#Himura Clan

[codenamesazanka]

The Himura clan

did some research! lots of research, actually, all about what being 'village headmen' entailed, what it meant to be wealthy post-land reforms, and I've even come up with a theory/explanation about why they had numerous branch families. let me share what I've found:

(but first, please go read @stillness-in-green’s wonderful review of chapter 387 that contains a great explanation on clan intermarriage and how the situation at the Himura’s must have looked!

The 庄屋 - Shouya - "Village Leaders"

Shouya translates to village headmen, village leader - which is correct, but I don’t think that tells the whole story. So I’ll tell it to everyone:

The 'village headman' (and his lineage) was part of a specific, special rank of 'titled' peasants during the Tokugawa period (1603 - 1867). Basically, they were the elite of the peasant elites. When the shogunate came into power, it created a new system of village offices of headman and council to better collect taxes - and this new status granted prestige and the power to collect and deliver tribute, keep records and maintain the population register, and generally presiding over all public affairs. Headmen were still peasants, but they would be allowed things that would normally be only entitled to the warrior/samurai class, like the usage of surnames, the wearing of silk, and even carrying one (1) small sword.

(Source: Tokugawa Village Practice, by Herman Ooms)

With these culminated privileges and means, then, it was easy for village headmen to get cultivate lots of land, get rich, establish lineages and cadet branches, cultivate more land, get richer, etc. This being feudalism, all land belonged to the central state, so they weren't exactly landowners, but they essentially functioned as wealthy landlords (and became exactly that when the Meiji era (1868 - 1912) established the right to private land ownership.)

This is what the Himura(?) marriage broker meant when they talked about how the family was once "considered prestigious, with a long and storied history", and when Geten spoke of the Himura having wealth and pride. This is a family who could trace their history and genealogy back to samurai times, a lineage with inherited land and fortune that has been continuous for over 500 years by the time the story in HeroAca takes place.

The 農地改革 - Nouchikaikaku - Land Reforms

idk what exactly Official Viz Translator Caleb Cook was thinking when he decides to translate nouchikaikaku - agrarian reforms - as ‘agricultural revolution’ which (to me) brings to mind ‘the era when cavemen starts farming’. It’s not incorrect, exactly, but there are much better options that have more accurate connotations. Nouchikaikaku can be referring to land reforms in general, but here, it is almost certainly talking about the post-WWII land reforms of 1947.

Some background: When poor farmers fall into debt - due to crop failures, due to the chaotic economic times, due to random things like "a fall in the price of rice coinciding with the expense of a wedding or funeral where social custom would permit of no stinting", just having one bad day, etc. - they usually were forced to sell their land... then stay and become tenant farmers on that same land, except now they were paying rent that could be as high as half their income. Thus a system of landlords and tenants came to be, and the gap between their economic statuses would widen.

By 1941, 46% of cultivated land in Japan were tenanted; and only 30% of peasants owned all the land they tilled. (In other words, landlords owned nearly half of all farmland, and 70% of farming households were tenants of some kind.)

(Source: Land Reform in Japan, by Ronald Dore)

This is where land reforms come in, in order to correct this inequality.

After the war, all absentee landowners and landlords who own too many acres were required to sell their land to the government, who then sold it to the people who actually worked the land. In this way, large landlords was practically eliminated, tenant farming was no more, and every farming family became proper small property owners, and Japan's land reform is considered today to be one of the most successful in history.

The whole purpose of the land reforms was to reduce the wealth and power of rich landlords... So how is it that the Himura clan somehow found a way to keep all that?

This is, I think, where the key words of "by creating branch families" come into play.

Quick jump back to the agrarian reforms: Under the land reform laws, owning and selling land became a very regulated affair - Corporations and non-farmers cannot own farmland; there was a maximum limit to how much land a person/family could have; only limited local landlording was allowed, and even then, tenants rights were favored.

Essentially, the “only way an individual could acquire farmland was by joining a farm family through birth, adoption, or marriage, then co-residing with the preceding generation until inheriting the parents' land, and eventually passing the same land to a household heir to repeat the cycle.”

So, my theory:

The Himura, as wealthy ancestral landlords, were bound to lose land (and their fortune) when the land reforms came. To avoid doing so - or, rather, to gain back land they had to sell - they could've started marrying local neighboring families, bringing them into the Himura clan. Each non-eldest, non-inheriting son who married out would already be creating a branch, and have access to his wife's family's land; with the Himura's influence and status, it wouldn't be strange if their daughters' husbands take the Himura name instead of the other way around.

Heck, they also could've just adopted people - one traditional method was indeed this: "families often adopted as “branch families” people who were not related by blood. This kind of branch family was often in an economically subordinate position: perhaps a family of farm workers who depended on the stem “family” for land and tools. The fictive familiar relationship added extra depth and strength to the economic relationship."

Thus, on paper, a tract of land is owned by a individual couple or family... but that couple or family is now Himura, and therefore the Himura clan have increased in branch families, and maintained/maybe even increased their wealth (land), exactly as Geten says.

Which is why when the Advent came, "Heteromorph blood" became so abhorrent?

To be sure, they were likely just bigots who discriminated against Heteromorphs for being different.

However, if their whole operation had been to bring people into the clan, this hatred would mean a loss of marriage and adoption candidates. Anyone who had heteromorphic quirks were out; anyone who came from a family that had even one (1) individual with a heteromorphic quirk was out, since that trait could be inherited. As @stillness-in-green points out in her post, "Given that the characters in-universe still don’t know the origin of quirks, there’s no way to completely guarantee desirable quirks, or even to perfectly guard against the dreaded heteromorphic quirks," outsiders had the potential to bring surprise heteromorph blood, which would've been horrifying for them.

Official Viz Translator Caleb Cook translated this part as 'They [the Himura] didn't want to dilute their blood', but the more accurate translation, I feel, would be 'they hated the mixing of blood'.

'Dilute' gives off the sense that they wanted to keep their 'Himura essence' or whatever pure, which is true to a point; but in the context that Mr. Compress gives us - heteromorph discrimination - and how it's only after the Advent that the result of clan endogamy came to be, I think it's more accurate to say that, yeah, the Himura specifically did not want to associate or mingle with 'unknown qualities', so to speak. They hated the idea of that ‘mixing'; so the Himura had to turn inwards to be certain that no heteromorph lineage could be mixed into the clan.

In doing so, the Himura would've lost their traditional method of growth. No more increasing branch families; instead, the branches would combine and decrease. No more obtaining, inheriting, and accumulation of land to the Himura name. The family shrink and wane, and eventually lost everything altogether.

(and the final delicious irony of all this is that their last ditch effort to marry off Rei would be consistent with their earlier methods, trying to save themselves and obtain wealth...

except this time it would be too little, too late.)

＊

Thanks for reading!

[ranacr0ak]

summer festival!!! (hisako design and poll under the cut)

[katsushika-division]

Rintaro's Thoughts on Ueno Division

Aranai Norikoru

“Oh, this chick is a fucking riot!” Rintaro laughed. “How many teens can say they were infamous across Japan? Not many. Anyway, do I know her personally? Hell no. Do I see her on her bike across Tokyo? Fuck yes. Am I one of the few people able to keep up with her on my bike? Damn straight I can. Much like with that Rooster from Suginami, I race her from time to time. Gotta admit our races are far more thrilling than the ones I have with the Rooster. I actually have to give it all I got.”

Shisuta Heisha

“Correct me if I’m fucking wrong but aren't nuns supposed to take a shitty vow of nonviolence or something? If so, why the hell did one enter this damned tournament? It's a hellhole that some of the country has to offer.” Rintaro looked at the photo of Shisuta a bit before sighing. “I never believed in God or whatever it is Catholics do. Too much terrible shit has gone down in my life for me to truly believe in any sort of higher power. So she's just going to be kinda fucking there as an opponent to fight. Akari on the other hand hates and I mean absolutely hates anything involving religion, particularly Catholicism. ...Not that I blame her.” Rintaro rubbed his forehead. “She's going to hate this woman on principle. I just know it.”

Kisouna Yuzairu

“This bitch.” Rintaro snarled. “The prosecutor at my fucking trial. God that was an absolute shitshow. The courtroom was filled with all sorts of reporters because of course it fucking was. They called it the “Trial of the Century”. The man behind so much destruction and death across Japan was finally about to receive his due and leading was this damned woman. To this day her sanctimonious attitude pisses me the fuck off.” Rintaro leaned back in his seat, a feral grin forming on his face. “I just know that this bitch is raging in her law firm at the deal Chuohku gave us but there's nothing she can do about it. Believe me people damned near rioted in the streets when the news broke. Sucks to suck.”

Sakurai Clan

“A biker chick, a nun, and a prosecuting attorney. They're certainly one of the weirdest trios in this fucking tournament.” Rintaro frowned. “But they've proved themselves as a team to watch out for when they completely destroyed those rich bastards from Aoyama. So that means no dicking around with them. If we fight it's until the last person standing.”

[ch4teaulobbyno4]

possibly my most self-indulgent oc yet & guess what. she’s for obey me

[yugiohz]

Me and my friend recently started watching jjk and my first thought upon seeing gojo for the first time was "dabihawks lovechild". send help my brainrot is getting out of hand fr hdjsbdkxbfkdbdns

yeah that really is just the yaoi brainrot

[malewifetouya]

I just had a horrifying realization….

What if the reason why Touya was born prematurely, short for his age, and had a body built for an ice quirk instead of fire is because of Rei’s inbred genetics

[tonya-the-chicken]

Doing research

[andypantsx3]

𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 : 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: 1.7k of unedited alien prince shouto thoughts based on this post from the other day! sfw, gender neutral reader. several elements of this universe were borrowed from my fave sci-fi novel; see end notes for deets!

he's beautiful—the todoroki prince. tall and strong in his high-collared uniform, strapped with lean muscle and handsomely humanoid. he's the first thing that snares your gaze as your party is guided into the hall of the sun—the reception dome that overlooks the rise of the star yuuei in the morning sky, used by the ruling family to receive visiting dignitaries.

it is morning, in endeavorian planetary time, and the sun has begun to rise. its light is weaker than you remember from back home—almost watery, pooling like quicksilver in the panes of the dome's ceiling.

up at the front of the hall, it catches in the strands of the white half of the prince's hair. from what izuku has told you, it's the half that indicates he's part of the himura bloodline. the himura dynasty has ruled the yuuei system from its capital planet of endeavor iv for tens of thousands of earth-years. it's the second longest line of unbroken rulers in mapped galactic history, an impressive feat.

the other half of the prince's hair is a fiery red, like that of the man who stands next to him—todoroki enji, the general of intergalactic renown, who donated half of prince shouto's genome as well as his clan name. each time a himuran royal from the main line marries, izuku had explained, talking at lightspeed in the podship, they take a branch name, typically sourced from the primary gene-donator. it helps keep inheritance lines clear.

prince shouto looks like he's inherited empress rei and todoroki enji's genes in exactly half—his coloring split down the middle, though his features are perfectly, almost hauntingly symmetrical. he wears a pin of flint at his collar that symbolizes his gender—one of yuuei's thirteen official designations. from what you understand from izuku, it most closely aligns with earth designation "man".

it's embarrassing how much you notice about the prince as you file into the hall, stationing yourself right at the gap between izuku and tenya's shoulders, so you can still see todoroki shouto.

"you don't think they'll reject the treaty and kill us all, do you?" denki mumurs nervously as he presses in behind you.

"no, i don't think so," izuku's gentle voice drifts back to you. he's a three-star ethnologist, studying for a command ethnology post. subsequently he's the most informed of any of the cadets that have been sent along with the treatise party. you and denki are just mechanics, sent along in case anything goes wrong.

"the alliance would be too much trouble for the yuuei," izuku explains. "they have good relations with the surrounding galaxies and tight control over a lot of resources. but the alliance is really large now, compared to the last time they approached the yuuei. they'll likely want to accept at least a loose federation with the allies."

up on the platform at the front of the hall, prince shouto blinks long and slow, like an earth cat. you realize with a start it's the first time you've seen him blink at all, and the subtle reminder that he is not just an extraordinarily handsome human man but the prince of an alien species makes your skin prickle.

"don't you think it's weird they are all this pretty?" denki asks. "it's weird, right?"

"definitely weird," you laugh, your eyes trailing over prince shouto's blade-straight nose, his pert, perfect mouth. "possibly illegal under intergalatic law."

prince shouto stills all of a sudden, and there is the tiniest tilt of his head. two heterochromatic eyes flick over your way, and you are completely embarrassed by the way your stomach swoops in response. you just manage not to grab onto tenya's uniform to steady yourself.

one of the prince's eyebrow arches almost imperceptibly, and you wonder if he's heard you from this distance—but no, that would be insane.

denki picks up his commentary, emboldened by your playing along. you think the prince's eyes linger just a little too long on the gap between izuku and tenya's shoulders, but then you're distracted by the reception beginning.

the alliance treaty officer strides forward, flanked by a few of the other officials your crew had ferried here. she performs an elaborate bow, as do the other officials. from izuku's muttering you gather it's some sort of ritualistic greeting, and empress rei at least looks pleased with it, waving a gentle hand to gesture the party forward.

there is some shuffling as various aides set up a table and a series of holo-tablets, along with various inks, a leathery roll of endeavorian traditional parchment, and—

"is that a knife?" you ask, peering at the long obsidian blade placed on the table in front of the officials.

izuku's fluffy head of green curls inclines. "treaties are sealed twice. once in the alliance fashion and then again in the local custom, to make it binding per both systems. blood pacts have been used in yuuei for millennia."

the brush of something over your face has your gaze turning back to the prince—to find him staring straight at you, those unblinking eyes boring into you.

"izuku, weird question. can the yuuei hear across rooms?" you ask, suddenly self-conscious.

a green eye peers back at you. "only in the event of their pair bonds—the yuuei are documented hearing their matepair across approximately ten earth-kilometers. i think we're safe over here though. why?"

matepair. the world settles strangely under your skin, as the prince's eyes brush across it.

"uh, matepair?" you echo.

tenya gives both you and izuku a quelling look, but it's not enough to deter izuku from ducking down to explain in slightly quieter tones. "the yuuei look human but they pair differently. they form a parapsychic bond with only a single partner, which they maintain and uphold for life. it's not just cultural—it's like a physical compulsion. they cannot take another pair, and they cannot be separated for long periods or they grow sick."

prince shouto is still staring straight at you, and it's not quite comforting enough to know that he cannot possibly hear you.

it's only his role in the ceremony that seems to eventually break the prince's weird focus in your direction. he steps forward to perform his duty as empress rei's chosen heir. you almost flinch as the knife draws across the pale skin of his palm, and he adds several drips of silvery blood to the parchment, symbolizing yuuei's intent to uphold the treaty across future monarchs.

the flesh of his palm knits itself back together in seconds, and another little shiver goes up your spine. those mismatched eyes flash back your way as he steps back, and the various aides and officials once again converge on the documents.

there is a brief flurry of activity, various bows and oaths, some stilted endeavorian verse. the chief treaty officer looks relieved when it's all over, and the royal family steps down from the dais to greet the rest of the visiting party, as is the customary honor granted to allies to the yuuei. tenya ushers you into the queue near the back with denki, a symbol of your lower status as mechanics.

you don't mind, as the thought of reaching prince shouto has your stomach doing what feel like backflips in your gut. the longer the delay the better.

izuku had walked everyone through the appropriate greetings on the podship, a few murmured words and a hand touch at chest-level—extremely hard to mess up, even for you. but nevertheless your pulse kicks up the closer you draw to the royal family.

there's a long line of them you greet first. offshoot branch members, then general todoroki enji, whose enormous palm burns hot against yours and who looks he'd rather take your party's hands off than touch them. then rei's unchosen heirs—the princess fuyumi, prince natsuo—and a gap where prince touya would have stood, were he not offworld.

and then you're standing in front of prince shouto, your pulse pounding in your ears. he's extremely tall up close, clearing six feet easily, broad across the shoulders and handsome in a way that almost makes your teeth ache. the yuuei look deceptively human, but this near you can see the tiny details that separate them from you—the slight double-point to their ears, the silvery undertone to their skin, the prolonged space between their breaths and their blinks.

and of course their inhuman beauty. they don't quite look like regular people, and it sparks a tiny note of wariness in the primeval part of your human hindbrain.

prince shouto's mismatched eyes pin you, silver and blue, as a sudden, silvery flush creeps across his face. you hold your hand out in greeting, trying not to wonder if you've somehow managed to offend him already—but instead of pressing his palm against yours, his long fingers suddenly grasp yours, clasping tightly.

beyond him, empress rei freezes too. all at once you can feel every single himuran noble turn to look at you, hundreds of eyes pinning on you.

reflexively, words tumble out of you. "shit did i—what did i do? were you supposed to get a different hand thingy?"

you can hear the treaty officer's horrified inhale at the terms shit and hand thingy, deployed in crass galactic standard in front of a literal prince. you immediately wish you could take them back, but from the look on the prince's face, he's already heard them.

something at the corner of his mouth twitches, like he's trying not to smile.

"y/n," he says, in a deep tone. it's crisply accented and just as beautiful as the rest of him.

it takes you a second to realize prince shouto has used your name, which he could not possibly know considering the uniform you'd been issued for the yuuei visit has no unique identifiers on it. you glance down at yourself, then back up at him, befuddled.

"how did you—? where did you—?" you garble out. "did denki put you up to this? how do you know me?"

prince shouto's fingers smooth over yours, delightfully warm, calloused and sure. "i would know you in any universe," he says, voice soft. behind you, you hear princess fuyumi make a tiny sound of delight.

you blink. "universe? what—uh, what universe? how would you—?"

but shouto leans in, tugging you closer with those deceptively strong fingers. he's so very warm up close, and so beautiful it makes your brain short circuit, especially as he lowers his face to yours. a shiver rolls down your spine as his other hand takes you gently by the chin.

and then he murmurs a single word before pressing his mouth to yours—

"matepair."

𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: credits where they are due!! the idea of a space general dna donator, an overarching space alliance pursuing a treaty, & the flint pin denoting gender were taken from my fave sci-fi novel winter's orbit by everina maxwell! (if you love heartfelt gay love stories in space i am actually begging you to read it).

[poppy5991]

Himura clan: We’re selling you-

Rei: To One Direction?

Himura clan: No, to-

Rei: *disappointed sigh*

[sapphic-agent]

Am I missing something? WHY THE FUCK IS ENDEAVOR NOT IN JAIL?

He was exposed for and/or admitted to:

Engaging in human trafficking (not sure if quirk marriages were technically illegal, but the Himura clan literally sold their kids off. Even if him buying Rei wasn't illegal, he still associated with them, did business with them, knew they were selling their offspring, and said nothing as a top hero)

Abusing his wife

Abusing at least one son

Neglecting another son to the point of him burning himself enough to be considered dead

Lost track of said son for years instead of at least filing a missing person's report

At the VERY BEST, Endeavor is unequivocally guilty of child neglect. He never refuted anything Dabi said. The statute of limitations in Japan is ten years so unless I'm mistaken, even if most of his crimes against Rei are void, his crimes against Shoto and Touya are not.

Even if for some odd reason they can't arrest him, he absolutely shouldn't be able to visit Touya whenever he pleases. Wtf is going on?

[codenamesazanka]

i always loved the Geten Himura reveal and blurb of backstory because it really rounded out the world of bnha. imo. It was a relatively tiny detail, but it showed that problems were deeper and more complex than just Bad Man, because many things were interconnected, and how tragedies can occur due to those chains of intersections.

Like, the fact that the Himura were traditional wealthy landowners was significant, because it meant they were the exact sort of old-money conservative douchebags that would hate change, that would marry cousins to keep their bloodline pure, that would raise children with the expectations to sell them off in arranged marriages. And because they were an old landowning clan, they would've had influence over local village politics - so is it any surprise that villages would be awful towards heteromorphs, when the village leaders or elites were people who rather marry their cousins than 'taint' their bloodline with outsiders and possibly have a kid with a heteromorphic quirk?

It meant Rei was always prepared to not marry for love, but be married to someone rich, and stay in that marriage no matter what, for the sake of her family. I don't know how low the Himura fell, but given that they're a big landowning family, they probably weren't 'starving in the streets' poor and in need of cash for survival, but rather didn't have the money to support their previously comfortable lifestyle. Rei kept in contact with her mom, but the mom could offer no support when Enji turned abusive - whether it was because the mom was also trained to be a traditional housewife and thought this was all normal, or because the mom needed the daughter to keep up a lifestyle, it's all fucked up. And plus, the marriage broker in Chapter 301 also mentioned "Himura women" like there's bunch, and there probably were - Rei's sisters or cousins also getting married off for money, also stuck in this clan-obligation-duty-dysfunction-web.

Enji was the asshole Rei ended up marrying, and everything that happened is his fault, but there very much could've been five other wealthy assholes that her parents had lined up for her to meet. In fact, Enji could've been a particularly useful idiot for the Himura - at the time, Enji was only 21, 22 years old, only having reached the age of majority the year or two before; his father was dead, so he's the head of his household, so they don't have to worry about pesky in-laws; he was probably nouveau riche from his Hero career, so he had no idea of old clan politics; he wanted a quirk marriage, which fit perfectly with their blood purity ideology; and he wanted a kid immediately, sealing the deal. Enji's selfishness matched beautifully with Himura's own messed up issues.

And so the problem isn't just Enji, and it didn't affect just Rei, it's a whole thing. And I so always thought this reveal added so much to the landscape of HeroAcaWorld, where quirks didn't only brought new problems, but exacerbated old prejudices and inequalities, entrenching them even further into the fabric of society. And it would've been fascinating to see how Heroes would have to deal with that.

[akihabara-division03]

How the OC’s Beat The Heat at Home

Taking a shower every four hours: Kisouna Yuzairu (Sakura Clan), Tomi Chōten (Jet Set Trio), Mireya Quinlan (Private Party), Maki Umemoto (山茶花 Zombeez), Kaiji Sano (Lovesick), Joey Kurusu (Justice Shield), Keiko Yumi (Otaku Corps), Fleuret Otoshiro (Blaid Maiden)

Puts a fan in every room: Anika Kiyozaki (Pixel Syndicate), Alexis Ward (Sounds of Silence), Yano Ietsuna (ECO BooN), Kureha Koizumi (Femme Fatale), Sakura Kito (Silent Tragedy), Akihisa Mashiro (Death Row Block), Seiji Tsukimoto (Valor Guard), Asahi Tomoharu (Miraitabi), Kunio Chōten (Strange Magic), Meari Miracle (Oculus), Criss Hiromi (Otaku Corps), Evelyn Rose (Liberty Guild)

Infinite uses of the air conditioning: Queen Card (R.I.P Märchen), Reiaki Suzubayashi (R.I.P Märchen), Aranai Norikoru (Sakura Clan), Kensaku Morimoto (ECO BooN), Miho Kobayashi (CodeX), Wataru Sasaki (Justice Shield), Yuriko Kuromiya (Wicked Requiem), Reika Aichi (Silent Tragedy), Lyall Shiba (Valor Guard), Saigo Fuyugami (Miraitabi), Aoba Yamamura (Strange Magic), Reiji Enjouji (Diabolik Love), Ayame Kurokawa (Diabolik Love), Yorii Sakuma (ENIGMA)

Lots of cold drinks: Miku Shirazuki (R.I.P Märchen), Zakari Hiroya (Private Party), Asato Rikiya (ECO BooN), Shuu Edogawa (山茶花 Zombeez), Sayaka Miyuki (Femme Fatale), Ren Nakashima (Lovesick), Kyler Aaron (Justice Shield), Kanra Akemi (Wicked Requiem), Ayumu Hayami (Valor Guard), Yuuya Kanata (Miraitabi), Natsume Kurome (Strange Magic), Ruka Shiina (Howling Moon), Kaede Iwasawa (Trickstar), Nikki Yoshie (Otaku Corps), Ace Douglas (Liberty Guild), Rashaad Young (Liberty Guild), Eldrid Iwasaki (Blade Maiden), Ted Bridges (Kuma no Ie)

Banning the use of clothes: Shian Meizono (Pixel Syndicate), Karada Kessaku (Jet Set Trio), Hoàng Diệu (Sounds of Silence), Ryuko Umemoto (山茶花 Zombeez), Hisoka Tetsuma (Veiled Vanguard), Lola Takahashi (Femme Fatale), Max Soukoku (Lovesick), Touya Kisaragi (Death Row Block), Eden Yamamura (Trickstar), Aika Yumi (Oculus)

Actually living in only the few cold hours of the day: Makina Setsukura (Pixel Syndicate), Kai Quinlan (Private Party), Daiki Kamiyama (Veiled Vanguard), Sumire Shinomiya (CodeX), Kaoru Shinozaki (Wicked Requiem), Kanon Hojo (Silent Tragedy), Kei Himeno (Diabolik Love), Hisui Meguno (Howling Moon), Nadya Kuromiya (Oculus), Mina Nakayama (ENIGMA), Kotan Anchikar (Kuma no Ie), Kokomi Morozov (Kuma no Ie)

Stands Still: Shisuta Heisha (Sakurai Clan), Luis Kōkyū (Jet Set Trio), Ivelisse Martinez (Sounds of Silence), Jack Verrill (Veiled Vanguard), Ritsuko Okada (CodeX), Rintaro Himura (Death Row Block), Aoi Yamamura (Howling Moon), Nellie Yukimura (Trickstar), Elliot Shimizu (ENIGMA), Azusa Furukawa (Blade Maiden)

@akihabara-division03 @uenodivision @aoyama-division @arakawa-division @roppongi-division @toyama-division @suginami-division @obihiro-division @saitama-division @shinagawa-division @kobedivision @kanazawa-division @edogawa-division @shizuokadivision @katsushika-division @niigata-division @naradivision @kumamoto-division @hamamatsu-divison @kofu-division @aomori-division @minato-division01 @akihabaradivision @setagaya-division @okinawa-division @taito-division @hakodate-division

[bnhaobservation]

Ramblings about the Himura family

So, the past time I was rambling about the Shimura family and the Takami family.

Now generally, when I made those posts about those families, I focused on the dynamics about family members… but for the Himura family there’s hardly something to work with as we barely see any interaction among them.

However… there’s plenty of history (which I kind of discussed in a past ask), and since I thought this could be interesting and worth being preserved, I decided to make a post just for this.

PREMISE

Generally, to make my posts, I use the canon material as basis, but since in this case the story of the Himura family involves history, well, I’m going to report info you don’t find in the manga but which are probably common knowledge in Japan.

For the sake of this observation I’ll assume this:

- ‘What happened in the past in our world history is also true in the BNHA universe’ which might not be true but unless Horikoshi specifically stated there were change, likely is.

With this said let’s start with the Himura family.

We learn more in detail about who the Himura family was in… chap 387 in which Geten will reveal to belong to the Himura family as well as a bit of their backstory.

‘Furuku kara no shōya datta Himura ha nōchi kaikaku go mo bunke wo fuyasu koto de zai to PRIDE wo nantoka tamotte kita.‘ 「古くからの庄屋だった火叢は農地改革後も分家を増やす事で財とプライドをなんとか保ってきた」 “The Himura, who were village heads from long ago, managed to maintain their wealth and pride even after the land reform by increasing the number of branch families.” [Chap 387]

Let’s consider this bit, ‘were village heads (庄屋 'Shōya’) from long ago’ and see what it exactly means.

'Shōya’ (庄屋) can be translated as “village heads” but which is actually a bit more complex than what it might seem to us.

Basically a Shōya was a person who, during the Edo period (1603-1868), was in charge of the village affairs under the direction of the magistrate and worked as the leader of the village. The term was used predominantly in the Kansai regions (other regions used other names), so we can assume the Himura were originally from that region.

Just to give you an idea the Todorokis instead are from the Shizuoka prefecture (along with other characters like Midoriya and Bakugō).

To be more exact, the office of Shōya in Japan was generally established between 1688 and 1704.

To get a better idea of how rich Shōya could be, just think even though they technically were considered peasants, many of them were financially better off than samurai, or even top class Daimyo, lived in large mansions, owned large tracts of farmland , and were also intellectuals representing the village due to their work involved in document creation . The families that served as Shoya during the Edo period were often from prestigious families or previously were powerful vassals of warlords of the Sengoku period (1467-1638).

Of course it wasn’t mandatory for the Shōya to be that rich but… well, it gives you an idea they generally weren’t just a random nobody in charge of a village.

Their duties included tax collection, general village administration, management of public natural resources (such as mountain, field, river and ocean) of a village, as well as negotiating with the territorial lord as the representative of the villagers. The most powerful of them, administered between a dozen to several dozen villages, and ruled an extremely large territory. Some of them were given the privilege to bear a surname and to wear a katana and were treated like members of the samurai class. Their duties also included the communication of laws and the coordination of lawsuits.

Just so you know, Japanese surnames were not really born until 1875. Before, the Japanese mainly carried the name of their clan. Before this date, only people of high rank such as nobles and samurai had a surname. The common people used, in case of need, the name of their place of birth, for example, their village.

Now… Himura is written with the kanji for “ice” (氷 'hi’) and “gathering, collection” (叢 'mura’)… but the interesting part is that 'mura’, written with this kanji 村 means “village”.

So it’s possible originally they were the people from the Hi village, and then they took the word Himura, changed the kanji so as to make it sound less common people and turned it into their surname… either by becoming important enough to gain the right to a surname or much later, in 1875 (I tend to think they gained the right to their surname but that’s just me) or maybe even after this date, when they gained their Quirk.

Going on.

Let’s consider this bit ‘managed to maintain their wealth and pride even after the land reform (農地改革 'Nōchi kaikaku’) by increasing the number of branch families (分家 ‘Bunke’)’ and see what it exactly means:

So here Geten mentions a 'Nōchi kaikaku’ (農地改革) which means “Agricultural revolution” or “Land reform”.

Although Japan had various land reforms, in Japan, when you talk of the 'Nōchi kaikaku’ (農地改革), you are talking of the reform of the agricultural land ownership system carried out by the Japanese government in 1947 under the direction of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.

The purpose was to reduce the wide gap between absentee landlords who owned agricultural land but did not farm it themselves, and tenant farmers who rented the land in exchange for giving the landlord a high proportion of the crop. The land reform laws were intended to limit the amount of farm land one household could own to about the amount of land that one family could farm themselves, without outside labor. The government forced absentee landlords to sell all their land to the government. Farmers were allowed to own a small amount of farm land that they could rent out to others, and had to sell any excess to the government. The government then sold this land, usually to the tenant who had been farming it. The result greatly improved the living conditions of farmers.

Why Geten says the Himura maintained their wealth and pride creating branch families?

Likely the Himura owned more than the land they would be allowed to own by the reform… but my guess is that, in order to continue controlling it, they decided to split their family in many branch families and share the land among them so that the control would still remain in their hands even if they would technically comply with the law.

In fact let’s look for a moment at how the whole main family/branch family work in Japan.

The “main household” of a Japanese family, which Geten will mention later in his talk, is called ‘Honke’ (本家 literally “source house”) and it is characterized by a patrilocal residence and patrilineal primogeniture and is part of the system of family branching that establishes a multiplied structure to create familial relationships.

In fact, in Edo period it was decided the eldest son would inherit everything, all of the family’s assets, including movable and immovable property, including the household as well as the responsibility of taking care of his parents as they aged and even the family Butsudan (since in the Todorokis’ Butsuma room, the room in which the Butsudan is, there’s also a photo of Enji’s father on the wall, this implies the Butsudan had also been ‘his home’ and so we can figure out that, if Enji had siblings, he was the eldest son merely by him having the Butsudan which hosts his father). The eldest son is also expected to live with his parents when they grow older. This change was essentially intended to prevent further division of a territory into smaller sections. Due to all this, particular attention was given to the oldest son’s upbringing and education as he would be the next family head.

What’s the family head?

The “family head” (当主 ‘tōshu’) is basically the person who has inherited the headship of the family.

This means they have authority over their wife and the rest of the family members and the duty to protect them as well as the right to disown those who violate his wishes. Basically, disobey him and you can be literally kicked out of the family. They also had authority over the family's customs and rituals and are responsible for the management of the family property and the family business.

What about the other children of the family?

Normally they would get zero inheritance (or a very small one). The daughters would get married off and would come to belong to other families, as for the younger boys, they could remain in the family and continue obeying to the family head or, if the family head were to allow them, form a branch family, the ‘Bunke’ (分家 literally “part house”) “branch households”.

The branch family was supposed to remain subservient to the main family (so the main family still keeps control of things) and remains to live close to it.

Note that a family could also adopt an adult (generally someone who worked for them) and then use him to create a branch family.

The Himura already had some branch families they controlled since the text say they increased (増やす ‘fuyasu’) the number of the branch families.

Long story short, if the Himura decided to not let anymore the male firstborn inherit everything but to split the land between more people so as to create many branch families, the main family would still be in control of everything.

I’m speculating, I don’t know if this is how they handled the whole thing, but it seems the most logical assumption.

‘Demo chōjō ga okiru to tomoni kasokudo-teki ni reiraku shite itta. Chi ga mazaru no wo kirattanda. Kekka bunke… tōen dōshi de no kekkon ga aitsuida. Mizukara wo heisoku kankyō ni oki Himura-ke ha shukushō no itto wo tadori.’ 「でも超常が起きると共に加速度的に零落していった。血が混ざるのを嫌ったんだ。結果分家…遠縁同士での結婚が相次いだ。自らを閉塞環境に置き火叢家は縮小の一途を辿り」 “But as the exceptional happened, things (for them) started falling down at an accelerating rate. They hated mixing their blood. As a result, the branch families... had marriages among distant relatives which occurred one after another. As a result of placing themselves in a closed environment, the Himura family steadily shrank.” [Chap 387]

Now… during feudal Japan, clans traditionally encouraged cousin relationships to perpetuate family dynasties, and the Himura split their family on paper to keep control of their land… so it can be the Himura always married between themselves because back then it was normal to do so.

It’s hard to say.

However the way Geten claims it was the advent of the “exceptional” (超常 ‘chōjō’) or, if you prefer, the appearance of Quirks, which speeded up their downfall as they didn’t want to dilute their blood, seems to imply when they turned out with having an ice Quirk, things started to take a turn for worse, causing them to hate mixing their blood.

Possibly the Himura’s ‘ice Quirk’ became another reason due to which they didn’t want to mix their blood with people who didn’t have it. If before it could have been fine to adopt someone into the family, afterward it wasn’t anymore because that someone wouldn’t have an ‘ice Quirk’, if before whatever family member could be okay for marriage, afterward only whose who inherited the ‘ice Quirk’ were eligible.

Shōto too kind of hinted at this, when he talked of Quirk marriages.

‘Kosei kon. Shitteru yo na. “Chōjō” ga okite kara dai ni ~ daisan sedai-kan de mondai ni natta yatsu… Jishin no “kosei” wo yori kyōka shite tsuga seru tame dake ni haigūsha wo erabi…… kekkon wo shiiru. Rinri-kan no ketsuraku shita zenjidaiteki hassō.’ 「個性婚知ってるよな。“超常”が起きてから第二～第三世代間で問題になったやつ…‘自身の”個性”をより強化して継がせる為だけに配偶者を選び…… 結婚を強いる。 倫理観の欠落した前時代的発想」 “Quirk marriage. Do you know about it? After the ‘paranormal’ happened, between the second and third generation they became a problem… In order to pass in inheritance a further strengthened version your ‘Quirk’ choose a spouse… and get her married to you by force. Old-fashioned way of thinking which lacks in ethics.” [Chap 31]

Likely the Himura started marrying into the family before Quirk appeared but, once they did, the marriages weren’t just between family members but between family members with an ice Quirk. I’ve theorized the Himura might have changed their surname in the past… but it can be that the ‘hi’ part of it became “ice” after the appearance of Quirks… or the fact the Himura started having an ice Quirk ended up being seen as a requisite to belong to the “ice gathering” family.

So it’s likely they were also doing Quirk marriages among family members, not so much like Enji did so as to mix his fire Quirk with a suitable Ice Quirk so that they would both compensate each other, but only in order to strengthen or maintain their ice Quirk. Which made Quirkless people, which previously were the majority, ineligible for marriage.

How distant had to be those distant relatives the Himura married each other off?

Currently, by law, in order to marry among them, relatives had to be at least second cousins or more distantly related (4th degree or higher).

If you've no idea of what this means here there's a potentially useful scheme which show you which degree are your family relatives from 1st to 3rd (the ones without degree are 4th or higher).

Now the huge declining birthrate in Japan might have caused the thinning of their numbers… and to make matters worse, if people keep marrying distant relatives, with each passing generation those distant relatives become less distant and therefore no more eligible for marriage, which might have made harder for the Himura to find a potential partner… and if having a ice Quirk was a requisite to get married, the fact some Himura might have been Quirkless thinned their options further…

So, anyway, Geten blames the Himura downfall to the thinning of their numbers… but honestly though, I tend to think it’s more like they were bad investors/administrators and so they lost their own capitals.

I mean, whatever you think about their marriage policies, they shouldn’t affect the money they had and we know if Rei was married off to Enji it wasn’t because there wasn’t an Himura available for her to marry but because her family was poor.

‘Obā-chan-tachi ga binbō shiteta kara okā-san wo uttan daro. Okāsan ha sōsuru shikanakattan daro.’ 「おばあちゃん達が貧乏してたからお母さんを売ったんだろ。お母さんはそうするしかなかったんだろ」 “Grandma and the others were poor, so they sold you, mother, isn’t that right? Mother, you had no choice but to do it, isn’t that right?” [Chap 302]

In the anime Enji himself confirms the reasons why he won the Himuras over were also tied to their lack of money.

'(Katsute ha meika datta Himura-ke mo ima ha aoikitoiki…)’ 「(かつては名家だった氷叢家も今は青息吐息…)」 “(The Himura family, which was once a prestigious family, was now in deep distress…)” [Ep 130]

Okay, so he doesn’t quite talk of them lacking money as Tōya did but he makes clear what won the family head over: his status and the bride’s dowry.

'(No.2 HERO no chii to meiyo, soshite djisankin meate ni Himura-ke no tōshu ha ore no teian wo assari to ukeireta.)’ 「(No.2ヒーローの地位と名誉、そして持参金目当てに氷叢家の当主は俺の提案をあっさりと受け入れた) 」 “(The head of the Himura family easily accepted my proposal, aiming for the status and prestige of the No. 2 hero, as well as the dowry.)” [Ep 130]

The “dowry” (持参金 ‘djisankin‘) generally refers to the amount paid by the bride’s family to the groom, while the groom instead should give the bride “betrothal gifts” (結納金 ‘yuinō-kin‘) .

So what happened here?

When the bride is poor she brings as dowry the betrothal gifts given to her by the husband. So likely Enji, in a roundabout way paid her dowry, by giving her money as a betrothal gift and it’s possible that part of it was held back by the Himura themselves so that not all the money was returned to him. Or not. We don’t know but again, the Himura were interested in money, that’s why they agreed with his proposition.

Let’s go on.

‘Tōtō honke ga miuri wo hajimeta koto de jijitsujō no shūen wo mukaeta. Nokori no wazuka na shizoku mo risan shi sono naka no hitotsu datta boku ha saikōshidō-sha (read: RE-DESTRO) ni hirowa reta.’ 「とうとう本家が身売りを始めたことで事実上の終焉を迎えた。残りの僅かな氏族も離散しその中の一つだった僕は最高指導者(リ・デストロ)に拾われた」 “When finally the main family started selling themselves, it came to a de facto end. Even the few remaining clans are scattered, and I was among them and then picked up by the supreme leader (read: Re-Destro).” [Chap 387]

Geten also says the Himura family came to an end when the main family started selling themselves. This is likely a reference to how Rei was allowed to marry out of the family, the Himura being interested in Enji’s money and reputation.

What does this mean?

The family is carried on by a male heir. Likely Rei’s family had no male children and, since Rei didn’t marry a Himura nor her father adopted a Himura and made him the next heir, the main family couldn’t continue.

Well, to be honest, in theory it could have continued if Enji had agreed to take Rei’s name (yes, the husband can take the wife’s surname in Japan) but, of course, Enji wouldn’t have agreed.

Probably the main family kind of kept the organization of the other families until the family head died. With no new main family head, Geten explains the remaining “clans” (氏族 ‘shizoku’) ended up scattered.

What do we mean with “clan”?

A ‘shizoku’ (氏族), a “clan”, is a group of families that are related to each other.

Remember the whole ‘you needed permission from the family head to form a branch family, if not you would remain in the family under the family head authority even if married’ thing?

Evidently the Himura were still organized like that, with all the children who were born in the branch families continuing to live in the huge Himura residences with their parents (regardless of being married or not) under the authority of their father first and of his heir after, unless they were allowed to become a new branch family and leave.

This until the main family dies out. Once it does they probably started doing what many do, who gets married or is an adult capable to support himself, leaves the birth family and build his own house. Hence they scattered.

Likely this could have been because the old, huge Himura residences were sold because the branch families were poor and couldn’t keep that lifestyle, and the result was no family member could support the others. That’s why Geten ends up being picked up and groomed by Re-Destro from when he was a child, so that he doesn’t even attend to school and starts training his Quirk way sooner than other Heroes.

So Re-Destro to whom Geten is fiercely loyal, becomes his savior from a life of misery and poverty with no support from his other relatives who, apart from Rei, might be deep in misery as well.

The obsession of the Himura for not mixing their blood with others, might have made easier for him to embrace the 'Quirk supremacist’ theories of Re-Destro (those with the strongest Quirk should rule).

But let’s now go back to the main family and to Rei.

We get some information about them which confirm the story Geten told us in chap 301 and episode 130.

In chap 301 we’re shown Enji, Rei and the Himura family head taking part to what looks like a Miai (見合い), as the anime confirms.

‘(Ichiō, miai to iu katachi wo totte ha iruga, kore ha “kosei” kon)’ 「(��応、見合いという形をとってはいるが、これは"個性"婚) 」 “(Just in case, although it is made to look like what we call an arranged marriage meeting, this is a “Quirk” marriage.)” [Ep 130]

An “arranged marriage meeting” (見合い ‘miai’) is a Japanese traditional custom in which a woman and a man are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage. Fundamentally is a meeting opportunity with more serious considerations for the future as a process of courtship.

Prior to it, both the families involved investigate the potential candidates.

So was Rei forced into it by Enji or not? When I say ‘families’ I mean parents who not always feel necessary to inform the future bride about it, in fact Shōto will say Enji persuaded Rei’s relatives, not Rei.

‘Kosei kon. Shitteru yo na. “Chōjō” ga okite kara dai ni ~ daisan sedai-kan de mondai ni natta yatsu… Jishin no “kosei” wo yori kyōka shite tsuga seru tame dake ni haigūsha wo erabi…… kekkon wo shiiru. Rinri-kan no ketsuraku shita zenjidaiteki hassō. Jisseki to kane dake ha aru otoko da… Oyaji ha haha no shinzoku wo marumekomi haha no “kosei” wo teniireta.’ 「個性婚知ってるよな。“超常”が起きてから第二～第三世代間で問題になったやつ…‘自身の”個性”をより強化して継がせる為だけに配偶者を選び…… 結婚を強いる。 倫理観の欠落した前時代的発想。実績と金だけはある男だ…親父は母の親族を丸め込み母の”個性”を手に入れた」 “Quirk marriage. Do you know about it? After the ‘paranormal’ happened, between the second and third generation they became a problem… In order to pass in inheritance a further strengthened version your ‘Quirk’ choose a spouse… and get her married to you by force. Old-fashioned way of thinking which lacks in ethics. He’s a man with achievement and money… My father persuaded my mother’s relatives and obtained my mother’s ‘Quirk’.” [Chap 31]

‘Marumekomi’ (丸め込み) literally “rounding included” means “to talk someone into doing what you want”, “to persuade him” but also “to manipulate”, “to swindle”. Shōto is clearly giving a definitive negative connotation to how Enji managed to win Rei from her parents, but in the end it seems all Enji had to do was to show them the money and the fact he was the Number Two Hero and they capitulated easily enough and decided he was a better potential partner than any distant relative she could have.

Tōya also paints a picture that looks rather negative.

'ENDEAVOR ha katsute chikara ni kogarete imashita. Soshite ALL MIGHT wo koe renai zetsubō kara yori tsuyoi “kosei” wo motta ko wo tsukuru tame muriyari tsuma wo metorimashita’ 「エンデヴァーはかつて力に焦がれていました。そしてオールマイトを超えれない絶望からより強い"個性"を持った子を作る為無理やり妻を娶りました」 “Endeavor was once thirsty for power. Therefore, out of despair of not being able to surpass All Might, in order to create a child with a stronger "Quirk” he took a wife by force.” [Chap 290]

Tōya uses 'muriyari’ (無理やり), which means “Forcibily, against one’s will” but again, later on, it seems it’s just because Enji didn’t swoon Rei over but merely persuaded her parents to agree by showing them money.

‘Obā-chan-tachi ga binbō shiteta kara okā-san wo uttan daro. Okāsan ha sōsuru shikanakattan daro’ 「おばあちゃん達が貧乏してたからお母さんを売ったんだろ。お母さんはそうするしかなかったんだろ」 “Grandma and the others were poor, so they sold you, mother, isn’t that right? Mother, you had no choice but to do it, isn’t that right?” [Chap 302]

In truth, apparently, Rei was given options by her parents, limited as they were, as she claims she actually chose this.

‘Sentakushi ha kagira rete itakeredo erande susunda no ha watashi no ashi de. Semete sono-sakide ha waratte iyou to omotte ita… noni’ 「選択肢は限られていたけれど選んで進んだのは私の足でせめてその先では笑っていようと思っていた…のに」 “Although my options were limited, it were my feet which chose to advance. At least I’ll try to smile in the future, that’s what I was thinking… and yet…” [Chap 302]

'(Kotowaru koto mo dekita hazuda. Daga kanojo ha “kosei” kon de aru koto mo shōchi no ue de, ie no tame ni ore no tsuma ni naru to iu.)’ 「(断る事もできたハズだ。だが彼女は"個性"婚である事も承知の上で、家の為に俺の妻になると言う)」 “She could have refused. However, even if she was aware that it was a "Quirk” marriage, she said that she will become my wife for the sake of her family.)” [Ep 130]

‘(“Kosei kon”de aru koto mo shōchi no ue de... Ie no tame ni ore no tsuma ni naru to iu.)’ 「(“個性婚”である事も承知の上で……家の為に俺の妻になると言う) 」 “(Even though she was aware it was a “Quirk marriage”… she said she would become my wife for the sake of her family.)” [Chap 302]

Likely her options were either to marry Enji and, at least, ensure financial stability for herself and her family, or marry a distant relative and ensure the continuation of the Himura family as well as its economical decadence.

Tough choice.

Anyway, during the Miai, the family head let us know it was Enji who approached them for a bride.

'Jiki No.1 no yobigoe takai ENDEAVOR-sama kara o koe kake itadakeru to ha yume ni mo omoi masendeshita! Gyōkō no kiwami ni gozaimasu!!’ 「次期No.1の呼び声高いエンデヴァー様からお声掛けいただけるとは夢にも思いませんでした！僥倖の極みにございます！！」 “I never dreamed that I would receive an invitation from Endeavor-sama, who has been hailed as the next No. 1! We are at the height of luck!!” [Chap 302]

So ‘okoegake’ (お声掛け) or, more simply ‘koegake’ (声掛け) as the ‘o’ is just an honorific, is generally used to imply you’re calling out someone or inviting someone to a meeting… but it is a word also used to imply you requested for a Miai.

Mind you, it’s not so weird in Japan. When organizing a Miai the parents of the future grooms tend to approach the people they know, asking them for potential candidates and even investigate said potential candidates. So either Enji checked on the Quirk registry and found out all the families that had an ice Quirk, investigated them and then approached the Himura with a proposal knowing they were in financial needs, or they were recommended to him by someone else.

It can also be the Himura also informed the people they knew they had a daughter they wanted to marry, just in case they decided PRIOR to Enji offering them money that they were willing to sell Rei to the best offering, but didn’t expect Enji to volunteer himself.

If the Himura were already planning on selling their daughter off, it means Rei too had her pick of rich potential husbands among whom to choose in addition to the distant relatives, which would increase her options and Enji had to persuade her parents he was the best candidate.

Hard to say but, from the way the family head, which I take is Rei’s father (it could be her grandfather as well but since the main family crumbles short after I’ll assume it’s her father) is enthusiast of having been approached by Enji who doesn’t even have to say a word, he didn’t really have to work hard to persuade them.

The guy is absolutely delighted to give Rei to Enji.

‘Himura mo katsute ha meika to yoba reta yuisho aru iegara ni gozaimasu ko - top Hero-sama no hanryo to shimashite ha jūbun ni tsuriai ga toreru mono to’ 「氷叢もかつては名家と呼ばれた由緒ある家柄にございます故―トップヒーロー様の伴侶としましては充分に釣り合いがとれるものと…」 ``The Himuras also come from a distinguished family with a prestigious lineage, so I think she would be a perfect match as the Top Hero-sama’s companion…” [Chap 302]

The family head confirms what Geten will later say.

He calls the Himura a 'Meika’ (名家) which can be translated as “noble/distinguished family” with a ‘yuisho aru iegara’ (由緒ある家柄) which can be translated “with a prestigious/with a long history social standing/lineage”.

In the anime Endeavor also confirms this, he probably picked the Himura also for this as, as I said, it’s considered perfectly fair to investigate the family of a potential bride.

'Katsute ha meika datta Himura-ke mo ima ha aoikitoiki…’ 「かつては名家だった氷叢家も今は青息吐息…」 “The Himura family, which was once a prestigious family, was now in deep distress…” [Ep 130]

Also, since Rei knew it was a Quirk marriage, he came clear with them about his intentions…

‘(“Kosei kon”de aru koto mo shōchi no ue de... Ie no tame ni ore no tsuma ni naru to iu.)’ 「(“個性婚”である事も承知の上で……家の為に俺の妻になると言う) 」 “(Even though she was aware it was a “Quirk marriage”… she said she would become my wife for the sake of her family.)” [Chap 302]

I’m honestly curious on what the Himura thought about Enji’s idea. Their Quirk marriages were to preserve and strengthen their ice Quirk as it was, they didn’t want to mix blood and create a different Quirk, so Enji who instead wants to marry outside of his family with someone with a different Quirk to strengthen his own by mixing it with Rei is definitely someone who’s doing something that runs in a parallel line to what they’re doing, meaning something similar but with no contact points.

The Himura don’t praise Enji’s family, just his status as Number Two Hero, which makes me think the Todoroki weren’t a noble/distinguished family with a prestigious/with a long history social standing/lineage but who cares, Enji has prestige as Hero and money so he can stand on an equal level with Rei.

What else do we know or can speculate about the Himura family?

The house in which Enji and Rei have their meeting might have been a place Enji rented for the meeting… but might have also be Rei’s house. Since the Himura were land owners this might explain why the garden is so large, and maintaining such a large property might be expensive hence why the Himura are desperate for money.

We’re told that Enji and Rei are at their first meeting/date.

Normally if the initial Miai introduction was successful, the potential couple went through a series of dates until a decision was reached. Don’t expect a long courting, the decision was usually expressed at the couple's third meeting. If they chose to marry, they went through a formal marriage process known as ‘miai kekkon’ (見合い結婚 “arranged meeting marriage”), in which a “betrothal ceremony” (結納 ‘yuinō’) was arranged by the groom's family.

Now… considering Rei is wearing a scarf which is what we see the character doing in January, the Miai might have taken place in January.

We don’t know when exactly Enji and Rei met and married, it was after Enji became the Number Two Hero and we know he became as such at 20. This means he became Number 2 either in the November Hero Billboard Chart, or that he had to wait until the following one which was in May. If it was in the November Hero billboard chart, the Miai might have taken place at the beginning of the next year, when Enji was still 20, if not it would take place in the following year, when he was 21 (but would turn 22 in August of that year). It can’t be later as, since Tōya is born in January he was probably conceived in April of the year in which Enji would turn 22.

Long story short Enji and Rei had, at best, a year and four months from their first meeting to the moment in which they conceived a child, and four months only at worst.

By the way, the best period for marriage is April so yes, Tōya could have been conceived short after they married.

With the marriage Rei stops being an Himura, her name is written out from the Himura “family registry”, better known as ‘koseki’ (戸籍) and written into the one of the Todoroki family.

If Enji were to kick her out of his family in theory she would need the family head permission to go back into the Himura family. Divorce is a big shameful deal for all the parties involved so it’s not as easy as in the west.

So, what happens to the remaining Himura of the main family?

We know Rei’s mother was alive when Shōto was five.

Tōya calls his grandmother ‘Obā-chan’ (おばあちゃん), which is an affectionate way to call your grandmother (he might have used the more respectful ‘Obā-san’ (おばあさん), and his view on them is sympathetic (they were really poor so they had to sell his mother off) so it can be that he has a good relationship with his grandmother.

‘Obā-chan-tachi ga binbō shiteta kara okā-san wo uttan daro. Okāsan ha sōsuru shikanakattan daro’ 「おばあちゃん達が貧乏してたからお母さんを売ったんだろ。お母さんはそうするしかなかったんだろ」 “Grandma and the others were poor, so they sold you, mother, isn’t that right? Mother, you had no choice but to do it, isn’t that right?” [Chap 302]

Even Rei tried to turn on her mother for help when she believed she couldn’t take it anymore… and calls her ‘Okā-san’ (お母さん), which is the standard way to say mother in normal families (people from upper class families might use, for example, the much more respectful ‘Okā-sama’ (お母様)) so, I guess, by Japanese standards she was present enough as a mother/grandmother.

We can even speculate she’s the old woman we see watching over Tōya, Fuyumi and Natsuo as they’re playing in the garden under Shōto’s longing gaze (though she could also be a helper/servant).

Shōto has not Tōya’s sympathetic opinion on her mother’s family relatives, nor refers to them in an affectionate way, calling them just that, ‘haha no shinzoku’ (母の親族 “mother’s relatives”).

‘Kosei kon. Shitteru yo na. “Chōjō” ga okite kara dai ni ~ daisan sedai-kan de mondai ni natta yatsu… Jishin no “kosei” wo yori kyōka shite tsuga seru tame dake ni haigūsha wo erabi…… kekkon wo shiiru. Rinri-kan no ketsuraku shita zenjidaiteki hassō. Jisseki to kane dake ha aru otoko da… Oyaji ha haha no shinzoku wo marumekomi haha no “kosei” wo teniireta.’ 「個性婚知ってるよな。“超常”が起きてから第二～第三世代間で問題になったやつ…‘自身の”個性”をより強化して継がせる為だけに配偶者を選び…… 結婚を強いる。 倫理観の欠落した前時代的発想。実績と金だけはある男だ…親父は母の親族を丸め込み母の”個性”を手に入れた」 “Quirk marriage. Do you know about it? After the ‘paranormal’ happened, between the second and third generation they became a problem… In order to pass in inheritance a further strengthened version your ‘Quirk’ choose a spouse… and get her married to you by force. Old-fashioned way of thinking which lacks in ethics. He’s a man with achievements and money…My father persuaded my mother’s relatives and obtained my mother’s ‘Quirk’.” [Chap 31]

The implication of Shōto’s words is that they just did it for an old-fashioned way of thinking which lacks in ethics and because Enji persuaded them.

So it can be that Rei’s mother either was kept away from Shōto as well or died early enough, hence he has no fond feelings for her.

Since Geten said:

‘Tōtō honke ga miuri wo hajimeta koto de jijitsujō no shūen wo mukaeta. Nokori no wazuka na shizoku mo risan shi sono naka no hitotsu datta boku ha saikōshidō-sha (read: RE-DESTRO) ni hirowa reta.’ 「とうとう本家が身売りを始めたことで事実上の終焉を迎えた。残りの僅かな氏族も離散しその中の一つだった僕は最高指導者(リ・デストロ)に拾われた」 “When finally the main family started selling themselves, it came to a de facto end. Even the few remaining clans are scattered, and I was among them and then picked up by the supreme leader (read: Re-Destro).” [Chap 387]

We can assume this also implied the family head didn’t live long after that or, otherwise, since he would have kept on ruling over the other branch families, he might have stopped them from scattering. If Rei’s father died without an heir instead there would be no one to rule and the families inside the clans can scatter. It would also explain why Tōya said it was ‘his grandmother and the others’ to say ‘his grandparents’ instead than ‘his grandfather and the others’. The man might have died when Tōya was young so it’s to his grandmother he thinks, even though the decision was very clearly taken by his grandfather, the family head.

Well, that’s all we know about the Himura.

We can speculate Rei is a forth generation Quirk owner like Midoriya Inko, which would mean since the Himura married among them with ice Quirk users, that their ice Quirk is very strong genetically, which explains why Enji’s kids tend to take more from Rei than from him… at least this was clearly Horikoshi’s intention when he inserted the Himura family history just before revealing Tōya too had an ice Quirk.

Basically of Enji’s kids, all 4 of them inherited Rei’s Quirk and only 2 inherited his Quirk albeit each of them inherited variations of those over mentioned Quirks… but well, as far as I’m involved that’s the less interesting part of the Himura history.

I doubt we’ll get more info about them before the end of the story, even though it could be interesting.

We'll see.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 387 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS POST AS A DIRECT LINK ON OTHER WEBSITES.

1 火叢は血が濃いんだ ひむらはちがこいんだ Himura wa chi ga koinda “The Himura blood runs thick.”

tagline 1 No.387 煮凝り　　堀越耕平 ナンバー387 にこごり　　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 387 nikogori   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 387 Aspic   Kouhei Horikoshi

tagline 2 語るは… かたるは… kataru wa... The speaker...

2 古くからの庄屋だった火叢は農地改革後も分家を増やす事で ふるくからのしょうやだったひむらはのうちかいかくごもぶんけを���やすことで furuku kara no shouya datta Himura wa nouchi kaikaku-go mo bunke wo fuyasu koto de “The Himuras, who were village leaders from ancient times, by increasing their family branches even after the land reform, they”

3 財とプライドをなんとか保ってきた ざいとプライドをなんとかたもってきた zai to PURAIDO wo nantoka tamotte kita “somehow managed to keep their wealth and pride.”

tagline 3 超常解放戦線幹部 ちょうじょうかいほうせんせんかんぶ choujou kaihou sensen kanbu Paranormal Liberation Front Officer

tagline 4 外典　個性「氷操」 げてん　こせい「ひょうそう」 Geten   kosei 「hyousou」 Geten  Quirk: Ice Manipulation

4 でも超常が起きると共に加速度的に零落していった でもちょうじょうがおきるとともにかそくどてきにれいらくしていった demo choujou ga okiru to tomo ni kasokudo-teki ni reiraku shite itta “But that all fell at an accelerating pace to zero in tandem with the awakening of the paranormal.”

5 血が混ざるのを嫌ったんだ ちがまざるのをきらったんだ chi ga mazaru no wo kirattanda “They hated mixing their blood.”

6 お家柄と…異形差別のコンボね　スピナーが聞いたらなんて言うかな おいえがらと…いぎょうさべつのコンボね　スピナーがきいたらなんていうかな oiegara to...igyou sabetsu no KONBO ne   SUPINAA ga kiitara nante iu ka na “Sounds like a combo of family pedigree and heteromorph discrimination, eh? Wonder what Spinner would say if he heard this.”

7 Mr.コンプレス ミスターコンプレス MISUTAA KONPURESU Mr. Compress

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1 結果分家…遠縁同士での結婚が相次いだ けっかぶんけ…とおえんどうしでのけっこんがあいついだ kekka bunke...tooen doushi de no kekkon ga aitsuida “As a result, the family branches...had marriages with distant relatives one after another.”

2 血が濃いってそういう… ちがこいってそういう… chi ga koitte sou iu... “That’s how the blood is thick...”

3 自らを閉塞環境に置き みずからをへいそくかんきょうにおき mizukara wo heisoku kankyou ni oki “By placing themselves in a closed environment,”

4 火叢家は縮小の一途を辿り ひむらけはしゅくしょうのいっとをたどり Himura-ke wa shukushou no itto wo tadori “the Himura family steadily shrank,”

5 とうとう本家が身売りを始めたことで事実上の終焉を迎えた とうとうほんけがみうりをはじめたことでじじつじょうのしゅうえんをむかえた toutou honke ga miuri wo hajimeta koto de jijitsujou no shuuen wo mukaeta “and when finally the main family started selling themselves, it came to a de facto end.”

6 残りの僅かな氏族も離散し のこりのわずかなしぞくもりさんし nokori wo wazuka na shizoku mo risan shi “Even the few remaining clans are scattered,”

7 その中の一つだった僕は最高指導者に拾われた そのなかのひとつだったぼくはリ・デストロにひろわれた sono naka no hitotsu datta boku wa RI DESUTORO (kanji: saikou shidousha) ni hirowareta “and I was among them and then picked up by Re-Destro (read as: supreme leader).”

8 異能は世代を経るごとにより複雑に深化していく いのうはせだいをへるごとによりふくざつにしんかしていく inou wa sedai wo heru goto ni yori fukuzatsu ni shinka shite iku “As meta abilities pass through the generations, they deepen in complexity.”

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1 濃く深く こくふかく koku fukaku “In those thickly and deeply”

2 堆積した因子には たいせきしたからだには taiseki shita karada (kanji: inshi) ni wa “ingrained bodies (read as: quirk factors),”

3 本人すら知覚し得ない力が眠っているかもしれない ほんにんすらちかくしえないちからがねむっているかもしれない honnin sura chikaku shi enai chikara ga nemutte iru kamo shirenai “there may be a sleeping power that even the person himself is unaware of.”

4 だが人は心を置き去りにしたままだ だがひとはこころをおきざりにしたままだ daga hito wa kokoro wo okizari ni shita mama da “But people now leave their hearts behind.”

5 明日…何が変わるだろう あす…なにがかわるだろう asu...nani ga kawaru darou “Tomorrow...I wonder what [tomorrow] will bring.”

6 さァ次はおまえだ さァつぎはおまえだ saA tsugi wa omae da “Well, next is you.”

7 警察・ヒーローと何を話してた？ けいさつ・ヒーローとなにをはなしてた？ keisatsu・HIIROO to nani wo hanashiteta? “What were you talking about with the police and the heroes?”

8 何でもいい聞かせろ なんでもいいきかせろ nandemo ii kikasero “Let me hear anything,”

9 この戦いが終わるまでの暇つぶしに このたたかいがおわるまでのひまつぶしに kono tatakai ga owaru made no himatsubushi ni “to kill time until this battle is over.”

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1-2 群訝山荘跡より約800m ぐんがさんそうあとよりやく800メートル gunga sansou ato yori yaku 800 MEETORU Approximately 800 meters from the Gunga Mountain Villa Ruins

3-7 ハア HAA “Haah” (Note: It’s the sound of heavy panting/breathing.)

8 爆発… ばくはつ… bakuhatsu... “An explosion...”

9 だと…⁉︎ da to...!? “you say...!?”

10-11 ハア HAA “Haah” (Note: It’s the sound of heavy panting/breathing.)

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1 避難ブロックだけじゃない… ひなんブロックだけじゃない… hinan BUROKKU dake ja nai... It won’t just be the evacuation blocks...

2 今トガの増殖を抑えてるピクシーボブたちもーーー‼︎ いまトガのぞうしょくをおさえてるピクシーボブたちもーーー‼︎ ima TOGA no zoushoku wo osaeteru PIKUSHIIBOBU-tachi mo---!! Also Pixiebob and the others who are suppressing Toga’s proliferation right now---!!

3 いかん…AFO戦のダメージが脚に来ている…！ いかん…オール・フォー・ワンせんのダメージがあしにきている…！ ikan...OORU FOO WAN sen no DAMEEJI ga ashi ni kite iru...! This is bad...the damage from the battle with AFO is spreading to my leg...!

4 これ以上燈矢を誘導して遠くへ向かうにはーーー… これいじょうとうやをゆうどうしてとおくへむかうにはーーー… kore ijou Touya wo yuudou shite tooku e mukau ni wa---... I have to guide Touya and lead him farther away---...

5 あっ a “AGH”

6 お o “OH”

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1 おどおさん odoosan “FATHER”

2 見で みで mide “WATCH”

3 見でええ みでええ mideee “WAAATCH [ME]”

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1 こんなのできるよぉになったんだぜ！ konna no dekiru yoo ni nattanda ze! “I’ve become able to do something like this!”

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1 炎を ほのおを honoo wo “The flames,”

2 止めろ とめろ tomero “stop them!”

3 燈矢…‼︎ とうや…‼︎ Touya...!! “Touya...!!“

4 見でええ みでええ mideee “WAAATCH”

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1 …死なせたくない…！ …しなせたくない…！ ...shinasetakunai...! "...I don’t want you to die...!”

2 なづぐん nadzu-gun “NATSU-KUN”

3 あぞぼお…おお⁉︎ azoboo...oo!? “LET’S PLAY...YY!?”

4 もう…意識が…！ もう…いしきが…！ mou...ishiki ga...! His consciousness...is already...!

5 …俺が …おれが ...ore ga ...[Why have] I,

6 灼ける程の熱で やけるほどのねつで yakeru hodo no netsu de with a heat that burns...

7 何でここまで…保ってこられた なんでここまで…たもってこられた nande koko made...tamotte korareta Why have I...been kept here until this point?

8 燈矢…‼︎ とうや…‼︎ Touya...!! Touya...!!

9 おまえはーーー omae wa--- You---

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1 死地での危機感 しちでのききかん shichi de no kikikan A sense of crisis at death’s door.

2 臨死の経験が"個性"を覚醒させる事がある りんしのけいけんが"こせい"をかくせいさせることがある rinshi no keiken ga “kosei” wo kakusei saseru koto ga aru There have been cases where quirks have been awakened by near-death experiences.

3 その一方で人には そのいっぽうでひとには sono ippou de hito ni wa On the other hand, people

4-5 「火事場の馬鹿力」というものがあり… 「かじばのばかちから」というものがあり… 「kajiba no baka chikara」 to iu mono ga ari... have something like an insane strength of desperation... (Note: This is the level of strength Izuku tapped into against Muscular the first time where he broke his body’s limiters. The typical example is of a mother lifting a car off her child in a moment of desperation.)

6 それは覚醒とは違い それはかくせいとはちがい sore wa kakusei to wa chigai That’s different from an awakening.

7 死に瀕した時のみ顕現する力 しにひんしたときのみけんげんするちから shi ni hin shita toki nomi kengen suru chikara A power that manifests only when on the brink of death.

8 ああ… aa... “Yes...”

9 あああ！ aaa! “I get it!”

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1 冷の れいの Rei no Rei’s

2 "個性"…‼︎ "こせい"…‼︎ “kosei”...!! quirk...!!

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1 勝って かって katte I’ll win by

2 燈矢を見続ける！ とうやをみつづける！ Touya wo mitsudzukeru! continuing to watch Touya!

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1 全部 ぜんぶ zenbu “Everything”

2 俺の責任だ おれのせきにんだ ore no sekinin da “is my fault.”

-4 全部背負って償いに生きねばと思っていた ぜんぶせおってつぐないにいきねばとおもっていた zenbu seotte tsugunai ni ikineba to omotte ita “I thought I had to live and shoulder everything to make amends.”

5 でも demo “But”

6 おまえはずっと俺を見続けてたんだもんな… おまえはずっとおれをみつづけてたんだもんな… omae wa zutto ore wo mitsudzuketetanda mon na... “you were always continuing to look at me...”

7-8 おまえを見てやれなかった…… おまえをみてやれなかった…… omae wo mite yarenakatta...... “I couldn’t see you......”

9 おまえにも償わなきゃいけ���かったんだ おまえにもつぐなわなきゃいけなかったんだ omae ni mo tsugunawanakya ikenakattanda “I needed to atone to you, too.”

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1 同じ夢を見る俺だけがいない家族の夢 おなじゆめをみるおれだけがいないかぞくのゆめ onaji yume wo miru ore dake ga inai kazoku no yume I saw the same dream, the dream of my family without me only.

2 …一人で逝かせはしない…だが …ひとりでいかせはしない…だが ...hitori de ikase wa shinai...daga “...I won’t let you die alone...but”

3 もう誰も…！巻き込ませはしない もうだれも…！まきこませはしない mou dare mo...! makikomase wa shinai “no one else...! We won’t involve [anyone else!]”

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1 地上の移動では間に合わない ちじょうのいどうではまにあわない chijou no idou de wa ma ni awanai They won’t evacuate the area above ground in time.

2 燈矢　おまえの火力も借りて空にーーー とうや　おまえのかりょくもかりてそらにーーー Touya   omae no karyoku mo karite sora ni--- Touya, I’m borrowing your firepower to [send us] to the sky---

3 待て…待ってくれ…！ まて…まってくれ…！ mate...mattekure...! Wait...please wait...!

4 もう少しだけーーー！ もうすこしだけーーー！ mou sukoshi dake---! Just a little more---!

1 火叢は血が濃いんだ ひむらはちがこいんだ Himura wa chi ga koinda The Himura blood runs thick.

2 冷!!⁉︎ れい!!⁉︎ Rei!!!? “Rei!!!?”

3 お母さんも おかあさんも okaasan mo You, too, Mom.

4 加担してんだよ かたんしてんだよ katan shitenda yo You're complicit.

tagline 母…‼︎ はは…‼︎ haha...!! His mother...!!

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS POST AS A DIRECT LINK ON OTHER WEBSITES.

[pocketramblr]

Hello. If you still accepting asks, can I propose idea of 'AU where Yoichi and Himura clan are related' for 5 headcanons 🙏?

How fitting, Himura is written with the kanji for ice, but also to gather

1- Himura Ririka is from an old, traditional, and wealthy family. She knows her parents would die of shame if they saw her now, sitting in an alleyway waiting for the pregnancy test to finish. She doesn't care. She brings her bottle to her lips and while she knows the drink inside is colder than it probably should be, she doesn't think much of it. Perhaps it's the shade of the building or the light breeze. The test comes back positive, but there's no way for her to know there's twins. She packs her things and moves- sleeping on the ground can get cold, she's woken up with frost all over her blanket and even though she doesn't feel sick, she'd rather not die of exposure just because she's numb to it.

2- When the babies are born, they are hungry. She tries to nurse them but everything hurts and she is tired. She closes her eyes and doesn't open them again. The bigger baby keeps drinking, and when there's no more, keeps trying to until an ice meta power slides into him instead. When the river almost washes him and his brother away, they'll survive floating on an ice raft.

2- on the streets, the children barely manage to survive, but unlike everyone else they have an easier time in the winter- even Yoichi, who is normally sick. They suppose it's because the cold kills the things that sets off his allergies and because he has his brother's body warmth to cling to.

3- when the boys are ten, they fully realize what it means the there are other metas out there when they hear of the Ice Fortress - apparently, there's an extended family where nearly every child born in the last eight years has had an ice meta power, so the relatives have gathered together to protect them all. A few other metas hope to find them and join them too. AfO and Yoichi creep along behind.

4- the metas don't exactly get a warm welcome from the Himuras, though- they're welcome to join the family to work for them, but only if they can be of use. A few of the group are hired as guards. Most of the women and children are sent away. Yoichi turns to go too, but AfO grabs his hands, and they wait. The Himura spokesman tries to shoe them away once the others are gone, leaving to go back inside, but AfO sends a jet of ice forward, keeping it from closing. When the man turns, shocked, AfO just says that this is Himura Yoichi, his little brother, and they are Ririka's sons. The boys are hurried inside.

5- the boys are the eldest of the group of cousins, and pleased enough with the new food, though Yoichi asks with every group if they can help them more. His uncles chide him for being like a soft-hearted girl. Yoichi stares blankly at them for why that's an issue. He cries when sent away to do chores to learn manners though, so AfO responds by making the uncle's daughter cry... By cutting her hair and stealing her meta power. With this, the whole family is in uproar about an imposter child, a brood parasite, but their grandmother calls them back to order by reminding them she had paternity tests done to be sure, and that AfO's ice is from his mother, her daughter. Then she points out that Ririka must have been the first case of meta powers, if it developed sometime between her running away and the boys being born. Somewhere between 2 and 5 years before the glowing baby. They could use that. AfO is named Himura Magoichirou and is rewarded with double dessert for returning his cousin's power. He and Yoichi receive more tutoring as the family plans to use him, and in return, he starts planning on how to use them, growing from prince to king of their little clan, and soon enough, their not so little swatch of control.