My Hero Academia Sets Up Intense Himiko Toga vs. Ochaco Uraraka Fight

My Hero Academia's big war between the villain and hero armies continues, and the latest chapter of the manga examines a much more intimate corner of the battlefield: the mayhem that everyday citizens are facing, as the forces of good and evil collide! The League of Villains big hulking monster, Gigantomachia has been on a rampage in order to get back to his master, Tomura Shigaraki - and he doesn't care at all about the city that stands in his way. As that the city falls, the resulting chaos brings two rivals face-to-face, as Himiko Toga stalks Ochaco Uraraka down for a brutal fight!

Warning - My Hero Academia Manga 288 SPOILERS Follow!

The latest chapter of My Hero Academia captures the horror of what Gigantomachia's onslaught causes. The city is smashed to rubble in a matter of minutes, leaving the heroes with the impossible task of trying to get every civilian they can out of the path of death and destruction. Ochaco Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui are part of that hero rescue squad, and try to use their respective float and frog powers to save who they can - including Ochaco saving Froppy from nearly getting killed.

Meanwhile, the League of Villains members are enjoying a nice leisurely ride on Gigantomachia's back, watching all the carnage unfold around them. One of League's new allies in the "Paranormal Liberation Front" ("Skeptic") spots Uraraka and Asui on his laptop - a sight that immediately triggers Himiko Toga to jump in and fight. Despite her teammates arguing against the detour, Toga slips into the battlefield to hunt down Uraraka, her perceived rival for the affections of Izuku Midoriya.

Using some particularly brutal tactics (like... killing a defenseless old lady!) Toga shape-shifts into a helpless bystander to lure Uraraka away - and then jumps the girl in a twisted game of cat-and-mouse within the evacuated city. Ochaco is basically on her own in this fight (at least for now), and after losing Twice, Toga is acting especially nuts. However, it's Toga who may have the biggest reason to be afraid: Ochaco Uraraka is in full hero mode, and she isn't about to let anything - or anyone - stop her from saving lives. Toga may get tossed aside like a distraction, instead of getting the audience so desperately wants. Uraraka actually owes Toga a butt-whipping, after the Toga jumped her and replaced her during the Hero License Exam.

This My Hero Academia war arc has done a good job of both capturing the epic scope and intensity of the battle and giving individual characters the spotlight for big moments. It's only right that Uraraka gets her moment to shine - especially against a fan-favorite villain like Toga.

My Hero Academia is in production on season 5 of the anime. Online chapters of the manga can be found HERE.