#katsukis entire arc is his atonement

[pinkcowzz]

i kinda hate seeing people say bakugo should face consequences for his bullying of izuku like. his consequences are his unending guilt, his fear he will never catch up to izuku, his fear that izuku will leave him behind, that is his consequence. its forever having to know that nothing he does will take away the pain and suffering he caused the most important person in his life. his consequence is dying in order to try to bridge the gap between them. his consequence is always regretting not taking his hand, not allowing himself to fully appreciate izukus warmth until maybe its too late. his consequence is spending eight (8!) years without him by his side, without him to compete against. his consequence is forever having imposter syndrome. not truly thinking he is a good enough person to be a hero. his consequence is being friends with todoroki and witnessing endeavors fall from fame due to his ego. witnessing him losing his family because of his choices. its having to witness a nickname given to izuku in childhood that was meant to hurt, to bruise, turn into the worlds greatest hero name and knowing all he contributed to it was spite.

THATS his consequence not whatever fuckass social shaming you think he deserves.

[habken]

If you're willing to share can you give a few reasons why you think Bakudeku works so well as a ship? (I also ship them and love your art!)

okay...

I think they just naturally fall into each other’s orbit. Living in each other's minds rent free 24/7. Their entire lives are so intertwined. Even when things were bad between them, there's never been a point where they haven't been part of each other's life in some capacity.

They've influenced each other so much you can see little habits they share and behaviours they've picked up from one another. Izuku acting more like Katsuki when he wants to win is the obvious one, but even little things like the way they think out loud and pinch their lips and stuff are similar.

I don't think it's right to undermine Katsuki's bullying and the falling out between them, but coming from a place where there's a lot of animosity and hurt and then having that turn into a relationship where they both mutually care for each other and challenge each other to do better and be better is really interesting.

I think that's part of the reason it's such a compelling relationship in general, not just in a romantic way. They start off at the lowest point - we see them at their absolute worst and then we get to watch as they mend that fractured friendship and build up a genuine and healthy bond.

To me personally, the trajectory of their relationship was evident as soon as episode two, when Katsuki chased after Izuku after the sludge villain to let him know how much he "didn't need his help." That's the point that I decided I was interested to see how their characters developed as the story kept going, and I think it was such a huge payoff.

I think it also made for a lot of interesting fanworks. In the earlier days especially, you really had to work at it to make things good between them. Canonically, their relationship really is a slow burn lol, so if you wanted to write something that followed close to the actual story, there had to be tons of build up. I've read stuff where the beats felt so similar to what happened in the actual series which is crazy. It's a ship that lends itself to deep and lengthy analysis and a lot of people ended up being pretty spot on because of that.

I also think what's special about them is how intentional they work to make things right between each other again. They want to know each other's feelings, they want to be rivals and fight alongside each other, and be neck in neck and constantly chasing after each other. They want to be close again. Izuku offering Katsuki an olive branch and asking him about his fighting style after their bout at ground beta and Katsuki finally grabbing onto it is such a turning point for their relationship. It's a conscious choice on both their parts to work towards mending what was between them.

And I could go on and on about Katsuki's character arc, but that's a different post lol. For simplicity's sake, his arc is about recognizing for himself where his weaknesses lie, seeing how his actions hurt and shaped Deku, and working not only on himself, but on repairing the rift between them that he caused. He works with Izuku, shares and keeps his secret, trains with him, and eggs him on more and more lightheartedly as the series goes on.

His choice to care for Izuku, let him into his life again, and make up for what he's done is really important. Nobody is really forcing him to atone for his past and it's his desire to do so despite the lack of external pressure that makes that change feel genuine and meaningful. Training with Deku to master his quirks, sacrificing himself for Izuku during their fight with shigaraki, apologizing to him in front of the entire class and letting go of his pride, choosing to call him by his given name, dying with Izuku's name on his lips, fighting the big bad and continuously repeating that when Izuku can't handle it, he'll step in for him - all of these things are so telling of the kind of care he purposefully put into their relationship, and the way he grew and changed throughout the story.

And I think that in light of everything else, the fact that they remain important to each other right until the end is what makes it such a beautiful relationship, no matter what context you want to see it in. They love each other! They can't imagine a world in which the other isn't part of their life, and they actively and continuously work to make that a reality.

They're soulmates that intentionally chose to be so.

[ficks-of-fancy2]

MHA is a nightmare and my personal punching bag

A lot of people like to say that MHA is bad. But a large sum of the fandom has largely ignored the actually problems with the story and characters as a whole. The problems that have been applauded despite the gaping flaws. So let's discus.

Where do I start? My Hero Academia is the single most horrible show I have watched for some time. It's good points are far and few between the shit show of it's story and characters. So it's small problems first. It's over sexualizaton of it the teens in it's cast is just abhorrent and I hold similar sentiments for the fandom in some cases. The villains frankly get too much attention, with one crazy man's ideology pulling all the weight of their missguided motive. Or everything being a direct result of one delusional man's puppeteering. Not to mention the overall demonization of mental illness and inherently flawed take of forgiving your abusers.

Midoriya and All Might is a toxic relationship. Sorry about the whiplash, allow me to explain. From the start we get to see Midoriya as a victim of Bakugo's almost constant abuse, but also his love of All Might. The idyllic and 'perfect' hero he aspires to be and is convenient to. Izuku Midoriya is All Might's convenient child because Midoriya is too blinded by his idol worship to see that All Might is using him to continue his battles, slowly grooming Midoriya into the next him. All Might is the last oasis in the desert of his life and Midoriya has none of the tools necessary to leave, All Might wont let him leave. And he goes unchallenged by the story for lifting up Midoriya's suicidal tendencies by preying on his need for validation through action. All Might is using Midoriya to desperately cling to his golden years and that is actively detrimental to Midoriya's growth as a character.

If I may compare Izuku to another similar character, and I shall. Mahiru Shirota is one of the protagonists of Servamp, a character driven manga about servant vampires or Servamps and their masters or Eves. Mahiru is the eve of sloth, his Servamp, Kuro or Sleepy Ash. Mahiru at the start of the story is almost identical to Midoriya through out mha, Mahiru is a convenient child for everyone in the story. He doesn't voice his objection or opinions beyond what you would expect from a kid like him. He aims to please and is almost suicidal in his pursuit of validation. But were Midoriya stagnates, Mahiru blooms, he grows to be more selfish and loving thanks to the logical end point of that stagnant arc, Kuro. Kuro was killed by sloth, his willingness to take the blame for a crime he didn't commit for the sake of his village. His selflessness and the inherent selfish need of external validation was no different than suicide. But were Kuro and Mahiru grow, Midoriya just doesn't, he rots on the vine and fails to become anything. His lack of growth makes him come off as winey and pathetic or just boring because he doesn't change for the better. His stint of vigilantism is just every adult in his life telling him that sacrificing himself is how he will atone for his inherited burden. For the sin of All Might's sloth for what Yagi and the other holders allowed to fester in the dark.

Bakugo Katsuki is... a good premise with bad execution. Bakugo's entire arc is learning to not be a fucking asshole, simple in premise and absolute horse shit in execution. From the word go, Bakugo is shown to be an abuser. Midoriya's abuser to be precise. Going so far as to actively tell Midoriya to kill himself. Now, Bakugo's abuse is born from a place of projection, Bakugo is a narcissist, not in the traditional sense, but more in a way that makes him unable to empathize with positive emotion in relation to himself and others. He is the center of the world, but at the same time he thinks of himself as worthless without his strength, unable to exist with the knowledge that he isn't the best of the best. Bakugo's arc ends far too late. Bakugo's arc should had started after the sports festival at his interaction with Best Jeanist leading to an apology tour and ended during the culture festival, his payoff during the fight against AFO Shigaraki and the vigilante Deku arc. Bonus points if Midoriya doesn't forgive him at first, leading to Bakugo working to regain that trust in more tangible ways. Have Bakugo seek towards empathy.

Ochako Uraraka isn't a character, not a well made one at least. To be fair this is something most of the cast suffers from. If it isn't the main protagonists or antagonists, the writer doesn't care. Uraraka is just the love interest without any depth of character beyond that. People like to pretend there is more going on, but I just don't see it. All of her 'growth' is motivated by her obsessive and honestly one sided love for Midoriya, a love that is only returned when Midoriya and she are looking for something to fill the void. It's toxic and terribly familiar to his and All Might's relationship. Midoriya is constantly put into the role of savior to all of these characters that don't in turn assist in his growth.

Speaking of Midoriya's role of savior, we have finally arrived at the L.O.V. The League of Villains is a good premise for an exploration of the inner politics of a world where 20% of the world lacks a unique superpower (that's still a lot BTW). Or to dive into the segregation of those with detrimental, uncontrollable, or 'villainous' quirks. The bigotry towards mutagenic quirks. Or an actual exploration of the inherent flaws of a society that has put a price tag on altruism, something more than senseless slaughter spearheaded by manchilds and mass murderers. The L.O.V deserved to be something more than the flawed argument of some fanatical lack of worthiness and some vague notion that rebellion against a already broken system is a problem. It's stupid, The League of Villains had potential to be actually interesting, but it was made into anarchy for the sake of it never even attempting to offer a solution to a system broken for those already in power.

Yet somehow we have missed the biggest point of what a hero is. A hero is a person who does what they can to save people who are hurt, broken, or lost. Even when they are the 'villains' or more plainly the mentally ill and those rejected by society. Somehow we have forgotten or ignored all of the Wake the Deads, the For the Man Who Has Everythings, the Flash And Substances, and the Epilogues. All the stories that told us that sometimes the best thing to do is be there for people. Being a hero isn't about fighting. It's just about being there. For the people, all of the people. But also understanding that some people can't be helped. People like Baby Doll and Shigaraki, Dabi and All For One, people too far gone or too hurt to help. Toga and Twice just needed help they weren't given. It is what was born of the legacy of All Might, peace and complacency, a smile hiding everyone else's tears. Every single crime committed by Shigaraki and the L.O.V is the direct fault of All Might. Because he refused to see the people he was fighting as what they were. Evil is often relative because to an ant a boot is evil. Rarely in the world does true evil exist and often it is taught or held in those who believe themselves without betters or equals.

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

You know, I still think about how like... Katsuki has never actually had a proper 1v1 vs a villain character ever. Like, it's always been with another person. All of his fights where he could shine... are against other heroes. And most of the fights where villains are involved, he loses pretty badly. But it's more than just that. Izuku's original design was going to basically be Japanese Anime Batman, being quirkless and using equipment and an adult. Katsuki's original design was going to be a nice person who just had no tact and was brutally honest. Apparently, that original design for Izuku was believed that it would cause him to fade into the background according to Horikoshi's editors, and Katsuki's original design was considered too freaking boring according to Horikoshi himself. And yet fast forward to the current events of the manga where... I genuinely don't even know what Izuku's personality is any more because all his idea of strategy is basically gone, it's just basically 'unleash overwhelming power', and he really has no character outside of being a vessel for the Protag Powers. And then you have Katsuki, who jobs constantly, the entire story basically feels like he was intended to be the original protagonist with how often he's shoved into everything and is just sucked off despite his jobbing as if he's more important to the plot than anyone else. Like fuck, Katsuki is literally listed as being an abusive egotist in the guidebook, and Kirishima has an entire thing in his backstory about being the victim of bullying yet he's completely okay with Katsuki, a character who is actively hostile to everyone and is abrasive AT BEST. Like I get they're high schoolers (which I genuinely don't understand with how they act considering high schoolers were more intelligent than this for me growing up) but fuck Horikoshi's writing makes fucking everyone so god damn stupid the moment Katsuki is involved. Anyway, I needed to vent after I was catching up on World Trigger and realising 'yeah I actually enjoy this arc because we have character personality conflicts and the individuals have to work them out because they're stuck together for a week. Oh and they actually talk to each other and you know, HAVE FUCKING BRAINS, and actively try and work on these flaws that are coming up', and getting incredibly mad that the entire character writing into MHA at this point is basically SMASH THIS NO STRATEGY and personally I blame the story constantly sucking off Bakugou who's supposed intelligence just feels informed and contrived because of his behaviour. Intelligent strategist but incredibly socially dumb my god. And he's so socially dumb he subtracts from everyone else's intelligence to get him to suck him off. I genuinely do not understand why the Bakusquad exists considering the personality conflicts there, especially with Kaminari outright stating his personality was raw sewage at one point early on and yet we're supposed to believe that Bakugou has grown and atoned as a person whilst still being a rabid dumbass who gets his ass kicked.

That’s an interesting point. A majority of Katsuki’s fights, the ones where he wins, are against fellow heroes in training. In terms of villains, he’s only ever fought Tomura, Nine, the canon fodder in the USJ, and the minions in the movies (with help).

I agree with what you said about Proto Katsuki in that he would’ve been far more interesting, or at least far more tolerable. I’d rather have a boring character than an outright terrible one. Like you mentioned before, everyone who interacts with Katsuki is made 100% dumber and is forced to neglect key components of their character just so that Hori can wank off his fave and push this “he has potential and is strong” narrative. I also agree that unfortunately it does feel like Izuku’s been reduced to “punch everything with a lot of force” rather than the creative fighter he was before. There was a really great analysis I just read that explains this. I blame it on Hori trying to wrap up his story as quickly as he can.

This is the analysis in question btw:

[socalledsomethingorother]

this was gonna go in the tags but i have too much to say. aint no WAY anon thinks endeavor’s arc is “better” than katsuki’s.

katsuki’s “redemption” came about because he realized his insecurities surrounding izuku and his selflessness. he’d always feared izuku’s heart, but as a kid, he didn’t understand what that fear was, and took it out on izuku. all he knew was that he had big feelings and they were about izuku.

he realizes this and apologizes out of the goodness of his (former) heart. he tries to atone in a way that matters. he is able to accept that while izuku’s approach to heroism is more about helping others, they are both heroes that fight for justice. they are both kind people in their own regards.

there’s no logic behind endeavor’s actions. there’s no justification. katsuki was an immature kid. endeavor is a grown ass adult. katsuki bullied his peer. endeavor bullied his wife and children. katsuki’s inferiority complex led him to better improve himself. endeavor’s inferiority complex led him to buy a woman and force her to have children so he could one day see his dreams come to fruition through his child.

katsuki’s redemption came about because he realized he had nothing to feel insecure about.

endeavor’s redemption came about because he was forced into the spotlight as the new number one, and because his son-turned-villain exposed his actions to the entire country

Can you stop with the with the whole “bully secretly loves his victim,” BS with Bakugou?

It’s pathetic.

Bakugou shouldn’t have never gotten a redemption arc.

His redemption arc is crap compared to Endeavor’s.

Bakugo is worse than Shigaraki. Shigaraki was a tortured character.

Dabi was a tortured character,

Toga was a tortured character.

Bakugo was a a butthurt spoiled brat who had everything handed to him and threw a fit when he wasn’t getting his way and tortured and blamed Deku for everything.

Stop being a bully apologist.

Die mad ✌️

I can do what I want

[pikahlua]

I saw some opinions of MHA fans about Katsuki's development in the manga (they were former pro-Katsuki until the Deku be Bakugou part 2). They said how Katsuki's development always tied with Izuku until it became his arc. Many disliked his arc when he doesn't have any consequences for Izuku's bullying and does not focus too on his development as a hero. The latter is the most prominent complaint I saw and Katsuki not fixing his attitude towards civilians to save (after he got his license happen)

I have literally never heard of a person who stopped liking Katsuki as a result of Deku vs Kacchan Part 2 lol what is this

I don’t know what was specifically said by such people, but to address your provided examples:

1. “Katsuki doesn’t have any consequences for bullying Izuku.”

Whenever I hear/read anyone give this opinion, what they usually mean is, “Katsuki hasn’t had the consequences I wanted him to have for bullying Izuku.” (Specifically, they usually mean, “I want authority figures in high school to vindictively punish Katsuki for the bullying he perpetrated in elementary and middle school,” which is its own brand of problematic.) He’s suffered plenty of consequences, including but not limited to:

The lack of behavior correction setting him up for teasing and social difficulties in high school

Stunted development towards his goal of becoming a top hero

The inability to have a good, healthy, long-term friendship with Izuku before these issues are addressed

Prolonged self-hatred and guilt

All the cosmic and dramatic ironies he’s suffered from the story as one of its characters, which are numerous and extensive (but if there’s one that’s relevant above all others, it’s how Katsuki mouths off to Izuku after being saved from the sludge villain right before All Might chooses Izuku--not Katsuki--as his successor)

The lack of closure he might have gotten from being able to apologize to Izuku that was impossible because he knew Izuku would not hold him properly accountable for his actions

The time and energy spent on atonement to get himself to a level of self-worth where he could finally, sincerely apologize to Izuku at all

And yes, these things are consequences, so long as you start from the perspective that Katsuki is a flawed but well-intentioned, fundamentally good, still-growing adolescent aspiring to be a true hero.

2. “Katsuki’s arc does not focus on his development as a hero.”

?

??????

?????????????????

????????????????????????????????

I can’t believe I have to explain this again. For anyone who doesn’t see the story focus placed on Katsuki’s hero development: open your damn eyes.

The beginning establishes very clearly that Katsuki hardly has anything combat-related he still needs to develop. His issues are entirely in the rescue/save/self-sacrifice department.

Katsuki’s problem is that he doesn’t recognize any training that isn’t combat-related as worthy development for him to focus on.

It’s all baked into the irony of why Best Jeanist was actually the perfect mentor for him to pick in order to introduce him to the areas of professional heroism in which he sorely lacks: communication.

Katsuki perceives his sports festival gold medal as a huge loss, and the story supports his perspective. Everything Katsuki does before his match with Shouto indicates he’s competing with Izuku to be the one to “save” Shouto. Izuku got Shouto to use his fire--and Katsuki wants to do the same.

Katsuki gets hung up on those flashbacks of his childhood with Izuku not just because remembering them pisses him off but because he’s competing with that image of Izuku as a savior in this moment. This match is his opportunity to face off with Izuku in the realm of what Katsuki thinks is Izuku’s greatest strength. That’s why he screams this in the match proper:

And the fact that he loses in this competition with Izuku is the proof that he still has a long way to go.

What’s it say about Katsuki that an injured Izuku tried to create an opening for Katsuki to get a hit in on All Might but Katsuki unexpectedly flubbed it because he went in to save Izuku instead?

It says he wants to save but doesn’t know how.

And when that becomes clear to Katsuki, he rises to the challenge.

And suddenly his insights to relate to others become unsettling...

...and his perceptions of others’ feelings become uncanny...

...and his ability to inspire his team as a leader...

...and command their complete trust becomes unrivaled.

2b. “Katsuki has not fixed his attitude towards civilians to save.”

What, you want Katsuki to stop being Katsuki?

I find it bizarre how people expect provisionally-licensed Katsuki to, like, have a good bedside manner. That’s never what the supplementary training course was supposed to be about. It was to correct their insufficiencies. Note how those who passed the exam did not get perfect scores. They were allowed to skirt by with their problems unaddressed--because what they proved during the exam was how they knew how to prioritize based on their individual strengths and weaknesses.

Katsuki was never asked to become a caring, soft-mannered person to save civilians. He was asked to connect with their hearts. If Katsuki doesn’t think he’s the best for coddling others, well, he should leave it for someone else to do. And Katsuki actually always demonstrates a knack for treating people equally (if he equally treats them a little rudely), because he doesn’t underestimate people. His harshness is actually a form of kindness in that he respects people enough to chastise them for doing less than what they’re capable of. It’s just not softness, because that’s not his strong suit (uh, until he wakes up in the hospital, I guess).

In the above panels, Katsuki’s tone is appropriate for an admonition. That civilian put herself in danger, and her negligence thus put All Might in danger, and that distracted Katsuki from his dangerous-as-shit task of capturing a violent criminal. She deserves to be scolded! With any luck, it will keep her from doing something so reckless again.

The above panel admittedly sounds bad until I inform you that Katsuki’s tone is...well, relatively accurate here actually, but there are some word choices that are a bit harsher than what was actually said. In Japanese, he just calls the extras...“extras.” That’s it. He doesn’t call them nobodies. And yeah, you can whine about how that’s still inappropriate. I’d care if Katsuki wasn’t technically right, because this is a manga and those people are actually extras. It’s a joke, you absolute plebes.

But nothing demonstrates Katsuki’s development in this regard more than these two moments.

Katsuki calls back to recognizing All Might as the tallest wall in the world. That is, he’s the greatest hero alive. And Katsuki acknowledges that the only way to scale such a wall is to fulfill the requirements of “winning and saving”--but together as a team (because All Might was such a solitary figure to his own detriment). It’s all in there. Just read it.

The moral of the story is: politeness is not the same thing as kindness or respect, and Katsuki doesn’t have to be perfect at literally everything even if he is to be a good hero.

Wait.

Was I even asked a question?

[asvincere]

Katsuki is just as much of a love interest as Ochako

Have you ever noticed how in official art, Deku is in the middle which makes sense since he is the protagonist. Katsuki is next to him probably because he is the deuteragonist and then you would expect Todoroki to be on Deku’s other side since he is the 3rd most important character. But it’s not. It’s usually Ochako on the other side. There’s lots of art like this. 

Of course the official art thing could be explained. Maybe it’s just random. But then there are also things like how every time there’s an interaction between Katsuki and Deku, the next interaction Deku will have will be with Ochako, and vice versa. This is evident in chapter 322. Katsuki has the biggest moment in his character arc where he apologizes to Deku. 

A chapter or so later, Ochako has her shining moment where she defends Deku from the mob. 

When Deku unlocked blackwhip during the joint training arc, he was angry because Monoma insulted Katsuki. Although this wasn’t an interaction with Katsuki, the situation was still related to Katsuki. 

After Deku was done talking to the vestiges, the next interaction he has is with Ochako where she helps him calm down. 

The first time this pattern was seen was in the 3rd episode. Deku gets to UA for the entrance exam. He is walking and then Katsuki tells him to get out of the way. 

Once Katsuki leaves, Deku trips but then is saved by Ochako and they talk for a little bit, or well Ochako does. This pattern has been happening consistently throughout the entire series. 

If we analyze Katsuki and Ochako’s characters, it’s pretty obvious they are foils. In the beginning of the story, Katsuki is rude, ambitious, takes his goal seriously, feels threatened by Deku for his determination and heroism, and says he hates him. Ochako is the exact opposite. She is polite, lacks proper determination, doesn’t really take her goal seriously, admires Deku for his determination and heroism, and has a crush on him. Even as the story progresses and they get character development, they are still each other’s foils. Especially when it comes to their relationships with Deku. At the start, Ochako was infatuated with Deku for his ability to save. She would try to be exactly like him and would often use him as her motivation to win or save. 

Likewise, Katsuki hated Deku. He felt very threatened to the point of bullying him. He really hated his ability to save. This is all symbolized perfectly well in the Bakugou vs Uraraka fight during the sports festival. Two narrative foils fighting it out. Ochako, who is motivated by her desire to be just like Deku, and Katsuki, who is trying to defeat Deku as best as possible, or in this case, Ochako who wants to be exactly like Deku. This is proven when Katsuki says he knew Ochako would have a plan because she’s always hanging out with Deku. 

As the story unravels, Ochako learns to see the bad sides of Deku’s heroism while Katsuki learns to appreciate Deku’s heroism. Ochako comes to this conclusion after she decides to lock her feelings away and when Deku leaves for his vigilante mission. 

Katsuki learns this through his atonement arc, during the war as he recalls the good things about one for all, and when he decides to lead the class to find Deku. 

Even during all of this, Katsuki and Ochako are still acting like foils. Even up to the apology. Katsuki’s apology is in front of the class but is drawn in a way that show’s only Katsuki and Deku are the focus, it’s soft, and seems very comforting. Ochako’s big moment is in front of the entire crowd, she’s yelling with a megaphone, and is very assertive. 

Okay but what does all of this even mean? Well, the main thing that keeps Ochako and Katsuki as foils is their relationship to Deku. Most of their character arc is about this relationship. Ochako was infatuated with Deku to the point it was bad for her journey as a hero and Katsuki bullied Deku which was also bad for his journey as a hero. They both needed to tone it down. Obviously Ochako isn’t gonna start bullying him, but she will lose her crush on him and become a good friend and rival that will help them both grow as heroes. For Katsuki, there are a lot of possibilities for what could happen. Narrative wise, it makes sense for Katsuki to develop a healthy crush on Deku as he grows as a hero. But I don’t think Horikoshi will explicitly state that since this is a shonen series. The story will probably say they are good friends and rivals but if you look for the subtext, you will be able to tell that there is implied romance.

[da-vulture-boi]

BakuDeku THEORY

SPOILERS

Ok. Here me out.

I’m not saying it’s right or okay for what Bakugou did to Deku. Not at all. But. Their relationship has improved with Bakugou apologizing.

In the anime, Bakugou clearly is angry all the time. But with a careful eye, you can see not everything he shows is hatred, he just believes it is. Emotional immaturity.

Deku is emotionally… also immature but better than Bakugou slightly. Bakugou admits in the manga, that he was jealous of Deku for being quirkless and still determined to be a hero. That he was starting to move without Bakugou in the lead.

When Bakugou “thanks” Deku for saving him from the slime villain, you can tell he’s struggling with his pride and trying to act tough. Because really, he did feel bad. Not just because Deku, a quirkless no one just saved the great and powerful Bakugou Katsuki. But also, he did it and didn’t rub it in his face. He risked his life to save him in a situation that Bakugou probably knew he couldn’t make it out himself in. If it wasn’t for Deku, he could have died.

As the story continues from there, you start to see more emotions from Bakugou as he tries to face that quirkless, weak, Deku is now independent and strong Deku. He was straying from Bakugou’s shadow. That was making him panic.

He realized he no longer has complete control. After the kidnapping, Bakugou saw Deku, destroyed from fighting with Muscular, still attempting to save him. And by his expression, you could tell, he hoped Deku would make it in time.

Slowly through the story, Bakugou is seeing Deku grow into an independent person, which makes him feel behind. When the two fought, he told of how he was struggling. All Might’s relationship with Deku, the sudden quirk, it all just was rubbing him the wrong way.

But when he found out the truth, he calmed a bit. Not completely, but a little better. He no longer had emotional breakdowns from him. Instead, he tried to aim high than Deku and took it as strength for a challenge.

Bakugou eventually apologized to Deku in order for Rogue Deku to come back to UA and stop hurting himself. But he did mean it. And he started to help Deku train. All Might even asked him if this was his way of regaining Izuku’s trust after the bullying, his way of atoning. Which, he confirmed. Knowing he feels bad, recognizes the mistake, and is trying to fix it is already showing major growth. The way he was watching Izuku train in that scene tells me he really struggles with that fact.

Then, when the war arc is started, and Bakugou dies, the entire chapter he never said “Deku” he said “Izuku” and no matter what, the whole chapter was saying good things about him. While he was fighting to the death, he couldn’t help but admire Izuku. That’s where he got his strength. Then the last remark about the game card that he wanted All Might to sign, he got with Izuku when they were still friends. And maybe, that had always been something he kept of Deku. When he started bullying him, I believe he still held the memories with him in a good way.

There’s a theory of him being mean to Deku because of him trying to protect the “weaker” person. And he got mad because Deku wasn’t accepting it.

Also of him being jealous of his friendliness so he tried to keep people away from him, keep him under his control.

And though Izuku said the name Deku was given as an insult, maybe it wasn’t a clear message. For instance, he actually thought of Deku as a compliment but turned it around using word play to make it sound like he was useless. Plus, he names all his friends degrading nicknames. Shitty Hair, Dunce Face, Raccoon Eyes, etc. So the fact he gave Izuku a name that was degrading might also be his way of saying they were friends. In his own way.

There’s a lot of reading in between the lines with those two. We don’t actually know if being diagnosed quirkless was why Bakugou started to bully him. It could of been they had a fight, or a rumor, and the timing just matched up. We don’t know. And if the author doesn’t tell us, we’ll never know.

[makeste]

some follow-up thoughts on BnHA 306

mostly Deku angst, but also a little Baku angst (and some TodoBaku angst) mixed in for good measure. because there’s plenty of angst to go around.

1. “if I’d only been stronger...”

I’ll talk more about Deku later in this post as well, because there’s definitely plenty to talk about; this is the most character development he’s gotten in almost 200 chapters. but for starters, I want to discuss the possible parallels between Deku’s current character arc, and what is arguably the most iconic moment of angst/character development in the series.

remember how this kid, who up until this point had rarely seemed to give two fucks about the world around him, suddenly revealed that he blamed himself for being the downfall of All Might? remember how it came almost out of nowhere? how he’d been hiding it, and trying to suppress it? “but even if I try to forget... sometimes it all just comes rushing back.”

yeah. so anyway, I got to thinking -- if being the cause of one hero’s downfall could affect someone this badly, what about being responsible for the downfall of all heroes?

what if a boy who wanted nothing more than to keep people safe suddenly found himself at the epicenter of a disaster that killed hundreds, possibly even thousands of people?

now obviously, this is not the sole thing that’s troubling Deku right now; this kid has a whole array of traumas as of the War arc. like, you know it’s bad when Society As We Know It Coming To An End Partially Because Of You is the least of your problems. but still, I think this is worth bringing up, because the hero kids blaming themselves for things that aren’t their fault is hardly anything new. and yet, what with everything else that’s been going on -- all of the Todoroki drama, and Vestige revelations, and hospital antics, and political strife -- I feel like it’s easy to forget or overlook this little detail.

the fact is that AFO put this entire plan into motion solely in the hopes of finally obtaining OFA. every single thing that happened at Jakku -- Tomura powering up; Machia waking up and going on his rampage (after being ordered to do so by Tomura); and even Dabi/Touya choosing this moment to finally strike (because he knew this was when the reveal would do the maximum damage -- when people’s faith in heroes was already wavering) -- every last bit of it can ultimately be traced back to AFO’s desire to steal OFA. which, obviously, makes it AFO’s fault, not Deku’s. but then, Kamino wasn’t actually Katsuki’s fault either. it wasn’t his fault the villains went after him (but he blamed himself anyway), and it wasn’t his fault that people got hurt in the ensuing battle to save him (but he blamed himself anyway).

just. I think we’re underestimating just how strong of an impact all of this likely had on Deku. we haven’t really had the chance to see him process it yet. he’s been too busy, and there have been too many other things going on. but I’m telling you guys, that empty look in his eyes in the final page of the chapter? I can all but guarantee you that at least some of that emotional weight is coming from this.

sure would be nice if he had a friend who knew exactly what that was like, and could help him process the guilt and all of the other associated emotions, just like Deku once helped him. unfortunately I’m not so sure things will be that easy this time around. anyways though let’s move on to a couple of other thoughts and speculations.

2. “...and I bullied him.”

one of my least-favorite BnHA fanfic tropes is the one where the rest of class 1-A somehow finds out about Katsuki and Deku’s history -- i.e. that Katsuki bullied Deku throughout most of their childhood. mind you, it’s not the concept itself that I dislike; it’s mostly how it’s used. a lot of times it’s just an excuse to have all of the other kids turn on Katsuki and ostracize him; either because the author thinks that’s what he deserves, or else so that Deku can eventually come to his rescue and defend him and shame the rest of the class for not seeing how much he’s changed. either way, it’s usually pretty awkward to read, and more often than not the characters are pretty OOC (especially Ochako and Todoroki).

however! there’s a big difference between fanfic and canon, and just because I’m not a fan of this trope in the former doesn’t mean it couldn’t be executed well in the latter. and lately I’ve been thinking about this a lot. mainly for three reasons:

the recent (can we still call it recent?? well whatever) scene where Katsuki confessed to All Might that he used to bully Deku is now one of my favorite scenes in the entire series, and proof that this can be executed well.

both Todoroki and Deku have finally had their respective big secrets revealed to the rest of the class. so like, idk. feels like it just might be secret-revealing season now, you know?

and lastly, as a result of Deku’s secret about OFA finally being revealed, the rest of 1-A now either knows, or can extrapolate, that he used to be quirkless.

and from there, I feel like it’s not all that hard to put two and two together with how terrible Kacchan and Deku’s relationship was when they first started at UA. that’s not a terribly difficult puzzle to solve. so I feel like it might come out anyway, and if so, I’d prefer Bakugou telling them himself, and taking responsibility as part of his atonement process. because we know that he regrets it. we know their relationship has changed. we know that he has changed. and so I think I might like to see this.

alternately, if confessing to the entire class is too much, at the very least I could see him confessing to Shouto, because I’ve always felt like this was one of the big things that made Katsuki so resistant to letting Todoroki call him a friend. because I feel like there’s a part of Katsuki that saw the parallels between Endeavor’s abuse of Shouto and his own bullying of Deku, and thought, he wouldn’t be so quick to call me his friend if he actually knew the truth. and so there’s actually been this roadblock wedged between them this whole time that Shouto doesn’t even know about. because Shouto hates Endeavor. and so it’s not such a leap to assume he’d hate Katsuki too if he knew just how terrible he’d been to Deku when they were younger.

not that I think he actually would! actually I don’t think either of those things is actually true (because Shouto clearly doesn’t hate his father either, in spite of everything that’s happened). but the point isn’t what I think -- the point is what Katsuki thinks. and I really do think there’s a good chance he’s worried about Shouto hating him, and it’s one of the things that’s made him so reluctant to accept his friendship. anyway, so I’m really just rambling now, but you get my point. I don’t know if this is actually going to happen, but it’s a scene I would like to see if Horikoshi decides to indulge me.

3. “...so when you wake up, please give him my best.”

and now, as promised, back to Deku.

ngl guys, when I first saw this image, my immediate thought was that Gran must have died. because I mean, hello, leaving U.A.?? donning himself in his teacher’s old cape?? empty, exhausted look in his eyes?? what else were we supposed to think lol.

but maybe that was an overreaction. because when I think about it more, Gran’s death isn’t strictly necessary in order to push Deku over the edge. first of all, there’s already the whole “hero society is in ruins now because of you” thing I mentioned earlier. but also, there are just so many other things. like, let’s just list them here because omg. what a rough couple of days this kid had.

he was forced to battle TomurAFO and was terribly injured in the process (most of which was his own fault, but he wouldn’t have gone that far with OFA unless he felt like he had no choice)

and it wasn’t just him that was injured, either. in fact, even though he tried to act as bait to keep everyone else safe, he wasn’t able to stop three of the people closest to him from nearly being killed right before his eyes

and of course that last one was especially traumatic, because it was Kacchan, and because he had to watch Kacchan nearly die just to protect him. out of all the things that Deku witnessed in this arc, this might be the one that had the biggest impact on him

he was also basically helpless to do anything to protect Shouto and Endeavor when Dabi showed up. so again, we have this running theme of people he cares about being hurt and him not being able to save them

and he also got sucked into the OFA Interstellar Dream Vortex for a brief spell during the battle, during which he learned that AFO had possessed Tomura. more importantly, he learned that Tomura was Nana’s grandson, a fact which was only briefly touched on during that scene, but which I think wound up being the trigger to the whole avalanche that ended with Deku leaving UA. but more on that in a moment

anyway so just to wrap this all up, the battle eventually ended, Tomura got away despite all of their efforts, and then Deku wound up comatose in the hospital for two days. which brings us to the most recent chapters, during which

Deku learns that he will be the last wielder of OFA, whether he likes or not

Deku learns the identity of the last two mystery OFA users

and then at some point, he wakes up and presumably talks to Gran, and winds up with his cape

something happened during these last two scenes which helped to push Deku over the edge. I won’t delve into the matter of the Second or Third users for now, although most of you already know my suspicions regarding that, and I do think that would fit into the general pattern here (that is, the pattern of Deku feeling more and more strongly that he is putting the people around him in danger, and his fear of losing them becoming so overwhelming that it eventually pushes him to leave).

but that’s not what I want to talk about for now. what I want to talk about is Gran. specifically, what it is that Deku discussed with Gran. and this is where we come back to that reveal I mentioned earlier -- that Tomura is Nana’s grandchild.

basically, what I think happened is that Deku mentioned seeing Nana in the OFA Zany Psychedelic Spirit Void, which led to the topic of Tomura, and the fun fact Deku recently learned about him being related to Nana. this, in turn leads to Gran divulging his various regrets about everything that happened with him and Nana and Kotarou. his intent is to apologize to Deku for placing the burden of their failures on him. unfortunately, the part that Deku actually gets fixated on instead is this:

All for One hunted down and killed Nana’s son (and probably her husband as well), and stole her grandchild and psychologically tortured him into becoming a mass murderer, for no other reason than that Nana had once held OFA

in other words, AFO can and will hurt and kill anyone Deku is close to, anyone who has any kind of connection to him at all, without mercy, and regardless of whether it actually gives him any kind of tactical advantage or not. he’ll do it simply to hurt him. no other reason necessary.

I don’t know about you, but for me that would be a terrifying realization. and for Deku, I think it just might have been the tipping point.

so, let’s recap.

Deku learns that AFO is after him

AFO/Tomura very nearly kills several of Deku’s most important people, including Kacchan

and then he learns that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and realizes that all of their lives are still in danger and will continue to be as long as Deku is AFO’s target

and then add to all of this the misplaced guilt about society already being shambles, and the heroes already having more than enough to worry about. they’re barely holding things together as it is. and we already know how Deku feels about being a burden to them:

and so instead, he leaves. of course he does. in hindsight, I think this was inevitable.

the question is, did anyone else also put the pieces together in time to realize what Deku was planning before he actually left? specifically, did Katsuki, who understands Deku’s self-sacrificial nature better than anyone else, see the signs and put two and two together? like he did back at Jakku?

and if he did, would Deku have been willing to accept his help again?

somehow, I can’t help but think it might not be that easy this time.

anyway, so that was a lot of rambling, lol. sorry about that. I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS about all of this angsty shit. tired nomad Deku needs hugs and comfort and someone to reassure him that he doesn’t have to face this alone, and that everything is going to be all right. HE IS JUST A LITTLE BOY. this is too much, and I cannot handle any of these feels, and oh my god, somebody please help him.

[h3l10tr0p3]

MANGA CH. 284 SPOILERS

OF REDEMPTIONS AND ATONEMENTS:

We all been knew, man. We all knew this was coming.

And godDAMN does it fucking HURT. (oh the sweet sweet angstfest this whole chapter is, just *chef's kiss*)

But i legit cannot put into words how deep the choice to 'Atone' cuts on my bleeding bkdk heart. Let's first take a step back and see how Katsuki went from DvK2 to here- that one keystone moment that has given us this beautiful chapter: And I meant ALLLL the way back to Chap. 252

I have already written a whole-ass post based on this panel, which you can check Here.

TL;DR Katsuki was actually paying real close attention to Endeavour in this part. He came to Endeavour to learn exactly what he was missing as a Hero, but he learnt so much more.

This scene in particular left a momentous impact on Kacchan. Here, Natsuo is resistant to the idea of forgiving his father for all his sins just because he is more involved in their lives now. And Endeavour had been dreaming for a while about a Home where he is not present with the rest of the Todoroki's which ultimately gave him the idea of buying a house for the others to live in apart from him. This is HUGE. This is what actually drove Endeavour's Redemption home- the perfect understanding and the perfect compensation, the two elements of a brilliant Redemption Arc. NOT THE FORGIVENESS, just as Enji says it. It is NEVER ABOUT THE FORGIVENESS.

Endeavour understood that it was his presence that caused his family distress, and although he dearly wanted to be a part of his family again, was even making efforts towards it by being cordial and accepting of Shouto's friends, inviting them to a family dinner, etc. etc. Endeavour realized the only way he can compensate/atone was to give up something that would cause him suffering, and them happiness. The idea that your family doesnt want you, when you just started to show some effort and HOPE that they might see you in different light, maybe forgive you and then to just terminate those ties entirely, punting yourself into a void where NO ONE CAN COME IN AND SAVE YOU FROM YOUR SUFFERING, is exactly what Endeavour did. He is actively shutting down the ONE window through which his family could see that he was suffering, and miserable, and wanted to be a part of the family again. Endeavour CHOSE to not be forgiven. To writhe with the knowledge of his sins day in and day out with only the shrine of Dabi Touya to haunt him every waking minute.

I cannot explain just how much determination it takes to do that, man. It's just- WOW.

Excuse me for ranting on Endeavour in a bkdk post, but I swear this has a point. And All Might says this the best:

This is the fanlation, the official release (which I couldnt get my hands on) also mentions that "When I meant you were like Endeavour, I meant the Change"

This here is an important bit that AM has caught onto.

In the 252 panel, where Endeavour says 'It's not like I want forgiveness' (Because Endeavour understands he cannot be, should not be, forgiven) "I just want to make up for everything I have done" (and to back this up, Endeavour shuts down the one communication link that could have offered him forgiveness, and thus salvation from the weight of his sins and his guilt)

Katsuki understood Endeavour's idea of redemption very well here, although he might not be shown with that light-bulb moment. He may have already known this wayyy before Endeavour said anything, but those words lent a solidity and to the path he must persue to acheive redemption: And it's Not forgiveness.

Let me tell you why I think Atonement is the greater factor here, even greater than Redemption itself. Redemption has an end-point: Forgiveness. But Atonement doesn't. Atonement has no expiry date. Atonement is purely propelled by the understanding of self, and the weight of guilt the self bears, whereas a Redemption is All About The Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is an external force, it may or may not be given to you and that is completely up to the person who has been wronged. Atonement is self-imposed, it is a meditation of the soul to forgive itself against the guilt it carries.

If Redemption is a marathon with a banner at the finish line, Atonement is trying to drag a twenty pounds of rocks through the Sahara desert without water, food or a compass- it's endless, hopeless.

And this is why Atonement is greater than Redemption.

And do you think someone as stubborn as Kastuki will ever find himself atoned of his deeds? No. And That, my friends, is The Point. In 252, when Endeavour says, "I dont want forgiveness" it's not just him saying it- it's also Katsuki. "I just want to make it upto you", is also Katsuki.

And to prove it, Katsuki will never ask for forgiveness. A verbal apology will be nice, sure. Especially since dumb-ass, gay-ass, 'Kacchan-sugoi' ass Izuku Doesn't even See it as Atonement. He is just #Blessed that Kacchan and he can talk almost-naturally again. And that is also Katsuki's intention- because the moment Izuku knows, he won't be able to atone this way anymore.

So, as much as I HATE to say this, the chances of a voluntary verbal apology are slim. If allowed to go on like this, Kacchan with continue to shadow Izuku through his life, worrying about him, LOSING SLEEP OVER HIM :

LOOK AT THOSE BAGS UNDER HIS EYES. /*shoves panels in yo face*/LOOK

Can you believe this bitch-ass gremlin who goes to sleep at 8:30 got bags just from stressing over his Deku??????

LOOK AT HIM DOING A HECCIN' MAJOR KOKORO-STOPPING CONCERN.

(He is flipping his shit because he worries, and he worries so much, and has worried for him for a long LONG time.)

- Katsuki will continue on this path of being Izuku's support.

Forever if it takes.

Forever, he hopes, it takes-

Because the only way he will stop is in death, either his own or Deku's.

This is his Atonement: To undo everything he once did, to support Izuku's dream instead of squashing it; To help him get stronger instead of perpetuating the narrative on his weakness; To protect him from all harm, when he once hurt; To be on his side when the whole world is against him, because once he was all, but, for him; To save Izuku as he wins, to win as he saves.

And, To deny each oppurtunity of forgiveness even as he desperately longs to be unburdened of his guilt.

Because Katsuki knows:

He knows Izuku is that one of a million, he is kind and humble and considerate and loving to a fault.

Katsuki knows that Izuku will forgive him in a heartbeat. That is just the kind of selfless, beautiful person he is.

Unlike Endeavour, who had no guarantee to forgiveness, Katsuki does. And that is what makes Katsuki's Atonement more powerful than Endeavour's. He recognizes it is in his grasp, just an arm's length away...

....Just an arm's length.

And Katsuki will deny himself that. Because he does not believe he deserves it. He hasn't atoned enough for it.

"Keep At Arm's Length"

He says. Because this is the critical distance between them. Not "Stay an arm's length away", because Katsuki doesn't wanna run away from Deku, and he doesn't want to be too far away to protect him, nor does he want to get too close to finally recieve the forgiveness that will give him salvation.

This is the fine balancing act Katsuki must maintain indefintely till he believes he has acheived his idea of atonement. (And when has he ever been happy just the bare minimum?)

I know I said Katsuki will never ask for forgiveness, and a voluntary verbal apology is very unlikely, because in it's very nature, it is inviting a forgiveness from Izuku, which we have established, Katsuki wants to avoid. And if this were any other manga, we would have been doomed to this conclusion. But, there is a scenario when Katsuki might issue a verbal apology and that is when Katsuki knows there isn't enough time to be forgiven in turn, or, hasn't atoned enough and can no longer continue to.

Like when Katsuki launches off, to deliver a final kamikaze blow to a villain, and he has only enough time to tell Deku a short "I am sorry", but not enough time to wait for a reply. Or when Deku is dying and at his final moments, when Katsuki knows however much he has atoned isn't enough and isn't how Deku should leave, without closure.

Whatever the future may hold, my dear readers, Katsuki still has a long, long way to go. And I hope to see him live through everything, to be there -

To survive these wars with Deku, To fight alongside him, To protect him. To win. To save.

To Live.

To hear Deku say "I had forgiven you a long time ago";

and ofcourse,

To forgive himself.

[diableasura]

Endeavour stans believe that an empty apology means something. It doesn't, the reason why Katsuki's apology holds weight is because he's been truly atoning in the right way while Endeavour has not. When Touya is saved, he realizes how he treated Shouto was messed up, what he did to Rei was wrong and not shift blame to anyone is when Endeavour's apology holds some weight, until then it really means jackshit. Sorry for my language.

Yeah this recent chapter that culminates Bakugos arc makes endeavours own arc feel like it's lacking.

It just feels like Bakugo has put in more work and has truly been thinking about his past actions. We saw this during the war arc where he had a lot of flashbacks, and during the endeavour agency arc and even during joint training he had been working on himself.

This chapter is where all that introspection pays off for Bakugo.

With endeavour we haven't seen him struggle as much. The only progress he made was during the agency arc, where he told Natsuo he was kind and recognized he had to stay away from his family. But ever since the agency arc... the only thing we've seen him do is fight villains. And his breakdown during the hospital arc, where he apparently truly realises what he has caused with his abuse, makes his previous guilt during the agency arc not feel entirely genuine.

I think it's also relevant to look at what point Bakugo and endeavour started their arcs.

Bakugo started his development at the right time, and that prevented him from going down a selfish path.

Endeavour only started his development when the selfish path he had been going down for two decades was abruptly cut off with all mights retirement.

[niks-minion]

Please don’t hate me but it is 2 am and I’m feeling salty about the fact that we haven’t seen both Bakugou and Todoroki in the manga as of recently. I get that Deku is doing his own thing now and that’s kind of important but I feel like so many things were glossed over in favour of Deku’s current plot line. I don’t dislike Deku, but I feel like his character has made very little progress for a while... Bakugou literally got impaled to show Deku that he isn’t supposed to do things on his own, but now he’s went off on his own again saying “I don’t want the others to get hurt”?? I feel like Deku isn’t even a character anymore, he just feels so much like your standard everyday main character who does good things because he’s a good person. There are so many interesting supporting characters like Hawks, Bakugou, Todoroki, etc... and they all have their small moments, but are usually just overshadowed by Deku. (Todoroki’s entire arc involves his relationship with his mom, and we don’t even get a proper heartfelt reuniting scene in the hospital, whereas Deku has like 10 panels of him and his mom in the recent chapters, yes I’m salty about that)

Sorry I have no idea if this is even coherent, I’ll be the first to admit I’m pretty much just talking out of my ass here, but that doesn’t make me any less salty lmao. I’d love to hear your thoughts on recent chapters, maybe you can help set me straight! Sorry for the rant!

Ok man, no need to be sorry. I kinda consider this blog a safe space for everyone talk their opinion as long as it’s with respect ;)

Not gonna lie, I’m a bit salty too, especially bc we were robbed of Todo mom scene with Shouto😭

My attitude toward the whole thing and Deku specifically will depend on where we’re driving right now in our badass car.

1. Bak-u-go.

If that’s not Katsuki, or even if it is if Deku can’t have his explosions (I don’t care why) I’ll survive.

I hate the idea of more atonement. Bakugou gave Izuku ENOUGH for “I’m sorry”!!! I’ll scream that they’ll hear me in Japan if the whole katsukis power just like that is gonna be handed to Deku to use and fight villains with it.

I’m on board with bkdk 3, I want Katsuki to tell him to stop acting all alone and being stupid, bc HE IS NOT ALONE ANYMORE.

2. Top 3 plus Deku team up.

I said it before, but it’s frustrating that Shouto is not the first one to team up with enji and Hawks. I get it. I get why. If this alliance fucks up and don’t just magically solve all the shit, then ok, gimme one more chapter.

3. Shouto

With all the build up, with obvious parallels and other hints I’m afraid that Shouto can be left behind from the duo shenanigans. He has a solid screen time reservation with his bro upcoming confrontation, but origin trio is my cup of hot coffee in the rainy morning, so I’d be devastating not to get it, especially if the end is near.

What am I trying to say, that where are so many possibilities, outcomes, thrilling and idiotic and the horizon is blurry. Let’s hope, we’ll get our boys, hawks and good quality plot content soon.

[a-crimson-lion]

That new analysis is great, and I haven't even read that chapter! Personally, while I still dislike Bakugo, the things I'm hearing about 284 actually sound good to me--I feel like not only are his stans being annoying about it though, but those who dislike him *might* be being a little hard on him? Not YOU, of course Crimson, you did a great job keeping your analysis balanced, but I've been seeing people still hoping he dies and that doesn't feel right to me (1/2)

(2/2) Like it's not perfect, but he's getting there, y'know? If it's true, and he really is starting to see that he was an ass, I'm willing to finally give him a chance. I agree though that he also has to finally acknowledge the impact this had on Deku.

The State of the Fandom: Katsuki Bakugo

‘Kay, gotta keep this short so I don’t write another 4K essay out of nowhere. (Foreshadowing)

So first off, if you have no idea what @cjcroen1393 is talking about, check out the analysis here.

Second off, if you still haven’t read Chapter 284, check out the official VIZ translation here. New chapters are only free for the first three weeks after their debut, so make like an Ochako and get them savings!

Alright, now back to the subject at hand...

First off, while I appreciate the flattery, if I’m being completely honest, I’m still sort of skeptical because we just got Chapter 284, y’know? I wanna hold my breath, but I’ve already been through Bakugo’s Start Line, the Final Exams, and the Remedial Course Arc, three concrete moments that should have showcased Katsuki’s development and either came with conflicting results or were later debunked (Katsuki sticking to his original bull-headed strategy, Katsuki only working with Izuku as a last resort after stating he’d rather lose earlier, Katsuki saying not to look down on others and then looking down on the rest of UA due to a problem he inadvertently contributed to). But yeah, I’ll stick around and see what happens.

Honestly, I feel like 284 has a lot of opinions focused around Katsuki when you’re looking at him specifically. And no, I’m not talking about a direct AntiBaku vs BakuStan thing, that’s not what this is about. I can’t speak for all AntiBakus, obviously, but from the discourse I’ve seen, we’re all currently split into one of three categories:

Cautiously optimistic, willing to see how things play out.

Perpetually exhausted, nothing Katsuki says or does will make him worthy of atonement or redemption.

Kill him with fire, burn him at the steak, he’s worn out his usefulness.

I’m stuck between the first two categories, and the only reason I’m not in the third category (aside from Katsuki’s basic human right to live) is this:

A dead person can’t change. A dead person can’t suffer. Take that as you will.

And that’s not even discussing how the entire fandom is looking at things. Again, from what I’ve seen, the opinions split into three or four categories:

Look how far he’s come! (←The majority of fandom.)

Look how far he has to go… (←I am here. And maybe some AntiBakus.)

He AlWaYs CaReD!1! (←Cease your existence.)

I want to believe, but the narrative has taught me otherwise. (←The majority of AntiBakus.)

[‘Kay, this is where I’m cutting it off. Click “Read More” if you’re still awake.]

I’ve already said my piece on why the “HAC” take fills me with righteous fury, but let me see if I can explain it better with an analogy:

Let’s pretend for the moment that you’re a gold miner. Obviously, you’re looking for gold.

Your boss has you sent down into the mines to head into one of the more… frustrating caverns. Figuring you have nothing better to do, you get to work.

As you get into picking away at the rock in the search for gold, it takes you hours. And eventually, you stop striking bits and pieces and find a solid chunk of gold ore.

Now, your response can vary based on which of the categories you’re in.

If you’re in the “He’s come so far” camp, you are very excited to find this piece of gold.

If you’re with me in the “He’s still got a ways to go” camp, you remember that this chunk of gold ore doesn’t meet the quota. You still gotta dig.

And if you’re in the “HAC” camp, it’s essentially the same as walking back to the cavern entrance, digging down, and finding the quota of all the gold you need.

Sure, it seems like a good deal for most people, but you just wasted a long time getting to one good chunk when you could have dug down from the start. So what was the point of digging your own tunnel to begin with? That’s several hours, or even days of your life, you’re never getting back, because the cavern decided to be cheeky.

(Also, if you were in the "I don't wanna get my hopes up" camp, you've been digging through a pyrite vein and are skeptical.)

I hope that makes sense.

If it doesn’t, essentially the “HAC” line of thought feels cheap because it makes it seem like Katsuki was being needlessly extra from the start. If he always cared, why does he have to suicide bait? (Yeah I know y’all hear that too much but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened.) If he always cared, why does he have to even risk almost killing Izuku in the Battle Trial? If he always cared, why does he almost consider losing in the Final Exams? It just opens up a lot of holes.

I’m not gonna tell you to not be a fan of Katsuki or to not like him, because that isn’t realistic. Hell, if I shouldn’t have to justify why I don’t like him, you guys certainly don’t have to justify the opposite. But there has to be a sort of awareness that comes with either territory.

Because whether you like it or not, Katsuki HATED Izuku from Ch. 1 to getting kidnapped.

He saw Izuku as an OBSTACLE from Deku vs Kacchan 2 all the way to the OFA meeting in Ch. 257.

...and right now, Katsuki is finally, FINALLY recognizing Izuku as a person. A person who is in real f***ing danger and can’t bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. The extent remains to be seen, but what Hori has set up so far is really promising.

But that’s the thing: we’re still in the setup phase. I talked about this before in my last post, but right now we’re only in the third phase of Katsuki’s attitude. The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” phase lasted 116 chapters. The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” phase lasted 141 chapters. And the current phase, the “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” phase, has only been going on for 27 or so chapters. And Katsuki only recently acknowledged that he bullied Izuku in a flashback somewhere in that time frame.

And the thing is, this doesn’t absolve Katsuki of anything. I still firmly believe Katsuki was being legitimate when he was talking about hunting down Tomura and using Izuku as bait, because that competitive side of him is DYING, not DEAD. And Katsuki still has yet to address the issue in his relationship with Izuku beyond internal and external monologues to people who are decidedly not Izuku, though there’s a high chance of that changing in Chapter 285. And the thing is, all Katsuki recognized is that Izuku’s inherent selflessness made him uneasy, and that was the main reason he bullied him. He still has yet to realize that he is a direct contributor to Izuku’s selflessness being warped into hardcore martyrdom. In his acts of beating Izuku, he lessened his self-worth and thus, made him believe his life was worth giving up. We still got stepping stones to cross, and while Katsuki’s making progress, he’s not across the creek yet.

...and while I’ve personally given up all hope of viewing Katsuki’s redemption in a satisfying light, I am hoping that Hori gets it right for the rest of you.

Thanks for reading.

-Crimson Lion (22 September 2020)

[kdtheghostwriter]

The Dust Up in Jaku

You sure are!

Okay, housekeeping first. I don’t often go here. In fact, this is my first proper visit. I’m caught up with the manga entirely to be clear. I just don’t always go looking for feedback. This blog is miscellaneous, tailored mostly to my whims at the time, but it’s known primarily for its monthly posts on Shingeki no Kyojin. That series is ending soon. These posts have been for practice primarily. A way for me to keep my writing chops warm for other projects. They’ve been incredibly helpful in that regard. I’m not sure yet what I’ll do to supplement that practice after the series conclusion. I don’t see myself doing monthly meta posts anymore. I started doing One Punch Man write ups a couple years ago and doing the occasional meta for big plot developments is probably the ticket. But then there’s BNHA.

My Hero Academia is a bit more…shall we say ‘aggressive’ in its storytelling. That’s what I’ve seen in this latest arc anyway. I’m a fan. And I figured, hey, I can dip a pinky toe in the fandom for a bit. So, before reading any further, please note that this will read as the perspective of a reader that has one eye on the story and doesn’t spend a great amount of time in the discourse.

Okay so let’s start with the obvious or what should be the obvious. Bakugo isn’t dead just yet. If for no other reason than Gran Torino getting spiked by Shigaraki only to supply a sassy quip moments later. You don’t die in a shonen series without permission. Besides that, though, no one I’ve seen seems to be asking the important question here.

What is All For One’s idea?

We saw him reach out to Tomura who was himself on the verge of death and took full control of his body. Those telltale black tendrils have seldom caused bodily harm on their own and there’s little evidence to believe they’d start now. We then can make one of two assumptions.

Quirk theft: AFO has the ability to steal and redistribute quirks and Shigaraki made clear that stealing One For All was his main goal in this fight outside of surviving. Bakugo is one of the few people who know about this secret war and he more than anyone there would recognize that losing OFA to Tomura would be in the nicest terms a disaster.

Forced Quirk Activation: Considering that Kacchan is a walking napalm bomb, this is another possible disaster. Using a massive explosion to escape the battlefield at this moment has some very “I’ll get you next time, Gadget!” energy.

And Tomura has to escape this. I’ll explain that later. But first I must laugh.

No, that’s not Garou after his first hour in the Monster Association. Tomura has been annihilated over the course of this fight. He’d probably be dead two or three times over if it weren’t for his fancy Deadpool Healing Factor which itself wouldn’t be working if Eraser Head wasn’t out of commission.

Shout-outs to Aizawa by the way. There’s a reason Tomura stopped in the middle of the battle to tell him how cool he was.

Anyway, more to the point: Shigaraki can’t beef it here. Don’t get me wrong, as tragic as his story is, there really is no other option currently than to destroy him. The only other course of action is to say, “Please, Tomura, don’t make this entire city and the innocent people living there disappear into dust.” Which…yea. On top of that, he’s the series antagonist and the clear foil for our hero Deku. Narratively it just wouldn’t make sense to have him climb that mountain before he’s ready. And he’s still not ready. His arms are thrashed yet again from his current onslaught.

For anyone having trouble visualizing this, imagine Shiggy as a red rubber ball and Deku is a paddle, smacking him repeatedly. I have this great picture in my head of the news chopper zoomed in on Deku as he calls out every state and major city in the contiguous United States. Jokes aside, the art is phenomenal. This panel in particular really hammers home the aforementioned duality like so many haymakers to the face. The damage is stacking up faster than his regeneration can supply but All For One has stepped in to take the reins, surely saving his neck but that isn’t the only reason Shiggy will see his way out of this spot.

Yeah! Remember him? This big fucker is still on his way. And he’s got the League of Villains in tow. Why is that detail important?

The only thing more important than a major plot event like this is the aftermath. You can easily develop your characters through the way they react to the events that occur to them. Somebody has to break it to Tomura that Twice is gone and I don’t envy the one who gets that job.

Also…lol okay, I don’t wanna do the trolly thing of “oooh Dabi’s a Todoroki!” but c’mon man Dabi’s a Todoroki. I’ve barely paid attention to this subplot and even I know that. Shonen series are by their nature very melodramatic and it would only make sense for such a massive bombshell to be dropped now, in the midst of life-or-death struggle, with direct implications for the Number One Hero and his children – one on each side of the law. Point is! None of that can happen if Shigaraki bites the big one so I’d expect the dusty lad to keep kicking for now.

The same goes for Bakugo, although, he may have early retirement in his future. The main reason Kacchan can’t die here is because, despite what you may think of him as a character – and I’ve seen enough discourse to know that many many people are not fans, such is your right – having a teenaged bully redeem himself by sacrificing his life is a bit much. Especially when you consider this little nugget.

All Might has him pegged here. I would never endorse someone telling another person to kill themselves even when done ironically but Katsuki was a child and children say any manner of dumb, reckless things. More than that, children lash out when they’re scared, and nothing scared him more than being surpassed by Midoriya. All Might goes on to point out that Bakugo earnestly helping with Izuku’s training is his way of atoning for his past behavior. I agree with that stance and I think it’s more than enough. He knows he was wrong and more recently he’s discovered that he knows he wants no harm to come to Deku. Bakugo learned a big lesson in this chapter; by extension, Deku must learn a lesson as well.

Then there’s this geek.

Disclaimer: I don’t hate Endeavor so much as I’m apathetic towards him. He’s the Number One hero by default and it shows throughout this arc. Even here, we see the rookie Kacchan barking orders at him and Shoto and coming up with a pretty solid plan to finally end this damn fight. It didn’t work, but that has more to do with outside interference than inexperience, and it’s not like Endeavor was rapt with ideas to begin with.

I will defend him slightly, however. Some people have gone so far as to call him useless in this fight and I wouldn’t. Shigaraki got a massive buff even if he’s only at 75% capacity. Enhanced speed and strength, plus a healing factor means he has a threshold that Endeavor just can’t overcome. The days of one guy taking on the Final Boss is long past gone. Even so, this must be pretty mortifying for a guy so obsessed with climbing the ladder. His second real test as the top hero and he gets his ass kicked for an hour or more by a shaggy kid who forgot his lip balm at home. LOL is what I’m saying.

Thanks for indulging that aside. Back to Deku. The very first panel of this chapter is a nurse warning him that repeated injuries could result in him losing the use of his arms. Naturally, this follows with Deku smashing Shigaraki in the face five or six times in a row. The combination of Float and Black Whip is keeping the villain suspended in the air where his disintegration    quirk can’t reach the support team below. A fact that Deku points out when Bakugo shouts at him to disengage. This is a great bit of dramatic tension, because neither one is wrong. Izuku’s body is falling apart. I mean, Tomura’s is too, but Tomura can lowkey ignore that and if he reaches the ground, everyone is screwed anyway.

This plays into Bakugo forming the plan with the Todorokis in the first place and then intercepting AFO’s attack on behalf of the helpless Deku. He sees One For All as a cursed power, but he’s smart enough to know that this power is the only chance they have of winning. He then saves his friend to help them win.

Now we come to the bit that has me more interested than even Kacchan’s fate. That being Izuku’s reaction, both in the moment and after the battle is done. As previously noted, Deku is not in less danger now. He’s emptying the tank right here despite possible long-term damage to his body.

The implications of that statement are terrifying. More so coming from a teenaged boy that hasn’t even made it through a third of his life yet. The legacy of OFA is dark and bloody. It was Bakugo who pointed out that the previous holders of the super strength quirk all died young – all murdered at the hands of Tall, Dark and Faceless. Toshinori would have suffered the same fate if it weren’t for a time sensitive cocktail of rage, survival instinct and adrenaline. Deku is sipping from that same cocktail right now and he’s in better shape than All Might was (barely) but it’s clear that he cannot 1v1 a boss with a replenishing health bar. Perhaps if he could sustain an attack without his limbs exploding like Squidward after too many Krabby Patties? Oh well.

My Hero Academia is an origin story. The story of the hero Deku and his journey to number one. With that in mind, we know he can’t lose but he doesn’t necessarily have to win. Not here at the very least. I have no clue how this arc resolves itself but finding out is going to be much fun.

[edwardslostalchemy]

Explain the difference between endevour and Bakugou’s Behavior when it comes to treating others how they do. Thanks (:D)

This is tough because I’m so biased to believe they are both abusive. And I really just want to tell you with the Pam from the Office meme that they’re the same person. But I know that’s not entirely true. Both of these characters have inflicted damage to other characters. 

However, I acknowledge that Katsuki is still a teenager and I am holding out for hope that Horikoshi gives him proper development, that he can regret his actions, have a good redemption arc, apologize to Izuku, and be a better character. 

Endeavor is just. A monster. Because through more than 20 years, he never stopped to think that MAYBE just MAYBE he was hurting PEOPLE, and the people were his FAMILY, his WIFE, his CHILDREN. He hurt FIVE people. He didn’t even see them as people to begin with, just a means to an end. He didn’t even see Shouto as a child, he saw him as his ‘masterpiece’, an extension of himself, the perfect tool to use for his ambition. He saw his three older children as failures and neglected them, pushing them aside and separating Shouto from his siblings because he ‘lived in a different world from the one they lived in’. It is heavily implied and suggested that he has beat his wife and even on screen, the sounds that were made were obviously of him hitting her and she falls to the ground. And the way Shouto reacts, with a horrified expression while calling for his mother, is more than enough proof that that’s what happened in that one instant. He drove her to madness, so much so that she ended up maiming her youngest child, someone who had no fault in any of what was going on, but ended up on the receiving end of her meltdown, unfortunately. And what did Endeavor do? He put her in a mental hospital because she ‘hurt his masterpiece’. Not even ‘because she hurt my son/child’ or ‘because she needs help’. Because he hurt his masterpiece. His tool. We still don’t know what happened to Touya, but we do know that Endeavor had a hand in killing him, which is horrifying and so so terrible. How…how do you just. Move on from that? It’s no wonder Natsuo hates him so much. It’s no wonder Shouto has so many mixed feelings and doesn’t know what to feel. It’s no wonder Rei is so scared of him and doesn’t want to see him even if it’s been more than 10 years since she’s been there. Even Fuyumi has admitted that she feels the same way as Natsuo and Shouto. 

This is different from Katsuki. He didn’t do any of this and I really hope he never does. It would be unfortunate and sad. He has been compared to Endeavor, though, in terms of behavior, by All Might. However, he still hurt Izuku. He’s called him useless, he’s called him scum and has said he is like a pebble and like an insect he can crush if I remember correctly; he’s used his quirk on him to hurt him, and just by what we saw from the first episode, it says a lot about what he did. As little kids, he and his friends beat up Izuku. And then fast forward to middle school, he’s still bothering and hurting him. It’s quite exaggerated if I’m being honest, but still, Izuku is pushed against the wall and Katsuki stands over him threateningly. Their teacher doesn’t even do anything to stop it. After classes end, he burns Izuku’s notebook and tosses it out of the window and then tells him to kill himself. After the entrance exam for UA and they both get accepted, he pushes Izuku against a secluded wall and threatens him to not go to UA. He used so much of his quirk during the battle trial that All Might warned him not to use it or else he’d kill Izuku. And his response was that he wouldn’t get killed as long as he dodged. He still threatened him during their first semester and hit him in the face during their final exam. We don’t get to see throughout the years the extend of the bullying, just glimpses of how Katsuki tells Izuku his quirk will never be as good as his, he would leave him behind, he’d push him down; but we get to see the aftermath and Izuku does not think of himself as worthy. He has self-esteem issues, he flinches whenever he is approached by Katsuki, although this is improving because he hasn’t been stepping back recently. Katsuki can’t attack Izuku anymore because Aizawa can stop him. It’s not because he felt bad. It’s because a teacher with the means to do it finally stepped in and went ‘nope’. Aizawa doesn’t reprimand him, but he stops him. Izuku is getting better at fighting back. Katsuki can’t push him around anymore. But it doesn’t mean he’s stopped yelling at him or has stopped hurting him. He still stabs him on the head to shut him up. He’s very disrespectful when it comes to OFA meetings (and really he’s disrespectful all the time). But the thing is that now, currently in the manga, he doesn’t have that chance to attack Izuku anymore. Which is GOOD. I still see his behavior as abusive because bullies are abusive. They still hurt people mentally, physically, and/or emotionally. 

The difference is that nobody was there to stop Endeavor, but someone was there to stop Katsuki. Endeavor took a hell of a long time to realize that what he did was not right and evaluated that his reasons for doing what he did were not really….I guess enough. Or wrong. Perhaps I’m not interpreting that scene correctly, where he is fighting High End and he’s thinking “that’s the reason….the reason…” and it pans over Rei, Natsuo, Fuyumi, and Shouto. Endeavor is an ADULT who should have better judgement and better sense in treating people like people. He’s a certified Hero, but only acts heroically publicly. With his family? Not even close. He did it because he believed this was the best option for reaching his goal. But it was not an ethical option. Katsuki did what he did because his ego was inflated and people would tell him he was the best and his quirk was amazing, even by Izuku. Katsuki is a KID. And I really hope he gets better development. I really hope he stops hurting Izuku and starts treating him like a person and like a friend. (And I say this for Izuku’s sake, not his.) 

Now as far as how these two characters treat other people.

They’re both arrogant and proud, but they’re executed differently. Endeavor is arrogant in that he doesn’t want to join other heroes because he ‘is a very busy man’, as we saw when detective Tsukauchi requested his help to rescue Katsuki from the League of Villains. He also complained that All Might was getting the spotlight and not him. Why did he have to stay where he was when All Might was rushing into action? I am trying to translate this word to English, but what comes up is despot. He abuses power and oppresses others, most notably his family. However, because of his status, he is still rude and selfish with other people. His interactions with All Might are so tense. All Might goes to say hi and he’s like “is that it?” and walks away. And then he tells him how Shouto will beat him. It’s disgusting how he talks about Shouto as if he were a tool and not his son, and also he says ‘that’s why I made him’ as if Shouto is only worth being something to use instead of someone to cherish, i.e. a child. He’s beginning to atone, which is good. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth because I cannot stand abusers and I myself have dealt with someone who is awful. Not on this level of asshole, but he’s still an asshole. Anyway, back to him. He allows Natsuo to tell him what he’s thinking, which is GOOD. This is something I like because he didn’t shut Natsuo down and Natsuo was able to speak what was on his mind. Fuyumi is probably the person he has….I don’t want to use the word fondness….that implies that he cares about her, and honestly, I still want to believe that despite his abusive nature, he can at least spare some care for his daughter. I don’t know what word to use, but he lets her have dinners and convinces him to bring his interns over. He’s also trying to show Shouto that he can be a better hero, one he can be proud of. And I understand that this is part of his atonement, but it does not arouse sympathy out of me. His interaction with Hawks is interesting. He’s rude and impatient and wants for him to get to the point. However, he did not blow up when Hawks gave him a major burn on live television. Although, in later chapters, he lets Hawks give him information and it’s good he allowed this because it was so crucial. 

Katsuki is different from Endeavor in that he does blow up on people. His personality is, you guessed it, explosive. And I understand that goes with his character. Endeavor is fiery…he is fierce… Shouto is warm and cold. Izuku is full of energy he cannot contain, bouncing off walls verbally and physically. So it makes sense that Katsuki is explosive. However, he yells and threatens and tells people to die. I’ve read a post explaining that him telling people to die is a common thing to say in Japan amongst kids. Perhaps if handled differently for Katsuki, it would be funny when it’s meant to be funny. But anyway, let’s go with his explosive nature. He blows up. He loses his cool so easily and is provoked instantly. He treats people like dirt, not gonna lie. I want to believe he’s getting better. But I can’t see it. It’s so hard for me to see it. Blowing up on people that see him as a friend, blowing up on Izuku, blowing up on his classmates. Constantly telling Shouto they are NOT friends even though Shouto thinks they are. I see he has not yelled at Momo, which is good, because if he were to do it, I would be out for blood. He’s not horrible to Kirishima, and he’s getting better? Like that bit where Kirishima was insecure and he told him he was strong, that was nice. I wish he would be that way with other people, too. The way he wanted to fight all the kids during the provisional license remedial course was something. And that line he said to the leader of the kids felt hollow, but at least he stopped yelling at the kids. He’s also not 100% insensitive, because he at least listened to Shouto when he said there’s other ways of reaching out to children that DON’T involve violence, and he thought back to when Shouto told Izuku about how he was abused. He is learning to cooperate, which is something I appreciate, although he is not perfect, as we saw when he joined the 1A band (thanks Sero). I would like for him to realize, though, that his behavior needs improvement. Or at least he needs to stop yelling at everyone and should direct this anger towards villains. 

So really Katsuki doesn’t give a damn about public image, but Endeavor does. Still, both are rude and brash and flaunt their power in front of other people. Endeavor literally does this simply by having his fire mask, mustache, and beard all the time when he is out. 

I hope this is enough/satisfactory for you, anon. I tried to stay objective, but again that was difficult given how much I hate both characters. If anyone wants to add on, feel free because I’m sure I missed something, but this is what I was able to put together.

[pikahlua]

You’ve heard of ch. 322 spoilers translations; now introducing ch. 322 meta dissections!

I spared no expense. I have to explain to you so many things.

oh lawd he comin’

Tagged: Everyone who’s been asking how I feel about the apology.

Initial spoilers translations here.

Katsuki’s apology translations here.

I’ll be colloquializing the translations here.

Izuku’s art style is in a nebulous in-between state. Before now, the way he was drawn was indicative of the gap between him and the rest of the world, similar to how All Might is drawn outside the manga style of everyone else.

Here, Izuku is trying to come back to normal because he wants to, but he also feels he shouldn’t. The tendrils of Black Whip return to resemble his previous style.

But the Deku mask has been torn away. 1-A is trying to reach Izuku, to talk to him, but Izuku is still trying to hide. He’s toned black with white, shapeless eyes to the point of resembling a silhouette. He hasn’t fully formed as Izuku again yet.

Meanwhile, Katsuki stands in-frame, his reopened wound the focal center.

It’s a callback to this moment.

The last thing Izuku heard before going berserk was what Katsuki said to him. Katsuki has managed to return to this moment in order to continue what he was trying to say to Izuku back then.

And now’s the best time to do it, because Izuku is going to run away again if no one can reach his heart.

So he picks up right where he left off:

Do you remember what I said when I was stabbed by Shigaraki?

As Izuku says he doesn’t remember, the shadows from his tone disperse. He’s back to this moment:

Back to when he was too shocked to understand what Katsuki’s words to him were. When his pupils started to white out and disappear.

But Izuku’s eyes are still unseeing. So Katsuki’s speech takes him through their lives together, explaining his feelings throughout their entire relationship. He starts with their childhood.

“Don’t try to win by yourself.” And there’s more to add. My body moved on its own and I was stabbed…! So I felt like I needed to tell you something. I was always looking down on you...because you were quirkless. Even though I thought you should have been far behind me, I came to feel like you were far ahead of me. And I couldn’t stand it. I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to admit it.

First of all, this apology is starting out parallel to Endeavor’s. “I felt like I needed to tell you something.” This apology is prompted by a traumatic realization in a dire moment for Katsuki. Endeavor had a similar experience with Natsuo.

Katsuki and Endeavor are not the same person. Their characters and arcs are very different from each other’s, but they do share some parallels.

That’s because Endeavor’s apology to Natsuo was meant to be the lesson Katsuki took away from his work study at Endeavor’s agency. It’s the thing he’s missing on his path to become Number One.

Katsuki and Endeavor are not on the same path, obviously, because Katsuki has the exact opposite problem Endeavor has when it comes to his apology.

Izuku’s forgiveness could come too readily, could come before Katsuki properly atones.

Horikoshi tells us Katsuki’s atonement is happening by reopening Katsuki’s wound.

This is a symbolic moment. Katsuki is reopening old, unhealed wounds. He’s suffering the pain that resulted from his atoning step in chapter 285 of saving Izuku by sacrificing himself. He won’t allow the wound to close up without feeling it. He won’t deny his feelings like he did all their lives. He’s accepting his weaknesses.

And so finally, finally Katsuki expresses to Izuku how he really feels about him, how he always felt about him. Izuku never would have fathomed that Katsuki felt like Izuku was better than him. How could Izuku even consider that when Izuku never considers himself at all?

Remember Izuku’s reaction to Katsuki’s words in Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2?

Izuku hears that Katsuki thought Izuku looked down on him, and his reaction is, “No, I didn’t look down on you. I looked up to you.” Izuku makes his own feelings clear.

But now, in Kamino, Izuku learns it’s not just that Katsuki misunderstood Izuku’s feelings. Now Izuku is learning he himself misunderstood Katsuki’s feelings. Katsuki actually thought Izuku was above him.

Keep that in mind for later. We’ll come back to it.

That’s why I wanted to keep you away, and I bullied you.

What’s important about this line is how it acknowledges the physical distance between them. Katsuki actively tried to keep Izuku at arm’s length. Izuku perceived it as Katsuki running far ahead of him, when Katsuki was really denying how it felt like he was trailing far behind Izuku.

By denying all that, I was trying to act like I was superior. I was always losing to you. Then, we entered UA...

They are shown in their middle school uniforms, because Katsuki’s referenced facade of superiority is from chapter 1.

You can see the physical distance between them is still large. Katsuki feels like he lost to Izuku that day, but he maintains his denial of Izuku’s potential, acting superior instead.

Then he moves on to his feelings in high school.

...and things never once went the way I wanted. It was just day after day of realizing your strengths and my own weaknesses.

And damn is he right! So much of the early chapters are dedicated to this observation. For some reason, these words particularly reminded me of the ride to the USJ...

...when suddenly Katsuki is the one getting picked on by the class. Izuku’s passion in their combat training actually endeared him to everyone, something Izuku has never experienced. Meanwhile, Katsuki suffers the consequences of his weaknesses.

And so each panel of this apology, showing how they’ve seen each other since childhood, addresses the hole that Izuku narrates about in Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2.

“We’d never really talked things out” is a translation of:

本音で話あった事がない honne de hanashi atta koto ga nai “We’ve never had a talk about how we really feel.”

Just saying this won’t make things right, but it’s how I really feel, Izuku.

The keyword is honne, meaning “true intentions/feelings.” Katsuki uses the same word here. “Honne da.” “These are my true feelings.” We’ve only ever heard that word from Izuku narrating before. Yet here, Katsuki says it out loud, in front of the entire class.

For everything until now, I’m sorry.

All of it. Their childhood. Middle school. High school. Every misunderstanding. Every denial. Every lie.

Katsuki is a sincere person. He doesn’t like to lie. He had to fool himself out of understanding his own feelings for things to get to this point.

Katsuki bows lower than Izuku. He’s placed Izuku above him now.

And the pupils of Izuku’s eyes have fully returned. He can see again. He is no longer blinded by his fear, nor is he blind to Katsuki’s real feelings anymore.

I also have to point out the wet sidewalk rippling with raindrops. You know, like they’re standing in water, like in a pond or something.

“As for your path as the successor of One For All, there’s nothing wrong with the ideal All Might represents by itself. And yet now, you’re swaying on your feet. There are walls you can’t overcome with only your ideal of All Might. Whatever you cannot handle, we all will handle. In order to surpass the ideal of All Might, whether it’s you or the refugees at UA or the people of this city, without exception, we will save to win.“

What I love about this part is how Katsuki explicitly says “we,” but the way he says it does not necessarily exclude Izuku from the group. It could be read that Katsuki is speaking for class 1-A, that they will handle what Izuku cannot and protect Izuku and everyone else and win. It could also be read that Izuku is included in class 1-A for this statement.

And in that final sentence, the “we” is only implied. He could be talking about Izuku and himself as a team. He could be talking about just himself.

I think, given the invocation of “save to win” (not “win to save”), Katsuki is excluding Izuku here. I think he’s saying “this is my strength that is anything comparable to yours, and that strength is us, my team, class 1-A, whom I brought here to save you.”

Because Class 1-A is comparable to One For All.

So, it’s time to circle back to this.

Izuku hears that Katsuki thought Izuku looked down on him, and his reaction is, “No, I didn’t look down on you. I looked up to you.” Izuku makes his own feelings clear.

But now, in Kamino, Izuku learns it’s not just that Katsuki misunderstood Izuku’s feelings. Now Izuku is learning he himself misunderstood Katsuki’s feelings. Katsuki actually thought Izuku was above him.

Izuku understands now. Katsuki is admitting he thought he was the one chasing after Izuku all this time. Katsuki was always hurt by how far behind Izuku he perceived himself to be. Now, Katsuki has finally caught up by cultivating a similarly strong power: teamwork.

And if Katsuki was always so hurt by how much better Izuku was than him, then...

Izuku realizes how Katsuki took everything he’s said while trying to run away.

For a long time, everyone...

“I said…‘you can’t keep up’…”

had always been ahead of me.

“‘You can’t keep up’ is such a cruel thing for me to say. I’m sorry--...”

Izuku thought everyone was ahead of him. Katsuki thought Izuku was the one who was ahead. That was the biggest misunderstanding of all between them.

Now Izuku understands. Katsuki has reached his heart. Katsuki has saved him.

Izuku is so distraught at how much his words must have hurt Katsuki that he loses the will to run. The epiphany is so emotional, he loses all remaining strength.

Katsuki, having finally been understood, also understands in return, and he rushes to catch Izuku and accept the answering apology.

Katsuki is no longer keeping Izuku at an arm’s length away.

Again, there are no pronouns in Katsuki’s response. It could be read as:

We understand.

Or it could be read as:

I understand.

Both work.

And not only does Katsuki understand the apology, that Izuku is sorry, that Izuku understands he hurt Katsuki...

He also understands when Izuku says, “What a cruel thing for me to say.”

Because Katsuki knows how it feels to say such cruel things and feel sorry for it.