#i love the dynamic between bkdk in mha !!

[inamagicalhallucination]

also i think it wasnt bkdk to me becuz deku always viewed bakugo in a relatively nice/forgiving light even when he didnt deserve it so bkdk to me read more as bakugo becoming what izuku thought he could be/had the potential to be,, and i also think that bakugo's character development was very heavily influenced by his classmates and teacher and not just izuku

and also bakugo didnt really have a shit ton of abuse and suffering that caused him to be like that he was just very heavily enabled and eventually learned to be like not a jerk

izuku never really had to unpeel his layers and understand him like sskk did with each other

bkdk and sskk are VERY different dynamics;; just becuz they follow a broad enemy-rival-friend-sacrificed my life to save you trope doesnt mean theyre the same

[lilybecca1]

So I noticed something when I was looking at how Izuku smiled at Katsuki...something about it just seemed familiar and I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

Until NOW

Like the way his smile just looks so fond, it's different than how he usually smiles at other people. There's just something about it that just screams that it's the look of love to me. But I couldn't really explain it or compare it to anything else before.

Well now I finally put two and two together and realized what it reminded me of...THIS MF

The way he looks at Marinette, he was so obviously in love with her, like can y'all see it too? The way his eyebrows relax and scrunch upwards, that fond smile.. IT'S LITERALLY THE SAME

I think generally animators have similar ways to show expressions, and this fondness, this genuine awe is something that I have also seen quite a lot of times before. That smile and that expression that you hold for the person that means so much more to you than anyone else, who you genuinely love from the bottom of your heart because they've shown a side to life and feelings that you never knew before. That smile is reserved for the person who your life wouldn't be the same without.

And his small laugh here ahhhyhshxhsjsj

It's such a sweet laugh like how Adrien laughs at Marinette too because he finds her awkwardness sweet.

And when you look at the parallels, it's so obvious. Like the moment Cat Noir realized he was in love with Ladybug as he looked up at her in awe:

And Katsuki's proud smile as he was looking up at Deku:

Then there's the fact that they both blindly trust each other because they know that the other would always win and save the other, no matter what:

Even Cat Noir sacrificed himself so much in the past for Ladybug to win, because he knew she'd always win..just like how Bakugo sacrificed himself for Izuku because he knew he'd never give up

"You know I like to fight by your side. But against you? Never"

"I could never hurt the person I love"

But that's not all. Remember the APOLOGY scene IN THE RAIN when Marinette fell in love with Adrien?

Yeah, now look at the Bakudeku version of it. The fact that Adrien and Bakugo both opened up and apologized and both of it happened in the rain..and look at Izuku's reaction to the apology. You can't tell me that he didn't fall in love a little at that moment just like how Marinette did. It's literally the same minus all the blushing and the smiling.

Want more? Well, here's Season 4 ending when Cat Noir reached his hand out to Ladybug, giving her back the hope after she has already lost all of it. Showing her that they can still do it, together. That she hasn't lost everything as long as he's still there. Reminds you of something?

And then as they look out at the distance with newfound hope...just like how Bakugo and Deku did at the cliff in that one Memories episode.

There are literally SO MANY parallels between them, and this is a CANON COUPLE that we are talking about, who are CANONICALLY IN LOVE. This is NOT a coincidence. Even if these are not meant to be parallels, the fact that they are so similar means that their dynamic, their relationship is very similar. So if we took bkdk in Miraculous context, then they'd be a couple. If there was even a tiny bit of flirting between them, it would be undeniable. In Miraculous, they are meant to be a couple, so it's obviously portrayed in their interactions that there is something between them. In MHA however, they are not specifically made to be canon, but their dynamic is essentially the same. They are the person that they trust the most, they rely on each other, trust each other with their life. They have no doubt in the other, they know that the other would always win. Their life wouldn't be the same without the other. They're Yin and Yang, just like Marinette and Adrien. The Sun and Moon.

Bonus:

The way she holds Cat Noir's tail reminds me a lot of how Izuku was holding Bakugo's tie lmao

When their eyes meet

Ladybug getting angry at the villain for hurting Cat Noir like Deku losing it when Bakugo gets hurt

[zykamiliah]

hey! i haven't seen mha in a looong time and i've never payed attention to bakudeku (mostly because i'm not the biggest fan of bully romance), but i'd love to see your take/interpretation/analysis on it? i've been a really big fan of your svsss metas and so i just thought, "hey, you know what, i'm curious to see zykamiliah's take on a ship i've never been interested in from an anime that i haven't seen in years! maybe i'll see something?"

not too sure if you already made a post explaining it (so sorry if you did!), but i've seen enough of the sudden rise of bakudeku reblogs on my feed from your account to ignite my curiosity lol

i just really enjoy hearing about ships because they're an amazing opportunity to explore dynamics and perspectives i've never given much thought/thought about before (coming from a rare pair lover... oh gyx/lbg, my sweet...) so i'd love to see bakudeku, a ship i don't quite understand (yet!) in a more understanding, different, and interesting light! and in complete honesty i trust your judgement with insightful character and ship analysis stuff, so... yeah!

heeey jade! sorry for the wait, i've been busy with work and irl stuff :DDD but i'm here now!

where to even begin lol... well, it's important to note that the relationship between midoriya izuku, the protagonist, and bakugo katsuki, the deuteragonist, is one of the main narrative lines of the manga, at the very core of the story. katsuki is izuku's narrative foil, their character developments are intrinsically connected (specially katsuki's!), and the same can be said about the themes of heroism, of what makes a hero, who can be a hero, what type of hero society needs, or if it needs them at all, etc., questions that also tie to the evolution of their relationship.

so from the start i was sold on this dynamic because i really like relationships that are at the center of a story!! i also like relationships with a complicated history with lots of drama and ups and downs, and i like that each character has their own things going on in their lives even if they are connected and one of the most important persons in each other's lives. big big bonus guaranteed to get my full attention if they are obsessed with each other lol

the thing is, deku and bakugo are in a bad place when the story kicks in. bakugo isn't an active bully, in the sense that he doesn't constantly seek deku out to hurt him, but he IS horribly mean and hostile, and that's because for years he's felt threatened by deku (and deku's heroic qualities), and wants to push him away, because he also feels that deku is looking down on him. the story doesn't shy away from showing and acknowledging that bakugo's behavior is atrocious and needs to change, and it works towards it consistently: he eventually atones, apologizes, and changes. on the other side of the coin, deku has always been paying attention to bakugo and, despite how the latter treated him, would chase him, observe him to the point he has bakugo's moves memorized, takes inspiration from his fighting style and even imitates him to give himself courage to do something specially daring and when he wants to "win" more than "save"; bakugo is his image of victory, ever since they were kids.

i scrolled through my bkdk meta tag, since it's been yeeeeears since i was involved in the fandom, lol, and found this post that tackles the bullying issue specifically and makes some very good points, if you wanted to read it! :D

the manga eventually addresses the problems in their relationship in "Deku vs Kacchan 2" (chapters 117-119), at the time bakugo is feeling turmoils for the part he played in All Might's end. to the question of "why does deku chase and care about bakugo if bakugo is so mean to him?" ch 119 has deku answer that himself:

this fight is the turning point for their relationship, and for the rest of the manga their individual and dual development is mostly upwards. reading bnha is worth it, if anything, just for the beauty of bakugo katsuki's development.

another big aspect that got me hooked in their relationship from the very first anime episode (and first opening) is that they are

✨Childhood Friends✨

(strap in this is gonna get loooooooooong)

Childhood friends (Osananajimi) is kind of a huge trope in manga/anime, often as a romantic interest. According to some sources i quickly consulted in the internet, and some of the manga/anime I've watched, in Japanese culture osananajimi is considered one of the purest bond formed between people, with a level of closeness equal to that between blood relatives; formed at such an early age, at a time when societal restrictions didn't apply yet, the relationship is genuine because they still didn’t need or know how to hide their true feelings from each other. As the childhood friends grew up together, this is considered a special connection, somewhat different to those formed after societal norms and perceptions take precedence. Or, as makeste put it:

here we have two very young children who are introduced to each other at an age when they’re still young enough to have absolutely no secrets. they’re young enough to have not yet learned to be shy or self-conscious, or to downplay their enthusiasm so as not to let others know they care. kids that young don’t hide anything. they don’t lie or deceive. they don’t have agendas, and they assume that others don’t either. it is, in short, a very pure type of relationship in the sense that it’s honest and uncomplicated, that it is exactly what it appears to be at face value. their personalities are fully out there with no attempt at reining anything in. Katsuki witnesses the full force of Izuku’s boundless hero-worshipping energy and enthusiasm. Izuku witnesses the full extent of Katsuki’s relentless confidence and Peter Pan cockiness. both boys see each other for who they are in their entirety, and accept each other. this is a fundamental bond. there is trust built between the two of them at a critical, formative age. it’s a relationship formed so early on that it’s likely that neither of them can actually recall a time before they met the other. they are and have always been a constant in each other’s lives. they’re a lot like siblings in terms of that kind of closeness and complete understanding of the other, both the good and the bad. in fact I’d say that Izuku’s use of “Kacchan” (and Katsuki’s automatic acceptance of it) isn’t that different from a younger brother’s use of “Niisan” for his older brother. it’s very revealing of the type of relationship they have. and that includes the typical sibling squabbles as well. it’s very much a relationship that’s taken for granted; there’s no filter, no effort to hold back, no attempt at trying to tone down their behavior around one another. there is whining and bragging and squabbling and name-calling and tears, just as much as there is cooperation and respect and trust. because at the end of the day, the assumption is that the relationship will endure no matter what, so they can go at each other as hard as they can and it doesn’t matter. the other one’s presence is just a given. that’s the kind of relationship that this term “childhood friends” really encapsulates, I think.

The sudden change of their statuses when the quirks start to manifest is a major factor that placed them on opposite sides of the social hierarchy, and conditioned the way society and their peers would treat them. But despite this and the misunderstandings that happen between them and the falling apart of their relationship, the subconscious understanding between them remains intact through the years. They always flashback to their earlier memories. They probably didn't interact much in elementary or middle school, and even if they did, they interactions were already tainted by their social status and Bakugo’s hostility. They don't share their innermost feelings with anyone but each other. Like when Deku gets angry or determined to win and to surpass him, or when Bakugo screams and cries out his emotional turmoil at Deku. According to Japanese social rules those are selfish things to do. This relates to the concepts of honne and tatemae.

Japanese society is more regimented than one might believe just from watching anime. By middle school age, and even to some degree in primary school, children are expected to interact with their peers in a relatively professional way. This is especially true of relationships between students of opposite sexes. Such requirements aren't held for family or close friends, but for everyone else one is expected to be polite and not share their true feelings or say things too directly. This concept of dividing people into an in-group and an out-group (内外, uchi-soto) is somewhat hard for non-Japanese people to understand, but is central to interactions between people in Japanese culture. In fact, you can find plenty of examples of this and of the related concepts of honne and tatemae in anime if you look, but if you aren't looking for them specifically it's easy to miss. (source)

So, for example, you shouldn't show your true feelings/thoughts to other people, even more if they aren’t socially acceptable, because that may disturb the peace in the community. But because Deku and Kacchan are osananajimi that have known each other their whole life, that doesn't apply to them. By stating from the very beginning that Kacchan was Deku's childhood friend, Hori put them in a close relationship with each other with a level of intimacy, trust and a subconscious understanding not like any other. Kacchan is, in fact, closer to him than All Might himself.

Like, Deku has been calling Bakugo by his childhood nickname, Kacchan ("Ka[tsu]" from Katsuki + "-chan", which is usually used to address children or females in an affectionate way), even past the age he was excepted it to drop it. When they were 4 years old, the other kids called him "Kacchan" too, but growing up it would be seen as childish or disrespectful so they start to call him "Katsuki" or "Bakugo". This puts a level of distance between him and his peers that, regardless of what happened between them, didn't extend to Deku and Katsuki. And it had to cross Deku's mind at some point ( "Should I start calling him Katsuki/Bakugo too?") but he didn't or simply couldn't. Despite everything, he wasn't willing to put even more distance between himself and Bakugo. He deliberately refused to put formal distance between them, and more importantly, Bakugo just LET THAT BE.

___

Like, this was a great set up from the beginning for me. I knew there was a story there from the first episodes, and then "Deku vs Kacchan 1" happened, showing their childhood flashbacks and the misunderstandings that would persist until DvK2, and i was really into that lol They relationship was one of the main reasons I followed the manga.

i mean LOOK at THIS!

how i could NOT ship it i mean come on

Even their color schemes complement each other, and their costumes have the same/similar colors. they are are complementary opposites that share the same core: to become a hero, their admiration of All Might. Each of them has a quality the other lacks and needs to work on to become the heroes: heroes that win and save, as All Might put it. Selflessness and Selfishness: to help and save others, in one side, and to care for one's personal victory, in the other. Bakugo was obsessed with victory and glory, and Deku was willing to do anything to save others, to the point of self-destruction. These isolated qualities didn't made them good heroes, but combined, as the two learn them from each other, by the end of the story they really become two of the greatest heroes.

This connects with their rivalry, which is richer than any other in the manga because of the many layers to their relationship: they are obsessed with each other, want to compete with each other (for the rest of their lives!!!) and don't want the other to fall behind, specially after their misunderstandings are resolved. They also don't want to be left behind by the other. Because they love each other too much! Whether people interpret it as platonic or romantic or whatever in between (secret third they are like like four different types of greek love categories combined), they are each other's More Important Person outside of family members. Hell, Kacchan getting hurt is basically Deku's berserk button: he punches All Might in the face to save Katsuki during the end of term exam; he goes crazy protective and possessive when Katsuki gets kidnapped by the League of villains(Mr. Compress even calls him out lmao)

he goes crazy when Katsuki is hurt in front of him

and when he thought katsuki had died...

i mean. look at this romantic shit.

_

lol and i feel like i'm leaving many other stuff behind, like Bakugo's apology, and all the little moments after DvK, and all the times in the last arc where Bakugo was thinking about Izuku constantly, and the finale where Katsuki cried because Deku had given up OFA and was going to be quirkless again, and the fact that he was at the heart of the mecha suit years-long project because he wanted Izuku's dream, their dreams, to come true. but tbh I only read them the one time and need to reread the whole manga again to refresh my knowledge. and i already shipped them before all this haha.

they are amazing characters in a really well done shonen manga they have a beautiful story 🧡💚

[bibibbon]

Firstly, I want to thank you for sharing your metas on BNHA and JJK. Because of you I understand more about the story and the characters.

What do you think of someone, if they were asked, why do like this media? And their answer is because of the ship.

That someone is me (sorry). See, what I love about BNHA and JJK are my otps (bakudeku and satosugu). Because of those two ships, I got better in writing. I love those two ships so much, that I wrote fics for them. Also, I got to know many wonderful people who love to write fics, too. And let me tell you, as much as I love fics, what we got in BNHA in the last 20 chapters are way better in any fics that I've read. And don't let me start on satosugu, their canon moments are just so good....

Do you think it's weird if I love the ships more than the media itself?

I just want to start this post by saying that it's not my place or anyone's place for that matter to tell you what's bad or good or what's weird or normal within fandom places and all.

Now as for my opinion I dont think that it's weird that you like a ship more than the actual plot of the show. However your question makes me think isn't the ship or dynamic of these characters basically the media/contents of the show?

Thank you for your comment honestly this has encouraged me to make more metas of jjk and just other forms of media I have been engaging in.

Personally, Iam very critical of MHA especially this last arc which in my opinion has been a disaster. Iam quite a big anti of bakugo and BKDK in general and how everything was handled between them but I can definitely see why you may think that the last twenty chapters have been gold as a lot has happend like bakugo coming back and various amounts of interactions between Izuku and bakugo.

Yeah I agree Gojo and Geto are very much well written and I love gege for that.

[beigepillow]

@valendiakn I admit the Gojo/Geto ship looks good. They’re both good looking men. But they felt very platonic from what I saw in the anime. It didn’t feel like queer subtext at all and honestly we barely even saw their relationship outside of that one arc. I think they were both very important to one another but I don’t think they were in love with each other. Shipping has been a slippery slope these last few years with it being more mainstream because of twitter and tiktok but I think people blur the lines between fanon and canon. I have no problem with shipping as I love to read fanfiction and have even warmed up to the bkdk ship with mha’s ending but there are some people who genuinely believe Geto/Gojo were lovers and it has taken over discussions about jjk. It is also a ship that Gege doesn’t seem to like to encourage as he reinforces many times throughout that they were best friends. I also straight up don’t like their dynamic. Gojo and Geto both think they’re superior over others and while Geto inspires Gojo to use it for good and to help others, there is still a sense of them thinking others are inferior which shows more once Geto breaks down. I think Gojo should be with someone who doesn’t reinforce the superiority if he were to date anyone. All in all, I think most people just like the way they look together but we shouldn’t forget Geto becomes genocidal.

[smallmightsupremacy]

i've been on the hellsite (affectionate) for almost a decade and i literally never once tried to reblog something privately before, and so i did for the hell of it, just to see?

and it was your 'shoutout to writers who get bkdk relationship' post, and i just saw i must have been the last person to reblog it before you turned off reblogs 😬 so in case it wasn't just coincidence and i committed some faux pas i wasn't aware of, sowwyyyy!

(and uh, if it's not too presumptuous to ask, hello now that i'm here, care to help a boy in need lmao? i'm brand new to this fandom and it's so big i don't know where to start, would you happen to have any recs of fics that do understand the bkdk relationship? 👀👀)

Hello hello!! First of all, welcome to the mha fandom!!! It gets a little crazy here sometimes, but I hope you enjoy your stay here nonetheless! Anyways, I haven't turned off reblogs on that post to my knowledge (to be honest I'm not even sure I know how to 😅) so you're totally good!! My best guess as to what happened is that someone else reblogged my post and turned off reblogs and you saw it there Also, fics!!! Where do I even begin? There are so many amazing fic writers out there that I know. Still, if you're specifically looking for people that understand the bkdk relationship, I'd start off with any of amarisllis' fics. She's fairly popular on ao3 and her portrayal of bkdk is *chefs kiss* Also also!! ladyofsnails makes amazing bkdk fics too!! Highly recommend too!! Now, if you're looking for specific fics instead of just authors, I'm gonna throw some in here below and give a brief summary of them (these are all on ao3 by the way): The Way You Used To Do by edema_ruh (Look. I know it's long, but it's the bkdk fic. Like. It's predicted events that happened in the manga. Anyways, this fic has a whole lotta forced proximity and slow burn.) warm hands by flowercafe (I used to reread this fic over and over again. Basically it's just a 5+1 of Katsuki taking care of Izuku's hands by massaging them.) you dragged me out (of a mile deep hollow) by deadwriter16 (Katsuki looks after Izuku post vigilante arc and gives him the love he deserves. Great hurt/comfort fic.) All We Ever Knew by dynamics (The writing for this fic is stunning. Goes really into depth with Katsuki's psyche and why acts the way he acts.) Halfway to the Moon (But the Sun is So Bright) by Catsired (Middleschool bkdk fic, but Bakugou realizes how much he's fucking Izuku over and tries to fix things.) in your dreams, nerd! by sapphic flower (Katsuki and Izuku can see each other in their dreams. Amazing concept. So well written)

message delivered by dekusneakers (Chat fic that goes really in-depth with Katsuki's feelings when Izuku had his vigilante arc. The way bkdk is portrayed in this is so aaaaaaaa I love it sm) Your Hand In Mine (In Every Universe) by panpanicatmha (Oh my god. This fic changed something in my brain. So alternate versions of Katsuki come and meet Izuku, share their stories and try to find a common link between all of them to be able to get home. The author also writes a bunch of companion fics to this, so I highly recommend reading those too if you're interested!!) Well, this post is already pretty long so I'm going to have to restrain myself from adding more. I hope this was helpful!!! But if you ever do need more fic recs, feel free to ask and I will deliver!! That goes for anyone <3 Take care anon <333

[neonscandal]

Okay, I cried reading your SatoSugu meta... They're so beautiful and the way you worded your thoughts, it's all just perfectly.....Thanks for sharing them...Gotta admit when I read about bakudeku and satosugu shipping, I felt kinda sceptical. But when I found your blog in early 2023, WOW.... You convert me into a believer, @neonscandal...(Yes, I'm a shipper for < 1 year, so I learn a lot from your blog). Finding your blog is one of the highlight of my 2023....💐🥰

Before this, I've already love BL manga/manhwa/manhua, but not into shipping non-canon couples. So when I read shounen, it's just for the action story, but now I really understand the appeal, thanks to you.....And yes, you're right. I'll have quite a hard time in finding BL canon couples that have dynamics as perfect and interesting as Bakugou/Midoriya and Gojo/Getou....

HAHAHA I'm happy my delusion is compelling or at least contagious. I literally cackled aloud reading this, thank you and I'm glad you're here. 💛🌻 Once you let the SatoSugu brainrot in, you're done for.

If I ever find any pairings as compelling as BKDK or STSG I will immediately recommend them. But I should be forthcoming with the fact that it'd probably require longer running BL's to get to the crux of that complexity.

I'm currently reading (largely obsessing over) these ongoing series':

My Hero Academia

Jujutsu Kaisen

Sakamoto Days

Chainsaw Man

Gokurakugai

Sasaki and Miyano

Hirano and Kagiura (which releases like every three months along with SaM 😭)

Because of this, I try not to add more ongoing stories and will, instead, knock out quick 6-12 chapter stories in between so I can stay focused, if that makes sense. As you can imagine, it's hard to cultivate the layers that we see spanning over tens or hundreds of chapters in JJK and MHA. There are a lot of popular stories that are ongoing that may have what we're looking for but ya girl's waiting for them to be completed before jumping in. I'm always down for recommendations if you got em!

[marie-golds-bleeding-ink]

My Favorite Ship Dynamic | An Essay

Recently I've found that I'm very interested in a relationship, where two characters fall in love with each other but due to internal conflicts aren't able to get together without a lot of angst and growth.

My two favorite ships have these elements in them; The conflict is specifically caused by the (usually negative and/or one sided) ways they'd interacted in the past, and the ways they resolve the conflict through the realizations of their relationships, usually with a happy ending.

As in, "maybe everything isn't immediately perfect, but now they can pull through together" kind of happy!

It can be a real slowburn, (one ship is decades long and still not together) but it's worth it to see the ways they develop for and because of each other.

Props if it starts off a bit one sided at first, where it takes time for Person A to reciprocate Person B's feelings. That can also be incredibly interesting to watch!

I've probably rambled enough, but as this dynamic and the two ships I've seen it with are all topics I'm passionate about, (especially as 2x4 is a rarepair) I really wanted to go in depth about why I'm so interested in this dynamic and all it's potential, since I'm not always able to articulate my thoughts like this.

And that's why BkDk and 2x4 are my two favorite ships. No seriously.

As someone who values conflict in fiction, whether its platonic or otherwise (usually the latter for me,) I find watching dynamics involving it incredibly interesting, especially between people as fundamentally different as Gordon is to Edward, or Katsuki to Izuku, and the ways their views of each other change and pull them closer as a result as they undergo their own arcs.

I've had these thoughts ever since I finished Season 3 of MHA, and Katsuki's apology to Midoriya.

I think the culmination was slowly getting back into TTTE and stumbling upon 2x4, which slowly and then rapidly grew on me for the same reasons BkDk did. Up until recently I hadn't had the ability to word out exactly why I was so into these ships, but once I figured out what elements I liked so much about them, I decided to get this written down and share my thoughts. If anyone was willing to read this to the end, first off, THANK YOU!!

And second off, I hope my feelings came off clear as I intended. Have a good day!

[bicheetopuff]

A Nonsensical BakuDeku post

I saw a few posts on why bkdks shouldn’t have their hopes up for the ship being canon and it made me remember what Hori said about not being good at writing romance. And remembering that made me think… okay, this can go one of three ways:

1) IzuOcha happens. Ochako confesses her feelings and Izuku reciprocates. I’m not saying this is a bad thing however, if this ship does happen then what Hori said about being bad at writing romance would be correct.

Toga realizing Ochakos crush on Izuku is what sets up the idea of love for the whole story. Excessive admiration, imitation and inspiration=love. We see it in other ships that have been semi set up and they all go both ways (Kirishima x Ashido, Kaminari x Jiro, a little Todoroki x Momo). We don’t get much because none of those ships hold main characters but, we get enough to know that the admiration and inspiration goes both ways in their relationships. They both look up to each other and put each other on pedestals.

IzuOcha doesn’t go both ways in that sense. It’s not fair to Ochako to suddenly be in a relationship with somebody that doesn’t put her on the same pedestal she puts them on. Izuku cares about Ochako and is thankful for his relationship with her. Without her, he’d probably still tie the name “Deku” with “useless” and wouldn’t have grown his confidence as much as he has. But in the category of what love means in mha, he doesn’t put her on that pedestal of someone worth imitating and seeking inspiration from.

Their relationship is so much more than Ochakos crush but it’s unfortunately always reduced down to that. I know there’s a theory that Ochako will realize that she never liked Izuku as more than someone she looked up to but I think that theory contradicts the already set up relationships in the story. If the excessive admiration Ochako feels for Izuku suddenly doesn’t mean crush, the other ship set ups wouldn’t make sense and Ochakos repeated jealousy (Hatsume, Camie, Melissa) also wouldn’t make sense. I think Ochako does have a legitimate crush on Izuku but she doesn’t let it get between what their relationship already is. They’re apart of each other’s support systems through all the fucked up things they’ve both experienced since attending UA.

Making them canon would be lazy writing on Horikoshis part and he’s already proved that he’s not a lazy writer when it comes to complex relationships and personality traits between characters. It’d be a cliche “the hero gets the girl in the end” kind of thing and there’s a very fragile, one sided set-up and it wouldn’t be satisfying. I’m not saying that cuz of bias, I’m saying that as a fan of fiction.

2) BakuDeku happens. With the complexity of their relationship, we know if this happens it’ll be subtle. There won’t be asking each other on dates or deep emotional confessions of love or anything extremely sappy. That’s not their dynamic. And it doesn’t seem like Horikoshis writing style. If it happens it’d probably be in the form of tension that signifies a change in their dynamic during a fight (potentially Deku vs Kacchan 3 where Katsuki expresses how concerned and upset he was when Izuku didn’t listen to his “don’t try to win this on your own” line and turned into a damn vigilante) or admission of admiration for one another while they talk about Katsukis apology (which better happen). This isn’t a romance manga after all. But if this ship does happen, even if it’s just implied, I think Horikoshi would have written one of the best romances in the shonen genre. And given how many people love these twos dynamic in the west and in Japan, there’s no way Horikoshi isn’t aware of that.

We’re given the mha love complex in the training camp arc. This is right after internships and final exams where we see Izukus new application of his quirk and everyone notices how he’s moving just like Katsuki does. And in final exams, after they both punched each other in the face, we see just how much Izuku idolize Katsuki with the “Don’t say you’d rather lose” line and reminiscing on how Katsuki saw heroes and people that always win. A few moments later we get Katsuki biting the bullet and working with Izuku and throwing him towards the finish line while he holds back All might. Even though Izuku can barely move, he sees All Might knock Katsuki unconscious and punches All Might then carries Katsuki to safety passed the finish line. Even though it’s before Deku vs Kacchan 2, it’s an important turning point in the relationship where Katsuki starts to see Izuku as someone he can fight along side with.

That being said, Togas words to Ochako happen while Izuku is running on pure adrenaline to make sure Katsuki isn’t taken by villains. Katsuki sees him, looks horrified, and then spouts how he doesn’t need anyones help to protect him (he ain’t slick). Then the “don’t come, Deku” scene being another important point in their relationship.

Now to my point. The mha love complex reveal was sandwiched in between two important moments with our protagonist and his childhood friend. First slice of bread being imitation, admiration, acceptance, and protectiveness. Closing slice being protectiveness, tunnel vision, and dread… I’m sorry but there’s no way that wasn’t on purpose, the placement of Togas words should’ve aligned with an important moment in Izuku and Ochakos relationship, shouldn’t it?

Katsuki and Izuku both have pedestals for each other. Even though Katsuki tried to knock down the one he had for Izuku and loathed it for ten years and half the story, it was still there. Just like how Izuku had mixed feelings about his pedestal for Katsuki, it was still there whether either of them wanted it to be or not. The inspiration, imitation, and admiration goes both ways even if it’s not obvious sometimes. Katsukis character development is reflection of his own action but also imitation and admiration of Izukus ideals of being a hero. Izukus admiration and imitation towards Katsuki is a lot more obvious so there’s not much of a need to talk about it.

They’re both protective and possessive of each other canonically that them being abruptly emotionally invested in anyone else wouldn’t feel right.

3) We get nothing. The war finishes and the manga just ends with no flashbacks to Katsuki and Izuku talking or any love confessions from Ochako. We get no closure due to the toxic side of the fandom (ship wars, dudebros) out of fear of manga sales plummeting no matter what path they go down. That most likely won’t happen but it’s still a possibility. If it does, I’m sure Horikoshi would make up for it in some way. What ships become canon is a small fragment of what to look forward to in the story because there’s still a lot of interesting and important plot points that haven’t been answered and I’m looking forward to them finding their conclusions. I don’t care what ship happens as long as the story is wrapped up nicely and we get good closure on the open plot points.

Anyways thanks for reading my nonsensical rant, don’t let people tell you not to keep your hopes high. Keep them up if you wanna keep them up, what you do to appreciate the fiction you read is your choice and your choice alone. If it happens it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. :)

[marunalu]

Hi, I wanna say I am glad to find your account here. I spend most of my MHA fandom experience in twitter and am a BKDK shipper (actually, I am more a dekubowl coz I basically want everyone to love Izuku Midoriya and BKDK just happens to be the most popular ship). I used to like bakugo so much mostly because of his development in the story and how cool he is that I used to have a beef with bakugo antis and anti bkdk until I started to notice that most DKBK fans (it's a different dynamic from BKDK) started to become delusional/too biased with their MHA theories. DKBKs who ship Deku with Bakugo actually only use Deku as a tool to shower their loves and affections for Bakugo, they don't care with Deku and just keep saying like … "Deku loves Bakugo -- he will burn the world for Bakugo, Bakugo bullied him but Deku doesn't hate him and blah blah blah," as if Deku is a worthless character that doesn't deserve to be loved back by Bakugo and it's funny that many DKBKs understand why Bakugo bullied Deku but they started to pity and want to baby Bakugo after seeing the newest leaks and said Deku becoming a hero is meaningless if he cannot save Bakugo and I was like … "WTF?! Is everything about Bakugo you care about?!"

Not all BKDKs are like that (mostly it's DKBKs) but I must admit, both can be hypocrisy sometimes ; they believe BKDKBK will be canon and endgame and yet when IzuOcha fans argued that IzuOcha would most likely to be canon, BKDKBK said none of the ships would become canon bcs MHA was not about romance (and worse, DKBKs already claimed that if IzuOcha would become canon then Hori created cliche ending). When Noguchi (@nstime23) -- Hori's ex-assistant drew Deku & Bakugo playing together, they shouted 'BKDK canon!' but when Noguchi drew IzuOcha who seemed to be dating, they're like 'Oh, they're good friends.' Even worse called someone homophobic just bcs they don't ship BKDKBK!

Idk if you're also in MHAtwt, many DKBKs & Bakugo stans there also start to hate Deku and harrass BKDKs who loves dekubowl & fixed BKDK who loves Izuku Midoriya and it's disgusting how DKBKs start to become competitive about who's more loved and popular between Bakugo and Deku. When Bakugo is having a badass moments, DKBKs were like, "Bakugo is cool, Hori must love him." but when Bakugo is having a trouble where Deku came to save him, DKBKs were like, "See, Bakugo is so loved -- he's a fragile and beautiful princess," then started another silly headcanon where they antagonize/mischaracter Deku for being obssessive with the Bakugo being the innocent one -- it's really makes me sick!

And this is exactly why I dont like shipping, because of the danger that people will start to care more about the ship then the actual characters! Bakugou and izuku are both nothing but shipping tools for them. Espicially the extrem hardcore shippers just confirmed this after bakugou was WRECKED, tortured, shamed, insultet, humiliated in front of many pro heroes including his "mentor" and homeroom teacher and had all in all just the most terrible day of his life and the only thing most of his "fans" cared about, was ranting about the fan and the offical translation, because it didnt called him "the most important person in izukus life." And on top of that they dont even want bakugou to manage to safe himself by his own strengh and intelligence, no they want IZUKU to show up, go into rage mode and safe the poor damsel in distress! That should show anyone where the real priority lies! The whole point of the last 2 chapters was to show to the readers, that bakugous biggest fear is to always stay in izukus shadow and that he drives to be better then him! HE DOESNT!!!! WANT TO BE SAVED BY IZUKU! Thats literally THE LAST thing he wants, right now!!! How is it that I as a anti bakugou get that but his "fans" not!

Also the last 2 chapters also tried to hit home to readers that bakugou is the obsessed one in this toxic relationship. He is the one who follows izuku around, the one who listens to izukus conversations with others, the one who forces himself into izukus business with ofa and all might and at the same time pretends not to care and to be annoyed, but also asks for more information and the one who keeps a close eye on izukus archivments and growing powers. Bakugou is the stalker in that relationship! Izuku simply admires him for being a winner type (quite funny that bakugou actually had more loses then wins), but despite that minds his own business and spents his time with other friends. He ONLY hangs around bakugou, if its ua related and not in his freetime.

Honestly I didnt know that there exists something like dkbk, but the way you descripe it, its clear the shippers arent better then bkdk. But its nice to see a bkdkbk shipper who shows you can like the ship, but still critique the shipper fanbase behavior.

I dont ship izuocha, but its obvious that its the endgame ship and at that point I think bkdk shippers are really just pretending to be blind. Also personally, I rather have a "boring" and "cliche", but healthy and wholesome ship, then a toxic and abusive one, with one of them stalking the other and having absolutely no agenda outside his obsession to be better then the other. And the stalker in this relationship is NOT izuku! Never was!

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

To tell the truth, I'm not a big fan of Izuocha, since they play with the cliche where you know that in the end the safest thing is that both stay together, more if we count that Horikoshi has made drawings of them holding their hands, like the eighth anniversary of the manga and its interpretation of spirited away with both falling, fun fact bkdk shippers went crazy trying to analyze how this meant that both characters had no feelings for each other and that the ship was dead, when in the original movie the falling scene It's a clear display of romantic love between the two main characters. However, it's cliche and people may dislike it, personally I'm a fan of the type of dynamics where both characters have shown mutual concern and respect for each other and helped each other, more than anything I'm a fan of relationships where you don't need each other degradation or mistreatment of one of its parts to play with a false idea of ​​"pulling the pigtails" as a sign of love, and that type of dynamic is both in IzuOcha, TodoDeku, RodyDeku and I think that every relationship that Midoriya has with the exception of Bakugou where many times bullying is justified as a way to show his love or hidden feelings.

Honestly my opinion on IzuOcha is that it’s cute… and that’s it. Like that’s the only thought I have about it 😂. It’s definitely nothing exciting nor new, but at the end of the day, it’s harmless (the ship itself, not the stans) and reminiscent of most HS relationships (minus the whole them being superheroes thing). There are ships I like a lot more than it and that I feel have more potential to go somewhere/be more in-tuned with the themes of MHA, but I have no complaints or really and thoughts about IzuOcha.

I 100% agree with you about liking ships where the characters have visible concern, care, and respect for one another. I vibe with those ships hard. To me they’re just so comforting to read. I do love me a good enemies to lovers ship dynamic (as long as there’s no abuse and the like in play), but ships were people start off as friends before blossoming into lovers is what I love to read and watch.

[pikahlua]

00. Complete Works Index (Alphabetized A-M)

**If a post contains manga spoilers, I will indicate in the title what is the latest chapter spoiled by the post.

A

AFO brain trauma theory (chapter 287)

(AFO brain...) Follow Up: AFO’s heart exists inside OFA (chapter 311)

(AFO brain...) Follow Up: Izuku the vessel and AFO/OFA endpoints (chapter 316)

AFO is a bastard and we’re all on the train to Pain City ;D (chapter 318)

AFO’s Master Plan: Izuku’s rage will be his downfall (chapter 318)

All For One is Hisashi Midoriya, and the story is going to intentionally, unironically treat it as a joke (chapter 293)

All For One’s hairstyle suspiciously matches Izuku’s

All For One’s long-term goal (chapter 337)

All Might and Katsuki’s college lecturer/TA relationship dynamic (chapter 295)

All Might is gonna get kidnapped (chapter 320)

All Might vs Inko Midoriya (S03E12)

All Might’s blind spots with Izuku and Katsuki (chapter 320)

All Might will live

Always Right

Always Winning

Answering questions about WHM action sequences with vague rumors I’ve heard

Aoyama cheese symbolism (chapter 337)

Aoyama wrong about AFO not stonks (chapter 343)

B

Bak-u-go headcanon discussion for fun (chapter 310)

Bakugou is a utilitarian

Bakugou & Uraraka/All Might & Aizawa linguistics

Big Bro Katsuki (light novel #6 cover)

Bineta vibin’ (chapter 327)

“BKDK talk” is just another name for DvK3 (chapter 342)

Boss Music Danger Sense AU (chapter 295)

But can I connect chapter 350 to Katsuki Bakugou?

C

Chapter 277: The nuance of "Sorry. You’re not on my radar anymore.”

Chapter 284 Translation Notes

Chapter 284 Translation Notes Clarification

Chapter 302 Translation Notes

Chapter 310 Translation Notes

Chapter 318: “He’s here, bastards” vs “Guys, I found him”

Chapter 319 is so damn confusing I’m all over the place on this

Chapter 319: This doesn’t pass the sniff test

Chapter 322: “We know” vs “I know”

Chapter 327: Izuku Kanji vs. Kana Discussion

Chapter 341 Translation Notes (first six pages)

Chapter 342: “Hard pass on the dirty talk”

Characters with puntastic names

Class 1-A general speech patterns

Class 1-B general speech patterns (partial)

Compatibility between Katsuki’s and Ochako’s quirks

Conspicuous Chekhov’s guns leading into chapter 320 (chapter 319)

(Conspicuous...) Follow Up: Katsuki knows who can reach Izuku right now (chapter 319)

Convincing evidence everything in MHA is about to go to shit RE: chapter 318

Covert Himbo Shouto Todoroki

D

Dadzawa loves his problem son (chapter 307)

Dekuneta Forbidden Love (chapter 342)

Details to keep in mind going into the final arc (chapter 343)

Detective Katsuki Bakugou figures out the secret of OFA: A Picture Book

Did Shouto dig up the family grave? (chapter 351)

Dive into the gremlin brain (chapter 337)

Dost thou even ship, bro?

E

Every emotion on Katsuki’s face in Heroes Rising but with new, heartbreaking context (chapter 322)

Everything that happened in Katsuki Bakugo Rising was heavily foreshadowed early on and staring us dead in the face P.S. Horikoshi is laughing madly at us: A Picture-Book Essay (chapter 286)

Evidence that All For One is Hisashi Midoriya (chapter 310)

F

Fanfic: Dragonheart Chapter 1

Fanfic: Dragonheart Chapter 2

Fanfic: Dragonheart Chapter 3

Fanfic: Dragonheart Meme: Fifteen minutes with Katsuki Bakugou (chapter 2)

Fanfic: Dragonheart Meme: Katsuki and the Fourth Wall (chapter 1)

Fanfic: Dragonheart Meme: Soul Bond tag for our resident human meteors (chapter 1)

Fanfic: Dragonheart Meme: The Katsuki is self-aware (chapter 1)

Fanfic: Dragonheart Meme: Whatcha got there, Deku? (chapter 1)

Finding meaning in Kirishima’s roots growing out (chapter 322)

Foreshadowing: Is Hagakure free of sus? (chapter 336)

Fridge logic: Aizawa could have killed AFO

G

Ground Beta is right there... (chapter 322)

H

Hero society is broken (chapter 316)

Hetero chapter was gay (chapter 342)

Hisashi Midoriya could just be an incidental side character

Horikoshi mansplaining Aoyama to Pikahlua (chapter 336)

Horikoshi’s penchant for references (chapter 314)

Horikoshi’s unrealistic depictions of romance or something (chapter 322)

Hot Take: Star(s) and Stripe(s) is NOT gonna lose her quirk *and* she’s NOT gonna die (chapter 329)

How am I right about everything?

How I Meta meme

How many times do I gotta say it? Katsuki parallels Tomura (chapter 345)

How was OFA passed down the first time? (chapter 310)

How would Katsuki react to Izuku dying or becoming a villain?

How you feelin rn? (chapter 303)

I

I already knew that AFO’s focused on Izuku now (chapter 316)

I am going to create a meta that has so many screenshots

I am once again asking for your red capes

“I didn’t know you write”

If I had a nickel for every chance I’ve had to use this specific meme image... (chapter 341)

“If that dumbass dies, I’ll kill him” (chapter 298)

I like Izuku Midoriya

I’m not in it for the live action

In Defense of Swiss Cheese

Incomplete list of Katsuki’s unresolved plot lines, character arcs, and foreshadowing (chapter 310)

Inko’s feelings about Izuku's responsibilities (chapter 309)

In THIS economy? (chapter 343)

Is Bakugou narrating? (chapter 348)

Is Deku gonna get kidnapped? (chapter 297)

I’ve Cracked the Code: Class 1-A is One For All (chapter 320)

I’ve only had the Second for a day and a half... (chapter 310)

Izuku absolutely notices Katsuki’s flaws

(Izuku absolutely...) Follow-up: What Izuku sees in Katsuki (and other heroes) (warning: vague references to chapter 319)

Izuku is NOT avoiding Katsuki (chapter 342)

Izuku Midoriya, the Unreliable Narrator (chapter 297)

Izuku’s Admiration: All Might vs Katsuki Bakugou

Izuku’s Image of Victory (S03E23)

J

Just thinking about bugs (chapter 317)

K

Kacchan’s Umbrella Dance aka my magnum opus

Katsuki and Mitsuki Bakugou (chapter 306, spoilers easily skippable)

(Katsuki and Mitsuki...) Katsuki’s public image vs. the media

Katsuki Bakugou needs hand-warmers (chapter 316)

Katsuki Bakugou Rising: How was he going to finish that sentence? (chapter 304)

Katsuki Bakugou: Surpass the pro (society) (chapter 314)

Katsuki Bakugou swears a lot(?)

Katsuki Bakugou’s True Feelings: The Power of Friendship...as it beats your ass into the ground (chapter 320)

Katsuki just realized that Izuku just realized AFO is an idiot and it’s hilarious because Dabi knows it too but rather than say anything he’s gonna be a petty fucker, sit back, and watch *Can’t Stop Twinkling* fucking destroy AFO and I will never stop laughing about it: A Picture-Book Essay (chapter 337)

Katsuki’s Answer: Even if One For All is a cursed power... (chapter 322)

Katsuki’s Apology Deep Dive (chapter 322)

Katsuki’s awkward hoodie (movie 3)

Katsuki’s gonna let class 1-A finish but... (chapter 320)

Katsuki’s Hero Name: Katsuki is so 👏 damn 👏 extra 👏 (chapter 293)

Katsuki’s Hero Name: They don’t know it’s “daibakusasshin” (chapter 293)

Katsuki’s Heroic Character Arc for Dummies (chapter 322)

(Katsuki’s Heroic Character Arc...) Follow Up: I am a Mature Person

Katsuki’s “Image of Rescue”: Deep Blue Meta Dive (chapter 284)

Katsuki’s perspective on Izuku since childhood

L

Lady Nagant overhype (chapter 315)

Link to “Ame ni mo Makezu” (chapter 320)

Logically working out a dying Katsuki’s priorities while sobbing (chapter 322)

M

MHA Endgame Bingo (chapter 343)

Mineta fell in love with Izuku? (chapter 321)

My initial reaction to MHA chapter 322 (chapter 322)

My meta sucks (chapter 319)

My Top Posts in 2021

N

Narrative problems with the DFO theory (chapter 295)

Nega-Kacchan (chapter 350)

No more quirks? (chapter 316)

O

Observing my character development via tag evolution (chapter 322)

Ochako Uraraka may become more than just a love interest soon (chapter 322)

OFA Body Horror

OFA Burnout Math (chapter 304)

OFA 2nd User kanji/word choice (chapter 310)

Oh hi Star (chapter 330)

“OOH MISTER KACCHAN”: A FAN FICTION (chapter 322)

Origins of the “Izuku Midoriya’s market of trust issues” tag (chapter 306)

Origins of the “my dead gay son” tag (chapter 298)

Overhaul quirk breakdown

P

Parallels: All For One (S03E10, S05E02) vs Izuku Midoriya (S02E01, S01E01, S01E08, S01E02)

Parallels: All For One & Tenko (S0309) vs Young Izuku & Young Katsuki (S01E07)

Parallels: All For One/Tomura (chapter 297) vs All For One/Katsuki feat. Tomura & Izuku (volume cover 10)

Parallels: All Might & Izuku Midoriya (chapter 1, S01E01) vs Izuku Midoriya & All Might (chapter 317)

Parallels: Eijirou Kirishima & Katsuki Bakugou feat. Izuku Midoriya, Tenya Iida, & the League of Villains (chapter 91) vs Izuku Midoriya & All Might (chapter 317)

Parallels: Izuku & All Might (S01E02) vs Katsuki & All Might Izuku (S03E23)

Parallels: Izuku/Tenko (chapter 305) vs Izuku/Katsuki (S01E07)

Parallels: Katsuki Bakugou vs Tomura Shigaraki (S02 ED2, S02E24, S05E24)

Parallels: Second OFA User (chapter 310) vs Katsuki Bakugou (chapter 42)

Pigeons crossover (chapter 320)

Platonic Mentor OFA 2nd User is relevant to my interests (chapter 310)

Possible Parallels: The Final Battle (chapter 298)

Post-war character expectations for Kirishima, Ashido, Machia, Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Stain (chapter 316)

Predicting the rest of the MHA series generally a.k.a. answering 14 asks in one go (chapter 322)

Q

Quirk Singularity Doomsday: Deku’s Gonna Be Possessed REDUX (chapter 330)

R

Recommended theories?

Rescue vs atonement (chapter 322)

Runner-runner-up best developed relationship: Katsuki and Ochako (chapter 319)

S

Save to Win meets Win to Save (chapter 322)

Second Life: Oh my god this theory is not immediately dismissable and I don’t know how to feel about that (chapter 330)

Self-Victory: Katsuki vs. One For All (chapter 316)

Should Katsuki call him Izuku or Deku? (chapter 337)

Shouto vs Dabi the Deku parallel (chapter 301)

Shouto’s family drama, the media, and Katsuki (chapter 303)

Shouto’s hero name is genius and never expect him to change it

Sincerely, Professor MHA

Smiles and possessed by emotions (chapter 286)

Smiling in the Face of Danger: A Picture Book (chapter 286)

Sometimes Izuku is terrifying

Spoilers/Manga Translations by Chapter

Spoilers Translations Masterpost

Star reminds me of GI Jane (chapter 333)

Star versus the Forces of GOT’EEEEM (chapter 333)

(Star versus...) Follow-up: Star and Katsuki and Teamwork (chapter 333)

Still Waters Run Deep: Aoyama observations I have no idea what to do with but I’m scared

T

That’s not what Katsuki wanted to hear (S03E23)

That’s not what Katsuki wanted to hear 2: The Victory Strategy (chapter 286)

The appeal of BakuDeku relationship dynamics

The dynamic between Bakugou and Uraraka

The Egg Metaphor (chapter 335)

The Egg Will Explode: Deku’s Gonna Be Possessed (chapter 286)

The Future of One For All (chapter 293)

The new arc of My Hero Academia looks great! (chapter 307)

The Obligatory MVA Anime Meta

The OG fandom gatekeeper

Theory vs Theory: A Second Guess at Second’s Quirk (chapter 349)

The post-war conflict or lack thereof between Izuku and Katsuki (chapter 318)

The Second’s Quirk: Shit’s about to get absolutely batshit crazy (chapter 349)

This Is Fine: Predicting the Second’s quirk (chapter 310)

TodoBaku Restaurant (chapter 342)

Traitor Confirmed (chapter 328)

Traitor Hagakure is not surprising (chapter 335)

U

UA school uniform vs. One For All (volume 31 cover, chapter 320)

Uh oh Katsuki is in danger (chapter 345)

Uh oh, Second’s quirk?

(Uh oh...) But should I say it?

(Uh oh...) Is that the Second’s quirk revealed? (chapter 349)

Underestimating Toga (chapter 341)

Until Now: The full scope of apologies (chapter 322)

V

Vaguesplaining Katsuki’s amnesia in Heroes Rising (chapter 322)

Volume 30 cover sketch reaction (volume 30)

W

Wait wait I think I got it this time: Yes it’s another Second’s quirk theory (but this one’s correct) (chapter 349)

What does it mean that Ochako and Hawks are the “light of hope?” (Jump GIGA spring 2021 Horikoshi interview)

What is Overhaul’s role in the story? (chapter 312)

What is the “Ultimate Hero”? (chapter 323)

What to do with the DFO theory? (chapter 290)

What was Katsuki thinking when he told Izuku to dive off the roof in chapter 1? (chapter 284, hints about chapter 319)

What Your Favorite My Hero Academia Ship Says About You: OFA 1x2 (chapter 310)

When does Izuku chronologically first use Nana Shimura’s quirk? (chapter 284)

When people take me too seriously...

When the meta HITS...

When will DvK3 come back from war? (chapter 342)

When you wanna meta but work...

Which characters/relationships in MHA are the best developed in my opinion?

Who is Katsuki Bakugou’s villain counterpart? (chapter 310)

Who was in the car? (chapter 322)

Who will save Izuku? (chapter 318)

Who won Deku vs Kacchan 2?

Why isn’t Uraraka popular? ...or is she?

Will Katsuki Bakugou be a popular hero? (chapter 293)

Winning! Part 1 (chapter 334)

Winning! Part 2 (chapter 334)

Winning! Part 3 (chapter 336)

Winning! Part 4 (chapter 336)

Winning! Part 5 (chapter 336)

World Heroes’ Mission parody of cable news (movie 3)

Writing comparison

Writing comparison follow-up

X

Y

You can ask me about translations

You PAMPER Pikahlua? (Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2)

Z

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch: Two Heroes

mysterylover123

And before we start Season 3, one more road stop: The Big Freaking Movie, Two Heroes, last year’s surprise anime blockbuster and HeroAca’s first excursion onto the big screen. Time to share my thoughts and rewatch this very entertaining film!

We open with bald eagles, deserts, and cowpoke themes, to make sure we know we’re in America. We fly into “California” which looks more like Las Vegas (not really complaining, I loooove that they picked my hometown state for this) to find young, white schlera eye-having All Might and his hunky bro David Shield kicking ass and taking names. My state’s name, to be precise. 

Some exposition follows, basically recapping the premise of HeroAca, as I’m reminded of what a stroke of genius Hori had when he decided to make the MC an easy expositor thanks to his geeky knowledge of all things Hero. Deku will always be Captain Exposition.

Melissa! She’s fun and adorable and amazing, and I just love that the first HeroAca movie chooses to focus on a geeky, kind and energetic lady. 

Deku looking back and forth between Melissa’s breasts and All Might’s crotch belt is peak Bi energy.

I’m so jealous that Melissa gets to touch Deku’s hand.

Melissa describing All Might as someone David ‘loves’ is just throwing away all pretence of his heterosexuality, if it ever existed. How the hell did this guy end up with a kid?

Deku blushing around and enthusing over both Melissa and David is max bi energy.

Uraraka’s Annoying Crush Counter: 5

But I’m glad the girls are here! The Bones animators clearly know well what the fanbase wants to see, choosing to give all 6 class 1-A girls at least a cameo in the film, and three of them involved in the main plot. I especially love that, despite being initially pitted against each other, Uraraka and Melissa develop a bit of a womance in the film. OchaLissa ship!

My one major regret about this film is that Mineta is included in the Main Cast. I wish either Mina or Tsuyu had come along for the ride instead - one, they’re better, more lovable characters who could do the same job he does, and two, then we’d have a nearly gender-even cast! (6 Boys: Deku, Katsuki, Tenya, Shoto, Kiri, Kaminari; 5 Girls: Ochaco, Momo, Jiro, Melissa, Mina or Tsu). 

Kacchan makes his appearance! This bit was leaked online before the film’s release and drew quite a lot of ire from BKDK shippers and Bakugo fans. I’m mostly annoyed that Deku is acting OOC here; this is Post-Final Exam Deku, post Hero Killer Deku. Would the guy who punched All Might in the face and Bakugo in the face and the Hero Killer in the face be cowering in fear behind Iida, the guy whose life he saved, from the guy he, only a few weeks ago, punched in the face?! Badass Deku Rights!

Ooh a wild Todobaku moment! I always love when they bicker. Or rather, Katsuki bickers and Shoto ignores him.

OH NO you cannot slap me with the Ingenium OST theme and hardcore feels out of nowhere! God this scene is heartbreaking. I love, however, the cut to the whole of Class 1-A and Melissa when they talk about the future.

AH Bakugo’s feet! Why are we staring up his crotch? So this movie has a lot of KiriBaku scenes, and I should probably talk about them a little, since their friendship is a big deal in S3. They’re the only major HeroAca ship I’ve never shipped as a romantic pairing, per se. Like, in this scene, I see Kiri as Katsuki’s wingman, his bro, the guy who teases him about his obvious feelings from someone, not as the guy he has feelings for.

And for Kiri’s sake, I kinda dislike making him basically Bakugo’s sidekick. He willingly hangs out with the guy, when he wants to, in canon, he doesn’t follow him around and become the butt of the joke, and he has lots of other relationships in canon to draw from, so this dynamic between them doesn’t appeal to me.

Melissa being a quirkless kid like Deku is a great idea for the film, especially since she and David still find a way to help others. They’re a brighter image of the person Izuku could have been. 

Full Gauntlet is pretty cool

Everyone dresses up pretty! The movie suits/dresses are awesome and (almost) everyone looks great. Why Deku is wearing a baggy zoot-suity mess is beyond me, but hey, he sheds it pretty quickly so I’m not complaining. 

If by ‘female assassin’ you mean Beauty Queen. Jiro is gorgeous.

OK the plot ensues! Darn, I could’ve easily enjoyed a movie that was just everyone hanging out and goofing off...ah well, I still love what we got.

This villain does what neither Tomura nor All for One could ever do! Subdue All Might! My god he’s a criminal mastermind!

Deku wants to help, and everyone but Shoto basically piles on the bandwagon afterwards. “And me!” “And me!” “Me too!” “And Me” “Nobody cares Mineta.” I like how they bring up the Powers dilemma, since that’s a big deal in Season 3.

I was pretty impressed by the amount of level grinding our heroes had to do to make it to the top floor. 200 freaking floors, that’s impressive.

Todoroki saved Bakugo! Yay! BTW I love all the tactical planning stuff in this portion, and how lots of characters get to contribute.

10 little superheroes, trying to save the day. Two got lost and then there were eight.

8 little superheroes, escaping from the garden. One saved the others and then there were seven.

7 little superheroes running against the sea, four were trapped by robots and then there were three. (i don’t count mineta). 

Three little superheroes, reached the top and flew; one had to float them so then there were two. (she’s fine, Bakugo saved her. Save to win!)

Two little superheroes, faced with a gun. One fell out the window and then there was - never mind, she saved him, he’s fine.

That was fun. Anyway, to sum, the group gets split up as they work to get to the top, leaving only Deku and Melissa to reach the final boss dungeon. Highlights include the usual Kamijiro bantering, Todobaku making an awesome combat move, Uraraka standing against the coming onslaught of robots in a weirdly dramatic scene, and Reciproburst.

Dislikes include Kirishima being portrayed as not much use and kind of stupid (c’mon, he can do better than that!) and Uraraka not getting to kick any real ass other than floating Melissa and Deku. 

So we make it to Dramatic Plot Twist Tower and find out that David set up the whole thing. I joke, but I actually didn’t see this coming the first time around and was genuinely surprised. I also think it fits really well with the story they’re telling here: about trying to hold onto the past and forgetting to look to the future. I usually measure good plot twists in terms of how they change the story, characters and themes, and this one does.

On the other hand, Sam betraying him is just kind of silly. “Oh no, not...that guy!”

The villain being named Wolfram makes me wonder if there are any secret Buffyverse fans on Bones’ writing staff. With the next movie’s villain be named Hart?

I love how Melissa is a quirkless character who gets to save the day every bit as much as the powered ones. Also, Deku is freaking awesome in this scene, ngl. It has vibes of his fight with Muscular, that “pinned by an unstoppable wall” thing.

And this has vibes of Deku vs Overhaul trying to save Eri. OMG S4 IS GONNA KILL ME. Anyway Deku tries really really hard to save David Shield and does lots of cool leaps and gets beaten up while doing it, enough to earn some of Wolfram’s respect, but is unable to. Fortunately...

Watashi Ga Kita!

But then...duh duh duh! Wolfram has that power-enhancer-plot MacGuffin! Actually, it’s not a MacGuffin now, because now we the audience kind of care about it. It has weight, it’s significant. The characters care about it, but there’s more to it than just being an interchangeable object.

I LOVE how they animated the metal on this guy. That’s Metalbending. OMG. 

Class 1-A showing up and kicking ass as always. I just wanna quibble for a second with how this movie uses Howitzer Impact: a giant mind-blowing explosion in manga canon, a small underwhelming fizzle here.

DUH DUH DUH DRAMATIC PLOT TWIST. Again this one floored me the first time around. My jaw actually dropped when AFO’s theme started playing. Holy crap WHAH How what how. I’m not as excited about this plot twist, as it basically just happens for the sake of being shocking, but hey, that is clearly something AFO would do, and I like seeing him and hearing his theme here anyway, so who cares. Just roll with it!

And now, the reason this movie was made and the premise behind it. We never, in the canon of the manga, actually get to see All Might and Deku fight the same villain at the same time, so the movie I think was made for that purpose: DOUBLE DELAWARE DETROIT SMASH + YSR

OH YOU SAY RUN. You could soundtrack a scene of people sitting around staring at the wall and turn it into the most epic thing ever. I will never get tired of this beautiful, peerless, impossibly good composition. And this is honestly one of my favorite YSR scenes, because dayum, you can’t get much cooler than the Double DD smash. 

Visual storytelling here is on point. David Shield’s image of All Might turning into Deku is perfect.

We end on a sunrise, fittingly, and Long Hope Philia sountracked credits - with a small bit of depressing to end on, as we see David is probably gonna get arrested and All Might can’t do nothing about it.

Two Heroes is great. My quibbles with it are all minor. It’s the perfect first movie for BNHA; it is big and bombastic and action-packed, but more important, it gets what MHA is about at it’s core. BNHA is a story about the prior generation of heroes (and villains) passing the torch down to the next one. You know, like how teachers pass info onto their students in Academia. The movie gets that, and it delivers it with aplomb. It’s a great script, every scene and moment is necessary and everything happens in the right place and right order. It’s a thrill to watch, and I can’t even begin to imagine what insane stuff they’re gonna put in Movie #2 BKDK Boogaloo. Starting S3 tomorrow!

BKDK CORNER:

On a rewatch, I’m a little more OK with this scene, because Deku pretty quickly bucks up and takes the challenge - and he doesn’t exactly cower from Kacchan, Iida just gets in the way. I also love that gay sounding “Kacchan, people are watching!” line in the sub. 

All of Deku’s Love interests where white flowers on their fancy wear.

NGL this is my favorite part of the movie. That is the sweetest, softest, most endearing smile Bakugo has ever had, and Todoroki seeing it and smirking is just perfect. Baku is peak Tsundere in this scene.

RANKER: The Formal Wear

Girls:

4. Momo - I like the tiara, and the dress is kind of a nice color.

3. Melissa - pretty but a little birthday cake-y.

2. Ochaco - Very cute and well-tailored. The tights really sell it.

1. Jiro - unconventional is the winner of the day here.

Boys:

6. Izuku - Deku where the f did you get that suit? Take it off, please. Why is your taste in clothing so bad.

5. Kirishima - it’s ok, but a little generic.

4. Kaminari - the waiter look isn’t half bad on him

3. Iida - sharp dressed, of course. It looks nice!

2. Todoroki - perfectly handsome, and of course his suit is white.

1. Bakugo - that vest tho. damn.