#or that scar only started being mad at alchemists the last half of his arc and it wasn't even his main arc

[problemswithbooks]

So, I guess we’re back to this whole Mutant discrimination thing again with this newest chapter. In principal the concept isn't bad, but Hori’s execution is laughable and shows that he sees it more as a fun world building thing that he pulled from X-Men rather then because he actually understands what he’s talking about.

It’s always been very clear that Hori didn’t really understand or want to focus on this aspect of his work. This chapter makes that very apparent since it suddenly introduces the fact that there have been mass genocides of Mutant Quirk havers in the past. It also has the Mutants say they don’t like Heroes and consider the two kids with Mutant Quirks fighting for the Heroes traitors.

But when has the story or characters ever interacted with their world in a way that shows these things have happened? Heck if these things are true we have at least three characters that have said racial slurs as insults. Yet none of these cases were ever shown to be a big deal.

Shinsou called Ojiro a monkey. It got Izuku upset but no more then anyone would be upset if some called their regular human friend a monkey. It was an insult, like calling someone stupid or an idiot. Izuku quickly forgot about it and no one in Class-A holds it against him, including the other heteromorph students. 

Shoto calls the police chief a dog. People are a little shocked but more so in the way anyone would be if the quiet kid from class insulted a regular police chief. Shoto was seen as rude and a little rash but not as anything more. Izuku and Iida didn’t lose any respect for him or tell him what he said was uncool. The police chief doesn't even seem to care.

Dabi calls Spinner lizard casually. Spinner gets upset, but is more annoyed then genuinely mad. He doesn’t hold it against Dabi or dislike him afterwards. Shigaraki doesn’t care that Dabi just called Spinner a lizard either.  

If this is a world where Heteromorphs have faced mass genocide and where Quirk counseling has pushed the idea that it’s wrong to single them out, these insults would be on par with the worst racial slurs. Someone saying them would out them as racist. Sure the Quirk counseling hasn’t worked and people still find them gross, but it’s clear that attitude is not something you’re not supposed to show publicly.  

Yet, Shinsou’s insult is forgotten--Class-1A are happy to work with him and want him in the Hero course with them. Izuku and Iida still like Shoto and never bring up that his racial slur were wrong, nor does he apologize for it. Dabi calls Spinner a lizard and Spinner doesn’t hold it against him. Shigaraki doesn’t reprimand him for being mutant racist. He’s still just one of the league--the Bakugou of the group who has silly names for his pals. 

And I think what sums up how much Hori doesn’t understand how oppression works or how to write is is that in the chapter he has the heteromorphs tell his one black character how he can’t possibly understand how they feel or how they suffer. Like, yes, I’m sure the black man can’t possibly understand how these people feel--it’s not like he’s ever faced racism before. No certainly not--only Hori’s fake animal people know what it’s like to be judged based on their appearance. 

There’s just something so tone deft about it, that really underscores to me how little research or care Hori put into this part of his world. To me it really seems like he read/watched X-Men and plucked one of it’s core themes out of it and placed it in his story for some neat side plot/background worldbuilding. It’s cheap and it’s his weakest storyline by far.