Chapter 285

Hurting badly, Deku keeps hammering away, cycling St. Louis Smash, Wyoming Smash and Detroit Smash into the villain. The damage is now outrunning Super Regeneration, and Tomura recognizes that dropping his guard means being blown away. A curse aimed at the heroes who pushed him to this limit dies half-formed, because he settles on the real problem: One For All is standing between him and his dream. Deku tells him that is exactly what it is for, and follows with Texas Smash. Tomura begins hunting through his stolen Quirks for an answer.

On the ground Manual calls the fight above incredible. Katsuki calls it a death sentence. He breaks it down: Deku is juggling multiple Quirks at once, leaning on his legs and the Air Force gear to shed the recoil, and burning through every technique he has ever learned just to keep the villain airborne. The opening attack failed to finish it, so this is now attrition, and against regeneration, attrition is unwinnable. Minutes, he says, and Deku loses. He checks whether Shoto has finished first aid, then grabs him and his father, telling Endeavor to hold the fire until he is in position and Shoto to keep him cool for as long as possible. Endeavor takes the plan. Rock Lock frets over it until Shoto asks him to look after their teacher, and he remembers he already accepted these kids as heroes.

Climbing, Endeavor tells Katsuki to time the launch for when Blackwhip is fully extended, and to clear out fast afterward or burn with the target. Katsuki's mind goes to the talk between himself, Izuku and All Might, and his own comparison of Izuku to All For One, who created One For All and carried many Quirks at once. He half believes the thing is a cursed power. He also cannot deny the good All Might did with it, or that it let Izuku have the dream.

They reach the fight. Endeavor seizes Tomura, yells for Deku to get clear, and burns him with Prominence Burn. Inside Tomura's head, All For One offers a hand again and asks for the loan of his body. Something answers, because tendrils erupt from Tomura's back and skewer Endeavor, who can only wonder why this thing will not die. Tomura slurs something incoherent, then fires the tendrils at Deku while calling him his little brother.

Exactly as in middle school, with no thought in between, Katsuki shoves Deku aside and takes the attack full force.

Deku presses his assault on Tomura, with Texas Smash making its debut appearance here.

Katsuki devises a plan to bring Endeavor into the air, and Prominence Burn leaves the villain scorched to the core.

Inside his head, All For One extends a hand once more and asks to borrow his body. Tomura appears to consent, shouting about the first One For All user, calling him "Little Brother" as he attacks Izuku.

Katsuki throws himself into the attack's path, mirroring the day Izuku tried to save him from the Sludge Villain.

Seventeen pages, published in Weekly Shonen Jump issue 43 of 2020 and collected in volume 29 during the Paranormal Liberation War arc. Katsuki Bakugo and Deku share the cover, and Episode 122 adapts the chapter.

Five named super moves appear across its pages: Prominence Burn plus the Texas, St. Louis, Wyoming and Detroit variants of the Smash. Rivet Stab features as one of All For One's Quirks.

Kohei Horikoshi's author comment says he leans on Mana Ashida's song "Fight!!" when things get hard, and that he had it on all week.