#anti shinsho

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

If I recall from canon, didn't Aizawa admits during the Sports Festival Arc that he only reads(skims) the student files right then and there(at the Sports Festival), thus he still wouldn't get the full situation with the students?

Who know what's funny, had Shinso been in 1-A in the first place like in a lot of fanfics with Mineta-replaced-by-Shinso, Aizawa teaching only him would just be Aizawa sucking Bakugo's and Shinso's dicks(let's be really here, Bakugo still gets a lot of love in these fics). But on the other hand, those same Shinso-in-1-A often does lead to the fact that Aizawa actually does his job for the rest of the class. There are obviously rare fic exceptions that call out the canon version of Aizawa, but most of the time, Aizawa actually is made into a better teacher.

Canon Aizawa just becomes a bigger issue simply because we are shown more scenes of him teaching Shinso than teaching the 1-A students combined. We literally need filler arcs in both the manga and anime of him teaching the 1-A students and one of the issues we would have with Aizawa would be diminished.

I totally forgot about that. Yeah, the fact he admits he only “skims” their files is him outright admitting what a lousy teacher he is. Based on what we’ve seen, his idea of “skimming” files is him not even reading them to the point where one of the first pieces of info about Izuku’s quirk, the day he registered it, was glanced over.

You’re pretty much right about him sucking Hitoshi’s dick from the get-go if he was in his class. After Katsuki, Shota’s favorite student is by far Hitoshi… despite Hitoshi’s terrible attitude and lack of effort put into training.

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

A good write up on why I don’t like Hitoshi. I do have my issues with U.A’s exam, primarily that it’s not versatile in any sort of way outside of wailing on robots, but if best girl Tooru can restrain or destroy robots while only having an invisibility quirk, then there’s no reason why Hitoshi couldn’t have done so either. The answer is that he didn’t train whatsoever.

The UA Entrance Exam

This was going to be part of a larger post about UA as a whole, but I decided this was probably best to stand alone, because this is more random thought/opinion than a proper critical post. Welcome to what is probably going to be a controversial post: the UA Admissions test isn't bad?

The main argument against it is that it puts those without a combat quirk at a disadvantage, right? And, well, that's true. But... is that wrong?

Here's the thing: the more heroism as a whole is developed in the setting, the more something becomes startling clear, one simple fact that stands above all others.

Heroism is a profession defined by fighting.

You can be a rescue hero, you can spend your time saving people from collapsing building or finding those who are lost, but if you've gotten to the point of being a professional hero? You know how to throw down.

I'm not even talking about UA, here: there's a license exam that everyone has to take, as part of a process of being a hero. Half of it is saving people, yes... but the other half? It's purely about fighting other people. Hell, even part of the saving people portion has combat aspects, since it's focused around, not just saving people, but saving people while under attack.

I'll say it again: if you are a hero, you are a fighter, by definition.

So, what's that have to do with the UA entrance exam? In all honesty, that exam is functionally a simulation of running around a city, beating up random street thugs. It's testing if you can beat people up, one of the most fundamental parts of heroism (deadpan stare).

The follow up point is, what about Quirks that aren't combat focused, but are still useful for heroism? Shinso, for example? If those were actual people, he probably could have beaten them, right? That's unfair!

And, I'll admit, that's right; in the context of that exam, it is unfair, because some people can vomit lava lasers and some can't. Is Brainwash useful? Absolutely. Counterpoint: what is day one Shinso going to do if he meets some guy in an alley with no mouth and a knife?

Die.

Literally, if he didn't run away, all he'd do is die.

Everyone who passed, and quite a few who didn't pass, could take down Wannabe Slenderman, while Shinso would just end up dead in that alley. This is going to sound bad, but life is unfair, and if you're going to go around picking fights with dangerous people and not prepared for that fact, you will pay for it.

Now, let me introduce you to Chad Hagakure.

In the grand scheme of things, while Toru has a useful support power, Shinso's is a lot better than hers, more versatile, more powerful. You can, in the words of Ollivander, do great things with a power like that. While Toru's Quirk gives her some advantages against the robots, it isn't going to beat them for her, either, and the off button idea is fanon with no canon backing.

So how did she get in, with her inferior quirk, when Shinso didn't?

Because Shinso coasted through his life with only his Quirk, and then was helpless when met up with something with the amazing ability to shut up. Everything he did, before Aizawa took him under his wing, revolved around making the other person talk, and absolutely nothing else. Toru, meanwhile, found opponents her invisibility couldn't magically destroy for her, and responded by beating them to death.

You probably think I'm being dramatic or something, but I'm not kidding. You need to stop robots to get points to pass; Izuku is the only person to pass on rescue points only, canonly. She doesn't have a power or tools to let her restrain them like Minoru did, so she had to, had to, break them. She doesn't have laser beams, or fire blasts, or anything to make it easy for her; all Toru had was the ability to ambush things, her muscles, and maybe a rock or a steel plate or something she picked up along the way.

That's all she had... and then she managed to kill her way in the heroism course anyways, past people who probably had Quirks much more compatible with the problem at hand. She went up to robots, probably from behind, and then hit them until they stopped moving.

In other words, Toru went into the Entrance Exam... and then the Doom music kicked in.

At the end of the day, though, I'm saying all these things, and while they're true, I feel like I'm dancing around the fundamental point: being a hero is about more than just a Quirk.

As a setting, MHA is one with a broad set of powers and abilities, by design. It means that there's lots of cool and interesting people to meet, which is the point, but on a practical level, it also means that every Quirk, every Quirk, has something that counters it. For support Quirks especially, there's seemingly always that One Simple Trick to beat them; a pair of thermal goggles, for example, renders Toru Quirkless. If you just don't talk, Brainwash is useless. And when that happens, you can't just say, 'Time out!' and get a new villain; you'll have to fight them anyways.

If you depend on your one special trick and nothing else, one day that will be your downfall.

UA has a lot of questionable decisions in it, about it, around it, but it is good at teaching its students how to beat the living shit out of people; you could even say it specializes in it. It has no illusions about the reality of the job it's preparing them for. And in the same vein, this isn't something that should be a surprise to any applicant; almost every time we see a hero in the media? They've just finished fighting someone. If they're not entering UA with wide open eyes about what they're going to have to do (and probably after signing some liability waivers to boot), then frankly they're idiots.

The Entrance Exam, mostly, tested one simple thing: are you ready to fight someone? Are you ready to walk into that alleyway and beat those thugs into submission? It's easier for people with combat Quirks, yes, because those are Quirks that are good at fighting, but that's not the end all; in another life, if he had worked out before hand, if he was determined to win, even if he was at a disadvantage, Shinso could have walked in, picked up a piece of rebar, and just hit things until he passed.

Like, let's compare Shinso and Bakugou: both of them have a good Quirk, and both of them knew it. (I know fanon and the narrative say otherwise, but Shinso has had nothing but praise from the flashbacks we've seen, with only a few comments that were somewhat negative but still held implicit respect for his Quirk and it's powers. Everyone he talks to says he has a good Quirk. He's happy using his Quirk. He is not the fanon abused little racoon.)

Shinso accepted that as fact and walked into UA without putting any work in, from what we can see (he faced Izuku, who was effectively Quirkless, and the second his Quirk failed he panicked and basiclly flailed more than fought, still only trying to make Izuku talk rather than actually beat him in a fight, even though Izuku was right there, about to beat him in a fight, and prepared to avoid his Quirk) and was smacked down accordingly.

Then we look at Bakugou, and that's the thing with Bakugou: he had an easy road to heroism, and knew it. I've said this somewhere before, but Hori leans on 'Bakugou works hard' as an excuse to not talk about his moral failings, because he does work hard, but not that hard. 'Bakugou working hard', in all honesty, is peak 'Tell not Show', and is repeated so damn often I'm sick of it.

The thing is that the idea of that isn't wrong, just the execution of it. With his muscles, with the way his Quirk is supposed to work, he had to put work into bulking up, staying in shape. He didn't just get his Quirk and say, 'I'm set for life', he fought for it. And while Hori praises him like Rock Lee when we barely see him do shit, the idea of a talented person working hard anyways could have been great. It's something you see in a lot of shonen manga, and is emblematic of heroism itself, and the spirit that UA is supposed to show: you can't just coast into heroism. You need to fight for it, earn it.

...I got a bit off topic there, but the point is the kid didn't just manifest those muscles out of the ether, he has to be training off screen, even if we should be seeing it more on screen.

Bakugou had a good Quirk, but was willing to train himself to achieve his goals.

Toru has a, honestly, medicore Quirk, but still managed to fight her way to her dreams.

Shinso has a good Quirk, but his only strategy when his Quirk failed him was, 'try harder to get them again with my Quirk!'.

Heroism is about power, true, but it's also about attitude, willingness, determination, the ability to perform under pressure and to make good choices and act on them, all the things that got early Izuku through the series before he got Full Cowl, often without using his Quirk at all. Most of that, if not all of it, can be trained over time, true... But if you're not born lucky, and you're not willing or able to work out enough, to think cleverly enough, or to be vicious enough to smash some weak robots, then honestly you're probably not ready for the hero course.

[astoryofalove]

What should I say if a Zerith fan tries to tell me Zack and Aerith is cannon?

First, try not to laugh. Second, direct them to either this post or my twitter thread about how un-canon that ship is. You could also just shut them up immediately with these quotes… 

The absolute first thing you must do is you need to establish that Aerith knew/loved the REAL Cloud and these quotes will help you do that:

1:

Aerith “………first off, it bothered me how you looked exactly alike.” “Two completely different people, but look exactly the same.” “The way you walk, gesture…” “I think I must have seen him again, in you…” (She shakes her head) Aerith “But you’re different.” (She looks down again) Aerith “Things are different…” Aerith “Cloud…” “I’m searching for you…” Cloud “…………?” Aerith “I want to meet you.” Cloud “But I’m right here.” Aerith (I know, I know… what I mean is…) “I want to meet….. you.”

(Original game)

Why it matters: It’s the original game… i.e. the bible of FFVII, it’s the most trustworthy source we can rely on. Aerith says it BOTHERED her how alike they were but then says that they’re different and that she wants to know the real Cloud. This proves that –in game– Aerith recognized Cloud for who he was and detected what was wrong with him even BEFORE anyone else did, including Cloud. It also shows viewers that Aerith prefers Cloud over Zack. 

2:

 Aerith: “At first when I met Cloud, I believed he was similar to Zack. Little actions, the way he spoke… his kindness. But Cloud is Cloud. I, now undoubtedly, love Cloud much more than Zack.” Aerith’s page, Gongaga; DISMANTLED

Why it matters: Dismantled (otherwise known as “Kaitai Shinsho”) was released alongside FFVII in 1997. It is the oldest Ultimania book we have and its age is why I consider it the most important book to read. As you can see, this quote takes place during Gongaga and during this scene Aerith confesses to herself that she recognizes the “real” Cloud and loves him far more than she ever loved Zack. This book is written by Benny Matsuyama and published by the same publishing company that has released every guidebook since the game was released. People cannot discredit this book without discrediting every other book in the series. 

3:

“Despite his cold behavior in several scenes, Cloud is essentially popular with members of the opposite sex. In addition to FFVII’s heroines Tifa and Aerith both having feelings for him (…)” - 10th ANNIVERSARY ULTIMANIA

Why it matters: Again, it’s an Ultimania book that fans on the opposing side just adore using when it fits their agenda. So this quote clearly says that Aerith (and Tifa) both like Cloud despite his “cold behavior”. This not only proves Aerith saw the “real” Cloud but it also proves she loves him.

4:

“FFVII: Both Aerith, who is forthright, and Tifa, who is demure, have feelings for Cloud but he is none the wiser to them.” - CLOUD’S CHARACTER PROFILE, 10th ANNIVERSARY ULTIMANIA

Why it matters: Again, point blank says that Aerith has feelings for Cloud. It doesn’t say anything about Zack. 

5:

“Both of them share feelings for Cloud — Tifa was close to Aerith, who can also be called a love rival. With that point in mind, they were also good friends. Nevertheless, it is not hard to imagine that she carries complex feelings as a woman toward Aerith, who had built up a special bond with Cloud that was different from Tifa’s.” -TIFA’S CHARACTER PROFILE, 10th ANNIVERSARY ULTIMANIA

Why it matters: This particular quote is for Advent Children. It says that Aerith has feelings for Cloud and built a special bond with him that makes Tifa jealous… during Advent Children. This is after Aerith is dead and in the Lifestream. If Aerith only loved Cloud for Zack then she wouldn’t be described as still loving Cloud when she’s dead.

6:

 “Even though Aerith perceived that Cloud had lost sight of his true self, she still has great affection for him. As an Ancient, Aerith had planned to accomplish the mission. On the one hand, her last concern is Cloud.” - AERITH’S CHARACTER PROFILE, 10th ANNIVERSARY ULTIMANIA

Why it matters: It says very clearly that Aerith realized Cloud had lost sight of his “true” self but still loved him regardless. Pretty self explanatory but if antis don’t get it, it’s just because they don’t want to.

7:

 “So you won’t have a breakdown..” Aerith appears in Cloud’s dream, and she seems to console him with such advice. This line can infer that Aerith has seen through to the essence of Cloud. -PG.156 FFVII ULTIMANIA OMEGA

Why it matters: I feel like a broken record but, again… it says that Aerith saw the “real” Cloud before anyone else did.

8:

 “Although in the beginning, Aerith felt close to Cloud because he behaved like Zack, her interest in Cloud himself grows and she is attracted to him.” -PG.31 FFVII ULTIMANIA OMEGA

Why it matters: Again, self explanatory lol

9:

“I’m looking for you.“…"So you won’t have a breakdown.” - what Aerith told Cloud reveals many deep meanings. Aerith detected that the present Cloud is not the real him during their encounters. She knows it because of her mysterious, inherent ability. ~page 29, FFVII Ultimania Omega 

Why it matters: Self explanatory.

10:

When Aerith thinks of Cloud and Zack’s similarities, she sees that the present Cloud is not the real Cloud. Her meaningful lines like, “I’m searching for you” and “I want to meet you” all mean that she has discovered the existence of the real Cloud, although he’s not aware of it himself. ~page 31, FFVII Ultimania Omega

Why it matters: It’s as if Square Enix knew the stupid arguments antis say and was like “lol how about nah, fam”. Seriously, this single quote destroys all of those stupid arguments about Aerith not knowing the real Cloud or only loving him for “Zack”. Just expect to hear that these books aren’t canon or expect to be called nasty names in return for popping their bubble.

I mean, that’s why Square Enix recently had Cloud say in Itadaki Street that Aerith knew the real him even before he knew it himself.

WHICH YOU CAN WATCH HERE:

11:  

Cloud: “When (we) were riding on the ferris-wheel I’m sure Aerith was aware of the real me, whom I looked/turned away from.” ~ Itadaki Street DQ/FF

Why it matters: Cloud recalls the clerith date as if it’s canon (hint: it is) and then says Aerith knew the real him before he even knew of it himself. Case closed. Square Enix hates these ridiculous ZA arguments and if they don’t get it by now they never will. 

You can use the following quotes to prove Aerith prefers her bodyguard over the cheater, Zack.

12:

Zack: “Man, you know Aerith. Out of all the girls I’ve gotten along with, you truly are the best. After that mission, we could’ve stayed the way we were and might have been able to continue to go out with each other after I returned home. I hate Sephiroth. And I hate Shinra who’s been hiding all the stuff they’ve been doing.”Aerith: “Someone who’s gotten along with so many girls can never become a lover.”Zack: “How mean. I’m nice to everyone.”Aerith: “And that’s your bad point. You’re not simplistic and awkward like Cloud.”

And here’s another quote

Zack: “But whenever you feel lonely, call me Aerith.”Aerith: “Only if I get really lonely. Goodnight, Zack.”

Why it matters: It’s an official novel written by Benny Matsuyama (at Nomura’s request) and it clearly shows Aerith saying what makes Cloud better than Zack is that Cloud is “simplistic and awkward”, which proves Aerith knows the “real” Cloud. Hearing Aerith say this stuff literally makes Zack sad. And when he tries to hit on her one final time Aerith turns him down by pretty much saying “only if I’m desperate”. Ouch.

Other quotes that prove Aerith loves Cloud even after dying are the following:

13:

“Aerith was in even greater pain when she thought about Cloud. She also had good feelings towards him. At first, she thought he somehow had some similarities to her first love. Even so, his looks, voice and personality weren’t similar and he also made her think of him as a mysterious person… But it soon didn’t matter. She loved him much more than her first love. Cloud was her hero and he couldn’t get away from danger. She saw him as someone full of confidence, cool and had the impression that he would disappear in an instant if she took her eyes off him. She wanted to stay by his side forever if she could. She really wanted to.“ -MAIDEN OF THE PLANET

Why it matters: Just read it lol

14:  

 “That was where Aerith hesitated. Will she let all humans die or was she going to avoid such a disaster in exchange for her life… But she never did think about it and was already prepared. When she did hesitate about leaving Cloud in sorrow, she would think about how it wouldn’t save her companions or the people of the world. She had already made up her mind. There was no other choice. It was all for Cloud too. | Maiden of the Planet

Why it matters: Aerith was only able to continue with her sacrifice because she knew it would save Cloud. She literally died for him… She. Doesn’t. Love. Zack.

15:

“But a cry came through to her.It wasn’t the sound of her cry. If it was then she would have felt the blood gushing up through her throat and the fury that forced its way out from the depths of her soul–It was the sound of Cloud’s heart cracking. It was the cry of his heart that could never be healed of the grief he had towards Aerith’s death, the blame towards himself and the hatred he had for Sephiroth.She was surprised at the great sorrow he had for her. She was a little happy that he thought so much of her but she also felt the pain that was many times greater. There was nothing she could do about Cloud’s suffering and the pain ached in her heart.The pain continued even though she was in the Lifestream.”

Why it matters: First, it says Aerith was happy that Cloud thought so much of her… Can’t get much clearer than that. Then, while Aerith is dying, she doesn’t feel her own pain or anyone else’s pain—she feels Cloud’s pain, his heartbreak was the strongest feeling in the world at that moment. And as he suffered, Aerith suffered even though she was in the Lifestream. This is what happens for soul-mates, okay.

I also suggest reminding that Zerith shipper that Zack doesn’t deserve Aerith because he was cheating on her:

“Zack loves women, a real lady’s man” Like what Aerith recalled in FF7, Zack is very good at hitting on girls, and is skilled at flirting. In BC, he used to compliment a female member of Turks during a mission; in CC, he also invited Cissnei, a member from Turks, to dine together. Since “one who steals an egg will steal an ox”, Zack’s girlfriend, Aerith, maybe felt impatient about this….?

[ screencap captions ]

CLOUD & ZACK IN THE TRUCK: “On the way of escape to Midgar, WHICH GIRLFRIEND did Zack plan to ask help for?”

(Zack’s info in FFVII Ultimania, p.83)

AND Zack wasn’t even going to visit Aerith just because her mom was there. 

16:

Zack “What’re you gonna do when we get to Midgar?” (Cloud continues to bob his head.) Cloud “………” (Zack stands) Zack “I know what I’m gonna do.” (He crosses his arms) Zack “I got a place I can crash for a while…” (He turns to Cloud) Zack “No wait, the mother lives there, too…” (He scratches his head.) Zack “Guess that’s out…” (He shakes his head. Cloud continues to bob his like nobody’s business.) Cloud “………” Zack “Yep… gotta change my plans!”

Why it matters: Zack refers to Aerith as a mere “place to crash” (first off, ew) secondly, once he remembers that Aerith’s mother lives with her he completely changes his plans. Zack was never going to return to Aerith because he “loved” her. It was a silly retcon to milk the fandom.

Which leads Aerith to say the following:

17:

Aerith: “Although called my first love, that doesn’t mean that we (Zack & Aerith) became particularly intimate. I encountered him by chance as a flower vendor in Midgar. It was good for a little while, so I thought.” (DISMANTLED) 

Why it matters: Aerith says their relationship wasn’t good and says they never became “particularly intimate”. Game over.

Which is why their “relationship” is described as:

18:

“Zack falls to the Church of the Slum during his mission and ends up meeting the girl Aerith, who’s trimming flowers. They both feel contented simply with each other’s company; it’s a platonic love. They think these kinds of happy days will last forever, but…. ”(Crisis Core Ultimania, Zack’s profile)

Why it matters: “P L A T O N I C      L O V E”. 

19:

They attract to each other by mutual feelings similar to friendship, because they’re both juvenile, if you call it love… (Crisis Core Ultimania)

Why it matters: Their feelings are “similar to friendship“ and “juvenile”. Done and done.

The last important thing you need to establish is that Cloud and Aerith are identified as lovers in not one, not two, but THREE languages.

JAPANESE: クラウドは女の友人であり、恋人であり FRENCH: “Cloud avait ete son ami, et son amant”GERMAN: “Cloud war ihr Freund, ihr Geliebter”

(OtWtaS: Case of Lifestream (White; Chapter 1)

恋人 = Lover

“amant” = Lover

“Geliebter” = Lover/Boyfriend.

Why it matters: It’s an official novel written by The Man himself, Kazushige Nojima, set right before Advent Children takes place. For Cloud to be identified as Aerith’s lover in three different languages during Advent Children’s setting means that she still loves him despite being in the Lifestream. Which is odd since fans claim Aerith “loves” Zack. 

PLUS, Zerith literally stole everything that makes it popular from OG Clerith. 

The way they meet in the church, that was not just a retcon but it was inspired by Cloud and Aerith’s second meet cute. Nojima even stated that they copied the clerith moment in order to quickly build the ZA ship without wasting time on actually developing it. Nojima validated the clerith romance by using a clerith scene in order to make ZA believable. That’s how romantic Clerith is.

Q: Some parts we didn’t imagine from Aerith’s saying of “he’s my first love” in FF7 are depicted in CC. There are many FF7 fans who’re pleased about it.Nojima: The setting that “falling from the roof of the Church” repeats Aerith’s encounter with Cloud was decided in the beginning. Though we’re talking about love, they are still young and there’s no time to describe “how they become fond of each other” in the game. So I made it like “falling into a sudden crush.” Personally, the setting that Aerith’s “how about one date” to Cloud in FF7 reappears in Zack’s lines is the greatest joy to me. Even though this line was casually placed in FF7, I care a bit about the saying that “it was thoughtless of her to say that.” The way of having Aerith receive Zack’s words is a defense for her. (Crisis Core Ultimania, p. 579)

The flower field imagery originally belonged to Clerith, the love beyond death themes originally (and still does) belong to Clerith, the Mog park date was stolen from Clerith, heck… even the way Aerith compliments Zack’s eyes mimics what Cloud did to Aerith in Dismantled. 

Z/erith WAS canon at one point, in an emotional way. But it never got anywhere near serious at all (at the most, they hugged). 

She moved on and fell in love with Cloud Strife, her devoted bodyguard who she literally died to protect. 

Cloud is a symbol for something important, an existence that she must protect. She is head-over-heels, over the moon in love with Cloud and nothing in the retcon Crisis Core will ever change that. Ever.

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

OVA anon back again, just had another thought.

one thing i don't understand about the "shinso replaces mineta" fic genre is the reasoning. what reason would the school have to pick some kid who couldn't even pass the regular hero entrance exam when they could take the kid who scored 5th in the recommendation exam (or 6th, i guess, because of inasa)? maybe that kid did well on the exam, but just not as well as the ones who scored ahead of them. one of the only things aizawa is right about is that the regular entrance exam is heavily biased against kids with non-physical quirks, but given how the school is run this seems like the more sensible solution. especially since the recommendation track seems to be meant for kids who already show exceptional skill for their age.

this is actually what i'm using in my fic as an explanation for why the new character i'm writing makes it into class A instead of shinso. he can stay in gen ed lmao

That’s a really good point. I feel ranking 5th/6th on the recommendation exams would put you in as the first member of the waitlist in terms of transferring to the hero course (assuming you’re still attending U.A,). After all, it’s not like anyone can be recommended. If that was the case then Tenya would’ve been eligible via Tensei’s request. It’s those trained by the best of the best and those personally selected by a faculty member that are given such an opportunity. For Hitoshi to make it in over them makes no sense, unless all the recommended students who didn’t make it decided to go to another school.

I’d like to hear more about your character if you’re willing to tell me, cause I got a similar character (except in the sense that he passed the recommendation exam but decided that he doesn’t wanna be a pro, so he was given a spot in Gen Ed instead)

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

bruh please get into why you don't like shota I'm genuinely interested 🙏

Reasons why I don’t like Shota:

- Is easily the worst teacher in MHA: we never actually see him do his job. Every time we see him in a school setting, he’s either asleep or he pawns off his work to other teachers. He doesn’t give his students any advice except “do better” and he’s shown to be willing to drop students on THE FIRST FUCKING DAY OF CLASSES if they don’t suddenly improve. Izuku’s the biggest example of this. If Shota was good at his damn job, he’d read about his students ahead of time and learned that Izuku only had his quirk for a few months so it’s obvious that he won’t know how to use it properly. A real teacher would see this and offer aid, only expelling Izuku if he shows absolutely no improvements after a month or two. He managed to pass the entrance exam which means he’s more than worthy of being given a chance compared to the Gen-Ed students who failed to get into the hero course (looking at you Hitoshi). Meanwhile, Katsuki attacks Izuku on the first day and even sabotages his score yet Mr. “Logical” here doesn’t expel him. Adding to this, when Katsuki nearly kills Izuku, all he tells him is to “grow up”. These instances show him as outright neglectful and lazy. It gets even worse when you realize that the only time he actually tried doing his job, he fucked up big time by forcing an abuse victim to work with his abuser. Oh, and don’t get me started on him using Eri to further Katsuki’s growth in one of the light novels. Shota, it’s not the responsibility of those abused to help an abuser grow. People love to rag on All Might for his teaching, but while All Might sucks at his job, he at least tries. Shota is neglectful, abusive, and just an outright asshole at this point.

- Is a mouthpiece for Katsuki: despite Katsuki being a student Shota should’ve expelled right off the bat based on what we’re told about him, he instead praises Katsuki and is used by Hori to wank him off. He tells the people rightfully booing him during the Sports Festival that he was “giving it his all” against Ochako when all he was doing is just standing there and swatting her away when he could’ve easily took her out in one or two blows. Katsuki even says that it’s “time to get serious” after Ochako’s final attack, which meant he wasn’t taking her seriously to begin with. When people rightfully question Katsuki’s behavior after his kidnapping, Shota says that “Katsuki deserves to be a hero because he tries hard”. Bruh, just because you try hard doesn’t mean you deserve shit, especially when you’ve repeatedly proven that you can’t handle the responsibilities that come with being a hero.

- Doesn’t care about the mental health or the future of his students: One of the first things he does in the series is tell Ochako that knowledge of the school’s various facilities, including the guidance counselor, isn’t important. He then proceeds to use his little “logical rouses” which all that does is make sure none of his students can trust him with anything. He singles out Izuku and calls him a liability in front of his classmates instead of taking him to the side. His little “expulsion game” is also very harmful. In Japan, grades and academic records are highly valued. Any blemish can fuck up a kid’s future. By suspending his students, he screwed them over in the long run, especially since they’re in an “elite school” like U.A. Any kid who’d rather take a different path in life is fucked because Shota suspended them on the FIRST DAY of school. And for what? Not being at the level of a sidekick or pro hero? Except for those who had to take quirk counseling due to uncontrollable quirks, none of them had formal training, so who is he to say they can’t be heroes on the first day? All they had is one day to prove themselves on some shitty fitness exam that doesn’t even test their character or willingness to learn. Shota preaches about life being unfair but he’s actively making things unfair just because he’s got a God Complex.

- Is a hypocrite: Shota hates people who spam their quirks and only rely on them, so what does he do? Takes in a kid who does exactly that as his mentee just because he reminds him of himself and of his dead friend (Hitoshi’s my third least favorite MHA character in case you were wondering). He dislikes All Might for supposedly playing favorites but he does exactly that. We actually see him training this kid over his class, said kid who hasn’t done anything to achieve his dream.

-Narrative wanks him off: Never is Shota’s actions called out. He’s never made to be in the wrong. Every character loves him and those who don’t (like his previous class) are made to be in the wrong or are made to be assholes. However, unlike Katsuki, he at least isn’t completely covered by plot armor, having lost his leg and part of his eyesight due to battles he’s taken part in.

- He dropped a FUCKING BUILDING on his students during one of the OVA’s. Enough said. Somehow he’s been more successful nearly killing his students than the villains have at killing 1-A.

At the end of the day, Shota’s an abusive, neglectful, hypocritical, and egotistical asshole with a God complex who never gets called out on his bullshit. He may be a decent hero, but that’s really not something that overrides all his shitty traits. I see what Hori was going for, but like with a lot of things, Hori misses the mark and forgets what makes characters of Shota’s archetypes work in the first place.