#my hero academia analysis

[linkspooky]

My Hero Academia, Chapter 377-388 Thoughts

A two-fer because the pacing of these chapters is just a little bit slow. With the reappearance of Shigaraki Deku can finally act on his intention to try to reach Shigaraki instead of ignoring the crying boy inside of him. There's a pattern between all three hero / villain foils, the heroes are finally at a stage where they are willing to talk, whereas the villains are doubling down on their worst impulses and giving up on the idea that they can talk things through. Which Shigaraki even openly mocks Deku, that they're not going to sit down at the mall and have another chat. Since these two chapters revolve around the idea of villains and their origins, I'm going to ruminate on their unwilingness to finally talk and why they are doubling down underneath the cut.

1. Distortion

Tenko Shimura is the only character outside of the main origin trio to have an "origin" chapter, but before that comes a chapter labeled "Tomura Shigaraki: Distortion." In this chapter we learn that Shigaraki's own memories of his past, are missing and in fragments despte carrying the emotional burden and guilt of killing his own family.

He has full on developed dissociative amnesia and cannot even remember his origin or what led him to kill his family. For Tomura Shigarki, his origin may as well have been the moment that All For One found him in the alleyway.

When Shigaraki finally recovers his memories of his household and the events leading up to his family's death, the chapter is entitled "Tenko Shimura: Origin." Not only does Tenko Shimura have an origin chapter, but after he finishes his origin we are given an extended flashback on what led to his renaming as Tomura Shigaraki in 237, Tomura Shigaraki: Origin.

There's a distortion where Shigaraki cannot even properly remember his origin because of the trauma he carries, and when his memories clear up he essentially goes through two origins, first for how his family died how his desire to be a hero led to his father's abuse which culminated in him losing control of his quirk, and the second that led up to his adoption by AFO and his naming of Tomura Shigaraki. I don't think that Tomura / Tenko are separate entities, but rather Tomura's origin being distorted to such an extreme extent to the point where he takes on a whole new identity and is convinced he wants something separate from his original desire shows the pattern of how AFO ends up manipulating all the villains he takes under his thumb to believe what he wants them to believe, and how the villains in general have their beliefs distorted from their original origins.

Tomura's desire started out the same as Deku's, to be a hero, and to have someone in that household listen to him.

The trauma of not only having his feelings and desires rejected by everyone in the household, but on top of that, after destroying his house on accident and not being saved by a single hero in the busiest street in the middle of broad daylight led him to believe that the outside world was rejecting him the same way that his house did.

This distorted his motivation into reject them, the same way they rejected me. Not only did he convince himself that he wanted to destroy the house, but also that the destruction of the Shimura household wasn't an accident but rather something he desired all long and finally acted on.

Of course the two panels I've posted above contradict this belief that was what he wanted to begin with, because Shigaraki expresses twice a belief if someone had told him what he wanted to hear, or someone looked at him or reached out a hand to help him that day things would not have gotten that bad. Shigaraki's contradictory beliefs are on display, first that he will always be rejected and so therefore he has to respond to that rejection and fight back against it, and second a secret hope that there is still someone who can reach out and save him.

Now does that make Shigaraki's entire hero and villain speech a lie?

The part where he loudly announces he doesn't care if people don't understand him, or implies that heroes and villains can never understand each other is because of his secret desire to be understood, but at the same time, the rejection that Shigaraki has not only faced himself, but witnessed happen to others is very real. It's almost like the truth is complex... weird right?

Which is where I get to AFO's manipulations and why it works so well. AFO specifically targets the rejects who are not receiving help in order to foster their hatred against society.

Not only are they already vulnerable, but AFO knows the hero and villain game well. He sees the world in almost comic book logic, the villains will always be villains, the heroes will always be heroes, and as many Pro Heroes reflect this attitude, they end up reinforcing AFO's manipulation that no one is going to come save them and their only recourse is to strike back violently.

AFO even reinforces this idea internalized by the villains that they are internally bad, or wrong, or want to do these violent actions that are a distortion from their true desires. When they are faced with heroes who further dehumanize them by only looing at their crimes and ignoring the fact they are still human beings with emotions and people who are hurting they're then hit with the double whammy. This is the trap that AFO laid against All Might. He took Shimura Nana's grandson, spent years fostering him into a weapon, sent him basically blind into UA on his twentieth birthday because he knew All Might would beat the absolute tar out of him without even questioning who Shigaraki was or what his motivatiosn are, which only would reinforce Shigaraki's hatred for him.

In the immediate aftermath, All Might is also convinced by his fellow heroes that there's no point in going after Shigaraki because by this time he is beyond help. All Might becomes another one of the heroes who just ignored Temura Shinko on that day when he wandered around covered in blood and muck and grime in the busiest intersection in a city densely packed with heroes hoping just one of them would reach out a helping hand.

I'd also be remiss not to point out that when the kids try too hard to emulate their mentors without questioning their methods, they repeat this same kind of behavior. Shigaraki specifically mentions the mall, because that day he genuinely did try to talk to Deku and this was Deku's response.

Deku states clear as day that he can't understand Shigaraki, and then when asked if there was anyone All Might ever failed to save, he really only asked that question to All Might once before completely forgetting to follow up that train of thought. So when the villains lie and say they no longer want to talk things out and they are beyond talking, it's also basically them saying "Well, I tried to tell you X, Y, and Z and you didn't want to listen that time, but oh now you want to talk." It's the natural result of being ignored so many times.

The idea that heroes and villains cannot understand each other is a lie of course, but it was a lie that was put inside their heads by outside factors. It's also ones they spent a long time fighting against because most of these villains did try in some way to express what was wrong, only to be further scapegoated. To be told, "Oh, you're not X, you're Y." To the point where they started to believe it themselves. All of this to say it's not just AFO, it's also something reinforced by the pro-heroes, and also sometimes the kids following in their example.

Toya's backstory shows that kind of distortion in action almost as clear as Shigaraki's, but rather than being perpetuated by AFO himself who did not have much of an influence on Toya, rather it's done by his family's rejection.

Toya reveals his own origin, his desire is to just be seen by his family. In fact he mirrors Shoto in a way, Shoto wants to reassure people because he felt helpless as a victim in his own house, Toya wants to be seen because he felt ignored in his own house. Both of their motivations come from a desire to actually have a normal, healthy connection with the family they have around them.T oya even states that he was willing to just give up anything even his dreams of surpassing All Might to return home. It's witnessing how quick his family was willing to bury him and move on that made him finally distort. Toya holds onto his origin of wanting to be seen even after burning alive, right up until he witnesses the image of himself on the altar.

After which point his original desire distorts from simply wanting to be see, to harming Endeavor in any way possible and dying in order to give meaning to his death.

It goes rejection -> isolation -> distortion -> then having that distortion reinforced by the continued rejection of the heroes. Shoto and Enji can't reach Toya just yet, because Enji's decision to prioritize being the hero who defeats AFO rather than facing Toya once again only mirrors the way he's never once made Toya a priority or even looked at him. The doubling down and lying to himself isn't in response to nothing, it's the outside circumstances that drives him to do that.

Spinner also has a similar distortion of his ideals happening in real time, and in fact shows just how much AFO can convince someone that his exploitation is helping them. So many people blame Shigaraki's possession on Spinner for the hand scene, by ignoring the fact that you know... maybe AFO possessing him is AFO's fault.

Spinner puts the hand on Shigaraki in desperation because they are cornered by the heroes, and their only way out is if Shigaraki gets up and starts fighting again. At this point the heroes have shown no side they even care what happens to the villains, it's either being sent to tartarus the world's most inhumane prison, or just straight up killing them. AFO's whole schtick is convincing the villains working for them that they have literally no chance of salvation unless they stay with him. The heroes also don't do a lot of reaching out to change their minds.

Spinner notices right away that something is wrong with Shigaraki in the way he is acting, but AFO is quick to reassure him that he is not possesing Shigaraki but rather helping him, and that helping AFO is the way to help Shigaraki.

Every time SPinner witnesses that Shigaraki is clearly in pain, and expresses worry over him, AFO goes out of his way to reassure him that everything is fine and everything is going according to plan. Not only that he convinces SPinner, that by playing a role in his plan he will be helping Shigaraki. That AFO's desires are Shigaraki's desires, and therefore by helping AFO he's still serving Shigaraki.

If Shigaraki can be a sympathetic victim to AFO's manipulations and grooming, then so can Spinner and the rest of the league as a whole. Spinner's desire then goes from just trying to help Shigaraki and be equals with him, to his belief that his blind obedience to AFO is hleping him because Spinner as an average dude can't exist on his own or be helpful unless it's in service to someone like Shigaraki's greater deeds and dreams.

When put into a desperate situation where he has to rely on AFO, because the heroes aren't coming to save them, and have shown every evidence that they'll just outright kill Shigaraki, Spinner is convinced one that AFO is helping Shigaraki and probably the only help they'll receive, and two that blind obedience to AFO is what will help Shigaraki.

If anything it mirrors what he did to Tenko as a child, no heroes are coming to save you but I will. If you follow my path then you'll survive and get stronger. I am your only support, I am here to help you and nurture your growth. AFO tries to groom Tenko so hard into being obedient to AFO's desires for him, he literally possesses his body and tries to rewrite his identity for some time.

Then, there is Toga who we also see her distortion play out in real time over the course of the story. Toga's big statement that sucking blood and transforming into the people she loves is normal for her and all she desires isn't exactly the truth, but it isn't a lie either.

Toga desires normalcy and transforms into Uraraka, basically the epitome of a normal girl. Someone surrounded by high school friends, someone with a boy she likes, someone trusted by the people around her. Toga has projected herself entirely onto Uraraka, because Uraraka represents what Toga tried so hard to be in middle school but failed at because the emotional abuse in her home led her to snapping. Toga believes as shown by her parents and society labelling a middle school girl with one violent incident as a demon child forcing her to run away for her own safety rather than you know... just getting her help that there's no other way for her to live.

The same pattern emerges, Himiko is convinced no one is going to save her, she becomes further isolated and her original origin distorts. She believes what other people say about her, not that her desire is to be normal and to be loved, but instead live however she pleases and express her love by violently drinking blood and turning into people.

This is something reinforced by the heroes unwillingness to listen. Remember, Himiko's question is "Am I going to get brutally murdered by you the way I was Twice?" and most of the heroes don't even see Twice's death as a bad thing but a necessary thing. Hawks even advocates for killing Twice a second time the second he's confronted with the dead man's parade. It's a mistaken belief and a self deception, Himiko is lying to herself, but that lie is pounded into her head by everyone around her.

Himiko is even coerced into the Dead Man's parade and further violence. Dabi puts the idea of turning into Twice in her head and gives her the blood to do so, all while also giving her a speech she shouldn't cry because no one cares whether they are crying or smiling so they might as well get the last laugh. Something, that AFO seems to have had an idea about because he understood the exact chain of events that led to the Dead Man's Parade the moment it happened, that Toya gave Toga the blood because of her grief, and Toga's grief turned into a weapon against the heroes. Her speech even mirrors Shigaraki's as well, if there's nothing but rejection, there's no chance but to reject them right back.

So, none of the villains really came to these conclusions on their own, they believe they are in circumstances where no one is coming to help them, and they decide the only recourse is to fight back harder. They get hit and hit back. The cycle remains unbroken. Their origins have now become distorted, they've forgotten their original desires or convinced themselves otherwise. Toga believes what she wanted all along was to slaughter the heroes and live the easy life. Dabi believes all he wants to do is burn away everything connected to Endeavor. Spinner believes he can only help Shigaraki through blind obedience. Shigaraki himself believes that all he wanted to do all along was to destroy that house.

Obviously, the only thing that is going to break this cycle is long awaited action on the heroes part. It's what we see the easy to redeem villains taking the first step of in this latest chapter. Tsukauchi's speech being the opposite of what not only the heroes have believed, but the villains have convinced themselves of too that there is no changing them.

That instead of viewing them as villains, or internally evil, the only way forward is to try to make them remember their own humanity, and the things they originall wanted, and try to clear away the distortion and return them to their starting point, their origin, because as much as the villains listed above deny it, despite their violent and crimminal actions their original desires still exist within them in a place that the heroes can reach only if they start to look for it. And it's up to the heroes to reach them. Because you know, they're called heroes, and heroes save people. Otherwise they're just teenagers who can explode things, or breathe fire, or punch things really hard.

[spid3rgrrrl]

Saw a post about how girlfriends and wives of pro heroes probably don’t have an identity outside of their relationship. It was meant to be in an “oooh sexy” way but I actually find it really sad. And it also shows how misogyny works in the mha universe.

[autumnmobile12]

Based on the way Touya and Fuyumi behaved in their very early years, I've always gotten the impression the Todoroki family started out with something of a healthy dynamic.

The reason they were born was pretty twisted and Endeavor's ambitions may have made the foundation rotten, but I think they were 'fine' until the genetic disparity with Touya's Quirk was detected. What's sad about that is if Touya didn't have that issue, he and Fuyumi would probably have been the only two siblings. Endeavor wanted Touya for a successor. Rei wanted Fuyumi so that Touya would have a sibling and they could support each other.

Natsuo and Shouto were born because Endeavor's ambitions meant more to him than his family.

And tragically, Touya and Fuyumi are the only two kids in that family who can remember this happy life. It's why Fuyumi was so desperate to get it back, and in his own warped way, Touya also tried to reclaim it.

Here's the thing that gets me, though:

It is very common and normal for a toddler to prefer one parent over the other. Usually, it's the parent they're the most family with: The one that stays home with and takes care of them.

Remember, to a toddler, everything is new and potentially scary, and that can often include a parent that is not always present: The parent that's working.

In the Todoroki house, Endeavor had his career as a hero, so we have the indication that Rei was the parent who stayed home. In that situation, the probability of Rei being the 'familiar parent' was more likely, so for Touya to prefer his father over his mother shows just how close he was to Endeavor. That probably happened because 1.) we can see Endeavor started training him at a very young age, and 2.) Fuyumi was the new baby and probably needed more attention from their mother, so Touya may have gravitated away from Rei on his own and went to his father instead.

Touya didn't see his father's ambitions for him. He didn't see that he was a successor as opposed to a son. What he, a child, saw and understood was that his father loved him and wanted to spend time with him. After the genetic disparity was detected and that pride and affection disappeared, he didn't know how to cope.

In contrast, Natsuo and Shouto never even saw the family happy. Natsuo was three-four years old when this happened. Fuyumi looks devastated that things aren't her version of normal. Natsuo just looks confused because, again, everything is new to toddlers. This was the normal he grew up with. Touya attacking Shouto might be one of his first memories, so he never stood a chance and that is why he left home the moment he had the opportunity.

It also explains his lack of understanding for Fuyumi's hope for a normal family. Fuyumi's mindset runs as, "We had that once. It's possible to have it again." Which in its own way, expecting things can just return to the way they were is a little disrespectful to her brother that died, and I think Touya's reappearance did shatter her illusion since she never brings up 'being a real family' after Dabi's Dance.

The point is, since Natsuo never saw what Fuyumi and Touya saw, he can't see what she wants to return to, so her decision to forgive their father is one he can't comprehend.

And if Natsuo can't remember the happy family, then there's no way Shouto does because this is what their home looked like by the time he was old enough to start forming concrete memories.

We're looking at two different sets of children, the older pair and the younger pair, who started out with very different childhoods.

[firesmokeandashes]

Okay, I may not agree with everything in this post, but I have got to say, this is the best evaluation of his character I have seen thus far! You touched just about everything about his character and the random things he can do!

This post both points out his flaws as well as his strengths, and it touches on the subject of the abuse he went/is going through, by his mother's (and by association, his father's) hand.

Which is something I see very few people actually acknowledge in their evaluation of him and his story, whether they be a simp, a shipper, or an anti-bakugou activist. Whether it be in a fanfiction I've read or a post I've seen online. So many people have a tendency to just skip over that part of his character and life. Instead, they choose to go with the narrative that he has a perfect life, and there was no past trauma to help instigate his treatment toward Midoriya.

Now, his mother's abuse is certainly no excuse for his treatment toward Midoriya, but it does help supply some explanation on why he may have acted that way towards him. As most kids learn how to act and behave from their parents, and we've all seen Katsuki's parents dynamic, so it's safe to assume that he spent most of his time with his mother, learning and adapting her mannerisms, both on how to act in general and how to treat others.

So, what does this have to say about Katsuki's parents, specifically Mitsuki's treatment toward Katsuki? Based on glimpses of their interactions that we've seen, both in the manga and the anime, we can see that Mitsuki is physically and verbally abusive toward Katsuki. (Which are both traits that Katsuki has displayed in the past. Though we have seen him begin to work on these throughout the manga/anime for the better.) An example of Mitsuki's behavior would be right after Katsuki got brought back from the League's lair.

As seen above, Mitsuki hits Katsuki, from what I can see, for no good reason (physical abuse), then proceeds to tell him to shut up (verbal abuse), and tries to hit him again (she misses sense there's no flash indication of contact) she also tells him it's his "fault to begin with for being so weak" (verbal abuse/victim blaming).

She seems to show very little concern for her child's mental state after enduring what is considered a traumatic event and instead is more concerned with criticizing Katsuki for, to paraphrase her words "letting himself get caught, and causing everyone trouble". ⬇️

So, in conclusion, Katsuki and Mitsuki's relationship is not a healthy one. In fact, it is very much the opposite of that. It is an abusive and toxic child, parent relationship, that if it were to happen in real life, it would be heavily criticized and would probably be investigated by CPS.

But sense it's a fictional relationship, no one seems to care, and instead chooses to ignore Mitsuki's abusive tendencies and simp for her and call her a MILF. Which she is not, if this post is anything to go by, she is very much not someone you should be simping for and whose parenting techniques should be applauded.

Now, for those of you who are about to come in with the argument "but Katsuki is toxic too" and "he's just as bad as she is, so you have no room to talk".

Don't comment. Don't reblog. Just don't.

Because as many people have pointed out before, and I myself briefly pointed out in this post, he is changing! He is working on himself and changing for the better. Mitsuki has done (from what I can see) none of those things.

Since beginning his school year at UA, he has been humbled several times and been brought to see that he is not "the Lord's gift to man," but is instead just as flawed and imperfect as everyone else is.

Mitsuki, on the other hand, has yet to be brought to see these things and is still stuck in her old ways of physical and verbal abuse.

Katsuki has been proven wrong on things he thought he was right about. He has been shown the error of his ways and is trying to ammend them and to make things right.

Mitsuki has not! She is almost exactly like Katsuki when he was in middle school except maybe a little more mature.

Katsuki started to amend things with Izuku starting back in the second half of season 2 going into season 3, and has continued since. In his own way, he tried to ammend their relationship and fix the things he'd done to him. Even All Might noticed this and mentioned it to him in one of the episodes!

(Mitsuki has done none of this.)

So please cut the bullcrap that he is "toxic" and "a bully", he was these things at one point in time, but he is them no longer. He has changed. He is trying to ammend things. He has become more caring towards others. He is different from his mother!

He freaking apologized to Midoriya!!

You know the one person he claimed to absolutely hate with a loathing passion! He apologized to him! So, get your head stuck out from season 1 and see the many changes his character has undergone since then!

Mitsuki has not apologized to him or her husband, who has probably undergone similar treatment to her son.

Mitsuki is still stuck in her ways and does not seem to be keen on fixing them. Katsuki has seen the error of his ways and is trying to fix them. They may look the same and have similar mannerisms, but they are not the same! So, do not compare their development and characters unless it's their looks and certain traits they share because that is all they have in common!

□□□□

Okay, well, I did not mean for this to turn into a rant/character analysis, but it did, and I have no intention of re-writing this. I have no idea if anything I said makes sense, but oh well! 😅

Anyways, my original point of reblogging this was to say that I agree with OP's overall view and analysis of Katsuki's character! :)

But I also have been wanting to vent about his abusive relationship with his mom, and that bottom sentence gave me the perfect opening to!

So, sorry for venting, but at the same time, I'm not sorry for venting :D

Anywho! I hope y'all have a great day/night and that you have a wonderful life!

People who like Bakugou are always so fucking serious about it. I like him because I think he is the funniest character concept, possibly ever.

His name means “explosion powerful victory”. He’s neither the number one hero nor top of his class.

He’s a violent delinquent with a cartoonish temper and violent tendencies. He’s a fanboy for what is essentially a crossover of the idol industry and service workers. He is incredibly intense at being hygienic to the point of cleaning other people’s rooms for them, too. He yells at the germs and tells them to die as he’s brushing his teeth. He’s incredibly diligent when it comes to his studies. He goes to sleep at 8pm also.

His quirk is renowned as super powerful. It comes from his sweat and he cannot control when it goes off when he gets irritated.

He is called ugly multiple times in canon. He is also canonically eternally bitchless.

He collects hero merchandise. His hero name is a pun based off of his favorite hero. He makes fun of his childhood-friend-brother-person for being into the exact same thing that he is.

He is inexplicably good at multiple random things, including singing, drums, tinkering with machinery, tolerating spice, fighting blindfolded, claw machines and more. This is only ever used for comedy. He also is a computer genius for some reason. Everyone knows that he is a computer genius for some reason.

He owns at least four different black skull shirts. He has kneepads so that he can “kill with his knees”.

He is / was being abused by his mother. This is somehow simultaneously painfully clear when reading his character, and not at ALL the intention of the author.

He is the most popular character in the show. He got killed off. He came back to life. He got killed off a second time shortly after (for realsies this time, we swear).

[sleepingpopplio]

A Reminder about MHA’s last chapter

Dear MHA fandom, the leaks never said that Class-A lose complete contact with Izuku for the last 6 years, only that they haven’t been able to see eachother because of scheduling conflicts. TEXTING, CALLING, AND VIDEO-CHATTING ARE STILL A THING. FOR ALL WE KNOW THEY’VE BEEN TEXTING 24/7 SO PLEASE STOP REACHING SUCH AN INSANE CONCLUSION WHEN THATS LITERALLY NOT THE CASE.

Translations say they “haven’t had enough time to get together”, which means seeing each other in person. It doesn’t mean anything about other forms of communications. Long-distance relationships happen all the time. Dont you remember still keeping in touch with others after moving away or after highschool/college? It’s the same case here.

So, let’s all take a deep breath, no matter who you ship or care about most, and remember that these kids all care about eachother and nothing can change that.

[teapetal44]

TW: ABUSE, CHILD ABUSE

“He wants to air this dirty laundry to the world does he…? Dabi, you fiend…you’ve been waiting for this moment…when they couldn’t prevent mass destruction…and faith in heroes is wavering.” - chapter 292

I truly, wholeheartedly, believe that MHA as a story upholds the myth of the perfect victim. I do not want to discuss if Horikoshi did that on purpose, or subconsciously because of inner bias – I find no meaning in doing so. For me the execution of an idea, in the grand scheme of the narrative, holds more value than the intention of the author. I’ve also had my fair share of people infantilizing Asian authors in the anime community for their poor writing decisions for one lifetime. It’s patronizing to both the author and the people reading it. Whether or not Horikoshi intended for his themes of abuse to paint the picture they did does not matter, because that’s how it reads as.

MHA puts victims of abuse in narrow boxes and softly dictates what’s an acceptable reaction to said abuse. Victims are continuously walking a tightrope between being deserving of compassion and sympathy and being unredeemable monsters who are too far gone and are only good for martyrdom after being put down.  

Eri fits the clean cut depiction of abuse victims that media usually gears towards. She is untouched by the cruelty around her - she preserves her innocence and kindness. She isn't assertive, but rather meek and passive. She doesn't fight back with force. And when offered help, she is receptive to it. That is not to say that Eri's depiction doesn't have a place in fiction, or that her portrayal can't be representative of the experiences of some - as we all deal with trauma and the inhumanity people throw at us differently. We see the same thing in the portrayal of Fuyumi, who shares many of the qualities discussed above. The same thing applies to her - i personally love the idea of all the siblings having different reaction to their childhood trauma and abuse. It shows that victims are not some type of monolith.

But the narrative treats the "forgiving" or "receptive to help/support" victims of abuse with more grace and with much more kindness. if you are willing to forgive, or the very least be quietly tolerant, the story grants you a happy ending. Forgiveness isn't a bad thing, it is an individual choice - but an abuse victim shouldn't have to do it for them to have a happy ending.

In a vacuum Eri and Fuyumi's character arcs and depictions of abuse are good but it becomes a problem when that's the only experience and type of victim we ever hold in high value or recognize as valid and deserving of compassion. Which the story reinforces.

Touya and Tenko's backstories aren't pretty nor comfortable or easy to sit through. Their responses to abuse aren't either. Reactive abuse is very much real.

[hotpotatopotat]

Why I don't think Shigaraki or his legacy is over.

I don't normally do canon delves but I am compelled as a Tomura fan to dissect the final battle. This isn't a post on whether it's good or bad, but observations on what's been told.

Shigaraki's crux has always been that he feels like no one can possibly understand what he is trying to accomplish, that his message and suffering is pushed under the rug, and that society is so rotten there's nothing to be done. Deku's goal is to try and understand this.

When Deku breaks through in mha417, Tomura challenges him on this. What would even change if you saw what happened to me? What would you even DO about it? Deku declares to the one person that needs it most: To reach out and give you peace, and "that is why...I am here"

But... When given the chance to go back to a time when he was happy, Tenko chooses not to. "Nah." he says. I think this is often overlooked, but Tomura didn't WANT to leave behind everything he's done.

Tomura says, even if you got rid of my hatred, even if you succeed in "saving me", it doesn't change the fact that I still believe in the future I'm fighting for, to destroy. The villains need a hero, the suffering needs to end, and things need to change.

Hang on to that for a moment. All for One shows up. He mocks him, his dream, his goals, claiming that they weren't real, that they weren't his, that his heart doesn't matter, that none of it does. He's evil.

All for One does kill Tomura here... or at least he would have....

With Deku's final blow, he ignites any remaining embers, Shigaraki, included. They land the final blow to All for One. Without that spark, and without Nana having saved Tomura from fading away, he wouldn't have been able to do this. Tomura would have died before.

Tomura's vestige is still decaying away, and he laments the fact that maybe...he wasn't more than the crying kid Deku said he was. He couldn't do anything. He didn't even destroy Deku's hands. His dreams are over.

Izuku says that he wanted to stop the cycle of grief and suffering. Tomura gives him a soft "hah..." This is such a cathartic moment for them, because I believe that Tomura finally feels understood. He's actually quite relieved.

Strangely, Tomura is soft here. He's not decaying away anymore, he's solid, he's wearing his old shirt. He's NOT the same. He declares how he wants to be remembered, as the one who never stopped fighting to change the world. Izuku says, it's already been...but...

In mha424, Tomura instantly challenges this. With a giant smirk, he tells Deku that he better do his damn best to make sure that things change. It depends on the choices that he continues to make, not the conclusion of one battle.

424 feels like a giant wink wink nudge nudge for the reader. Deku is dissatisfied with not getting that instant gratification of "saving" Tenko, just like after a final battle, he won't get the instant gratification of changing the world. We don't get the gratification either.

But honestly, I really do believe that Deku will carry on Shigaraki's legacy and internalize it just like All Might's.

One final thing... You see his hair change textures. Left to right, It's decaying like in the final form, it's defined and stringy like in his early days, and it's airy and blocked like in his liberation days. This is such guardian angel energy, I swear.

I don't think this is the last we will see of him. And if it is, at least physically the last we see of him, I'm happy Deku will carry on what was truly in Tomura's heart.

[zuzukuu]

loving when ppl write toshinori (all might) as smart. like the golden retriever personality is his, but works scarily like present mics DJ persona- we've seen toshi get serious, we've seen him break down,, and we know he'd put his life on the line for his kids- yet he still manages to put on his signature smile. He's been a hero for a little around 35 years,, he obviously knows how things are run. He knows police procedures off the back of his hand, he knows how to learn everything there is about a person in 30 seconds flat, he knows the tells of a disaster in progress, he has the hero mindset to a Tee. If the dorky personality helps villains not notice the cogs turning in his eyes, it's just a slight perk.

Edit: upon seeing the reblog by @rurounivash I've realised that yeah lowk he goofs out on some things, sometimes he does just airhead his way through the day because damn, you can't expect the man to be vigilant 24\7 BUT, he does apply his godforsaken iq to learning how to do other things, i.e, teaching his kids

[valenteal]

I know that the mha fandom kinda had to make up shit for Hawks because his backstory came out slowly but I really wish it hadn’t taken over. As far as I am aware the HPSC doesn’t torture him or have super strict control of his life anymore. Obviously they groomed him and trained him properly pretty brutally but I don’t think they’re unnecessarily cruel. They wouldn’t want to risk him turning against them and with how young they got him the don’t need to.

Hawks is Lady Nagant’s replacement, meaning all the people she would’ve been sent to assassinate he took care of. Corrupt heroes who needed to be silenced, political enemies, criminals with ideas to dangerous like the league and the mla, he was sent to kill them. Hawks is an assassin and a spy with a background reminiscent of Black Widow. That’s traumatizing enough and I wish I could find more fics that address that rather than him being overworked and pushed to be perfect to the point of mutilation.

Cause like— Hawks isn’t a perfect golden boy? Where did people get that idea? That would be like All Might or Best Jeanist. Hawks is super socially awkward and covers it up with bravado and ends up coming off as rude. In terms of social experience he’s at the same place as Shouto if he never went to UA. He has no idea what he’s doing, he’s just winging it and everyone ignores it because he flashes a pretty smile. He’s like completely tactless.

I don’t think the commission even intended for him to be so high ranking, he’s just too damn good at his job and too pretty for his own good. He was supposed to be an assassin and an infiltrator and being so high profile is not conducive to that.

Anyway those are my thoughts on Hawks, I love him and I love Dabihawks but god do I wish there weren’t so few fics that actually use their canon characterization, or as close as you can get with a Dabihawks fic since canonically they hate each other. But their like so perfect from a narrative standpoint, they could be each other’s perfect foil with all the parallels and similarities in their backstories!

[blueteller]

Introducing Character Trope: STEBS (Stoic Traumatized Epic Bastard Softie)

I have tried to look this up on TV tropes, but it does not exist. Not officially, at least. So I decided – I'm introducing new trope. It already exist, someone might as well try and give it a name.

And yeah, this acronym SUCKS, feel free to come up with a better one! But let's talk about what a "STEBS" character is for me, because I've come to the conclusion that it is actually my favorite character type.

First, context. Ever since I've read TCF, I have come across other medias and I was often like, "Hey, this character is basically just like Cale!" – which I feel like, it isn't really fair? I mean, Cale is a great and complex character, but making this comparison constantly makes me feel like I'm undermining the complexity of OTHER characters. Just because Cale shares similarities with other characters doesn't make them copies of him.

So, what exactly is a STEBS?

1) Stoic

This character has a very specific way of acting in non-confrontational situations. It can be respectful, it can be casual, but it is neither extremely friendly nor extremely rude. It's in a calm, pleasant zone, where the character treats others like... well, people. The character doesn't make themselves superior nor inferior, it doesn't matter to them if the other is a beggar or a king. They just are, calm and casual. That's what makes them stoic - NOT lack of expressions or emotions, or lack of humor. It's the way they carry themselves on the regular. This character type makes others feel relaxed because of it, and subconsciously encourages trust and friendship (much to the character's confusion). They will also make a great educator because of it, and will likely act as a mentor or a teacher more than once.

2) Traumatized

Despite the stoicism in their behavior, they actually have a complicated background. Commonly an orphan, even though not always, this person has been through a LOT. But, they don't usually express it. Seeing this character cry or break down is EXTREMELY rare and always a very important scene in a story. It's not that they're not emotional or they always try to bury their trauma, although that does usually apply to them; they're just not vocal about it due to their personality. But oh boy, are they traumatized! Wait for that reveal later in the story though, when it actually becomes plot-relevant.

3) Epic

Despite the character being a stoic type, with a backstory that makes them crave very simple things – be it retirement, respect from their peers, a safe house to live in, a stable job, a family, a specific successful career – they are actually freaking epic where it comes to things they do. They either have great knowledge, memory, or skills in a particular field and they always manage to surprise others with just how competent they are. It can be literal combat skills, magic, being a life-saving surgeon, or even a therapist. But whenever they get their chance to shine, they become a real star.

4) Bastard

A trait that adds a surprising amount of charm and humor to their other traits. Being stoic makes them likeable, being traumatized makes them sympathetic, being epic makes them cool – but being a bastard? It actually just means they're mischievous and have a penchant for chaos. Because this character is meant to make changes in the narrative, like an accidental revolutionary or a transmigrator, they have to possess a cunning streak that might seem mean or selfish at first, but actually never crosses the line into making them despicable. It just makes them an occasional manipulator, but it's usually portrayed in a way that still makes it impossible to make you hate them. In fact, it makes you love them more for it. They are not naive, even if they can be oblivious or silly at times; being a bastard to those who deserve it means being able to get out of sticky situations that would be problematic for paragon heroes. It includes stuff like acting, pranks, cheating, manipulation, shady deals, gambling, stealing, and even criminal behavior, that is actually very understandable due to their specific circumstances.

5) Softie

And if all the previous traits haven't convinced you to love this character yet, the last one surely will. This character, despite having a mean streak, is in fact never mean to innocent people. Actually, they are surprising soft and/or sentimental, especially towards the helpless and children. This character will probably have at least one animal sidekick, at least one paragon protagonist type on their payroll, and most importantly an adopted child - if the previous two don't already fill that spot. This character will make excuses of course, they will claim that they are taking care of others for their own benefits. But you will see quickly that they don't treat others like a heartless manipulator, but more of an overprotective mother-hen. This character, no matter their gender, will eventually become the typical Mom Friend. They will make sure everybody eats well, sleeps well, they get their allowance, pack their lunch before heading out to participate in the plot and probably try to sacrifice themselves for them more than once. They will of course become the mentor figure on top of it, and possibly even be a straight up legal guardian and/or teacher to other important characters.

And this, my friends, is what I call a STEBS character. While it outlines a general, it's not a strict definition, mind you. Even if a character exhibit one trait less than the others (for example not being much of a bastard, or not being very stoic), it still counts as long as you still recognize them as fitting in this "category".

Characters in this category include:

Cale Henituse from Trash of the Count's Family

Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars

Aizawa Shota from My Hero Academia

Kakashi from Naruto

Remus Lupin from Harry Potter

Faramir from Lord of the Rings

Kim Dokja from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Rimuru Tempest from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Park Moondae from Debut or Die

Won Hwabu from I Reincarnated as a Legendary Surgeon

And many, many others.

Let me know if you have a better name for this very specific character type!

[lerrryyyyy]

Deku-Sensei ☺️💚

°°°

Do not edit or repost my art.

[featherstorm2004]

You ever think about how AFO probably has a lot of resource trauma considering his past, like I can't get over the fact that when we see a toddler-ish aged AFO he was noticeably more malnourished than his brother signaling that he probably only ate the bare minimum to survive in order to keep his sickly twin alive.

And I wounder if deep down that caused some subconscious resentment to from in him against Yoichi as they grew up. Like how some siblings who take the protector role in abusive environments can go on to resent the other sibling that they were protecting because 'they had it easier', that could probably explain why when they got older AFO seemed to overcorrect with him treating himself to luxuries whist Yoichi was kept in such poor conditions.

Like he still loved Yoichi and wanted him near him but he might've also resented him for the fact that he wasn't the one who had to constantly fight tooth and nail for them to survive. So, that's probably why he never took Yoichi's love for hero's and being kind seriously since he probably saw it as a result of his brother never having to deal with the 'real world' the way he did so just brushed it off as being naive.

And I just can't get over what that would do to a kid, like imagine a toddler coming to the realization that he has to starve himself in order to prioritize his siblings health. That's got to be traumatizing and I can just imagine AFO working to provide for the both of them even through illness, injuries or whatever because he new he couldn't afford to be sick or truly take a break and relax.

idk man it keeps me up at night.

[k3r0deku]

erm hey. never posted this but have had it for like a month now. bkdk tattoo

designed myself :p

if anyone wants a whole analysis on the design i’ve got one HAHAHA

[tawney]

PLEASE pile up on me your favorite Teacher Izuku fics. Ones with some depth and personalities to the students rather than just a one-shot, I'd love to see slice of life fics with Deku dadzawa-ing his students and his students being Deku's personal problem children and all the sweet casual fluff crap 😭 all these tropes and ideas I'm seeing on twitter and tumblr are making me long and I'm close to just starting an ao3 account and writing them myself.

[batterycows]

Ochako’s Confession: A Togachako Analysis

I don't usually write down or post analysis, but if I didn't put this down somewhere I was at risk of grabbing a stranger off the street and asking whether they knew about the doomed toxic yuri in hit manga series My Hero Academia.

Now, I think it was expected to some degree that Uraraka would have some big cathartic confession where she finally embraced her feelings for Izuku. And while she did admit her feeelings, the moment wasn't... that

And honestly, why would it be? In the end, Uraraka had no reason to confess her feelings. She didn't suffer from hiding them, on the contrary. Her crush was beginning to hinder her performance as a Hero, and all bottling them up did was help her improve. Sure, suppression is bad and all but ultimately, Uraraka seemed better off pushing her feelings aside. Especially when compared to Toga, who literally broke under the pressure of her hidden feelings. There was nothing pushing Uraraka to confess other than the vague sentiment that “suppressing your feelings is Bad.”

Yet, the importance of being open about your feelings is repeatedly emphasized during Toga's and Uraraka's arcs. It's what drove Toga to villainy, and something she tried to bond with Uraraka over. Something they shared. So the setup for a confession is there, but no satisfying resolution.

That's cause Izuku is a red herring.

Indeed, being honest about her feelings was vital for Uraraka, but it had nothing to with Izuku. Because the feelings Uraraka was suppressing all along, the ones that she needed to let out, were her feelings for Toga.

The envy she felt during their first meeting, how lovely she found Toga's smile. How much it troubled Uraraka when it was replaced with tears. Girl likes boy is as conventional as it gets. But a Hero sympathizing for a Villain in a society that dehumanizes them? Now that makes Uraraka kind of weird. And she knows it, that these thoughts go against everything she knows about society, about her role as a Hero. So she tried pushing all that away.

But she can't run from her feelings forever. And in the end, it's those feelings that allow Uraraka to save the day. Her arc deals with humanization. She wonders "who saves Heroes" until she's wondering "who saves Villains?" and finds that in this case, the answer is each other.

How did Uraraka and Toga save each other? By imitating each other, by being like someone they love.

Uraraka envied Toga's unapologetic openness, so she took a page from her book and told her everything she had been hiding and mulling over since they met. She stopped pushing Toga away and finally answered every one-sided conversation they've had. They're chatting about love, and Uraraka is finally responding.

A girl's feelings can change the world, and Uraraka being honest about her feelings is what allowed her to reach Toga's heart and save her. This is how Uraraka became a Hero.

Toga also saved Uraraka by imitating her. In a very literal sense by Transforming into Uraraka (being "cute" like Uraraka) but I think also in the way she used her Quirk. Until now, Toga believed the only way for her to live freely was through violence. When her Quirk awakened, Toga used Zero Gravity to kill. But now, she's imitating Uraraka on a deeper level. Uraraka who said her Quirk isn't made to hurt people, so Toga used her own Quirk to save Uraraka. For the first time, she realized she could love and be loved without violence.

Uraraka and Toga's confrontation was the long awaited end of a conversation. Nearly a year before Toga had tried to bond with Uraraka, asked her whether she liked someone, whether she wanted to be like them? Uraraka finally confessed: Yes, I want to be like you.

[sleepingpopplio]

The Powerful Theme Behind BNHA’s Nuanced Ending

As I’m posting this we only have one more chapter of the manga and I don’t know how the ending is going to exactly play out, but I do know one thing. The deaths of Toga and Tenko were not in vain, and the author is still trying to give readers hope while also still maintaining some realism and bitter-sweetness in his messaging. Therefore, this is what I think Horikoshi is trying to tell his readers, especially the young people who have their whole lives ahead of them to make a difference on the world:

I see how this theme, the one that’s been built up throughout this manga yet simultaneously feels like it’s coming out of left field, is one of those themes that is a hard pill to swallow. Basically, no matter how hard we can try and push to do good and help others/make the world a better place, we’ll often fail again and again. A lot of bad things can happen, society can choose to remain apathetic, and it can seem like nothing’s ever gonna change because you just put all that hard work in towards the future for nothing. However, even if sometimes you can’t save everyone or society keeps trying to push issues under the rug, that doesn’t mean we should give up trying to fight for social issues we care about. We might never get to see the perfect world Deku and Urarak dream of, and Tenko and Toga may be gone, but their fight for a good and accepting world will someday be worth it cus their actions do have weight by showing that redemption is possible, even if no one has seen it except them. Young people like them just have to make sure to leave their mark so that others can follow.

My Hero Academia is about how we all can become the greatest hero, not by magically destroying the world’s problems and apathy overnight, but instead by continously reaching out a helping hand to people who might not initially seem like they want it.