Synopsis#
Vs. Queen Bee Arc#
After Knuckleduster's confrontation with Kuin Hachisuka, he extracts the Queen Bee out and kills it along with all the worker bees. Unbeknownst to the vigilante, however, one bee survived and escaped. Number 6, an agent of the Villain Factory, captures the surviving bee in a capsule, planning to cultivate it into the next Queen Bee.[1]
Final Performance Arc#
After rescuing the surviving bee, Number 6 hides it in an abandoned building and for years he takes victims to feed it until the bee regains enough strength to become a new Queen Bee and form a new swarm. Now all they need is a new host which the Queen Bee can parasitize, and Number 6 has already decided one.
Under the name of Rokuro Nomura, Number 6 became the new manager of the Marukane Performers, and he "befriends" Kazuho Haneyama, until one day he deceives her by luring her to the place where the swarm is. Kazuho is parasitized and turned into the new host for the Queen Bee and becomes Bee☆Pop.[2]
One night, Bee☆Pop sends several Bomb Bees to destroy parts of Naruhata, grabbing the attention of Koichi Haimawari, the Crawler.[3] Number 6, who is right next to Bee☆Pop, tells her that it is time for her explosive performance to begin.
Bee☆Pop proceeds to continue causing explosions with her Bomb Bees and uses her Queen Bee Quirk to hack phones and television in order to show her live show to many people. She then tells her viewers to pay attention as she sings her remix for the Marukane Department Store theme – Inferno. To the beat of her own music, she uses her bees to cause destruction, rampaging the city block.
Kazuho's friends, Miu and Yu try to talk some sense into her and convince her to stay away from the danger, but "Kazuho" replies that the destruction makes her feel good, and uses the bees to knock a large billboard onto them. While Yu evades the attack, Miu seemingly can't but is rescued just in time by Koichi.
Confused, Koichi rushes off towards Bee☆Pop, using his Slide and Glide Quirk to jump in the air, and tries to reach out for her. However, Bee☆Pop stares at him in the face mocks him, saying that his desperate and clingy act is a little too late.
She then throws several of her Bomb Bees in Koichi's direction, exploding all around him and making him lose his balance mid-air. While Koichi falls, he sees Bee☆Pop stick out her blackened tongue, indicating that she has Trigger inside her, and tells him that she hates him. Koichi plummets to the ground in shock, and Bee☆Pop declares that her "performance" is over and tells everyone present that her next performance will be a surprise, as a gigantic explosion erupts and she vanishes.[4] In the aftermath of the bombings, the media and authorities declare Pop☆Step a villain, making this a rare case as she is a minor and because this is her first offense.[5]
Several days later, a possessed Kazuho is in a high-rise apartment and crawls toward the window from her bed. As she struggles to fight against the control of the Queen Bee, her mind gets filled with violent thoughts confusing strong feelings of love and hate. She cries over Koichi as her left eye bleeds, saying that once everything is over, he will never forget about her.[6]
The next morning, Bee☆Pop prepares to attack the streets of Naruhata again. She starts with an explosion and uses her bees to hijack the radio spectrum and broadcast her rampage. Nearby heroes attempt to get to Bee☆Pop, but she does not worry and begins playing her musical theme, "Inferno", once again. Heroes try to stop Bee☆Pop, but she uses her Bomb Bees to throw them off, causing even more destruction.[7]
Suddenly, Bee☆Pop hears sirens, confusing her. These sirens indicate the civilians to evacuate, and the Flaming Sidekickers signal to Endeavor to start his wide-scale assault on her. Endeavor uses his Hellflame Quirk and unleashes his Ultimate Move, Hellfire Storm, sending a flaming tornado towards Pop, destroying several bees along the way. She seems to be unable to react in time, but Endeavor suddenly cancels his attack, as there is a hero in the way of the attack. However, this "hero" is none other than Koichi, The Crawler, who is going after Pop.[8]
While heading towards "Pop", Koichi uses his "Shooty-Go-Kablam" technique to destroy several of her bees, saving several heroes in the process. Number 6, disguised as a Pro Hero, realizes Koichi's plan, and decides to kill several heroes along the way in order to make an escape route for Bee☆Pop, as well as to try to frame Koichi.[9]
As Koichi nears her, Bee☆Pop starts to think about a future in which Kazuho and Koichi get married and start a family. She then rejects these beautiful thoughts, as she internally monologues that she has no hope left in her. She begins singing her new single, "Bloom". As Bee☆Pop starts singing, her bees enter attack mode and attack Koichi, who dodges her precise explosions.
After finishing her song, Bee☆Pop moves up to the sky, content that everyone understands her now. She thinks her final goodbye to Koichi, as she says she will shine brighter than ever. She continues to keep Koichi away as the bees begin forming a circle around her, planning to blow them up and end her life. She monologues some mean and heavy thoughts towards Koichi, saying every time he looks up at the sunset, he will be forced to remember his inability to save her.
Koichi manages to prevent himself from falling down by using his master's grappling hook, and jumps in the air to reach Pop. Yelling out her name, Koichi manages to break Kazuho free from the Queen Bee's control. As she is about to reach out to him, she is abruptly shot in the chest by Number 6.[10]
Koichi carries Kazuho to safety on the ground, and meets Number 6, calling himself the hero, "O'Clock II". He reveals that he shot Bee☆Pop with a drug that would make the Queen Bee and the hive eager to self-destruct, and Kazuho begins to convulse. Koichi escapes O'Clock II with Kazuho in his arms, while the bees explode. O'Clock II attempts to kill Koichi by detonating his fists, but is unable to catch up to Koichi.
Both Koichi and O'Clock II notice Endeavor up ahead, ready to take the Crawler and Pop☆Step down.[11] Koichi dodges Endeavor's attacks, and is able to fly up into the sky, where he then proceeds to head over to Soga Kugisaki's location to extract the bee.[12] Midnight arrives, and, after understanding the situation, uses her Somnambulist Quirk to put Kazuho and the bee to sleep. Endeavor arrives, but lets her take Kazuho to the hospital upon realizing that she has been captured.[13]
At the hospital, the Queen Bee is successfully extracted from Kazuho's eye socket, but the latter remains in critical condition.[14]