Not spectacular, but a few levels above masonry, as far as intelligence goes, in my opinion.

It's not impossible to be thrown off balance and held in a locked position by in postures you don't normally use, like how police restrain people by placing arms behind their backs; its more difficult to muster strength from that position, and the natural range of motion is limited.

If he grabbed her, what if her quirk was capable of altering what she physically touched (or touched her)? It seems reasonable to distance yourself from someone who's power you don't fully understand. Deku's had disintegrating fingers on his neck at the end of season 2. There are plenty of theoretical quirks that could punish trying to actively restraining a person first hand. That, combined with a snap decision doesn't make his swat seem silly at all.

Midoria realizing she was fake seemed not-dumb as well. First, all he had to go on was her behavior in a time of crisis; but her features looked the same. He may not have pieced her inconsistencies together until just before he slapped the ball out of her hand. Weather he had realized or not, he said she could have sustained a serious injury falling from that height if he hadn't caught her. His character meant he was going to save her either way. Grabbing and pummeling somebody on a hunch are a bit extreme for a reasoned character, I would argue.

Quote Originally Posted by shinta|hikari View Post
Sure he doesn't want to kill people, but hurting them is necessary if they are your enemies.
I don't buy this for a student taking a license exam. Even a pro would not likely resort to violence off the bat, even if it would put their safety at risk. This is the advantage villains have; their rules of engagement suit their purposes because they are designed to. Pro heroes aren't allowed to use their quirks to harm people without licenses and guidelines for the "good" of society. Yes, they are adversaries, but I don't expect students here who greatly (unnecessarily) injure other students before tagging them to get a license, but that's just my take.

His reasoning was surely to clue the audience in, if we hadn't caught on, and also because the fake hadn't abandoned the form yet; she could still actually be Uraraka under the influence of a quirk or something. He gave her an opportunity to explain herself, if you wanted to be generous (and I obviously do).

Physical training versus quirks? In season two, they established that quirks were, being an extension of their bodies, able to be trained and strengthened. I've come to accept a certain level of base-line human ability being increased in addition to peoples' quirks or many more people would be dead (Aizawa, All Might, Deku or anyone else who's body has been made to break concrete from an impact). Stain's physical speed and skill overcame many quirks, his own being rather lackluster. Last I recalled, the premise of the show is that the desire to help people and the strength to do it are what makes a hero. I don't see what has been undermined here.

If shounen authors wanted to mirror real fighting, everyone fighting would carry firearms and drop drone bombs on each other, because one on one combat is inefficient in the first place. Certain concessions on 'reality' simply have to be made when narrative fighting itself wants to be lent to spectacle.