My Hero Academia Season 5, episodes 12 and 13, ends the Joint Training Arc and begins the Endeavor Agency arc. However, in between these two arcs is the Meta Liberation Army Arc. Episode 12 is adapted from chapters 216 to 219, and episode 13 is adapted from chapters 241 to 242. I can only assume the series will return to the Rise of Villains Saga later in the season. These two episodes weren’t intriguing. The main focus in these episodes was Shoto and Katsuki receiving their Provisional License. The two heroes get to show off when a couple of cannon fodder villains go on a stealing spree. Only having their licenses for 30 minutes, Katsuki and Shoto dominate Cider House. Shoto uses his new attack, Flashfreeze Heatwave super move.

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 13 opens with Tomura Shigaraki destroying Delka City. This city was the scene of the conflict in the Meta Liberation Army Arc. I was disappointed when the episode pivoted to interviews. Unsurprisingly, Katsuki is terrible at it. His bad attitude, rudeness, and big mouth make him a terrible candidate to represent the heroes. We finally get to see how the public views the heroes. Many civilians are sympathetic towards the heroes, something that the hero critic, Aorio Kuraishisu, notes didn’t use to happen. In the world of My Hero Academia, heroes are treated like athletes or politicians. As public figures, heroes should be expected to deal with the public.

To this end, Midnight and Mt. Lady arrive to train the students in public speaking. They set up a press release podium. Shoto comes across as “aloof and clueless,” the rest of the class go, but it’s when Katsuki takes the stage that Mt. Lady notices he’s “does interviews much better alone.” The Hero Public Safety Commission discusses reintroducing work studies. After a Christmas celebration, Shoto asks Izuku and Katsuki to join him and his father for work-study. I wonder when this season will return to the Villians Arc. I can imagine the series putting the Endeavor Agency arc first, then concluding the season with Meta Liberation Army Arc. That arc is one of the best and most important in the series. It would be a shame if they skipped it.