#like izuku did at least mention tenko

[straylaughs]

maybe im delusional (i probably am) but something within me cannot believe this is how it'll end for tenko like my brain (and my heart) refuses to believe that until i finish the very last page of the manga idc idc

[that-spider-fan-over-there]

BNHA 430: This wasn’t very “My Hero Academia” of you I’ll be honest—

Okay, where do I begin? Uh. So the story reached its conclusion. Congratulations, and all the best to Horikoshi-san for telling the story he wanted to tell for ten years, loved the characters, the little world he created after the cancellation of his previous works, I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

... but in my opinion: the last seven chapters were so bad- I don't think I can see this ending as anything other than a contradiction of what we were shown. Like, I thought we'd get a twist, everyone would be fine, something would change. I'm wearing the clown shoes already.

So, I'm just gonna treat this as a normal chapter, and not a final one, because I'll be here for days if I open this can of worms, which, I will not lie, is very bad (I'll open it at some point, not now.) I'm posting this on the.. 6th? Because apparently there's an announcement in the 5th and I don't wanna spoil the fun.

So, uh, under the read more are my thoughts on the ending, be warned I'm very, very negative about it.

*sigh* Oh boi, how killing the League made this go from an "underwhelming" to a "tone-deaf" chapter- I mean, Jesus fuck, leaving things open-ended don't erase the fact they can't make a single appearence to prove me wrong, if they were alive, the last five chapters were a waste of emotions and keeping them hidden was a stupidly cruel move.

Funny the narration is just "people aren't equal but it's because of these differences that people find common ground to get along"- THE VILLAINS WERE KILLED OFF FOR BEING DIFFERENT BRO WHAT DO YOU MEAN- "if lending a hand and caring is being a hero then we all became the greatest heroes". Izuku, whatever you're drinking, I'm taking it and drinking it all by myself. You may have cared. But Tenko died. On accident. Because you gave him OFA.

I liked the "Midoriya-Sensei" part. For 5 seconds. It's fitting, he loves learning stuff, he's good with kids, until you say it's only because his embers were gone. Then why use it as a tease for seven chapters only to just get rid of them at the end? Is running to Ochako really the last we get to see him use it? Not even as a part-time hero? (not that it matters at the end-)

Ragdoll works with the WWP, Tsukuachi was head strategist in the final battle, Hawks is the (H)PSC president, why wasn't Izuku hired at an agency? Intelligence was a huge part of his character, yet the moment he was fully Quirkless again, he was out? Men truly aren't created equal...

"Cursed power", "blessing", "special" — the only thing special about OFA was being haunted by a guy whose brother was insane enough to hunt it down for generations. A Quirk's a Quirk; having multiple people/powers in one body isn’t special, Tokoyami and Shoto exist. Izuku made it special using it on his terms. But I guess "meant to save, not kill" was a lie, as eight out of ten people who had it died. Nine out of eleven, counting BNHA: HR. Tenko died because his body couldn't handle the Quirk, but I guess Izuku isn't gonna think about any of it? Katsuki was right about this too, holy shit.

Spinner wrote a book (not a comic, guess he took offense to Izuku. Fair, actually). Mr. Compress got a panel, but no real mention of the LoV? They broke the status quo for months (in-universe), and after all of that, nothing changes? Did Spinner know about Tenko, how he became Tomura? And the people who will read it and pull an MLA? TomurAFO had followers, now he's martyr a lá Re-Destro, I’m hoping Spinner didn’t commit suicide like that guy.

Ochako’s expanding Quirk Counseling. Reform’s implied (it only said expansion), but Himiko still became what Curious wanted her to be: A cautionary tale. And I’m still asking how Ochako knows Himiko went what through, she only told Ochako she was hated because of her Quirk and how she loves. I wanna think she’s reforming it, but nothing else changed, why should I think she’s the exception?

(At least she's seen as a hero on her rights… even if it took 429 chapters, messy writing, her face looking like rubber, and still being a girl recognized as a "caretaker", not a kickass hero).

Shoji's travelling through Japan to solve discrimination and got a prize for it. No foundations or mentions of Spinner being the main reason he did it, just "standing atop those who rose up eight years ago", just solving it peacefully, you sure are, buddy. Like, I'm sure you are being successful but how exactly are you solving this? I mean, you "solved" the hospital fight by fighting Spinner with Koda- Oh wait, time constraints, we can't elaborate how.

Shirakumo showed the noumu state could've been reversed, yet Katsuki, who never killed someone aside from AFO (and he was gonna die anyway), fatally exploded him. I hoped it was a misunderstood panel but no. He died because he wanted to save Tenko. Even fucking Gran Torino was alive by the end of this. Why.

I think Shoto is the only main character I’m not really having a problem with (Ochako's ending required Himiko for it to feel somewhat complete. Sorry, Ochako). I’m weirded out that they mentioned the billboard using the guy whose life was ruined by it as an example, but other than that, he’s doing fine. Wish we saw him talking to his siblings though. But alas. No mention of Fuyumi and Natsuo. And Rei's with Endeavor. Fuck.

Inko got so sidelined when Mitsuki and Masaru got half a chapter, by the way. Just one panel for her, the protagonist's mother.

Schedules not aligning is one thing, but Class A not opening an agency together? They survived two wars together and you're telling me they wouldn't say "WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER AND WE'RE TAKING MIDORIYA WITH US"? Also, where’s the "world where heroes have time to spare" when they look so busy? Were they understaffed or working as celebrities? (if someone says it was for the suit I will point out to the three nepo babies of Class A, Katsuki’s a dumbass if he forgot that detail).

Dude. We wasted pages on a kid that can throw plates from his hair. To tell him he can be a hero. Coming from the guy who had to go when he lost OFA. I'm not taking this parallel seriously.

I wish Izuku wasn't in "everything’s fine" mode until the end. We're really gonna leave him at "implied" mode, not confirm if his mental state's fine? Being open and emotional was an appealing part of him and now we just get “Yeah that’s just how it is”.

This one's petty and irrational, I know, but since I'm letting some of the steam out: I hate Izuku's new design; face scars (the constant "HE FAILED" reminder makes my eye twitch and I wish that was a joke, but also so many characters in BNHA got face scars, it doesn't even stand out), "perfect tie", normal formal attire- where's the character highlights? The things that make Izuku stand out?

But hey: He gets to be a hero again! Not with skills, heart, intelligence, strength, in spite of Quirklessness. No, he has an Iron Man suit! That Class A paid billions for. The government should be paying Class A and B (and Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu) instead, but all they get is a pat on the back. If the suit broke down, hurt or killed him while in it I'd laugh (Hatsume and Melissa worked on it? Oh it's gonna happen). And Toshinori, what happened to him, did he hit his head when he landed on that building!?

Went from: Smiles cover his fear and reassure people, believed saving is about saving body and soul, wanted to help Tenko, only didn't because Gran Torino said it wasn't a good idea. Disliked people were being heroes for fame and not because it's the right thing to do, only used support items as reinforcement and a precaution, never as a full solution, even Iron Might was so he’d have a chance to fight, not a solution.

To: If Tenko died smiling, it wasn't resignation, he was saved, even though he died. Didn't care AFO killed the Shimura - his mentor's - bloodline. Is fine with the billboards existing, even though it caused things like the Todoroki plotline. Now he's giving Izuku a suit, when the last time he did it himself, it didn't save him and his spine was almost snapped? Dude, what?

Also I thought he was paralyzed but I guess he just had a bad back.

... I hated BKDK's conclusion. It's actually so laughable how much I hate it. If it had another outcome, I'd probably be overjoyed. But:

Thematically, Tenko wasn't rescued, it wasn't a perfect victory because AFO still got away with what he did to him. "End of an Era and The Beginning" is hollow, nothing changed for the world they lived in, and it doesn’t look like they stand out among other heroes (these are AM’s successors. How.) What new era is this, really?

Their resolutions and relationship rebuild? Offscreen, but Katsuki was the one with the Iron Man suit idea for Izuku and apparently that compensates for it. Because he’s the one who can solve all of Izuku’s problems now, not motivate him to be better anymore. It wasn’t even Izuku’ idea, it was Class A, and sure it’s a nice gesture but we’ve seen Toshinori barely come out alive even with one.

Izuku barely batted an eye to any of the things he went through - losing his arms and/or OFA? Seeing Spinner's breakdown? Lady Nagant!? Katsuki or Tenko dying!? SOME INTROSPECTION, PLEASE IT’S BEEN OVER 100 CHAPTERS SINCE YOU’VE BEEN THE EMOTIONAL MC—

Katsuki's insecurities were for nothing by the way! Izuku's empathy and heart never mattered, a Quirk was more important to be a hero in the end. BULLIED HIM FOR NOTHING BUDDY- shouldn't have done it at all but wow did it become even more pointless in hindsight. Like Twice's death. Or Katsuki’s death, since “Control Your Heart” meant nothing as well.

Izuku still remembers Tenko, but has he done anything about it? No one wants to remember him, Himiko or Touya. Spinner's book will not be taken seriously, Mr. Compress was sidelined, Twice's death was pointless. They didn't change society, they've returned to the status quo. Pointless as Izuku losing his arms.

That fucking suit- Wow, he really couldn't be a Quirkless hero, the casual rivalry was just erased for an easy way out of Izuku's consequences, there's no catching up because Katsuki paid for Izuku a way to be a hero. He went full on-simp in the most disrespectful way.

And it ends with Izuku seeing Tenko's... Ghost? Hallucination? Vestige? I guess we’ll never know, because Izuku’s following his dreams again! Let's ignore he's doing this during class hours and he definitely should be in UA but who cares, he probably quit and we'd never know, as aside for the BKDK/DKBK fics, being a teacher was clearly a inferior choice for him and he can't do both ignore Aizawa and Present Mic look at him being the world's greatest hero!

It just took 1 year of trauma, scars, following on his mentor's mistakes, losing the thing that "actually" made him be a hero, having the first and the last people he tried to save dying because of his existence (one literally by his hands), proving anyone can be a hero! By ignoring the guilt of those you failed, give hands and sparing your thoughts, having superpowers and/or connections who'll give you a suit! Fuck this shit I swear-

A story about hope bent itself over to give the protagonist an unearned happy ending, when it said it was for every character who wants to connect to that hope, who wants to give that hope. Izuku went from "wanting to be a beacon of hope and save people" to "talk about beacons of hope, but in the end, others are doing this better than you. You had none of the willpower to be one." He's not hope or unity. Act 3!Izuku is just a plot device, I feel nothing for his ending other than irritation.

You could’ve had the BKDK proposal with a double spread handhold, and I'd still think Izuku's ending isn't earned anymore. His "happy ending— actually. BKDK crumbs are compensation for this ending, I feel cheated out of this ship (I feel like I'm shipping the version of them in my head, nott the canon one 424 onwards, and it only got worse from there-)

So. Yeah, those are my thoughts about the ending. I think. I don't know if these are all of them. I feel horrible about hating it, but I've sat on this chapter for days and right now, not a lot can make me like it, especially with the timeskip, which made this "open ending" a rushed and incomplete mess. If you disagree with me, honestly, that is very fair. I'm glad for you if you liked the ending. I'm just disappointed, and wanted to share my opinions. (and I do have more stuff to say about it but I think I've been negative enough)

But for the weeks I spent hoping this wouldn't slap a classic shonen ending in this catasthrophic mess and for making me feel like a dumbass after what we got in the end: Everything after 410 that isn't 421 and 422 is non-existent to me, this epilogue was a freaking waste.

Thank you for reading.

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia Chapter 425 Spoiler Talk

I'm enjoying writing about this stuff again, though I've got a headache going on, so I'll do the best I can for now. I might add in stuff later:

I'm very happy to see our Big 3 graduate finally! I was kinda worried Mirio wouldn't even graduate for a second, but I'm happy to see that he did and he gave a valedictorian-esque speech to everyone talking about rebuilding society so everyone can have a bright future like Sir Nighteye wanted. Ending his speech with a joke is such a Mirio Togata thing 😂. I'm going to miss that guy so much 🥹

Why are Deku and some other students just lying on the ground with their feet up like that btw? Did they run out of chairs or something? It's a weird, quirky little thing that's just there, I guess.

The narration mentions that it's June in the MHA universe now (Happy Pride, btw 🏳️‍🌈). So, if the War took place around April or May, then it's been at least 1 month since we last saw the kids at the hospital.

Our class 1-A is now officially Class 2-A! They're finally second years as they should have been. Everyone including Aizawa is alive, though saying they're well is debatable. Everyone is clearly still injured in some way, shape, or form. Most have several bandages and even Jiro looks like she has a prosthetic for her missing left earphone jack.

Quick note: I notice that Bakugo is actually wearing a tie with his uniform now. It's still not buttoned up, but you can tell that he's definitely softened a bit since the war. EDIT: Looking at it again, it might not be buttoned up because he has a cast holding his right arm, but it’s hard to tell from the scans.

Aoyama not wanting to return to UA is sad, but it makes sense. I'd argue that he earned his place there regardless of AFO's influence, but I can understand that he doesn't feel that way and wants to redeem himself and become a hero in his own way without being forced to betray his friends and teachers.

Replacing Aoyama will be Hitoshi Shinso! I think most of us predicted that Shinso would be joining Class 2-A, but I'm very happy to see that confirmed. It's going to be a bit of a weird start for him, but I think he'll get used to his new classmates quickly.

Another quick note: The second-year cloud girl, Fuwa Mitawa, is seen quite a bit in this chapter and her return is something Horikoshi promised many volumes ago, so I'm glad to see him keep that promise.

Those two first panels of Shouto make me so sad, y'all 😭... His hair is so messy and you can see bags under his eyes. It's hard to tell because of the leaks, but I don't know if there's even light left in his eyes. He looks so exhausted. What happened to Dabi, Endeavor, and the rest of his family? I have no doubt that he's been agonizing over them for god knows how long. I hate seeing him like this, honestly. He's my favorite character and deserves all the good in the world, especially after the harsh life he's been put through. I want to give Shouto all the hugs in the world 🩵.

I don't think Deku smiled at all this whole chapter btw. He tries to talk to Ochako at one point, but she interrupts him with a comment about his new haircut. He just looks sad this whole chapter. I bet he's still grieving and processing what happened. I need Izuku to open up to someone because he can't just bottle this up.

Then we have this mysterious man walking around a desolate town. We have absolutely no idea who this is, but apparently it isn't someone we know of. I want to say it's a grown-up Tenko Shimura somehow, but even that might be too farfetched.

Finally, there's Shouto and the Todorokis. Shouto reassures Deku that he's ok, but I bet my gatcha game currency that he's putting on a brave face because that final beautiful panel of him does not scream "I'm ok!" to me. If anything, I'm amazed Shouto doesn't look like he got any other permanent scars on his face at least.

It looks like Shouto is going to see his family at the hospital. Specifically Endeavor and what might be Dabi who's being kept alive in a big machine. It's hard to tell because the scans are so unclear, but I'm 90% sure that's Dabi in there. It's a miracle that man is alive given he was just a skeleton last we saw him. I'm 99% sure we're going to get a Hellish Todoroki Family Part 3 or something next chapter.

But, we won't see that until 3 weeks from now because we're officially on a 2-week break. There isn't a given reason why like Jujustu Kaisen got (Gege Akutami is sick, so he's taking 2-week break too), so I really hope Horikoshi is ok. It's either he's sick too or he needs time to think of the final chapters of MHA. Or both, that too. Regardless, any breaks given to Kohei Horikoshi to give him time to rest is ok with me. Just sucks for us as fans. Leaving us on THAT kind of a cliffhanger is just mean 😭

[dekusleftsock]

Turning tragedy into hope-Let him lose those arms

I’ve tried making this post three times so let’s hope that third times the charm y’all.

I’m just gonna come out and say it but when I saw that panel where Izuku doesn’t have any hands I literally got so excited.

AND ITS NOT BECAUSE I LIKE MY FAVORITE CHARACTER GETTING BRUTALIZED (well? I do think it’s a little funny but shhh)

But it’s because this has been foreshadowed almost as much as the handhold itself between Izuku and Katsuki. And it’s wonderfully tragic in the best of ways. Literally half of the commentary surrounding it when it came out in the leaks was “omg I thought of that!” Because literally everyone and their mother KNEW this was coming in some form. Izuku was going to lose an arm, and that would be the case.

Hell, even outside of the story the amount of official art and AU’s Horikoshi drew that had Izuku without an arm is astounding. Like it’s so painfully obvious that this was coming, and so he upped the shock when he made Izuku lose them both.

Izuku is even doing his white eye thing, he isn’t shocked, he’s angry. My dude is pissed. Clearly, to me at least, the loss of his hands is less of a shock to him and more so that he’s angry that afo took away the reason he lost them in the first place—Tenko.

Y’all gotta remember who Izuku is, he’s the stubborn motherfucker that refused time and time again to give up on his dreams, he’s the one that illegally saved Iida and Katsuki, he’s the one that refused to let go of Tenko’s hands because when he was in his time of need, it comforted him.

Izuku has been told by his doctors for over a year atp that he was going to eventually either lose his hands, or lose the function within them. He’s accepted that. He can try to stop it, hold it off through equipment and treatment, but at the end of the day, everything breaks eventually. He knows that. We know that.

So if he was going to lose his arms in some way, it’d be through this: saving someone, holding their hands, never letting go, comforting them.

It’s tragic and sacrificial, but Aizawa’s the same. Did we make theories about how Eri is gonna heal him from being an amputee? Did the story say “actually due to this cool magical illusion/quirk it was all a mirage/eri could heal it”? No, it didn’t. Did Mirko somehow get her arms and legs back because they’re tied to how she views her strength? No, she didn’t.

And there’s a reason they didn’t. Multiple reasons they didn’t. They’re heroes, their scars tell their stories.

Not even mentioning how that’s such a trope (“everyone else keeps their long term injuries except for the main character because he’s special and gets main character powers, like not getting a disability from a dangerous job! :)”), but why should eri, a little girl, be responsible for everyone’s injuries? She doesn’t even have full control yet, she’s playing it by day. (People LOVE to talk about how all the 1-A kids are just kids fighting in a war, except when it comes to a little girl being responsible for everyone’s injuries, somehow)

The reason eri was shown wasn’t because she was going to somehow save the day, but because she wasn’t. It was supposed to stop those theories from having actual merit, because eri doesn’t actually have the built up strength to help.

So, with that out of the way, I wanted to say how this is so fucking beautiful. It’s tragic yes, Izuku and Katsuki never got to hold hands, not properly, but maybe the measure of their trust is beyond that. Maybe, an embrace could suffice—this would go back to Izuku’s vigilante arc. Where, instead of holding hands, Katsuki caught him when he needed to. And he’s going to do it, again and again.

Maybe holding a robot or silicone arm won’t feel the same, but it’s the feelings surrounding it that matters, not the act itself. The hand hold is still there, the hands still haunt the narrative like a mouse within the walls. It bites at cords like their own emotional walls.

Katsuki missed his chance, over and over again, and he’s going to have to come to terms with that. But that’s not to say that the story won’t let this aspect haunt the narrative like it always has. It’s still THERE, and I believe in Horikoshi to continue to write a story about hands while the main character doesn’t even have them.

Izuku’s hands are tied to his strength, physically and emotionally. He views them has the glue that ties his heroics to himself. His hands have always reached out to others, his hands have always punched those who were wrong, and even when he had to switch fighting styles he still saw them as the reason he was able to fight at all. They represent OFA, his love, his anger, his weakness, his strength. They represent his sense of self, and yet he’s more outraged than hurt that he lost them for Tenko to be free—only for AFO to take away that freedom all over again.

THATS why the loss had to happen. THIS. He lost something so incredibly valuable to himself, but he lost them of his own accord. He could have let go of Tenko at any moment, yet he didn’t because he wanted Tenko to know comfort and freedom. He wanted him to be free.

You could say that Tenko was telling Izuku to let go because he was breaking down his emotional resolve, and I believe you could also say that he was telling Izuku to let go so he doesn’t hurt someone who tried to help him all over again. You could say it’s both. It’s selfish and selfless, like everything in this story is. But Izuku refused to, and that was a choice Tenko could never take away from him.

So, that’s how I’ll turn this tragedy to hope, because this was done out of Izuku’s love, why take away that meaning?

Why put them back?

Why take away those scars?

Scars tell stories, they tell you how we became the greatest heroes.

[amitytaylor]

I truly think the writing of MHA is superior. Full stop.

But why do i think so? Let’s get into a part of it. The bubbly atmosphere that hides the “ugly/evil/dark” and just how twisted this story truly is.

Let’s start with the doctor.

the fact that the doctor Garaki (a play on the name Shigaraki that was originally AFOs) says this

we see in Dabis flashbacks that they had MULTIPLE children they were grooming to be AFO heir.

Think about that again : the demon lord, a man who can live twice as long as another man (due to Garakis quirk) had this DOCTOR(who we know of as being a pediatrician bc of Izuku) KIDNAP CHILDREN AND HOLD THEM HOSTAGE TO CAPATALIZE ON THEIR TRAUMAS AND TURN THEM INTO A HOST BODY FOR AFO. They had a whole ass hide out where multiple children lived and were told to make it their own home. They didn’t even have names! CHILDREN!!!

That in an of itself, in reality in the modern world, is HORRIFIC! Imagine if today we learned that a pediatrician was kidnapping, grooming, and holding these children to make them “child soldiers” basically or an even better way to put it is toys for the powerful to do with as they please. WHAT THE FUCKING EVIL INCARNATE RIGHT?

NOW! think back to the two children that followed baby bakugo around and the wing quirk that was stolen. While simultaneously thinking about Kurogiri and the fact that Garaki was actually “hoping to get his hands on erasure” - so how did they get their hands on Kurogiri original body? Did they set up a situation where they knew one of the UA children who get hurt/killed and then waited to take advantage of the deceased?

I mean if we think about it, Giraki is quite literally ravaging these children’s bodies. VIOLATION ON EVERH LEVEL. and for what? for AFO? to get hands on quirks? for one person?

How far do you think they were willing to go to create the Nomu? If they are willing to use deceased children’s bodies who’s to say they hadn’t use live children’s bodies? ESPECIALLY BEFORE AFO WAS CAUGHT. WE SAW THEY USED LIVING ADULTS BEFORE?! is it that far of a stretch for them to try it on children? absolutely not.

MHA is dynamic. It’s about hope and friendship and love and family trauma and societal trauma and it’s also the most vile shit i’ve ever read. The way Bones studio portrays a bright blue sky is both irritating when not following the manga but also a HUGE FUCKING POINT! BECAUSE - we have all these amazing things we see, hero’s, quirks, friendship, family love, all the typical shonen stuff. That to me is the bright blue sky. WHILE COMPLETELY OVERRUNING THE FACT THAT ITS ALL BUILT ON BLOOD.

We know the big theme between Deku and Tenko is about the shit that’s pushed under the rug to make society livable for 75% of the population while 25% is left to suffer. (% is probably off). but if you really take a look at this theme and follow it along the path of the manga it’s TERRIFYING.

As a person who lives in the USA where our country is quite literally based in the suffering of the many for the luxury of the few it is CHILLING TO SAY THE LEAST.

NOT TO MENTION THAT AFO (if my theory he gave Tenko the quirk is correct) PREYED ON THE MOST VULNERABLE GROUP OF PEOPLE - THE QUIRKLESS AND CHILDREN

Izuku, Aoyama, and Tenko were all quirkless.

The writing makes it seem like it all just happened, but it didn’t. AFO meticulously planned every step out like he’s mentioned before but to AN UNNERVING ASS DEGREE BRO.

All For One needed a persons body who could still FEEL THINGS. BECAUSE HE CANT ANYMORE. or could ever? He has no real will of his own or real emotions or feelings. he is the true embodiment of “psychopath” (outdated term but helps to paint the picture)

I wouldn’t even think it’s a stretch to believe that AFO played a role in Kotaro abusing Tenko with what we just saw in the latest chapter. I mean they were like best friends? and it’s confirmed afo is the same person who dropped tenko off at home.

The sinister feeling of this manga as we continue to go forth is incredulous.

I didn’t even TOUCH ON the Dabi and AFO issue. I mean, how did he know Toya was on that peak? How did he know he would be there thst day? How did he know he would likely burn himself alive? How did he know about the abuse going on within the Todoroki family?

FUCK MY BRAIN THE CONNECTIONS ITS EVERYWHERE 😭

[pikahlua]

I'm not sure I'm entirely convinced but smashing theory as usual pika 🫡✨️ Is it okay if I ramble about a few misgivings I have? It's a long one, sorry! but there are multiple points I want to mention as assisting ideas

First, I still think that a 1v1 setting battle seems likelier than a 2v2 (bkdk duo vs shigAFO) - since we already had a bkdk duo in the movie ending, and Hori *did* say after that he had a different thing in mind for the actual ending (which I'm not sure should be a classic shounen "Battle of The End" actually, but wth we have been in this war fo so long now? More than a year! it may as well "end" in its conclusion ig). In which case I think we'd agree that 1-to-1 pvps would very likely feature Izuku & Shigaraki and Katsuki & AFO. Speaking of which: I also still think kacchan parallels and juxtaposes moreso with AFO than Shigaraki, so it might make more sense for him to "inherit" AM's struggle in this way, as a battle with the "Big Bad" AFO - not to mention it'd be another extremely cool twist to have the boy who ended AM save him by winning the fight, imo. I'm not sure how much of that metaphorical oomph would transfer to him fighting with "Stray Lamb" Shigaraki/Tenko...

In any case lots of people seem to support the 2v2 option. I understand that the most popular cases are: Katsuki "saving" Tenko by "winning" the fight. Izuku "winning" the battle with AFO to "save" the world. But then, I think the story'd be disregarding Izuku's wish to save Tenko, first spoken of in the vestige realm, which I don't believe is quite likely. We had so many breadcrumbs leading up to Izuku asking "Is Tenko still there?", so I still think a 1v1 and Izuku vs Tenko would make more sense.

I suppose people still want to see Katsuki's "save to win" in this final battle? He has always been a character that has struggled and fought internally with himself foremost - contrasting the mostly external opposition and fights that matured or broke other character's beliefs/ideals. Katsuki is destined to "Win Over His Self", yes? I'd argue he already has done that, (nailed it actually, right in the kokoro) 🎯 😅 which is why I don't really think he has to show it again, that he has learned to "win by saving/save to win". Which is another readon why I think a showdown with Tenko is kinda unnecessary

Meanwhile, I'd argue we haven't seen Izuku's "save by winning/win to save" quite yet, not with Katsuki's grandeur, in any case. I'd argue he finally has the opportunity to do this with Tenko's fight. And I'd think that since OFA is now a "power to save" rather than a power "to defeat AFO", (after class A's intervention and welcome intrusion into that), and since I think Izuku might be the one doing the "saving" for Tenko, it'd make sense for all of OFA's vestiges to bear witness to that "saving", to their "new purpose", if you will, and I think AM's vestige should be included in that if he's truly a part of OFA.

.... If, by chance he's a different component to OFA, like maybe something that serves only as a power maximizing "coefficient" rather than a full blown "variable" in OFA's power "equation"? Then yeah, him leaving OFA might make Izuku slightly less powerful but would make more sense in terms of Katsuki's arc so far. After this battle I doubt Izuku is gonna need that power excess anyway. It'd also make sure he can't become the Symbol of Peace powerhouse on his own and let him play on a more equal field with his peers, which is best fir his sacrificing mentality. And I do think that Katsuki could do with at least the "gaze" and "support" of the mentor Izuku has had 95% of to himself so far...

Welp, that's that! Sorry I even went into a math analogy there 😳 If you've read so far thanks for bearing with me!!!

((This complete thing is utter shit if AM actually won against AFO btw))

I like you. I like your thought process. I like your courtesy in explaining yourself even when we disagree. I want to emphasize all of that because I think your essay here is WORTHY of being challenged. Or rather perhaps it's that I want you to challenge my thoughts, which I hope are also worthy.

(And please bear with me here, my brain fog is rearing its ugly head today.)

1. The problem with 1v1s:

Let me step away from the predictions for a moment with this point. Will Horikoshi ultimately go with a 1v1? He could. I actually have no way of knowing. But I would like to explain why I think it would be a mistake for him to do so. This has nothing to do with Heroes Rising and everything to do with the MHA manga canon.

MHA the story has spent so. much. time. emphasizing how necessary teamwork is, how going alone is not feasible, how everyone has limits. It's not just a platitude it throws around occasionally because it has to. Entire arcs are structured around this idea. Hell, trimesters and curricula in-universe are built upon this lesson. And the story is called "My Hero Academia." How is this a story about Izuku's hero academia if the primary lesson his hero academia taught him gets eschewed at the end? What was ultimately learned if not this?

For Horikoshi to turn his back on this moral, for Horikoshi to go with the standard shounen formula ending when he has famously twisted such tropes in the past, would be to betray his entire story. This story about how society has perverted the ideas of heroes and villains to avoid personal responsibility and stifle social progress ONLY to see the light and view heroes and villains as humans DEPENDS on exalting the virtues of cooperation, of empathizing with one's fellow humans, of desiring everyone to come together, and of contributing to that goal as a piece of the whole. No one is alone. There is always hope. And people are given that hope by having it ignited in their hearts by others (by the symbol of All Might, in many cases).

Remember, "this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes."

And I do believe Horikoshi wants to maintain this moral as best he can. This final arc has showcased that. Even in the battles we've seen concluded now, while the primary focus may have been on one person's conviction (Shouji's, Mina's, Shouto's, Ochako's), that conviction was backed up and magnified by another person (Kouda, Kirishima, Iida, Tsuyu). And you'll note that some "fought" and some did not. Some played supporting roles or contributed with non-combat assistance (speed or negotiation, perhaps). So at the very, very least, if we end on a 1v1 fight between Izuku and Tomura, Katsuki must support Izuku's conviction to save Tenko in some vital way that tips the scales in Izuku's favor.

The question is, has this already happened?

One might argue it has, that Katsuki's death and the efforts by others to save him have had a clear effect on Tomura. Katsuki's death was the catalyst that allowed Tenko to swallow AFO's ego and regain control of himself.

But we could also argue that, while this potentially contributes to Tenko's salvation, it is NOT an example of Katsuki sharing in Izuku's conviction (that of saving villains). And I argue that this much is a REQUIREMENT.

That said, there MAY be another example that could be construed as Katsuki sharing in Izuku's conviction.

We REALLY don't talk about chapter 358 enough. It may turn out to be a crucial hint about how future events play out.

That said, it's debatable on whether this is truly the same conviction Izuku professes or if it's just the lesson Katsuki has learned, in which case...

Would that not beg for a moment where Izuku backs Katsuki's conviction up, too?

So, sure, you may get your 1v1, but I'm willing to bet there will be enough of Katsuki present in it to construe the "1v1" as otherwise :P

2. The idea that Katsuki parallels AFO more than he does Shigaraki:

At the risk of sounding pedantic, I want to earnestly, powerfully emphasize the idea that this is not a competition: everyone parallels everyone. I have showcased many times how many ways in which Izuku and AFO parallel each other, it's not just Katsuki and Tomura.

But note how this is really possible with ANY TWO CHARACTERS in the whole series. They all parallel each other. It's because everyone's learning the same lessons.

And parallels don't necessarily make for a good 1v1. I don't really think about the parallels that much in terms of setting up FIGHTS. Most "fights" in MHA are barely fights at all. They're conversations, arguments, debates, just sometimes with some action in the middle.

What I really expect from these parallels is a resolution. Some sort of reckoning. Anything at all really. Someone challenging someone, someone talking to someone, someone reaching out for someone. It doesn't matter who does what in most cases, because I expect all four to interact.

3. "I understand that the most popular cases are: Katsuki "saving" Tenko by "winning" the fight. Izuku "winning" the battle with AFO to "save" the world."

Yikes, are these really the most popular options? I hate them. I hate them so much. Can I offer some better ones?

What if Izuku fights Tomura long enough to subdue him and reaches Tenko's heart but can't physically reach out to save him, so Katsuki has to act as Izuku's extension to take Tomura's hand and save him?

What if Izuku fights to his last strength and saves Tomura (and maybe Baby AFO, who knows where that's going) but can't get all of them out of physical danger, so Katsuki is the one who gets them out?

Or maybe Izuku just can't save HIMSELF and Katsuki rescues him?

What if Katsuki reaches Tenko's heart through speech, through relating to him, and it disarms Tenko enough for Izuku to save him?

What if AFO and Izuku have a tug-o'-war over Tenko and Katsuki tips the scales? Or Katsuki AND All Might tip the scales?

What if Izuku fights Baby AFO (or it's something like another Dabi explosion situation) and Katsuki relates to AFO himself as a child and that disarms AFO enough for Izuku to save the day?

What if ANY of the above but add more Class 1-A and other villains to it? What if everyone holds hands to make a human chain to pull Tenko out of some AFO ego void and show him the world cares?

I can go on for days.

4. "We had so many breadcrumbs leading up to Izuku asking "Is Tenko still there?", so I still think a 1v1 and Izuku vs Tenko would make more sense."

But that's just it! Katsuki has breadcrumbs too!

It has been highlighted over and over and over again ad nauseam that Katsuki is a character who must become a hero who can see things from the villains' perspective and REACH OUT TO THEIR HEARTS. Katsuki even names Tomura as the person he intends to face down in the end!

(Of course, AFO fits the bill in many ways too. But like I said, I don't think it's gonna be clean-cut 1v1s, so there's opportunity for both Izuku and Katsuki to show what they're made of in this regard with BOTH villains.)

5. "Katsuki is destined to "Win Over His Self", yes? I'd argue he already has done that, (nailed it actually, right in the kokoro) 🎯 😅 which is why I don't really think he has to show it again, that he has learned to "win by saving/save to win"."

BUT HE DOES NEED TO SHOWCASE IT. OTHERWISE THIS IS JUST LIP SERVICE, BECAUSE NOTHING HAS HAPPENED SINCE HE SAID IT.

While you and I may believe he's already made it, Katsuki himself DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YET. He does not see himself as having surpassed All Might yet, and he believes that in order to do so he needs the help of others.

I mean, does it get louder than "Because saving people is how we win"????? He's set the terms for what his "win to save/save to win" looks like in the end!

6. "Meanwhile, I'd argue we haven't seen Izuku's "save by winning/win to save" quite yet, not with Katsuki's grandeur, in any case."

I mean this super genuinely because I think you need to consider it: How was Izuku's victory over Overhaul NOT this in your eyes?

I think you need to be able to answer that question if you want to make such a claim. I think you CAN make the claim, mind you, but anyone you talk to about this will point to this moment in canon as their first question for you to address.

Until you can answer it, I have to argue that both Izuku and Katsuki have displayed some version of their "win to save/save to win" pieces before, but they have to now apply those pieces to this war where the stakes are astronomically higher.

7. "…. If, by chance he's a different component to OFA, like maybe something that serves only as a power maximizing "coefficient" rather than a full blown "variable" in OFA's power "equation"?"

Kudos to you for the "if"! Yes, in my recent posts, I've been writing under the assumption that All Might's vestige is a piece of OFA. But I'm actually not fully convinced this is the case yet. Everything surrounding All Might's vestige is still very loosely defined and doesn't seem very final. I think it's totally possible there's a twist waiting for us in there.

And anon, I did receive your other messages.

8. "Speaking of which, if AM's vestige is in fact a power "coefficient" then its checks out that Kacchan would rise powered-up!! WTF It makes sense ?! 🥴"

Can I offer you an apotheosis in this trying time?

[angy-grrr]

another thing I want to say bc I couldn’t write the meta yet: the fact Ochako has connections with Himiko and Izuku, and Katsuki and her being the ones to do promises for the rest of their lives… idk, it sounds like another confirmation to me of how togachako is meant to parallel not only Tenko and Deku, but also Katsuki and Izuku. They both also got their dreams/visions of the future crushed by things out of their control. if we also think about the times Ochako just looked contemplative at Izuku -I’m picturing the cliff scene and after Katsuki apologizes-, I wonder if she was connecting the dots.

EDIT: The apology was Katsuki’s moment of being honest, and Ochako looks at it with a certain… neutral look? When she told the civilians about letting Izuku in UA, she was sincere… but she did not mention in that moment Himiko, even when she flashed in front of her eyes. She can’t think about saving heroes/Izuku without remembering her. But she also knows she can’t mention her to others easily, I would say she even feels guilty over it. How can she picture a villain when defending her friend? And when she opens up a little bit, thinking she is weird bc of the level of connection she feels with her, making her feel uneasy when pretending she can just fight her and that’s it, Izuku tells her what he thinks she needs to hear. That she’s not weird at all! And that he does feel the same, that he can try to save at least the crying Tenko, tho a fight might be unavoidable and he is willing to participate if needed. Ochako looks at him and… I can’t see her with the “soft looking face” many people believe she has, I can’t see it as her “being more in love with him”. It looks… sad to me. With the new interpretation I have about Ochako pretending everything is fine many times, what if this is her being sad? Because even tho this talk helps her understand her feelings better, I think it’s partially bc she confirms hers are less heroic than his. And maybe, maybe it’s okay. Maybe she’ll never be the hero like Deku. Just a girl, who wants to reach to another girl’s sadness, to make it disappear, to make her happy and feel loved herself.

Deku is a hero. She can’t just tell him everything on her mind. Telling him “then… I guess that makes us both weird”, yet she doesn’t think about that at all during her fight. It doesn’t motivate her in particular this “shared” idea, and it could be bc it’s not that similar after all. In another hand, Deku is able to remember that when he is stable in his fight, as it is relevant to him; they talked about villains being humans! And that’s useful in multiple ways —it means none of them, including AFO, are impossible to defeat, and that there’s a chance to save. So I wonder. Does Ochako end up deciding to just…give up opening up completely with him in that moment, preferring to end the conversation with the realization. “Ah… he is a true hero after all… Not like me”. Her fight was about her doing what she wanted not as Uravity, but as Ochako Uraraka. About her feelings, and Himiko Toga’s. Was about them.

[neragufetta]

A randomly updated list of plot elements and theories that run wild in my head

The following is a list of BNHA plot elements, in no specific order, that are still unresolved at current chapter (or, at least, that I consider unresolved).

This post is totally open to suggestion :D

I plan to update it whenever I feel ;)

Enjoy!

NG

PS - I finally found a title for this little product of mine, yay :)

***

Current last chapter:

413

HIGH PRIORITY:

1. How did Shigaraki solve to put Star and Stripe's quirk "New Order" under control? > Solved in vol. 34: New Order dissolved on itself but it caused Tenko to regain some level of consciousness > And in chapter 413 S&S's embers in AFO were able to reach both All Might itself and Yagi's vestige to let them know about the only weakness existing in Shigaraki, and I LOVE this turn of events.

2. Why did AFO do all of this? What are his reasons and origin? > We got his reasons in chapters 407-408 but I'm not totally convinced that he chose an apprentice just for the sake of having a new body

3. Will Deku be able to reach Tenko?

4. Who is going to survive? At the moment I think these are the name at risk right now:

. Bakugo > confirmed alive in 403 . All Might > still alive in 404, confirmed alive in 405 . Toga . Dabi . Hawks . Endevour . Edgeshot > still alive in 405 . Fat Gum

6. What is Ojiro's, Sato's and Sero's whereabout?

7. What is Eraserhead, Present Mic and Kurogiri's whereabout?

...

OPTIONAL STUFF

1. How was it possible for Yoichi to pass OFA to the second user? (i.e. how did he realize that he could pass his quirk?) > I'm not crossing this one out for we still don't have an explanation from Yoichi's perspective; however in chapter 408 is suggested that it happened the day Yoichi died and Kudoh has felt off ever since. I want to add that we don't know of any organic exchange from Yoichi to Kudoh, my opinion about it below.

2. Is Deku's father ever going to make an appearance? I know, I know that, aat this late point in the story, he can only be either AFO himself or noone interesting, but still, why did Horikoshi mentioned that Izuku's father would appear at some point in the story? Did he change his mind?

3. Is this picture ever going to make sense?

64.media.tumblr.com

For further explanation, this seems to be a partial picture that was present at a BNHA exposition in Japan but, to my knowledge, does not have an explanation. > The full art, however, showed Aoyama, so it might be a hint about Aoyama's role? I'm not convinced and therefore I'm keeping this point active.

4. Why AFO needed Shigaraki's hatred? (Rif. chapter 311. For further explenation see section "Open theories", n. 3) > In chapter 410 it seems that Shigaraki is now able to steal, if not the whole OFA, at least singular quirks in it but it stays unexplained how or why.

5. Are we going to see Deku and Bakugo face each other one last time?

...

OPEN THEORIES (that I enjoy or consider interesting for some reason)

1. Dad for one (alias All for one is actually Deku's father) > With the flashback we had in chapter 407-408, it seems to me that, even though it is possible that AFO had intercourse with women, I just can't see him actually marry someone, and Inko mentioned her "husband" while discussing Izuku's lack of quirk; however, it is still possible that she called him that way just for the sake of appearences or that they actually married for some reason. I don't know, I really don't like this theory but I understand the appeal of it.

2. Decay is not Shimura Tenko's original quirk > Again, AFO's death in 410 might cross this one out but I'm still suspicious about the man in 235 that brought Tenko back home.

3. Shigaraki can actually take One for All quirk without Deku's will > confirmed in chapter 410, even though we still don't know how or why.

4. Deku is suppressing his emotions > Pikahlua wrote an amazing perfect explanation about this theory and I'm convinced they're right.

5. Two for one (alias One for all is passed on both Izuku & Katsuki) (404) > I think we can call this one discarded.

6. AFO is (related to) the Luminescent baby (405) > Confirmed in 407 and even though I said I was not a fan of this one, AFO stealing his quirk out of crave makes much more sense than and I love it.

7. Izuku will replace OFA with:

7a. His own personal quirk that, similarly to Yoichi's one, was so unformed to be practically useless but grew up thanks to OFA. 7a-i. If we believe the DFA theory, his quirk might be either an evolution of AFO

7b. New Order (412) and it has to do with Star & Stripe arm > New Order is confirmed destroyed in chapter 413

7c. Nothing, he'll go quirkless again. (This is the only one I actually like) 7c-i. But his use of OFA has already created a vestige in OFA and Kudoh is planning to let Shigaraki steal OFA in order to gain access to Tenko's memory and finally start to connect with is soul and therefore to save him. > partly confirmed in 413, the only difference being that Kudoh actually plans to smash Shigaraki with OFA. 7c-ii. But, following the empty glass/full glass theory, Shigaraki won't be able to keep it for too long, without facing problem (like the 4th dying of old age at 40). >

8.OFA only transfer out of will, while hair or any other organic material just served to picture the passage in one's mind. I decided to delete the whole reasoning behind this idea but you can still read it in my chapter 412 update.

8a. As an alternative possible explanation, since OFA started stocking extrapower and multiple quirks, even though at the beginning a physical transfer was not required, it eventually became mandatory. (Like, email can only have attachment up to N Mb, in order to transfer bigger file you need a physical drive).

Bye!

[quirkwizard]

So why exactly is edgeshot saving bakugo at the cost of his life? I get out of universe that it’s better to save a main character/ fan favorite than a background character but in universe I feel as if it’s a tactical error given that foldebody is a more useful quirk to take down tomura. If Hori wanted to take both out of the fight, he could have made it to where edgeshot manages to push bakugo in time to avoid the lethal blow but both get knocked unconscious since it would still serve the purpose of getting deku enraged

While I do have many problems with this entire set up, I'm going to be focusing more what Hori may have been thinking with all this. It's going to be more about the why this all happens rather then the what.

Let me start by saying I disagree with a lot of this. I don't think that Edgeshot was contributing that much, at least not more so than anyone else, and wasn't a particularly major force in the fight. And I can't really see how his Quirk would be any more useful either. We also have confirmation by Tomura that Bakugou actually managed to hurt him with his Cluster bombs. Sure, Edgeshot doesn't know when he is saving Bakugou, but I still think it's worth mentioning given the points you put forward. Most importantly, I think all this means more than simply getting these two characters out of the fight. Because you are right in that regard. If that's all Hori wanted, he could have easily done this many other ways, but he didn't. There must have been a reason he decided to write things the way he did.

Now I could look at this from a meta perspective and what Hori may have planned with all of this. Maybe Hori wanted to put Bakugou in this position to up the ante, both for Izuku and the audience, after his near-death experience during the PLF War. Losing your heart tends to raise the stakes more than simply getting knocked out and would clearly have a much greater emotional response in Izuku and the audience. It's why Tomura decided to kill Bakugou specifically, and why Izuku's moment of self-control is all the more meaningful. This could be a set-up for something else, it could result in some power-up for Bakugou or some fundamental change in character after coming back from the dead. But since that remains to be seen, I will try to talk about how this affects the story as we know it.

First and foremost, Bakugou's death and Edgeshot's attempt to save him have an effect on Tomura. Before this, Tomura completely demolished Bakugou, talking about how he was totally worthless outside of his connection to Izuku and how perfect it would be for him to antagonize Deku with Bakugou's corpse. In spite of all of that, Edgeshot still tried to save him, even though the chances were slim that it would work and it could very well kill him. It's this event that really brings Tenko out of Tomura and opens all those old wounds. If someone is so willing to give up their life for another, especially someone as "worthless" as Bakugou, why wasn't there someone like that for him? Of course, this sets up a lot more of what is going forward and leads to Tomura eventually breaking free of All For One's control. So in terms of the plot so far, it has a pretty big effect.

Then there is all of the setup up to this point. Within the context of the chapter, this moment is supposed to punctuate the idea of what heroes are supposed to mean to children. Ultimately, Edgeshot trying to save Bakugou wasn't a tactical choice, it was a moral one. To let Bakugou die, knowing it is potentially within your power to save them, would go against everything it means to be a hero. Especially if that person is a young kid forced into an awful situation like this. And if Edgeshot is already one foot in the grave, since he seems pretty exhausted and heavily injured given the wounds we see around him, he might as well give what little is left of his life trying to save another person. It's why everything in the chapter leading up to this, namely Chapter 364, spent so much of its time talking about the role adults had in helping and protecting the next generation to make sure they can grow.

[ao3feed-izuku-midoriya]

One Out of the Hoard

One out of the Hoard by B O M B

All for One was one of less than ten percent of Japan's remaining population. Of all the apocalypses he had imagined seeing to fruition, a zombie outbreak hadn't been one of them.

Determined to find a way to control the hoards that now roam what remains of their island nation, Hisashi Shigaraki finds himself caught in an accident that leaves him blind, and vulnerable to the meat eating walkers.

Luckily, a young boy finds him, and acts as his guide to escape. He doesn't seem particularly interesting, or worth remembering. At least, not until he finds out the boy is part of the rival group, led by Yagi Toshinori.

Or more importantly, his uncanny ability among the walking dead. ~ Secret Santa gift for SilveRanger, who was in the apocalypse mood, and I did my best to accommodate. :)

Words: 7422, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Sensei | All For One, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Garaki Kyuudai | Ujiko Daruma

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku & Sensei | All For One, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might

Additional Tags: Mentions of Yagi Toshinori, brief moments of Tomura Shigaraki, also Kurogiri, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, No Spoilers in Tags, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Possessive Sensei | All for One, All for One briefly faces the repercussions of his own actions, Secret Santa 2022, No beta we die like mne, Thriller, Unreliable medical treatment/descriptions

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43804959

[yellowbluemoonshine]

Have you seen the spoilers for chapter 387? How did you react?

Thanks for the ask, @trinityrus.

Bnha Chapter 387 Opinions;

Geten is Himura confirmed and having chat with Mr Compress in prison.

I already write my opinion about this theory before. I think Geten didnt need to be Himura. Because he is a character written to be parallel with Touya but i dont mind.

New information about Himura's could've been mentioned before this arc too. Himura family seems to be ambitous, just like Endeavour when it comes to quirk, just in different way. It is messed up but not surprising since y'know, they basically sold their daughter.

If this is the last arc and this is the last moment for Compress, i think it is dissappointing for his character. Every other league members had a more chance to shine. Hero corruption arc would be perfect arc for both Compress character and to adress flaws of hero society so i hope this isnt the end. Otheriwse, such a shame. Same with Geten too but he is a more background character so i dont mind it that much.

Dabi has a ice quirk.

This theory is already been made before so not surprising. Like, he could've been 'the one' for Endeavour. Though, even if he didnt have ice quirk, Touya would still shine, just like Izuku did. Basically, i am not surprised about this information but it would be better with 'more show, less talk'. Explanation part could've been done before this arc. This is why we should've get a arc about exploring the nature of quirks and how it effects the users since we have characters like Toga.

Dabi is mentally regressing and dying, again.

I dont think Dabi will die but still watching him like this is painfull. I am kinda used to this though since this is always the case with Izuku, Shigaraki and Dabi etc but yeah, it is painfull.

This is so sad but again, not surprising. He is dying and it is only chance to revenge on the person who ruined him.

I love the parallels between Toga, Shigaraki and Dabi. Such as how Toga viewed Ochaco and Izuku's rejection as similar to her own parents's rejection of her as child. Shigaraki's turning into child, Tenko and keep repeating how he was always ignored, how he could've been helped etc. And now with Dabi, he is turning into child, Touya and repeating the words he said as child in a child leanguage, just like Shigaraki did. I love the inner child parallels but at the same time, none of those characters are children right now so reaching out to their inner child wouldnt solve the problems with the teenager/adult side of them. I dont want them to just reaching to children side of them, i want them to reach out to adult side of them too.

Endeavour is reacting to Dabi.

Ok, first of all, i love the fire punch scene.

And i hate this and i am not surprised. Like, he does 'seems to looking' at his son but this is just not right. When he looks at him, all he thinks about quirks, his failures and his responsiblities. Once again, it is all about him. There is no space to how Touya and other members of family felt and how painfull it was for them and this No 1 hero's solution to all of these is killing himself and Touya...This isnt out of character though but i dont think that its character development either.

Once again, he choose to be 'hero' and decide to sacrifice his son to protect complete strangers. While his desire to protect others is understandable, i dont think he had to give up on Touya like this. Telling him that he doesnt want him to die is not enough, he should show it with his actions too, not just words. He could've run to a place with ices or he could've get helped from people who have ice quirk to cool his son down so he can 'put out' fire but no, he is burning himself with his son. I know his quirk is bad match and all but this guy is pro hero. We've seen that true heroes make miracles or at least try to make ones so that they can save the ones who need their help.

Basically Endeavour could've try to help Touya other than telling him to stop because his son repeatedly told him that he cant put out the fire, the fire wont go away. It is the fire Endeavour lifted so he should've find better solutions and i think if he truly truly wanted to help Touya, if he truly see him, he would find a way. Thats what true heroes do. Thats what caring father would do. How ironic that by failing to his son, he is not just failing as father, he is also failing as hero because he chose to not help the person in front of him.

This is my problem with Endeavour's arc. He gets so many screen scenes but his character is in core, it is the same. And this chapter is full of him, his feelings and how much he feels sorry for what he did but i dont think he earned that because if you truly feel sorry, your focus should be on people whom you hurt, not yourself.

Rei is coming to save the day.

I was kinda hoping for something like this to happen. I hate how Endeavour is the one who gets the main focus in Todoroki family. Especially with his relationship with Touya. Rei is his mother and we hardly get any scenes about their relationship. And i find it hard to believe that Rei's being send to hospital didnt affect Touya at all. Their relationship deserves more focus so i hope this scene is less about 'saving Endeavour and others' and more about 'saving Touya' for Rei.

If Rei is around, most likely, Fuyumi and Natsuo too. So kinda hoping family hug for Touya.

Unlike Endeavour, i think Rei being here might change things for Dabi. Because Dabi's problem with Endeavour was how he always run away from him, how he never look at him properly etc and he did the same thing in this chapter. While his problem with Rei and others is basically them watching and doing nothing, also being side with Endeavour. But Rei and others are here. They are not standing and watching Touya's pain. They are trying to help him. While this can be still seen as 'they are siding with father' so i really hope they at least tell him how much they love him, how they dont want to loose him again. I am sure this will help him a little more for him to come his sense and cool down. It wont happen that simple, he might get angry at them for getting his way too but at least, even for later, it will help for Touya/Dabi to be saved. I hate this 'this is whole family's responsibility thing' because it is not. This all happenned because of Endeavour but both family and Touya/Dabi need this to happen. I hope story focus on this more, not Endeavour.

I dont like the idea of Rei getting 'scar', as if this is her karma for hurting Shouto and her other children but i hate the idea a lot. Because Rei already suffered more than enough. She doesnt need more karma. She lost her whole life, her children and she lived with guilty for her entire life and unlike Endeavour, she was always ready to take responsibility. Not to mention Rei putting boiling water on Shouto...I hate how it is always used as an example of Rei being 'abusive'. She literally 'snapped' at that scene. She was most likely wasnt aware of what she was doing. If she wasnt aware, then how can she seen as responsible for this. Shouto was right about to see who is responsible for his scar. It is Endeavour. Not Rei. So i hope she doesnt get scar, if that scar supposed to mean 'she is sinner'. Because she is not. Of course, she made wrong decisions too but it is understandable since she wasnt in mentally right place as victim.

Next chapter might be POV change again, or if its not i am really hoping more interaction betwen Touya/Dabi and Rei, Fuyumi, Natsuo so there might be things i forgot to say but for now, thats it.

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia: Chapter 424 Spoiler Thoughts:

MHA is finally back from break and we have a calm after the storm chapter. Let me put my thought on Tumblr for a bit:

So, let's get this out of the way: Tomura Shigaraki/Tenko Shimura is dead. Like, DEAD, dead. Unless Kohei Horikoshi pulls the rug under us, I think he's made it clear that Tenko's not coming back. Those last 2 pages were it for his conclusion. He did add one more panel of Shiggy and some dialogue from Deku to say that maybe Deku really did "save" Tenko, but that's all we got. I'm still unsure how to feel about this, but I appreciate Horikoshi giving Tenko a bit more of a conclusion after the last chapter. But, the story isn't over yet, so we'll see if he's mentioned again.

Bakugo's parts were the best parts of this chapter. I'm glad to see him alive and well after everything (I highly doubt Horikoshi would keep him dead again anyway) and that his parents are there for him (Mitsuki yelling at him was funny ngl). Sucks that his right arm will never fully recover, but maybe that rehab will help him get to a good enough place. Also, his moments with Deku and All Might were incredibly sweet and a great conclusion to their little storyline. Seeing Bakugo genuinely tear up and look back on his and Deku's relationship throughout the years honestly moved me because it shows how far this young man has come (the artwork on his face is so good btw; Horikoshi has always been great at expressions in particular). Katsuki Bakugo's character development is one of my favorites in the series and he deserves #1 in every character poll he gets.

EDIT: OH, BAKUGO'S CRYING OVER DEKU BEING QUIRKLESS AGAIN AFTER THE EMBERS BURN OUT ONE DAY I'M GOING TO FUCKING CRY WHAT THE FUCK 😭

Deku continues to be Deku till the very end. I loved Izuku nerding out about how he gets to share a hospital room with All Might because of course he would. It's also nice to hear that A.) All Might reassures Deku that even though he doesn't feel like he saved Tenko because Tenko died, he still might have in the end and B.) Deku still has the embers of One For All which doesn't make him Quirkless. I assume this means that Deku is basically back at the start when he first got OFA. I'm sure his strength is still there at least, but it's probably not nearly as powerful as it was in the final battle.

Also, Deku's haircut 😭! I know they had to do it because it got messed up in the final battle and surgery, but please let his hair grow again before the manga ends, Horikoshi! I want his cute, bushy green hair back! There's also a scar on his right cheek covering his cute freckles I can't. His eyeball popping out of his socket when he sees Kacchan cry was hilarious, though 😂

All Might also telling Deku and Bakugo that they're the greatest heroes to him and everyone else is a really nice full circle on their initial dreams when the story started.

And then there are the two panels we get of Shoto and Ochako. I assume we'll touch on their epilogues next chapter, but I'm curious how they're doing because Ochako looks solemn and we don't even see Shoto's face because his back is turned to us in a dark light. I bet they're reflecting on what happened to Toga and Dabi respectively. We're still not sure if either of them really died, so it's a coin flip as to whether they did or not. There's also Shoto's whole family situation that needs tying up which is a whole other can of worms. I really hope this gets covered in the next chapter.

Finally, we see Deku and the others returning to UA which is currently being rebuilt. I'm guessing we'll see how everyone else is doing post-war too either in the next chapter or later. While we need to cover the main 4 (Izuku, Bakugo, Shoto, and Ochako), we also need to see how everyone else is doing because they weren't the only ones affected by the war. Everyone has battle scars of some kind.

And while the chapter is called "Epilogue", it's not over yet. We clearly have more story to cover and bows to tie as neatly as possible. Horikoshi can't please everyone (no one can, really), but I can tell that he's doing his best and that he still genuinely cares about his story after nearly 10 years. I'd say we have the rest of June at least and the end of summer at most until MHA finally ends. This was a really nice "wrap-up" chapter and we have more to go until the end. Despite its flaws, My Hero Academia is still peak fiction to me and some of the parts in this chapter cement that. It will always have a special place in my heart. I will be sad to see this series go, but I will be there until the end.

EDIT: I just saw Horikoshi's comment this week and it basically confirms that we have more story to come. He doesn't say how many chapter but he says "I'll keep going for a little while" and that we're returning to school life; the "Academia" part of the story. I'm really glad he's not rushing the conclusion because there's a lot of stories and characters to give finales to. I'm also really curious to see how school life is post-war, so I'm glad that'll be explored.

[mettywiththenotes]

Aizawa and Izuku, and The Effect They Had On Tomura

Okay okay I think I might know why Tomura called Aizawa uncool in 346

See, this entire time, Tomura has been crying out for help in his own way. Up unil the middle of War Arc, Tomura has been making these speeches of his, seemingly as a way to give the Heroes a wake up call, or at least trying to get their attention - he HAS been reaching out, just to make the League and their cause known. That way, he wouldn’t be ignored and brushed aside anymore - the country’s eyes would be on him and his League, and Hero Society would know just how much they fucked up when they didn’t save him

I’ve actually talked about this before (involving Izuku, Tomura and the Sports Festival)

Tomura does all of this up until the middle of the War Arc, specifically this speech

And after this, he’s completely dead-set on destruction. No more speeches, no more talking; at this point, he’s had enough trying to convince them and trying to make the Heroes regret never saving him

I think this is shown, too, in this moment here

This is after the Heroes vs Villains dichotomy speech. Izuku says he won’t forgive Tomura for anything he’s done, and Tomura accepts this well, replying “And I won’t forgive anyone”

Like I said; Tomura has given up after that speech and this is him, now, settling on total destruction. No more convincing, no more games

Now, this ties into the whole thing with Aizawa because, well, Tomura has called him cool before, because Aizawa is someone who protects those who need protecting, like his students

I’ve mentioned this in the link, but I think Tomura crying out for help comes from a deep part of himself, Tenko. The desire to be saved, for somebody to look at him and see his pain

I’ve expressed before that I thought he looked for advice from Izuku back in the Mall Scene because he saw what the kid did with Shouto in the Sports Festival and wondered if Izuku could do the same thing with him; see his pain, help him etc

But what if it’s not just Izuku?

What if Tomura has been looking for help from both Izuku and Aizawa?

Two Heroes who showed awareness, two Heroes who helped those who needed it, who would do anything to save those they care about

If Tomura could somehow look to them, deep down, and peak their interest, get their attention, then there’s more of a chance of being seen and heard

Of course, remember that this may not be intentional. Tomura may have just looked to them and seeked them out without even realising what he was doing (not realising that he’s trying to be heard and seen)

He wanted anyone to look at him and see the hurt they’d caused, but I think he took a special interest in Aizawa and Izuku simply because those two expressed more of a faithfulness and concern in protecting people’s lives

Both also aren’t in it for fame. Aizawa is an underground Hero specifically because he didn’t want that kind of attention and Izuku has always been someone who saved because he could. It’s with these qualities I think that Tomura latched onto and couldn’t seem to let go of

Tomura watching Izuku yell to Shouto and changing something within him, intentionally venting to Izuku about his problems in the Mall, getting advice from him that he could use, somehow always running into him, calling it “fate or destiny” because they keep running into each other - these actions being sparked because he could have seen just how different Izuku is from any other Hero

Tomura seeing Aizawa fight for the students, using his quirk but not relying on it, being so skilled to the point where Tomura feels the need to observe him

then jumping from that to War Arc, where Aizawa is once again in the battlefield protecting his kids, and Tomura sees this

to Tomura shooting the bullet at him, Aizawa cutting off his leg, and Tomura thinking something to the effect of “You’re strong for your students, you’re strong because you want to protect them and will do anything to do that, but even this shot is enough to unbalance you”

Still admiring him, still calling him cool

What’s interesting is that the scene where Tomura shoots the bullet is AFTER his dichotomy speech. It seems Aizawa is a bit of an exception to Tomura’s “I’ve given up trying to convince all of you” speech

And then, unfortunately, Tomura gets possessed, he’s in a lot of pain, AFO is using him. What’s noteworthy and tragic to point out is that although this arc is about Tomura giving up trying to be seen and heard, this is also the arc where Izuku FINALLY sees and hears Tomura. He looks at him, sees the pain he’s in, and discovers the crying child, Tenko

But this is not the case for Aizawa

As we’ve seen after the War, Aizawa seems even more dead-set on defeating Tomura. And this is valid because of all the destruction Tomura has caused, but also because Aizawa hasn’t seen what Izuku has seen. It probably would have been the same for Izuku if he hadn’t entered the Void and saw Tenko

To keep in mind, this would be the timeline so far

1) Tomura calling out for help in his own way, trying to be seen and heard by the Heroes, latching on specifically to Aizawa first and then potentially seeing something in Izuku after the Sports Festival

2) Tomura then proclaiming in War Arc that he’s done trying to get the Heroes attention and now just wants destruction, Aizawa somehow being an exception to this

3) Izuku realising Tomura is hurting and wanting to save him

4) Aizawa being dead-set on exacting revenge on the Villains, Tomura specifically

And thats what had happened so far.

Now we flip over to 346, where Aizawa is right there in UA with Tomura, with someone who is hurting yet he can only see the destruction and hatred Tomura has - he’s more focused on the battle

And Shiggy proclaims that Aizawa is a “letdown”

If we put this in the context of Tomura looking to Aizawa, wanting to be seen and heard by him if nobody else, showing signs of pain and Aizawa ignoring that, it’s understandable

This could be why Tomura now sees him as uncool; he wanted to be helped, protected just like Aizawa would his students or anybody else needing help, and Aizawa ignored that. Or at least, he ignored it from Tomura’s point of view

And of course, we have to remember that Aizawa doesn’t know what Izuku knows. He didn’t see the Void, he didn’t see the crying child Tenko, he’s only seen Tomura destroy everything around him. And we know that Aizawa is fixated on revenge right now because of everything that has happened to him; with the loss of Midnight, many Heroes and society’s stability, he is going to want to go after Tomura (and by extension, AFO and co.)

But it’s at this point now where Tomura’s Dichotomy speech comes a little more full circle. Now he doesn’t just want to destroy the majority of Heroes except for Aizawa, it is now every Hero including Aizawa

Because they ignored him and his cries for help. In Tomura’s eyes, that’s how it is, and what we’ve been shown anyway

But we do have one hope here. Aizawa and Izuku seemed to be the ones Tomura was looking for, a Hero who saves because they want to protect and doesn’t just ignore people who need help. Aizawa is out of the running now (/so far), so...

All that’s left is Izuku

Someone to look to, someone to listen to him. Someone who will save him.

My question is, does Tomura know this?

Because I do have my suspicions that while Tenko DID say “Izuku Midoriya” in the Void, I wonder if that is a part of Tomura deep down inside - Tenko being his soul, his “base”, the deep-down part of him - that wants Izuku to save him and it’s possible that Tomura hasn’t even acknowledged if he wants Izuku to come to his rescue, but... I digress lol. We’ll find that out eventually

Point is, TLDR, I think Shiggy has been looking at two Heroes specifically among Hero society and wanting to get their attention this entire time. Aizawa and Izuku may have been those two Heroes.

And with the events of the story that have happened so far, with Aizawa focusing on the battle and revenge, Izuku is the only one left that he can look to to come save him

Unless Aizawa suddenly recognises Tomura is hurting, or if Izuku quickly catches up with Aizawa on what he saw in the Void and his intentions to save the Villain, we could be looking at Izuku being the only Hero to save Tomura

(Don’t worry, Aizawa, you can still get back onto that Cool Heroes list! There’s still time!)

Thank you for reading

[greenhappyseed]

BnHA Ch.361 - Review, parallels & comparisons

If there’s anything that could “bolster” Tenko Shimura right now, it would be real friends who run alongside him. At least, that’s the lesson I took from this chapter. (Fun fact: there are already chapters called “Friend” (319) and “Friends” (258), so this one is “Abnormal Happenings.”)

In his short appearance, Mirio has (1) saved Bakugo; (2) stalled AFO!Shig for Amajiki’s big move; and (3) landed emotional damage on Shigaraki. I was impressed with how Mirio questioned Shig — he didn’t just call Shigaraki “evil” or a “villian.” He used his ability to get close to engage. He asked WHY Shig was doing what he was doing, and he got a semi-truthful AFO-tainted response: “because the current framework has failed.” From the hero perspective…what kind of bullshit is that?? The “current framework has failed” so destroy the entire world and create a new one under AFO’s thumb? There’s nothing good worth preserving? Nothing at all? And that’s where we see Tenko come into play, because Tenko has friends. Tenko has something worth saving. AFO does not have friends. AFO doesn’t give a shit about preserving anything or anyone except himself.

Even though the “current framework” completely failed Tenko, he never wanted to destroy the entire world….

Before MVA, Shigaraki famously told Toga that his allies should be exceptions to his destruction and get what they want in life. When fighting Re-Destro, Shigaraki re-emphasized that he wants “them” to live how they see fit. He refused to equate destruction with no future, because he did want a future for his allies. His friends.

Mentioning Mon in this chapter further underscores that Tenko doesn’t want to destroy everything. It was not a tragedy that Tenko killed his family, but it absolutely was a tragedy that he killed his dog. His friend. I mean, when he first yells, “I hate everyone!” Tenko is crying into Mon’s fur. If he had control over decay, or if he had a choice, Tenko never would have hurt Mon.

The cool part here is that Mirio gets it. He sees that he hurt Shigaraki’s feelings and he feels bad about it. The next thing Mirio does is give a genuine, heartfelt apology to Shigaraki. Mirio validates this piece of Shigaraki, just like how Shoto validates Toya.

Of course, AFO seizes control and launches a huge attack on Mirio while he runs a self-diagnosis. AFO and Mirio both realize at the same time that Shigaraki has a perfect body, but not a perfect soul. (And Toya wants Endeavor to notice when he’s not around…) This chapter confirms Shigaraki is vulnerable ON THE INSIDE but not so much on the outside. AFO is terrified by this new discovery, so he turns away from Mirio as quickly as possible, ignoring Mirio’s cries to come back. It’s now urgent for AFO!Shig to find Izuku and take OFA, because without realizing it Mirio got through AFO and reached Tenko. Note how AFO falls back to his usual insults, calling Mirio a “pesky distraction” to push Mirio away from further engagement.

To be clear, Mirio isn’t really thinking about “saving” Shigaraki here, and I don’t think he knows about Tenko, but….he’s not in instant kill mode either. It sure does seem like Mirio was ready to pause the fighting and talk, if Shig was willing. (We know Mirio’s goal is to save a million people, and that he felt he was “shouldering nasty karma” from not saving Eri the first time he saw her.) he However, since Shig turned towards Bakugo and Jeanist, Mirio looks to Amajiki and Hado to land a hit on Shig’s “tough” body. Unlike Bakugo, Mirio has always accepted his weakness. His permeability doesn’t give him superhuman strength, and it’s his spirit/determination that gives him endurance. Mirio was able to beat the odds and fight quirkless against Overhaul because he had someone to protect from destruction.

In the Overhaul fight, we saw how Mirio and Tamaki bolstered each other. Even fighting their own separate battles, they drew strength from training with each other. Now we see how Nejire did the same by being their friend, and how Mirio is totally cool with letting his friends take the lead in the fight. He doesn’t need to go alone right now.

Finally, Jeanist’s daring taunt for AFO!Shig to come at him reminded me of the end of USJ, when All Might is bluffing his ass off to keep Shigaraki focused on him and not the children or Aizawa. All Might got lucky that Iida brought in the other teachers at the right moment, because Shigaraki absolutely had him otherwise. I hope Tamaki and Nejire can do the same here, and stop AFO!Shig from reaching Jeanist and Bakugo.

[pikahlua]

"The goal is to separate AFO and Tomura. They don’t mention killing Tomura in planning" <-- But then why did they called The Flying Fortress Shigaraki's "coffin"? Doesn't sound very "we're trying to help you" to me. Pretty sure All Might meant separating Shigaraki and real AFO, which is exactly what they did. They split everyone up. Other pro-heroes being in on "saving the villains" plan wouldn't really make sense either, considering that the trio (Izuku-Ochako-Shouto) are supposed to be different from the rest of pro-heroes, to be better than the old heroes.

Okay, anon. You raised enough good points that I'm willing to overlook some of the...awkward assumptions you're making in order to address the more pertinent questions. And by overlook I mean I guess I'll try to constructively challenge those biases at the end of this.

A coffin in the sky

But then why did they called The Flying Fortress Shigaraki's "coffin"?

This is by far your best point and a good question to have. I’ll even allow your point despite the fact that the only people who called it a coffin were Best Jeanist (who does not necessarily represent everyone) and TomurAFO as a quotation of Best Jeanist.

Here’s the thing though: it’s a reference.

To Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky.

The effect of calling it a “coffin” certainly achieves what Best Jeanist was probably going for, which was to intimidate and posture (hm maybe that’s why he took on Katsuki as a student lol). But most readers, particularly in Japan, will immediately recognize the reference, which isn’t just there for show. CitS is a story about balance--about nature vs technology, about optimism vs cynicism, about children vs adults, about how disruptions in the balance between these things result in chaos and destruction.

Most literally, this line in Japanese should read as: “They/we are those who reject your destruction!!”

The heroes are fighting a philosophical battle. Their lines are all carefully phrased to stand in opposition to TomurAFO’s ideals rather than just...how they might want to kill him or something.

I don’t know how familiar you are with Japanese religion and cultural norms and other anime but like...often anime will make a distinction between identities or egos in a single person as if they are different people. Take how the Todoroki family treat the problem of “Dabi” for example. They speak as though Dabi and Touya are two separate people, and that they must quell Dabi first and then save Touya after.

Thematically, it makes complete sense for the heroes to want to “kill” Tomura Shigaraki but “save” Tenko Shimura. Killing in this case would not require Tomura’s body to actually die. His ego must be changed and/or destroyed.

I know this doesn’t quite fall in line with western conceptions of the self, and I know that plenty of people want to see Tomura and Tenko as the same person. They are but aren’t. I mean, clearly, right? Given how AFO himself is treating the situation at least. Given how Star(s) & Stripe(s) noted the strangeness of Shigaraki’s new identity when her pilot team did not. It’s convoluted and messy...and the heroes have the task of trying to pick that mess apart.

But at the very least, the above panel implies heavily that the heroes are indeed trying to “stop Tenko from wanting to destroy everything,” as I said before.

“Help you” vs “save you”

Doesn't sound very "we're trying to help you" to me.

And this is the crux of the matter. I never said anything about what “saving Tenko” would look like. Are they gonna destroy AFO’s ego and separate Tomura entirely? Is Tomura gonna be happy and see how he was wrong all along and join the heroes just like that? No. God no, I seriously doubt it. In the same way that Tomura must come to the heroes’ side in some regards, the heroes must also acknowledge the correctness in Tomura’s position that led him down this path in the first place. This isn’t a one-sided issue. Mutual understanding is the key.

A connection must be forged with Tomura, and his “Tenko” ego is likely the remnant that will allow the heroes to do so.

What happens after that? There are a lot of options, and I wouldn’t dare guess which one Horikoshi is aiming for yet.

The separation of AFO and Shigaraki

Pretty sure All Might meant separating Shigaraki and real AFO, which is exactly what they did. They split everyone up.

Agreed. I never said All Might meant anything else. You’re the one who assumed otherwise (and notice how you did that, how there are implications in the story that led you to that conclusion without my even having to say it). But now you have to ask yourself: why did the heroes do that?

On the one hand, yes, they didn’t want to fight both TomurAFO and AFO himself at the same time. That’d present combat problems for sure. Acknowledged.

But isn’t it also convenient that the heroes agree this would keep TomurAFO and AFO from communicating, from “mind-melding,” and that that’s an important goal of theirs?

They clearly prefer a version of events where they are fighting a Tomura and an AFO rather than two AFOs. I’ll let you speculate about why.

Additionally, you’re entirely ignoring the “All Might was part of the planning process” portion of my argument. We have no reason to believe All Might would want to kill Tomura or that he would decide killing is the only option. I mean, we know All Might can receive the feelings of his vestige within OFA. We know All Might’s reaction to Izuku’s desire to save Tenko.

Would All Might really have constructed a plan that doesn’t save Tenko after that? Would Izuku really have agreed to this plan in the first place if he was told they explicitly wanted to kill Tomura?

Your bias is showing, anon

Other pro-heroes being in on "saving the villains" plan wouldn't really make sense either, considering that the trio (Izuku-Ochako-Shouto) are supposed to be different from the rest of pro-heroes, to be better than the old heroes.

Very meta reasoning, anon. But you haven’t met the burden of proof for the in-universe reasoning yet. “Saving the villains doesn’t make sense because these three characters have to look better than everyone” actually doesn’t accomplish your goal, because god it makes Izuku and Ochako and Shouto look like AMAZING assholes if they went along with a plan to kill everyone when really they wanted to save the villains. At best your response to this can be “they went along so they would get a shot at saving them,” which is just wild to me because...that’s some astounding insubordination that implies these kids have zero trust in All Might and their mentors and all of their allies. Not to mention that means these kids did not vocally fight for their values and ideals and morals when faced with a clearly inferior position.

I don’t think any of those three have ever demonstrated a willingness to engage in that level of deception. Maybe Ochako has fewer examples of this, but Izuku and Shouto have definitely protested against authority when faced with what they would perceive as unjust or unheroic positions. They’re far too sincere of characters to have just let this kinda crap fly.

Additionally, that’s a really weird set of characters to focus on for the sake of your point here. Do you really think the story is trying to raise Izuku, Ochako, and Shouto above all the rest? That the story is focusing on just a trio of characters and idolizing them as perfect? Where’s Iida in your calculations? Katsuki? Jirou? Tokoyami? The rest of Class 1-A? Is Aizawa included in your group of pro heroes that are inferior and meant to be usurped by this trio? Is All Might?

I think you’ve missed the theme, anon. It was never about those three. MHA is about how society can grow and change. It’s not something so trite and arrogant as “throw away the old generation and let the next Big Three take over and make things right.”

It’s more like...

“Take what the previous generation gave you. Take what they achieved. Take what they messed up. Take it all. And as a group, a generation, a society...carry that torch on and into the future. Keep it burning, make it grow. Inherit the strengths. Improve on the weaknesses. You cannot do this alone, but in coming together, we can keep hope alive and progress towards the ideal. Even if we don’t achieve it now, even if we don’t achieve it in our generation, it’s still worth striving for.”

Perhaps you do understand this theme, anon, but in that case I would caution you with your language. To focus on that trio in that way...it’s just...it doesn’t read like you do, anon. It doesn’t read like you do.

[ignitification]

“A hero, out there”

I’d like to point out just two small things from the leaks, which by force majeur are probably coming a full cycle, if not soon at least in the end.

First, Shimura Tenko, deep down telling himself, almost trying to convince himself that “some hero is going to..” - but what is some hero going actually to? and just some hero? I think that there is a great difference between ‘some hero’ as in generally meant to indicate pro-heroes and ‘some hero’ that is implied here: once again, the “Midoriya” afterwards just checks it out - but here, what Tenko is trying to get at is not that there might be a hero that wants to protect and save him, but that IF there is a hero out there FOR SURE that still has the will to protect and save, then it has to be Midoriya Izuku. And it is heartbreaking, because Shimura Tenko stopped believing in heroes a long time ago.

He just stopped believing that anyone, apart from AfO, might want to save him - because no hero would want to save him; and if believing in a hero (like he did with All Might) brings him to be disappointed, wandering the streets and wondering why is no one giving him a hand then it is clear that not only what Tenko is doing here is a big leap of faith, but also the utter confirmation that Midoriya is deeply different from the heroes that populate Japan at the moment.

To himself, Tenko is admitting two things: he wants to be saved; the person who might as well save him is Midoriya (better explained in this wonderful post by @/haleigh-sloth). And of course, this development has been likely triggered by what we see in chapter 305 once again, where we do have a one-sided will from Izuku to save Tenko; a promise from one suffering kid to another, where maybe instead of growing up to be fighting, they grew up holding hands and being safe.

The second thing, is that maybe, in this moment, what Shigaraki sees as ‘saving’ is synonym of destroying his joint identity with AfO, because it poses an infinite danger to Japan and the world, which is why when he tells “A hero certaintly will..” it might also mean that Tenko believes that in order to save and protect, Midoriya will put an end to ShigarAfo.

It does not mean kill or destroy - but in this moment, where hate is probably the only fuel Shigaraki knows, he likely does not have the luxury to trust someone to save him, because as already mentioned, that train has departed a long ago and while Shigaraki might believe in Midoriya, it does not necessarily mean it in the way Izuku himself does. But yet again, this also implies that Tomura/Tenko’s identity exists and that it is still fighting in order not to be overtaken by AfO. (For a moment, I thought that Shigaraki maybe sees this as playing out like: he finally gets merges with AfO right before Midoriya destroy him, so he ensures that both of them are gone and that a hero has saved him from (becoming) AfO and from himself). And he knows that Midoriya knows it to, which is why, again, Shigaraki might believe that there is a hero out there, for him.