Match 3 Conclusion

Recipro Turbo carries Tenya Ida across the frozen battlefield faster than he can steer, and he warns that the state lasts ten minutes. Juzo Honenuki, recognizing he cannot match that speed, sinks into the slush and swims beneath it, choosing to support his teammates for the remainder. Spectators note the move outpaces even Gran Torino's Jet, and Minoru Mineta guesses Tenya sharpened his speed in answer to Izuku's Shoot Style, which borrowed Tenya's approach in the first place. Attention shifts to Mashirao Ojiro, whose plain technique draws a stray insult from Kyoka Jiro that somehow stings him from across the arena. Sen Kaibara's spiraling limbs grind down his guard and knock loose the pipe his tail is gripping, but Tenya blasts through the maze, seizes Sen mid-spin, and hauls him to the cell.

Shoto Todoroki and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu trade blows on the ice. A wave of frost shatters against Tetsutetsu, who lands a Steel Fist to the gut, so Shoto switches to a Wall of Flames. Pony Tsunotori flees the heat with Mezo Shoji in pursuit, and to Shoto's astonishment Tetsutetsu simply strides through the fire, his steel drinking in the heat thanks to training inside a stove. Red-hot fists rain down while Tetsutetsu mocks the uselessness of the Quirk. Remembering Enji's demands that he drive his temperature to its ceiling, and recalling his own bout with Izuku, Shoto obliges: his output climbs until his skin burns, the surrounding ice melts, and security cameras burst.

Most of Ground Gamma becomes an ocean of flame. Wrapped in fire, Tetsutetsu grabs Shoto and drives knees into his stomach, insisting endurance contests are his specialty and that limits exist to be broken. Far from the blaze, Mezo chases Pony as she rides her horns, and their clash pits Thunder Horn against Octoblow. Mashirao drops in with Tornado Tail Dance to bind her, Juzo surfaces and liquefies the ground, and Swamp Smack Spin flings Juzo and Mezo away. Mezo tries to pull the other two clear, but fresh horns erupt from the melted steel, spear Mashirao's tail, and carry him into the cage.

Heatstroke slows Shoto while the fire drains Tetsutetsu. Shoto compresses every flame in the area into a single fist, only for Juzo to soften the footing again and topple him, loosening the structures overhead. A falling pipe knocks Shoto out. Tenya intercepts Juzo with a kick that splits his helmet, then, thinking of Stain and of Kamino, drags Shoto toward safety. Barely conscious, Juzo touches an industrial tank and has Tetsutetsu ram it with his head; the thing drops on both 1-A students, leaving Shoto, Juzo, and Tetsutetsu unconscious and Tenya pinned. Pony lifts the three fallen students into the air where Mezo cannot follow, and the clock expires on a draw. Denki and Eijiro grumble about the ending, though Jurota reminds them that retreating for help is legitimate.

Shoto wakes to Recovery Girl's kiss with Tenya at his side. Tetsutetsu leaves healed, mentioning the draw and his interest in a rematch. Tenya blames his own lack of speed and his difficulty adapting to Juzo, while Shoto argues that the ice wall he led with hobbled his own team over the long run. Juzo emerges from behind a curtain admitting he needs work against Quirks as intense as theirs, and all three agree to fight again someday. With the classes tied, Neito Monoma crows about the fourth match and about Setsuna Tokage being a perfect counter to Katsuki Bakugo. As both teams take position, Katsuki grins and silently tells Izuku to watch him, which Izuku is already doing.

Tenya captures Sen with Recipro Turbo, and Juzo abandons any attempt to match him directly. Tetsutetsu reveals he trained his steel to absorb heat, forcing Shoto to raise his flames to their absolute maximum and burn his own skin.

Pony eliminates Mashirao with her horns. Juzo and Tetsutetsu drop an industrial tank on Shoto and Tenya, knocking out three students at once and pinning a fourth, which leaves Mezo and Pony alone on the field.

Round three expires as a draw. In the infirmary Shoto, Tenya, and Juzo each accept their own shortcomings and agree to a future rematch, leaving the classes tied heading into the fourth bout.

Chapter 204 from page four onward, plus Chapter 205 and Chapter 206, form the basis of this episode. No.1 and Footprints remain the theme songs.

Two adaptation changes are noted. The anime shows Pony jailing Mashirao before the tank knocks out Tenya, Shoto, Juzo, and Tetsutetsu, reordering those beats.

Recovery Girl hands Shoto a generic calorie bar rather than the branded Snickers of the source material, most likely a copyright measure.