My Hero Academia Episode 135: Friend

Deku and the top pro heroes follow the lead Lady Nagant gave them to a mansion in Haibori Woods, where All For One is waiting with a trap. Deku and Endeavor go inside first, and a holographic message from All For One plays, directly addressing Deku and revealing that he expected him to come because Deku would not abandon someone like Lady Nagant.

All For One uses the message to taunt Deku, arguing that people who suffer major setbacks are pushed into becoming villains and ostracized by society. He makes it clear that the heroes’ arrival has played into his plans, then the projection detonates and destroys the mansion and the surrounding forest, apparently trapping everyone inside the blast.

The episode then shifts into a look at Deku’s situation after that turning point: he is shown pushing himself to the limit while working alone, exhausting himself as he continues to act as a vigilante-like hero despite the fear and distrust he receives from the public. The strain on him becomes severe, and by the time he collapses at Ground Zero, he is in no condition to keep going on his own.

As Deku is on the verge of being overwhelmed, Bakugo arrives, followed by Class 1-A, who have come to bring Deku back to U.A. with Nezu’s approval. Deku initially prepares to fight them rather than return, showing that he does not want to stop operating alone even when his classmates finally reach him.