#But at least AFO was present in Tenko's life?? At least Kurogiri cared??

[nyc3]

One thing that is now unfair to ask is...what is Nine's name? Look hori treated him as an afterthought but his lack of origins works better than the comical twnko's origins.

Yes his family was all killed thanks to him but ...I can't help to think that scene was too ridiculous.

We never saw anyone mentioned them again, not even shig. (He remembers them in MVA and we do see the disgusting human puppet hori flay around) But that's it.

So Nine...

Im not one of those people who think a new character needs to be related to a pre stabelished one. Nine doesn't need to be a Todoroki, Shimura or hell even a lost Midoriya (hahahahahahaha as if hori would care for this family)

But ....imagine if Nine was related to Oboro, somehow, wouldn't that be interesting?

Maybe, maybe not.

Oboro's character became a thing to turns Aizawa into a better character...and fails. Kuro was sacrificed for nothing.

The thing about Shigaraki/Tenko backstory is that it feels... a bit overdramatic?

Well we can say that about his whole character, but the part of his backstory in particular when he kills his family is so exagerated for the sake of shock value that it kinda feels comical.

Horikoshi tried a bit too hard on make MVA feel like the edgier and "different" arc of the series, but the contrast in so big that I can't take it seriously.

Especially when Hori already nailed a dark tone without being super explicit or over the top.

Take the simplicity of Eri's backstory for example:

No blood, no unnecessary violence, just two panels giving a basic idea of what happened to Eri's father and yet the image of those clothes lying on the floor is much more haunting and eerie than the enterity of Shigaraki backstory.

Why Horikoshi stop being subtle with his storytelling?

...

Anyway going back to Nine real name, or the lack of one, I think it's interesting how that aspect of his character adds to the underlying theme of how AFO and Garaki dehumanize people, especially the ones that are part of their experiments.

We know very well how AFO doesn't view other human being as persons but rather objects that belong to him. This starts with his very own twin brother, which name Yoichi means something like "my first possesion".

And just like Nine, number 6 from Vigilantes was a child which whole life was modeled by AFO. They both are just numbers without a real name.

In this case the idea is presented even more explicitly because Six was a child who suffered some kind of amnesia and couldn't even view himself as a normal human with a face.

He even died as a monster without ever know if he had an identity outside being the number 6.

It's funny how you mention the idea of Nine and Shirakumo being connected somehow, as isn't the first time I've hear that.

It's interesting notice how they share this common theme about sky and clouds as part of who they are (Nine's name also is supposedly a reference to the term "cloud nine") both Nine and Oboro are individuals willing to sacrifice their own lifes for others, and ironically both of them ended being experimented by Dr Garaki.

I even have the headcanon of Kurogiri being the "Number 7" in this line of experiments were Nine and Six belong, as sort of missing link between Six and the sentient nomus.

I probably should make a post later explaining better this idea.

And yes for Horikoshi, Shirakumo was just a diposable character to make Aizawa look cooler and more edgy.

While the author of Vigilantes clearly invested a lot of effort on making Oboro a real and memorable character which complements Aizawa rather than just being an accesory. But that topic deserves it's own post as well.

P.S: I have an idea of what real name we could give to Nine, but I keep it for me at least for the moment.

[emile-hides]

It took me way longer than it should have to make a detailed post about Izuku from my Swap AU, but whatever, I dug up a bunch of random anatomy sketches and turned them into Izuku for this.

Before I go off I do want to note in this AU, Izuku’s name is Tomura Shigaraki, just like Tenko’s would have been. In universe everyone but his mother (who’s still looking for him after he went missing when he was 4) and Bakugo would refer to him as Tomura Shigaraki.

For the sake of this post, I’ll still be calling him Izuku.

In this AU, Gran Torino kept in touch with Kotaro Shimura after Nana’s death, and was able to report Tenko as a missing persons to All Might before AFO could abduct him. All Might ended up raising Tenko, and never got into his near-death fight with AFO

While not in dire need of a successor, AFO still found himself in a prime opportunity to acquire one, as a just encase. Izuku Midoriya, quirkless, four years old, just recently got his tiny toddler ass handed to him by the person he looked up to as a hero and best friend, laying alone in a park covered in bruises.

A perfect specimen.

Under AFO’s manipulation and grooming, Izuku was raised with a growing hatred of false heroes, like Kacchan, heroes who pick on the weak and only want power and money for themselves. Bad heroes, toxic specs on the world. He could change that.

Being quirkless makes Izuku a perfect host for All For One if the time may come, as until then he can train himself to take and swap quirks as he needs them, focusing on learning a new ability as fast and with as little damage to himself as possible. He’s best with hand to hand combat quirks, Strength being one he uses the most.

Izuku is very smart, training himself he quickly outshined AFO’s expectations at a much younger age than Tenko did in canon. At 14 he was perfectly capable of fighting and planning on his own. He still has stacks and stacks of hero journals.

Despite being a villain, Izuku actually spends a lot of his time playing Vigilante, being a hero truly out to just do good. He always keeps a smile on his face, like his hero, All Might!

He’s a lot like Nice Guy from Vigilantes, actually, just a lot more territorial.

These are his streets, his neighborhoods. He won’t stand for villain causing trouble for his people. Sure the league needs members, but do they really need a couple of petty thieves? Does the world need a couple of petty thieves?

Be sure to dispose of your burnables properly.

This AU would canon divert fast, and the first official League attack against UA would actually be at the entrance ceremony, because Izuku couldn’t stand the idea of Bakugo going to his school, stealing his dream of being a hero.

He doesn’t stay for long, as much as he’d love to show Kacchan how much strong Deku has gotten, he didn’t want to tussle with All Might. Much to early to face the final boss. So he simply announced the League of Villains would be back, and vanished.

I don’t have a lot of the middle part from here to late season 3, so I apologize for lack of further detail on the USJ and Training Camp incidents.

However, a major change here is Izuku would get along with Stain very well actually! Giving the chance for Stain to join the League and stick around, and their plans are very inline. They want real heroes, heroes like All might.

On top of that, Izuku would not, even for a second, consider allowing Overhaul into the league, or teaming up with him at all. He already knew who Overhaul was when Twice brought him, and he instantly sent him packing. Meaning Magne is still alive and Compress still has his arm! Big win!

With that as well, Izuku would actually still be the one to save Eri, but not as a villain. He’s the secret mastermind behind the raid, he send clues to Sir Nighteye’s agency, and even turned himself in to Sir Nighteye to tell him directly what is happening to Eri. For full immunity, he promises the League’s full cooperation and knowledge on the Shie Hassaikai’s dealings, all to save that little girl.

I really like messing with Villain Izuku as a Chaotic good type. He’s twisted, and has certainly done some murder at a much too young age, but he’s still a kid. Barely 15, running around trying to be the hero he always wanted to be.

I don’t have a good way to end this post. Send some asks if you wanna know more about chaotic good Izuku Shigaraki or how anyone else is doing in this au.

Thanks for reading my very rambly AU post.

[hamliet]

I feel like I’m in a minority that doesn’t want shirakumo to ‘come back to life’. Aside from the fact that now my hero academia claims quirks can bring back the dead that have been dead for years, I don’t want shigaraki to lose the only positive parental figure he has. It’s a low bar but considering his other option is all for one and doctor ujiko I’d say that makes kurogiri the better figure. And even he said he didn’t find it to be a chore to take care of shigaraki when aizawa and mic confronted him.

An adult who cares about him that doesn’t have a hidden selfish agenda, that’s a first for tomura. What do you think of kurogiri’s relationship with tomura? Do you think shirakumo is really gone? And do you think they’ll try and find a way to ‘bring him back to life’?

Neither and both. I actually think this is one of the more straightforward subplots to predict (watch me be very wrong because I said that, but this is what I see now).

So, I don’t think Kurogiri is a separate, distinct entity from Shirakumo. That’s just narratively lame and makes it super easy for the heroes; it’s like saying Dabi and Touya are not the same and Tomura/Tenko are not the same. But they are, and that’s the whole point. The parts of yourself you don’t want to acknowledge still exist (see: Endeavor). There’s no narrative challenge in that.

So, I think Kurogiri is a part of Shirakumo. Yes, some pasts of him are suppressed by AFO and I do think that brainwashing/possession/whatever it is needs to stop. But this brainwashing/whatever is likely a parallel of what AFO is trying to do to Shigaraki, except Shigaraki is alive and so can fight it.

Do I think Aizawa, with perhaps Present Mic, will get through to Shirakumo? Yes, I do. I think AFO’s brainwashing or whatnot will be broken, and he’ll be able to help the heroes. But what I think he will do is help the heroes save Shigaraki. His care for Shigaraki is not just programmed into him by AFO; that makes no narrative sense. Likely Kurogiri regaining the parts he’s forgotten will help the heroes save Shigaraki, help him be an even better father figure to Shigaraki, not turn against Shigaraki.

Do I think Kurohiri/Shirakumo will come back to life? No. I think once he undos AFO’s hold he’s going to have limited time left, whether through the plot or just the narrative. I do think Aizawa will have to say goodbye to his friend, but his friend will show him we can all be villains and/or heroes given the right circumstances.

Shirakumo is to Aizawa as Shouto is the Dabi as Shigaraki is to Deku as Toga is to Ochaco. Unlike the others, however, Shirakumo and Aizawa are cast in parental/adult roles, so it makes sense that this would be a redemptive death situation, a “we can’t save the body but can save the heart” situation. He’s like, already dead as a nomu, so it makes sense for him to die, but at least I believe he’ll die as himself.

[tomuraxashes]

Found you - part 1

- Tenko! - a young, white haired boy run towards him from the swings.

- Touya-chan! How could you come? - he asked with  confused tone in his voice.

He remembered his friend told him yesterday he wouldn't make it to come even today to the playground.

- Ah, it was easy. I convinced my mum to go and visit her parents together and after we came back I just asked her to take me out here. So I am here! - the young Todoroki smiled.

- Oh, I'm happy then. - the black haired boy said somehow delightfully, but his little cute face immediately turned back to the gloominess it was before - but wat if your dad finds out?

- Dont worry Tenko, after he learned that you are a Shimura, he doesn't really mind when I hang out with you. Sure, I still have to train but he allows me to have a friend, moreover a friend from a hero dynasty. Common bullshit of his, ya'know.

- Yes, I see, but I'm still worried about you! Your scars on your arms .. I .. let me see.. let me try to heal it!

- No need - Touya opposed - I don't have big scars today, I didn't receive any serious injuries. I don't want you to harm yourself just because of these small scratches.

- I don't care.. - the little boy said with a serious gaze in his ruby eyes - besides my mum or Hana-chan, you are the only one for I would use it.. You are the person I like the most, and why should I have this quirk, if not for helping my loved ones?

Now give me your hand...

.

.

They boys were at the Todoroki's house, playing inside of Touya's room. But they still could hear the shouting of Endeavour and Rei from the another room.

"Enji, he is just seven! How can you do this to him?

"He is already seven! He is my eldest son, and I want him to become the no 1, no matter what. He will surpass All Might! I won't let my dream down!"

From the room where the boys were in, a quiet sobbing was heard after the argument.

- Tenko chan.. I .. I don't even know if I want to be a hero anymore! - the white haired boy cried silently

- It's okay.. I will always be here for you and support you, no matter what.

.

.

- Mum, why Tenko's mum is not answering to your calls?

"Breaking news! The no 1 hero Nana Shimura is dead!"

- Mum! It's... Tenko's grandma on the TV! What happened?

"The heroine kept her private life in secret, but unfortunately the tragedy happened there as well. His son's entire family was eliminated, the circumstances are still under an investigation, the suspect is unknown."

- Mum? Dad? - the white haired boy almost cried - Whats the report about? Why we can't reach Tenko? Is he safe?

His mum couldn't answer. All he got is his father's uncertain hug, with a sad gaze and his trying to calm him down.

- I'm sorry, son...

.

.

He was so young back then, but then he was able to feel some happiness. He had one fucking friend in this cursed life, yet he had to die.

He didn't remember to much from his childhood - he didn't want to - but the small black haired boy with those ruby eyes was his sweetest memory ever.

He is not the one he used to be. The white haired hero-to-be is now gone, the world thinks he is dead now. And maybe they know right .. Touya Todoroki is truly dead.

Dabi is the one who lives. Dabi, the villain, the bad guy, who kills people just for fun, and kills heroes to calm his broken soul a little bit.

What would Tenko think if he could see me now?"

But there is no Tenko anymore.

There is no one who would heal his injuries, who would make him smile, who would care for him.. there is no one in this world for him. He is alone.

The only thing what makes him happy is to kill those fucking heroes.

Those scumbags who never helped anyone for real, they weren't there for him when his father almost killed him,  neither for Tenko when he... passed away. Somehow.

It has been so many years yet no one knows how this case happened. The investigators claimed it had something to do with All for One and Nana's war, and via that, they didnt really look into it.

Dabi wanted two things in his life.

Firstly , he wanted to kill the person who made him and his whole family suffer - his scumbag of a father.

Secondly, he wanted to find out the truth about Tenko's death.

And that's why he is exactly there where he is right now.

He joined the League of Villains.

He heard from some underground fellas that there is a guy named Giran who can find literally anything. Well, the information is the most expensive trading stuff of his, so Dabi knew he has to make some money first.

And what's a better option than making money from killing heroes? And besides that, if he ""sells" himself to Giran first, and the  League would be pleased with him as a villain, than the man would owe him.. perfect plan.

Well, it somehow worked. He was in, the LoV took him and even they gave him the opportunity to make them proud.

Even the boss seemed to acknowledge his powers and determination.

Well, the boss.. he was really something. Dabi - nor the others - couldn't see his face,he had always covered it with a human hand. It was kinda creepy but the whole guy was, as well.

He learned that his quirk, the decay is extremely dangerous and that he didn't think a lot about killing. If someone pisses him off, he is willing to turn them to dust within a sec. He has to be cautious, Dabi noted himself.

*

Shigaraki didn't  seem to care too much about his subordinates but in fact, he did. He couldn't even explain it for himself, he just didn't want them to die - maybe.

He didn't exactly know how to "care". He didn't interact with people too much before establishing the LoV. He had Sensei and Kurogiri, and sometimes he was in touch with Giran if he needed something from the black market.

But then Sensei wanted him to get some people, who are his "own". So that way, it was not necessary to ask Giran for some ragtag mobs if he wanted to make a bigger action.

Now, he had some really hardcore fellas, with real power and willingness. He was satisfied.

He was the leader. They listened to him, they obeyed him. That was the most important thing.

But ... since they lived together, he saw the connections between the members. How they get on with each other in their free time. How they talked, played, had fun, etc.

And for Tomura, it was all strange indeed. He has never done it - at least, not after Sensei found him.

Before -

"Hm, that's not relevant anymore, what happened before..."

*

Dabi was in a good mood recently. No one from the League knew the reason, but the scarred man teased them less than usual. He was even nice with them sometimes.

They were all in the bar, even Shigaraki sat there and drank some spirit when Toga just asked Dabi randomly about his sudden emotional changes.

- Well, if you really wanna know - the burnt man started to speak theatrically - I will finally receive the thing I always wanted to!

- And what's that thing? - Magne asked excitedly- you ordered some goth stuff from Wish?

- Lol nope, that's ..wait, why do you assume I have my stuff from Wish? I definitely don't! But that's not the matter! After the last mission I finally had the cash to buy something from Giran. And he promised me the stuff for todaay!

- What the hell did you buy from that crock? Do you need some guns or what? - finally Shigaraki spoke up too.

He wasn't fond of the fact that he has now some company but he was aware he needed to socialise.

He quite liked the League and that's why he didn't want them to think that he is some creepy loner - well, he is.

- What for? I have my own firepower, it's not the thing. I bought some information...

That was all he shared with the League. At least, for now. He have to see Girans files at first and maybe after he will reveal the truth about himself - and Tenko in front of the League.

When he almost died, and that way he became Dabi, he promised himself he won't share his past with anyone, but since he lived with the League, he wasn't that determined anymore. He felt like there is a bond between them, and if they could help him find Tenko.. it would be worthy.

Even if he - somewhere deep down - realised it is nearly impossible to find his soulmate being alive, the hope never left him.

Neither when Giran gave him the files - with a sorrowful storyline, about AFO's and Nana's fights, about how Nana tried to hide Kotaro's existence, and then after a time skip, there was Kotaro's own family. Birth dates, basics infos, some pictures and the date of their deaths.

So that was it. No trace of life, no chance of survival. The destruction may caused by Afo.

Who is currently in the jail, so Dabi can't even speak to him.

He knew he has to give up on his hopes. There is the fucking evidence his soulmate really died back then.

Dabi just put the files on his drawer, not really paying any attention to hide it. He will do it later - now, he just doesn't want to think about it.

That's why he volunteered for the Leagues next mission.

It was a dangerous one, he needed to a sneak in the Hero commission's building and steal their newest "top-secret" plans.

It was actually spying, and they needed to do it with the minimum amount of men.

Kurogiri would teleport him in and out when it's time, but it is still risky.

Mostly - for a spying- there was Toga or Twice because of their quirks were suitable enough, but now it was required a real fight as well. So the final version was him and Twice. Twice would copy the looks of a random official, and Dabi will hide and somehow steal the secret files.

.

Shigaraki was really good at making plans. He always calculated a lot of possibilities in, and nearly all the stuff what could happen.

He was aware the mission is not a child's play but a serious one.

He looked over it many times already before presenting it to the others, but the overthinking and insecurity were his habits and can't let him stay calm.

At the evening, he decided to talk with Dabi about it. He wanted to be sure that the flame villain is okay with the whole thing, he knows the details and stuff.

He headed to his subordinate's room. The door was halfway open so the young boss don't really mind to knock on it.

There was a semidarkness in the room, but Dabi was nowhere to seen. Shigaraki came from the bar, the burnt villain was not there either.

Tomura thought he may use the bathroom or whatever, so he decided to wait him in his room.

He was about to sit on his bed, when he accidentally noticed a file on his drawer.

On the top of the file, there was a picture. That particular picture, of his dad and Nana Shimura.

Tomura stood there for minutes like an ice statue. He couldn't imagine how the picture could remain - and mostly how it got into Dabi's room.

At the meantime Dabi finished his stuff in the bathroom or wherever he was, so he came back to his room, only to see his boss holding a picture from his file and staring on that somehow inscrutably.

If it wasn't for Tomura, Dabi would be pissed off, cuz he doesn't like at all when others just come in his room and start to rummage his stuff, but since the blue haired man was his boss, he tried to keep it cool.

- Hi boss, how can I help you?

Tomura turned up when he heard Dabi's voice. He still held the picture, and judging by the mess on the drawer he also took a look into the files.

He was so confused right now he had no clue what to say. His thoughts were so loud and they didn't subside. He wanted to ask Dabi why the hell he has this goddamn file with the picture, how did he get it, and mostly.. could is be possible that he knows his secret?

"No way" - Tomura thought - "he would hide this somewhere and he wouldn't act so normally with him" But he was certain he needs to figure it out.

However his thoughts were still so messy he couldn't ask the proper questions he wanted to - without being suspicious.

He somewhat calmed down when he read those files - and they all stated he.. not he, Tenko - is dead, all the family is dead. No sign of survival.

So Dabi - or the one who gave him this - cannot know about him.

- How did you get those? - he finally managed to ask. His eyes were more deadly than he wanted tho.

Dabi suddenly felt himself quite uncomfortable. What should he say? If his boss would be curious, how should he explain why he wanted these datas? And why is his boss'es suddenly so resentful?

- This is the stuff I bought from Giran - he started to explain - I needed it for.. personal stuff.

Tomuras eyes widened - what kind of personal stuff of his can he related to his family? He noticed how Dabi's mood changed before he met with Giran - he was almost happy and really excited. But after the meeting he got gloomier than usual. Even now - when he spoke up, his voice was somehow sad.

Tomura decided to not deal with this right now, they all need to focus for the next day's mission.

- Anyways - the bluenette said - I just wanted to say not to fuck it up tomorrow. That's all for now. And I will keep this picture. Good night!

And with that, Shigaraki quickly left his subordinates room.

Now Dabi was the more confused one. He just couldn't understand what exactly his boss wanted to do, and why he got so distracted by that fucking picture. And mostly, why did he keep it?

Not if Dabi would need it, there wasn't Tenko on the picture just his dad as a kid with Nana Shimura.

"Maybe Shigaraki recognised the heroine and that's why he was asking? Probably" - Dabi thought. He knew about All for One and the Shimuras were enemies, so maybe that's why Shigaraki acted so strange.

.

(Part two right here on my page, just couldn’t write here the whole stuff cuz it’s long)

[dabistits]

grasping the symbolic: representations of the past

We!! finally!!! have the story of The Hands!!!! 🙌🙌🙌

I’ve been wanting to talk about The Hands for a long time, and I feel like this chapter (222) gave me enough material to do so. Hands (not just The Hands) are extremely rich in symbolism, so I’m always particularly interested in how they’re used to add depth to a character. They can say so much about the way a character perceives the world and the people around them, since hands are our primary means of interacting with and manipulating the physical world. They’re associated with agency, with the ability to get things done. We also ascribe meaning to them as a part of relationships, in using our hands to touch and express affection. They’re sites of intimacy, of connection to other people.

That’s why it can be easy to use them to illustrate disconnection as well. As an example from BNHA itself, we have Overhaul, whose outfit design includes gloves. Not only is he mysophobic, but he’s also portrayed as disconnected from his subordinates, and downright cruel towards Eri. He has very few genuinely connected relationships (or arguably none at all), and this is symbolized through a physical barrier that prevents him from coming into direct contact with another person. Of course, at the very end of the arc, he also has his hands disintegrated, thus removing his primary means of physically acting upon the world, and symbolically removing his agency.

Of course, more sinisterly, hands can also be a means of enacting violence. This is pretty apparent in BNHA, given the amount of characters who we know can destroy things by touch. There is definitely something frightening about the use of hands in this chapter—we start off with the image of a hand. The speaker stands above Tenko, and the hand is shadowed and looming; it seems intimidating and unfriendly. Whether or not this implies abuse we don’t know for sure, but the gesture definitely strikes us as unpleasant.

This is, presumably, The Hand that Tomura wears over his face. With that thought... let’s segue into Tomura and hands.

We can start with his own. Our association with Tomura’s hands is primarily destruction—because of how he chooses to utilize them, but also because of his quirk. There’s no way around the fact that his quirk could be immensely dangerous, even if he had no ill will of his own—it can be activated accidentally to disastrous ends, as happened with Eri’s Rewind. Even at the best of times, under the most optimal and loving conditions, someone with a quirk like Decay could become afraid of their own power, ending up totally alienated from their own sense of touch via their hands. Tomura isn’t exempt; in the few flashbacks we get before 222 (ones that don’t involve AFO), we get this:

The image is carnage, delivered by his own hands. This is one of the few things Tomura remembers—violence, the taking of another life. As we see in 222, he’s apparently embraced this role—his will is to destroy “everything.” I think symbolically (and possibly as the actual feelings of the character) this has a lot to do with Tomura’s hands; after all, one’s hands are just an extension of the self—what you do with them, how you use them to interact with the world around you, reflects on who you are as a person. Tomura is someone who grew up with a dangerous quirk and had the worst-case scenario happen, who possibly identifies his own touch as only capable of destruction—perhaps he can’t even see the possibility of interacting with the world in a different way.

The other part of his flashbacks is AFO, who is presented in a very different light. Many of the scenes show him performing a very significant gesture:

Reaching out. In all that we know of Tomura’s flashbacks, this is only kind gesture, the only affectionate gesture, the only attempt to connect with Tomura. It’s also greatly symbolic that this is a hand that actually has an embodiment, contrary to the severed ones that adorn Tomura’s outfit, whose owners were indistinct and unclear. AFO is the only person whose hands have a significance—everyone else is just shadows of people. Knowing AFO, this is probably entirely by design.

The only generous gesture that Tomura was given, this extended hand, was one which bound him completely to AFO; the only connection that Tomura was offered became his only connection. AFO has been cemented in Tomura’s mind as the only person who matters, the only person who cares for him, who shows him kindness, and who can be trusted. Everyone else is to be kept at a distance—untouchable—unless he wants to kill them. Aside from the one person who is burying his claws in to manipulate him, Tomura almost certainly has a negative association with touch.

This includes the severed hands he carries with him. Soon after he meets AFO, he’s introduced to The Hands. Going back to the beginning of fandom theorizing, I would say that most of us expected that Tomura chose to wear those Hands—either as trophies, or as sources of comfort. The assumption was that wearing The Hands was an exercise in agency, but 222 turned that on its head—The Hands were not Tomura’s idea. They were the severed hands of his dead family thrust upon him by AFO and the Doctor, and Tomura reacts to them with disgust and anger, even as he embraces them.

The Hands are not a pleasant source of touch. They don’t bring comfort nor connection. They are incapable of doing so, rendered merely objects—inhuman—by their separation from their owners. They cannot act, nor create new meaning through action. All they can do is signify, and what they signify is the past—nebulous and indistinct, carrying some sort of trauma that Tomura himself doesn’t clearly remember. As the supposed remains of the family members that Tomura killed, they’re essentially ghosts—remnants of the past given material form—and it’s Tomura whom they haunt. They quite literally hold him back.

The way The Hands are positioned, enclosing his limbs, resemble shackles. The past imprisons him. And now we return to the thought that it isn’t Tomura who gathered The Hands in the first place—AFO did. What many readers assumed was an action made with agency was actually a moment in which agency was stripped from Tomura, who cried and threw up as The Hands elicited fragmented memories and negative feelings that he did not know how to parse.

Tomura was never given a choice in when and how to confront the past. These things were thrust upon him by design. AFO confronts Tomura with his past so that AFO could control his reactions: which recollections he comes to remember, which feelings he prioritizes. AFO’s own kind gestures, represented by his extended hand, are also starkly contrasted against the revulsion Tomura feels towards The Hands; thus, AFO becomes his only respite. AFO imprisons Tomura with the deaths of his own family, and saddles him with physical reminders that he can’t escape.

AFO has created a man who is inextricably bound to his own past, with no way to move on. Tomura seems to be no physical prisoner of AFO, but AFO’s manipulation flows through every aspect of his character. When danger manifests, Tomura grabs The Hands first—these things that make him feel ill, these things that he did not choose to create. He cannot leave them behind nor let them be destroyed, even if he’s not the one who destroys them. He still cannot part from them, and in his attachment, he self-perpetuates his own entrapment.

That’s because The Hands represent Tomura’s past as much as his hollowness and anger. He views only the latter as his driving force, but they are linked by their representation in one singular symbol. They exist in tandem. There is not one without the other. He’s not allowed by AFO to completely relinquish his past, because then that hollowness and anger vanishes; similarly, if Tomura releases those feelings, he is also left without a past. How does one identify oneself without a past?

Maybe it’s worth mentioning that Tomura is gradually removing The Hands, from time to time. Sheer necessity aside, he formerly only did so around Kurogiri, but as many people have noticed, he’s now put them aside around the rest of the League of Villains. It’s an indication of familiarity and comfort, but perhaps also of temporary respite. Those are moments when he doesn’t need to feel repulsed and driven and angry. Those are moments when he’s creating—yes, creating!—something for himself that has more significance than simple destruction. The Hands are his past, but the League of Villains is his future. Maybe there will come a point when the past no longer has a hold over him.

At least we can hope.