My Hero Academia Episode 97: Early Bird!

Bakugo’s team begins the fourth Joint Training Battle already at a disadvantage in the balance of their lineup, but Class 1-B worries that the match-up is so even that they decide to rush in immediately. Setsuna Tokage leads her team’s approach, relying on a plan built around how Bakugo is expected to act.

Bakugo does not charge ahead recklessly by himself. Instead, he coordinates with his teammates from the start, having them spread out and watch the battlefield while he takes point. When Class 1-B moves in, Setsuna splits her body into separate pieces to scout and attack from multiple directions, making it harder for Kyouka Jirou to track them.

Class 1-B then turns the terrain against Class 1-A by trapping them with glue and pipes, and the situation becomes dangerous when the pipes are cut loose and start falling toward Jirou, Hanta Sero, and Rikidou Satou. Bakugo steps in at the last moment, blasting the pipes away and protecting his teammates instead of letting them take the hit.

From there, the fight keeps accelerating. Jirou uses her hearing-based ability to locate the enemy team’s positions, Satou powers up to help break Bakugo free when he gets restrained, and Bakugo keeps pressing forward while shielding his allies. He knocks aside opponents who try to interrupt the formation, while Sero figures out the limits of Setsuna’s detached body parts and uses that opening to help set up the final attack.

Bakugo finishes the match with a point-blank blast after Class 1-A has systematically disabled Class 1-B’s offense. Class 1-A wins the round without losing any of its members, and Class 1-B, impressed by how Bakugo led his team, immediately starts thinking about how to target Izuku Midoriya in the final round.