, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami and Kuroiro already making impressive statements during their fights, match 3 concludes with a surprising result.
Iida takes the challenge to heart and aims to showcase his true heroism to continue honoring the Ingenium name. Meanwhile, Todoroki taps into his neglected power, pushing himself to his fiery limit. However, the students of Class 1-B won't go down without going Plus Ultra either as Tetsutetsu shines for the opposing team.
Picking up from his dramatic reveal at the end of Episode 7, Iida demonstrates how powerful his new Recipro Turbo ability is, darting around a stunned Honenuki at a blistering pace. However, the mud hero quickly realizes he needs to regroup and makes a tactical move by plunging into the ice he liquified and escapes. As Midoriya, Uraraka and Mineta watch this display, Mineta mentions that Iida has leveled up to retain his identity after Midoriya made the switch to his speed-based shoot style.
Meanwhile, Ojiro struggles against Kaibara's Gyrate Quirk, using his tail and martial arts skills to ward off the spiraling blows -- which have a disorienting effect. Luckily for him, Iida rushes in and grabs Kaibara, taking him to jail. Though Kaibara chastizes him for breaking up a one-on-one fight, Iida isn't having it and ensures his team takes the lead. He won't compromise on his heroic principles just because it's a training exercise, which Kaibara begrudgingly admires.
Simultaneously, Todoroki is locked in battle with Tetsutetsu, who has upped his game like his red-haired counterpart Kirishima. Tetsutetsu reveals that he trained himself by sitting in an oven to withstand massive heat levels to become a perfect opponent for Todoroki. Now, Todoroki's Hot-Cold Quirk doesn't harm Tetsutetsu's steel body, who quickly closes the distance and starts pummelling Todoroki.
For reasons even Todoroki is unsure of, he begins recalling memories of his brutal training with his father. After striking his son, Endeavor screams at the young Shoto that he needs to dig deeper and find "power hidden in you stronger than any other." Todoroki still has issues around his Quirk, bound up in his father's abuse, and it's getting in the way of him unleashing his true potential. After remembering Midoriya's words from the Sports Festival, telling him, "it's your power, isn't it?!" Todoroki manages to get out of his own way and claim the power he often shuns. Still, as the flames grow hotter, Tetsutetsu doesn't back off.
Elsewhere, Tsunotori fires off a relentless stream of horns at Shoji, but he fights them off with Dupli-Arms Quirk. Things look better for Class A when Ojiro makes his return, wrapping Tsunotori up with his tail and grasping her horns, preventing her from using her Quirk. However, the tables turn again when Honenuki reappears, again using his Mud Quirk to warp the ground. Ojiro uses his move "Fist of the Tail: Swamp Smack Spin" to create a whirlwind, knocking everyone away, but unfortunately, this leaves him open to Tsunotori's horns. She manages to stick him with four, then uses them to propel herself and Ojiro away and throw the tailed hero into jail. The score now rests at 1-1, a tie between the two teams.
Meanwhile, the fight between Tetsutetsu and Todoroki continues to push both students to their limits. Pushed to the brink, Todoroki manages to concentrate all his power and heat into one point, his fist. However, before he can finish off Tetsutetsu, the ground starts sinking underneath him as Honenuki looks on, commenting that Tetsutetsu looks like he's about to melt.
Things go from bad to worse when some debris is shaken loose by the mud Quirk, striking Todoroki on the back of the head. It's a simple accident, but it looks like it's enough to take Todoroki out of the game as he starts to lose consciousness. Luckily for him, Iida rushes in to save his classmate, prioritizing getting Todoroki to safety over defeating their opponents. "Rescue is my first priority," Iida says as he races away, showing how far he's come since his attempts at personal vengeance with Stain. Still, he does take the time to deliver a blow to Honenuki, not quite knocking him unconscious.
In a last-ditch effort to salvage a result, Tetsutetsu and Honenuki manage to knock over a massive structure before they both lose consciousness. The building tumbles down, trapping Iida as the knocked out Todoroki is thrown to safety. The only students still in the game are Shoji and Tsunotori, and the latter ultimately elects to fly up out of reach along with the sleeping bodies of her teammates (plus Todoroki). She can't win but doesn't want to lose either, so she simply runs out the clock. The epic match finishes with a draw.
In Recovery Girl's medical wing, Todoroki wakes up to find a bandaged Iida sitting next to him. Iida beats himself up, feeling that they could've won if he'd just been that little bit faster. Todoroki is grateful, though, knowing his friend rescued him. He also blames the tie on himself, remembering Honenuki's words that if he'd simply blasted the opposite team with fire at the start, the battle would have ended. Unfortunately, using ice first has become a deeply ingrained habit, and one Todorki needs to free himself from.
Tetsutetsu and Honenuki express how much fun they had in the fight and ask Iida and Todoroki if they can fight again, which they readily accept. The artificial walls between Class A and B are falling away, and the students are discovering how much they have to learn from each other.
However, it's time for Match 4, and Bakugo's teammates are stunned to see he has some strange plan. Meanwhile, Class B is excited to introduce Tokage, another student who got in through recommendations -- always a sign of power and potential. If the past three matches have shown anything, it's just how far each side is willing to go to win. So we'll see if Bakugo and Class A's will is stronger-- or the mysterious Tokage and Class B.
