#ngl now I want to check to see how Aizawa talks to his pupils

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

So so sorry that I continue to beat a dead horse-I was just really curious if Katsuki's continued softening toward Izuku, +say a setting in which they're dramatically recounting their story for a formal documentary, would make it fitting for K to use more BJ-like/polite language. Seems the answer is a resounding no! And with 430 suggesting it's AM's hands in 377, how appropriate would it be for AM to say these lines? eg. use kare for Izk (less a Q abt the joke narration, more abt AM&Izk's rlshp)

Dead horse or not, I appreciate you clarifying what you were trying to ask about. I stand by my statement concerning Katsuki's language and characterization, but since you opened the door to a few different topics, I'll go ahead and explain some things.

In Japanese, formal speech and polite speech are technically different things. They overlap significantly, but one can in fact use formal speech without politeness and politeness without formality.

Take a gander at this little comparison.

From Wikipedia

I conflated the two a little in the way I talked about Katsuki because he uses neither while the 348 narration uses both: plain formal structure (de aru) combined with word choices that do not denote casualness or intimacy and thus read as polite (kare rather than aitsu).

However, this distinction is worth making because Best Jeanist generally does not speak politely, he speaks in flowery language with occasional formality.

The floweriness and formality are key parts of his characterization; he is a fanciful, image-conscious dude. He is classy and chic.

Interestingly, both Best Jeanist and All Might exclusively use watashi as their first-person pronoun, which can sometimes be notable for adult men. In situations that demand politeness (speaking to your superior at work, your teacher, etc.), watashi is standard and unremarkable. In social situations among peers or when they themselves are the boss at work speaking to their employees, many men will switch to ore to casually assert their masculinity.

All Might's use of watashi is actually a bit surprising—it contrasts with Endeavor, who uses the more expected ore. This is one of my favorite details about All Might and, to me, he comes across as a lot more approachable, humble, and gentle than you would expect because of it. I see it as an expression of that deep conviction he holds to be the Symbol of Peace. He views himself as a servant to the people; the need to assert his masculinity is not even on his radar.

Best Jeanist's watashi reads similarly, but he also reflects a very specific flavor of Japanese masculinity that is rooted in delicacy, self-control, intellectualism, virtue, etc.. English-speakers pretty regularly mistake this kind of masculinity for femininity, and it tends to make a mess of discussions about gender in Japanese media. As I said in my post about Monoma's speech patterns, gender and social class are huge factors in how the issue of formal vs. casual language is perceived.

Onto your question about All Might and Izuku: All Might uses plain (informal) Japanese and the second-person pronoun kimi for Izuku, both of which are normal and expected of him as the social superior in their dynamic. He has indeed used the third-person kare for Izuku.

In his position, All Might has the "right to be rude" to Izuku, so he could easily use casual words like aitsu instead, but I think he chooses more neutral words to avoid coming across as overly harsh or derogatory.

All Might makes considerations to sound gentle and supportive of his young pupils. For his part, Izuku is a respectful young man who idolizes All Might. He consistently and without exception uses polite Japanese towards All Might.

Izuku's politeness makes moments like these really fucking funny.

Chapter 62

"I'M SO SORRY, ALL MIGHT!!" Izuku screams in polite Japanese while unleashing a massive explosion unto him.

Chapter 65

"PLEASE STEP ASIDE, ALL MIGHT," Izuku utters determinedly in polite Japanese before punching the ever-loving shit out of All Might.

I know you're not necessarily asking about 348's narrator anymore, but just for the sake of argument, I can't say for certain that All Might has never used plain formal Japanese, but I also can't think of a time I've seen it.

But admittedly, the appeal of All Might as the narrator is the same as why I thought Best Jeanist would be delightful, except it's maybe even funnier because All Might has lightly scolded Katsuki for insulting Izuku before:

Chapter 217. Katsuki calls Izuku gomi (trash) and All Might tells him not to say that.

Hilarious to imagine All Might epically recounting the tale of the final battle only to suddenly swerve, forced to concede that, yeah, okay, Young Bakugou was right: that boy is a damn nerd.

But are you really one to talk, All Might?

Anyway, I think the social dynamics of Japanese can be hard for English-speakers to understand sometimes. Compared to Japanese, English grammar doesn't have such distinctly defined systems of formality, which leaves word choice as the main distinguishing feature people tend to notice.

But these things don't exist in a vacuum, so it is important (and fun!) to step back and consider the many layers to how people express themselves. :D