#with bkdk and izuku being a teacher

[hoarder-of-dragons]

Found out MHA recently ended from my friend, and I've always been an outsideresque fan. Never watched the anime or read the manga, but enough lore was dropped on me from my friend to read fanfics and ...HOLY SHIT THEY ENDED IT SO GOOD

Caution: Again I'm saying these stuff with no contact with the actual media itself. You can skip over this post if you want. This is just a fanfic reader's perspective on news shared by my friend. Ending is controversial for sure.

SPOILERS (its just me rambling lmao)

Okay so firstly Izuku becoming a teacher is like...? perfect??? Harry Potter should take notes istg. Him losing his powers but still teaching and training students is just 🤌✨✨

Literally proving you can be a hero with no quirk

Shinso being added to Class 1-A is just every fan's dream istg

Deku becomes Ironman?? Okay?? Awesome? (IT IS AWESOME)

Love unconfirmed ships. I'm sorry but this fuels writers to write more with all the ambiguity (Also isn't DekuOcha slightly canon or implied?? idk)

AIZAWA AND IZUKU BEING COLLEGUES SHOULDN'T MALE ME HAPPY

Ochako honoring Toga WITH A QUIRK COUNSELLING EXPANSION PROJECT HELLO?? I LOVE HER SO MUCH💗💗

yeah i dont think i have much more to input, cause I don't know if I ever will read/watch the canon media, but these things make me happy and it's like a fanfic coming true...so yeah pls no hate towards me :))

[niko-ur-local-moron]

yeah the epilogue was ass for the bkdk nation but at least it confirmed that Dynamight often comes to Deku Sensei's classes (and that's how I imagine they look like)

[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.

[epickiya722]

Wooooow, yeah, no... I can't with some of you anymore.

I had already clocked that Izuku probably rejected the offer because Izuku may already felt that Katsuki done enough for him and after reading some more translations (1, 2 - shoutout to Pika) I was certainly close!

The thing is about that conversation is Katsuki didn't outright ask Izuku to work at the agency (not own it with him or anything). However, Izuku was asked about quitting his teaching job. He voices that he wouldn't.

It's something he likes doing. He gets to guide children into reaching their goals. And even admits that had OFA remained, he would have still became a teacher.

Katsuki took that as a rejection and Kirishima states that.

In a way, it's similar to how Ochako was telling the girls about how she was having feelings (mind you without even stating anybody being the cause) and it's Ashido who puts it in her head about it being "love" and it's because of either Izuku or Iida.

Katsuki didn't have to see that as a rejection because technically, Izuku didn't. He just states that he likes working as a teacher.

It wasn't until Kirishima stated that Katsuki got "rejected" and then goes on about how Katsuki is inviting him to join the agency. It was then after that, Izuku declines.

The fandom likes to jump on Izuku about being oblivious, but that same energy needs to go to Katsuki, too.

Let's not forget this is the same guy who went years thinking Izuku was looking down on him which it was the total opposite.

He wasn't direct with Izuku and he also needs to see that they don't need an agency to be happy and work as heroes together. Again, Katsuki is always the one who works to strive from more while Izuku just accepts the bare minimum.

Who said that an agency is what they need to be a duo? They didn't have an agency as students when they fought villains together, so why does that have to change now?

Izuku isn't someone who wants more. Some may chalk it up as to being someone who doesn't thinks highly of himself and that's why he doesn't think he deserves more, but that's not always the case.

Izuku definitely had his self-loathing moments, but I do think that throughout the story and as he got older, he has grown to think of himself in a high regard, that he is more confident in himself. That's why he is fine with being a teacher. He knows what he wants and he's satisfied with that.

On that note, sometimes, a person who does want to reach for more is also someone who doesn't think too highly of themselves. They reach to surround themselves with materialistic things to make up for the confidence they lack.

They don't see that the bare minimum can make you happy, that the simple things can mean so much more to you if you allow yourself that happiness.

That's what Katsuki needs to get. Izuku is happy enough with them being in each other's lives. An agency doesn't need to be needed for that. Katsuki isn't allowing himself to see that he doesn't strive for more when he already has Izuku.

Really made Izuku look like some total villain, huh? I need written apologies for him like a week ago.

[kimi-no-chikara]

I'm sorry, I've been trying so hard to accept Izuku becoming a UA teacher but I just can't. I love Horikoshi for the happiness he and his story have brought me over the years, but Izuku being a teacher is just bugging me so hard. I know he'd be an incredible teacher, I'm not arguing against that. But beyond the fact that I think Izuku himself would want to at least stay in the hero industry, I don't think there's any chance Katsuki would've let him give up on being a hero.

I think that's why Horikoshi at least made it a point in canon to emphasize that Katsuki especially was behind funding Izuku's hero suit. Because he of all people could not let Deku go. He needed him to be a hero. And I appreciate that we at least see that much in canon. But honestly I think Katsuki would've stepped in sooner than 8 years later and never would have let Izuku give up on being a hero in the first place.

I don't know at what point Izuku gave up on being a pro hero and started looking at other career options, but whenever it happened, I just know he must have spoken to Katsuki about it. Izuku, unreliable narrator that he is, probably fooled even himself into thinking that he's okay with it. That he's blessed to have lived his dream as long as he did. That his time is over. But Katsuki would've shut that shit right down.

Kacchan Bakugou did not watch Izuku spend 10+ years wanting nothing more than to be a hero, while quirkless, just to then watch him give up on being a hero because he lost his quirk. He would've called bullshit on that immediately.

Katsuki knows Izuku intimately. He knows how badly Izuku needs to be a hero. Being quirkless never stopped Izuku from wanting to be a hero before. There's no reason it should stop him now. And he'd say as much. Ain't no way he'd let Izuku give up on being a hero just because he lost OFA.

[flying-cat]

I haven't seen so much bkdk art on my Twitter tl since like 2022 BLESS

[dailybakudekusong]

Today's BakuDeku Song Is: Such Great Heights - The Postal Service

And true it may seem like a stretch But it's thoughts like this that catch My troubled head when you're away And when I am missing you to death

[nefastnefertiti]

WHY CHAPTER 431 OF MY HERO ACADEMIA SCREAMS CENSORSHIP

First let's start by the "afterword", the note Horikoshi left after 430 and before the extras, chapter 431.

Original japanese for those who understand.

The best traslation I found and most people are agreeing with.

Key sentences are:

1.The real final chapter is 429, 430 is more like a curtain call.

2. PS: For chapter 431, I turn off the cameras and free the characters from their dramas.

This note being left after 430 and before the extras is so important. . The clarification of "the real final chapter is 429" and 430 is the curtain call is screaming: the show has ended here. This is further stated by "i turn the cameras off" by the man who use to refer himself as the camera man, I leave you with an example.

(They're talking about Vol 37 cover)

And back to point number 2: "and free the characters from their dramas", which could perfectly be understood as "the characters are no longer tied to their previous plots and drama" no longer connected to the main story.

It may seem like a reach until here, we're just trying to convince ourselves that's not canon, right? They´re delusions, right?

The problem is how far away everything about 431 antagonizes the whole story, the characters doesn't feel like themselves, they even regress back all their development, the drawing style looks totally different and there are many irregularities that call for our attention.

Dabi, 431 and by Horikoshi

Toga and Ochaco in 431:

Toga and Ochaco by Horikoshi:

All Might's signature for Katsuki (Horikoshi would never mess this up):

Kirishima with 6 fingers lol, Horikoshi loves drawing hands, he would never.

Katsuki's odd teeth what the fuck. (His hand looks good to me)

Ochaco and Shoto just look, weird. It's clearly not Horikoshi's art style.

And this awful background (center) was the main giveaway.

Horikoshi's backgrounds are so professional:

At this point I'm getting tired since the difference is astounding, don't believe me, just check the manga.

I don't think Horikoshi would've allowed those mistakes had he have a role in the making, maybe he did, there's no saying about that, but clearly if he did his involvement was very low.

Character's development wise now.

Seriously? "Deku"? And Katsuki complaining for picking him up. He cried his eyes out when Izuku lost his quirk and now he's back at season 1?

Izuku would never in a million years turn down that offer. And if he did, it would never be like this, so devoid of emotion and empathy.

430 showed us an Izuku aiming for his dreams again and at 431 this Izuku ¿? It's okay with being a teacher? Ok. And if that's not the problem, why he outright rejects Katsuki out of nowhere? When their rivalry was one of the main points of the plots for 430 chapters and now just um over? Without justification? Ok.

Ok.

Now specifically about that ship canonization and bkdk.

Horikoshi has been doing this for 10 years. The choices he took the whole manga were incredibly intentional, all those romantic tropes given to bkdk, his interviews, all stand in direct opposition to what happened in this last chapter.

I, myself, don't know much about Jump but what I've heard is they end lot of shonens with the same heterosexual formula. I don't think all of this is a coincidence.

Something really important that needs to be adressed to is what happened back in June (I think), when suddenly MHA announced it was ending in 5 chapters could've something to do with this. The manga was suddenly rushed to its ends with unsatisfying resolutions and as if that was not enough, one month later (at most) the same happened to JJK and all of this came accompanied by a switch of one of the heads of Jump.

About 431 again though.

I was just thinking what would I do if I was pressured to write something that ruins the biggest project of my life and goes against everything I was hoping for? Refuse. Tell them to write it themselves. If I can't do anything to stop it and it'll be there, alright, but I WON'T DO IT.

And I think this could be Horikoshi's case.

I've never seen a shonen manga come so close to implying his male protagonist and his male deuteragonist are in love before. Yes, it was not EXPLICIT but it was so fucking clear if you knew how to read, all the way up to 430. All those cliches tropes he gave them, he knew, we know.

I thought I'll die trying to explaineverything that seems wrong with this with nothing to back me up but the fact that he added that note is clear for me. I'm surprised they allowed him to publish it, I thought we wouldn't even have that.

PS:

It's interesting this being posted the same day 431 comes out. Also "heroaca is pretty dark, huh?"

I'll not go into this anyways because it's kind of a reach but the conclusion is: I think it's a "soft" censorship and Horikoshi did his best to relay his message given what he had.

Thanks for reading!

[rasb7rry]

hey assholes it's your girl himi and im gonna prove to you that the new leaks are FAKE (credits to Sammy and fawx on twt for alot of evidence) some evidence (mostly in the end) is just my own speculation!

1) FIRST OF ALL THE CHANGE IN ARTSTYLE like sure horis artstyle has evolved and improved but the artstyle is easily distinguishable, the leaks just don't look right

2) the missing scars -- in the new leaks both izuku and shoto are missing their new scars

3) ochako holding things with her pinky is odd because everywhere else she doesn't use her pinky to make sure she doesn't make them float HORI CAN'T FORGET A DETAIL LIKE THAT

4) the official leaks are supposed to come out on the 4th of december

5) theres too many pages – every other time there were 3-4 pages max, why the hell would the leaks have these many times this time ONLY

6) the english translations took time, why did they come out this early this time..

7) we have no clue where leakers are finding these leaks

8) none of the leaks picture a book and theyre all digitized unlike every other time..

9) a japanese speaker went on the official website and the extra chapter is NOT official

10) in the previous leaks other credits are tagged

11) izuocha being canon would be forced and rushed – like it doesn’t add up to me, ochako putting away her feelings about izuku is the start of her character development.. It doesn’t make sense if she goes back to those feelings she put aside BEFORE THE WAR this late into adulthood

12) the fact that there’s barely any mention of the suit in general is throwing me off too – like in the last chapter there isnt enough info about it either so id expect the extra chapter to have atleast A LITTLE MORE INFO

13) himiko and katsuki just being izuochas wingmen makes zero sense to me like this feels like fanfiction its OUT OF CHARACTER FOR THEM ALL

14) hori HINTS romance rather than stating it – like bkdk his hinted in the japanese manga and togachako isnt as subtle but its HINTED so him randomly deciding to make izuocha obviously canon just feels wrong

15) NO MENTION OF HAWKS?? A MAIN PRO HERO?? OR ENDEVOUR?? ANOTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTER??

16) WHERE THE FUCK IS THE LEAGUE..? LIKE HIMIKO AND DABI ARE THE ONLY ONES MENTIONED. WHERE IS SHIGARAKI. THE MAIN VILLAIN. IZUKU COULDNT SAVE HIM PROPERLY SO THAT MUSTVE SCARRED HIM SOMEWHAT..?

17) okay so its said that izuku joins KATSUKI’S AGENCY first of all its wonder DUO, ITS SUPPOSED TO BE THEIR AGENCY – putting that aside no way in hell would katsuki open an agency that fast.. like since izukus still a teacher here, we know he went to get a teachers degree after highschool so its confirmed that hes in his early 20s, and katsukis the same age, its unlikely that he could open an agency that quickly

18) adding to my last point, in the last chapter, katsuki kept his hero ranks low on purpose until izukus suit is over so its way more likely that he probably working for an agency and also the fact that he probably started working after most of his classmates because of his heart issues SO NO WAY DID HE SET UP AN AGENCY ON HIS OWN WITHOUT IZUKU THAT FAST

19) THE PAGES AREN’T RELEASED DIGITALIZED UNTIL THE OFFICIAL RELEASE

20) text bubbles from the leaks look like theyre from some shoujo more than horikoshis

21) if a handhold is soooooooo romantic then what the hell was bkdks handholds…. handholds plural btw BKDKS HANDHOLDS ARE ALSO WAY MORE INTIMATE.. LIKE?

22) how are you still dreaming about toga after like a decade and then u decide u want some guy who u liked for like half a year and who you GOT OVER

23) ochakos character revolves around izuku in these leaks which makes NO SENSE BECAUSE CANONICALLY SHES MORE THAN THAT. THAT CRUSH IS OVER. ITS BEEN ESTABLISHED. HER DREAM WAS TO SAVE PEOPLE AND SEE THEM SMILE, NOT WIN OVER IZUKU,, HER CHARACTER IS SO MISUNDERSTOOD BY FANS SO ITS VERYYYYYYYY LIKELEY THAT A FAN LIKE THAT DREW THESE LEAKS

anyways in the actual last chapter bakudeku kiss and himiko comes back to life for ochako and everybody lives happily ever after ❤️

[class1akids]

I don't ship bkdk, but it still makes me feel really angry to watch dudebros hunting down the devoted shippers on Twitter who make any kind of negative noise about Ch 431 to just put them down - whether it's the JPN, EN or ES language fandom.

I find it really revolting because it feels like this group of overwhelmingly male fans care more about having "WON" and being "RIGHT" and being able to BRAG and PUT DOWN a group of fans who are overwhelmingly women, who actually supported the franchise by buying the manga officially, spending lots of money on merch and going to events.

These dudebros were spreading leaks and meme-ing them before the official could even occupy any space and even now, all they care about "Deku tapping Uraraka's cake".

If shippers make a well-argued comment about how it feels like Izuku is losing his dreams, and how sad it is, the answer is "LOL, you are just a gross, disgusting, delusional fujoshi".

In the end, I'm sad that Horikoshi and WSJ enabled this exact behaviour, because they knowingly fed this devoted shipping fandom with things like the GIGA cover, making 20,000 yen stickers to sell, releasing official tiktok video with sparkling hearts, releasing BKDK MV with the ending of the official serialization in August with Ch 430 and then pushing out merch after merch during the next 4 months, only to turn around and release Ch 431 with an unprecedented Origin Trio bonus and not even a hint at the Izu/Cha ending.

And yes, there have been volume bonuses before, but rarely drawn by Horikoshi. The only other example of 3 different bonuses drawn by Horikoshi was Vol 33 with the black&white Deku/Iida, Deku/Ochako, Deku/Bakugou cards. But for those, some of the bonuses didn't really sell well and even then, Vol 33 held the sales record until now.

This time, they released it with individual color illustrations of the 3 massively most popular characters of the franchise (mostly supported by female fans, in idol poses made to appeal to female fans). Many fans bought 3+ copies to collect all.

Anyways, it makes me angry not because of the ship ending - because I frankly am not terribly invested in who Deku ends up in canon, and not even the botched bkdk hero office, because in my head it's origin trio office or nothing, not even the thrown away themes because for me the manga already betrayed its themes when it failed to save the villains.

It makes me angry, because it feels like a final betrayal of the female fans. Female audiences have become more than half of this manga's fandom and became a factor in WSJ's business decisions. And I thought that 430 - if nothing else - tried to cater for the manga's diverse shipping community - an implicit recognition that the female audience's preferences are acknowledged and taken into account and maybe will change female portrayal in manga.

So I find it cowardly not that they end on a het ship, but that they do it in a sneaky way, like a total ambush, once they have squeezed maximum money out of these female fans. Not only did they knowingly disappoint these women but they gave a "weapon" at the end to the men, who somehow regained their "masculinity" from the het ship ending to beat down the same women who bankrolled their franchise this whole time.

The same dudebros who called Deku a loser for being a teacher in Ch 430 and the suit pathetic, now cheer on the same ending - where the only thing that changed was that Deku "rejected" Bakugou (the big, scary gay ship), and where a het ship was confirmed.

And to me, now beyond this particular manga, it just confirms that the rampant misogyny in manga spaces continues. That women are not seen as an audience important to consider beyond money-bags. Rather the opposite - WSJ thought it was more profitable to turn on them and reaffirm the toxic masculinity of men who have always seen Deku not as an example of selfless heroism but as a power-fantasy.

Because even if the magical superpowers are taken away, even if the great dream of the once idealistic child is lost, as long as men have power to put women in their place (in-story by conforming to their desires and in real life by being able to tell them that the way they read the story was delusional and wrong) - they feel like they have won.

[vaguelyaperson]

the more i think about it, the more i like that izuku becomes a teacher as a quirkless adult, and that he supposedly never takes on full-time hero work

... it just wouldn't feel like such an odd ending if it wasn't such a sharp turn from the themes of the story.

it would beat a dead horse to get into such themes: the insistence that izuku could be a [pro] hero too, save to win win to save (implication of bkdk as hero duo), go beyond to achieve your dreams, ect. others have commented on this eloquently enough. i want to contemplate how 430/431 are a valid ending... if the story matched the conclusion.

bnha has themes that could've been developed to make 430/431 make more sense. there's the excellent theme that average citizens can be heroes through 'mundane' actions, and a suggestion that an ideal future would be one where heroes have too much free time (ie, pro heroes overall would be a defunded profession). i personally adore these themes, and was disappointed that the ending didn't explore more of what a better quirk culture should look like beyond 'uraraka reforms quirk education classes.' those themes (plus the commentary on villains) suggested an eventual overhaul of the current quirk culture - which we didn't get. which sucks. because these themes, properly developed, would make PERFECT sense of a protagonist who decides to be an 'average citizen.'

yet these ideas weren't quite attributed to izuku's character. he's the protagonist. he was set up for the big flashy future, right? which is why it feels like such a sudden slap to so many fans that he was supposedly content working as a teacher for eight years, that he wouldn't jump at the opportunity to become a full time hero.

now, a good bit of this can be attributed to story medium. bnha was skewed in the beginning to function as a standard shounen (boy has powers, boy works hard, boy achieves big dreams), and that it wasn't until about the last hundred chapters or so that horikoshi dug his heels in about writing the story he wants to write. so clearly if the story's endgoal changed in his mind (which stories often do, and manga is extremely restrictive in that an author can't rewrite the full story to make the plot consistent), then he only had so much leeway to lead to the eventual ending of a quirkless citizen izuku without taking the hardest turn from the standard shounen tone at the beginning.

but even then. even then, that's about a hundred chapters that bnha could've introduced the idea that IZUKU could be a hero in ways unrelated to professional heroism. that it's so unhealthy for this kid to sacrifice so much of himself that it would actually be better for him to pursue a different career.* or that it was even a valid career path for someone who initially dreamed of being a pro hero.

like, take lemillion; izuku's literal mirror. the story could've kept togata functionally quirkless, could've explored the full grief of such a big dream lost, could've explored the sheer injustice that this KID was put on the front-line and thus his quirk and dream were snatched from him... and then introduced a way that togata could use his skills to help people in a different career.

or take all might; izuku's mentor and cautionary tale. maybe have all might talk to izuku about grappling with being quirkless again. maybe have him find who he is beyond being of service to others (which is clearly these two born-quirkless fuckers dealing with massive self-worth issues, trying to justify their existence with heroics), and find relief in that. maybe have him wonder aloud if it might have been better for him to choose such a profession outright from the beginning, rather than repeatedly almost DIE as a pro-hero. maybe have the two revisit that conversation from the first episode, that being a [quirkless] hero IS dangerous, but that there is genuine fulfillment in other work - as all might has found in teaching.

then when it happens to izuku, it wouldn't be such a shock to the audience. and even if we don't see him change over those eight years of the epilogue, it wouldn't be such a shock that he turns down full-time hero work. we'd get it.

*because continuing off this point: the story very much established that izuku CAN'T be trusted 'unsupervised' as a pro hero. that ofa is almost a curse. how many fuckin fanworks reference an adult izuku who never stops putting himself into harms way, who keeps nearly fuckin dying (or does die) cause he never thinks of himself? the story could've EASILY built on this to the point that it would feel like a blessing that izuku loses ofa and can't become a pro-hero.

(instead of it being played in this.... extremely weird.... grieved not grieved, katsuki's sobbing but izuku 'started out quirkless' so it's fine??? like??? the tone??? is in shambles???)

instead, the story said "you don't have to fight alone, izuku, cause your friends are here." most especially that katsuki inserted himself as izuku's primary protector and competitor. that katsuki developed a whole ass power-up that could MATCH ALL FOR ONE'S power, that he CAUGHT UP to izuku as a hero. at large, class a showed the fuck up, more than once, to throw down on izuku's behalf. the story said, yes izuku is recklessly selfless, and ofa only exasperates this, but his friends are so determined to work hard to make sure there's always someone at his back. this will be the new generation of heroes.

... which... should've led to a completely different story conclusion. one that would've been just as valid as 'izuku finds more stability and meaning in being a teacher.' it would just need to be an ending that would have fit the established themes. i would've loved that ending too.

in conclusion! there's more to being a hero than flashy heroic acts. izuku is a selfless maniac who's probably safer in the classroom tbh. manga is a restrictive medium that can't be rewritten into a more consistent plot. nevertheless, given the amount of chapters horikoshi had to play with the story he wanted to tell, there was time to develop pre-existing themes that would better anticipate the conclusion we got. 430 and gods 431 especially - despite being arguably a valid ending for the characters - didn't have to feel like such sharp left turns.

... and despite learning to appreciate izuku turning down katsuki's agency offer, i still don't like 431. lmao

[nodameshield]

i can't look away from this car crash.

the inconsistencies with the story we read for 400+ chapters, the hopelessness around Izuku's entire character, deeming bkdk's dynamic entirely useless after all the effort to set them up as the 'wonder duo', 'the ultimate rivals' -- and then? What is this? was it all to waste?

where is Izuku defending his dream? where is his ambition to become the #1 hero? if what he wants to do now is teach, you have to show me that!! you should've shown me that sooner! Show me an Izuku who is admired by his teachers (AM, Aizawa, GT...) not because they're heroes, but because he admires how they teach and now he longs to become a mentor as well. Then, maybe, this whole shift in his perspective would make more sense. But the thing is:

Izuku loved his mentors because they were heroes. Not because they were teachers.

(teaching is the noblest profession do not come for me -- all I'm saying is: this is not consistent with his character!)

If he loves being a teacher now, I'm not seeing that, either! I'm not seeing a deep desire to help kids (like Tenko) to make better decisions or have better opportunities.

All I see is a depressed twenty-something boy with dead-eyes and office-shoes. If I wanted to see that, I'd read literally anything else!

Where is Izuku? Where did his character go? what happened to his personality? Where is my shōnen manga MC? the kid who cleaned a beach with his bare hands and no quick, fueled by the ambition to become a hero? if that drive was there before the quick, it surely should be there long after the embers burned out...

it pains me, because it feels as though everything else that happened in this story was for nothing. it collapses on itself and becomes pointless. If the message was that once you grow up you should give up on your dreams--well, then call me Katsuki 'cause I don't even know what to say to that! What kind of shit message is that?

If the message is that you should do the best with your circumstances, Izuku is still not doing that! He could be a hero again now. He has the suit, he had an opening, an offer, even. But he still didn't want it. He's settling. It's mediocre. I hate it. I hate this for him. And I hate it if this is what he's become.

Also, I was not about to be queerbaited by a shōnen manga. I've been around the block and I knew what to expect. But maybe even so I was too naïve, because what they did to bkdk's relationship goes beyond the ship, it fundamentally kills their bond.

How am I supposed to interpret Katsuki not only working for nearly a decade in order to get Izuku his suit, then waiting for Izuku to be a hero again and then WAITING AGAIN to invite Izuku to join his agency, rejecting all other prospects because it was always Izuku, always Deku, the one he wanted by his side as a partner -- and I'm supposed to be okay with Izuku never acknowledging this? Rejecting Katsuki's proposal without a thought? That is not Izuku. And it's a disservice to the friendship they spent 400+ chapters rebuilding, the rivalry I was shown from day one.

There were so many better ways to address their dynamic, even if there was a shift in it due to Izuku becoming a teacher or whatever. If Katsuki was to be rejected and disappointed in the end, you might as well have left him dead, for there was no purpose to his character after that without their rivalry. (by this I mean, you set up their dynamic to be a duality. One can't exist without the other. If you are going to change your mind, tell the audience! Show the audience! there was no buildup for this. is sloppy. is mediocre again.

anyways i obviously care about this. I wanna look away but i can't. I can't. I've spent years of my life loving these characters, learning from them, following their story. I thought they'd have a better send-off. I thought their creator understood the characters (he gave us every sign that he did).

I thought the ending would be consistent and good, like most of the story was, and it hurts to be proven wrong, especially when it's not only bad, but painfully, regrettably mediocre, which is the worst fate a beloved piece of media can get.

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

Imma A Little Disappointed In Y'all TBH :/

I know most of y'all are tired of hearing about 431 as much as I am, but you know what I'm most tired of???

Y'all acting like bkdk is over because Izuku what? Rejected Katsuki's offer to join his agency? Bitch, he literally works full time as a teacher, and is part time working as a hero at the moment. There's no room in his schedule to join an agency even if it would be part time.

And let's be real for a minute here, Katsuki would ALREADY KNOW THAT. He was THERE! He was there when Izuku lost his embers and he was there to help him at his lowest after the fact (like all his other friends) and he was there to witness when Izuku found his new purpose in life via teaching at UA and saw how much that job began to mean to him.

Do you REALLY think Katsuki is gonna be over here getting upset because Izuku rejected his offer? Katsuki wasn't upset with Izuku because he rejected the agency offer (ntm his "offer" was probably more of an option he was giving to Izuku IF he chose to go back into hero work full time; he was telling him that to let him know that door was open that's it) he was upset with his reasoning for it specifically which is WHY he says what he says. And I'm with Pikahlua on this interpretation, Izuku can love many people not just Katsuki exclusively. Him taking Katsuki's advice to tell Ochako he'd like to talk to her more doesn't mean anything unless you wanna give it more credence than it's worth. If you don't ship them, then this is literally just Izuku saying he'd like to catch up with her more often. And keep in mind, holding hands for Izuku isn't romantic for him it's COMFORTING. And he's held hands with Ochako two other times previously, them holding hands at the end literally doesn't mean anything with them. I get that it's annoying because we didn't get a hand hold scene like that with bkdk and instead got an implied one, but at the same time I feel like a lot of y'all are choosing to be ungrateful when it comes to that particular point despite us literally getting everything and more compared to other ships in the fandom like be fucking fr for a minute-

"But Izuku didn't tell Katsuki he was his most special person!" Yes he did. Off screen. And yes, I'm annoyed by that as much as anyone else is, but for fuck's sake it's been about a decade y'all (2 years left at U.A. + 8 years afterwards) do you seriously think they haven't talked about those things in all that time? Haven't grown closer? Despite the fact that even in this chapter they're shown to still have a close relationship to the point where Katsuki is picking Izuku up in his car, and Izuku is inviting Katsuki over to give a lecture for his class. They have a strong bond, a strong relationship; Izuku was literally told by All Might that Katsuki was the one leading the project towards making his dreams of being a hero again a reality. Do you seriously think they don't understand how important the other person is in their life by now? Why would Izuku need to verbalize that to Katsuki when he already knows that?? Why would Katsuki need to tell Izuku that when they've more likely than not in 2 years at UA or the 8 years afterwards already talked about everything?

Yes, it would have been nice to get that on page in Hori's writing and beautiful drawings, but like-

We got what we wanted. Katsuki reached out to Izuku and he took his hand. It's implied and that sucks but we got what we've been waiting for this whole time. The culmination of their relationship arc completed back in chapter 430; 430, which Hori himself in his Author's Note literally labels as the "curtain call" because it is THE definitive end to MHA and Katsuki and Izuku's story.

Which y'all understood the first time...but now that Ochako and Izuku dap each other up y'all think that destroys all of that??? Because it doesn't. Izuocha wasn't even confirmed canon in 431, it's literally just Izuku running up to Ochako to tell her he'd like to talk to her more in the future which could mean fuckinf anything. Like this is the second time Hori has made Izuocha ambiguous y'all realize that? In comparison to him literally making it clear about Katsuki and Izuku being important to one another time and time again, that ending is definitive and set and stone and everything that involves their relationship after 430 is for the readers to decide.

Also 431 is an "extra" so it's literally only as canon as you want it to be. But it is not something set in stone that undermines everything from before (well except for Ochako i guess :/ idk what they did to my babygirl you didn't deserve that treatment)

TDLR; 431 is the most "nothing ever happens" chapter to have nothing ever. It is an extra bit of content where it's debatable how much Hori actually worked on this, and can easily be disregarded from canon since 429 is the ending and 430 is the curtain call. I am literally begging you all to stop doomer posting in the bkdk tags about this

Srsly tho can we PLEASE go back to making cute fanfics, fanart, and fan comics centered around Teacher!Izuku x Pro hero!Katsuki???? Cause that shit was cute af

[marimeeko]

Thinking lately about Izuku(a civilian now) getting caught up in some Villain shenanigans(think like a random hostage situation or heist/robbery)(he is literally at the wrong place at the wrong time) and the possibilities of what could happen.

The possibilities of the civilians recognizing him and hoping for him to save them? Him doing his best to keep them all together and calm?

The possibilities of whether or not the villains recognize him or slowly start to figure it out? Do they know he's actually Quirkless now and try to take advantage of that? Or do they think he still has powers and immediately try to restrain and overpower him?

How Izuku either fights back or tries to thwart the villains? How he stays quiet at first, but is observing and analyzing the crap out of them and their Quirks?(while it's technically illegal for him to act as a hero, he also wouldn't stand down if the villains were threatening to harm any of the hostages)

If he has an actual altercation with them? And what if he gets injured? (I imagine he can hold his own reasonably well in a hand to hand fight! He still trains and is in shape, maybe even spars with Kacchan, and he has that extremely high pain tolerance! But he still gets clocked especially if he's trying to prevent them from doing harm)

And what happens when GEMG DynaMight gets to the scene. And does Katsuki know before hand that Izuku is involved of find out afterward when Izuku is released with the hostages? Or when he busts in to stop them and sees Izuku himself??

Or do the villains know enough about Izuku and Katsuki to make Izuku their primary hostage and hold Izuku hostage for some sort of ransom or deal with DynaMight?

And do they know enough to know that that's pretty much a death wish for them?

How about Izuku being just cool as a cucumber even though they're threatening DynaMight bc he knows enough about these suckers now to know that they are no match for Dynamight....much less when he is ANGRY.

Or how bout Izuku actually trying to talk them out of their dumb idea (full on teacher voice activated) because he knows they're petty criminals who are acting this way for a reason, but they shouldn't add kidnapping to their rapsheet.

DynaMight busting in and busting them, of course, and putting the fear of god into the villains whenever he is aware of Izuku being involved. He takes it personally, maybe hitting the guy holding down izuku a little harder than the others before arresting them.

What about when Katsuki gets Izuku out of there, he fusses endlessly over Izukus injuries and bloody face, and refuses to let Izuku go home by himself(he needs to be monitored for a concussion, that's all!)

I MEAN WHY HAVE WE NOT THOUGHT MORE ABOUT THIS ASPECT THERES SO MUCH POTENTIAL HERE.

If this is a fic already I really want to read it... Daniart already made an art to this theme and I saw it today, meanwhile I have definitely been pondering it for a day or two *bkdk brainmeld*

[lempeeartz]

Tell me - BKDK oneshot

(spoilers for recent manga stuff btw)

~

Izuku let out a weary sigh as the last of his students left the classroom, leaving him alone with his thoughts. It was finally the end of the day.

He stood behind the lectern, head now in his hands as he recalled a conversation from three days before.

—

“It hurts to stay and I'm sorry I couldn't be the one you wanted.”

“I'm really sorry—“

“Bye, Izuku.”

—

Izuku still felt so terrible for what happened. It was such a messy situation, and he felt so guilty. His partner had broken up with him and he hadn't been able to not think about it.

He hadn't really been sleeping either, and being a teacher now on top of everything was so stressful. He was always busy. Being tired wasn't an option, but he didn't have much of a choice.

Izuku was a horrible person.

What kind of guy gets into a relationship when he has feelings for someone else?

He's so stupid. Of course things would've ended up this way. And the thing keeping him up at night wasn't even the breakup. He didn't really care that his partner was gone. He just felt bad for being a dick, but he didn't miss them. Not really anyway.

Izuku stared around the empty classroom.

Ugh, he needed to focus on other things. He should probably be on his way home.

“You okay, nerd?”

“Kacchan!”

The sudden voice made Izuku jump out of his skin. He caught some papers that almost hit the floor and gently placed them back on the lectern. “I hadn't, um, expected you!”

Katsuki raised his eyebrow, clearly now suspecting something. “I was in the neighborhood, figured I'd stop by.”

“Of course! Right..” Izuku watched the other in the doorway. Katsuki was in his hero costume, presumably because his shift was soon. Why was he here again??

Katsuki strolled into the room “What's got your panties in a twist? You're so skittish and weird. Or, you know what, that definitely sounds normal, nevermind.”

“Yes, how original, Kacchan.” Izuku deadpanned.

Rolling his eyes, Katsuki leaned against the lectern. “Spit it out. Something is obviously up with you.”

Katsuki waited for a few moments before Izuku reluctantly sighed.

“I kind of got.. broken up with.”

The blonde’s expression faded into a softer concern. “Oh.. Damn. Sorry to hear that.”

Izuku waved his hands around, “No, no, I'm fine. Really! Don't get all sappy on me, haha.”

“I ain't being sappy, I'm just saying that sucks. Being dumped and all. Been there.”

Katsuki had said it so nonchalantly but Izuku’s ears perked up instantly.

“Wait what?? YOU were dumped???”

“Shit, wait–”

“I didn't know you were dumped! How did it happen? When did it happen? Why didn't you tell me? Kacchan–”

“If you shut your trap, maybe I'll tell you.”

Izuku's voice immediately cut off as his eyes widened in suspense.

Sighing heavily, Katsuki gruffly said, “I had a small thing in our last year of UA. It was brief. That's why you didn't know about it. It was really nothing.” He crossed his arms, not really making eye contact.

“But it sounds like you got broken up with– did it hurt?”

“Nah, it wasn't really serious. I'm fine, though. It's been a while.”

Izuku didn't want to pry more, because it felt so insensitive but.. it was a while ago. “Um, who was it?”

“Nosy little fuck, aren't you?”

“It's been a few years! I figured it was fine to ask!”

Katsuki smiled amusingly, “Fine. It was mind freak.”

“SHINSO???”

“JESUS– WHY DON'T YOU SCREAM IT LOUDER?”

Izuku clasped a hand over his mouth, muffling his apology before whispering, “Shinso?? That's random, isn't it?”

“Eh,” Shrugging his shoulders, Katsuki added, “I kinda just wanted to see what it was like dating a guy. I guess I kinda used him. Not for anything physical, though, I ain't a fucking asshole.”

“I see..”

Izuku was surprised by who Katsuki picked. Shinso’s, like, the furthest thing from who he could've imagined. Maybe it kind of makes sense though.. huh. Wait–

“You're into guys?”

Tilting his head towards Izuku, Katsuki observed him carefully before responding. “Yeah. I am.”

Izuku looked away from Katsuki’s intense gaze, “Oh. Um, same.”

There were a few quiet moments before Katsuki broke the silence.

“Yeah, you look gay.”

“Alright, that's enough of that.” Izuku rolled his eyes and got his belongings together. “Shouldn't you be going on your shift now?”

“I have some time left.”

Izuku glanced up at Katsuki’s teasing smirk and felt his heart speed up. He quickly averted his gaze. “Uh, I should probably be on my way, though. Gotta catch the train, right?”

Making his way around Katsuki, Izuku began to walk towards the doorway, turning slightly to wave goodbye at him.

Before he could make it down the corridor, though, Izuku heard Katsuki call him from a few ways behind.

“Hold up!”

Pausing, Izuku turned, “Hm? Kacchan, what's up?”

Coming to a stop, Katsuki scratched the back of his neck, “I just wanted to ask if you've been eating. You know, since the break up and all that.”

“Oh! Uh, occasionally? I've been a bit too busy to really cook or anything..”

“Geez, why do you suck at even taking care of yourself? You're a mess.”

“Wow, thanks? Sorry we're not all perfect like you, Kacchan.”

“Seriously, don't skip meals. I get that you're ‘fine’ but that's insane.”

“Did you just come down here to lecture me? Honestly, when you act like this it makes me wonder why I even like–” Izuku stumbled over his words when he realized what he was about to say, “Um like, you know?”

Wow, nice save.

“Like what?”

Izuku could feel his face reddening with every second that passed. “Like? I didn't say like, I said… Mike.”

Narrowing his eyes, Katsuki clicked his tongue. “Mike. Really?”

Izuku scoffed, “Yes, really.”

Katsuki moved closer, closing the gap between them. “Bullshit. You're a terrible liar, Izuku.”

“K-Kacchan..” He gulped lamely, “You're a bit close.” Izuku could feel Katsuki’s breath against his face, he was way too close..

“Am I? Guess you'll have to tell me what you were really gonna say to get me to back off.”

Izuku’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates at this point. Holy shit was this really happening??

“I… might've said that I can't believe I like.. you. Like, like you. Like, I really, really like you. Like, I like like you. I should probably stop saying like now–”

Before Izuku knew it, he felt Katsuki’s lips pressed against his own, soft but firm. But just as quick as it happened, it was over.

“That was sort of to shut you up, not gonna lie.”

Izuku snorted, “Yeah I probably needed that..”

Katsuki smiled genuinely as he put his hand on Izuku’s face, feeling the flustered warmth, and then wiping at Izuku’s watery eyes, “Christ, I think I almost killed you.”

The two chuckled as Izuku sniffled, tears now streaming down his face. He'd been going through so many emotions recently that now it was just pouring out of him. His heart throbbed in guilt.

“I just feel so regretful that I didn't tell you sooner. If I had, I wouldn’t have gotten with my partner— ex— in the first place! Maybe I wouldn’t have hurt their feelings.” Izuku hiccuped tearfully.

“Hey, it's gonna be okay.” Katsuki kissed Izuku’s freckled nose. “It would’ve been worse if they stayed with you. They saved their own ass from even more pain. And yeah, you were kinda stupid. But you told me your feelings now, and that's really all that matters, right?.. Then again, I probably should've said something too. Maybe we're both stupid.”

Hugging Katsuki tightly, Izuku let out a watery laugh. He began to feel like maybe things would finally be okay now.

(Little did Izuku know, the next day Katsuki surprised him with his new hero suit and Izuku sobbed up an entire ocean once again)

[brewstersbru]

Short bkdk because I am SAD and katsuki is DEAD (for a little bit) 💚🧡

The hospital was miserable. Not just because it was chock full of grieving families and people balancing on the knife’s edge between life and death, but because—despite the fact that he survived—Katsuki was still being grieved.

He could see it in Best Jeanist’s eyes when he visited, dropping off some new, incredibly soft clothes for him to wear that weren’t open-backed hospital gowns. Guilt. Regret. Katsuki was alive, sitting right in front of him, and he still couldn’t quite see past the mirage of blood on his face.

Aizawa, too, had barely been able to look at him. Brought the three third years so he didn’t have to be alone with Katsuki. Face what he saw as one of his greatest failures as a teacher. A mentor. At least that’s what Katsuki thought.

The old man brought well wishes from the class. Some flowers. And the black smudges beneath his eyes. Katsuki wondered if he’d slept at all in the aftermath. If he’d ever sleep soundly again. Katsuki sure won’t.

The third years praised his speed, commenting on how dazzling his explosions were, until the very end. Mirio told him he knew he’d be a great hero one day, that he practically already was one. Nejire seconded that and asked if all of his sweat exploded, and if it was inconvenient because of that. He was so viscerally reminded of Izuku, in the moment, that he nearly started bawling.

Amajiki didn’t say much, but he left a small bento with a note: eat up and regain your strength. thank you. you were incredible.

And still, through their attempts at normalcy he could see the way they watched him. As if he were liable to keel over again at any minute. He was fine, goddamnit. He was healing. That didn’t make him weak.

The hag and his old man visited daily. Couldn’t stop touching his face and neck and tilting him every which way to reassure themselves that he really was alive. That was more the hag, but every so often his old man—who generally strayed away from getting physical with him—would cup his cheek and run his thumb over the new scar there, eyes pained. Katsuki always shook him off, told him not to look at him like that, but the memory lingers, as they all do. The hag wouldn’t even smack him anymore, even when he knew he was being a brat. Taking his anger at the world and his body out on them when they did nothing to deserve it.

All of her touches were light, ghosts of things that made him feel uncomfortably unreal. She asked if he wanted to stay at UA, after everything, and something about the tilt of her mouth told him she already knew the answer. Still, when he said yes, without hesitation, she had to excuse herself from the room, eyes shining.

It was maddening. A purgatory of what-ifs that everyone except him was experiencing. The only ‘what-if’ Katsuki was concerned with was whether or not—if he was just a little stronger, had been able to land even just one more hit— Izuku would’ve been able to keep his quirk. But that’s for him. He keeps it close and inside and it’s no one else’s problem.

Now that he’s out—lounging in his dorm room after a less harrowing round of greetings from all the others, who didn’t know the situation and thus couldn’t feel guilty or grieve about it—it’s louder, the way he likes it. Normal.

Kirishima and Kaminari are wrestling somewhere loud enough for him to hear them jeering at each other. Iida’s yelling at someone for leaving a mess in the kitchen. It loosens something that had scabbed over in Katsuki’s chest.

There’s a knock at his door.

Sero? Possibly, but he would’ve thought he was with Kirishima and Kaminari, filming or something ‘for posterity’. It’s not Todoroki, his self-proclaimed ‘best friend’, because he’s at the hospital visiting his brother.

Before he can stand and open the door, it creaks forward and a bright green eye stares at him through the crack.

“Kacchan?”

Izuku.

Katsuki sighs and shakes his head.

“What was the point of knocking if you were just gonna come in anyway?”

He doesn’t say, ‘leave’ or ‘get out’ or ‘beat it, Deku!’. Izuku’s mouth quirks into a half-smile as he opens the door the rest of the way and steps inside.

“I thought you might be sleeping. I know it’s been a hard few weeks.”

Katsuki scoffs. And another one. Fucking- doubting him. Of course he's exhausted, sleeping is almost impossible right now and people haven’t stopped walking on eggshells around him. Doesn’t mean he’s going to be a pussy about it. He’s going to prove to them that he’s just as he’s always been, that he doesn’t need the goddamn kid gloves.

“Don’t start. I don’t need your fucking pity.”

“It’s not pity, Kacchan.” Izuku’s voice hardens. “I’m not here for you.”

And what a bewilderingly contradictory statement. He’s in Katsuki’s room. What else could he possibly be there for?

“What-“

He doesn’t manage to voice his incredulity before Izuku is on top of him, clinging tight, but gingerly, around his sides and burying his face into his neck. Katsuki nearly flinches back into his pillow with the suddenness of it.

“Deku- what the hell-“

Izuku breathes deep and reaches blindly up to clamp a hand over Katsuki’s mouth.

“Shut up. Give me a minute. And call me Izuku, I know you can.”

Katsuki, too shocked with his words and actions to do otherwise, gives him a minute. Izuku simply lies there, curled over him, and breathes. He matches his inhales to Katsuki’s and taps out the slow thrum of his heart against his hip. Hypnotizing. It’s surprisingly peaceful, and before long Katsuki finds himself lulled into a hazy, half-awake state.

Finally, Izuku speaks, voice hushed.

“You don’t- I don’t think you get it, Kacchan. You didn’t have to see yourself.” He shivers, and Katsuki finds himself raising his own arms to pull him closer towards his own heat.

“Your eyes… Empty. Dull. Dead. It was your body, but I knew you weren’t in there anymore. Someone—Shigaraki—had torn you out.” Something wet splashes against Katsuki’s neck, startling him. Izuku is crying.

“But I’m fine, now. I’m back. Edgeshot saved me.” Katsuki says, haltingly. His voice struggles over the word ‘saved’ but it’s the truth. He had to be saved. Because he couldn’t hold his own.

Izuku shakes his head and presses impossibly closer.

“I know that. I just- I just need to make sure.”

And Katsuki understands. More than anyone, he thinks, he knows exactly what’s running through Izuku’s mind right now. The nauseating mix of helplessness and self hatred.

“Okay.” He says. Then, a crackling whisper, so quiet that it’s only because Izuku is so close that he’s able to hear it. “I’m sorry.”

Izuku’s arms tighten, for a fraction of a second, around him before he pushes himself up. Katsuki swears there’s lightning in his eyes when they look at each other.

“Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that. You literally died because of me-“ His voice cuts off into sobs. Katsuki watches, dismayed, as another wave of tears begins cresting down his cheeks. Ah, shit.

Katsuki raises his good hand to hover over Izuku’s teary cheeks. Callously, and without much tact, his thumb smears some of the wetness from beneath his eyes. It doesn’t really do anything, and he curses himself for trying.

“Izuku, look, I-“ He tries to pull his hand back but Izuku snatches it from the air and presses it back against his cheek. There’s a wobbly smile building on his lips. Katsuki can hardly bear to look at it.

“It wasn’t your fault. I should’ve-“

“No.” Izuku says, turning to press Katsuki’s pulse point against his face, where he can feel his heart beat. “If it isn’t my fault, then it isn’t yours.”

Katsuki can’t bring himself to agree, yet. Not verbally. But he wants, desperately, for Izuku to stop crying so he nods, once, very stiffly.

Izuku’s teeth glint as his mouth stretches into a real grinning laugh. It feels like staring directly at the sun. Katsuki can’t look away.

“Alright. I’ll take that.” Izuku settles back onto Katsuki’s chest, ear pressed to his shirt as his hands migrate back to cage Katsuki beneath him. Like a blanket, or armor, his weight is familiar to Katsuki, soothing.

“Don’t move.”

Now it’s Katsuki’s turn to chuckle. As if he could. Izuku cracks an eye open to watch him.

“I’m not going anywhere.”