#bnha endgame speculation

[class1akids]

hii, so what do you think will happen to Deku?? ive been seeing soo many people on my tl saying that he'll end up quirkless and i know its not supposed to be like that but now idk anymore and with this last chapter i think he may end up quirkless which i hate btw. Anyways, what are your thots on this and where do you think the memory thing is going?

I'm sorry to say, but I've been a "Deku ends up quirkless" again truther for many years. To me, narratively, it just makes sense for the overall set-up of the main question of the manga: "Can I be a hero?" which has kept coming back in the endgame to come full circle.

In this story, we have learnt that all kinds of people can become heroes: people with "villain quirks" (like Shinsou), people with niche quirks (Aizawa, Monoma), people with troublesome quirks (Mirio), people who don't even use their quirks to be heroes (Hatsume). So I don't see how it would be only the MC, who needs specifically the greatest power in existence to be a hero. Deku needs to be able to face his quirkless middle school self and tell him with all confidence that "you can be a hero too".

To me, given how OFA evolved (the multiple quirks, the shortcuts to 100%, the short learning time), it would make sense if Deku's journey is not to be an empty chalice / tool for OFA, but OFA to be the tool for him to discover his own strengths (physical, mental, battle IQ, etc.), learn how to fight and help him to become a hero.

All Might even did the test run for an Armored Hero, mimicking the quirks of Class A and held up against AFO just as well if not better than people with quirks did. That plot is way more fitting for Deku who has actually been relentlessly studying his friends' quirks and with proto-Deku being an actual tech hero.

And on top of it, I think that Deku staying as ridiculously OP as he is would not give him a happy ending. OFA has no reason to exist once AFO (the quirk) is gone for good. Staying so OP would send Izuku down the road of All Might 2.0 - whether he wants to or not - with no life for himself. He's self-sacrificial enough that if he has the power to do everything, he will keep doing it and run to every corner of the world to help. It's isolating and that rat race is not what makes Izuku as a person happy.

He's someone who likes to hang out with his friends, stop to chat with people he saved and make candy apples to make them smile. That's where his true happiness lie imho.

The only question mark I have is because of Bakugou's ridiculous power-up. I've always thought Bakugou and Deku will end up around the same power level in the end (to keep the whole rivals thing going into post-franchise movies). Probably Shouto too, but that's less of a given.

But now, I'm not sure how Horikoshi will balance this. Bakugou is still nowhere near full-power Deku, but Armored Deku I don't think would be a credible rival to 2xAwakened Bakugou. So because of that, I can imagine, Hori will do the typical Hori-thing and won't commit and will go instead for some half-ass solution of nerfing Deku just so (e.g. having him keep Black Whip or have some asspull of the super strength fuse into his DNA, or get a quirk back from Tomura...) and then keep the fandom arguing who is stronger.

For me, the narratively more compelling story is to have Deku wake up quirkless after the big battle, after he saved the world and getting a few chapters of him getting back to his feet, and not a single soul question whether he still belongs to the hero course because of course he does. And then have absolutely everyone help him - to pitch in money to develop his armor and help him train and everyone (and especially Bakugou) treat him as absolute EQUAL and as an inspiration. And then have him graduate from UA as the first ever quirkless hero ever (and go on to work as hero partners with Bakugou probably).

Hori said that he has a lot of stuff he wants to draw after the war, and I think something like this would make sense.

[makeste]

So there's an article that says this is going to be the last arc of MHA, but I feel like that could be just conjecture as there's already a bunch of stuff that hasn't been fully explored, threads that haven't been finished, such as the UA traitor, or what the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th user's Quirks are, or who Hisashi Midoriya is. If it's the last arc, then I feel like it will lead to a Part 2 of the series. If not, then it's really going to be a long arc.

for me personally, I’d rather see the series end after one last giant, epic arc than have it spin off into a part 2. I have a bunch of other posts about this already though (they’re a few months out of date, but my opinions haven’t changed at all), so I’ll just link those and summarize here.

timeskips are The Worst and I hate them lol.

Horikoshi has hinted (and as of last December, blatantly said outright) in multiple interviews that we were getting close to the end of the series. he’s also had a clear idea of his overall endgame for a long time and has been steadily drawing the lines to connect all of those dots.

Horikoshi’s pacing has always been much faster than that of most other mangaka. I actually broke it down arc by arc in an Excel chart once and summarized the results here. his average arc is only about 20 chapters long (and even shorter than that if you exclude the two big outlier arcs). so his recent pacing is nothing new. he isn’t actually going any faster than usual, it just feels that way because so many things are actually being resolved now at last.

a lot of the still-unresolved plot points (and there are only a few of them left now) will probably take less time to wrap up than people think. don’t forget that the Prison Break took only one chapter instead of being an entire arc like everyone expected. Mirio got his quirk back in the span of five pages. the quirk-be-gone bullets were finally introduced in the middle of the War arc and took up less than one chapter total. granted, I think things like the U.A. traitor and the Second and Third users will take up more page time than that, but even if they take up a dozen chapters each, that still puts us well within the 400-chapter range, which is still my best guess for how long the series will be.

that isn’t a bad thing either, imo. as I’ve said before, I would rather have Horikoshi end the series on his own terms and go out with a bang than see the series drag on past its prime like so many other once-great series have done. I don’t need another 700-chapter mess like Naruto or Bleach. I think 400-425 is the sweet spot and will give him time to wrap everything up in a satisfactory way without wearing out his welcome. and it still gives us 1-3 more years of the series. and again, even if I’m overestimating and we’ve only got one year/fifty chapters left, I would still rather see that, assuming that’s been Horikoshi’s plan from the start. better that than having it turn into a soulless, plothole-riddled mess because Jump doesn’t want to let it die. that would be the worst-case scenario for me.

so yeah. everything we’ve seen indicates that the series is ending soon-ish, and that “the final act” isn’t just hyperbole. now, whether that means “final arc” (i.e. 50 chapters) or “final saga” (i.e. 100-150 chapters) is still up for debate, but either way I think we should start bracing ourselves. and also, remember that the upside of this is that if this really is the final arc, then things are about to get epic as fuck. I for one just want to enjoy the ride, and fully intend to bury any and all broken-hearted “it’s too soon to say goodbye” feelings until the last possible moment, when they’ll all come swarming up all at once and will leave me an inconsolable mess lol.

[bitchlessbkg]

bakugou’s connections to the “number one hero” characters (star and stripe, allmight, and enji) who all sacrificed themselves in order to take down AFO makes me think that when the times comes for Shigaraki to no longer be possessed by AFO and when AFO’s main body still has to be defeated, that is where bakugou’s big sacrifice will happen but also where bakugou and deku will hold hands (the second user’s quirk coming into play) in order to win

[haleigh-sloth]

Villain Prototypes

Once again during my re-read of the manga from the beginning, more thoughts emerge. I’ve finally gotten to the training camp arc during my re-read and I feel like blabbing now.

I don’t think people realize just HOW MANY villain prototypes Midoriya has been through throughout this entire story, and still managed to succeed. Some of the examples I’m gonna use are a little more obvious than others, but my point still stands. It’s really unrealistic to expect the MC, who has an insane amount of plot armor and a bad case of Main Character Syndrome™️, to suddenly fail at his newly proclaimed end goal. 

Saving somebody who absolutely did not want it was literally Midoriya’s FIRST ACCOMPLISHMENT in the entire story. 

The way I look at it, Midoriya’s relationship with Bakugo was a giant preamble, a rehearsal if you will, for his final fate with Shigaraki. A test of his will and how persistent Midoriya is willing to be when it comes to dealing with assholes who want nothing to do with you, and don’t want to change anything about themselves, their actions, or their ideals. Bakugo’s character underwent major changes during the last couple of arcs. We saw the results of those changes during the war arc.

I mean, it took freaking 284 chapters to finally see the pay off. 

Now Bakugo is a main character, so he did come to his own realizations of his flaws through his own actions and consequences, many of which didn’t have to do with the MC. But seeing as how Midoriya IS the MC, a lot of Bakugo’s changes did happen as a result of his relationship with Midoriya. 

I’m not saying that this “rehearsal” was Bakugo’s only purpose in the story. His entire character arc thus far has sent a different message that doesn’t have much to do with his relationship with Midoriya, but more to do with the true definition of being a hero, which fits into the entire theme of the story. But that’s a different discussion. 

Midoriya’s next “I don’t want to be saved” challenge in the story was Shoto. A little bit of a less obvious example, because Shoto was never in any danger from a villain, unless you count his shit father. 

But he was still saved, and he didn’t ask for it, nor did he want it--until it was given to him.

Even though it took some time afterward, Shoto began using his flames. He started visiting his mom, and he chose to learn what he could from his father’s agency (whether that’s good or bad is subjective tbh). His fight with Midoriya made a difference in his way of thinking, in his choices. He didn’t ask for it, and he didn’t want it. But after it was presented to him as an option, he accepted it.

Now the lasting effects of him saving Shoto are going to reflect differently than they did with Bakugo. Midoriya isn’t going to be responsible for saving all of the villains. Midoriya’s selflessness and heroic heart of gold are contagious, and because of that Shoto is going to be able to extend that same unwanted help to his brother. 

His next “I don’t want to be saved” challenge was Iida, who was very much on a dark path fueled by revenge. 

He also had help from Shoto. 

But after this unwanted help, Iida learned, and grew from it. 

Now the next example, and I think the best example for a little rehearsal for saving Shigaraki, even better than his relationship with Bakugo, is little Kota.

I mean he is seriously the perfect example to show what it takes to get through to someone with completely opposite ideals from you. His beliefs are even similar to Shigaraki’s in nature. Of course at this point in the manga we don’t know that. But looking back, their thoughts toward hero society are very, very similar and for similar reasons. Heroes for family members, pain brought on by those family members. 

But when it comes down to it, Midoriya acknowledges what matters most in that moment: 

Not sure if he can, but he has to. He has no choice. 

And Kota, reluctant as he may be, not understanding why anybody would ever do that for him

Why go so far for someone he doesn’t know?

Well, because he has to. He has no choice. To save Shigaraki from AFO is to save the world. Because as long as Shigaraki is trapped by AFO, he’s going to keep destroying himself and the world in the process. He doesn’t have to know anything about him, other than the fact that he needs saving. 

Midoriya has been put through this trial so many times that at this point, it’s unrealistic to think he won’t be able to do it this time. Yes, the stakes are higher, but that’s what all these little trials (in comparison) were for. They were preparation for the REAL challenge waiting for him closer to the end. 

All I’m saying is, if THIS can happen

then THIS can also happen

**As for Eri I think she is more of an example of what should have happened with Shigaraki as a child, what could have been. And eventually what will be. She didn’t necessarily outright deny the help like these others did, but she is an example of a person with a destructive quirk who never had a chance until an entire team banded together to save her. Basically what should have happened with little Tenko, but didn’t. 

[notliteralfingerfood]

Food for Thought #1 - I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND ♫ ♪

Midoriya Izuku and Shigaraki Tomura are foils to each other + the endgame matchup.

Deku is set up to save Shiggy, reaching out when no one did.

Shiggy is likened to the first OFA user, Yoichi.

I'm aware of all these things and yet I can't help thinking about the what-if scenario where Shiggy refuses Deku's hand. Instead, he takes somebody else's.

But who? Who aside from Deku could possibly (1) have some experience in the art of hand-holding and (2) is willing to offer their hand to their "worst enemy" rival?

"He's coming - the star of the show!" (Kirishima, 2021)

The recent arc (Chapter 310, especially) made me think about Bakugou's role in the story. His endgame has always been left ambiguous, though Hori-sensei did leave some potential hints/clues if you squint really hard. But before going to his future, let's revisit a past turning point in his arc:

KAMINO INCIDENT. At the time, I was that part of the fandom who thought that Bakugou will "save" Shiggy during his stay with the LOV. What clownery, right?

Nevertheless, I noticed that these two are quite similar (like how Deku is w/ Shiggy, they look alike as kids jfc).

They have this dangerous + hand-related quirk motif going on and they're both emotionally constipated red-eyed edgelords who love the color black and biting people.

An AfO/future OfA user extended a hand (offering help) to both of them - one accepts the hand because no one would help him, the other rejects it because he doesn't want anyone's help. Whatever the case, how they responded to the hand led them to where they are now (PAIN).

(Baku rejected Deku's hand but accepted Kiri's. So does that mean Shiggy will reject Deku's hand and accept---)

Hori's hand-holding fetish aside, the parallelism doesn't end there.

COUNTERPARTS.

Shigaraki Tomura and 1st OfA user (Shigaraki Yoichi)

THEY LOOK THE SAME (sans the crusty skin)

tormented by respective family members

given a quirk by AfO

then locked away (mentally or physically) by the same monster

Bakugou Katsuki and 2nd OfA user (aka Baku-Ni)

THEY LOOK THE SAME (sans the sexy scar)

win or lose mentality

got offered/offered a hand (Deku; Yoichi)

having stepping stones (Deku, the pebble on the side; vigilante group against AfO, the sacrifices)

then becoming stepping stones themselves (the 2nd holder made passing OfA possible and paved the way for the following successors; Baku made Deku having OfA possible when he triggered Deku's desire to save, and his act of heroism was recognized by All might during the Sludge Villain incident)

(This further cements why I love Ground Zero as his hero name. I like Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight coz it's so him, but GZ has so much meaning - "the very beginning; a starting point or base for some activity". Kacchan started the fire y'all.)

Okay I'm going off tangent, anyway---

So yeah, they are similar in some ways, but what is the point?

THE ROLE OF BAKUGOU'S HAND

"Heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin. So what is it that really makes someone a hero?"

For the light novels, some characters were featured on the special covers, each accompanied by a particular virtue/value.

Bakugou got righteousness, something I found fitting for his character. He has high moral standards and a strong willpower to back it up (unwavering convictions). Most would see that he brings justice by beating villains, "win to save", whereas Deku is more on the "save to win", redeeming villains - perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Bakugou eventually learned the other spectrum, and now he's on his next step: manifesting compassion and empathy.

"The hands are generally called the extension of the self. So when you give your hand to another person to hold, you are really extending yourself. When you reach out to another person, the process of discovering the self becomes easier. You realize that you share a common humanity—that other people mirror your own strengths and weaknesses, dreams and aspirations, and even the things you value."

I think this would be Bakugou's answer to giraffe man Best Jeanist on what makes someone a hero. Just as Baku-Ni showed compassion and saved Yoichi - someone related to AfO, his archenemy, our Bakugou may also show empathy and save Shigaraki - someone affiliated with AfO, and also the one to order HIS kidnapping.

As @class1akids mentioned (I love their semi-crackpot theory, please check it out), Bakugou extending his own helping hand (out of pure compassion) could be his possible role in the endgame - the winning condition.

I just... ugh I just want everything going full circle.

Bakugou and Deku are the Wonder Duo. They're in to win it - so when one messes up, the other cleans up the mess. If Deku can't save Shigaraki, Bakugou will be there to back him up.

Baku initially refusing Deku's hand and becoming his tormentor, then growing up and offering his OWN hand to Shiggy, one of his OWN tormentors - fcking poetry my dudes.

And that's it, thank you for coming to my TED talk, byeee!!

[astersofthesky]

BNHA "End All Quirks" Ending: A Meta-Theory

(Eversince I read @firyfox opinion regarding this particular series endgame possibility, my dumb ass decided to create a teeny meta-theory 😅)

Personally, I don't prefer everyone losing their quirks in the end, although Izuku has a high chance of returning to being quirkless once AFO gets defeated and OFA vanishes alongside it.

The eradication of quirks may seem farfetched and like a cop-out at first, but I don't think it's impossible. For me, this ending would only work if Izuku does return to being quirkless in the end.

So, if ever Hori decides to end all quirks, in my opinion, it can go three ways:

1. Quickly through quirk erasing drugs

2. Slowly by creating a drug that stabilizes a human's ability to pass quirks to the next generation

3. Quickly through a Deus ex machina (I highly doubt this one, I trust Hori)

The most plausible option I can see happening is the second option.

To elaborate, I would like to bring up Overhaul's theory that "Quirks are a virus that came from rats that somehow got passed to humans". From then on, it had continuously mutated into more different quirks.

It is important to remember that the world of MHA didn't have quirks at the beginning, it only started with the emergence of the luminescent baby. During the beginning of these meta abilities, it's not a stretch to say that a lot of people must have seen this as a sort of defect/illness. But since more people emerged with these "abilities", the world slowly experienced a societal change. It became a place where people with quirks are the perceived normal humans and quirkless people are the outcasts.

Another point I want to bring up is the plot of MHA World Heroes' Mission. While it isn't canon, it's still intriguing to not be ignored. It revolves around the group "Humanize" that believes in the Quirk Singularity Doomsday theory. To an extent, they also believe that quirks are a disease and just like Overhaul, wishes for the eradication of quirks.

The reason I brought this up is because the only explanation I can think of why society would be willing to remove quirks is if it will be seen as something dangerous and destructive, and the closest negative words we have gotten to this are "disease/illness". (The Quirk Singularity also plays a huge part in it's removal.)

This can lead us to the question:

Will the eradication of quirks truly solve the issues of the society?

Conflict arose due to the existence of quirks. While quirks aren't inherently evil, it is a tool that can be used for evil or good. Take Spider Man's quote for example, "With great power comes with great responsibility". The thing is, all of them are given power, but not all people are responsible, not all people are willing to do good. An individual is bound to selfishly use these quirks for theirself. Also, the chaos "villains" had created is the reason why heroes (vigilantes when there still isn't a fixed system) even existed in the first place.

If so, by removing quirks (the root of the problem), then everything should be resolved. That is the plan. The problem is it wouldn't work (not now at least)

Why?

Because quirk is not the only root cause of these issues. It is also the people's views and ideologies and how everything is built and based on a fragile quirk and hero-based society.

Still, my answer to that question is yes.

You're probably wondering why. Well, it's actually simple.

Who said that "eradication of quirks" should be applied to this generation?

All people have been deeply engrossed with their quirks. It's literally a part of their life, so suddenly removing it would feel like losing a limb and likely cause fear and confusion (unless ALL are willing to remove theirs)

Besides, this generation harbors the set of people who have experienced both the terror and greatness quirks can bring. It is their right and responsibility to fix, acknowledge, and mend the wounds the "war" and "society" had inflicted upon them.

Together, both heroes, "villains", and civilians alike should help each other and reach a hand out as they start once again to rebuild a new and better society in preparation for a quirkless one.

It can also make Midoriya Izuku the perfect person to stand in the front lines and lead them as he himself had both worn the shoes of being quirkless and being a person blessed with a very powerful quirk.

Izuku, who once thought that he can't be a hero because he was quirkless, will come to realize that what makes him a true hero is his will and desire to help and save people with a smile. It would also be an impactful ending for his character and BNHA. (Since Hori loves parallels and apparently full circles I can see this happening)

It will not be a repeat like before because he wouldn't be like All Might who became the lone pillar and glue of a hero biased society.

Izuku will not be alone in his journey as he and his peers become the greatest heroes and guiding light in a beginning of a quirkless-based society.

[the-nysh]

I kind of disagree on some of your points, though I'm not sure I can explain why… As Shigaraki was taken over, Deku was already moving to reach out and try to save him, plus the spread of child!Deku with Tenko. I don't think Deku has problems acknowledging a villain's humanity/worth or emphasizing as a human. Instead maybe this lets him try reach Tenko as "someone who (also) wanted to be saved" specifically? 1/3

The catch is that so far, saving has also required power and self-sacrifice (and willingness from the person being saved). For example, Deku reached Nagant, but in the process took hits and harmed his body to reach pseudo-100%, and that was with Nagant holding back. Furthermore, sincerity and actions have indeed been crucial to changing hearts … a sincere act like the hero putting himself in harm's way to save/protect… 2/3 So IMO the issue is the implicit "no matter the self-sacrifice" attached to the heroic ideal of "always saving". Maybe that links to the dehumanization of heroes from civilians and villains (though I don't think this'll be touched upon). I'm probably going to be immediately proven wrong :D I just think there's something that doesn't quite fit yet… Sorry for the rambling, thanks for putting up with me!  No need to publish/respond to this ask, cheers!  3/3 

Oh no you’re fine, anon! Because exactly, there is a missing element that doesn’t quite fit yet. Deku stepping forth with the inherent urge to save Tenko, recognizing the suffering human/kid within Shiggy, is all well and dandy - wholesome and noble even....but the sentiment becomes naive and idealistic once the person themselves refuses to be saved. (So yes, that willingness/consent from the victim to extend a hand back.) Where they’re otherwise rendered in a state of mind like meeting a brick wall, like Muscular, then all Deku’s efforts to reach out to them will have been for naught. Because then he still wouldn’t have understood where they’re actually coming from, by truly empathizing with them & addressing their problems/needs as people. :O

Nagant was perhaps the ‘easy’ one, because she originally was a hero too (who became tired and burnt out from following her duty...sound relatable to Deku’s current situation?), which Deku could still recognize the lingering signs for underneath and reach out to her with an empathetic helping hand...(until AfO literally blew it.)

Then take Overhaul, whose rendered in a particular one-track state of mind, but Deku meets him with ‘if only you’d feel that remorse for Eri, then I’ll help you with the Oyaji’ which.....😬 ideally yes, that’d be nice if Overhaul could, but realistically? No, it’s naive/presumptuous of him to think Overhaul could ever acknowledge the moral wrongs towards Eri that Deku wants him to feel. Because Deku’s not understanding where Overhaul’s actually coming from concerning his desperation for the Boss. In this case, Deku’s failing to properly connect to him as a person, and those feelings, regardless of how ‘heroic’ they seem (or are they?), won’t help save anyone here. Let alone endgame Shiggy, if Deku similarly/unsuccessfully meets him like confronting a brick wall.

Now take a look at current Deku himself. Rendered in an irrational state of mind, driven solely by the fear of AfO and the prospects of him hurting/killing everyone, that he refuses receiving anyone’s help. As always, never taking his own needs as a human into account (self-sacrificial), but also unfortunately now, that includes disregarding the feelings/capabilities of everyone else he previously trusted with his life. What a sad sight. D: He’s become that very exemplar brick wall who refuses to be saved. Exactly the type who must first be reached before Deku can ever hope to understand what it’ll take to reach endgame Shiggy in return. You see? Receiving the type of ‘saving/salvation’ experience firsthand, before Deku can successfully perform it himself.

And now, despite how everyone loves and cares for Deku, showering him with their concern & memories in an attempt to reach his heart...is that actually going to work? Orrrr, is the narrative stressing something else; that other missing component needed to ‘complete’ him? Just who actually understands where Deku’s actually coming from (both his origins and where he’s headed), similarly driven by the comparable fear of seeing him reach death’s door!? Who can actually extend an empathetic helping hand to him in this time of need? To help him finally learn what it takes to save himself? There we go. Now the pieces feel like they’re falling much closer into place~

[pikahlua]

Hi pika! Whenever you write metas on bnha theories I read them like morning news. I like your ideas on the recent one about katsuki. If things go similarly as what you predicted, what will happen to Izuku tho? Like the 2nd poll art where katsuki has a hunting knife, I did notice Izuku had another sword/knife on his belt too in this new art which got me thinking.

I always wondered if Izuku actually were born with a quirk but was deemed useful by the doctor so he took it (idk by what means but apparently he was already working with afo at the time anyway so he must have his ways), then lied to poor Izuku and his mom that he was quirkless. I honestly have no idea what Izuku's quirk might be if he originally had one. It might be something, a missing piece, that afo had always wanted to regenerate himself or to utilize his quirks better. Something modest but really useful, Idk. Still, after finding out the doctor Izuku consulted about his quirk manifestation turned out to be the doctor screams suspicious to me.

Anyway, by linking the additional sword/knife on Katsuki and Izuku with your theory, if either TomurAFO or AFO did successfully stole OFA from Izuku, then what does the additional weapon on Izuku means? Could it be hinting that the remaining power of OFA still lingers in him(like the case with AM) and he could actually own it and make it into his own quirk (with/without time limit), or he literally became quirkless that he had to work again to figure out what he could do as a hero?

What are your thoughts on Izuku's endgame and how it would affect and bring the whole theme of this series into a final closure?

I won't deny that there are enough little hints that Izuku could actually have been born with a quirk and lost it--should Horikoshi decide to take the story in that direction. I just don't get the feeling he will. I feel like the story has been coming back to the "it's the will behind the quirk that matters, not the quirk itself" moral a little too hard to need to make Izuku have a quirk for any reason. That doesn't mean there isn't something else to the weird coincidence where Dr. Garaki was Izuku's pediatrician though, but I can only speculate about that.

As far as the additional sword on Izuku's person, I don't know if I'm SUPPOSED to read into that, but it's kind of fun to. And if I do read into it, I have no idea which direction to take it. The one I'm (probably unsurprisingly) fond of considering is--if Katsuki ends up with OFA, what if Izuku ends up with Explosion? (What? What's that? "Switch Theory"? Never heard of it.)

Izuku's endgame is somehow the most difficult for me to discern, because I think it's entirely dependent on some big story questions Horikoshi has to answer. It's not that I have no idea what will happen--it's that there are a lot of options and Horikoshi has yet to broadcast which one he's going with. Katsuki is, of course, the wild card here, because you can't tell me their endings aren't inextricably tied together. Whatever big thing happens to either character will have a huge impact on what happens to the other. One will likely save the other--or they'll both save each other? And Tenko's gonna be somewhere in that mix as well. I also get the feeling that little flashback of AFO vs Second has a thematic piece of the puzzle in what ultimately happens. Off the top of my head I can just take all these pieces like 5 different ways already though. Ain't nobody got time to write all of that lol.

[hamliet]

I’m sorry people are being assholes about your Hawks theories—and well assholes in general, because I’ve seen it happen on your blog unrelated to Hawks and BNHA in general.

I think some people are genuinely angry that the story isn’t turning out to be this gruesome, blood thirsty, inhuman tale they were wanting/expecting. That and Hawks is super popular and people want him to live—WHICH I understand because we all have our favorite characters and we all want what’s best for our favs!—but people confuse opinions with...well, the facts of the story. He’s not dead but people are acting like he is-and are angry 🤦🏻‍♀️

What I’m saying is I think people are lashing out because they’re afraid that you, and others who outwardly share the same opinions/theories, are going to end up being right. I can kind of tell by some of the reactions I’ve seen. I’ve seen it on other peoples’ posts too—it’s pretty ridiculous how heated people get. I care about how the story goes too but I would never attack someone personally over it 🙄

You can do whatever you want and your theories are precise , neat and they always makes good points. Just ignore that you an f good job and it’s very knowledgeable and had good basis and grounding.

Still 🥺🥺🥺 can I hope you’re deadly wrong ? You always makes lot of  sense and it’s hard not seeing things how you theorize but still I came to love Hawks and I want redemption and  happy ending! I think you’re overall right but I hope you’re wrong 🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭

Diff asks, answering together. Thank you both for your kindness--the thing about the fandom is that for every arsehole there are also a dozen nice people. <3

Second Anon, yes, absolutely, hope I’m wrong! The thing is I wouldn’t be mad about being wrong--I’d even be happy about it. I like Hawks and think he’s a kid who had little chance in life.

First Anon, yeah... I’m sorry Second Anon, I’m just gonna take this chance to word-vomit some more thoughts I had (some of it is repetitive though!) Please feel free to not read and/or hope I’m wrong because I would be so happy for all the Hawks fans if so. And happy for myself, since Hawks is in my top 10. :’)

(I also do give some hope in the last paragraph)

I think Hawks is written well as a character, and important (and Horikoshi really, really struggles in how he juggles his ensemble cast) but it’s just--looking at the story as a whole, he’s not a main character and furthermore, he has no direct connection to a main character. In fact, he’s met Todoroki, Bakugou, and Deku a grand total of once and that was in passing.

The only connection that’s really worth talking about is Hawks projecting himself onto Shouto last chapter, but I didn’t see that framed as a positive. I don’t see him looking up to Shouto with self-awareness. Yes, I think that’s what Hawks thinks he’s doing, but uh... he doesn’t know Shouto at all. Not only that, but we as the audience are supposed to question this, because we know Shouto hasn’t forgiven Endeavor (yet). Shouto even was pretty harsh with Endeavor when he took the internship. So, Hawks doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

So, what’s the purpose of this projection? I interpreted it  as a direct parallel to Shouto’s vow last chapter. This is interpretation and not fact, but it seemed to be to imply Hawks is going to do the same thing as Shouto but likely with different intentions (and why would he have benevolent ones? I can’t blame him from a character perspective nor understand that from a narrative one--Shouto should save his brother, not Hawks).

But anyways. All that to say that I think he’s gonna go after Dabi, and if you’re going to insert a tragic subplot into an optimistic story, it can’t be with the main characters whose goals are becoming heroes. Hence, Todo and Deku and their respective negative foils are out. Bakugou’s arc has been consistently positive as well, with him gaining self-awareness, not losing it. They’re gonna become heroes. Ditto for Ochaco and Toga; while this is a much-criticized barely-there subplot, the parallels between her foiling with Toda and Todo + Deku’s with Dabi and Shigaraki respectively make this unlikely (and unfitting, since she’s Deku’s likely endgame love interest). So BNHA does not have to have another tragic subplot, and I hope it doesn’t, but if it was going to have one, this is the place to put it.

Hawks is already a hero. He’s connected to Twice, the subplot that shows us Horikoshi can do tragedy. He’s not genuinely connected to any of our main characters, has direct narrative shoutouts to a well-known tragic myth, has engaged in a trope known for signaling doom (’shoot the puppy’), and is not reconsidering his path which is generally something that tragic characters do (or don’t do). That said, like Twice, even if he dies I think he’d get a redemptive ending--he is not, even now, a bad person, and I don’t think he will ever be one. He’s just lost. He’s Icarus misunderstanding his freedom after spending his life trapped in a maze.

Maybe Bakugou will save him? It’s possible, because Bakugou’s negative foiling has primarily been with Enji and his risk has always been not becoming a villain, but becoming a bad guy hero. There’s gonna need to be a connection developed here first before I can really theorize--right now it’s more speculation. But that is my personal hope and ideal way for Hawks’ story to end. :’‘)

[class1akids]

Sorry to ask this question two times… it was something wrong when I send it the first time… but last question ! You Said that thats not how blood transfusion work if someone end up to give Toga blood will it be after the war arc in the hospital or will it be on the spot ? If it will be on the spot how will the one that gives blood get blood back to his/hers body ?

I'm obviously not the one writing the story, nor do I have a crystal ball. All I'm saying that:

I doubt Toga will actually die

Hawks has to still get a resolution (and I think it will have to do with saving Toga to atone to Twice in a meaningful way)

Blood transfusion could be an option as Hawks has the same type as Toga

To give blood transfusion, you don't need to give someone "all of your blood".

In any case, look at Bakugou's heart surgery and ask yourself the question if medical realism is something you can expect in the story.

Idk if it will be a blood transfusion or if it will be in the field or the hospital. Even if Hawks starts to give "all" his blood, others may get inspired and help (like the news helicopter people or the nearby evacuees). I think the scene is not about the medical details, but the character moments and how it could be used as a moment to change the hearts of the public about the villains (and eventually pave the way to Shigaraki's and Dabi's endings).

I hope that this clarifies.

[makeste]

Bakugou is going to be apart of deku endgame fight and I know it makes people mad lol

my boy is nothing if not controversial, lol.

but yeah, it's true. even among the people who actually like his character, for some reason there's still a ton of doubt about whether or not Bakugou will play a major role in the endgame. this doubt somehow persists in spite of him being:

the first character (other than the ones like Nao and Rat Principal who already knew) to learn about All Might and Deku's secret. "among the students... only you." and it remained just him for a very long time, too.

the only character other than Deku to be narratively tied to All Might's legacy as a potential successor.

the only character other than Deku to have his older self narrate current events (see: chapter 285).

and the most popular character in the series by such a wide margin that during the most recent poll he received more votes than the second and third characters combined.

oh and yes, there was also that one time when Horikoshi confirmed that his original endgame for the series was Deku giving OFA to Bakugou. like, I think that's a pretty big hint right there about Bakugou being important to the endgame of the story lol. the mangaka coming right out and saying it. "Deku and Bakugo standing up against the last boss, having made it there thanks to the support of everyone; I think that probably would have made for the best final fight in the manga."

and for some reason, because this twist was instead used in Heroes Rising, people seem to think that Horikoshi now has no choice but to rewrite the entire ending from scratch. when in fact, the only thing he actually has to change is the OFA part. that's it. that doesn't mean Bakugou isn't still going to be part of the final battle, because that doesn't make any sense. if being in the Heroes Rising ending disqualifies you then why isn't anyone asking whether Deku will be in the final battle lol.

and if Horikoshi for some reason did change his mind, the thing is, it would have been all the way back in July 2018, which is when Horikoshi had his first meeting with the creative staff about the second movie (on the same day that movie 1 premiered, according to this interview). which means that he had plenty of time -- more than three years! -- to introduce a new villain to serve as Bakugou's final boss. he could have done it in the JT arc, the MVA arc, or even the EA arc. but the fact that he did not do this very clearly sends the message that his game plan for Bakugou hasn't actually changed.

which means that Bakugou's actual final boss -- or bosses, I should say -- are going to be the two villains that he actually does have a substantial personal history with.

analysis time!

so first of all, I know everyone is always talking about the parallels between Tomura and Deku, but what I find very interesting is that when Tomura himself went looking for parallels, he chose Bakugou as a kindred spirit over Deku. I think that, while Deku echoes a lot of who Shimura Tenko was, Bakugou more closely mirrors who Shigaraki Tomura is -- or at least who he perceives himself to be.

and to expand on that further, the other interesting thing is that Bakugou is actually not that person at all -- but the thing is, neither is Tomura. and so in some ways, Bakugou actually is a parallel of Tomura, because he represents the choice that Tomura still has, even now, to realize that the path he’s on is wrong, and to turn back around. Bakugou represents the possibility of redemption, and the idea that it’s never too late.

meanwhile as far as Bakugou’s side of the whole thing goes, it could not be any clearer that Tomura and AFO are the two villains he has personal vendettas with. Tomura kidnapped him and essentially made him the reason for All Might’s downfall, something that haunts him to this day. and AFO fucking stabbed him lol. so yeah, Bakugou got beef.

“well that’s great for him, makeste, but as far as Tomura and AFO are concerned he’s not even a blip on their radar.” yes!! which is another thing I love about the whole thing, actually. because you see, the antagonists in this series have this delightfully ironic habit of being their own undoing. Tomura tries to set a trap for All Might, and All Might ends up kicking his ass. Overhaul traumatizes Eri and attacks the LoV killing one of their own; Eri later helps Deku to defeat Overhaul, and the LoV steps in to finish the job. Re-Destro invites the LoV to a battle royale and winds up losing both his legs and his organization to Tomura. and last but not least -- and technically not last either, because it’s actually first -- AFO tries to force his brother to submit to him, and in doing so literally creates his perfect enemy.

and so when I see Tomura basically jumpstart Bakugou’s character development himself by setting the events of Kamino into motion, that makes me go “hmm.” and when I see both Tomura and AFO dismissing Bakugou as a mere nuisance, that makes me go “hmm” with bolded emphasis. all I’m saying is, I would love for Bakugou to have a moment in the final battle where he takes full advantage of the fact that TomurAFO have been underestimating him this entire time. that would be delicious. and I’m like 95% sure we’re gonna get it too, so stay tuned.

so yeah! long story short,

Bakugou and Deku are going to face TomurAFO together. as far as how that will all go down, exactly, I don't really know! Horikoshi just introduced a brand new character with an unknown super-strong and apparently super-important quirk straight up out of the blue, so needless to say there are all sorts of ways this final battle could play out, and I'm not even going to try and predict any of it just yet. but even if the final draft has yet to be revealed, I think the dramatis personae is pretty clearly set. and like you said anon, there's a good chance that not everyone in the fandom is going to be happy about it, but oh well.

[bitchlessbkg]

my question about this chapter is why did bakugou suddenly regress now of all times.

it’s like, he went through his entire arc unlearning his old ideals and building up his new ones - doing things as a team instead of by himself, allowing himself to be saved, having no casualties, etc. his arc was centered around making up for the flaws of self sacrifice — still saving each other but yourself too and winning together in the end. you’d think nearing the end all of it would accumulate to boost his character and his big moment putting all those ideals into action… but instead he dies, and as a hypocrite.

he goes in alone while he tells jeanist to protect everyone (where’s the teamwork?), he doesn’t listen when jeanist tells him to come back since their objective was to protect him (letting himself be saved) and now due to his decision he’s in a critical state and other heroes’ chances of dying has just skyrocketed, and he’s not exactly there to save them is he? and now even with his (possible) revival another life is possibly being lost in exchange for his (no casualties? he just increased the risk of casualties for himself and others). it’s gonna be so much guilt on his side, and how can his ending feel satisfying if his dream of saving everyone to win and having zero casualties and using teamwork sits on top of someone else’s sacrifice cause he didn’t work with his team? it’s so backwards and to burden him with a DEATH on his shoulders after all his development seems so cruel.

it’s like the entire death and revival goes against everything he’s learned before and he’s gonna suffer from consequences again for a hero he’s ended due to his flaws… that he already developed from? idk it’s just racking my brain a little bit. is it because what AFO said got to him about being in izuku’s/OFA’s shadow? is this an emotional response to that?

and it’s odd because he dies imitating a trait of deku’s… that he already had before (his origin) and developed from? after criticizing it and telling deku that he (and the class) would make up for the things he couldn’t handle on his own and to not try to win on his own? all very odd! like why regress now?

and i really want deku to be involved in his saving somehow, like for sure deku has to save him in the end and they hold hands and accept each other and win together, right? i completely expected bakugou to help deku control his heart too so in a way in the end they’re saving each other both physically and spiritually. i hope we still get that

[haleigh-sloth]

This is just a random question, but what do you think the meaning of Shigaraki calling Aizawa ”so cool” and being genuinely impressed with him throughout the story is? Thanks <3

Ahhh I actually really love this question. (I could answer asks about Shiggy all day)

I don’t know if there is some deep underlying meaning to it, but there is a reason for it. I think the purpose of having Shigaraki say this is to reinforce that inner child in him that still loves heroes, looks up to heroes, respects heroes for what they do. To me, it’s reinforcing that redeemable core that is Tenko. However at the same time, to go along with that positive note, it also makes me sad every time he says this. I’ll explain why further down. 

Now don’t get me wrong, the League members don’t necessarily like heroes...but they still acknowledge that heroes are supposed to save people, and what the League does is hold heroes accountable. 

I had to recall every time I remembered Shigaraki saying this and I went back to the moments where it happened. One thing in common in every. single. scene. where he says this is the act of sacrifice in order to save others, by Aizawa.

Shigaraki’s real introduction takes place at the same time as his first encounter with Aizawa in the USJ attack. And the part that Shigaraki finds so cool is:

“You jumped right into this fight. Hoping to make the kids feel safe?” 

Basically he was paying respects to the fact that Aizawa, who isn’t the strongest (he’s tough as shit but he’s still just one man with normal human strength to rely on), jumped head first into a fight against a bunch of villains by himself to protect the kids. Now this is Shigaraki’s introduction, so at this point you don’t know anything about his personality or his past. So this moment right here is kinda just a big ?? that gets brushed off for now. 

Then you really don’t see him say this again until the war arc, when they encounter each other again, which is a looooong ways down the line from his introduction. But the circumstances are still the same. Shigaraki is attacking, and Aizawa jumps in, ready to risk it all to protect his students, the children out on the battle field.

Sacrifice. It’s what heroes do. And again in the same arc

Shigaraki threw the eraser bullet at Aizawa’s leg. Aizawa, making a huge sacrifice again, cuts his own damn leg off. Every time Shigaraki said this about Aizawa, he was acknowledging the fact that Aizawa was making huge sacrifices for those around him. 

I personally think Aizawa is one of the more redeemable pro heroes. He’s the first pro we see question the UA system in how it selects its elite group of students who get the privilege to train their quirks and go pro in the hero field. 

Which, it’s not necessarily the most important complaint. But the whole quirk elitist system they have going is bullshit and he knows it. Out of all the pros, he also has a better idea of what being a hero is about. He avoids the media, doesn’t care about being famous, doesn’t care about money, does not give a single shit about the ranking system. He genuinely cares about doing what’s right. And even though Shigaraki doesn’t know that about Aizawa, it’s still important to note that out of all the pros Shigaraki has encountered, Aizawa is the one he’s paid some type of respect to. 

Heroes are supposed to correct all the unfairness. Unfortunately that’s just not the reality of their society. But at least Aizawa doesn’t spout bullshit about “winning”, and ranking high, and resolving the most cases, or whatever. 

Okay, time to get sad now. The reason I think this acknowledgment is so sad is because Shigaraki needed a hero a long time ago. I talked a bit about it at the bottom of this post. I mentioned how I think the reason Shigaraki began his journey being so obsessed with targeting All Might is because deep down he had been hoping for All Might to come save him. I mean, All Might saved pretty much everybody else, but Tenko? He didn’t reach out to him in time. I think it’s sad that he’s acknowledging Aizawa’s sacrifice for his students because, well, nobody made that sacrifice for Tenko when he was a child. Nobody tried THAT hard to save his life, to keep him alive. That desire to be saved was much easier to see in little Tenko, and it’s much harder to see now. But it’s still there. 

Shigaraki still wants somebody, anybody, to take a risk for him. Save him from 15 years of suffering. So Shigaraki seeing a hero actually do his job was probably a pretty cool thing to see, but also raises the question in him again: Where was my hero? Where IS my hero?

So I think it’s important that he said this. I think it’s sad but also positive. That little kid that wanted to be a hero and save people is still in there in the grown man he is now.

[bakugoukatsuki-rising]

I’m a very analytical person and the last ship I was highly invested in had so many metas that I read and reread like a friggin Bible. As I am now highly invested in bkdk, would you (and your followers, all of whom seem very insightful) be willing to give me like a mini meta or something on all the things that indicate Horikoshi is going for a bkdk endgame?

I mean to be honest, all of our feelings are still only based on speculation, even if we do believe that’s what might happen. 

I have metas already written in defense of their ship, if you wanna go on my page and look up the tag ‘bnha meta’ or ‘bnha analysis’, you should find them.

[man-i-dont-know]

BNHA Chapter 149: Thoughts and spoilers

Wow... where do I even start with this chapter? I suppose I’ll just work through it from the beginning (not the “two minutes after Mirio went on his own”, but like page 1).

So we’ve got the two most mentally volatile villains joining up with the yakuza, Toga and Twice. Both are openly unhappy with the arrangement. Rappa seems to be himself, which is always great. And something interesting, Twice gets pissed when Overhaul uses the wrong pronouns for Magne, which is super cool that the League of Villians has that kind of relationship with each other. The Mimic guy just seems like an ass most of the time... so there is no endearment or sympathy for him at all. 

Then we get a detailed explanation of Toga’s and Twice’s quirks, we knew the main stuff already but the whole thing is much more complicated than that. Twice needs to understand the size of the thing he replicating. Toga’s is understandable but it raises the question about Camie (the girl she impersonated during the hero license exam). More likely than not, Camie is dead, due to the volume of blood needed to impersonate her for the three days she was there. Which I personally think was a sloppy move on Toga’s part, when you are apart of something like the League of Villians, you’d want to keep a low profile until you hit the endgame. Killing or kidnapping a girl from a hero school seems like a bad idea. ((Side note: Toga didn’t want to reveal her quirk but when Twice did she was basically “well I’ve got to now,” which I think is a protective type of response. “You screwed up so I’ll screw up too”... friendship basically))

Then the Cleanser with the coolest design in my opinion seems to have some kind of lie detecting quirk based on the emphasis his panel got (the guy who’s basically a plague doctor in all black and a top hat). And the fact that they both confidently said they were not planning anything could be some incredibly clever planning on Shigiraki’s part. Sending the two mentally unstable people with orders to “take responsibility” is vague enough that they can get around any lie detecting test. It also show incredible faith in Toga and Twice (I’m loving the fact that the villains are using the power of friendship).

Then we see Toga and Twice turn against Mimic. This exchange makes me legitimately fear Toga. In previous chapters, Toga was able to out maneuver Deku and Aizawa, and in this chapter, she locates Mimic’s hiding spot (something the heroes had not been able to accomplish) and taunts him into revealing himself, which shows that she also understands how to manipulate people. When this happened, he was revealed to the heroes and they took action, with Sir Nighteye, someone who’s bread and butter is prediction, saying they just got played. Also, Mimic had a straight up Berserk rage face without any power to back it up.

The final page... oh god. The final page is Mirio confronting Overhaul and that Chrono guy. And while, yes, Chrono has a time-based name, we haven’t had any proof as to what his quirk is. I don’t really want to speculate because with a time-based name it seems obvious, but someone who could manipulate time would be crazy overpowered. So speculating about how this fight goes is the next step, but really it could go 100 different ways. Mirio has a suited quirk for fighting Overhaul, so there could be a straight up brawl; Overhaul could leave with Eri and have Chrono stall; Mirio could take Eri and run. Like seriously, these next chapters are going to be really unpredictable. The only thing I am certain of is that I really, really want Eri to be saved.

So that is about it, sorry for the long post and thank you for reading this far. Have a great day.

[class1akids]

Hi! do you think Hawks will die in the manga? I mean he has his back turned to the camera in almost all openings is that not a death flag?

I don't think so, tbh.

I don't think the anime openings can see that far into the future or know in advance what HK is planning for the endgame (especially because he was clearly making up a lot after he decided not to do the Heroes Rising ending).

Hawks already lost his quirk. I think he still has a story-beat left (probably in relation to Toga / Twice's death), but I really doubt there would be any point in him dying for the narrative.

My epilogue bingo guess for him is becoming the HPSC president.