#mha final battle

[greenhappyseed]

MHA Final Battle Locations After Ch.380

1. Police HQ (in or near Central Hospital): Tsukauchi, La Brava (Ragdoll presumably? Haven’t actually seen her yet)

2. Central Hospital: Spinner, the PLF remnants, Shoji, Koda, Gran Torino (recovering here but not actually seen in the final battle yet)

3. Somewhere on or near Central Hospital: Rock Lock and Lady Nagant (they couldn’t have gone far in the time they had)

4. Kamino: Shoto, Iida, Burnin, Kido, Onima (RIP?), a Nomu

5. Gunga Mountain/Forest: Rewound AFO, Endeavor, Hawks, Toya/Dabi, Toga, Twices, Kamui Woods, Tiger, Pixie Bob, Shishido, Tokoyami, Jiro, Ochako, Tsuyu, 1-B’s Komori (Shroom!), a Nomu, and Shiketsu students (Inasa, Camie, Shishikura)

6. Aquarium: 2 Nomus, Gang Orca, Moonfish, Sirius

7. Floating UA: Best Jeanist, Bakugo (RIP? Nahh…), Monoma, Manual, Twices, Mirko, Mandalay, Lemillion/Mirio, Nejire, Suneater, Edgeshot (RIP?), Wash’s bubble, Momo, Hatsume, Lunch Rush, Power Loader, Cementoss, Ectoplasm, Kaminari, Manga/Comicman, Haya (Nejire’s friend), some 2A/B & 3A/B kids, some Business Course kids, Star and Stripe’s American pilots

8. Near floating UA on ground: Izuku, Shigaraki

9. Near floating UA in air: Gentle

10. Normal UA: Todofam (Rei, Natsuo, Fuyumi), Masaru & Mitsuki Bakugo, Masegaki Elementary School kids & their teacher, 2 AFO spies

11. Jaku Hospital Ruins: Gigantomachia, Mt Lady, Mina, Kirishima, Mineta, and some of 1-B — Kodai (size), Honenuki/Mudman (softening), Yanagi (Poltergeist/telekinesis), the sludge villain

12. Parking Lot (near Takoba? Where the battle began): Fatgum, Aoyama, Kunieda (new villain)

13. Takoba Arena: Sero, Ojiro, Sato, 1-B’s Tsuburaba (Solid Air))

14. Undisclosed cave in the woods: Skeptic, Hound Dog, Ketsubutsu students (Ms. Joke, Yo Shindo, Turtle Girl)

GONE MISSING!!!: All Might, Aizawa, Present Mic, Kurogiri

Heroes we haven’t seen: Hagakure, Shinso, Ryukyu, Nezu, Snipe, Vlad King, Thirteen, rest of 1-B

Villains we haven’t seen that have been mentioned in this final battle: Gashly (new villain), 2 Nomus

[evelynpr]

The Main Four of BNHA

[sapp0w0]

Checking the time

Gotta get up for work

[bakudekublogblog]

ok where do I even fucking begin with all that!!!!!!!

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

Katsuki’s return is imminent, we all know this.

But do we all remember one of the last things ShigAFO said to him before he went down for the count?

Chapter 360

This line was officially translated for the English release with Katsuki being called “Izuku Midoriya’s hanger-on—a minnow in One For All’s wake,” but notice the bit highlighted in orange? That says 金魚の糞 (kingyo no fun), meaning goldfish poop. It is a pretty, uh, visual idiom that “hanger-on” and “minnow” are both trying to capture.

But here’s the thing, someone else has said something like this to him before.

Chapter 164

Gang Orca calls all the remedial course kids ダボハゼの糞 (dabohaze no fun), meaning goby poop.

Do you remember how Katsuki responded back then?

Listen to me

Look into my eyes

I want that boy to pop back up on the battlefield, covered in blood, after more than forty chapters and a whole year of real-world anticipation, so he can dramatically show up at Izuku’s side just in the nick of time,

and I want him to look ShigAFO straight in the face and say,

[hella1975]

would you like to talk about how bad the mha ending was hella

as much as i would love to give like. a comprehensive response i genuinely dont think i can get my words together just yet without it being a constant unintelligble stream of 'AND ANOTHER THING-' and bc it's become quite torn in the fandom on if the chapter was good or bad i want like. an actual coherent response here. so i will reblog this if/when i can word it but know IM NOT FUCKING HAPPY

[hamable]

Hhhh bnha 419… Deku has given this fight everything he has. What happens next is literally out of his hands.

[black-and-yellow]

[gojooooo]

man i love open endings. the fact that thanks to yuuji there might indeed be the next time sukuna talks about in case some idiot decides to eat a finger again. and we need fics where yuuji is that idiot

[sammy-the-dead-dumpster]

Yeah, I want to know how Edgeshot and Jeanist's embroidery project is doing, very much so, but I'm equally curious about whatever Ochako has to say to Toga about love. I feel like it'll be important to the grand scheme of things.

[vultureboi]

Hear me out!

A lot of bkdk fans want the conclusion in the story to be with a double team up fight. But I don’t think that’s gonna happen. In fact, I think it’s important that it doesn’t happen.

Katsuki has been bossing Izuku around all of their lives. But him falling after taking out AFO? He said “do your best, Izuku.” Which means he trusts him to do it on his own.

Izuku has been told he was useless all his life, the name Deku. But having Katsuki fight with him makes him feel stronger. But I think it’s important that in this fight, Izuku finds his own strength by himself.

Not only has Katsuki been smothering Izuku for years, but Izuku has sat there for the same amount of time thinking he’s not strong enough.

During the vigilante arc, it shows how insecure he is on his own strength. He thinks he has to do it alone to prove that he’s worthy. That if he accepts help that means he wasn’t worthy of OFA in the first place.

So to have this final fight be one where he alone defeats Shigaraki? I think that would be incredible. To have his confidence boost.

And in the relationship between bkdk, it shows that Katsuki believes he IS strong enough. He CAN do it. Finally accepting that Izuku can and will be a hero.

I think this will bring them so much closer together with that added trust!

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 381 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 士傑高校ヒーロー科現見ケミィ しけつこうこうヒーローかうつしみケミィ shiketsu koukou HIIROO-ka Utsushimi KEMII Shiketsu High School hero course [student] Camie Utsushimi

2 つーかアレAFO⁉︎顔あるくない？ つーかアレオール・フォー・ワン⁉︎かおあるくない？ tsuu ka ARE OORU FOO WAN!? kao arukunai? “S’that AFO!? Doesn’t he not have a face?”

3 士傑高校ヒーロー科肉倉精児 しけつこうこうヒーローかししくらせいじ shiketsu koukou HIIROO-ka Shishikura Seiji Shiketsu High School hero course [student] Seiji Shishikura

4 父の　仇敵 ちち��　あ��かたき chichi no adakataki “My father’s bitter foe.”

5 殺してやりたいが ころしてやりたいが koroshite yaritai ga “I would like to kill you, but...”

6 士傑高校ヒーロー科夜嵐イナサ しけつこうこうヒーローかよあらしイナサ shiketsu koukou HIIROO-ka Yoarashi INASA Shiketsu High School hero course [student] Inasa Yoarashi

7 ………憎悪と厭悪に溺れはしない…！ ………ぞうおとえんおにおぼれはしない…！ .........zouo to en’o ni obore wa shinai...! “.........I will not drown in hatred and loathing...!”

8 それこそ奴の思う壺だからだ…！ それこそやつのおもうつぼだからだ…！ sore koso yatsu no omou tsubo dakara da...! “Because that’s exactly what he’d want...!”

9 父が看守として守ってきたものを ちちがかんしゅとしてまもってきたものを chichi ga kanshu to shite mamotte kita mono wo “That which my father protected as a jailer”

10 私はただ繋ぐ‼︎ わたしはただつなぐ‼︎ watashi wa tada tsunagu!! “I will just connect!!” (Note: This is a continuation of the theme of all these people connecting to one another for the sake of a larger goal: defeating AFO.)

tagline 加勢、来る‼︎ かせい、くる‼︎ kasei, kuru!! Help arrives!!

1 死柄木・デクが雄英から離れた模様‼︎ しがらき・デクがオリからはなれたもよう‼︎ Shigaraki ・ DEKU ga ORI (kanji: yuuei) kara hanareta moyou!! “It seems that Shigaraki and Deku have left the cage (read as: UA)!!”

2 シシクロス※‼︎OB・OGもいるぞ シシクロス※‼︎オービー・オージーもいるぞ SHISHIKUROSU※!! OOBII・OOJII mo iru zo “Shishicross※!! OBs and OGs are here too.”

※肉倉のヒーロー名 ※ししくらのヒーローめい ※Shishikura no HIIROO mei ※Shishikura’s hero name

3 状況は混沌だ！なんとしても止めるぞ!!! じょうきょうはカオスだ！なんとしてもとめるぞ!!! joukyou wa KAOSU da! nanto shitemo tomeru zo!!! “The situation is chaos! I will stop you no matter what!!!”

tagline No.381 闇　　堀越耕平 ナンバー381 やみ　　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 381 yami   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 381 Darkness   Kouhei Horikoshi

4 手遅れになる前に「トガ」を封じつつ ておくれになるまえに「トガ」をふふじつつ teokure ni naru mae ni 「TOGA」 wo fuujitsutsu “Before it’s too late, contain Toga“

5 遠距離攻撃を総てAFOへ‼︎ えんきょりこうげきをすべてオール・フォー・ワンへ‼︎ enkyori kougeki wo subete OORU FOO WAN e!! “and [direct] all long-range attacks to AFO!!”

1 無事か⁉︎ホークス‼︎ ぶじか⁉︎ホークス‼︎ buji ka!? HOOKUSU!! “You okay!? Hawks!!”

2 塚内さん つかうちさん Tsukauchi-san “Tsukauchi-san“

3 増援タイミングナイスっす ぞうえんタイミングナイスっす zouen TAIMINGU NAISU ssu “Nice timing with the reinforcements.”

small text 命助けられました いのちたすけられました inochi tasukeraremashita “[That] saved my life.”

4 いや！我々が要請する前に いや！われわれがようせいするまえに iya! wareware ga yousei suru mae ni “No! Before we made that request”

5 彼らが動いてくれていた！ かれらがうごいてくれていた！ karera ga ugoite kurete ita! “they were already moving in!”

6 AFOの肉体が"戻って"いる事は聞いた…だがーーっ オール・フォー・ワンのにくたいが"もどって"いることはきいた…だがーーっ OORU FOO WAN no nikutai ga “modotte” iru koto wa kiita...da ga--- “I heard how All For One’s body is ‘returning’...however---”

7 群訝の抑えが勝敗に直結する そこのおさえがしょうはいにちょっけつする soko no osae ga shouhai ni chokketsu suru “crowd suppression is directly linked to victory or defeat.”

8 なんとしてもAFOを止めてくれ‼︎ なんとしてもオール・フォー・ワンをとめてくれ‼︎ nan to shitemo OORU FOO WAN wo tomete kure!! “Stop AFO no matter what!!”

9 "個性"は「本体」に触れる事で奪う "こせい"は「ほんたい」にふれることでうばう “kosei” wa 「hontai」 ni fureru koto de ubau I steal quirks by touching bodies.

10 僕に数で挑むリスクは考慮していた筈だが ぼくにかずでいどむリスクはこうりょしていたはずだが boku ni hazu de idomu RISUKU wa kouryo shite ita hazu da ga I should have been considering the risk of their challenging me with numbers.

1 これまでのリスクヘッジを放り出してでも止めたいと これまでのリスクヘッジをほうりだしてでもとめたいと kore made no RISUKU HEJJI wo houri dashite demo tometai to “Even if I throw away the risk hedging I’ve done for far, if I want to stop...”

2 そうかそうか… sou ka sou ka... “I see, I see...”

3 フフ… FUFU... “Heheh...”

1 ぐああ!!! guaa!!! “Gwaah!!!”

2 更に多くの"個性"を併用し始めた…‼︎ さらにおおくの"こせい"をへいようしはじめた…‼︎ sara ni ooku no “kosei” wo heiyou shi hajimeta...!! He started using even more quirks together...!!

3 免れた者は手を緩めるな‼︎防御持ちは押されるな‼︎ まねがれたものはてをゆるめるな‼︎ぼうぎょもちはおされるな‼︎ manegareta mono wa te wo yurumeruna!! bougyo mochi wa osareruna!! “Don’t lose your hands to those who escaped!! Those who have defense, don’t be pushed!!”

4 見ろ！奴は"止まって"る‼︎攻撃し続けろ‼︎ みろ！やつは"とまって"る‼︎こうげきしつづけろ‼︎ miro! yatsu wa “tomatte”ru!! kougeki shi tsudzukero!! “Look! He’s stopping!! Continue attacking!!”

5 この期に及んでまだ このごにおよんでまだ kono go ni oyonde mada “Up until this point, you’re still”

6 どうにかなると思っている どうにかなるとおもっている dou ni ka naru to omotte iru “thinking you’ll be able to do something.”

7 僕に唯一届いた男を欠いて尚！ ぼくにゆいいつとどいたおとこをかいてなお！ boku ni yuiitsu todoita otoko wo kaite nao! “[Yet] you’re still missing the one man who could reach me!”

1 勇敢なんじゃない… ゆうかんなんじゃない… yuukan nanja nai... “You’re not brave...”

2 僕の黄金時代を知らぬからだ ぼくのゴールデンエイジをしらぬからだ boku no GOORUDEN EIJI wo shiranu kara da “It’s because you don’t know of my golden age.”

3 物心が付く頃にオールマイトが台頭し始めた世代…！ ものごころがつくころにオールマイトがたいとうしはじめたせだい…！ monogokoro ga tsuku koro ni OORU MAITO ga taitou shi hajimeta sedai...! “The generation when, just as you were coming to your senses, All Might began to rise...!”

4 産まれた時からオールマイトが台頭していた世代！ うまれたときからオールマイトがたいとうしていたせだい！ umareta toki kara OORU MAITO ga taitou shite ita sedai...! “The generation that, since when you were born, All Might [already] had risen...!”

5-6 何も見えぬ闇の中しかし誰もが「そこにいる何か」に怯えた時代 なにもみえぬやみのなかしかしだれもが「そこにいるなにか」におびえたじだい nani mo mienu yami no naka shikashi daremo ga 「soko ni iru nani ka」 ni obieta jidai “The era when you couldn’t see anything in the darkness but everyone was still frightened by ‘something in there’...”

7 猜疑と怨嗟 さいぎとえんさ saigi to ensa “Suspicion and resentment.”

8 搾取と差別に塗れた さくしゅとさべつにまみれた sakushu to sabetsu ni mamireta “Painted with exploitation and discrimination.”

9 黄金の闇を！ おうごんのやみを！ ougon no yami wo! “The golden darkness!”

1 ？　いや知ってるっす ？　いやしってるっす ? iya shitteru ssu “? No wait, I know that!”

2 あんたは知らんかったけど!!! あんたはしらんかったけど!!! anta wa shirankatta kedo!!! “I didn’t know about you though!!!”

3 その辺は近現代史でちゃんとやってるんで‼︎ そのへんはきんげんだいしでちゃんとやってるんで‼︎ sono hen wa kingendaishi de chanto yatterunde!! “We properly [covered] around then in Modern History!!”

4 俺は親友の轟とその父親を"見て"応援すると決めた！ おれはしんゆうのとどろきとエンデヴァーやを"みて"おうえんするときめた！ ore wa shin’yuu no Todoroki to ENDEVAA (read as: sono chichioya) wo “mite” ouen suru to kimeta! “I decided to ‘watch’ and support my close friend Todoroki and Endeavor (read as: his father)!”

5 その血潮が恐怖に勝ってるだけっス!!! そのちしおがきょうふにまさってるだけっス!!! sono chishio ga kyoufu ni masatteru dake SSU!!! “That hot-headedness will win against fear!!!”

6 風の牢に"個性"を乗せてーーー…… かぜのろうに"こうげき"をのせてーーー…… kaze no rou ni “kougeki (read as: kosei)” wo nosete---...... He’s riding on the attack (read as: quirk) that’s a prison of wind---......

7 …"奪って"…行くか…… …"うばって"…いくか…… ...”ubatte”...iku ka...... “...shall I...steal it......”

1 ぐはっ!!! guha!!! “Ghagh!!!”

2 イナサ‼︎ INASA!! “Inasa!!”

3 手を緩めるなトガを巻き上げ��がら吹かせ続けろ‼︎ てをゆるめるなトガをまきあげながらふかせつづけろ‼︎ te wo yurumeruna TOGA wo makiage nagara fukase tsudzukero!! “Don’t back off, keep blowing while rolling up all the Togas!!” (Note: [immature giggle])

4 ええ‼︎…俺の"個性"は強風の時程強くなるっス…!!! ええ‼︎…おれの"こせい"はきょうふうのときほどつよくなるっス…!!! ee!! ...ore no “kosei” wa kyoufuu no toki hodo tsuyoku naru SSU...!!! “Yes!! ...My quirk gets stronger when the wind is strong...!!!”

5 あんたの旧い栄光より あんたのふるいえいこうより anta no furui eikou yori “Instead of by your old glory,”

6 応援してる方のつくる未来が見たいんスよ俺はァ‼︎ おうえんしてるほうのつくるみらいがみたいんスよおれはァ‼︎ ouen shiteru hou no tsukuru mirai ga mitainSU yo ore waA!! “I’d rather see a future made by supporting [each other]!!”

7 エンデヴァーさん…‼︎ ENDEVAA-san...!! Endeavor-san...!!

1 進展ならありますよ しんてんならありますよ shinten nara arimasu yo No progress? I disagree. (Note: This is a flashback from chapter 325.)

2 ここにあったんだ koko ni attanda We’re seeing it here.

3 OFAは人々の心が紡いできたーーー… ワン・フォー・オールはひとびとのこころがつむいできたーーー… WAN FOO OORU wa hitobito no kokoro ga tsumuide kita---... One For All spins together people’s hearts---...

4 OFAだけじゃない ワン・フォー・オールだけじゃない WAN FOO OORU dake ja nai It’s not just One For All.

5 あなたも確り繋いでる！ あなたもしっかりつないでる！ anata mo shikkari tsunaideru! You are surely also connected!

6 …嫌な目だ …いやなめだ ...iya na me da ...I don’t like those eyes.

7 僕を見ていない光を失わない… ぼくをみていないひかりをうしなわない… boku wo mite inai hikari wo ushinawanai... They won’t lose that light as if he’s not looking at me...

8 いや　失ってはいるのだ いや　うしなってはいるのだ iya ushinatte wa iru no da No, he’s losing something.

9 薪を焚べるが如く まきをくべるがごとく maki wo kuberu ga gotoku [They’re] like burning firewood

10 継ぎ足されていく つぎたされていく tsugitasarete iku turning into coals.

11 だが…"個性"が奪われる事を恐れ近付けない だが…"こせい"がうばわれることをおそれちかづけない da ga...”kosei” ga ubawareru koto wo osore chikadzukenai “However...you’re afraid of having your quirks stolen, and so you can’t get close.”

12 もういい君たちの行き着く先はーーーー もういいきみたちのいきつくさきはーーーー mou ii kimi-tachi no ikitsuku saki wa---- “That’s enough, don’t you all [realize] where you’ll end up----”

1 この感覚ーー… このかんかくーー… kono kankaku--... This feeling--...

2 避けなければならない攻撃だ よけなければならないこうげきだ yokenakereba naranai kougeki da It’s an attack that must be avoided.

3 そういう事か そういうことか sou iu koto ka Is that how it is?

4 闇ニモ やみニモ yami NI MO “When it comes to the darkness,”

5 色ンナ味ガアル いろンナあじガアル iroNNA aji GA ARU “there are many flavors.”

6-7 おまえが闇を語るな おまえがやみをかたるな omae ga yami wo kataruna “Don’t you speak of the darkness.”

8 おまえが生んだドブのような味の闇ならーーー おまえがうんだドブのようなあじのやみならーーー omae ga unda DOBU no you na aji no yami nara--- “If it’s a flavor of darkness like the sewage that birthed you---”

1 皆デ　モウ食ッチマッタ みんなデ　モウくッチマッタ minna DE MOU kuCCHIMATTA “I’ve already devoured it with everyone.”

1 急激に立ち込めた暗雲が光を遮った事で きゅうげきにたちこめたあんうんがひかりをさえぎったことで kyuugeki ni tachikometa an’un ga hikari wo saegitta koto de With the light blocked by the dark clouds that rapidly rushed in,

2 "力"の持続時間が延びる "ちから"のじぞくじかんがのびる “chikara” no jizoku jikan ga nobiru the duration of my power is extended.

3 炎は ほのおは honoo wa The flames

4 木々ごと吹き荒れる交戦の中で小さくなっている きぎごとふきあれるこうせんのなかでちいさくなっている kigi-goto fukiareru kousen no naka de chiisaku natteiru are growing smaller with the battle raging through the trees.

5 俺を土で覆ってくれ おれをつちでおおってくれ ore wo tsuchi de ootte kure Cover me with dirt,

6 闇を溜める‼︎ やみをためる‼︎ yami wo tameru!! and I will accumulate darkness!!

7 オールマイトが言っていた……「エンデヴァーの炎を掴んでも オールマイトがいっていた……「エンデヴァーのほのおをつかんでも OORU MAITO ga iite ita......「ENDEVAA no honoo wo tsukandemo “All Might said...... ‘Even if you grab Endeavor’s flame,’”

8 彼の"個性"が奪えるワケではない」… かれの"こせい"がうばえるワケではない」… kare no “kosei” ga ubaeru WAKE de wa nai」... “‘there’s no way you can steal his quirk’...

9 俺がホークス達のサポートに選ばれた理由だ おれがホークスたちのサポートにえらばれたりゆうだ ore ga HOOKUSU-tachi no SAPOOTO ni erabareta riyuu da “That’s the reason I was chosen to support Hawks and the others.”

10 黒影全開放 ダークシャドウぜんかいほう DAAKU SHADOU zenkaihou Dark Shadow Fully Unleashed

11 士傑の増援からすぐ　この状況に備えたのか！ しけつのぞうえんからすぐ　このじょうきょうにそなえたのか！ shiketsu no zouen kara sugu kono joukyou ni sonaeta no ka! Just after Shiketsu’s reinforcements... Are you prepared for this situation?!

12 押せええ おせええ oseee “Subdue [hiiim!]”

13 常闇くん‼︎ とこやみくん‼︎ Tokoyami-kun!! Tokoyami-kun!!

14 追い風っス!!! おいかぜっス!!! oikaze SSU!!! “A tailwind!!!”

1 俺も君に少しでも繋げられてるなら おれもきみにすこしでもつなげられてるなら ore mo kimi ni sukoshi demo tsunagerareteru nara If even I can connect with you just a little,

2 この汚い羽があって良かった このきたないはねがあってよかった kono kitanai hane ga atte yokatta I’ll be glad to have these dirty feathers.

3 深淵闇躯 ブラックアンク BURAKKU ANKU Black Ankh

4 光明!!! バルドル!!! BARUDORU!!! Balder!!! (Note: This is a reference from Norse mythology.)

tagline 叩きつぶせ‼︎ たたきつぶせ‼︎ tataki tsubuse!! Crush him!!

[jamiethebeeart]

ooh yeah me? totally normal about spinner and his devotion to shigaraki, absolutely. yea. totally average about them. Definitely not thinking about Spinner having to fight his way across a battlefield only to get to a downed Shigaraki, who appears lifeless and Spinner's frantic grabbing to see if there's any life left, maybe shake him, maybe tear up over his body with head bowed, begging him to come back and show him that horizon that Shigaraki promised him. haha totally normal and not at all upset that they didn't get a scene together during the ending of the final war arc. haha. yeah. i'm definitely not thinking about heart wrenching scenarios.

[liliavalley]

wdym there was an 8 yr timeskip where izuku barely saw his friends because their schedules never lined up…

[therealsoulking]

MOTHER OF GOD,

IT'S HERO KILLER: STAIN WITH A STEEL CHAIR!

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

Chapter 348's "Shitty Nerd" Narrator Isn't Omniscient (And It's Not Bakugou Katsuki)

So, for a good bit there we were all theorizing about what was up with the narrator of chapter 348 calling Izuku a "shitty nerd" for not recognizing Toga's feelings for him, right?

Now, in a previous post I explained the different expectations Japanese audiences tend to have for frame narratives in weekly serialized manga. I posited that this may mean that the identity of 348's third-person narrator isn't necessarily of direct importance and, as a result, may never be explicitly revealed. I maintain the validity of this observation in general, however I no longer think it is relevant to understanding Horikoshi's approach to writing.

Because I am confident I have figured out who the narrator is: Best Jeanist.

To be clear, I do not believe that Best Jeanist is the source of every third-person narration in the series so far—I have yet to go back and research earlier chapters enough to theorize about that. I believe he is specifically the frame narrator who is explaining the critical moments of the Heroes’ final battle against AFO/Shigaraki, most notably in chapters 348 and 377.

Let’s go over the supporting evidence for this reading.

Best Jeanist's speech patterns match the idiosyncrasies found in 348

Back in February, pikahlua pointed out that 348's narrator uses "de aru” (である, also conjugated as であり, de ari) and I have been thinking about this detail ever since. Early on I described 348’s narration to a friend as sounding almost like a textbook, and it is “de aru” which contributes most to that tone. It functions as a connecting verb meaning "be" or "is," but it feels uniquely literary, even a bit archaic. Due to this, I pretty readily imagined that 348 was narrated by an omniscient figure who was telling the story to us as a historical event, like it was a passage from a book on “the great Hero Deku” or something like that.

But I kept wondering if, among all the fanciful characters in MHA, there was anyone who fit the bill for this type of language. Lo and behold:

On top of Shigaraki escaping, we sustained tremendous damage. But… nevertheless, we Heroes must continue the fight with the threads of our faith utterly unrent! This is the hope of our scattered comrades, and it will be spun into a new era… Plus Ultra!

The back cover of the Japanese volumes all have in-character narration blurbs that match the speech patterns and personality of the character featured on the spine of the book. This is not replicated in the English releases, so the above translation is my own. Here, Best Jeanist uses “de aru” (highlighted in blue) for that same literary effect 348 uses. I looked through other volume covers and a few dozen chapters, and I found only a couple other uses of “de aru” in total--by Iida and a member of Spinner’s army shown in 370, neither of whom are likely candidates for 348’s narrator.

Best Jeanist in general speaks in a deliberately refined, elegant way. He uses polite speech at times and, even when talking casually, his word choices are rather serious and poetic. Notice the top orange text highlighted: 一糸の綻び (isshi no hokorobi) meaning the tear of a single thread, an evocative metaphor. Keep this and the bottom orange text in mind (散って, chitte, describing the “scattered comrades”).

Side note: Best Jeanist has used “kare” (彼, meaning "he") in canon to refer to Izuku, seen here in chapter 323:

This is less of a smoking gun than “de aru,” but the politeness of 348’s narration and the word “kare” specifically rule out Katsuki as a potential narrator, so it is worth mentioning.

Volume 31 covers chapters 296-306, with the last chapter entitled, “The Final Act Begins.” I think it is significant that Best Jeanist is the narrator on this volume cover; it may be foreshadowing for his role as the narrator for the Final Battle itself, which leads us to...

Best Jeanist's Threads of Hope

Best Jeanist's Quirk and his entire schtick are about fibers and threads. He makes this a direct metaphor for the Heroes’ struggle against the League of Villains in 292 where he says that they will stop the League by weaving "threads of hope" (一縷の希望, ichiru no kibou). He develops this metaphor further in 294, describing their victory over Gigantomachia.

He also used this kind of language in 311 and 317.

And don’t forget, he sutured Katsuki’s damaged heart back together in hopes of reviving him.

Then, we got this sequence in 377:

A faceless, elderly individual speaking about the Final Battle in the past tense. This person directly references that thin thread to describe the Heroes’ chances and their gambit against the villains.

The blue text in the top panel, which is curiously absent from the English release, says:

「舞い散る桜のように・・・」

maichiru sakura no you ni…

Like falling cherry blossoms…

The verb for “falling” here is actually two verbs joined together meaning “to fall as if dancing.” Literally, maichiru means dance-scatter. The Heroes’ gambit relies on dividing the villains, and in their efforts, they themselves are being scattered, like cherry blossoms. Remember how Best Jeanist described his comrades as scattered? The second verb here is that very same one.

The thread and snap (or cut) wording even gets brought up six chapters later by Tsukauchi:

The “hope” part is technically not present in the Japanese here, but I think official translator Caleb Cook caught on to the thematic parallel. And in my opinion, it is a pretty significant parallel.

So, with all this in mind: My bet is that Best Jeanist is the primary narrator for the final arc of the series.

This is a very interesting choice; it definitely raises questions about whether All Might survives. Best Jeanist is currently in his late 30s, so for him to be the elderly narrator seen in 377, he would have to be relaying these events from 30-40 years in the future, which might mean All Might survives the final battle but dies of old age later.

Whatever happens in the battle against AFO/Shigaraki, I think both Best Jeanist and Katsuki survive. Sometime post-battle, everyone gets the explanation for what happened when Izuku was warped away by Toga, and Katsuki—hearing that Izuku didn’t recognize Toga’s feelings for him—utters some iteration of 348’s infamous line about how, no matter what he does, he is still "a shitty nerd.”

Best Jeanist quotes him in 348’s narration, because... well, even though it is vulgar, it is a pretty accurate and even affectionate description of Izuku’s oblivious nature from his childhood friend, who knows him quite well. I think Best Jeanist, having mentored and watched over Katsuki all this time, deferred to him on the subject of Izuku’s personal life.

But he also did it because it’s funny as hell, and we should never forget that MHA is a comedy.