Warning! Spoilers for My Hero Academia chapter 321 ahead!
Chapter 321 of the My Hero Academia puts a twist on one of the manga's classic scenes by taking Deku's own strategy and using it against him. But as class 1-A continues to struggle to knock some sense into their friend, will this be enough?
In recent chapters of the manga, Deku has left school to face All For One on his own, and his classmates are determined to stop him. As part of this effort, Deku's friends and classmates have been making some emotional appeals to the young rogue hero, and some of them (like Mineta's love confession) have been very surprising. While they hoped these might sway him, it turns out this wasn't the real plan—rather, the students pooled their abilities together in a desperate attempt to launch their fastest friend to catch up with Deku and intercept him. This isn't the first time they've tried a tactic like this, however, and the last time was one of the most hyped up scenes in the entire series to date.
Back in chapter 90, Bakugo was being held captive by All For One and the League of Villains, and his classmates were eager to help, despite having been told not to interfere. Midoriya, Todoroki, Iida, Yaoyorozu and Kirishima came up with a plan to combine their powers in an attempt to rescue Bakugo without getting into a fight with dangerous villains. They created a ramp and used Iida's engine legs and Midoriya's One For All to launch into the air, which gave Kirishima the chance to snatch Bakugo as they passed and remove the hostage from the situation, allowing All Might to use his full power for what would be the final time.
While everyone was essential to executing the plan, it was really Midoriya who came up with the idea. It seems the others haven't forgotten about it, however, and they decid to make a few adjustments to use it against him. Todoroki once again creates a ramp out of ice, while Mina Ashido uses her acid powers to reduce the friction even further. Urarak applies her zero gravity to Bakugo and Iida, who then proceed to maneuver and build up further speed with Bakugo's explosions before finally throwing Iida at top speed to catch up with Deku. The first time, Deku realized that he couldn't be the one to reach out to Bakugo; it had to be Kirishima, who had earned his friendship and respect, in order for Bakugo to be willing to accept help. Here, Bakugo sends Iida for the same reason, as Iida was the first in the class whom Midoriya befriended. The technique is once again effective, and it seems like Deku might finally be willing to back down and cooperate.
Simply catching up to Deku doesn't seem like it should be enough to change his mind, though, and that may very well be the case. But by using this same technique, his classmates have reminded him of the kind of incredible things they're able to pull off together, and that even All Might didn't have to face off with All For One alone. And although Midoriya's aim may be to keep his friends out of danger, the fact is that they've chosen this hero life in exactly the same way he has, and they're just as qualified to perform these kinds of actions. After all, it's not as if Deku has had substantially more training than any of his classmates; they're all still young and inexperienced, and no level of power is going to change that. The fact is, Deku does still need All Might and his friends to support him, and this chapter's use of continuity to mark a turning point in My Hero Academia really helps to drive that fact home.