Tamal Kundu
In season 5 episode 16, titled ‘Long Time No See, Selkie,’ ‘My Hero Academia’ takes a break from the main storyline, shifting the focus from Midoriya, Bakugou, and Shouto’s time at the Endeavor agency to how Ochako, Nejire, and Asui are faring at the agency of Ryuuko Tatsuma, the No. 10 hero. Selkie, the Sea Rescue hero, and the rest of the crew of Oki Mariner reach out to Ryuuko Tatsuma for help in catching an elusive smuggling group. Here is everything you need to know about the ending of episode 16. SPOILERS AHEAD.
My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 16 Recap
Through Midoriya’s voiceover, we learn that Minoru Mineta, Hanta Sero, Ibara Shiozaki, and Denki Kaminari have joined the pro-hero team, the Lurkers, as interns, while Eijirou Kirishima, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, and Tamaki Amajiki have gone to work with Fatgum. Other students have started working with different agencies as well. However, not even one of them knows why exactly they are doing this. As the three boys struggle to keep up with their demanding teacher, Ochako and the other two girls have a surprisingly relaxing time at Ryuuko’s agency. They celebrate the arrival of Ochako’s new costume with desserts and drinks.
Meanwhile, the Oki Mariner crew follows a stateless ship, asking it to stop as they are in Japanese territorial seas. Suddenly a man comes on top of the cargo that the other ship is pulling and injects himself with something. He activates his Quirk and covers a massive area with a smokescreen. By the time Oki Mariner gets out, the stateless ship is long gone. Captain Selkie and Oki Mariner crew member Sirius have seen the man injecting himself with something and deduce that it has to be Trigger, which the crew of the other ship most likely has smuggled out of Europe.
Realizing that he needs air and land support to find the hiding spot of the smugglers and apprehend them, Selkie contacts Ryuuko, whose Quirk transforms her into a large dragon. Ryuuko is also aware of the threat that Trigger poses and agrees to help. She takes Ochako, Nejire, and Asui with her on this mission.
Shortly after their arrival, Selkie lets the three girls from U.A. and Sirius enjoy some free time at the beach, knowing that smugglers will show up later. Demonstrating once more what an exceptional teacher he is, Selkie lets the girls experience this moment of peace, so they will be later inspired to protect it.
My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 16: What Is Trigger? Are the Smugglers Caught?
Trigger is a drug that significantly enhances a person’s Quirk for a certain period of time. One of its biggest side effects is that it decreases a user’s reasoning abilities. Initially, the drug was developed to boost the Quirks of those who were born with subnormal Quirks. However, criminals around the world soon realized its usefulness in their trade and started using it to commit various types of crimes. This prompted Japan and other countries to ban the substance altogether.
In episode 16, it is revealed that a large cache of Trigger has been stolen from a factory in the fictional European country of Kaflin and has been brought to the Japanese seas by the smugglers. Although it is banned in the country, it is still widely circulated. Most people use Trigger by injecting themselves with it. However, there are some users who ingest it.
Ryuuko and Nejire take the sky to locate the smuggling ship while Asui and Ochako join the Oki Mariner crew. When they spot the smuggling ship, the smugglers notice them as well. The man from earlier once more injects himself with Trigger and surrounds the ship with a smokescreen. Selkie and Asui board the ship from underneath it. Using his sonar ability, Selkie finds the ship’s bridge and knocks out the man there. However, the ringleader escapes with the cargo on a seaplane, prompting Sirius to shoot Ochako after it on top of a harpoon.
Inspired by the incident involving Midoriya and Blackwhip, Ochako has gotten grappling hooks that shoot out of her Uraraka Wrists equipment. She attaches one of those hooks to one of the wings of the smuggler’s plane and hurls herself toward it. After getting inside the plane, she quickly takes the criminal out with Gunhead Martial Arts. She realizes that she can’t abandon the plane because it will then crash, and the drugs will leak into the ocean, which will have a catastrophic effect on the ocean’s ecosystem. Ultimately, Ochako makes the plane weightless with her Quirk and lands it with Ryuuko and Nejire’s help.
What Is the Significance of the Post-Credits Scene?
In the post-credits scene, a mysterious man is informed about the loss of the smuggling ship due to the intervention of the heroes. He observes that it doesn’t matter as they already have the amount of Trigger they need. As the episode ends, the man ominously states, “Now, let us begin… the salvation of humanity.” This enigmatic person is reportedly Flect Turn, the main antagonist of the anime film ‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission,’ which is slated to come out on August 6, 2021.
As the story briefly detours from the main plotline in episode 16, some may consider it a filler. However, that will be inaccurate as the producers use the episode to set up the upcoming film.
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