#MHA salt

[theweeklydiscourse]

God forbid you ever criticize the lack of consequences Bakugou experiences in MHA, or suddenly you’ll find dozens of Bakugou stans pouring into your mentions to make a speech about how cruel you are for forcing him to eat cement. They’ll act as though “consequences” inherently involves throwing him into the dungeon or putting him in detention for 100 years and then moan about how him facing consequences would only perpetuate a cycle of abuse/discrimination.

Listen, it’s not really that much of a consequence if the “consequence” in question isn’t directly connected to his current or past bad behaviour. “Oh but his scars!” “When he died that one time!” “His guilt for getting kidnapped” None of those are related to his bullying, and in my opinion, that makes them insufficient as consequences in an arc about changing for the better.

The consequences I would actually like to see could be as simple as: Izuku feels sad/mad because of what he went through, or certain characters reflect on how Bakugou’s past impacts their perception of him. More introspection on the victim’s end is needed, Bakugou doesn’t necessarily need to be pilloried for the arc to be satisfying.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i haven't watched mha in its entirety so correct me if i'm wrong but bakugou started off as a good example of how privilege can turn people into absolute assholes.

because guess what? bakugou doesn't have a tragic backstory. he doesn't have abusive parents or a dead lover or a torturous childhood. he was, in fact, the "gifted child". people constantly praised him for having such a powerful quirk. his parents seem decent enough. there is no inkling of trauma there, just a man who was so used to being on top that he developed a huge inflated ego and hubris.

and this would have been a good critique of how privileged people often take their experiences for granted, and feel threatened when minorities actually stand up for themselves or gain some attention (see: cishet people complaining about how they didn't get a "straight pride month").

but then the author went and ruined it by not addressing that narrative at all and instead coddling bakugou and having all the other characters put up with his violent tendencies. i don't care if he apologized to midoriya, the fact that it took the author so long to even think of it is bad enough. and the fact that the teachers never try to stop bakugou from bullying the other students, and he apparently goes right back to being an asshole after the apology.. yikes.

there was so much potential to make him interesting character and to address a common social issue, but of course you had to prioritize fanservice instead.

[v0id-clawz]

Horikoshi has a problem with sexualising minors and that needs to be talked about

that or he's really bad at character design

Under the cut cuz this is gonna be long. Also tw for the sexualising of minors

First off, let's start with Midnight, her hero moniker the the 18+ hero, right? Normally wouldn't be a problem, he's an adult she can do what she wants, except for one small detail: you choose your hero name when your 15/16. So unless the rules changed, that means a FIVETEEN year old is marketing herself as 18+. You could say Hori just forgot, but combined with her hero costume when she was 17, I'm not so quick to believe that (for those who haven't seen it, it's described as so revealing that had to change the rules on what your hero costume can look like)

Now, let's get on the the current cast:

Hagakure is naked. Just. Straight up nude. Mirio gets a suit made of his DNA, but Hagakure can't? Weird. Also, there's a gag where Snipe accidentally touches her boob. I don't think there's more to be said here

Momo's suit is notorious for being bad, the camel toe must be absolutely insane there's no reason to have it cut like that??? Also the boob window is. Weird. Also why does she have high heels?

Uraraka's suits weird pelvis thing doesn't really need to be there?? It could be for protection but all of her organs are exposed with nothing but a skin tight suit to protect them. Also, high heels. Again

As for Mina, skin tight again, but with added boob window. Atleast she doesn't have heels. Also why does nobody have knee or elbow protection

Tsu and Jirou have the least amount of problems in their suits, with Tsu only falling into the skin tight suit category

Also as for the boys, Kirishima. Why are you shirtless. Please.

As for bad suits, who in the hell thought Todoroki covering himself in ice was a good idea??? He's going to get hypothermia.

And this isn't even covering 1B, or Toga?? Don't get me STARTED on Toga.

[heytemporary]

Oh goodness gracious

Tumblr please understand that just because I post critics of bnha does not mean I want to see posts about the show UNLESS its about slandering them.

I switch to For You for one second thinking I was going to get a fresh feed of media I genuinely care about. But no its flooded with shows I’ve slandered being praised one way or another.

Quite frankly idgaf about the general census fandoms portrayal about the show. Not the inside jokes, fanart, fanfic, headcanons, fanon portrayal, ships or controversial discourses surrounding themes like (allegations for) marginalised identities & oppression because who are we kidding thinking Horikoshi did a great job at it when he himself never even faced such things.

For example there’s no point of me caring about ships like togachoko when the canon itself couldn’t even handle it right. Because from what I could tell it didn’t know if it wanted to be portrayed as positive or toxic. Don’t care about its fandom discourses like if Oochako is suffering from comphet, if Oochako deserved Toga from Izuku, if Oochako’s bisexual, if this and thats the fourth.

And I’m saying this as a (Asexual) Lesbian who does genuinely care about representation. Same thing can be said for other aspects but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself and possibly alienate myself.

If you genuinely believe Horikoshi did a good job at portraying lesbians like that then 🤷‍♀️ All I’m saying is theres no point emotionally exhausting yourself in those fandom discourse if the creator themselves has shown time again to fumble even their own canon representation. You honestly deserve better than that.

Heck, I don’t even want to see fanart /fanon from my supposed favourite character Hitoshi Shinsou. Only canon screencap/manga panels and slander off him. Miserable fucker is not even getting a smile from me.

And I also do not care to emotionally invest myself with the canon anymore. Cba to care about the vigilante, movies, sideplots or whatever. Don’t want to actively see that unless its just canon posting without any bias comments.

The only thing I want to see from the mha tags is criticism, slander, and better reimagines.

Yes ik I sound miserable. No I would not go out of my way to deliberately shit in the fandoms tags and ruin it for everyone. Yes I get some ppl are emotionally invested in this series. No I don’t want to see any positive praises on my feed especially if its bias driven.

I’ve got to start actively cultivating my feed. I didn’t want to block bnha / mha tags because thats just doing too much. But now you leave me no choice Tumblr

((Tbh this can be said for other shows I once used to be a fan of that I’ve grown to hate. i.e Miraculous, Doctor Who))

[palesweetscherryblossom]

I’m sorry but I find it so damn cartoonish that AFO fr just orchestrated Tomura’s entire damn existence.

I personally found AFO just plucking Tomura off the streets and manipulating his trauma way more horrifying than what we have now.

Since that can happen in real life.

But no because say it with me folks: AFO has to be the driving force behind almost every character in MHA.

Next thing you know, Hori gonna tell us that AFO personally gave birth to everyone in the MHA universe

(Also, TF does he mean that Hana was too damn old? Man was just dragging shit out!)

[tae-shimura-is-my-wife]

[mmprviolet]

I dont even really fw dabi like that but it boggles me how he and other villains in mha aren't even allowed to be given nuance but Endeavor is. Not hating or anything I'm just confused

[dirt-apple-productions]

Can someone…explain Eraserdust? I see so little chemistry there. And Tenko is just a baby. Eraser may as well be his teacher, too. It’s so weird.

[marisandini-chu-blog]

I can't believe I have more to say to this just to give MHA salt but my brain cannot shut up because THIS little arc could have been a waaaaaaaaay better and sympathetic premise for Deku.

Because yeah, there's nothing wrong with wanting to become a the best hero for selfless idealistic reason, but it's not something I personally resonate with – even Naruto has the selfish reason of just wanting love and acceptance.

Because if I have to choose a story of a boy who wants something for his dream, and a boy who wants something for the dream of margianalize people like him. I would have definitely be interested with the latter.

Chosen One stories is great and all, but we could have had Deku finding an avenue in the midst of his studies for quirkless people like him to be able to achieve what was once an impossible dream. One for All shouldn't be the only thing keeping Deku from being a hero. Deku should not have been the only quirkless hero at the end of the story. Quirkless people should have had the option and avenue for jobs that would have been impossible for them beforehand as a sign of support. But even Deku offers reasurance to someone with a quirk, as weak as it was. Quirkless was also mention to be treated with kindness by civilians... and was never mention again to be empowered or anything else. Simply asking society as a whole to have basic fucking decency and kindness to people in need as if it was the most revolutionary thing that Deku's fight had given impact (and maybe it is for a japanese conservative society, but I don't think they're that bad).

Where's the fucking support for the Quirkless, Horikoshi!!! Where are they now? Why should they not have the agency to fight for a better life? Why is their voice not heard or mention?!?!

Look at Nova — THAT'S HOW YOU WRITE AN EMPOWERING MARGIANALIZE PERSON!

Even if we never see any other black-ear child, Nova's narrative make it so his success would be the success of future black ears and his tribe as a whole. It doesn't just impact him, and him alone. That's how impactful a single character could be when done right.

Alright, rant end.

Is it just me? Or is the latest arc of Mairuma is the best damn yet?

Because I've got to say; that's one of the best damn arc in the series which is already a hard bar to cross. Not only did it dive deeper into worldbuilding and explore the political impact of connection with powerful figures (something most shounens VERY rarely ever explore) but Nova has been one of the best highlight of that arc.

Many times, Shounen mangas has cover stories of dreams, goals, wishes based on desire, passion, revenge to move a plot forward. However, I don't think there's ever a one like Nova; a child who see himself in the future black-ears child and was thinking of their future and the path he could carve for them as much as he wants to carve for himself.

Yes, there are stories of a character who sees flaws in a system and tries to correct or make it better. But what makes this arc more unique is the fact Nova was never implied to be mistreated (again, something very different from other shounen. Though it's a strech because the many-ears as a whole has been mistreated). The Chief is shown to love Nova and Nova LOVES his tribe in return. But it is implied that Nova's disability made him be infatilized by the tribe. Thus, alliniating him in the process. They don't hate him for being different, they pity him. And the author manage to make that a tragedy.

Yet, Nova not only see he has worth more than the tribe's says, he saw worth in his race more than the tribe can see. Making him the most inspiring character in the series. Heck, he inspire even Iruma.

Which makes this why this is the best goddamn arc; writing about a goal to incite change for a flawed system or belief, and also to carve a path not just for the general future generation, but also for disabled or margianalized people who will have more choices open in the future.

And I think that's the most compeling reason written in a most beautifully executed arc in the whole damn shounen series I've ever read and I will never get over this.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i haven't watched MHA in its entirety so correct me if I'm wrong but bakugou started off as a good example of how privilege can turn people into absolute assholes.

because bakugou didn't have a tragic backstory, he didn't have abusive parents or a dead lover or a torturous childhood. he was in fact the "gifted child", praised at every turn for having such a cool quirk and told repeatedly that he would have a great future. his parents seem decent enough and there is no inkling of trauma there, only a man who was praised by everyone to the point that he developed an inflated ego.

this was, in theory, a really good base for a character. it shows how privileged people often take their position for granted and feel threatened when minorities actually start to stand up for themselves or gain attention (see: cishet people complaining about not getting a "straight pride month").

but then, the story ruined it by coddling bakugou and never having him learn his lesson. i don't care that he apologized to midoriya in the manga, the fact that it took so long for him to do that is bad enough. and the fact that none of the teachers stopped bakugou from bullying his classmates, especially midoriya, and he apparently goes back to acting like an asshole after the apology.. yeah. yikes.

you had the opportunity to create a really interesting character and address some important social issues, but you completely ignored it in favor of fanservice.

[moodyvoid]

After pestering him for days, you finally convince Dabi to pierce your tongue.

Beforehand, he’s taunting you the whole time saying “It’s gonna hurt really bad— are you sure you still want to?” getting a kick out of seeing you nervous.

However, once it’s time for the act, he’s surprisingly gentle as he tilts your head to face him just right and he directs you on what to do. His voice is soft, but stern.

“Stop moving.”

You start to realize how intimate this all is once he’s up close to you, lining up the needle. The two of you catch eyes for a moment, “Take a deep breath for me… and breathe out.” as he pushes the needle through, securing the jewelry in place. You blink a few times, not even realizing it’s over.

“Not so bad, huh?” he asks, putting aside all the tools while you look in the mirror.

You go to ask him what he thinks about it, but barely get the question out before he’s kissing you — something he was fighting the urge to do the entire time.

[danktective-pikachu]

Your analysis of this is gut wrenching and it makes so much sense.

I’m sobbing over here.

“All along it was Izuku chasing after Kacchan, but now it will forever be Bakugo chasing after Izuku, on his heels for the rest of his life, but never close enough to reach him.”

That is a throat punch of a realization right there

My breakdown over 431 and why it's the worst thing to have ever been made canon (yes, it is canon)

Okay...so..

You're telling me..wait wait

So 429 was the official ending...430 was the "curtain's closing"..and 431 is outside of the drama, with the cameras off

But..youre telling me..that 431 is still canon?

Wait I'm seriously confused now HORIKOSHI PLEASE EXPLAIN PROPERLY

Was it the team that drew the goddamn chapter or you 😭😭

Like wtf? After giving Bakugo that redemption arc, after basically making him the second main character, after finally having his and Izuku's friendship fixed...why did you do this to him?

But if it isn't canon, the team still drew it...that must mean Hori still had some connection to it...but why?

Why must they make Bakugo suffer?

Why didn't they make him smile EVEN ONCE?

What is seriously wrong with you 😭

So you're saying you made this "outside of the drama" and with the cameras off to give the characters a happy ending and show their life outside of the cameras and the plot

So why, THE FUCK, would you do the exact opposite and make the fandom's favorite character suffer? What has he DONE TO YOU?

Because you know what fk you 😭 not seriously, but still. Even if it's not explicitly canon, you still very much thought of it and APPROVED of releasing it, so you're totally okay, in fact, you SUPPORT whatever the fuck this was????

Hold on, hold on. Let me summarize 431 in Bakugo's perspective for you.

All their life, Izuku wanted nothing more than to have Bakugo by his side, he only knew how to live with Kacchan there next to him. As a child, Kacchan was the most special person that Izuku ever lay his eyes on. He saw only him, because he shined brighter than anyone else. He was his hero. Until he wasn't anymore. Until he learned to live his life without him. He learned to move on. He doesn't need Kacchan to live his life anymore. He doesn't need him in his life anymore to make him happy. He has found his purpose and accepted that it wasn't the same path as Katsuki's.

Bakugo used to be independent and wanted to stand alone without Deku until Izuku taught him to rely on others, not just himself. So he let him in his heart, wishing with his whole heart that Izuku will be there next to him for the rest of his life. Bakugo was afraid to let someone in, afraid to be vulnerable and let his guard down. But he did, and he trusted Izuku, opened himself up to him and shared his soul with him. Only to be left alone in the dust. He was right to be afraid of opening up, afraid of being left alone. He opened up his heart, but ended up disappointed. He let himself fall, only to put his walls up again. He opened up once, but got disappointed. Never again. He stood there, watching him go, until he disappeared and became part of the crowd. Just like everyone else. He watched as he walked out of his life. Bakugo didn't get his happy ending. He didn't achieve his dream. He didn't get to become the number one hero because he only wanted to do that with Izuku there by his side. But Izuku chose another path, and he's not there to motivate him anymore. Bakugo has lost the reason of his happiness. He isn't the Bakugo who never gives up anymore. He isn't the Kacchan who always wins. He's just the Katsuki that was once special but now is just there, with no real reason to be alive. As he will forever be waiting for someone like Izuku to join by his side, knowing noone will ever be able to replace him, because to him, no one will ever be as special as Izuku.

First it was Bakugo that left little Deku behind. Then it was Izuku that left Kacchan behind without looking back. This is Bakugo's consequence for what he said to Izuku. He'll never be able to be happy with the person that he loves. Izuku is happy, he has learned to move on and live his life as a teacher, helping other people's dreams. He moved past his dream of becoming a hero with Katsuki. Meanwhile Bakugo can only be happy with him in his life. He thought they'd be competing for the rest of their lives, but that dream is already gone, it slipped right out of his hands as he watched him go.

They were never meant to have a happy ending.

Everyone got their happy ending but Katsuki. So I guess I see what your plan was all along Horikoshi...we really did come a full circle huh. The roles switched, and Bakugo will forever regret not taking Izuku's hand when he had the chance. All along it was Izuku chasing after Kacchan, but now it will forever be Bakugo chasing after Izuku, on his heels for the rest of his life, but never close enough to reach him. Life lesson learned I guess. Izuku finally learned how to move on and be his own person, and he finally learned that he has other people in his life too, not just Kacchan. And Katsuki finally learned to let himself be vulnerable and love someone else. He has finally learned that he's not more special than anyone else. Not even in Izuku's eyes.

I still have hopes for the official volume release tomorrow, but..I don't think I'll be able to look at the ending the same way after this. After knowing what happens after. As heart wrenching as it might be, it's realistic. It makes too much sense that they have come a full circle, it makes too much sense that they won't be together forever, that they'll drift apart after some years. It makes too much sense that the other will find other friends, other people that are important to him. And it makes too much sense that the one person who has denied to let himself love someone and open up his heart end up being the one that does but it's too late. Because when he finally let all his walls down, the other has already moved on. It's how life works. People won't wait for you forever, and you can't live your life pushing everyone away and insisting to be alone. Because by the time you do let your walls down, you'll realize you're alone and you took the other person for granted, not realizing you never had forever with them. And now they're gone. And you'll be stuck missing them and thinking about what you two could have been for the rest of your life.

I fking hate you for this Horikoshi, and I don't care, this is my own personal opinion and I'm fking hurt, even if it is the most realistic ending they could have gotten. Is it really too much to ask for then to have a happy ending? Why did that boy have to lose his smile after he has finally gotten it back again? Why do his eyes have to look hollow, like his life has no reason? Why does he have to look like he has lost everything, even though it was never his in the first place?

[palesweetscherryblossom]

I’m so salty about Tomura’s writing, we watched him grow into the symbol of fear, only for that to be snatched away.

LET SHIGARAKI OWN HIS TITLE! LET HIM SHOW OFF HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!

(I’m so done with AFO’s story, I don’t wanna hear about how he was evil from the minute his dad developed sperm)

[tae-shimura-is-my-wife]

Ochako wanted to be like Izuku so much that she ended becoming a souless shell who just exists to be a perfect hero exactly like him, poor girl 😔

[achillesmonochrome]

I loved the bit we got with Shouto, reading about him saying that he is more than a hero, and all the things he is trying now that he has the time- I live for that shit, this is what he deserves after having so much of his life was taken away by Endeavor's obsession.

I actually don't care that Izuku rejected Katsuki's offer; in my opinion, it would make sense that Izuku would want to prove his own worth as a full pro-hero, rather than getting some rep by teaming up with Katsuki (who already has his own rep from working these past 8 years, or any rep they could get by marketing themselves as the wonder duo who defeated the demon lord and the symbol of fear.) From that angle, I could see why is there.

Fact aside that I believe there shouldn't be a hero Billboard- I am not really mad about the spots the characters are in. I have my feelings about Katsuki being 15 but is not for the reason most people are upset.

And Izuocha- I am putting a read more because this is about to get salty.

The weirdest part about all of this, is getting mad on behalf of a ship that you never liked.

Okay I am being hyperbolic there, I don't think Izuocha is a bad ship, I know it can be very cute and considering this is shonen, their moments aren't really bad.

But as a plotline, and the main romantic plot of this story- fuck it was bad, or at the very least, very bland; and like Horikoshi put it there because he had to, rather than being genuinely invested in their story line.

I am going to cut to the point- the fact that Izuku needs Katsuki to tell him to think about the person he really wants to talk to, is infuriating. I get that he was never good with romance or ever gave any thought to it; but the fact that he is 24 and apparently can't even recognize if he feels for Uraraka- for fucks sake, if there was a time when it would make sense to not show us when Izuku realized he had feelings for her, it would be this.

Because that's the other problem; Izuku never says or even thinks that he likes Uraraka more than just a friend, in fact despite how close they are and all their years of knowing each other, Izuku still addresses her as Uraraka.

It never feels like their relationship has any progress; they are friends but no matter the 'romantic' and 'sweet' moments between the two, it never feels like anything between them is changing or growing closer.

This ending doesn't fix that feeling, if anything it just reinforces it. Not only it takes them 8 years to get together; Izuku needs Katsuki to give him a hint, and Ochako needs Izuku to take the first step, and hallucinate Toga encouraging her- even if the longest plot line, was about being honest with her feelings.

And it just boils down to one of the biggest issues I always had with them, neither of them is very proactive in their relationship with each other. Their romantic moments are often about one of them (mostly Ochako) reacting to a situation (needing to save him from Blackwhip, her screaming at the refugees in UA, etc) neither of them is seen making an effort to spend time together, not even as something more casual or platonic.

The only improvement we have in this area was that Horikoshi gave it an ending, rather than just leaving it unaddressed and concluding that the plotline was a waste of time- but fuck if it feels like a monkey paw situation.

At the end of the day, I don't think this epilogue did any major damage; the story already betrayed itself by pretending that the system was fine as it is and killing most of the villains.

Time to redo the ending poll

[tinyshinysylveon]

what's really interesting is katsuki's dialogue in the end, he says, "腐れ縁だわ.." which is basically-

like they are close but not that close ;; i was considering putting it as a "toxic relationship" but rotten also goes the same way. i really like that he admits to others openly that their relationship was terrible to the point where he tries to change ;;;;

edit: because some understood it differently lol i described 腐れ縁 as "an undesirable but inseparable relationship" as i've mentioned above. i took the literal kanji 腐: rotten/sour since if you do try to describe 腐れ縁 in simpler terms, it'll more than likely lose its deeper meaning ;; if i were to edit it out, i would say "it was a complicated relationship" instead. now IF i had enough space tho, i would prob put "it was an unsavory relationship where i couldn't break it off no matter what."