My Hero Academia Confirms Class 1-A Didn't Actually Save Deku
Warning: spoilers ahead for My Hero Academia chapter 322!
Class 1-A has spent the last few chapters of My Hero Academia valiantly attempting to quell Deku's incessant and irrational drive to confront All For One alone. Once subdued, his classmates planned on bringing him back safely to U.A. High, which has been fashioned into a fortress to protect the entire city. But the most recent chapter of the series just proved that all of their efforts have been in vain.
Deku initially left school without warning to protect his friends once he learned that All For One sought him out specifically to obtain All Might's power. Even though Deku believes that, as All Might's successor, it's his burden to face All For One alone, going back to U.A. High would have been counter-intuitive for him anyway, since it would have put everyone else's lives at risk. But that didn't stop Deku's friends from trying to force him to accept their help, both through emotional revelations and pure force.
Most of Class 1-A's efforts fail, but their struggle culminates with an emotional apology and stunning admission from Bakugo Katsuki. Although this incredible attempt surprisingly seems to fail as well, Deku eventually collapses into Bakugo's outstretched arms. With the first part of their mission now accomplished, his friends initiate the next phase of their plan in chapter 322: to bring Deku back to the safety of the transformed U.A. High. But what awaits them there is an obstacle that Class 1-A hadn't been expecting: the citizens they're protecting don't want Deku there.
An angry mob meets Class 1-A at the gates of the school, telling them that they don't want Deku anywhere near them because Shigaraki is looking for him. They left the comfort of their homes so they would remain safe, one angry citizen says, and since Deku's presence in the U.A. fortress could jeopardize their safety, he isn't welcome there. Ironically, this is the very reason why Deku left U.A. High to begin with. Deku knew All For One was targeting him and staying there would put everyone else at risk. Removing himself was the best way to protect his friends.
So now Class 1-A is right where they started when they first confronted Endeavor to learn what happened to Deku and where to find him. While this is an unfortunate turn of events for Deku and his friends, it will keep the story's momentum going in a more compelling direction. Deku leaving U.A. High threw a wrench into My Hero Academia's traditional formula in a good way, especially since it forced him to fight one of the series' best new characters, Lady Nagant. Keeping Deku off school grounds will allow that wrench to stay where it needs to be for a little longer. This isn't to say that the series' earlier chapters were bad, but removing Deku and Class 1-A from the familiar school environment helps to emphasize that the threat they're facing is greater than any they've conquered before.
If the citizens get their way, Deku's classmates will either have to find a new place to hide him or else persuade the strong-willed young hero to bring them along on his quest to take down All For One. Whatever happens, it's clear Class 1-A isn't going anywhere. Deku's solo journey had pretty much run its course, so bringing his friends into the mix keeps this rogue vigilantism theme alive, and opens up a whole new realm of possibilities when My Hero Academia actually sees the new generation of heroes face the ultimate villain.
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