#I just can’t see Deku going along with killing Shigaraki at all

[duendepika]

MHA Chapter 423 Commentary

I want to start by saying that I love the series. I really do. That's exactly why this chapter is so damn heartbreaking. What drew me to this series were the themes of saving everyone, of atonement and understanding and compassion. All of that was abruptly thrown away this chapter. I can’t take anything else in the story to heart because it’s lost its heart.

Only some of this can be explained by the terrible pacing of the chapter, as the content should have been in 5+ chapters. What it comes down to is the way the deaths of Shigaraki and AFO were handled by both the protagonist and the author. It’s not that they died, as I expected both to and take no issue with that. It’s how their deaths were written. AFO’s in particular leads to the crux of the problem: when the main villain dies alone and unloved, it calls into question the story’s message and themes.

Under a cut because this is long, but I'll start with Shigaraki before moving onto AFO and the general themes.

I’ll discuss Shigaraki first, as this one is less of a problem (though still very much of one) for the story as a whole. Shigaraki's death scene was far too short and remarkably callous, and he will remain forever incomplete even if "revived". We have seen very little, if any, introspection on his part during this entire war. We didn't see him grapple with learning AFO controlled even his birth. We didn't see him interact with his grandmother. We never saw him learn anything from Deku. We never saw him confront AFO. We never saw him come to terms with anything. Right up until he died in 419, then formally died in 423, he held the same rage. Realizing "wow, I was an angry kid after all" only to follow it up with bragging about being destructive to the very end is not character development. His death was not heroic, as he was more or less “killed” by AFO earlier and he only rallied for one hit. He didn’t sacrifice himself in any way, and it’s hard to consider his final punchdown on AFO particularly heroic under the circumstances.

Deku's final conversation with him was fairly cold, especially considering how he's spoken of him up until now. Saying to the very end that he'll never forgive him and mysteriously failing to say he wanted to save him was very damaging to both characters. Not once does Deku mention his goal of trying to save him. It's as if his goals suddenly changed when they no longer became possible to attain, as if he'll magically be shielded from any failure (a common theme with all heroes except for Hawks and Ochako, though the latter may well be negated if Toga lives). Some recognition of the goals we've been told about for the last 300+ chapters would have been nice, even if Deku just made a casual apology for not being able to "save" him. He seems almost dismissive of Shigaraki in the end despite repeating tirelessly throughout the story that he will do everything in his power to save him.

I also see a lot of assumptions that Tenko will simply return. If this happens, which is always possible, it would be the most outrageous asspull in the series. His body is completely gone. Unless he regained his original quirk and it's "Resurrection", it's not going to be believable in any sense (and a suspension of disbelief is necessary for fiction; we all know it’s a superhero story, but that doesn’t mean the author can do absolutely anything and we have to accept it). That, too, would be absurd because if AFO had that quirk all along he would have used it here. An argument can be made that he used it 6 years ago, but this is also questionable because a] he only used it once, b] given the Oboro/Kurogiri situation, it seems that Garaki can actually raise the dead. I don't know what Tenko returning would even do. We saw his dying words, and they were unrepentant, and Deku's final interaction with him was cold and detached (unlike, for ex. Shoto and Toya which was only hostile on one side, and Ochako and Toga which was openly affectionate). Coming back isn't going to undo any of that.

AFO dying with no character resolution whatsoever was an even bigger issue in terms of the greater narrative. As with Shigaraki, his death is not the issue; it was clearly going to happen. It’s the how. He died begging for his brother to love and look at him. His brother died condemning him. AFO died as he was born - unloved - despite having a very "human" awakening only a few chapters prior. This was made clear but how he changed how he told his brother he loved him. He shifted from the more formal and very rarely used “aishiteru” to the very personal “daisuke” because, after chasing him for a century only to lose him, he finally understood that what he felt for his brother was love.

He was vulnerable in a way he never had been before, but Hrksh opted to throw him away instead of bringing closure to his character. Consider how his original body died in 410, screaming about how he feels hatred. This time he died begging for love. It was futile either way. Yoichi, the only person he ever loved (albeit in a demented way), rejected him. All the other vestiges manifested faces, but Yoichi denied his brother this last chance to see him. AFO's last panicked meltdown clearly indicates that he simply can not conceptualize love in a normal way, which makes him more pitiable and, ironically, human, than it does make him evil.

The argument can definitely be made that this was a "fitting" end for him, and on some level I can appreciate that, but whether it’s satisfying is irrelevant. This ending does not fit the story of MHA, which carries certain themes. All other significant villain characters were granted some level of compassion, an attempt to understand them, by both the author and the characters. AFO was granted none of this. The main villain in a series about helping and saving others lived and died unloved by all. He might have been "born evil" depending on how one interprets chapter 407, but hrksh made it clear that he never had a chance in life. His backstory is objectively the most tragic and miserable of all, and he was the one character denied any compassion in the end. If the worst of the worst dies alone and unloved, then how can we say the story is truly about saving others, even those who don’t conventionally “deserve” it?

Furthermore, Deku's offhand comment about him being a lonely man comes across more as an insult and a mockery than any attempt to understand him. He "gave" AFO the chance to speak to Yoichi one last time, but it was a farce to distract him so he'd be easier to kill. There was no compassion there, only calculated manipulation. Granted, it's possible this comes down to pacing and what should have been 1-2 chapters was crammed into 1 page, but with no actual exploration of AFO's character on Deku's part, we have to take it at face value. Realistically, Deku should have sought to understand AFO hundreds of chapters ago anyway, if he really cared about saving everyone. In retrospect, not even considering the possibility of trying to figure out the why and how of AFO is a major failure on the part of the heroes. This goes back to how the author has set AFO up to take the fall for everyone without considering how it will compromise the central theme of the story.

Even as recently as chapter 416, Hawks remembers how important it is that we see everyone as united and understand one another. Strangely, nobody bothered to try and understand the main villain.

Ultimately, if the narrative is pinning all anguish and suffering in the world onto a single character, the origins of that character must be understood by the heroes to ensure someone like him isn't created again. By only bothering to understand and save those AFO supposedly created (even though he only created Shiggy), the heroes are healing symptoms and not the disease. There is no internal consistency within the story. He died largely a mystery. We will never know his true goals, as the closest we got was Aoyama's description, which AFO even said was not quite accurate. We also never learned his true motivation, as his reaction to Yoichi dying again indicates it’s not that simple. Which again, means it will just happen again because no characters made any effort to understand. It's like hrksh went for generic, mindless evil but screwed up with his relationship with his brother, ultimately turning him human. His goals and motives can be guessed, but given that this is a shounen, in-depth analysis should not be required to understand the final villain's goal.

This is made even more infuriating when you consider that AFO’s worldview is based on comic books. Shouldn’t this be something hrksh would want to explore, given the entire series is based on comic books? Without ever telling us the truth about his motivation, we lose the chance for the meta-analysis we were promised, one which had notable fan appeal regardless of character interest. AFO's abrupt ending also means we will never get any further explanation of quirks, the singularity theory, or their origin. AFO as the originator held all the mysteries there. Sure, maybe we'll get a monologue from the doctor later, but that's unlikely. And sure, you can argue that those things "aren't important", but they are. Many dropped plot points genuinely don't matter anymore, but these do given their significance throughout the series.  Essentially, all worldbuilding went out the window with AFO.

In the end, there is no sense of anything changing after this war. The chapter byline suggests that now with AFO dead, everything will be perfect, which is of course probably what we'll be told. The "cycle of suffering" has miraculously ended, because apparently all of it originated with AFO despite him having absolutely nothing to do with the creation of most villains.

The reality is that nothing in Deku's final battle addressed the failures of society and what can be done going forward to minimize people becoming villains. He completely ignored any attempt to understand the supposed root of all evil (AFO), suggesting he doesn’t actually care about fixing any deep-rooted societal issues and instead only cares about Shigaraki specifically. And even then, Deku did very little for him. When he entered the vestige world, he shielded Tenko from his father and tried to physically stop him from killing his family. That's it. Immediate, reactive, physical behavior. No reflection, no analysis, no acknowledgement of the deeper issues at hand (yes, it's a battle, but that never stopped hrksh from including that kind of thing before), no recognition of what Tenko went through in their final conversation. In this sense, Ochako and Endeavor have done a far better job at being heroes than Deku, which is a serious issue from a narrative perspective.

Rezzing Tenko might give us some flashbacks of neglected aspects of his character, granted with lost emotional momentum, but the bigger issue is how Deku handled his death. The same can be said for AFO, though unless Yoichi also returns, that's totally pointless. Giving Deku a second chance to redo everything with Shigaraki and/or AFO can't change the fact that the first time around, he failed to connect. He didn't know he'd get a second chance. Therefore we have to assume he was "doing his best" in 423, and that “best” was mediocre and contradictory to his character.

At the end of the day, we ended up with what should have been 5-8 chapters crammed into one, at the most critical moment of the series. Because of this, major plotlines and characters were thrown out the window and with them, the central themes of the entire series. I think there are ways it can be partially fixed to the point where the chapter is no longer a story-breaker, but given how this was handled, I don’t expect those paths to be taken. The only way to really salvage this is to have the chapter retracted, which of course won't happen.

[moon-jellyfish-thoughts]

Ramblings

I think Deku and Bakugo should die. Really, seriously perish. No plot armor/OFA magic.

AFO and shigaraki and All might are gone too, with the rest of the UA students receiving injuries/scarring to some degree, like Jirou’s ear. 

Among the Pro heroes, Endeavor, Edgeshot, Mount Lady…maybe a few others (I personally really don’t want Mirko to die.)

Here’s the thing; Hero Society has been ruined. With the first war arc, and the utter destruction cause by ___, there is no going back to the golden age. Too much has happened, too many civilians have been lost. It’s not plausible for everything to take another rapid 180 - and I personally feel like it would lessen the impact of the sacrifices of the first and second war, no matter how it plays out. 

But in this elaborate headcanon of mine, they still win the war. The majority of the villains are gone/dead (I like the idea of Toga receiving some sort of clemency in return for public service, but ya know.) The Big Bad tm is dead forever, as is his unfortunate protégée. 

But with this new age, I think, it should be completely NEW. And yes, I know Deku is the last user, but if Bakugo/Deku/All Might/Endeavor are all gone, who would step up into that void?

Todoroki. And he fits PERFECTLY, in my opinion. He, in my own, humble opinion, has Deku’s kindness, Bakugo’s now-tempered anger, Endeavor’s power…and, I think, in time, All Might’s aura.

Mirio, Nejire, Shinsou and Amajiki also fit into this (if one of them died it would also make sense, but I’m personally very attached to them.) Mirio and Nejire fit into the charismatic element of All Might, but in terms of putting people at ease in a new society - there’s really only Todoroki who comes into mind. 

He’s CAPABLE. And in this new world, where everyone is unsure of how to go, he rises to the occasion. He’s giving speeches about the war, his deceased friends and father. He’s working together to fix the damage left by the lawlessness and last war. He’s with his family, and the loss of Dabi and Endeavor (I might write a whole other thing on Endeavor cuz I had thoughts,) makes them collectively closer. 

And the public eye sees him working and helping and remember that yes, he was Endeavor’s son. For better or worse. We’ve already seen him give an interview, and it was clear that he did well. He’s quiet, but he’s humble and polite. He cares. He’s lost friends (who he certainly mentions in those talks,) and family, and can relate to the grief that so many civilians feel. And in this new world, he just…winds up as the new face of it all. He’s steady, in a way in which I can see it being comforting after everything that’s unfolded. 

Don’t get me wrong - my favorite character is IZUKU. I’m a sucker for too-good characters with genuinely kind hearts. But he’s All Might. And Bakugo is as good as All Might’s other protégée. They’re the two (arguably strongest) up-and-coming newcomers of the series, and I can’t help but feel like their sacrifice would also be the ultimate culmination of what they’ve learned.

See, they watch All might die, in this scenario. The one they’re aiming for. (Probably Endeavor too.) and they take down Shigaraki/AFO together. And in my mind, Deku dies first. I think he is the one who lands a battering finish to AFO, as the true follower and the hero of All Might, and Bakugou decks it out with Shigaraki. Now, Deku has definitely passed along that he doesn’t want Shigaraki killed, and thus, despite all his grief and fury, when the final punch hit comes, Bakugou doesn’t take it. Shigaraki however, falls off a cliff or willingly ends his life or maybe another hero kills him - (I may write something about this too.)

But Bakugou is deathly wounded too. He just had the adrenaline carrying him over the edge, and dies besides Deku, side-by-side.

And they were heroes. Literal teenagers who took down two of the greatest threats in the history of hero-kind. And they’re immortalized for it.

But they were the last of a golden age. And that is why, I think, as a new face, Todoroki should be the one to create that new image. 

[moodyvoid]

Friendly reminder that Shigaraki being saved ≠ his actions being forgiven.

He still deserves to be saved from AFO and from himself, regardless of his actions. That doesn’t mean all is forgiven, though.

It would be so meaningless to just kill him, because what message would that send? It would be far more meaningful to save him.

[haleigh-sloth]

This is all I’m going to say until we get the next chapter shigaraki when fighting star and we see him as a kid said midoriya I don’t care if y’all hate deku he saving that boy maybe bkg is going to get him out of the trance fine whatever but some non Deku stans swear he not the MC as if hori didn’t make daiki the voice actor read a letter talking about this being Deku crucial fight

Yeahhhh I just 😬

I feel like it’s devolved into a fight over who is gonna do what when it comes to Shig. And amazingly enough it feels like nobody wants Deku to do anything because god forbid he get near Shigaraki 😂. But the truth is that there is a whole ensemble assigned to the Save Shigaraki Task Force.

And there are only certain things certain people can do.

Let’s start with Spinner:

Spinner’s mistake kinda backtracks back to misunderstanding the person he’s following, and staying attached to the dream Shigaraki promises, encouraging his rage and hatred to thrive, which just makes it easier for AFO to take control. Not his fault, he doesn’t know what’s going on inside Shig’s head, but that wasn’t a positive development. It got even worse when he ignored his gut instinct and through his own self-worth issues, accepted a quirk (a ticking time bomb) from AFO, putting himself at risk now too.

However! He’s the only one in position to influence a greater number of villains who are following the uprising for Spinner’s sake, breaking the chain of command and turning them against AFO and HIS followers. Spinner will do something along those lines I think. Finally make a choice for himself, and lead his followers to something that won’t result in a blank horizon full of nothing.

Then we have Bakugo:

There is no doubt he’ll do something. There aren’t parallels drawing Bakugo and Shigaraki together, but there is one thing Bakugo has in common with Midoriya (who does parallel Shig):

Shigaraki was interested in both of them. Maybe for different reasons (I have my speculations about the mall scene but only time will tell if those come true), but because of that interest, Shigaraki was seeking some form of validation from both of them.

And he was rejected by both of them on principle (understandably, taking people hostage isn’t how you make friends, Tomura).

So it only makes sense that, with both Bakugo and Midoriya, the logical answer is for them to reconsider their feelings on Shigaraki. Midoriya already has, and is currently still thinking, it seems, on what to think and do (more on this later). Bakugo I think is coming up on that soon. But despite other opinions I’ve read, I do not think chapter 358 is that moment. It seems undeniably clear to me that Bakugo is not in a “wait around for the right hero” mindset, and is taking matters into his own hands without Midoriya there, and is straight up going for the kill. He voiced his strong resentment toward Shigaraki and AFO, and I don’t think that was some convoluted mask to cover up that he wants to save him 😐. But with that being said, I do think this is leading into some turn of events. All I know is I have a feeling that what’s about to happen right now, is going to make Bakugo and company think twice. Arguably I don’t know exactly what Bakugo will do, I don’t. Only time will tell. I can only vouch for what I know he can’t do, which will be addressed at the end in the Deku section.

Then we have Kurogiri and Aizawa:

I’m still…waiting for this plot line to take off. But the set up is there. Not to mention, Aizawa made an impression on Shigaraki too, very early on might I add. I’ll keep my clown costume on until it happens, or doesn’t. But I’m not worried. I think it will.

THENNNN we have Deku. The only person with access to the vestige plane, and the only one with capability of gaining insight into Shigaraki’s head and heart and figuring out his true feelings. This is the part I see people complain about lol. Oh well. Shigaraki has a mental barrier that nobody is going to be able to see or feel, except Midoriya. And this is probably the only connection Shigaraki has that isn’t one-sided, and goes both ways. One wants the other to save them. That one wants to save the other. Both have noticed each other and rejected each other. Now it’s time to try again, and do it right this time.

But for that to work, things on the outside need to be taken care of too. That’s where everybody else comes in!

I do 100% expect the LOV to all team up with the heroes and fight AFO and his followers, tame the crowds, save people, etc. And I’m still 100% convinced Shigaraki will overcome the mental barrier with AFO and then dust his physical body on the outside. And at one point I think there was room for Toga and Touya to help with Shig, but given the pacing and timing that we’re going at right now, I’m not sure the timing will align for that to happen. But that’s just speculation. It’s still too soon to tell on that front.

But yeah—it’s a whole ordeal. And, I mean idc if people don’t like Deku. I get it, he’s really not everybody’s cup of tea. But denying his role in Shigaraki’s arc isn’t gonna do anybody any good, nor is it gonna change the outcome. I’m biased because I love it, obviously, but also from an objective standpoint, there is literally no point in denying his role. His role is there, it’s not going away.

[itsnothingofinterest]

So I apologize if this sounds conspiratorial, but is anyone else getting the impression that the anime is trying to make the villains less sympathetic?

Because going over all the adaptational changes made this season in my mind; it feels like a lot of them tend to put less focus on them and taking away some of the reasons people care about them while putting a lot more time and focus on the more conventional protagonists.

I mean just the arc shifting in general has had an effect on an anime-watchers perception of the villains as I discussed previously; showing them as rich & powerful threats to all the heroes hold dear before MVA, which had the chapter where they’re shown poor and financially struggling cut completely (with the exception of the scene where Kurogiri & Shigaraki discuss Machia, because it’s intimidating).

Plus there’s just what’s stretched out forever and what’s rushed through to consider. Like, Joint Training adapted about 2 chapters per episode and was given anime-original content, and the Endeavor internship arc was similarly drawn out (I remember hearing form someone who keeps better track of this than me that 1 episode was a single chapter). To say nothing of the Shirakumo reveal and a freaking filler episode also going before MVA; well it really starts to look after a point that they’ve been intentionally trying to give MVA as few episodes as possible to justify all of it’s content like crazy. I mean this last episode covered, what 5 chapters? Technically 6 with the intro.

And speaking of chapter 220 being cut; I remember reading a meta somewhere about how you normally don’t see villains eating together (unless it’s to show off how glutinous they are) because it’s a really humanizing activity. Along with everything else in 220, that chapter being cut not only lost us Shigaraki eating his crackers, but also Mr. Compress’ sushi subplot. This could mean the sushi at the villains’ villa at the end of the arc might be cut too, completely removing that humanizing element.

Actually, a lot of the cut content seems to remove the humanizing elements that any of the villains have; Redestro’s funny commercial, his emotional murder of Miyashita, Giran refusing to give up the League, the League killing racists, the League hanging out together, Spinner’s motive rant, Curious explaiing Quirk Counselling and the effects it had on Toga, Redestro crying for Curious, & Trumpet rallying the MLA to avenge her just off the top of my mind. But they devote all the time in the world to Endeavor’s pity party.

And do I even need to mention the OP, which feels like it almost has less villain content than the Summer Camp/Kamino OP, or the ED, which was written for Deku & Shigaraki’s dynamic but had Hawks & Endeavor visuals applied to it.

Why they’re doing this, I can’t say; maybe someone somewhere felt the villains aren’t as marketable for whatever reason, or maybe they’re trying to avoid the war arc’s controversy ahead of time by enticing people into liking Endeavor & Hawks more and the League less through allocation of screen time. But at some point, it just starts to feel intentional, y’know?

[daetaechanster]

Deku, Bakugo and Kirishima

Okay I wanna preface this post by saying first, this isn’t a post about Bakudeku (you’re itching to call me out, I feel it, but don’t do it) and while I will be mentioning the Kiribaku ship, it will be me mostly mentioning the FANS of this ship and the ideals around that ship. If this doesn’t apply to you, please gloss over it. This post was caused by once again, seeing SOME Kiribaku’s speak absolute garbage all over Tiktok. Wrong garbage mind you. Now let me start..

---------

When was it, that fans suddenly decided that for Kiribaku to be a ship, that suddenly people had to downplay Deku’s importance in Bakugo’s life. Yes, Bakugo use to bully Deku and he was wrong for it, he was a little fucking shithead for it. But that was in chapter one of the manga and season 1 episode 1 of the show. Where are we now? About to hit chapter 305 (leaks today whoo) and we’re about hit season 5. Things of changed, Bakugo has changed, and if you can pick up what Horikoshi is putting down, then you KNOW things have changed in their relationship.

Now what these Tiktoker Kiribaku’s like to claim is that Bakugo doesn’t care about Deku, doesn’t even LIKE Deku. That the only person Bakugo cares about is Kirishima... you can headcanon all you like that Kirishima is Bakugo’s most important person. You can 100% believe that and use it for your fanon content. But that is all it is, headcanon and fanon, because it isn’t true. And BECAUSE it isn’t true and is fanon, Do not come at people who believe CANON FACT and tell them they’re wrong and your headcanon is right.

Why does Bakugo’s relationship with Deku have to be diminished for Kiribaku’s ship to flourish? Why? When did that become a thing? because a LOT of people spread around this garbage like it’s fact.

Now i’m going to get into the major point these Tiktoker Kiribaku’s made, and what I think is the worst take i’ve ever heard. Ahem.

‘Kirishima cared about Bakugo the most which is why he went to Kamino to save him, and Bakugo cared about Kirishima the most which is why he took his hand’

I’m going to get into how WRONG this statement is. 

The person who found out that Bakugo was going to be kidnapped was Deku. Deku found out during his fight with Muscular and after the fight was over, his first thought was to get Kota to safety so he could save Kacchan. He told the pussycat lady to alert everyone to Kacchan’s possible kidnapping, which is where Kirishima heard about it.

As you’d expect, Kirishima got upset and instantly wanted to go out and help protect Bakugo. Why? because he is his FRIEND. Canonly they’re not together so we are going forward with their platonic relationship, which is canon. He wanted to save his friends, as did others in the group, but he wanted to save him most. But he couldn’t. (Something we later learned was a trigger for Kirishima in season 4)

Because Deku was out on the field, he was able to go and try to save Bakugo. That boy ran around, in absolute pain to the point that some of the class commented on the fact he should be unconcious right now. But that didn’t matter because he wanted to save Bakugo. And he tried his hardest, despite being in pain and his arms not working, Bakugo gets taken, telling Deku ‘Not to come’. I like to believe he said that because Deku was injured and WOULD be killed following him, because Bakugo knows Deku would follow him into fire. Like Deku knows Bakugo best, Bakugo also knows Deku best (minus the whole looking down on him stuff, wtf Bakugo.) But because that was never established, we’ll leave that up to interpretation.

Something these Tiktokers used in their arguement was that Kirishima was the one who decided to save Bakugo, nobody else. Which.. just isn’t true at all. Another thing they said was DEKU DIDN’T PLAN TO SAVE HIM. Again, not true.

Lets go back to before Deku was in hospital and Bakugo was kidnapped. When Bakugo was gone, Deku SCREAMED in absolute DISPAIR (these tiktokers also commented that Deku hates Bakugo and all I can do is LOL, won’t even entertain that.) Deku was in such ABSOLUTE DISPAIR that he instantly went into shock. Shock, that he said, lasted for the 2 whole days in hospital, he couldn’t remember a thing. The only moment he remembers WHY he was in shock, was when the whole class were there and Todoroki told him about it.

Also at this point, while Deku is in shock, Kirishima and Todoroki had 2 whole days with a clear head to decide they were going to save Bakugo, consequences be damned.

What happened after remembering Kacchan was taken? Deku came out of his shock and burst into tears. He failed to save Kacchan and it HURT him. And then Kirishima mentions the rescue.. the rescue that he AND TODOROKI PLANNED. Do people not remember that while Kirishima had decided he was going to save Bakugo, that Todoroki ALSO had the same plan?? That if Kirishima hadn’t intended to save him, Todoroki would have mentioned the plan to Deku himself???

I 100% believe, as should ANYONE who knows Deku as a character and as someone who’s always cared about Bakugo despite him being an asshat, would have also come up with a plan to save Bakugo if he hadn’t been in hospital with damaged arms and in complete shock and disassociation.

I now want to point out a panel that people seem to forget:

For people to believe Deku doesn’t care as much as Kirishima does about Bakugo, how is it your boy is saying the complete OPPOSITE statement???

Now skip forward to finding Bakugo and AFO. While Kirishima (and Todoroki) had decided they were going to rescue Bakugo, it was Deku who came up with the plan to get Bakugo out of there. Deku planned the best possible way to get Bakugo out of there and not damage his pride in the meantime. Deku could have been selfish and have reached out for Bakugo, because we all know Deku wanted to have been the one to reach out his hand. But he didn’t because Deku knows Bakugo best and didn’t want to possibly upset him.

Bakugo, who feels incredibly insecure when it comes to Deku, how do you think he’d have reacted if Deku saved him A SECOND TIME? First the sludge villian and now Kamino? I’d wager that Deku would expect any chance of reconsilliation between himself and Bakugo to have died that moment if he’d reached out to save him.

Lets be honest, Bakugo would have taken ANYONES hand to get out of there and i’ll explain why that is true in a moment.

Another thing people seem to forget is that Bakugo didn’t tell Kirishima he was the one who should hold his hand out. Bakugo didn’t tell Kirishima that he would only take his hand. No, DEKU said this. Deku who knows Bakugo better than ANYONE. He knew, because currently his and Bakugo’s relationship was rocky, that he couldn’t risk Bakugo’s pride getting in the way of the rescue. So DEKU chose Kirishima to reach out his hand, because Kirishima isn’t someone Bakugo feels threatened by. Deku is Bakugo’s biggest insecurity, him reaching out was a risk Deku wasn’t going to place over saving Bakugo. 

Again, Bakugo didn’t mention ANY of this, he didn’t even know. So how anyone came to the conclusion that canonly, this meant that Bakugo believed Kirishima to be more important than anyone else I will never know.

And when they did save him, Horikoshi put in a VERY BIG CLUE that a lot of people gloss over.

That teeth grit there was put INTENTIONALLY to show that even with Kirishima’s hand out.. he still didn’t want to take it, he didn’t want to have been saved. This is why I believe that he would have taken ANYONE’S hand. For anime fans, this teeth grit was cut out to instead focus on how close Shigaraki got to grabbing Bakugo. 

Bakugo isn’t stupid, he knew he couldn’t stay. For one, he already mentioned that he was in All Mights way by being there. So he HAD NO CHOICE but to take Kirishima’s hand. And when he was saved, he addressed EVERYONE for saving him, not just Kirishima.

Now, for non manga readers, you will have to wait until season 5 to see Bakugo and Deku’s relationship flourish and I don’t want to spoil you. I’m so excited for people to see what their relationship is going to turn into and why it’s one of the most popular canon relationships in the show (and how it’s grown to be one of the biggest ships)

I will give you this though, to indicate just how much Deku means to Bakugo now without spoiling it for anyone. Anyone whos read the manga should know how Bakugo feels about Deku.

For anyone who feels that Bakugo taking Kirishima’s hand indicated how important they were to each other, i’d like to hope you have the same energy for that cover for Vol.29 of the manga drawn by Horikoshi himself. If Bakugo went back, he would have taken Deku’s hand all along. At the river, in Kamino, during the fight. Bakugo wants to hold Deku’s hand now, he wants Deku’s friendship, he wants Deku, and that is platonically canon.

The last thing I want to say is that Kiribaku as a ship can still exist without ignoring how much Bakugo and Deku mean to each other. Kirishima and Bakugo are friends, maybe even best friends canonly (though honestly i’d argue that Kaminari is closer to Bakugo but that’s my personal opinion.)

Deku’s best friends are Iida and Uraraka, but Bakugo is still the person he loves and cares about the most.

Bakugo’s best friends are Kirishima and Kaminari, but Deku is still the person he loves and cares about the most.

Do you see people push Bakugo down to make IzuOcha work? no.

Wanna headcanon that Kirishima is Bakugo’s most important person? Go right ahead. But don’t push it on others as fact when it’s not.

If you have to come to other peoples spaces and force your headcanon on them and disminish the utterly beautiful relationship thats blossoming between Bakugo and Deku, then maybe you shouldn’t be in the fandom. Horikoshi wants you to know how important these boys are to each other and if you can’t see that, don’t comment publically because you sound dumb.

Ship Kiribaku, but do not attack others for things that you have WRONG.

Tldr; Stop erasing Bakugo and Deku’s canon relationship to big up your Kiribaku ship and don’t force that on other people.

[hamliet]

What Does It Mean to Save?

I keep seeing it said that Deku, Ochaco, and Shouto will “save” Shigaraki, Himiko, and Dabi, but that there will be no redemption and/or no survival for them. I’m truly not trying to vague these posts and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but literary criticism is fundamentally responsive so I’m writing this anyways.

I personally think that’s not BNHA’s definition of saving nor of redemption. So here, have a deep dive into literary tropes related to redemption, genre, and character arcs as they pertain to BNHA and the question of: what does it mean to save Shigaraki, Touya, and Himiko?

Before we begin, let me say that while we might be personally uncomfortable with redemption (there’s a redemption arc in BNHA I am personally quite uncomfortable with), that doesn’t inherently mean the narrative won’t go there. The key principle I’m operating on here is BNHA’s message that heroes save people. It’s held up as the highest ideal. 

So let’s talk redemption in BNHA-verse. With this guy, whose redemption arc I dislike in principle but accept as part of the story so don’t come for me stans and/or antis. I’m analyzing because it shows us what redemption means in BNHA-verse, whether or not that is satisfying to you personally as it fits/does not fit with your own morality/philosophy.

If Endeavor can be redeemed and live, and he’s Bakugou’s negative foil, I highly doubt Shigaraki and Deku as well as Touya and Shouto and Ochaco and Himiko will be any different. Why? Because Enji is an adult character. The others--well, Himiko’s age we don’t know, but we do know that Shigaraki and Dabi are technically adults. But does the story consider them adults?

(It doesn’t.)

Child-coded characters are generally more likely to survive a redemption, which I’ll explain more later. First I have to define what I mean by child-coding, because I DO NOT mean this in the way it’s often (mis)used in fandom wank. Child-coding is a real thing, but it is not done to infantilize and it has nothing to do with shipping.

Child coding frames the character as a child for a few narrative purposes to convey a story’s theme or purpose. For example, if it’s a coming of age story coding a character as a child even if they legally are not emphasizes their journey to an understanding of self-actualization, or a true understanding of self with self-awareness and an understanding of self-value. An example of an adult coded as a child is The Kite Runner, wherein Amir is a legal adult for half the story, even married for fifteen years so we’re talking 30s-40s, but he does not truly become an adult until he returns to his homeland and takes responsibility for a childhood sin. In Attack on Titan, the main characters are now nineteen, but are still struggling to take responsibility as adults and have only started doing so now that their mentors/parental figures have started dying.

Along those lines, in any kind of story, you can code a character as a child of someone, regardless of biological relationship, to convey the type of relationship they have (usually a mentor one). For an example of this, see Bungo Stray Dogs’ Dazai and Akutagawa. Despite their two year age difference, Dazai recruited him to the mafia, abandoned him, and Akutagawa desperately seeks his approval. Usually in these stories a character will “overcome” their parental figure. This can be done through overcoming their need for the parental figure’s approval in stories where the parental figure is kindly (such as in Harry Potter, when in the final book Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave the Weasleys to find the Horcruxes despite Mrs. Weasley’s please) or through like, killing/stopping/leaving the parental figure when they are abusive (see fairy tales like Rapunzel and Cinderella). The parental link to self-actualization is because it is childlike (and a part of actual psychology that is reflected in literature) to see yourself as a part of your parent; self-actualized person would see yourself as a distinct person from your parent, but also acknowledge the ways in which they’ve shaped you.

So, how do you code a character as a child? BNHA isn’t subtle about it, because Horikoshi seldom is subtle about anything. The villain trio are all coded as children.

Shigaraki Tomura:

Who cannot achieve self-actualization so long as AFO has access to his body, as he’s literally trying to possess him. He’s trying, but it’s not gonna work because Shigaraki can’t keep AFO and become an adult at the same time. It’s a choice the narrative is setting up: your dream of destroying, or your freedom? (To get the latter, he’ll probably have to destroy AFO).

Todoroki Touya, who is repeatedly emphasized as a small child when compared to his siblings, and yes, I know he’s now tall. Specifically he’s spotlighted as the child of Endeavor:

And he’s the least self-actualized one in a lot of ways, contradicting himself constantly. I’m not Endeavor, DUH! But these are Endeavor’s flames! He’s gonna have to choose one or the other, because the tragic irony is that the more he takes out his rage on those around him, the more like Endeavor he becomes.

And Toga Himiko (who might well literally be a legal child), who is actually the most self-actualized one thus far, because she rejects Curious’s child insistence (Curious holds her in a Pieta pose, based on Michelangelo’s statue wherein Mary holds a deceased Christ):

She’s still got, like, a way to go though:

Because Himiko also wants to be like the people she loves to the point where she loses her own identity in them, which is er, not self-actualization. So she’ll have to choose whether or not she really wants to be like the people she loves or whether she wants to live her own way, which she herself tells us how that would end (death):

Deku said it himself: it’s good to focus on what someone is doing now. And look, I have issues with this statement and how it’s framed. I’ve talked about it at length and it was doomed to fail because Shouto himself told us long ago that it was annoying to hear a righteous speech by a stranger when you hadn’t gone through the same, plus Endeavor kinda failed by choosing being a hero over a dad here. But, the principle is that if the past doesn’t preclude Endeavor from seeking a better self, why would it preclude three characters coded as children, one of whom is literally somewhat the product of Endeavor’s sins? BNHA doesn’t think the past keeps someone from a better future. 

So what about Dabi’s counterpoint, which is indeed valid? Well, redemption doesn’t mean the past forgets, either. It’s complicated and nuanced, and we can debate how well Horikoshi strikes this nuance (it’s got its flaws), and admittedly I don’t know how this will go down in the future. But it is asking Endeavor: how do you redeem yourself to the people you’ve hurt? And we have Endeavor asking this question to Touya’s shrine. I mean, the foreshadowing is obvious. Endeavor has to redeem himself by trying to save Touya. However, it will still probably come down to Shouto to save Touya.

For our three villains, it’s a little harder to predict... well, sort of. For Shigaraki it’s extremely obvious: he has to help take down AFO. Dabi probably has to do something to help his family (siblings probably), but it’s vague. Toga needs help and not condemnation, but presumably she’ll help Ochaco with something.

So, is this redemption? I’d define it as redemption in the eyes of the narrative. To address what makes a redemption is another essay unto itself, but if we bring in the oft-compared Star Wars example: did Darth Vader get a redemption? Did Ben Solo? Everyone says yes to both. However, only Luke witnesses Vader’s redemption, and only Rey Ben Solo’s. So the rest of the galaxy? Doesn’t think so. When I say they’ll be redeemed, I’m defining it as their role in the eyes of the narrative, not whether or not society will accept them or even whether their victims will forgive them (of note, in canonical novels, Leia never forgave Darth Vader despite learning he was her father and obviously knowing Luke’s account of his redemption was true).

So, redemption in a narrative doesn’t mean all of society has to forgive and accept them. Dabi has still like, murdered 30 people--many of whom were thugs, but he himself acknowledges they didn’t deserve to die. Additionally, he himself also acknowledges that the families left behind--their feelings matter:

But why does that mean they have to die? Why even does it mean they have to languish in prison forever? (If there’s even a safe prison at the end of BNHA which I kinda have doubts about.) Heroes have also killed: see Hawks as Exhibit A. In fact, some people want revenge on the heroes precisely because they arrested or killed their loved ones (jail isn’t held up as a rehabilitative place in BNHA’s world. In most countries it isn’t in real life, either, but again that’s for another essay). So why don’t the League’s feelings on Twice’s death matter just as much as the feelings of unnamed and unseen (and thereby less important narratively) characters?

Additionally, regarding death... the villains routinely get called on their death wishes. Himiko’s determination to decide how/when she dies is called out because this is right  before Twice overcomes his trauma to save her, and the next arc they appear in is when Twice dies trying to save her again. Dabi’s suicide wish keeps him from getting close to others, and it keeps getting thwarted. Shigaraki’s obsession with destruction and death is clearly not a good thing, and his rejection of his family’s desire for them to join him in death this past arc is growth.

In other words: what Dabi said and what Snatch said about families and how they feel matter for the villains too. The villains are their own weird found family (Dabi as the deadbeat prodigal brother of both his families). Their deaths--Magne’s and Twice’s thus far, and I’m not ruling out further deaths in the future--affect the others. People’s feelings on losing loved ones matter. The villains are people, as Himiko said herself this arc:

Their feelings about each other matter:

How would Touya dying affect the Todorokis? At least they saved him spiritually, I guess, but that’s absolutely lame narratively, and if you have Enji eventually do a sacrifice to save Dabi (pretty likely, even if I personally think Enji will survive said sacrifice) then what’s the point of Dabi dying? How would Himiko dying affect society? As a martyr like Curious wanted her to be, even a redeemed one? A tragic warning story? What even is the point of Ochaco saving her if that’s the case? If Shigaraki dies, well, who would mourn besides Deku? How would Shigaraki dying affect the surviving members of the league? He just couldn’t be saved physically? 

It’s not impossible some of this happens, but it doesn’t seem like great writing, especially with panels like, oh, these that show us BNHA’s perspective on death:

Sacrificing something is a type of death that occurs in stories; this should happen in a redemption arc, which is why I’ve been saying Enji needs to sacrifice his hero reputation to help save Touya and even then it’ll still be Shouto imo who does the saving. But physical death?

If you want further analysis of the latter two panels and how they relate to the ending, see here.

We already have another villain who will definitely die redemptively (Kurogiri--an adult coded character--because he’s already, like, dead), and Spinner and Mr. Compress aren’t coded as kids so I hold them with anxiety towards the end. But again, this isn’t me being ageist or saying this is the way things ought to be in fiction or real life: it’s me looking at writing tropes and saying that child-coded characters tend to survive their redemptions. See: Zuko. Why? Because the death of children or child-coded characters is a tragedy. When a child-coded character dies redemptively it doesn’t feel like a happy ending and if framed as such, it’s often criticized for bad writing (see: Ben Solo). Curious even called this out in her fight with Himiko. I would hope Horikoshi doesn’t end the story being like yeah Curious was right that’s the best use of Himiko’s/Dabi’s/Shigaraki’s arcs:

Additionally, as for the believability of a character getting a new chance after so much destruction and murder... well, it’s kinda a thing in shonen and even in seinen? For better or for worse, it’s a thing. We have Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z and Kaneki Ken in Tokyo Ghoul (Kaneki, by the way, is absolutely an inspiration for Shigaraki). We can debate how well-written these redemptions are (I personally have been quite critical of Kaneki’s despite wanting it to happen narratively), but it can be done. BNHA’s Japan especially isn’t as harsh a world as Tokyo Ghoul’s Japan, so it would make even more sense for something like Kaneki’s ending.

The reality is that the cycle of revenge via hurting people and then leaving hurting families and loved ones has to stop somewhere. Someone has to be the bigger person and step up and be like “naw.” That’s heroic. That’s brave. That’s sacrificial itself. Justice itself doesn’t really exist in its purest form without mercy.

There’s another genre-reason I don’t see death or jail as likely (I could see, like, maybe a mental health ward like Rei’s? But it’s too soon to speculate).

If saving is considered a good thing for the story, if it’s truly the highest ideal, then saving someone should be rewarded by the narrative. The characters who save should have a positive result to show us this a good thing.

This is why it doesn’t work for the heroes’ end journey to be accepting that some people cannot be saved. The notion of just accepting that you cannot do something, you cannot save everyone, you cannot, cannot, cannot, is called out as a flaw of society. Determination, on the other hand, is rewarded.

We see it with Deku as well as with Mirio.

So, what if they save them and the redeemed characters then go on to sacrifice themselves in their redemption and die (come to the same end)? If saving changes absolutely nothing for the saved person, if it’s too late for the saved from themselves to change and/or do anything that matters besides die, then the narrative theme of saving as important is left unemphasized at best and undermined at worst. Simple intrinsic knowledge that the kids “did the right thing” doesn’t cut it for a story with so much focus on physical saving when the kids are already doing the right thing; moral struggles about whether to choose to be good aren’t really Deku, Ochaco, or Shouto’s arcs. It works for Aizawa’s arc with Kurogiri, but not for the kiddos. If BNHA was more of a philosophical/spiritual text, that would indeed make sense, but it is not. Genre-wise, BNHA is a fantastical superhero optimistic story, not a gritty real-world set drama.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 296: Ngl, This One Pissed Me Off

Previously on BnHA: Deku was all, “p.s. I actually activated yet another quirk several chapters ago when Kacchan got stabbed.” Compress was all, “[gets captured and passes out].” Spinner was all “[rifles through Tomura’s pockets and slaps a random Charbroiled Hand onto his friend’s unconscious face].” Tomura was all, “SOMEHOW THAT ACTUALLY WORKED” and woke up again, except it wasn’t really him, it was everyone’s favorite Final Villain, AFO. AFO was all, “time to escape finally” and summoned a bunch of Noumu and Absconded with Spinner and the DabiMarble in tow. Skeptic was all, “Horikoshi forgot I existed, but I’m actually Absconding in marble-form as well.” Deku was all, “ATTENTION WORLD, I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT I OFFICIALLY WANT TO SAVE SHIGARAKI TOMURA.” And then the arc just sort of ended lol.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all, “but when you think about it, do we really need literally any female teachers at U.A. at all?” and for whatever reason doesn’t stop to wait for an answer. Midnight, who absolutely did not need to die, Dies, and I’m pissed about it. Ochako wanders the ruins of Jakku for what feels like hours, rescuing small children while her adult hero compatriots fall to pieces around her, because apparently the U.A. kids really are the only people who have their shit together. The citizens of Japan are all “damn that’s wild, wonder how fucked we are now,” but are actually super casual and chill about it which is oddly realistic. The chapter ends with AFO in Tartarus being all “lol time for the prison break arc,” without giving us so much as a chance to catch our breath, like holy shit. Are we on the clock or something now, goddamn.

lmao it’s like 7pm on a Sunday night and this is out already. this is like the worst possible timing lol. there goes my nice, relaxed evening. unless of course this turns out to be a nice, restful, soothing chapter, as chapters coming on the heels of traumatic, earth-shattering battles so often are. yeah, break out the Pina Colada song and the little drink umbrellas, I got a good feeling about this one

(ETA: I mean, I was obviously being sarcastic here but damn, Horikoshi.)

-- fff why did I laugh

it’s the crumbling city ruins in the background that really does it, I think. JUST LOOK AT THIS MESS THAT YOU HAVE MADE, EVERYONE. FOR SHAME

also, the title is dramatic af and I am so fucking excited you guys, like holy shit. BnHA’s In-Between arcs have always been my favorite part of the series, because it’s when all the character development and angst and/or catharsis happens. just, those little breathing spaces in between the action when everyone gathers to recuperate and compartmentalize their fresh new traumas lmao. bring on that angst!! but also, let’s please have some Comfort to offset all of this Hurt too, please and thanks

blah blah blah so the survivors were evacuated, good good, can you actually show us though?

AHHHHHHH

PIXIE BOB SURVIVED!!!! WASH IS STILL ALIVE LMAO HOW. THIRTEEN’S FACE, OMG SHOULD I LOOK AWAY. IS IT LIKE MANDALORIAN RULES. IDK HOW IT WORKS

HOW THE FUCK ARE THEY ALIVE. LOLS ANYWAY I’M HERE FOR IT. FEEL FREE NOT TO KILL ANYONE ELSE HERE HORIKOSHI, I THINK WE’RE GOOD

(ETA: it’s like talking to a brick wall.)

oh my god do we really need exposition about how the heroes tried to stop TomurAFO from escaping and OF COURSE failed completely because they suck lmao. oh my god I am shocked, that is such shocking news

wow they only managed to defeat three of the Noumus. holy shit. again, all of the Not-Kid Heroes are only slightly more useful than cardboard cutouts of heroes at this point, MORE AT ELEVEN

so Tomura may have lost the PLF, but he still more or less has an army then, huh. I really don’t know how anyone could expect a timeskip with that threat looming over everyone’s heads

oh nvm lol there are only seven Noumus left. wait so you’re telling me there were only ten Nearly High Ends in that last chapter?? felt more like fifty but whatever lol I’ll take your word for it

COMPRESS YAY YOU’RE ALIVE TOO

MAYBE THEY CAN EVEN REATTACH HIS ASS. I’M SERIOUS LOL, BECAUSE HE STILL HAS IT, DOESN’T HE? OR IF NOT, THEY CAN REBUILD HIM WITH A PROSTHETIC ASS. he’ll be more powerful than ever

WHAAAAAAT YEAH BOIIIII

WOOO, EDGESHOT, WOOOOO. THAT’S HIS WAY OF THE NINJA

YEAHHHHH SUCK IT, PLF

(ETA: for the record I don’t think Cementoss is dead here, just badly wounded. if he had died he would have been included in the forthcoming In Memoriam page along with the others.)

GET BENT LOL. TRUMPET I FOR REAL FORGOT YOU EVEN EXISTED. I NEVER WANT TO SEE ANY OF YOU LOSERS AGAIN PLEASE. ONLY INTERESTING CHARACTERS MAY PROCEED PAST THIS POINT

dsflksaldkh;l

that’s... holy shit. that’s a bigass mansion, that’s what that is. also so does this mean there are still eighty thousand PLF members still at large, because that’s a plot line I very much do not care about in any way whatsoever lol. can’t we just retcon to say that Re-Destro was exaggerating? I mean hell, a CEO criminal pulling some Enron-type bullshit is pretty believable, isn’t it? those poor bamboozled shareholders

“makeste, here’s an idea, what if you scrolled down to read the rest of the page” lol gtfo of here with your logic and your sense

well those 132 people have made it onto my enemies list, but at least it sounds like they more or less took care of the rest. good riddance

and Toga escaped, as we knew already, and is now on the lam. hopefully she reunites with the League again at some point. although her doing her own thing could also be very interesting. idk what I want lol

anyway so there’s another big panel showing how fucked up the city is, just in case it hadn’t already been hammered into our skulls yet. there’s a car dangling off a roof somehow. how does that even happen. did Machia pick it up and put it there or

NOOO OMG RANDOM SMALL CHILDREN IN PERIL WHAT IS THIS

OCHAKO PLEASE SAVE THEM OMG

“if it falls on me, I want you to have my Endeavor pouch” OH MY STARS. HIS MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSION. NO MY CHILD YOU CAN’T GIVE UP HOPE YET

LMAO

“FOR THE LAST TIME NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR DUSTY-ASS POUCH, KYLE” fffff these children are dying and I am cracking up so hard my eyes are tearing up what is wrong with me

YAY THEY SAVED THEM

but listen. not that I don’t love seeing the girls kick ass, because you know I do. but I also really, REALLY need to know what’s going down with the Musketeers, and I’m not looking forward to waiting three whole weeks for that so please Horikoshi. please hurry this along so we can get to them

goddamn it Tsuyu is saying she’ll take the boy to the shelter to get first aid, and I was all “okay great because that’s probably where Kacchan and the others are too”, but now someone else is shouting for help and Ochako’s all “I’ll go” and it’s like OKAY BUT PLEASE? this chapter is already more than half over omfg. ‘bout to start wringing some hands here

oh my god

is this Toga again??? WHAT THE HELL, THIS CREEPYASS HALF-DEAD DUDE BETTER BE LEADING UP TO SOMETHING INTERESTING, I AM REALLY GETTING IMPATIENT

OR, I GUESS, WE COULD DO THIS INSTEAD

“SO AS IT TURNS OUT, NOT EVERY CHARACTER WHO NEEDS HELP SAVING THEIR SPOUSE FROM FALLEN RUBBLE IS ACTUALLY TOGA IN DISGUISE” HUH, OKAY. DULY NOTED. FILED AWAY FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

but fucking... okay, look. I love Ochako, I do. but I like her a whole lot more when she’s interacting with other characters I actually care about, as opposed to running around in the rubble rescuing random people while the fate of my other children is still up in the air. like okay, I get it, shit’s bad, now if you don’t mind we really don’t have to spend all day here though

...anyways but nope, we’re still staying with her. she’s bouncing around rescuing all of these other people. omg. I literally have no patience here at all and it’s terrible, I know, but oh my god

omg finally something interesting is happening!!

look at that, an adult hero standing around being useless while the kids are busy getting shit done. why is this becoming a recurring theme

MY DUDE, THIS IS SERIOUSLY NOT THE TIME THOUGH

I GET THAT IT’S OVERWHELMING AND THAT YOU’RE TRAUMATIZED AND SHIT, BUT GUESS WHAT, SO IS EVERYONE ELSE. THAT’S WHAT YOU SIGNED UP FOR. JUST LOOK AT OCHAKO! SHE’S SO EXHAUSTED HER HAIR HAS EVEN LOST ITS FLOOF, AND YET SHE’S STILL OUT HERE DOING HER BEST. ONE SAVE AT A TIME MY MAN. GET IT DONE. LITERALLY A SMALL CHILD IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CALLING FOR THEIR MOMMY AND YOU’RE JUST STANDING THERE ALL “WAHH IT’S TOO MUCH” LIKE COULD YOU PLEASE POSTPONE YOUR CRISIS UNTIL AFTER YOU SAVE THEM PLEASE

OH MY GOD

MAYBE YOU SHOULD!! oh my god I really cannot, like wow. oh no I actually have to save people and do my job, god forbid. jesus christ, at least the other heroes tried. but Moping Hero: Bellyache here is just throwing in the towel and fuck everyone who still needs his help I guess. you are like the anti-Deku my dude

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD NO OH FUCK

THAT’S MIDNIGHT’S HAND OH FU -- SHE BETTER NOT -- HORIKOSHI I SWEAR TO GOD --

I’M GONNA LOSE IT I REALLY AM!!!!

HOLY SHIT HOW INTENSE OF A RAGE DO I NEED TO BRACE MYSELF TO BE FEELING HERE. THIS CHAPTER WAS ALREADY TRENDING TOWARDS DISAPPOINTMENT, DO WE REALLY NEED TO GO AND COMPOUND THAT

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON

you’re telling me Tomura wasn’t brought back by that electric shock, but by his “fuck you” attitude? why are you explaining this to us now, again??

......

HEY, SO UM, FUCK ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS, THOUGH. (: OH MAN. OHHHHHH MAN. I HAVE... I HAVE GOT A LOT OF WORDS FOR THIS AND HERE ARE SOME OF THEM

FUCK

THINGS THAT SHOULD BE IN THE DICTIONARY NEXT TO “SOME BULLSHIT”: THIS

FUCK

GET FUCKED HORIKOSHI

AND ALSO PLEASE FUCK RIGHT OFF!!

AND SERIOUSLY THOUGH FUCK YOU

NO BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THOUGH!! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED OFF ANYONE. LITERALLY ANY CHARACTER. YOU HAD TWELVE FEMALE PROS. TWELVE. YOU COULD HAVE MADE MORE OF THEM. PROBABLY, IF THERE ACTUALLY WERE SUPERHEROES IN REAL LIFE, THERE WOULD BE MORE THAN TWELVE OF THEM IN AN ENTIRE NATION. BUT NO, YOU WERE ALL “TWELVE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.” AND THEN WHEN IT CAME TIME TO KILL PEOPLE OFF, YOU WERE ALL “WELL ALL RIGHT THEN, LET’S SEE, I PICK... THESE 18 RANDOM SIDE CHARACTERS WITH LITTLE TO NO DIALOGUE, PLUS THE ONE SINGLE FEMALE U.A. STAFF MEMBER WE ACTUALLY HAD. YEAH THAT OUGHTA DO IT”

AND BY THE WAY, HORIKOSHI, I PICKED SOMETHING UP FOR YOU ON MY WAY HOME, HERE IT IS, ┌П┐(・＿・) do you like it it was on sale. I saw it and was like, “Horikoshi would really like that.” so there you go. sorry it wasn’t gift-wrapped

p.s. I hope y’all can tell that that’s supposed to be a middle finger and not... something else lmao. er. anyway

(ETA: so I got a few asks from people who were really put off by this part of the reaction post, and so I’m just adding an extra note here to make it clear that I do not actually wish harm on Horikoshi in any way or even particularly dislike him. I wasn’t happy about Midnight’s death and I wanted to convey that, and so I went with my usual LOUD CAPSLOCK REACTION tone, but looking back on it I can see that it’s kind of a lot, lol. 

so just to be clear, the “fuck you” stuff is almost entirely tongue-in-cheek. that’s on me, I forget sometimes that there are people who share these sentiments unironically and so I didn’t think to make sure my intended meaning here was clear. anyways, killing Midnight was still a really problematic decision for numerous reasons but it is what it is. Horikoshi is not perfect, the story isn’t perfect, and I’m not gonna pretend like it is, but again just to be clear, I don’t harbor any actual ill will toward Horikoshi here.)

shit. and wow this man really went and killed off fucking Mystic too on top of that. have you ever seen a character fail so spectacularly at living up to their hype. r.i.p. Mystic you were like the Star Wars sequel of characters

(ETA: I have no fucking idea why I keep thinking Majestic’s name is Mystic lol. rest in peace you old scarecrowy bastard.)

and poor Momo, though. fuck. lost two mentors in a single day. and do not even get me started on Aizawa holy shit

so now we’re cutting to some random townspeople who are gossiping about the Todoroki drama. this is actually interesting in spite of my newfound determination to hate this chapter lol

ngl I am kind of heartened to see that not everyone fell for Dabi’s bs hook line and sinker though. Jeanist returning from the dead literally two seconds after Dabi was all “I SWEAR ON MY HONOR AS A VILLAIN THAT HAWKS MURDERED HIM” probably helped with that a bit! but there will doubtless be many other people who do believe him, or are at least still inclined to side-eye the heroes in general either way given how much they sucked in this arc. very, very interesting

so it seems though that even more than the whole Endeavor reveal, at the end of the day it’s going to be the heroes failing to live up to their end of the “put your faith in us and let us use our quirks and in return we’ll protect everyone and keep them safe” implied social contract that’s going to have the biggest impact on people’s opinions moving forward. basically this was always going to be a disaster no matter what

OH MY GOD FINALLY AHHHHH

Horikoshi really tapped into some of the real-life political energy of the past few years huh. Fuck Him Still for killing off Midnight, but I will admit that so far this is hella intriguing and I am really, really curious to see where things go from here

OH MY GOD THE LITTLE KIDS FROM THE BABYSITTING ARC

“FIVE PEEPEE MAN WOULDN’T LIE TO US” YES CHILDREN YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. at least the little ones still have faith

UM

 ( •̀ へ •́  )

that’s great. that’s really keen. all we need right now, amirite

GOOD FOR YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT

let’s just wait for him to explain what he feels. you know he likes to drag it out

is that Dabi crouched down there next to Spinner? looks like they got him out of the marble after all. but why has his hair changed colors again lol what

anyways. your turn to what??

:’) excuse me what

hahahaha are you fucking kidding me. and that’s where we’re going to end the chapter then. lol okay

so let’s recap. Midnight died. we spent ten hours watching Ochako dig people out of rubble for no apparent reason and were then introduced to my new least favorite character, and because Ochako is so nice she didn’t even punch him in the face even though she really should have. we did not get any Kacchan or Shouto. we got one panel of Deku, who is Finally Asleep. and the chapter ended with AFO ordering his Noumus to go set free, AND I QUOTE, HIS “MAIN BODY.” and now I gotta wait an entire week for Caleb’s translation to confirm that last part. omg

but it sounds like a prison break is imminent, which is very, very interesting. ...and actually, is it weird that I’m actually rooting for it to be a success? I have no idea what this guy is planning, but I do know that as long as the main part of his soul is still residing in Tomura’s body, Tomura’s chance of surviving the series is close to zero. and villain though he may be, I’m still rooting for his redemption (nice to have Deku on my side now too), and so yeah. so like if AFO feels like using some latent Exorcism Quirk or something that he’s been saving for just such an occasion, be my guest lol

meanwhile this doesn’t bode well for All Might though. or anyone else aside from Tomura, really. shiiiit

anyway. [slaps roof of chapter] this baby can fit so much bullshit in it

[kannra21]

Heya! just for fun, whats the wildest/funniest headcanon that you have for dabi or any of your fave bhna characters? 😁

Heyy ❤️ I'm not rly good at this stuff so I decided to write some theories and hcs that I actually liked so here you go-

- Monoma and Toga are related in some way. They're not that similar so I assume that they're further relatives. However, this doesn't make Monoma a traitor. I also think that Toga should be adopted by Vlad King so he could help her with her Quirk and her obsession with blood.

- Hawks has bird traits and he shows them on accident. There are certain traits he's embarrassed of but there's also stuff that makes him feel better about himself. He's never been in a relationship bc of HPSC but he's a helpless romantic.

- Dabi drives a motorcycle. Everyone assumes that he listens to trash metal when rly he only listens to sad rock bc he's a sad man. He cries when ppl are soft with him, he rarely experiences kindness. He avoids lov bc he's afraid of getting attached; they're all meant to die at some point so he doesn't want to suffer more than what he already does.

- Kaminari is not book smart but damn if he isn't smart in other ways. He knows the labour standards act, he pulls brainy jokes, he reads books, he expresses himself nicely, he draws pretty and plays an instrument. And he's a people pleaser above everything else.

- Since Dark Shadow is technically it’s own being, we can assume that Monoma would go through various scenarios when copying Tokoyami's Quirk; 1) Dark Shadow is attracted to humble souls and therefore shall obey em. If he comes across Monoma he'd refuse him. 2) Dark Shadow accepts him but Monoma would turn emo. 3) Monoma manages to copy Dark Shadow but then they fight each other. 4) Monoma gives him apples and Dark Shadow accepts him. 5) Monoma manages to copy Dark Shadow but Dark Shadow doesn't know how to respond to him because he doesn't trust him. He knows Tokoyami since he was a kid. 6) Dark Shadow doesn't like Monoma because he can't afford him all the darkness he's so found of. 7) Monoma manages to copy Dark Shadow but then Dark Shadow goes wild and drags Monoma everywhere because he doesn't know how to control him. 8) Dark Shadow obeys Monoma but shows clear signs of discomfort. 9) Monoma can't copy Dark Shadow. 10) Dark Shadow defies Monoma's commands and gradually takes over his body like with Tokoyami in ch79. 11) Monoma copies Dark Shadow and Dark Shadow obeys him. 12) Dark Shadow controls Monoma and not the other way around. 13) Monoma falls into a shock because he copied something alive. 14) Dark Shadow consumes negative emotions from Monoma and becomes larger and stronger. 15) Can Dark Shadow drain emotions? Monoma could easily end up in a hospital or a mental institution.

- Monoma and Aoyama are good friends ever since Monoma complimented him in the light novels (BNHA Light Novel vol3, ch3).

- Bakugou has hearing problems but he's not deaf. He never let anyone enter his dorm room bc he has just as much AM merch as Deku and it's embarrassing.

- Ms. Joke is not as happy irl. She's just wearing a facade to make others happy even when she's not. + There's no way Aizawa isn't aware of it bc they share some history and we never got the exact details from Horikoshi.

- Geten would be so much cooler if he was a girl and the fandom would simp for him just like they did for Lady Nagant but no one is ready for that debate.

- Dad for one is true. He wants to possess Shigaraki and for Yoichi to possess Deku so he and his bro could continue their war with healthy and strong bodies.

- Hagakure loves body paint, especially the glowing one. Since outfits stand out on her the most, she was thinking ab pursuing her career in modeling.

- Natsuo's mouse girlfriend is secretly a badass. Look, I just want to see more girl characters in this series.

- Shigaraki would be the best boyfriend bc he never loved anything, so loving someone for the first time would make you a special person. He's v insecure ab his looks and doubts himself in whether he actually deserves you. He's the type of guy to turn from cold blooded to the most loving person. But if you ever cheat on him he won't hesitate to disintegrate you.

- Villain Deku and Toga would have Joker and Harley Quinn vibes but healthy.

- Dabi eats at Cracker Barrel. He's a common guest there and he always takes Giran's money so they wouldn't throw him out. The waitress can't believe how much bacon this mysterious man can eat.

- Hawks loves when you massage him at the base of his wings. He loves you so much for it.

- Miruko is a gamer and her and Shigaraki play together without having the slightest idea that it's actually them. One day they decided to meet each other bc they became good friends and when they stood there in Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall it was rly awkward.

- Tokoyami and Aoyama get along rly well and Aoyama paints their nails in their dorm rooms.

- Dabi is jealous bc Re-Destro supports Geten all the time and it's the same mentality except Endeavor never supported Dabi. Geten likes to tease him ab it.

- Todoroki is no.1 Yaoyorozu simp. He's not aware that it became obvious.

- Aizawa realized his dream despite Midnight not being alive anymore. He got a cat tower for his hero agency that he always wished for (Vigilantes ch65). Sushi is alive but still very old. Midnight boys (Vigilantes ch6.5) are still visiting her grave despite having different lives now.

- Fuyumi hasn't dated anyone bc Endeavor would kill them. He has the audacity to play a strict parent (BNHA Light Novel vol2, ch4) when he never looked towards Fuyumi's and Natsuo's general direction for years. He actually doesn't have anything against Hawks but if he ever called him "dad" it would give him shivers.

- We all know that Shigaraki lives from Mountain Dew, Doritos and pure spite. However, he treats Toga nicely bc he wishes he had similar relationship with Hana.

- When it's rly hot outside Hawks fluffs up his wings so he could let go of some heat. Everyone wants to pet his fluffy wings and the heat returns. Poor guy.

- Dabi called Compress "dad" at some point and he's regretting it bc Compress is now unironically calling him "son".

- Shigaraki and Spinner used to play games on the same TV which afo used to contact them and whenever he wanted to talk, the screen turned black and the guys would complain.

- Compress misses the time when Kurogiri used to be around.

- Giran is a cool uncle that has a sweet niece and he loves her v much but bc he's a bad guy working with the bad guys, he's not visiting anymore but sends her nice gifts.

- Yaoyorozu family owns a weapon company bc this is the only explanation why she knows how to create a canon.

- Jirou and her dad play guitars and sing in their music studio whenever Jirou feels off. Her dad is a dork and he always makes her smile. Jirou has the best dad.

- Kaminari's mom is a hero (Heroes Rising movie).

[tigerdovefan34-realone]

So guys, here's something to think about when it comes to Villain Deku.

He wouldn't let Kota be killed by Muscular. Villain or Hero, it's not in his nature to just let a kid die. At the same time, I don't see him fighting Muscular and knocking him out. I can instead see him say "Are you really going to kill a little kid, the weakest kind of opponent out there, when there are several heroes and students far stronger than him that could give you more of a fight?" And Muscular would agree and go fight, likely being KO'd after a long engagement with the teachers and the remaining Students. This would allow Izu to collect Kota, convincing him that the LoV will be moving to reshape hero society and fix it in a way that the 'fakes' can't, maybe he can even tell him about his quirklessness and his conversation with All Might before saying "Join Us and your parents' death will not be in vain." Kota would likely agree, since he's a little kid and little kids are easily manipulated.

As they're fleeing back to base with Bakugou, he likely collects Mustard as well, meaning only Moonfish and Muscular goes to Tartarus while the VAS gains a new, albeit young, member. Izu, Toga, and Mustard take over Kota's training to help make him a proper villain.

When we get to the Overhaul Arc, I think Izuku would insist that he goes with Twice and Toga and that he should take Kota along since it'd due all of them some good. Kota finds Eri and convinces her to go with him and the others, much to Izuku's everlasting glee, making him proud of his self-proclaimed Little Brother. While Shiga, Compress, Spinner, and Dabi go after Overhaul to deal the finishing blow, Mustard stays at the current hideout to make sure they can all successfully regroup. Mirio is this close to taking Eri from Izuku's grasp, but is slashed by a thrown knife from Himiko, forcing him to get back and allow the villains to leave.

So now, Kota and Eri has joined the LoV and the two become close friends with a potential future for romance between them that can be set up for a sequel with a setting of a decade in the future.

With MVA, I can see Izuku teaming with Toga and Mustard while trusting Kota and Eri in Compress' care to take out ReDestro only to be stopped by Curious and Separated. Mustard and Toga evolves their quirks around the same time and Izuku later finds a wounded Mustard before Finding Twice and Toga. He convinces Jin to let them be in his care and Compress to give him back his two adopted siblings as he cares for his two beaten friends, using a clone if each Twice made for a blood transfusion.

Then we get to the War Arc, I can see Izuku setting a trap for the heroes and making them choose between Eri and Shigaraki while also laying one for Hawks, though he and Dabi fails to save Twice simply because Hawks was going to ensure Jin would die before he died, much to Izuku's immense rage, beating Hawks to a bloody pulp after Dabi flames him due to the fact that he saw Him as a Big Brother and the only person who genuinely cared about the young members of the league ever since Magne's death. Toga and Mustard participates in the massacre of Heroes to avenge Jin while Spinner is convinced to take Eri and Kota to a safe place. In the aftermath of the war, the group is split in two, Shigaraki, Dabi, Spinner, and Giran in one group and Izuku, Toga, Mustard, Eri, and Kota in the other, with Jin dead and Compress arrested.

Izuku is appointed the leader of the other group by a group vote where everyone except himself votes for him (he votes for Mustard).

During all of this, we can have IzuToga develop into a genuinely cute romance, with Izuku initially being cautious of her and Toga being curious of him when they first meet. Through their interactions together, they begin to realize how great of a team they are, with Himiko growing a genuine love for Izuku without him getting all bloody while Izuku grows to always want her by his side. Mustard comments on their relationship with Kota and Compress, often making witty jokes at their expense. Come MVA, Izu decides to give her a kiss and confesses his feelings for her and she does the same, just in case they don't come back. Following the war, the two decide to marry in secret because this might be the end of the road for them but they want to ensure their love for one another before they are taken away and they agree to try for a child, with Jin if it's a boy and Mag if it's a girl, to always remember the two members who actually tried to get involved in their lives and be there for them.

As for who gets OfA here, instead of going with the tired Bakugou/Mirio gets it, why not give it to Uraraka, Shoto, or Tsu. Any of those three would be great Candidates to succeed All Might and would be around for it when AfO is defeated, unlike Mirio.

Hell, imagine the tension in a Battle of IzuToga v OchaTsu. The fighting would be amazing.

Maybe I should write this fic idea into reality. If I get 15 Reblogs and 30 Likes by next Thursday and I'll consider doing it, anymore than that and I definitely will.

Ciao, everyone!

[sneakingpasta]

Ghost Bakugou AU

-So basically during the sludge fight in the beginning, Bakugou dies

-But, because he’s a tenacious guy, he comes back as a ghost

-Now, this is the first time he’s been a ghost, so obviously he’s going to try to find a way to get back to the living world (Come on, do you really think this dude would let Death defeat him?) 

-He tries possessing others at first but it just doesn’t work

-And he gets so fucking frustrated because literally no one can see him, not even his own parents

-He just walks around town, unable to interact with the world around him

-But then he spots a messy green haired kid

-Midoriya looks like death itself, losing a childhood friend had taken an effect on him. He looks like he hasn’t slept or eaten in days

-Bakugou just gets really annoyed

-I mean, what’s this brat doing? Wasting his life mourning over what? A dead body? Pathetic 

-He begins to walk away, walking through the crowd (literally)

-But then, right when he’s almost out of sight, he hears someone literally YELL “KACCHAN?” 

-He turns around and Midoriya is just dead sprinting towards him

-Soon enough Midoriya, who looks ready to feint, is in front of him

-And staring at him

-”What do you-”

-”How are you here? And alive? Wait, are you even alive? How? When? I was at your funeral Kacchan. You’re alive? Wait, this is a hallucination. It can’t be, you’re still here? I-”

-“Shut up, ya damn nerd. I’m not dead and not alive. Practically a ghost-”

-And without even flinching Midoriya is just like, “Alright, you’re a ghost. I didn’t even know those existed. Why haven’t you passed on? Not that I’m complaining, I think this is great. Oh, what’s-”

-At this point everyone in the street is staring at this insomniac child spew questions out to the air

-Bakugou eventually drags Midoriya away from the starers

-Once they’re alone, Midoriya is just asking and asking and asking questions but Bakugou is checked out

-Out of every single living being on the planet, this is the only guy who can see him?

-He doesn’t even have a choice, Midoriya’s the only one who can talk to him and he’s not about to go back to complete solitude

-And Midoriya’s this little happy ray of sunshine all of the sudden

-He stays awake all night just to keep speaking with Bakugou

-And then Bakugou starts noticing how skinny and tired Midoriya always looks

-“You can’t even eat food? How useless can you get?”

-Even though he sounds harsh, he starts pushing Midoriya to eat more

-“You’re going to be too weak to become a hero if you continue being a useless Deku who doesn’t eat.” “If you can’t even make yourself go to sleep how are you going to even save a human life? Idiot.” “RAMEN EVERYDAY ISN’T A FUCKING DIET. GO GET SOME VEGETABLES FOR FUCK’S SAKE.” “i swear to GOD if you don’t get a glass of water right now I’ll SCREAM-”

-And over time a Deku begins to get healthier

-They usually hang out in Deku’s room, but one day Bakugou’s like “Get some sun and stop being so fucking pale all the time.”

-So head out into the town and first thing they see is a villain with a hostage

-Bakugou just watches until he notices that somehow Deku isn’t with him anymore?

-And he looks back and there Deku is, rushing at the villain

-Obviously, Bakugou’s just like “DEKU GET BACK OVER HERE BEFORE YOU GET KILLED.”

-Long story short, Midoriya gets injured but somehow his interference saved the victim’s life and led to the capturing of the villain

-Bakugou’s obviously pissed and is scolding Midoriya while he’s in the hospital 

-“What. THE FUCK. WERE YOU THINKING? THAT THING WOULD’VE TORN YOU TO SHREDS HAD YOU BEEN EVEN A SECOND SLOWER. IF YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN I WILL WHIP YOUR ASS IN THE AFTERLIFE. I’M ALREADY HERE MOTHERFUCKER AND I WILL GIVE YOU HELL-”

-“it wasn’t that serious-” 

-“NOT SERIOUS MY ASS-”

-Then All Might shows up and is like “Yo, you cool. Want my power?” (ok he didn’t say it like that but you get the point)

-So then Bakugou is just like, “Bitch you better fucking recover because you’ve got a lot of work to do. Don’t waste an opportunity like this and get moving.”

-So then after the healing Midoriya goes through a training montage and, with the support of Bakugou, he’s ripped

-Then Midoriya gets into UA and Bakugou’s just like “Damn straight. You better not disappoint All Might.”

-And then Midoriya begins training and Bakugou’s right there

-And as Midoriya gets stronger, Bakugou realizes he can affect things more

-It starts off small, a simple gust of wind, but over time he’s able to manifest mini explosives (Give him enough time and he’ll be able to set off bombs)

-Now, Bakugou flat out refuses to help Midoriya in training. That’s not his job and he’s not going to make it easier for the runt. However, those who mess with Midoriya have been known to be blown away from some mysterious bomb.

-And when villains attack there is no holding back.  -Whatever power Bakugou has saved up is used in battle mode

-One minute people are fighting, the next everyone is either flat on their ass or trying to fight the air.  -And Bakugou is just enjoying this too much. He follows the villains, locates their hideouts and reports back to Midoriya who informs the hero association. 

-As days go on, Bakugou begins to manifest more and more. It came to be quite a shock the first time they learned Bakugou could possess Midoriya. Of course Midoriya was happy to share the body, seeing as that was one of the only things he could do to thank Bakugou

-So they take turns and Bakugou almost fucking cries the first time he eats food again or sleeps or does anything. And his quirk manifested along with him so he’s able to blow stuff up. 

-Just being alive for once is the greatest gift he’s ever been given. So he’s running all over the school, using his quirk whenever he can, eating the spiciest foods imaginable, and just staying active.

-After he gets over most of his excitement, the two start beginning to strategize how to use this new found ability 

-So, when the villains attack once again, Midoriya gives it his all and takes most of them down. But then he knocks out due to absolute exhaustion and the villains are like “finally, who was that kid? Bring him back to Shigaraki, this quirk may be of-”

-And then the “knocked out” kid just opens his eyes and jumps up

-Bakugou takes control and the villains are so fucking confused

-“SINCE WHEN DOES THE KID HAVE EXPLOSIONS-” “FORGET THAT HOW IS HE STILL AWAKE-”

-So they basically take turns fighting and nobody really understands what’s going on

-Anyway, they become the Number 1 Hero and their hero name is Kacchan (lol had to do it to em)

[franeridart]

Anon said: i love love love LOVE how you just draw gojo leaning onto getou, hiding his face in getou's neck or back or chest <////3 im just so heartbroken over those two

So glad to hear you like him clingy as much as I do!! TT^TT as far as I’m concerned he wasn’t clingy enough in canon, so I’m fixing it as much as I can with every new doodle haha

Anon said: whenever im sad i just come to your account and look through your art :")) it brings me so much comfort :')) also i gotta mention that the teacher getou art you've made has healed my broken heart bc of jjk and now that is the only canon i accept thank you very much gege akutami has nothing on me

GAH GETO-SENSEI MY ONE AND ONLY I’m happy he makes you as soft as he does me, he’s such a comfort to me ;;;; and thank you for liking my stuff!!!! Means the world to me to hear it ;A; <3

Anon said: I miss your krbk sm 😔 No pressure intended!!!!!! I still love and support u and ur art!!!

Man I miss them too!!!!! @ hori when are you bringing my loves back from the war I’m here waiting good sir!!!

Anon said: v v curious on your thoughts on what’s currently going on in bnha manga :)))

HMMM what are my thoughts on it? Well, let’s split it in two: Deku’s side and Todoroki’s side, because that’s how it’s split in my brain atm, and allow me to start from the second because it’s easier to get through for me

I’m in love with everything Hori is doing with Todoroki and everyone involved with him - that’s to say his whole whole family and Hawks and Jeanist too, all of it, I’m so into it it’s no joke at all. Always been in love with how he handles Enji’s character and his interactions with his family and the latest developments didn’t disappoint me at all, wasn’t very much into Dabi right after the “reveal” but the more I think about it and about the story from his pov the more behind it I am, forever and always head over heels for Shouto’s way of dealing with a situation that’s as complex as one would expect from a protagonist of their very own story you could really make a manga out of the Todoroki’s family plot from Shouto’s pov alone, it’s incredible I can’t state how in love with it all I am enough. And Hawks, don’t make me start on him I’ll straight up never stop, absolutely and most definitely my favorite pro-hero I would trust him with my money and my kids 100/10 just assume I’m constantly crying over him. Also Jeanist is just hilarious so bless him and his presence in an otherwise too heavy story

Deku’s side........ well, the main problems I have with it are that one, I don’t really understant the need to keep ofa a secret from the class for the biggest part of the story when the reveal wasn’t forced upon Deku, didn’t have a huge impact on him or his relationship with the others (his leaving wasn’t directly caused by him coming clean after all, he wouldn’t have had to leave earlier had he not kept it a secret and he would have still left at this point had the class already known all along) and didn’t, like. Matter. All that much. Two, this manga is called my hero academia and I’m genuinely starting to wonder why. What was the point of all the arcs set inside the school anyway? Most of the characters growth (Deku’s especially) and the progression of the main plot happened in the arcs outside of the school anyway, and at this point it’s clear we’re not going back to the school after this or even seeing anyone graduate. What of Shinsou? What was the point of his plot when we’re not even gonna see him being active part of the class in a school environment? I’m just confused about it all, I guess. Three, which is really my biggest problem with it all, is the way Deku’s set on saving Shigaraki. It’s not like I don’t like a story in which all the villains are saved and the good guys win and love prevails and all that, call it corny but they’re exactly my type of stories, but I’m not sure I can get behind it when Twice died like that, and Midnight did as well, and Aizawa lost a leg, and Nighteye died, and Hawks might have lost his wings, and Shirakumo ended up Kurogiri and it’s still unclear whether he can be saved, like... why does Shigaraki get to be saved when so many people suffered like that? And it’s not only about them suffering by his hands, it’s about Hori and how he was ruthless with so many characters but lets the story show arbitrary kindness to Shigaraki alone, it’s all... well. Unfair. The way I see it. At this point I at the very least expect kindness for Touya as well, here.

That said if I pick the chapters one by one by themselves I do enjoy them very much. I just don’t gotta think about the big picture lmao AH but it’s all a personal opinion, of course! I know people who enjoy the way the story is going and I can see where they’re coming from, this is all arbitrary tastes and preferences on my part, I’m aware of it!

Anon said: Hi hi! I finally got into jjk AND finally caught up on the manga and i appreciate your doods soooo much more now!! They’re so great!! But imcurious, is there one specific moment in the story where you Gojo and Geto became IT for you? Just genuinely curious!!

THANK YOU happy to hear you liked jjk!!!! And that’s!!! a great question, I’m not sure I have an answer actually? I binged the manga in a day and a half, you see, and when I binge stuff that fast I rarely stop to overthink things - I did ship them as I read too since, well. They’re in love lmao but I shipped them in the same way I shipped itafushi or yuutoge after I read the prequel, you know? Just a general aknowledging of how good they were together. The main point with satosugu specifically was probably that satoru has been my favorite character since the beginning of the story and suguru got there as well as soon as I read their backstory, so once I was caught up they’re the ones I ended up spending the most time thinking about, both by themselves and together, and that ended up making me a bit obsessed..... just a bit lol

If I had to give one specific moment that got me by the heart and squeezed the hardest it’d be... probably Satoru’s “my soul knows otherwise”. And the way his voice alone could bring Suguru back, even for just a single moment. The thing about satosugu for me!!! one of the many things about them, but the main thing for me, is that they love each other. Be it platonic or however you wanna see it, they love each other. Despite everything and after it all, even if Satoru had to kill Suguru, even if Suguru killed so many and betrayed Satoru and they went their separate ways in the harshest of ways, they love each other. It’s insane, isn’t it? That they’d love each other so much they could pass over everything and anything. I’ve seen the “best friends become enemies” trope so often in shounen manga, but this is the first time I see it treated like this - with love so strong that they never blamed each other or turned that love in hate. The way satosugu do it is all-encompassing! It goes beyond the world and their differences and death itself! So if I had to pick it’d be that one, because that scene happens after it’s all over, and it all went to shit and way beyond too already, and still their souls resonate with each other and answer to each other and that sends me insane, just thinking about it. Like, god, they really still love each other. Satoru’s mourned for Suguru for a year, Suguru’s been dead for a year, they’d been separated ten whole years before then, and still! And still!!! It’s so tender I don’t know how to deal with it

Anon said: “What’s a god to a nonbeliever?”—That tag is going to haunt me for a while. The entire tag section for your latest Gojo and Geto drawing is meta-worthy.

THANK YOU it’d been eating at my brain I had to write it down somewhere why are those two like that

Anon said: Do you take commissions? No pressure! ✨❤️

Not right now!

Anon said: How do you feel about sukuna ? like/dislike or thoughts on him

AMAZING QUESTION I love him. I have absolutely zero clue as of why so don’t ask me to elaborate, I’m literally that marge pic with the potato when it’s about Sukuna, I have no meta thoughts about him nor deep reasonings behind it - by all accounts, I should dislike him! But he shows up and I’m like nghhh king, so that’s where we stand. It’s Sukuna, you know. I just think he’s neat.

Anon said: sighs time to get into another fandom bc i simp too hard for ur art 😔

HAH thank you for the trust I hope you’ll like ror if you do get into it!!! hahaha

[todomitoukei]

Hey wanna ask u something I saw a post in twitter saying that Bakugou is very rude in japanese and they can't really write how rude he is in english cuz english translation isn't rich as the Japanese ANYWAY, since Bakugou is rude is Dabi a rude character too? And who's the most rudest character in BnHA? Man i hope it's Dabi kskdkkkds 😔😂 I just feel it suits him to be rude :')

That’s a great question! Also sort of difficult to explain? There are a lot of nuances to the Japanese languages that don’t exist in English, so be aware: there is some information ahead.

Let me preface this, though, by saying that I normally read My Hero in English. I sometimes read certain parts in Japanese, specifically when I try to figure out what the character said exactly rather than just trusting in the English translation. So I can’t give you a perfect answer as to who the rudest character is since I’m not familiar enough with everyone’s speech patterns. (I think I’ve mostly looked at what Dabi and Shouto have said in Japanese), but I did browse a little more through some Japanese chapters to compare a couple of characters.

For this post, I am going to mainly compare Bakugou and Dabi.

And before we talk about swearing in Japanese, I don’t remember if this is just a one time occasion or if this happens more often throughout the story, but for example, in chapter 292 when Shouto basically asks Dabi whether he has lost his mind, the official English translation made him say: “Are you freakin’ insane?!” - sorry, but if you’re gonna add a swear word, why this watered-down version? This is a story filled with dark topics, brutal fights, and on-screen killing, and yet you won’t let a teenager say fuck? W h y ?

Anyway, the reason people say it doesn’t translate well is that swear words aren’t a big thing in Japanese. There are a couple of swear words, and we’ll look at those, yet overall those words aren’t swear words by definition, but rather become swear words based on context and tone.

Because the Japanese language is all about different levels of politeness, whether certain words are rude or not depends on the context and whom you are speaking to.

That being said, let’s take a look at the different ways characters can sound rude:

Words

This is a really good post that talks about swearing in Japanese and lists some of the words that can be used similar to swear words.

One of the words featured on that list is 「 てめェ」 (temee). This word gets used by several characters throughout the story, usually to address an opponent. Here’s an example of Dabi using it in chapter 292 whilst referring to Best Jeanist:

If you look this word up in the dictionary you’ll get the following definitions: you (used by young males; vulgar; derogatory)/ you son of a bitch/ you bastard. Technically, this word means you, but the nuance boils down to the speaker looking down on the person they’re talking to.

There is also the word 「死ね」 (shine). This is the imperative form (command form) of 「死ぬ、しぬ」(shinu) - to die. I don’t think I have to explain why it’s considered rude to tell someone to die. Anyway, this one is commonly used by Bakugou (like when he has to throw the ball during class).

Another big swear word is「くそ」(kuso), meaning damn, shit. In My Hero, this is often said as「クソナード」(kuso naado) - “damn nerd” by Bakugou. Another nickname Bakugou uses is the one he has for Shouto,「半分野郎」(hanbun yarou) - “Half bastard”

Speaking of 「野郎」you know who else uses that word? Dabi.

Dabi says:「なんだ空っぽのコスプレ野郎じゃねえか。」(nanda karappo no kosupure yarou janee ka.) 

I think the English translation says something along the lines of “Oh, so you’re not just a hollow cosplayer” But that loses a lot of the nuance.

「なんだ ; nanda 」-> depends on context, but can be translated as “What the hell?”

「空っぽ ; karappo」-> hollow

「の ; no 」-> particle to indicate possession, works like an apostrophe

「スプレ ; kosupure 」-> cosplay

「野郎 ; yarou 」-> bastard

「じゃねえ ; janee 」-> rude form of 「じゃない」 (janai) which is already the casual way to negate the word it proceeds

「か ; ka 」-> question marker

As you can see, this sentence includes several colloquial/rude ways of speaking. The full sentence would be “What the hell? You’re not a hollow bastard cosplayer?” - yarou can also just be translated as “guy” but even then it’s a rougher word, so that’s why bastard emphasizes that better, I think.

So it’s definitely fair to say both Dabi and Bakugou are ruder than other people, mainly shown by the way they address people. 

Bakugou even uses 「野郎」on the hero Slidin’ Go:「語彙力この野郎」(goiryoku kono yarou) “Extend your vocabulary, you bastard”

Also, here’s a panel that features Bakugou saying several rude words at once! Sometimes, he uses a lot. Featured here are the aforementioned 「くそ」(kuso) and 「 てめー」 (temee), as well as 「ばか」* (baka) - “idiot” - *note that in the manga kuso and baka are written in katakana,「クソ、バカ」 respectively, instead of hiragana to emphasize them similar to the function of italics.

Polite Speech

Again, there are different levels of politeness in the Japanese language, and one of the quickest ways to determine the level is by looking at the verb ending. There is a plain form (also known as dictionary form), as well as a polite form. The latter is also known as “masu”-form since you change the ending of the verb into masu.

There are a few instances where Shouto uses the polite form while talking to someone, like here with Rock Lock:「頼みます」(tanomimasu) “to entrust to”

and here, when he is thanking All Might「ありがとうございました」 (arigatou gozaimashita). This is a common phrase, but it’s usually shortened to just arigatou.

Now take Bakugou again, who doesn’t use the polite form when talking to Pro Heroes he has never talked to before and instead calls them bastard. Definitely ruder!

Another instance of a character using polite speech is Dabi throughout his broadcast, like here where he says「生まれました」 (umaremashita) “have been born”

Pronouns

There are also several personal pronouns in Japanese. The standard being「私」(watashi), which is mainly used by women, but can also be used by men, specifically in formal or public spaces to remain more neutral. This pronoun is for example used by All Might. 

The story itself is called 「僕のヒーローアカデミア」(Boku no Hīrō Akademia), boku meaning I and is usually used by boys/young men. Grown men might also use it as a sign of modesty since the word originates from the terms 「下僕」(geboku) meaning manservant, and「公僕」(kouboku) meaning public servant. As the story title hints, this is the pronoun Deku uses to refer to himself.

Another personal pronoun is 「俺」(ore). This one is more commonly used around peers. Because it sounds a little self-asserting, it can be rude when used in formal settings or when speaking to strangers or old people. This is a pronoun used by the majority of the male characters, including Dabi, Shigaraki, Shouto, and Bakugou.

Which language a character uses is part of their characterization, hence a more humble character like Deku uses boku, whereas more dominating/self-confident characters like Dabi, Shouto, or Bakugou use ore.

What’s more, a good way to learn about the different politeness levels is to look at chapter 290, where we switch between Dabi’s broadcast, and Dabi on the battlefield talking to Endeavor and Shouto.

Aside from using the polite form of speaking in his broadcast rather than the casual form, he also uses boku in his broadcast, and ore on the battlefield:

Again, when boku is used by grown men (aka Dabi) it’s a humble way of speaking. Pairing that with him using the polite form of speaking makes him sound especially well-mannered, a huge contrast to his usual rough character.

Sentence Ending Particles

Another way to influence the way what you’re saying sounds is the way you end your sentences. There are several particles you can use (sort of like “right?”, “isn’t it?” etc.). Again, there are certain choices here to make you sound “cooler” or “manlier” - so not explicitly rude, but it just adds to the already existing roughness certain characters use when speaking.

One of these particles is「さ」(sa) which is a casual/rougher form of 「よ」(yo), mainly used by men, and can be added to the end of a sentence for emphasis. Here’s an example of Dabi using sa while speaking to Skeptic in chapter 291.

Also, note that temee gets used again here. As mentioned before, temee can just mean you, but in a derogatory way. The official translation says “Thanks to you and your camera for that prime footage. No reason not to use what we got, right?” - so aside from English not having a derogatory you, the “right?” is at least a good translation for sa.

「ぜ」is another particle like that, but it’s only used in casual conversations or when speaking to someone of lower social status. So when Dabi uses this here -

as he invites Endeavor to dance with him in hell, it’s obviously a rude, mocking way to end the sentence since technically Endeavor is above him in social status (since he is his father and also a Pro Hero).

To sum it up, there are a lot of characters who generally speak rougher and less respectfully than the average character does, but what makes Dabi and Bakugou particularly stand out is the way they address people, often using derogatory words, added with some other ways to sound rougher/ruder no matter whom they are speaking to.

In comparison to Shouto, who has shown to at least sometimes speak in a polite form, Bakugou doesn’t seem to use that form at all. The problem with comparing this to Dabi in order to figure out which of them is the rudest is that we don’t really see Dabi in formal situations. Him being a villain automatically means he doesn’t exactly get into situations, where he would speak to a higher up. Sure, Shigaraki is more-or-less his boss, but they’re more on even grounds than in a formal employee-employer scenario.

The one time he does speak formally is during his broadcast. This shows that he can speak formally when he wants to - but he usually doesn’t. Again, though, as a villain, it’s difficult to compare him to those on the hero side. That is also the reason why some might consider Bakugou to be especially rude since he is on the hero side and with that, expected to speak nicer to people.

While Dabi’s speaking mannerisms match that of a bad guy, Bakugou speaking similar to him despite being a hero-to-be makes him sound more aggressive. Bakugou is basically the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover”.

With that, it would make more sense to compare a character like Dabi to another villain, of course. While characters like Shigaraki overall also speak similar to Dabi, again, it’s more about the words he uses for people, especially when he is close with them.

So I think it’s fair to say that Bakugou and Dabi are, at the very least, some of the rudest-speaking characters in the story. The reason the translations can’t quite capture this is due to certain aspects of Japanese (like the different levels of formality shown through conjugation, certain particles, and certain words) not existing in English. While English also has rougher ways of speaking, there aren’t as many nuances, especially if you want to make characters stand out more in comparison to other characters with similar rough mannerisms.

Anyway, I hope this somewhat answered your question! Like I said, it’s difficult to explain that in one post, especially considering the amount of characters in the story, as well as certain aspects - like Bakugou being on the hero side and Dabi being on the villain side - making it more difficult to sum it up, so hopefully this at least explained a little bit.

[itsnothingofinterest]

So with the end supposedly approaching (relatively speaking), people have started giving some thought as to who the final threat is really going to be; Tomura Shigaraki or All For One. It’ll definitely be one of them, they’re the strongest and most established villains by a mile; but both have their own reasons for people to think they’ll be the “final boss” of the series. And far be it from me to keep my opinion to myself; I really think it’s going to be Tomura.

I’m not sure if that’s some level of controversial among the fans hoping for Shigaraki’s redemption, as I do believe the alternative’s gotten a lot of traction lately. Because understand that I’m still expecting his redemption too, and don’t expect his hypothetical final boss status to really prevent that. (Practically nothing can, it’s as much a guaranteed outcome at this point as Deku getting his sixth bonus quirk.) Realistically, the only difference would be if he & Deku then team up to fight the evil potato head, or to...just start fixing stuff I guess.

On that note, the eventual redemption is actually one of the reasons I think he’s the better choice. Almost every point of comparison between the two villain I can think of makes Tomura seem like the better choice, actually...with maybe one or two exceptions. So I wanted to go over all those points of comparison & everything they’ve got going for them as endgame villains and why the comperrisons overall seem to favour Tomura as the final boss.

1. Someone who was defeated to the power of just one man

For one, just looking at pure power levels, AFO’s just not as threatening as Tomura; and there’s not really a way to bridge that gap.

Like, Tomura’s obviously more of a threat personally; he’s got the stronger body that was scientifically enhanced, and only he has Decay on top of the AFO quirk and the collection that came with it. It is just a fact that right now, Tomura is far more powerful. And before anyone thinks that AFO could become an equal threat by just taking over & fighting in his body; that’s not true because, along with just more combat experience that doesn’t rely on an arsenal of quirks, Tomura also has that Shimura trick where you remember your origin and become super bad ass. You know, the trick that All Might used to beat AFO in Kamino. In other words, the most dangerous individual in the series right now is the AFO!Tomura body with specifically Tomura in control.

And as long as the slight edge in mentality in Tomura’s favour exists, there’s not really a way to bridge that gap and have AFO take Tomura’s place as the biggest potential threat. Restore or enhance AFO’s original body? That’s just catching it up with AFO in Tomura’s body, which is still behind Tomura in Tomura’s body. Have AFO boost Tomura’s body with him in control? It would still be better with Tomura in control. There’s no scenario where Tomura isn’t the most powerful character in BNHA.

(Well, except maybe AFO weakening him by, say, stripping him of his quirks; but if he has to make things easier for the heroes to become the most powerful, I think that kind of proves my point anyway.)

But one person can only be so dangerous, so lets talk followers. Tomura has a close knit group of friends & allies on top of a vast army super loyal to him specifically that reaches a six digit figure, and AFO...just doesn’t. And I’ll get back to this later; but I don’t think he wants one either. He sticks to just a handful of people useful to him and what’s left of his Nomu. And while maybe that is the better way for him to accomplish his own personal goals, it’s simply not as threatening as the force which Hawks thought could’ve conquered the country if the heroes hadn’t struck first.

Tomura is a country ending threat, who in the right circumstances could fight literally all of the heroes with a chance of winning, and AFO simply isn’t.

2. His own little world

And to return to what I was talking about earlier, I’m not sure he really cares to be either. Like, people say he wants to conquer everything, and I imagine he’d think regaining lots of money & power would be great down the line; but evidence seems to suggest he doesn’t really care much for the country as a whole or any of the major themes being discussed by the actual main characters at the moment.

I mean if he did, he’d probably have rescued the PLF, that army capable of competing with all of hero society. And he probably wouldn’t have told ~10,000 dangerous and powerful villains indebted to him for their freedom to just run amok while he keeps contact with only the ones useful for his personal goals. And he definitively wouldn’t be laying low & sleeping through his enemies lowest moment & giving them a month to recover, also in service to those personal goals. That activity seems to imply those personal goals matter a whole lot more to him than societal conquest.

And what are those goals? Seemingly, taking over Tomura’s body so he can finally steal One For All. To what end, we’re not 100% sure of, but I believe it’s either a) a weird pride thing where he finally has control over his brother who’s rebelled against him for decades upon decades or b) an attempt at immortality as a sentient & transferable body-controlling quirk. Either way it’s some selfish personal thing he just gets others wrapped up in.

He’s incredibly disconnected from the greater themes and conflicts of the story. He seems to have no opinions on heroics besides how people are stupid for attempting them, and no opinion on society besides that it just naturally sucks. He’s mainly just a nuisance for the actual main characters. This self-important old man stuck in his own little world is supposed to be Deku’s final opponent?

Oh, and on that note-

3. Deku who?

We’re also talking about who’s going to be the final obstacle for Deku to face; and the problem with the being AFO is that...they don’t really have much to bounce off of with each other. You might be able to argue slight foil-ment, but they don’t really know each other, nor do they have any kind of connection to each other besides Deku having OFA so he’s AFO’s enemy by default.

(In fact their latest & 2nd convo, which came out as I was drafting this post out, kind of proves that with how AFO basically just shallowly made fun of him for trying to be a hero. That’s basically the extent of their antagonism.)

In fact, I’m like 80% sure this is a major reason for the Dad For One theory existing; just to give them some connection, something to talk about. Because otherwise AFO is just an evil guy known by people Deku knows/wants to save. He’s basically just another, more dangerous Overhaul; who Deku's already fought. And to AFO, Deku’s just another OFA holder acting all high & mighty; which we also already saw him face in the Kamino fight. So what little they do offer each other has already been done for both of them. And there’s nothing wrong with that for carrying a fight, I just wonder if that can really carry the final fight.

Compare that to Shigaraki, who foils Deku in ways so numerous & obvious it’s almost hard to talk about, such as: their position as successors, strategic thinkers, very similar origins, very similar core characters, team players, red shoes, they looked really similar as kids...just to name a few parallels. Contrasting AFO, there is a lot to work with here that would contributed to a good fight that’d double as a battle of ideologies. And admittedly, we know this because it already has, this is also something we’ve seen before; but there’s a lot more unexplored with their conflict, a lot left unsaid that we could see from them arguing their viewpoints. A lot more than from Deku & AFO anyway.

I mean for Pete’s sake; All Might & Shigaraki have more in common and more to talk about than Deku & AFO. That’s a major problem if those two are meant to carry the final battle; which is why I don’t think they are.

4. Just punch him

There’s also the fact that AFO doesn’t really challenge Deku in any real way; and I’m not just talking about how All Might solo-ing him (twice) should logically mean endgame Deku should also be able to solo him. I’m more talking about how...that’s kind of all he’d need to do. If you can just beat AFO up enough then...that’s it, threat over. Wrapped up in a neat little bow.

To compare, Shigaraki is the greatest threat the heroes have ever faced, the victim most in need of saving, and to top it off, he’s got the gall to be both of those things at once. What’s a hero supposed to do with that? That’s a serious question characters are going to have to think about when deciding how to deal with Shigaraki. His position is that of, not just the greatest challenge, but a set of the greatest challenges a hero could face. And that’s before you get into his side representing those oppressed by serious systemic issues that need to be addressed as well; quite possibly simultaneously.

No one needs to address systemic corruption or prejudice to beat AFO though. They just need to punch him real hard. The biggest challenge AFO presents the heroes is “how do we make sure this guy stops being a problem for good when neither our most secure prison, nor removing his head, did the job?”

(Personally, my answer is to have Tomura do it. Because unlike Deku, Tomura actually does have a proper antagonistic relationship with AFO, so he has reason to be the one to end him besides just being the protagonist. Plus he’s under no obligation not to kill, so there’s that.)

And like yeah, that does make AFO the easier guy to deal with, and thus write an ending around (to say nothing of how he's also the most satisfying person to see punched in the face); but does that really mean Horikoshi would want to use him instead of the more interesting option of Tomura? I mean I guess we can’t be sure, there is merit in writing the easy resolution; but I’d prefer the complex finale if I were in his shoes.

5. Horikoshi’s favourite

And lastly there’s just the issue of which of the two Horikoshi’s put more work into. Spoiler alert: it’s not the guy that spent like 200 chapters in jail being menacing every one in a while.

Tomura is by far the more developed between the two, having constantly evolved over the course of the series. And more than just as a character, as described above he’s been developed as the more threatening and challenging conflict for Deku while also reflecting him in a lot of important ways. We’ve seen the growth of his power & influence, we’ve gotten to know & understand his motives, we’ve seen how he’s been failed by heroes before. Everything about him has built him up as the ultimate villain, the most desperate victim, and overall greatest challenge for Deku and the story as a whole to face.

And AFO is...nearly one of those things. Which is pretty much what he was from his first appearance. He has not developed at all over the series, and from what we can tell from his flashbacks, he hasn’t developed at all over the past ~200 years either. (I’m half tempted to call him more inciting incident then character.) What we have with AFO, as far as a character and a villain goes, is pretty much what we’re getting until he’s done. And, well; if Tomura is a better villain & a better pick for final boss than he was then, that gap’s just going to keep growing.

Like, I doubt it really needs stating how Shigaraki is probably the character Horikoshi has put the most work into in the entire series. And a lot of that work, a lot of his development, has gone to the idea of him surpassing AFO or being a villain foil to Deku, who himself is mean to surpass All Might. For his roll to be usurped by the guy he’s meant to surpass just feels like it’s going against that. Like, it’d feel almost as wrong for his character and the story around him than it would for Deku is All Might got his powers back and took over for him as main protagonist. It just doesn’t feel right for Tomura not to be the final villain, is what I’m getting at.

6. ...One saving grace

Okay, but I will admit one thing AFO has going for him that I would be remiss not to bring up. Besides being the most hated character in a series that also has Endeavor in it, I mean. He’s got this one trait that makes him an effective antagonist to anyone in the series; his complete disregard to pretty much every major theme in the series.

I mean think about it; the major themes of Shigaraki’s circle all revolve around trying to fix the society that rejected them; but AFO believes Society just naturally sucks that way as part of human nature, so their cause is doomed. And the heroes’ major themes all revolve around how to become/what it means to be a hero; but AFO believes trying to do good in that society can’t really be done & also it’s ridiculous to believe comic books are real, so their cause is also doomed and they look stupid doing it. So despite not really interacting with anyone’s core conflict or goals in favour of wrapping them up in his own, he still manages a one-sided ideological opposition with nearly every major player in the series; and that’s not nothing.

But, and I completely understand that this is just a matter of opinion, that kind of just leaves him feeling to me like a good antagonist, not a good final antagonist. I’d still prefer it be Tomura even from this perspective, because he’s able to oppose the ideologies of his opponents on purpose & with proper ideologies of his own.

To summarize:

Shigaraki feels the better choice for final boss because he’s more threatening, more interesting, both as a person and as an opponent for Deku specifically, he’s far more directly tied into the themes of the story and their resolution, & he’s had far more set up. AFO is more hated, and his callous disregard for everything everyone else holds important is something I guess, but that’s pretty much all he’s got going for him in compression. I don’t know about you, but I know who I think would carry the conclusion to the series better.

But I also know this isn’t the most popular take among my villain fan colleagues right now. So if anyone disagrees, I welcome any civil discussion about these two & their viability as final boss.

[zevlors-tail]

Poly Villain Deku x Reader X Dabi HC’S

I’ll come back and title this something more creative when I think of a better name for it. These got pretty long...whoops- What do I even tag this as???

A/N: As per usual, all characters including the reader are aged up 21+ in this. First time writing for Dabi. Hope you enjoy my niche interests as much as I do!

***

-How this happened is beyond the three of you. You’re an unlikely pair match for sure; not even the three of you saw this coming. Although maybe you should have, considering how it happened?

-It all started when Deku dragged you into the mess that was the League of Villains. After you joined and got to know him better the two of you started dating.

-But at the same time, you got oddly close to Dabi without even really trying to. Maybe it was the fact that your personalities were a little similar, but you actually managed to get him to talk sometimes and the two of you ended up becoming unlikely friends.

-You and Dabi banter back and forth a lot playfully but there was always a sort of tension under the surface of your friendship that you never really talked about. Sometimes it would even lead to arguments between the two of you. You could be jokingly calling each other names one moment and then all of the sudden you might be right up in his face, quirk or weapon at your ready while his fingers are spouting blue flames.

-Izuku would often break it up before it turned into anything serious but he swears sometimes the two of you might kill each other. 

-Deku always got along fairly well with Dabi. And because of the chemistry between the three of you, you often get sent on missions or jobs together. Over the course of time, you slowly get to learn more about each other and discover little things that are unique to each of you. 

-For example, your personal hobby or past time that you entertained yourself with when you weren’t busy with the league. In Deku’s case it was the story behind the single emerald stud in his ear (he claims it was his mother’s). For Dabi...well. He was always somewhat mysterious, and you don’t get much out of him anyways, but he talk more often when he’s alone with the two of you, and that’s enough for now.

-The real start of it all though was when Deku got sent out on a solo job for a few days alone. As soon as he leaves, you’re left lonely and without even realizing it, you end up getting a little more cozy with Dabi than you probably should.

-After a lowkey night, accidentally falling asleep against him, and spending the night in his room, it hits you both that the unspoken tension you’re always feeling around each other is, in fact, because you have feelings for each other. Something just clicks and now you can’t not see it. Naturally this only makes things escalate. It gets so bad that Shigaraki has to step in and hold you back from obliterating Dabi while the latter is just laughing at you and your attempts to murder him.

-You try to ignore him for the rest of the time Deku is away. None of that matters when Deku comes back though because the second he does, Dabi is up in your space trying to stir shit up and pick a fight with you, and it works. Before your boyfriend can even put a stop to this one, you end up in a brawl with Dabi.

-It takes both Deku and Shigaraki to separate the two of you, but not before you got a good few hits on each other. Somehow though, when he’s got you pinned under him and his hand is at your throat menacingly, you feel some of the tension drain. If it wasn’t obvious before then, it’s obvious now. There are clearly feelings that neither of you want to talk about.

-Later when you’re alone with Deku, he’s the first to bring it up. He’s not an idiot; he can see you pining after Dabi clear as day. But rather than be offended or jealous, he suggests something else entirely that surprises the both of you, if you’re being honest. Why not date both of them?

-The relationship between the three of you is...unique to say the least. At first it’s more of you dating both of them at the same time and them tolerating each other, but over time they grow closer.

-You catch them on multiple occasions sharing food and taking naps together. Not that they’re cuddly, but the fact that they trust each other enough to sleep unguarded in the same room says a lot.

-Sometimes it’s only you and Deku spending time together, other times it’s only you and Dabi, and sometimes it’s all three of you. Date nights are frequent when you don’t have work to do and mostly consist of video games and food with a healthy side of cuddles.

-Games get extremely competitive. Mario Kart somehow always gets chosen and it’s nothing short of sheer chaotic violence. Compress and Twice have banged on your door multiple times and have yelled at the three of you to keep it down. You will not. Not then, not now, not ever. It’s all or nothing.

-You have a winning streak at first. Dabi’s coming in second, and Deku is...well, he’s straggling in 5th. Dabi is cursing up a storm, Deku is growling, and you’re just sitting there with a smug smile on your face as you fly through the finish line. “FUCK!” “Shit! Fourth!? This is bullshit!” “Ha! Fuck you both!” Dabi throws his controller and almost breaks the damn thing, and Deku looks like he’s about to smash his to pieces.

-”I’m gonna kick your fucking ass, Y/N!” His threat is not unwarranted, and before you know it he really is kicking your ass. And to make matters worse, Deku is slowly catching up to you as well. You end up coming in second, and you don’t get your winning streak back after that. Dabi’s a sore loser, so it really can’t be helped; he would have cheated by pushing you or Deku to the floor or not so subtly bumping into you on “accident”. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done it...

-COD Zombies might also be a popular choice. It’s somehow less violent than Mario Kart but that still doesn’t stop the three of you from yelling out like you’re actually in a zombie apocalypse. “Y/N, get the door to the right!” “Then watch my back, Dabi!” Of course Deku volunteers to do so instead. “I got it, I won’t let them touch you.” 

-Cuddles aren’t your typical cuddles with your two boyfriends. Deku is particularly clingy and possessive when it comes to you, so he constantly has his arms around you whenever you allow. Dabi can’t really explain it, but seeing the two of you like that makes him feel the need to be involved, so then it turns into a sort of competition to see who can cling to you the most. It’s ridiculous, really.

-Most of the time it ends with the three of you crashing in Dabi’s bed with empty snack wrappers and pop cans littered around the room. You get sandwiched in the middle of Deku and Dabi; Deku likes when you snuggle up against him and bury your face in his shirt, and Dabi prefers holding you from behind. The funny thing about this is that Dabi usually isn’t cuddling you when you fall asleep, but you somehow wake up with his arms wrapped around you every single time, without fail.

-Small arguments happen from time to time, mostly between the two boys. It’s always over silly things, like who took the last slice of pizza or what game you’re going to play. Somehow it doesn’t surprise you that Dabi is always the one who starts them, and it’s equally as unsurprising that you’re always the go-to for making final decisions. “Don’t put this on me! Can’t you two figure it out?” “Yes!” “No.”

-Both Deku and Dabi can be insanely flirtatious when they want. Don’t be surprised if they make a bet on who can get you flustered the most. And neither of them back down from a challenge, so...take that as you will.

-When one isn’t around, you’ll always have the other to rely on. It’s hard to deal with sometimes, but the occasional solo job does happen. Dabi is more than willing to keep you warm when Deku’s not around and vise versa. If you happen to be the one who leaves on a job, you might come back to find them passed out on the floor together in an awkward mess of limbs and bedhead. 

-It’s funny, really; Dabi seems almost annoyed, like he’s trying to pull away from Deku who’s absolutely clinging to him for dear life. They’re both asleep, but still the same as ever.

-Jump on them. Please. It’s payback for all the shenanigans they’ve put you through.

-Assuming you joined in their small cuddle pile, one snuggles right up to you and the other just casually relaxes into you. The world just feels right again.

-It might be a mismatch, but it works somehow. It’s the best thing that the three of you have in this cruel world. But you can make it through as long as you have each other.

[five-rivers]

Long Night in the Valley Chapter 16

"But Suzuki-san was knocked out a bunch before this," said Ochako.

"I know," said One, still holding out the little packs of pills, "but apparently going to sleep is different from being knocked out."

"I think being drugged is a lot different from going to sleep, too," said Todoroki, taking one of the pill packs.

"I literally did not make the rules of this quirk." He turned his head to the side and started muttering about how Saito's quirk could have been used for good.

"How closely are you related to Midoriya, anyway?" asked Todoroki.

One startled. "Oh, uh, heh. You know. Enough for him to use the quirk?"

Wow. That was a suspicious answer.

"Are you Midoriya's father?" asked Todoroki.

"Todoroki, what--" started Iida.

"I have been dead for over a hundred years."

"That's not a no."

"Anyway," said Ochako, taking a sleeping pill from One but not opening it. "Are you sure, completely sure, you don't want our help? I mean, thinking about it, if you can get Izuku's quirk back from him like this, can’t he take your quirks, too?"

"Probably," agreed One, casually. "That's part of the reason we want you away from him." He mixed taking a pill. "We're also trying to make him think he can't. Or at least think that we think he can't. He's never had a very high opinion of our intelligence. And if he thinks that we think he can't, he'll never think that we're doing it."

Todoroki nodded along to this sagely.

"There’s also the possibility that he won't be able to - there are significant differences between my quirk and his. He can't do a passive DNA read, for example. That and the remnants of Izuku's quirk are the main reasons we think this will work, after all."

The world trembled slightly, then shook, as if an earthquake had just happened.

"He could take our mental selves, though," continued One. "Whether or not he'd keep them once this quirk wears off is something I'd rather not know… Although it'd be interesting to see if he could take the DNA aspect of a quirk that doesn't have a corresponding mental component present, since that's what actually trips him up when he tries to take One for All - he can't take the mental aspect, so his quirk aborts the sequence."

The ground shook again, harder.

"But that's honestly academic. You see, being dead can get boring, so we've spent a lot of time running war games and fighting each other."

This time, the shaking knocked all of them but One to their knees.

"Please take the pills? Now? We're really going to be fine."

A rocket screamed in the distance, followed by an explosion.

"This doesn't have opiates in it, does it?" asked Iida.

"Nothing here is real, so, no."

.

Ochako startled awake and immediately clutched at her head. That was one heck of a headache. Driven by the need to see where she was, she peeled open her eyes.

This was… the infirmary at UA?

How'd she get here?

"Oi! Granny! Cheeks is awake!"

That was Bakugo. There was something she wanted to do regarding Bakugo. What was it again?

"Don’t shout! This is a place of quiet and healing."

"I wanna know what fffffffffrick happened to shhhhtupid Deku."

Oh. She remembered now.

"As do we all, but you shouldn't crowd someone coming out of a mental quirk like that, it could be--"

No time like the present, decided Ochako.

She snapped into a sitting position, and punched Bakugo in the face.

"Ow! Mother--!"

Recovery Girl sighed. "Dangerous. Uraraka, how are you feeling?"

.

"I'm telling you," said Suzuki, propped up in the hospital bed, "there's a whole cabal of them, telepathically linked to each other and to All for One." He swatted away the nurse's hand. "Some of them are old heroes, too. They must have gone over to him for longevity quirks or something. They were- they were joking with each other about how to kill me. That's why I had to bail out."

"I believe you," said the commission president solemnly. “We have come across some evidence of our own that puts yours into a much more… credible light than it would be otherwise. Could you identify them, the other members of this ‘cabal?’”

“Some of them,” said Suzuki, doubtfully. “But others I didn’t recognize, or see for very long.” He shuddered. “Some of them… Some of them I would very much like to be mistaken about, sir.”

“The ones you are sure of?” prompted the president.

“Skyrunner,” said Suzuki, looking pale. “We should investigate her associates, as well,” he added, as if the president was unfit for his job. “There was another… I only know him from pictures, but I’m sure it was Fidelity.”

The president let neither his annoyance at Suzuki nor the familiarity of the two names distract him. “And how did Aizawa Shouta interact with them?”

Suzuki sniffled. “He sided with them. They all tried to put up a show when I was watching, but they never attacked him like they attacked me. That woman… she kept dropping me…” He knotted his fingers in his hair.

“What about All Might?”

“I’m… not sure. There was an image of him there, but he didn’t speak, not like the others. I couldn’t… couldn’t say if he was involved like they were.”

Not the conclusive report he’d been hoping for, then, but it confirmed that Midoriya Izuku was indeed in league with All for One.

… and also that he was providing All for One with at least one link with the outside world.

If Skyrunner and the others truly were alive, that meant that he had even more.

If. If they were alive. Even for a man of All for One’s talents, he had doubts about his ability to locate so many longevity quirks. The nomu with their duplicated quirks seemed to be a recent development. Then, too, there was the matter of Midoriya’s blood sample. Skyrunner and Fidelity were both on the list of people whose DNA had been mingled with his.

“There was also…” said Suzuki. He swallowed. “There was also… Tempest. She looked just like the old posters.”

Another name from the lists. The president closed his eyes briefly and pulled out his phone, going to the pictures he had saved of the hero Lariat and the vigilante Forewarning. Lariat’s photo was obviously better, having been an official picture for the purposes of identification. Forewarning’s was blurry and at an awkward angle, but given what he’d been - and who he served - it was only to be expected.

He showed the phone to Suzuki.

“These two?”

Suzuki stared. “Yes,” he said. “How did you know?”

“As I said,” replied the president, “we’ve gathered some of our own evidence while you’ve been asleep.” He put his phone away. “I expect a more thorough, formal report of what you discovered in Midoriya’s mind by the end of the day.”

“Of course, sir,” said Suzuki.

The president nodded, and with no more farewell than that, left.

As soon as he was alone, his phone was in his hand again. “I need an emergency exhumation order for the heroes Lariat, Fidelity, and Skyrunner.”

.

Aizawa stepped into the lobby of the apartment building. It seemed normal enough, even if the finishings were incredibly old-fashioned and its emptiness gave it a disturbing quality. The overhead lights buzzed. The wallpaper peeled. The air smelled faintly of ammonia. The paint on the receptionist’s desk had flaked off in places. There was gum matted in the carpet.

It was a normal apartment building. Not a nice one.

Aizawa walked cautiously to the desk, and peered at the mailboxes behind it. He picked out the name ‘Shigaraki’ in the third row, and made note of the apartment number.

The elevator, predictably, was out of order, not that it particularly mattered to Aizawa. He wouldn’t have trusted it to bring him to his destination, regardless. He barely trusted the stairs for that, after how many times this dream world had changed under his feet.

He reached the third floor without incident, and found the Shigaraki apartment. The door was locked, but Aizawa always carried a set of lockpicks with him, something that was as true here as in the real world. He made short work of it.

The apartment was… normal. Chaotic. Not very clean. Several sets of shoes, various sizes, littered the entryway. Medical bills and homework covered the kitchen table, more than a few letters on the floor. Bowls were stacked next to the sink. One of the rooms didn’t have a door, but a curtain. There were scorch marks on the walls.

Aizawa took a deep breath, and stepped into the apartment.

At first, nothing changed. Then, the light streaming past the curtains dimmed, natural light becoming weak, flickering sodium-yellow, and the dusty silence of an abandoned place was replaced with something that was almost like city nightlife.

Almost. There was something badly off about it. More than something… Too much anger. Not a single happy voice. Too many crashes and bangs. But… also not enough. Not enough for a riot or a protest. No motors, either. No cars.

He made his way to the window and looked out. There were people there. Crowds, even. People raging. People despairing. There were people tearing at the buildings, attacking their surroundings and one another, but many simply laid on the ground. Others… others seemed to be hunting. Looking for something, armed with makeshift weaponry.

Red lightning split the sky above them. Someone wailed, and the hunting party changed direction, going to where the lightning had struck.

Aizawa had seen the footage from Kamino, the way lightning had sparked, jagged, around the villain’s arms. He didn’t know what that lightning meant here, but he didn’t intend to get close enough to find out.

But he did have to go out, to find Midoriya’s quirk, or the representation of it. Wherever it was, it wasn’t in this apartment.

Probably.

Just to be sure, he threw open the doors and cabinets, searching and not finding. However, the apartment really was as empty of people as it seemed. Part of Aizawa itched to investigate this place more, this place where All for One was allegedly raised.

He left the apartment, making his way quickly down the stairs. In the real world, he would have most likely left through the window, jumping down to quell the near-riot happening below, to pull aside some of the younger people he had seen. But none of the people below were real, and he needed to lay low, stay inconspicuous.

Walking through Midoriya’s and the others’ minds, he and his students had always been noticed immediately. The ‘vestiges’ were distracting All for One, but Aizawa didn’t want to push his luck.

He walked out into the dim street, keeping close to the walls of buildings for whatever little cover they provided. The air tasted… oddly sterile.

The ‘people’ here were most likely stolen quirks, not memories. Would Midoriya’s be out in this? Or hidden away? How big was All for One’s mental landscape? The man was more than a century old.

If the quirk acted like the child it had belonged to… most likely it would go somewhere familiar. Midoriya’s apartment, maybe? Had he lived there, back then?

It was, unfortunately, his only lead.

(He did not think highly of his chances at success.)

“Eraserhead?”

The call was hissed, hushed and disbelieving. Aizawa half-turned, thinning his profile to provide a smaller target, his hands on his capture weapon.

Then he hesitated.

“Ragdoll?”

She blinked rapidly at him, eyes tearing up. “He got you, too, Eraser?”

Aizawa took in the brightly-colored hero costume and the ever so slightly off way she held herself. “You… aren’t really Shiretoko Tomoko, are you?” He knew that, or should have known that, but it was very different to see someone he knew… the quirk of someone he knew… here.

She crossed her arms and pursed her lips, face still twisted in upset and grief. “Just like you aren’t really…” Her eyes widened, and she pushed him into a nearby alleyway. He let her, barely resisting the urge to throw her off and double-guessing that decision. “You are the real Eraserhead,” she whispered, urgently. “The real Aizawa Shouta.”

To trust or not to trust… She’d know more than Aizawa about this place and where Midoriya’s quirk might be, but she was also compromised simply by the situation she was in and what she was. He didn’t know how much control All for One had over her, nor how similar she was to the real Ragdoll.

“Why are you here? How are you here?” Her words carried an edge of desperation. “You can’t be here. This is hell.”

“It’s a quirk. I’m looking for someone,” said Aizawa, making a snap decision. “A child.”

“One of your students?”

“Younger,” said Aizawa. “About five.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down as much as I’d like,” admitted not-Ragdoll.

“A boy,” said Aizawa. “Curly green hair. Probably small for his age.”

She blinked again, eyelashes fluttering. “Green hair? Like Midoriya?”

“You remember him?”

“It would be hard to forget the student Kota punched in the…'' she trailed off with a grimace. “Is he alright? Kota?”

“He’s fine. And… you’re fine, as well. Alive, I mean.”

“That’s not really…” She chewed her lower lip. “Call me Search. Midoriya, is he…?”

“He’s… The situation is complicated.”

Ragdoll-- Search nodded. “I haven’t seen anyone that looks like that,” she said. “But I’m not the only hero-- The only hero’s quirk here.” She stepped out of the alley. “Let me show you.”

This felt like a trap.

He didn’t have any better leads.

He followed.

.

Kazuki had never been strong. As a child, he’d been sickly, and he’d grown into a sickly adult. Allergies and autoimmune disorders had plagued him growing up, as well as common viruses made near-fatal by his adverse reactions to vaccines and already-compromised immune system. Then, as a teen, he’d been diagnosed with a cellular degeneration disorder that had sprung up at about the same time as meta abilities. A disorder that, if Nine was any indicator, had never been cured.

Then his brother had given him the stockpile. And that had…

Well. It had hurt, at first. It had left him sicker than ever, confused and possibly a little delirious as his own power sheered away the ghost of a half-brother he’d never met into near-nothingness, as instincts and senses he’d only been peripherally aware of opened up, angry and inflamed by the violation.

(He wondered, now, if One for All might have manifested very differently if the stockpile hadn’t been forced on him. If the reason Izuku was drawing out the quirks of his predecessors wasn’t because of the mechanical remnants of his original quirk, but because One for All itself had finally settled into equilibrium with the stockpile.)

But. He’d had the stockpile. He’d had that well of power, shallow as it had been back then. at the beginning.

Kazuki still wasn’t strong. Never, in his entire life, from birth to death, had he been strong.

But it was a fact that, for as long as the strong and the weak had existed among men, so had equalizing devices.

Kazuki could lean on a cane. He could also beat someone to death with one. At least, when he’d been alive.

He’d done some staffwork, too, when he’d been alive. The weapon wasn’t as inconspicuous in the modern world as it had been in the past, but it had reach and versatility. Also, many cleaning implements, garden tools, and lengths of pipe could be used as a staff in a pinch.

But his favorite weapon was the sword.

(Kazuki had excelled above his older brother in only four areas: morality, med school, finishing books, and kendo.)

Force multipliers, one friend in the underground had called Kazuki’s weapons. Specialized levers.

Someone, a westerner, Kazuki thought, had once said that you could move the world with a long enough lever. Kazuki couldn’t claim to have done that, he couldn’t even move his brother, but weapons had made his use of One for All much more efficient.

Much more deadly, in some cases.

Unfortunately, his blade failed to cleave off his brother’s insufferably smug face, steel skittering off his brother’s quirk-enhanced hand. Kazuki dove past him, tumbled, making sure to keep the cutting edge of his sword pointed away from himself, and rolled smoothly to his feet, the phantom buzz of One for All under his skin making him much more coordinated than he otherwise would have been.

Daigoro and Rokuya had already engaged his brother. Ryuji was circling, unnoticeable, waiting for an opening. Miranda had summoned a dense fog that crackled with lightning (incidentally not something she’d commonly been able to do in life - for most of her feats, the prevailing weather conditions had to be just right first). Nana was minding the environment, for the moment, making sure it suited them and hindered their opponent. Although, she’d attempted a few several-story axe-kicks, when she saw the opportunity.

As for their youngest two members…

“I hadn’t expected you to let Midoriya Izuku fight,” said All for One, as if everyone involved wasn’t completely, brutally aware that he was Izuku’s father, “but I really expected more action from All Might. Are you afraid I’ll do to your mind what I did to your body?”

“Shut up!” shouted Izuku. “Leave him alone! He’s driving!”

“He’s wha--?”

Rokuya and Miranda both took All for One’s distraction as an opening to hit him with electrical attacks. Rokuya laughed wildly. “Tase him again, senpai!”

Kazuki adjusted his grip on the police stun baton he found in his hand (he’d stolen one, once, and kept it for a week before realizing it was GPS enabled) and smiled. A request like that from his successor? How could he refuse?

.

Vlad’s car, ever so gently, rolled to a stop. Toshinori cursed vigorously, though not particularly creatively, and winced. There wasn’t anything he could do about a empty fuel tank. Swearing at it wasn’t going to fill it up.

Once met someone with a quirk like…

Toshinori squeezed his eyes shut and let the foreign memory roll over him. Focus on positives. They were much closer to the Wild Wild Pussycats’ compound, almost to the cliffside that Izuku and his classmates had been tipped off of by Pixie Bob, and… Toshinori had to let that memory flicker and pass as well.

He pulled first their supplies, then Izuku, from the car, wanting to keep his student in the warmth provided by the barely-functional heating system for as long as possible. On a whim, he took the emergency supplies Vlad had stored in his car as well.

Perhaps taking things from his fellow teacher should have twinged his conscience more than stealing from villains, but, well. Vlad would have more loss to worry about than a small first aid kit, emergency foil blankets, and road flares. Toshinori had originally intended to return the car, or at least leave it somewhere Vlad could find, but his plans had changed.

The car might not be next to the cliff Izuku and his classmates had fallen from at the beginning of their summer camp experience, but it was next to a cliff.

He made sure the wheel was turned in the right direction, got behind the car and pushed. It took longer than he would have liked to get to the cliffside, but once he did, momentum and gravity took care of the rest.

The result was loud enough to jostle Izuku from his state of not-quite-sleep and left a fair amount of car-related debris on the side of the cliff, but the car itself was obscured quite nicely by the pine trees below.

He walked, slowly, back to Izuku, who had struggled into a sitting position, and was now contemplating standing.

“Don’t,” said Toshinori, softly. “I’ll carry you.”

“But,” said Izuku, looking at him with worry. He swallows, licking split lips. “You’re really not in better shape than I am.”

“You’re keeping us hidden,” said Toshinori. “I’m not.”

Izuku sagged, defeated. “Okay,” he said, softly.

.

“I was on my way when I found you,” said Search, leading Aizawa forward. “He knows everywhere here, he is everywhere here, and a lot of the quirks here belonged to his followers, or to people who were his enemies but were just as bad as he was… We have to move where we meet.”

“And who is ‘we’ in this situation?” asked Aizawa.

There was a lull in the conversation as they pressed themselves to a wall to let a large group go by.

“Other heroes,” said Search, quietly, once they were more or less alone again. “Rather, their quirks.” She looked up at him. “We might not be them, but we refuse to let him change us, destroy more of what we are.” Something more… natural, for lack of a better term, bled into her bearing.

It was then that it struck Aizawa, what had been bothering him about all the ‘people’ here. None of them moved like they were alive. Not even the vestiges in Midoriya’s mind felt so dead.

Aizawa was standing in a world of ghosts.

He forced himself to nod at her, this specter wearing his colleague’s face and memories. If what she said was true, then she was, indeed, pursuing a noble cause.

She led him to what looked like an average, middle-class hotel, except that it was painted with bright, red graffiti accusing the owners of being ‘mutants.’ They entered through a side door, and went down into a basement filled with washing and drying machines.

The room was also full of people. Quirks. All of whom became very tense upon seeing Aizawa.

“Who’s this?” asked one of them, a thin woman still wearing a blood-splattered costume. Aizawa vaguely recognized her face as that of a hero who’d been popular when he’d been a kid.

“This is Eraserhead,” said Search. “The real Eraserhead.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure,” said Search.

Aizawa didn’t know how she could be, seeing as she hadn’t really asked him any questions that could confirm his identity, but he didn’t belabor the point.

“He’s looking for someone,” she continued.

“Forget that, how did you even get in here?” demanded someone else.

“A quirk,” said Aizawa.

“Duh,” said a boy in an old Shiketsu uniform. “Of course it was a quirk. Can we have some more detail? We haven’t gotten any news since she came in.” He jerked his head towards Search.

“It was a number of quirks,” allowed Aizawa, “interacting in an unpredicted way. The reason you haven’t gotten any…” He looks at Search. “News. Is because All for One is in Tartarus.”

He’d vaguely expected for the quirks to be reassured by this. Instead, they frowned.

“If you manage to get out,” said the boy, “tell them that they need to kill him. He’s not going to stay nicely in prison.”

“He’s right,” said the woman, crossing her arms. “It doesn’t matter what kind of restraints, drug cocktail, or quirk you’ve got. You see the crowds out there?” She moved to point. “Every person in them is a quirk. Strength quirks, fire quirks, longevity quirks, healing quirks, you name it, he’s got it. The only reason he hasn’t sunk the country is because he wants to rule it.” There was a murmur of agreement.

“I’ll pass it on,” said Aizawa. “But I do have something I’m here for.”

“What?” she snapped.

“A kid’s quirk,” said Search, quickly.

“Why?” asked a vigilante’s quirk, stepping forward. Aizawa had investigated their death. People with healing quirks rarely died like that. “What good does it do you?”

“I know the kid in question,” said Aizawa. “The rest is classified.”

He could make things classified if he wanted to.

“Can you describe them?” asked the vigilante, making gentle shapes with their hands.

“A boy,” said Aizawa. “Green eyes, green curly hair. Probably small. Probably has a thing for notebooks.”

The atmosphere in the room stilled from merely unnatural to deathly.

“Yeah,” said the woman. “We know who you’re talking about.” She pursed her lips. “This is something that’ll make it so All for One won’t be able to use him anymore, right?”

“Hopefully,” said Aizawa. “When you say use…”

The woman waved him off. “The kid’s fine,” she said. “Just terrifying, is all.”

Aizawa closed his eyes. “Of course he is.”

.

"We decided to keep him away from the other kids," said the vigilate's quirk, "because he was freaking them out."

They were in an apartment building again, this one newer.

"We try to keep the kids away from all that in general." The vigilante waved towards the racket outside. "Wish we could get them free, but…" He trailed off, fixing Aizawa with an appraising look. "If this works with your kid, and he gets his quirk back, maybe you could try with some of the others? I think at least some of them must still be alive out there, right? If your kid is."

"I'll look into it," said Aizawa, "but I'm afraid this is a one time only chance."

"Figures," muttered the vigilante. He knocked on the door.

There was an excited gasp from the other side, and then the pitter-patter of little feet. Then, more concerningly, several metallic clanks and clicks as bolts and locks from the other side of the door were released. The door swung back, and a painfully tiny version of Midoriya beamed up at them.