Split Screen: Hero SAT

Split Screen is back, baby! This week, we’re bringing you a My Hero Academia double-header as our favorite hero kids take the standardized hero test of their dreams. Who will get a 1600…er, a provisional hero license? My little tutor heart can’t stand the drama!

(New to Split Screen? This is the perfect time to jump in! Read our full Boys Over Flowers/My Hero Academia archive here)

My Hero Academia: S3E14 “Create Those Ultimate Moves” & S3E15 “The Test”

M: Well, I guess we can forget about keeping our ideals now.

E: Now it’s time to make our story.

M: It’s a little weird to talk about two episodes of My Hero! I’m not sure how to structure this!

E: I guess we just start from the top and keep going. It doesn’t help that neither of these were hugely eventful episodes. 

M: Definitely set-up heavy.

E: This whole test part is probably one of the first times in this show where I have just not been into it at all, just as a warning. I just wish there was more downtime before it was all action heavy again.

M: Maybe this is better saved for the predictions, but it does feel like a bit of a retread of the Sports Festival, except that now I do know everyone’s powers and I don’t need to be introduced to them. Plus, a retread of the final exam, like those two arcs rolled into one. 

E: I mean, we’ll see how it goes for me the second time around. It’s not that I’m saying there’s nothing good about it, it’s just a large come-down after both the first arc of the season and the fun dorm antics for me.

M: I can’t say I’m very invested in whether they get these licenses or not. What does it matter? They fight villains pretty much every day even without them. 

E: But now Mr. Dog Police Chief can’t get mad at them for it.

M: I still think he was barking up the wrong tree. 

E: Anyway, yes, in the second episode here, we got into the start of this provisional license exam. Which would give the kids the right to fight villains on their own time. Which would mean their internships would be more productive probably.

M: I don’t love that the hero bureaucracy allows fourteen year olds to run around fighting crime. 

E: I think they’re fifteen. So it’s fine.

M: You can’t even get a learner’s permit until you’re a few months into fifteen in the real world, and then you can’t drive by yourself for a while after that. But crime fighting, sure. 

E: Well, U.A. is making their first years take it early. As they mention, usually this is something you take in the middle of your second year.

M: So where are the UA second years? Just in general, actually, not just at this test.

E: They mentioned that they split up by classes. There’s six total of these per year. So if there’s also two second-year classes, they could be taking two other ones.

M: I don’t really see why developing an Ultimate Move was particularly helpful training. 

E: So, another thing they bring up is the fact that everyone taking the test with U.A. has seen the sports festival. So I think the Ultimate Moves training is supposed to be a way to quickly encourage the students to add something new or advance their fighting style in some way. Because otherwise the other students are going to be able to predict everything you do.

M: So it’s a trick. Ultimate Move isn’t a technical term after all. 

E: It should be though.

M: I’m disappointed that there wasn’t a final showing of the Ultimate Moves. 

E: You’ll just have to wait to see them in action!

M: But you know I won’t get to see them all!

E: Yeah, but then you’d get suspicious about the ones they didn’t show because you’d be like “oh what are they saving tape man’s ultimate move for?”

M: I have no illusions about Scotch Boy.

E: He’s Spiderman without the spider!

M: Yeah but he’s third tier, let’s not pretend here. 

E: Anyway, Deku’s Ultimate Move is LEGG

M: It’s so dumb. He never thought about legs before? 

E: He was so focused on being All-Might and All-Might has never ever used his legs. Not once. Not even sure All-Might has legs.

M: If only All-Might had occasionally followed through with leg day, Deku might be in a wheelchair by now. 

E: Yeah, for Deku’s sake, it’s probably better that he didn’t remember he had legs until this point. Because now he can use his power without hurting himself, mostly. 

M: I sort of like Shoot Style as a name because it reminds me of Yakuza fighting styles. Full Cowling is just never going to work. 

E: Shoot Style makes sense too, because he’s kicking like in soccer or something.

M: I hadn’t put that together, but yes. 

E: So, we get to see that when Deku saves All-Might’s life from a falling rock. Because All-Might is as fragile as one of Deku’s broken arms waving in the wind now.

M: In the words of Bakugo: “You’d better watch out, All-Might!”

E: I mean, one of these sweetest things Bakugo has ever said to anybody.

M: Not wrong, still also a threat. 

E: There was no mention of dying, so does it count as a threat?

M: You’re right, but borderline. 

E: We also re-visted Uraraka’s crush on Deku, which is just not a storyline that has been given enough focus for me to really care.

M: Yeah, they’re way too obvious for me. 

E: Madelyn’s all about the Deku x Iida ship.

M: Look, there was more textual evidence for that relationship this week than Deku x Uraraka.

E: “He’s teaching me how to move my body!”

M: Was it move or use? 

E: Either way. Also “he’s so flexible” was another good one.

M: He said something about having to study Iida too. 

E: But it’s unfortunate for me that they’ve chosen to focus on this aspect of Uraraka instead of all the stuff they introduced in season 2 for her. Like, give me more with her parents or her learning more martial arts or something.

M: I’m inclined to agree. She’d make a better couple with Hatsume, honestly. 

E: Boobs!

M: I’m just glad Deku didn’t take that as inspiration to create a pec-centric move. 

E: He just horrifies his opponents by breaking his pecs. 

M: I was thinking more of a chest bump, but why not? 

E: Anything else from the first episode, at least? 

M: Still unclear whether…what is his name, Pile Driver? Power Lifter? 

E: Power Loader?

M: Still unclear whether the head-piece is part of him or his costume. 

E: Also, what Quirks did Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison have in this world?

M: Big Brain and Electric Dude. Denki is probably a distant relation.

E: Fun times on ancestry.com for Denki.

M: I think that’s it for episode one. The second episode is where things heated up a little. Oh wait, All-Might is really putting in the teaching work! Studying up. 

E: He read a whole book. He probably hasn’t had time for that in years.

M: Proud of him. Grabbing retirement by the horns.

E: In the second episode, we met like twelve new characters all at once. That’s an exaggeration but only a little.

M: Joke is the only one that really stuck with me. And hands guy, that’s going to come back. 

E: Not Mr. Butt in the Air?

M: You know, now I remember him. 

E: Hands guy, also known as Black Haired Deku really seems to be the Vanitas to Deku’s Sora here. He’s got a sinister something lurking behind his enthusiasm.

M: Oh, he said something about friendship, chill. 

E: It was more the hair. Spiky black hair, has to be Vanitas.

M: If they introduce a green haired Sora variant, I quit.

E: Just a cosmetic option. With plot significance.

M: Stop it. 

E: Also, only 100 people out of 1570 are going to pass!?!

M: It wasn’t clear to me whether they’re offering substantially fewer licenses this time, or if Aizawa flat-out lied, or if UA just tends to get a 50% pass rate because they’re a magnet school.

E: I think it’s the first one? Mr. Sleepy gave a whole speech about Stain and the new perception that heroes have to be really the cream of the crop. It seems like there’s more pressure from society on this bureaucracy to enact standards in profession.

M: It’s surprising they were able to change the Hero SAT so quickly. Stain died what, two weeks ago?

E: True. Unrealistic. I’m sure they didn’t really change the content, just the pass rate.

M: Yeah, but if you’ve been following the news about the SAT lately, you’ll know that just having a slightly harsher curve on one section of the test sends students everywhere into a raging panic. 

E: Well, everybody already seems to know and accept that absolutely none of the tests for heroes are fair in any way.

M: Yeah, but don’t we all know that about the SAT too? 

E: Wow. Play the airhorns.

M: Let the record show that Emma tried to make the airhorn sound, and did not make the top ten percent needed to pass. 

E: Okay, before any real predictions, do you think anyone’s going to fail from U.A.? And who, if you have an idea?

M: Todoroki 100 million percent. 

E: Really, why?

M: Endeavor looked pissed in the opening credits.

E: Rational reasoning. Only Todoroki?

M: Probably not only him. I can’t decide if they’ll overcome the odds as a class or be crushed. 

E: So either just Todoroki or everybody?

M: Maybe? Okay, so definite passes are Invisible Girl, probably Iida because he’s had a pretty rough last few arcs, Bakugo, I’ll throw Froppy in there for Clickbait Boyfriend, Mineta because his quirk is perfectly suited for this event, Momo’s a pretty strong contender,and probably some of the C-list too, just to round it out. I wonder which C-list characters will get to shine this time. 

E: What’s your stats on Deku passing?

M: Deku is like 2 to 1 pass. 

E: I see, I see.

M: I think there’s a real chance he’ll sacrifice himself to save someone. And either that will mean that Uraraka will get her license and Deku will fail or he’ll get bonus secret points again and pass. 

E: This is very fascinating for me.

M: Dark Shadow will pass too. Unless this extends to night time. 

E: We should make like a bracket or something for you and measure your results by the end.

M: I’ll do it. Send to it me, and I’ll fill it out. 

E: I guess not really a bracket, like a sorting activity.

M: It could be an odds breakdown. But yeah, also could just be a meme of who would stop at McDonalds or whatever. 

E: You can do that too if you want. Where would you put Bakugo on that chart? He doesn’t fit any of the categories. He just blows up the car.

M: That seems like a valid category. He’ll go if there’s an All-Might toy in the Happy Meal. 

E: Anyway, anything else or are you ready for the next episode title. 

M: Rest in peace, Lawsuit Watch. 

E: Maybe we’ll revive it based on whatever show we pick next. Hatsume probably racked up some lawsuits though.

M: You mean based on Kids Say the Darndest Things?

E: You can say those darndest things, kids, you’ll get sued!

M: She’s not ready to eat bugs! 

E: Are you ready though?

M: Yeah, I’m ready. You’re scaring me. 

E: To eat bugs?

M: Wait, no! Can I spell entrepreneur instead?

E: My Hero Academia Season 3 Episode 16 is called “Shiketsu High Lurking”

M: Yikes. That’s a tough title. 

E: Shiketsu was-

M: I remember Shiketsu!

E: Okay, if you’re sure.

M: The UA of the West!

E: Was it the West? I don’t remember which was which.

M: Yes, because UA is in Tokyo, duh. 

E: Predictions!!!

M: Prediction one: Aizawa and Joke definitely did date, probably lived together for awhile, might already be married. 

E: She’s been in the dorms this whole time.

M: No, they live apart now for their careers. 

E:

M: That’s was my only good prediction, I’m out. 

E: Four more!!!!

M: Prediction two: everyone protects Momo for five minutes while she makes seventeen personal shield generators, and UA wins in a landslide. 

E:

M: Prediction three: Either Todoroki or Bakugo accidentally kills someone. CBB complains all the time about how their blasts don’t melt flesh. 

E:

M: Prediction four: the proctor was actually All-Might in disguise, so he’ll rig this. 

E:

M: It’s the Hero SAT’s version of the Varsity Blues Scandal. 

E: All Might has fallen so far….

M: And Prediction five: I should probably talk about Shiketsu in one of these, huh?

E: Yeah, where are they lurking? In your mentions?

M: They’re all DMing Hatsume.

E: Is that the prediction?

M: No no no. One of their classmates has a super stealth quirk, so they’re nowhere to be found until they explode up in the middle of the UA group, balls out. 

E: It’s Invisible Boy then?

M: You can’t say that. 

E:

M: This was the moment for a Mineta emoji and you missed it. 

E: ┬┴┬┴┤ ° ͜ʖ °)

–

Hey there, thanks for reading! We’re living in a post-Boys Over Flowers world, it’s been rough going. But! We’re moving on and, next installment, we’ll be starting a new show! Which show? I guess you’ll just have to brew a cup of coffee and wait to find out…

Next time! Oh no, it’s this episode… on My Hero Academia.