My Hero Academia’s Provisional Licensing Exam Showed a Wider World

The Provisional Licensing Exam arc of My Hero Academia continues a pattern of alternating major villain story arcs with school-based arcs, this time tasking the students of Class 1-A with obtaining their provisional hero licenses by participating in a massive competition with several other schools. The arc offers some fantastic action as well as a view at the broader world of the series, but it’s some excellent character growth for Deku and Bakugo that ultimately seals the deal.

The arc is a big step forward for all the students, and its wild battle royale nature gives many students an opportunity to shine, especially in the anime, which expanded on the arc significantly. It then turns the tables by forcing the students to work together with their former adversaries, offering a chance to see a different side of them than was revealed in battle. Of course, not everyone is able to work together, leading to some potentially catastrophic missteps.

Expanding the World of My Hero Academia

The series thus far had focused almost exclusively on UA and a handful of other pro heroes, but it made logical sense that there had to be other hero schools in Japan. The Provisional Licensing Exam provides a convenient reason for these hero schools to gather, introducing UA’s rival school, Shiketsu, and another school, Ketsubutsu, whose students will act as Class 1-A’s main adversaries in the competition. Many of these characters will continue to appear in the series after this point, although usually in small roles.

Chief among the new characters is Inasa Yoarashi, who quickly becomes a rival of Shoto Todoroki, having a bit of a grudge against both Shoto and his father, Endeavor. Inasa wields a powerful wind-based Quirk, giving him an elemental power that matches up in strength with Todoroki’s. Their rivalry ultimately becomes the proof that heroes can’t have bad blood between them, as they’re unable to work together and cause themselves to fail–a bold move.

And, while previously introduced, this arc gives Himiko Toga a bit of spotlight, showing off her Quirk for the first time as she transforms into Camie of Shiketsu and then into Uraraka. Toga’s disguise as Camie isn’t revealed until the very end of the arc, but it’s hinted at very well, with Inasa’s over-the-top welcome triggering blood from his head, which instantly draws Camie-Toga’s attention. Once one knows that Camie is Toga in disguise, it becomes obvious, but there’s no reason to suspect anything other than this girl being rather weird.

Deku and Bakugo’s Growth Reaches a New Level

Aside from the licensing exam itself, the arc includes some preparation for it, as well as the aftermath following its conclusion. Deku is shown developing his Shoot Style, which involves more kicks than punches, allowing him to fight without putting his damaged arms at further risk. This is a major moment for Deku, as he stops copying All Might and begins to find new ways to use the power of One for All. The only real problem with this is that Shoot Style ends up fading away in favor of punches again later, without any real kind of explanation.

The licensing exam highlights how, despite his growth, Bakugo still has some problems. While he’s able to fare well in the combat-oriented first round, the second round, which requires cooperation, ends up doing him in. Bakugo, of course, takes this personally, and arranges a fight with Deku in the training areas of the school late at night after the exam’s conclusion. Here, Bakugo breaks down while fighting and admits to feeling like All Might’s retirement is all his fault.

It’s a big moment for Bakugo, and after their fight finishes, All Might arrives to reassure the young hero-in-training that it wasn’t his fault. Bakugo is let in on the truth of One for All, putting him in a very small club and showing how much both Deku and All Might actually trust him. Knowing the truth helps Bakugo to feel better, finally accepting that All Might’s power was already fading before the incredible All for One fight. While things don’t change overnight, it’s a major step forward in Deku and Bakugo’s relationship.

My Hero Academia’s Anime Creates New Content, But Is It Filler?

The Provisional Licensing Exam arc is the second longest in the series up to this point, falling just behind the Sports Festival. It also happens to be the first to feature a fairly extensive amount of anime-original content, with 2 episodes’ worth of content created for the anime, and is interrupted by a special tie-in episode with the first movie, Two Heroes, which is set earlier in the series. Anime-original content can be controversial, however. Is this really just the dreaded “filler” at work?

While these episodes may technically qualify as filler, since they extend the length of the arc without significantly changing the outcome of events, they feel fairly natural, and someone unfamiliar with the manga may not realize these were “filler.” The anime takes advantage of some events that take place offscreen in the manga, such as Todoroki’s victory in the first round, and expands on that in a way that’s fairly satisfying. This also helps the arc to showcase characters other than Deku, giving spotlight episodes to Todoroki and Yaoyorozu.

That said, the arc is a bit long overall, and on rewatch it can become apparent just why those side events were skipped over in the manga. The pacing of the arc slows down a fair amount as a result of their inclusion, which might’ve been frustrating to watch week-to-week, especially with that major character moment for Deku and Bakugo waiting at the end of the arc. It’s difficult to say if their inclusion is a net benefit, but it at least helps the series to maintain more of an ensemble feel.

The Provisional Licensing Exam was a major step forward for almost every character, and those who didn’t pass the exam (just Bakugo and Todoroki) had character moments associated with their loss. The Deku and Bakugo fight is both a great action scene and an emotional catharsis for a character who’s suffered more than he’s willing to admit. While it may not be one of the all-time best arcs in My Hero Academia, the Provisional Licensing Exam contains some very important moments and radically expands the series’ world.

Watch on Crunchyroll