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BNHA 375 Japanese to English Translation w/ Commentary Part I

奥渡島　「麗日・蛙吹 VS トガ」

Okutou Island - Uraraka & Asui vs. Toga

Tagline 1:

美しき南の島で——‼︎

At the beautiful southern island——!!

Tagline 2:

No.375 滅茶苦茶

No.375 Chaos

滅茶苦茶 (romaji: mechakucha) translates to “chaos; disorder; confusion; mess.” Rukasu and Pikahlua opted for “mess,” but I think “chaos” better describes the feel of the chapter. “Mess” to me just sounds like someone trashed a room and now somebody has to clean it up. It sounds almost… orderly, controlled. To me, “chaos” sounds like havoc and mayhem and whirlwind action, like too much is happening all at once, everything’s moving too fast, and your head’s spinning trying to make sense of it all. Perfect.

フロッピ‼︎

= “Froppy!!”

姿を晦ます技術はミスディレクションの類！恐らくとても複雑で微細な…

= [Her] technique to hide her presence is a kind of misdirection! Perhaps it’s very complex and subtle…

姿 (romaji: sugata) means “figure; form; shape; appearance.” Because translating sugata as “appearance” could understandably give the wrong impression that Ochako is thinking about Himiko’s Quirk when she is actually thinking about her evasiveness, I translated it as “presence.”

晦ます (romaji: kuramasu) means “to conceal (oneself); to hide; to abscond” and refers to Himiko’s proficiency at seemingly disappearing, either to flee a dangerous situation or to launch a surprise attack, as she did against Curious’ associates in No.225.

Additionally, 晦ます can mean “to deceive; to dissemble; to fool,” which also applies. Himiko is highly perceptive and attuned to others’ feelings; able to accurately gauge a person’s personality, temperament, and motivations within a short time of meeting them; and demonstrates a remarkable ability to manipulate people and situations to her will, a fact All Might begrudgingly notes in No.335:

翻弄し続ける少女トガヒミコ

= “The young lady who continues to make fools of us, Himiko Toga.”

翻弄 (romaji: honrou) is a verb meaning “having at one’s mercy; trifling with; toying with; playing with (as if a joke or plaything); making sport of; making a fool of; leading around by the nose; pulling the wool over one’s eyes.” It describes a person stringing someone along, deliberately misleading them into believing a falsehood of some kind, tricking them, for personal gain.

While we’re on the subject of Himiko’s fantastic (ongoing) manipulation of the Heroes, allow me to point something out that no one seems to have noticed or thought anything of, at least not that I’ve seen (I’ve been waiting MONTHS for somebody to mention it so I could without being jumped, but it never happened! 😭 Maybe it’s because I’ve somehow found myself on the Hero side of the fandom despite wanting to be on the Villain side of it…?). No.345 ends with a close-up of Himiko’s face showing one of the tubes of her blood-sucking equipment twisted around her pinkie finger:

On the other end, of course, is Izuku, having been yanked off course from his mission onto Okutou Island, forcing the Heroes assigned to the Sky Battlefield to struggle not to be seriously injured or killed by Shigaraki for One (rest in peace, Kacchan…) while stalling for time until his arrival.

This illustration directly references the idiomatic expression “have (someone) wrapped around (one’s) (little) finger.”

Himiko quite literally had Izuku wrapped around her pinkie finger, pulling his strings, creating a distraction, buying time for Tomura to do irreparable damage to the Heroes and for Spinner to secure Kurogiri, advancing the Villains’ cause(s). A masterful actress, she has been deceiving the Heroes since her introduction, playing the “part” of an unfocused, “lovesick,” “boy-crazy,” somewhat airheaded adolescent.

(NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON HER CHARACTER; TO THE CONTRARY, THIS IS A RECOGNITION OF HER SENSITIVITY, INCREDIBLE OBSERVATIONAL SKILLS, CREATIVITY, AND ADAPTABILITY, AND HER SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL GIFTEDNESS. THESE ARE THE EXACT TRAITS THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR HER TO SURVIVE ALONE ON THE STREETS—NO EASY FEAT—FOLLOWING HER RUNNING AWAY ON THE DAY OF HER MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADUATION AFTER ATTACKING SAITO.)

Himiko Toga is, above all, a skilled escape artist and social chameleon who learned at an early age that she would have to wear “masks” to be “accepted” and “protected” from harm. She could be “liked” or she could be herself. There was no in between. Her parents were clear that no one could ever or would ever accept and love her real “face.” Naturally, being a helpless, impressionable child who was eager to please them and desperate to feel connected to them, she believed them, internalizing the message that she is inherently unlovable, deficient, and deviant, and must hide behind false personas to avoid the pain of rejection, abandonment, vilification, and violent victimization.

あれ?

= “Huh?”

キュリオス様

= “Curious-sama!”

警察・ヒーローに追われる毎日

= Every day, I was chased by police and Heroes.

否が応にも周囲の挙動に過敏になった

= I became hypersensitive to the behavior of [people in] my surroundings, whether I liked it or not.

過敏に (romaji: kabin ni, meaning “oversensitive; nervous; thin-skinned; touchy”) is composed of the kanji for “to exceed; to surpass; to be over (indicating excess in degree or amount); too (much)” and “alert; agile; keen; sensitive.” This word describes the hypervigilance Himiko developed as a runaway evading capture by police and Heroes.

女子高生のフリすると世間はちょっぴり易しくなった

= Pretending to be a high school girl makes the world a (very little) bit easier.

Notice that word, pretending. Why was she pretending to be something she isn’t and doesn’t identify with?

捕まらないように

= So I don’t get caught / arrested.

捕まらないように

= So I don’t get caught / arrested.

捕まらないように

= So I don’t get caught / arrested.

This aspect of Himiko’s character isn’t often discussed by fans, but she’s terrified of being detained and afraid of police and Heroes. She’s suspicious of everyone but the League of Villains, who she trusts and feels safe with. The threefold repetition of that line (“So I don’t get caught / arrested”) underscores the intensity of her anxiety and desperation to not be captured. As a result of her traumatic early childhood experiences, she became a deeply insecure and skittish person conditioned by her parents to be excessively polite, respectful, and demure, especially in her language, even when she does not particularly like or respect a person (appeasement: survival tactic common in complex trauma survivors meant to minimize the likelihood of conflict by people-pleasing and self-censorship and de-escalate conflict when it does arise by catering to the needs and demands of threatening others, restoring “peace” at the expense of one’s own needs, aka self-betrayal). She is always scanning her environment for potential threat, prepared to flee at the first sign of trouble. Nevertheless, Himiko is not weak or powerless and is not a coward. She is as much predator as she is prey (exactly like a domestic cat, actually).

The first of these screenshots is from No.225 and the second from No.348. See that wide, toothy grin of Himiko’s? That’s an example of a visual trope called the slasher smile, and it always forebodes ill intent, usually murderous. She is literally baring her fangs like a lioness moments before charging her prey. Notice also how Himiko has hidden her face behind her hands in the lower right quadrant of the second screenshot. Her face is drawn completely in shadow, impossible to read. This artistic choice implies that she is concealing more than just her face; she is being dishonest, misrepresenting her feelings and/or motives, pulling a fast one on the Heroes like she has in the past.

敵の数も減ってきた‼︎ニアハイエンドを抑えれば行ける‼︎ ヴィランのかずもへってきた‼︎ニアハイエンドをおさえればいける‼︎

= “The Villains’ (read as: enemy’s) numbers are also decreasing!! If we subdue the Near High-Ends, [we] can go!!”

This is a common occurrence in BNHA, but I do want to mention it. The kanji for this line from Gang Orca say “enemy,” but the furigana say “villain.” When kanji and their corresponding furigana do not match, kanji represent what is meant while furigana represent what is said.

In this context, Gang Orca says “villain,” but he means “enemy.” Who cares? What’s the difference? Villains are enemies, right? The reason it is notable any time a Hero says “villain” but means “enemy” is because it speaks to an antagonistic us vs. them mentality that makes connection and compromise impossible. Real change and progress will not be made until Heroes are approaching and interacting with Villains as humans, person to person, NOT as “Heroes” and “Villains,” “allies” and “enemies.” Tomura gave a great speech about it that no one paid attention to, proving his point (https://at.tumblr.com/antiquity1111/bnha-english-vs-japanese-translation-comparison/mwc337dsnhpd). If the Heroes ever actually listened when the Villains talk, they’d know this already and this second war might have been avoided.

この島でこいつらを制圧することが俺たちの使命だ‼︎

= “Our mission is to suppress these guys on this island!!”

こっちの数が減る程

= As our numbers decrease,

逃げられなくなってってる捉えられ始めてる

= I won’t be able to escape and will be caught.

仁くんの血液量だと30〜40分の変身が限度…

= With this volume of Jin-kun’s blood, my transformation will be limited to 30-40 minutes…

今飲んで数的有位をくつがえせても"哀れな行進"はこの離島で終わるいまのんですうてきゆういをくつがえせても"サッドマンズパレード"はこのりとうでおわる

= Even if I drink this now and overturn the numbers advantage, the “Sad Man’s (read as: Miserable) Parade” will end on this isolated island.

Here again we have a case of kanji and furigana not matching. 哀れな行進 (romaji: aware na koushin) translates to “Miserable Parade” in English, while サッドマンズパレード (romaji: saddo manzu pareedo) says “Sad Man’s Parade” in katakana. When Twice uses the Sad Man’s Parade during My Villain Academia, it is also written like this, with the kanji reading “Miserable Parade” and the furigana “Sad Man’s Parade.”

When Touya references Twice’s technique while speaking to Himiko in No.341, he calls it the 哀れな行進 (romaji: aware na koushin, or Miserable Parade) and the furigana read the same.

Take another look at these screenshots.

In the first screenshot, Twice uses the Sad Man’s Parade (mismatched kanji and furigana; read as: Miserable Parade) for the first time in-series. The kanji are written WITHOUT quotation marks: 哀れな行進. In No.357, when Himiko is contemplating her options, Sad Man’s Parade (mismatched kanji and furigana; read as: “Miserable Parade”) is written INSIDE quotation marks: “哀れな行進.” In No.341, “変身” (—> “Transform”) is written INSIDE quotation marks but 哀れな行進 (—> Miserable Parade) is written WITHOUT them. This seems inconsequential at face value, but there does seem to be a pattern to it, and where there is a pattern, there is usually a deeper meaning to be uncovered. At least in these chapters, quotation marks seem to be used around the name of a technique or Quirk only when it belongs to someone else. In the first screenshot, 哀れな行進 is NOT in quotation marks because the technique is Twice’s and its name is being called out by him. In the second screenshot, “哀れな行進” IS in quotation marks because it is Himiko, not Twice, thinking about the Miserable Parade / Sad Man’s Parade, but it does not belong to her. In the third screenshot, “変身” IS in quotation marks because it is Touya, not Himiko, who cites it, but Transform does not belong to him. Finally, in the fourth screenshot, 哀れな行進 is NOT in quotation marks, despite the technique not belonging to Touya or Himiko.

Why might this be? It’s possible that Touya is talking less about a technique than he is an event or performance the two of them will stage in honor of Twice (続けさせてやろう, romaji: tsudzukesaseteyarou, meaning “to let something continue for [someone],” as a favor to them) and for themselves commemorating the abandoned child Himiko Toga and the forgotten child Touya Todoroki. This is Himiko and Touya rising above the learned helplessness of their childhoods to reclaim their sense of agency and power to fight back, raise their voices to speak their truth even in the face of harsh criticism and repudiation, and determine their next steps on their own terms. Their Miserable Parade will be their send-off for their fallen comrade, friend, and brother. It will also be their send-off for the children that they were, an act of love by their adult selves for their child selves, an acknowledgement that they mattered and deserve to be remembered. (Remember when Touya incinerated Himiko’s childhood house for hurting her in No.341? Their Miserable Parade will be that but on a much, much bigger scale).

これまでトガヒミコの行動原理に大局的な戦術思考が用いられることはほぼなかった

= Up till now, due to Himiko Toga’s acting principles (i.e., the rationale governing how she has conducted herself), she almost never employed big-picture tactical thinking.

Because her primary concern has always been to avoid being captured, Himiko has tended to favor fleeing over fighting and so has seldom had to think through and implement battle strategies. She does not have the combat experience of some of the other characters and does not have a naturally heavy-hitting Quirk like Decay or Hellflame, but she is shrewd, flexible, and quick on her feet (literally and figuratively). Most importantly, she has been able to rely on subterfuge for her survival and has performed well enough as an actress to have not needed to apply herself beyond dissembling. Masquerading as a “normal” schoolgirl has carried her through to the present moment. But as of No.349, Himiko has grown beyond wanting and needing to hide behind the face of someone else, anyone “normal.” As of No.349, for the first time in her life, Himiko Toga does not want to be anyone but Himiko Toga. She is not running from herself anymore. She is not hiding. She is owning who she is and making no apologies for it. I suspect this development came about due to the events of No.341. It cannot be overstated how liberating and life-changing it can be to be seen, validated, unconditionally accepted, and protected, to be loved for who you are and know you are not alone.

Unconditional positive regard is defined by humanistic psychologists to mean expressing empathy, support, and acceptance to someone, regardless of what they say or do. Unlike other practitioners of his day who offered therapies like behaviorism, which were quick to confront how poor choices hurt us, psychologists like Rogers started by validating their clients’ feelings, withholding judgment, and offering support. Known as “client-centered therapy,” this treatment emphasizes the healing power of human connection. While Roger’s theory shifted the psychology landscape, it didn’t only benefit therapy seekers. According to Rogers, problematic behaviors like overeating, drinking too much, and procrastinating aren’t altered with confrontation, judgment, or punishment; they are remedied with compassion, understanding, and acceptance. In his view, people are wired for self-actualization, or the need to fulfill our potential. However, painful experiences like being bullied, shamed, or judged thwart our growth. Unconditional positive regard restores hope by showing us we are loved and accepted. From Rogers’ lens, when people feel safe, honesty follows. And being honest with ourselves and others is crucial for change. Whereas judgment and shame elicit defensiveness, acceptance fosters safety, which invites honesty and self-exploration. It’s offering the sort of grace we wish others would offer us when we fail.

Social worker and shame researcher, Dr. Brené Brown, says authenticity is “the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” Rogers said authentic people are comfortable with vulnerability and approach others with openness and curiosity. In short, authenticity builds intimacy. But frequently, our authentic self is shut down by shame, judgment, and criticism. Perhaps someone once told us we were “too sensitive,” “not talkative enough,” or “too nerdy.” Or maybe we were teased for not following the crowd in some way. These messages convey that it’s not okay to be who we want to be. As a result, we’re forced to choose between living out our values and feeling rejected (usually by those we need and love most) or changing our views to fit in. Often, we’d rather ignore some aspect of ourselves than feel left out.

Until recently, Himiko had lived her life suppressing parts of herself that had been shunned and vilified by her family, her peers, and greater society, feigning (exaggerated) characteristics she believed the person she “ought to be” would have in the hope of “fitting in,” “being accepted,” and “belonging.” In No.349, she breaks her well-established pattern of self-abandonment with these declarations:

もういい

= “That’s enough.”

出久くんもお茶子ちゃんも梅雨ちゃんも大好きだけどもういいよ

= “Izuku-kun and Ochako-chan and Tsuyu-chan, although I like you very much, [I’ve had] enough [of you].”

Literally, もういいよ means “enough already.” Contextually, Himiko’s saying that her patience has worn thin and she’s grown sick of dealing with them.

Regarding “I like you very much,” the word Himiko is using is 大好き (romaji: daisuki), which is composed of the kanji for “big” (大) and “like (something, someone)” (好き). This word can be used to express a strong liking for a person or thing and does not always have romantic connotations. It can be used to say you like anything, from a particular food to your pet to a boy band to an actor to a character to any person you’re fond of, including a friend, a child, or a lover. Parents sometimes use this word to express affection for their children. There are several ways to say “I love you” in Japanese. Of them, this word has the most general use and the least intense meaning.

なりたい自分になりたいの

= “I want to be who I want to be.”

私は私が当たりまえに生きたいだけ

= “I just want to live my life in the way that is natural for me.”

ねエ? 甘くん

= Right, Jin-kun?

私はトガヒミコ

= “I am Himiko Toga.”

ヒーローはいらない

= “I don’t need a Hero / Heroes.”

だから消えてねさようなら

= “So, please disappear / die. Goodbye.”

These days, ね (romaji: ne) keeps sneaking its way into Himiko’s sentences. It’s a particle that can be used as a request for confirmation or agreement (e.g., right?; isn’t it?; doesn’t it?; don’t you?; don’t you agree? aren’t you?), to express one’s thoughts and feelings (e.g., you know; you see; I must say; I should think), to make an informal request (e.g., will you?; please), or as a filler word.

What’s interesting about it to me is that Touya has a habit of overusing this and other words with similar functions. The more he feels he is not being seen, heard, understood, and believed, the more anxious and upset he becomes and the more his speech becomes peppered with all of these awkward, unnecessary, and largely rhetorical confirmation seekers / filler words. This nervous habit of his is a verbal tic born from not being listened to, validated, and supported as a child when he tried to confide in others. (It is also evidence that the “fawn”—or people appeasing / people pleasing—survival response has been activated). He reached out to his family members for sympathy and understanding and found everyone had closed their eyes, ears, and hearts to him. He was fun to play with, sure, and oh so cool, but he wasn’t fun to be around when he was riling Enji and/or Rei up or sobbing and complaining about stuff everyone else preferred not to think about or confronting his parents about their selfishness and utter failure to be good enough parents (developmental psychology term; coined by Dr. Donald Winnicott in the 1950s) to the four children they had forced into the world and then neglected. He wasn’t fun when he was making problems, and he was always making problems. Because his pain was not met with kindness and compassion and because all anyone ever thought to say to him was “stop doing that; stop being so stubborn; do something else; play with something/someone” or “talk to someone else,” he internalized the message that he is not a person who can generally trust that he will be believed when he speaks out when he has been wronged or that he will be received warmly when he is hurt and in need of emotional support. He learned that he is not a person who can expect that others will respond to help him when he reaches out to them for comfort and protection, that he is not a person other people care to listen to and share with, that his feelings do not matter and are burdensome to others, that his word is worthless because he is.

Himiko has a similar habit of framing declaratives as suppositions and demands as requests, which is easily explained by how she was being raised by her parents to be a “good, deferential, normal” girl. She’s the kind of person who says “please stop” when she means “stop it right now” or “fuck off” because saying “stop it right now” or “fuck off” would be too forward and offensive and she must always be meek and mind her manners. Touya showed evidence of having his confirmation-seeking verbal tic as a child, but Himiko seems to have developed this habit more recently, which leads me to wonder if somewhere along the line she began unconsciously mirroring him down to how he talks, or maybe she’s feeling especially uncertain? It is uncomfortable breaking “character” to be a version of yourself—your authentic self—you’ve never been allowed to be or given yourself permission to be. It’s understandable she’d be feeling out of her element.

いやだよ！私も私の当たり前を全うする麗日お茶子として！

= “I refuse! I also live in the way that is natural for me as Ochako Uraraka!”

There is a bit of a disconnect here that I’m only noticing now. Himiko said that all she wants is to [be able to] live in the way that is natural (could also be translated as “normal; ordinary”) for her, meaning she is not currently free to be herself but she wants to be. Ochako answered as if Himiko had said that she has already been living freely in accordance with her beliefs and values and affirmed that she, too, lives in the way that is natural (could also be translated as “normal; ordinary”) for her.

That’s the end of our detour to No.349. Let’s pick up where we left off with No.375, shall we?

そもそもココで逆転しても

= In the first place, even if [I, we] reverse [the situation] here,

戻りの船をわざわざ島に着かせてるとは考えにくい… こっちのワンチャンをわざわざしまにつかせてるとはかんがえにくい…

= it’s hard to imagine [my, our] one chance (read as: return boat) going out of its way to reach the island…

What Himiko means is that if a ship to collect the Heroes were to arrive on the island, she could escape away on it as a stowaway or Transformed, but she understands that something so convenient for her side (and ill-planned on the Heroes’ part) is not likely to happen.

分断と隔離…ヒーローはもう"仁くん"のこと知ってる？

= Division and isolation… Do the Heroes already know about Jin-kun?

I think it’s sweet that Himiko refers to Jin’s blood as if it were him. That blood is all she has left of her brother. To her, blood is life, the essence of a person. To carry Jin’s blood with her is to have Jin-kun with her always. That is why it would have meant the world to Himiko that Touya salvaged a little piece of her brother to give back to her. In a way, Touya did save Jin. Actions speak louder than words, especially for the Japanese, who strongly prefer to demonstrate their affection and devotion through generous and caring acts rather than through words. (This shying away from direct expressions of love and intimacy is so deeply ingrained in Japanese culture that it is not uncommon for husbands and wives to spend their lives together happily married and having never spoken the words “I love you”!) For Himiko, blood is a love language. Touya spoke it fluently in No.341. Something else that is interesting to consider is that Horikoshi is known to have been very intentional with his naming conventions, with basically every character’s name flagging something about their Quirk (and personality) or their arc and function in the narrative. I wrote more about this in another post on another character (= Hawks) that I’ve yet to share, but I'll go ahead and include related excerpts from that post here. Unfortunately, I've hit the screenshot cap for Part I. Here is the link to Part II: https://at.tumblr.com/antiquity1111/bnha-375-japanese-to-english-translation-w/0rytdy0l68x3.

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