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gentrychild · 6 months

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BNHA 407 : AFO is a lying liar who lies

Today is a very sad day because I am about to do something I genuinely dislike: I am about to defend All for One. In order to cope, I shall make fun of him the whole time.

AFO and Yoichi's backstory is finally out, with AFO narrating it, and there are two possibilities: he is either completely lying about it (boring) or he is lying a little about it (very in-character for him) because he is also lying to himself.

Lie number 1: AFO was born evil.

The narrator (AFO, seriously, it's AFO) says things such as "The baby drained the lifeforce of both his mom and his brother.", "It was born an arrogant baby." and such but it really reads at AFO villifying himself to add to his own legend.

That's what babies do. Children, before they're born, kinda have to take their strength from their mother. That's why pregnant people aren't supposed to do anything taxing.

AFO and Yoichi's mother didn't die because baby AFO drained her like a vampire. She died because she was a homeless woman who had access to nothing and had to go in labor alone.

Same thing here: during twin birth, a twin is often bigger than the other (well, probably not to extent of Yoichi and AFO, but you get my point).

Lie number 2: AFO, as a demon baby, is shown killing for no reason, just because he can.

(First slaughter by Baby AFO shown in that chapter.)

There are two things that are strange in this scene (apart from... you know.... a baby murdering people...)

AFO had no reason to go after them because they don't have any quirks to steal.

It makes no sense for someone to attack a group of people with nothing to gain. I doubt that's the kind of behavior you have when you're in survival mode as you're barely surviving in the street.

However, a previous panel points at some context we might be missing.

The same panel that indicates that those guys don't have a quirk to steal also shows that they are wiling to do some "preventive attack" on a bunch of quirked people who might or might not be those who assaulted a protest group (reminder that in this context, that protest group are protesting the rights for quirked people to exist).

I could be wrong but odds are that they did something to be qualified as a threat to All for One and we are missing the additional context.

(Second slaughter by Baby AFO shown in that chapter.)

Now, the poor souls who just got absolutely wrecked by a toddler wearing what I suspect to be a garbage bag have quirks, which makes more sense than the previous scene.

However (and thank you for @aimportantdragoncollector for pointing that out to me), we also have this panel.)

Yoichi is shown with bruises on his face and might be broken teeth.

Probably because those same people AFO is shown killing attacked him.

Lie number 3: AFO never loved Yoichi because he can't love, he just considered that he was his. That's all. Nothing more.

(Just... Just ignore the rats.)

AFO didn't care about Yoichi so much that the very conscious first act of his life might have been to swim a river upstream while dragging his brother above the surface with what must have been the deathgrip of all deathgrip.

AFO didn't care about his brother so much that Yoichi was fed and clothed by an AFO who was malnourished enough for his ribs to show and who wore what's basically an improvised toga.

But he just keeps sacrificing what little he has for someone he doesn't care about one bit, that's just his first possession. Nothing more.

Okay, I am going to be clear: anyone who sees that panel and thinks that it's the proof AFO didn't like his brother... You just outed yourself as an only child.

Siblings punt each other for no reason. (There is a reason why the first recorded murderer was an older sibling.) In this case, the reason was Yoichi throwing a can at him.

AFO: "You're not inviting me to a fun activity? You're leaving me out, in the cold, unable to partake in brother bonding activity? Oh, vault for Little Brother! Vault for Little Brother for one thousand years!"

AFO: "Nevermind, we're reading together. All is well, I guess."

Lie number 3: AFO killed the glowing baby for power, because he could, or because the Glowing Baby didn't deserve it

Still laughing about AFO's flawless reasoning... "Comic books heroes' life suck. Better to be a villain. I already did the whole struggle thing, I want an easy life."

AFO killed the glowing baby because he was jealous. It's as simple as that. The glowing baby was considered the first official quirked individual (even though it's not true), was protected by his family (if I remember correctly, the mother of quirks was his mom) while AFO and Yoichi had no one but each other (EDIT: I was wrong, the Mother of Quirks was Destro's mother. thanks to the people in the tags), and had a ton of people following him (while, for some strange reason, people start running away screaming when AFO shows his quirk... What a mystery...).

The last panel was basically AFO saying "I want to be loved' but not having the frame of reference to even know what love is.

In conclusion...

While AFO is definitely a bad guy and a monster, he didn't begin his existence as one. He just wants people to believe that. Because his pride and his ego can't allow him to admit that he lived a childhood full of horrible trauma where he was a victim abandoned by society (to an even greater extent than the LOV) or he would probably combust out of rage and mortification.

Ergo facto, AFO is a lying liar who lies, especially to himself.

#bnha 407 #bnha meta #bnha manga spoilers

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bugs1nmybrain · 2 months

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Okay, I decided to wake up and choose violence, so here goes? Imagine? Shigaraki with a pudgy kindhearted girlfriend (quirk or quirkless) that he absolutely loves so much🥰 The two of them have been dating Since he first assembled the LOV, (or before than?) So, after the fight against Re-Destro both Re-Destro and trumpet found out that Shigaraki has a girlfriend. The both of them were very, very bothered and disturbed by it, because they think that the idea of him having a girlfriend would just get in the way of his plans? and when Shigaraki here’s about all of the negative things that they’re saying about his beloved and he LOSES IT! Like completely lost it 😱 and Confronts them about their bullshit And put them back in their place.

with all my heart - Shigaraki x Fem!Reader

First off, AMAZING PROMPT! I love when people perceive Tomura as a lovebug because he IS

warnings: a mention of sex but no smut, fem-reader with she/her pronouns, swearing, the writing isn't cohesive and is totally off topic at first, white-haired Shigaraki, ANGSTY backstory about their love, kind of fluffy!!, short story, not proofread and likely has typos

Throughout all of Tomura Shigaraki's efforts to bring hero society to its knees, there has always been a deep-seated emptiness within him. It became painful for him, so much so that he would dig himself completely raw before falling asleep at night. He hated it. Even when he made progress and advancements in his goals, he felt hallow.

Until you made him feel whole.

You two met right after he had gathered the League together, by a very casual encounter. Tomura was known to go on walks at night when he felt frustrated, and so while he was trying to process all that was happening and the wonders his group was going to pursue, he stumbled upon you at the park.

Sobbing, he heard. It was startling, and he almost wanted to leave. He picked you out, though, huddled on a bench and shaking with your phone in your hand. You were wearing a pencil skirt and some graphic t-shirt, with eyeliner streaming down your face, and surrounded by literal broken hearts. Tomura felt a tug at his heart, somehow. He didn't understand it, and hated how much dread he felt while looking at you. He didn't understand why he resonated with you so much then until he had fought Re-Destro and the memories of his past awoken.

When you looked up at him, he felt stuck. He didn't want to leave, but he also didn't know what to do.

All he could manage was a mumbled, "Hey."

You had been kicked out of your parent's house because they didn't approve of your so-called "lifestyle." That "lifestyle" consisted of wearing fashionable clothes, not meeting their expectations even though you tried extremely hard to be productive, and above all else- you hated hero society. They hurt you emotionally to the point that you had contemplated horrible things, only to be thrown out. A so-called "snowflake" in their eyes, but when Tomura listened to what you had to say, he told you to "let it snow."

The way you warmed up to him ignited a protective and playful spirit in him. He instantly offered for you to live with him, which was hasty, but it would soon blossom into a sweet and beautiful relationship between the two of you.

You've told him many times about how he "saved" you, and to that he tells you to shut up, but never maliciously. He knows deep down that he feels warmth knowing that he could offer you safety, in his own crooked way. You did the same for him, he'd argue. You stuck with Tomura throughout all of it; when AFO was arrested and they had to live dirt cheap, when he was insistent on beating Gigantomachia, throughout all his meltdowns and bad moods, you were there to hold him and let him just be. After a long day of taking a beating and destroying what he could, he came back to you, and you'd make him whole again. He loved you so much.

So to hear this bird-faced baldy and snob politician with a pedo-stash talking shit on you? He was not having that.

Shigaraki lingered outside Re-Destro's office. He had the door closed, but he could tell he was talking to Trumpet. Shigaraki was going to approach him about buying the League (and you) a night out to the casino, but he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"I never even expected Shigaraki to be able to have a romantic partner," Trumpet comments, almost impressed. "I can almost guarantee she's with him because she feels that she has no other choice."

"Either way, she's slowing down operations. I don't mean to question the Grand Commander, but-"

"He comes to meetings, clicks his pen with a few "uh-huhs" unless he's the one talking, and when the meeting is over, she's right outside the door," Trumpet continues.

maybe if you guys talked about shit I cared about, things would be different

"He strolls off with her, giving her the attention that he should be giving to the cause."

"Not to mention, her quirk doesn't have any practical use. Nothing that would help protect the cause."

(Your quirk was a fascinating one, and multifaceted, actually. When you were feeling emotions of love and adoration, you produced bubbly hearts around you. Their color depended on the context of love you felt. However, your quirk had an added bonus! Which was that when you loved someone deeply, their quirk had no effect on you.)

(I guess you could consider this like Eraserhead's quirk mixed with La Brava's. However, this quirk wouldn't work for characters with external quirks like Explosion, Electricity, or Fire, because those are produced as a substance and not as an on-contact quirk. So for her, quirks like Tomura's would apply, but so could Brainwashing, Erasure, Toga's quirk (I can't remember the name), Zero-Gravity, etc.)

"Maybe we could find a way to get Shigaraki to focus on the real mission. Draw her away from him, and have her see his true colors, that way her quirk loses its effect.."

Oh he had heard ENOUGH now.

Some childish spite in Tomura wanted to decay the whole door down and say "listen motherfuckers," but he did things the adult way. Sort of. So he waited until their conversation was over. Trumpet started to leave and turned the doorknob to be abruptly faced with Tomura's "oh you've done it now" smile.

"Oh-jesu-"

"Grand Commander! What is it you need? Did your weekly payment go through? Any mistakes? Let me know and I'll fix it!" Re-Destro exclaimed, half-genuinely at his awe of Shigaraki, and half trying to throw a bandaid over what he knew Tomura had heard.

"Oh, you're going to have to do a lot of compensation for the bullshit I just heard," Tomura grumbled, trying to go with intimidation rather than attack.

"I-I don't understand!"

"Re-Destro..." Trumpet cringed, knowing that Tomura was on their asses.

"But you understand so much, don'tcha?" Tomura turns the other way to face Trumpet, too. "And so don't you? How about I give you two some grand advice and say this: mind your own fucking business and if you have a problem with my woman, you're going to have to tally your asses off because she's NOT leaving."

"I don't mean to impose Shigaraki. It's just that she takes up quite a bit of your time."

"And how many of us are there to be attending to all the dirty work? Mr. "I'm-going-to-hide-up-in-my-tower-while-my-people-go-after-the-big-bad League of Villains?" Yeah, I'm sorry that you two are some miserable geezers who have to pay to get laid, but I'm not cutting corners with Y/N because you guys have some sticks up your asses. Get the hell over it."

"I-I understand, Shigaraki!"

Trumpet began to roll his eyes and excused himself to leave, and was immediately startled with another face he did not want to see.

"Hi babe!" Tomura smiled wide with puppy eyes when he saw you standing in the doorway.

"Hi Tomura," you smiled back, tiny pink hearts popping around you. The two older men could immediately sense the "love-bird" energy between the two of you and felt annoyed. You practically tip-toed your way into the room and stood beside Tomura awkwardly.

"How'd you know I was here?" Tomura teased, brushing your hair out of your face. He gave zero fucks about PDA right now. They deserved the discomfort in his eyes.

"I saw you up the stairs when I was looking for you. I woke up and you weren't in bed."

"Sorry, baby, I should've told you before I left. I was just coming up to Re-Destro's office to ask him something," Shigaraki slied while averting his attention over to Re-Destro. "You know, y/n's been telling me about how she really wants a PC."

"Oh, is that so?" Re-Destro fake laughed.

You simply nodded shyly, feeling put on the spot, but knew full well what Tomura was doing. You had ironically heard what Tomura was saying to them right after he was eavesdropping himself.

"Yeaaa. She wants a really expensive one, too."

You actually had only wanted a pretty standard one; you were humble. This was Tomura just pulling some extra strings for you.

"Is that too much, Re-Destro?" Tomura pestered. Trumpet snuck out and had been long gone by this point.

"Of course not! Just tell me the price and I'll make it happen."

"Thank you," you said quietly, though you and Tomura both knew that was meant for him and not Re-Destro.

When you and Tomura left Re-Destro's office, you headed back to your shared room. Tomura held your hand delicately, thinking about what they said before about trying to make your quirk ineffective toward him. A part of him feared that happening since you started dating, and their comments only reinforced that anxiety for him. You squeezed his hand tight in realization and continued to snuggle up on him like a clingy cat.

"You know I love you, right?" Tomura mutters.

"I love you more, Tomu" you bubbled with an infestation of smokey hearts blowing in his face.

"Jesus! Haha, I guess so.." he smiles, waving the hearts out of his face playfully with an instant frown following.

"What's wrong, Tomura?"

"Nothing. I mean, I guess I'm just angry at them, for saying those things about you."

"I hope I'm not a distraction like they said."

"What? No! Don't ever fucking think that, please. I swear, if they ever tell you that you're getting in the way, or try to turn you from me, I give you full permission to kill them. Or come to me, I'll do it for you. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"You already said that, dummy."

"You said it too!"

"Fuck," Tomura cackles, pulling you in tight for a kiss. "Did you know that you're my comfort character, y/n?"

"Oh really?" you laugh.

"Duh. You're my favorite person, and...you make me feel warm? Which means you're stuck in this bed with me until I say you can leave."

"Aye-aye, Grand Commander," you obeyed sarcastically, hearts fluttering around you too as he pet your hair.

"Good girl. I'm not letting any bald-headed asshole try to take you from me."

"They couldn't do that, Tomura. I love you too much."

"You said it again."

"And I'll say it a thousand times more," you said, kissing his cheek tenderly as you continued to hold him until your brand-new PC arrived at your doorstep (under 24 hour shipping! Thanks Re-Destro!).

#shigaraki tomura #shigaraki #tomura shigaraki #shigaraki tomura x reader #shigaraki x fem reader #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki fluff

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explodo-smash · 4 months

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End of manga sees Izuku create his own 'vestige realm' (theory)

[Originally written on Twitter by @wolvesandvisions]

This theory was something I'd kept close to my chest for some years now that I think may actually have the potential of coming to fruition.

I believe by the end of the manga Izuku is going to have created his own 'vestige world'. Alongside letting go of OFA, the “cursed” power, we'll see the birth of a new society. This will indicate the birth of truly making his power, his heroism, his own.

What we’re witnessing in the manga at the moment is the complete destruction of OFA as we know it. In a metaphorical sense and in the visual sense that Yoichi and the other holder’s prison is literally falling apart thanks to Shigaraki.

Now something I noticed, is that this visual of a park we kept seeing All Might at, I think may be the same one in the manga Chapter 96 (2016), redrawn in the anime, and referenced to again in an art by Umakoshi at Comiket (2019).

It keeps coming up. The chapter 96 version of this page reads as translated: “I wish that we could always sit and bask under the soft light filtering through the trees…☆Inherited spirit and pride!”

Izuku and Katsuki have absolutely inherited the spirit and pride of All Might, they are both the start of this new era. However, Izuku is the one with the burdens and wills of 9 people on his shoulder right now. At the end of the day… OFA is cursed, it can't stay the way it is.

Whether he’s quirkless by the end, or gets some crazy new power, the removal of OFA is also the removal of the curse/burden.

He needs to be able to be a hero on his own terms, without the beck and call of other people’s expectations in his ears. That’s why I think symbolically him truly “making the power his own” will entail him creating something entirely new with it.

@kikibats' language when I shared with her actually surmised it well:

“The part that’s OFA and AFO connected crumbles away, but Izuku’s own realm stays.”

And Chapter 412 just happened to give a ton of supporting information for this potential.

1) The idea that Izuku sees a correlation in ‘being without a personality’ and not having a human heart. His ability to overcome his feelings of worthlessness.

[X]

Choosing to believe in himself and others beyond that assertion IS his power.

2) Another thanks to @kaname_clan and @kikibats who helped me get a greater understanding of this; what we may be witnessing with Star and Stripes - and these odd lines - are Izuku “going beyond singularity”.

Which from my current understanding is the function of generational quirks becoming “too strong” or going beyond what the average human can take on the body.

Izuku appears to be on the verge of death, a big theme in this final arc of the manga has been everyone getting their quirk awakening. So far, every character but him has gotten one. He obviously got one in the most literal sense, but all of OFA’s various quirks aren’t his.

OFA, bless his heart, is like a series of hand-me-downs that in all his brilliance he made work for him. However...in a series about generational trauma, responsibility, and heroism, I think it's really his turn to overcome all of this.

I think the release of OFA will allow him to have a “quirk” awakening. The “awakening” of his personality, individuality, his heroism. And I do think this may visualize itself in his origins manifesting in that same park under the tree.

This is just what I'm thinking! Being hit with that visual of the park metaphorically or literally since 2016 has my eyes wide open...so we'll see!

#my hero academia #mha #katsuki bakugou #midoriya izuku #yagi toshinori #all might #bakudeku #bkdk #OFA #meta #mod shouto

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sourpatchys · 4 months

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I think Shigaraki started hating All for One way earlier in the series than when his body starts to be overtaken. We don’t get to see much of the League when they’re on their own, scrounging for food and robbing people— but what we DO know is that Shigaraki actually started maturing around that time.

He was getting pretty close to the league at this point because in all honesty, they’re all he had. It’s likely that he started to experience what life is ‘supposed’ to be like.

He says that the day AFO was arrested is when he starts to think about his past— Why can’t he remember? What else is there to his story? Why do the hands he keeps on him make him feel the way they do? It’s all a complete blur in his mind and he wants— needs— to get to the bottom of it.

I truly believe that when he starts to think that way— for himself and not for what AFO would want— is when he starts to feel that creeping anger towards him.

Yes, you could argue that Shigaraki WAS doing whatever he wanted. The USJ attack definitely wasn’t a move that AFO would’ve taken, it’s even said (by the doctor) that it’s a good thing the attack went under the name of the league instead of AFO.

But we have to remember that AFO was encouraging this behavior, he basically gave Shigaraki a pat on the back and told him he’d do better next time. And as we know, AFO doesn’t really care about Shigaraki’s dreams or ideals— all he wants is for him to become the new “Symbol of Fear”.

Shigaraki wants to destroy everything, he wants the world to be gone, to be different, to just stop. It used to be the hero’s, which is very clearly something that AFO had put into his head the day he found him, and as soon as All Might retires and Shigaraki actually has room to think— he decides it all needs to be gone instead.

Making friends, taking the time to understand their ideals, experiencing life for the first time he can actually remember— I’m willing to bet it made him bitter.

Yes, he had video games and he could go on strolls to the mall, etc. but he wasn’t really a human being— he was AFO’s successor.

He had been wanting to figure out his past long before the doctor had said anything about it.

The last time we see Shigaraki even show any semblance of care towards AFO is when he’s captured— he was worried— his entire life was falling to pieces right in front of him, how could he not be? But then he starts to think, he starts planning and figuring out what to do all on his own.

With the doctor not reaching out, the base in shambles, no funds or food, and kurogiri leaving, it’s hard to imagine that Shigaraki wasn’t absolutely pissed.

He matured pretty quickly given the circumstances, and in that time he decided he wanted his own power. He took what the doctor gave him, he gained control of Gigantomachia, and he took the power being given. Not because it’s what AFO would’ve wanted, but because he wanted to.

Gaining his memory’s and destroying the hands that held him was truly the moment that Shigaraki knew he didn’t need AFO anymore.

Shigaraki is a taker. He takes and takes and takes because if he wants it then he’s going to get it no matter what happens. He decided then and there that he was the villain in this story, and that it was time for AFO to retire for good.

“I’m grateful for the way you raised me, but you’re in my way.”

“My dreams are mine.”

#mha #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #Shigaraki #tomura shigaraki #bnha shigaraki #shigaraki tomura #I think about Shigaraki way too much

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dekusleftsock · 6 months

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I thought everyone was exaggerating when people kept bringing up the whole “bakugou says he’s Kacchan bc of kaminari” thing, but they actually believe that… what?

WHAT

Literally how do you guys function

AND THEY CALL ME DELULU???????

It’s such a stretch too. Like “oh yeah he said Kacchan no Bakugou in this movie” ITS NOT EVEN IN THE MANGA HELLO???

The whole reason Kaminari calls Katsuki Kacchan is because he’s making fun of him. It’s poking fun at the fact that Katsuki can’t say anything or get mad at Kaminari because then it would raise the question, “Well why can Midoriya say it?”

He literally side eyes him every time he does it but ultimately doesn’t react because he can’t. He can’t if he wants to keep up the act that he is uninterested in what Izuku represents, who he is.

SO WHY, IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK, WOULD IT BE KAMINARI?

WHO is present in this battle?

WHO is the person that made eye contact with him the second he woke up?

WHO is the one that grabbed his hand immediately upon Katsuki flinging himself towards them??

I don’t think THEY even believe it either, I think it’s just some way to cope and explain away the fact that this moment is inherently romantic.

Because I don’t think he’s making fun of the name Kacchan, I think he’s wearing it proudly. I don’t think it’s a joke at all. It’s a joke in the disbelieving way—the way you act when you’ve made an enormous accomplishment or won some prize, and you just can’t help but act absolutely insane at the fact. Because it’s funny that you’re here, in this situation. It’s hilarious in that disbelieving way.

Because he’s laughing at the truth, he’s been laughing at nothing this ENTIRE CHAPTER.

“Ouch! Haha! I’m so fast!”

“I can’t even stop! Ha! Ouch!”

Note: (I’m not using the official translations because for some reason they lack the maniacal crazed laughter and I’m confused as to why?? I even checked with pikahlua and they specified that there was laughing so…. I’m confused.)

What’s even weirder about this is the fact that afo also says (in pikahlua’s translations) “just who is this brat?!” Instead of “what is wrong with him” which implies less crazed bakugou ness imo. Confused as to why, again.

Because this can’t be happening.

Now, I know it could very well be him teasing afo and calling him dumb, saying basically “you’re too young/old to even know how to pronounce my name, use Kacchan instead like the child you are.” Especially since in the context of names like Katsuki’s, he has that tsu sound that can be hard for children to pronounce. (I’m not 100% on this but I’m pretty sure that the u sound is also meant to be silent since it’s a double consonant. So Katsuki’s name is technically pronounced “Ka-ts-ki”)

BUT IDK I THINK HES JUST FUCKED AND A LITTLE CRAZY RN!

That maniacal laughter at the fact that he’s in pain, the disbelief that he may even surpass Izuku, to me it’s holding a double meaning. The meaning that afo is dumb and needs to be treated like the child he is, and the meaning behind the fact that it’s a name Izuku owns for him. That’s his.

It can be both.

It’s not fucking Kaminari. It was never Kaminari. Even if you don’t read it as the second definition it’s still not about Kaminari.

But it’s also undeniable that it has to do with Izuku some way some how.

I also believe that the western side of the fandom is making an extra big deal out of this because, to us, we don’t really have a proper understanding of what a nickname like Kacchan means in its cultural context.

We can TRY to understand, comparing it to endings with ie or y given to children, and then sometimes going with that nickname into adulthood, but it still has its own distinct cultural context. Because a name like “Gracie” over “Grace” does to an extent sound childish, but I have a feeling that -chan has its own childish feeling. There’s a reason none of Katsuki’s other friends in middle school call him Kacchan, and there’s a reason Kaminari decides to make fun of him for the name in the first place.

I just think it’s important to use our thinking brains before we start yapping about things we don’t quite understand yet :)

Like it’s so unbelievably important to understand that horikoshi won’t tell you what’s happening in his story and why, he’ll show you instead BECAUSE HES A GOOD FUCKING WRITER

If it was about Kaminari, he would have specified, but he didn’t. He showed you that Kacchan is Izuku’s nickname for Katsuki, and he showed you that Katsuki cared more about Izuku than he let on for a long time. Just like he showed you that Izuku pushes down his emotions, showed you that Izuku struggles with projection and anger, showed you that Ochako was the one with this crush and not Izuku, and showed you that the feelings he had about Katsuki were deeper than anyone had realized.

He showed you parallels, he specified the important parallels that you absolutely had to see as a viewer (ex toga and ochako), just as he showed you the ones that were more subtle but still there (ex toga and deku). He showed you the pieces, and that doesn’t make his character’s underdeveloped or unspecified, that’s just how writing fucking works. “Good writing” DOESNT MEAN that you have to be pulled along through your baby steps with your hand held, the fact that you don’t get it is on you. Reading comprehension is a learned skill that has to be practiced over and over again, and that is not the writers job. The writer is only supposed to deliver you their story, and however you decide to misconstrue that story is, and hear me out friends, on you.

So I’m sorry if I’m tired of hearing arguments like “toga is a predator and Horikoshi wrote her to be horny”… she’s supposed to represent love. I’m sorry if the representation he made of love was uncomfortable for you, but maybe that’s the point? Because she’s an outcast? Because she’s supposed to be hard to empathize with, but that we have to empathize in the first place?

Arguments like “Katsuki was referencing a joke about Kaminari bc Kaminari said this in this movie” is just about the largest fucking reach I’ve ever seen. And I know, I know that when bkdk eventually get their implied or canonical ending that people are going to be mad. They’ll blame shippers for pressuring him, or they’ll say he’s a bad writer, or they’ll send him homophobic slurs because “how dare the character I see myself in be gay”. And I’m done with the stupidity and lack of common god damn sense.

So if you are going to be upset by the fact that you’re going to be proven wrong, then I again say, it’s on you.

#bkdk #midoriya izuku #mha deku #bkdk brainrot #bakudeku #bakugou katsuki #bnha deku #mha analysis #deku midoriya #Katsuki You’re safe for now you won’t be hit like Izuku will #but you used to make me want to Detroit smash you into a wall 24/7 #ily….#anyway the girls can do no wrong that’s why they aren’t getting hit :) Toga and Ochako are too good for you Izuku #THEYRE MY WIVES #MINE #anyway this took more of a fandom focus than I thought it would #it’s just like. wow. yeah.#i mean… I learned how to analyze the media I liked better over the past three or so years I’ve been lurking in this fandom #there’s nothing wrong with not getting it #but REFUSING TO? holy shit man. that’s. wow.#yeah.. I don’t like you if you refuse to read or think in other pov’s #because reading othe pov’s can genuinely be eye opening in so many ways #I STILL read izu//ocha analysis #I’m interested in how the mindset works #and to me it seems as though they analyze and consume it by reading it at its most base level #‘ochako likes deku and toga is going to show her that she can love him freely’ type of thing #and it ignores a lot of coded dialogue and the Japanese nuance within what is said #yk. unless it has to do with ‘Kacchan no Bakugou’.#ugh #they don’t even know that he’s saying it like ‘Kacchan of the bakugou clan’ bc hes making it some grand announcement and old timey

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00thebrokenbutterfly00 · 6 months

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I think we don't understand the dimension of HOW GAY this chapter was. I have so many things to say, like little Yoichi being manipulated and abused by his twin brother whose companion is the only kind of relationship he knows, but then one day a completely stranger decided to take afo's twin twink brother away from him (with him) and afo has an absolute incestuous breakdown. The craziest thing about all this is that Yoichi accepted this stranger's hand immediately and ran away together still holding hands. Also, the moment Kudou saw Yoichi he knew exactly what he wanted to do? Like, I'm gonna take this person with me and he is gonna stay by my side. Because, think about it, Kudou never took Yoichi to a shelter where someone else could take care of him, no, Kudou decided it was best Yoichi stayed with him. Now, imagine how furious afo was after seeing his brother running away with another man, his brother, the closest person he ever had (and vice versa) escaping from him with someone he has never seen before. Afo must have been so pissed because his possession didn't think twice before leaving him forever. This chapter was kind of out of the blue taking into account the previous ones but it was magnificent nonetheless✨💫. And the last thing, this chapter was not about the quirks AFO and OFA themselves it was purely about the relationship between the holders.

#mha 407 #bnha spoilers #bnha 407 #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bkdk #bnha bkdk #ktdk #kudoichi #ichinii #sorry about my rant

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bakuhatsufallinlove · 8 days

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Have you seen the latest MHA S7 OP ? The visual are so pretty, bkg has such a soft look! These days hori is drawing Katsuki with such smiling expressions so i wonder if bkg is going to have a change in personality like not being angry 24/7 etc what do you think ? His relation with izuku is definitely going to change but will deku accept this new soft side of kacchan?

Listen, my friend, and hear the gospel: Katsuki has always been soft.

Katsuki is known for bolstering his tough guy, shit-talking side, yes, absolutely. But his tough side and his soft side do not contradict each other, they complement each other. He is not suddenly not the guy who explosively roars or tells people off just because he's more comfortable showing himself to be thoughtful, reliable, considerate, compassionate, loyal, and selfless. He is still ferocious, ambitious, self-confident, and smug--a sore winner if there ever was one.

Hell, you see this on clear display in his fight against AFO. He's mocking that guy. Just utterly shitting on him. And it's fantastic.

Katsuki hasn't been "angry 24/7" since before Deku vs. Kacchan 2. I could quibble about how we're reading his character even earlier, but this point inarguably marks a change for him. We're now on chapter 421; the series is not over, but just those 301 chapters since DvK2 represent over 70% of its length. Even cutting the 40some chapters he was down for the count still allots us at least 60% of the story featuring some softer, more introspective, less combative flavor of Kacchan than what we began with.

I'm not trying to criticize you, anon -- but I do want to point these things out, because I think people underestimate and misread this kid sometimes. Don't buy into his bluster wholesale!

We're seeing Katsuki at his most comfortable, right now. We're seeing his truest self. He is allowing people to see the softness he has always had inside him, and I love it.

But Katsuki has always been and will always be feisty, snarky, and a little contrarian. He's always gonna roast the people he cares about for being thick-headed or careless or making his life hard. And then he's gonna be there for them anyway, which is what he's done for Izuku all this time.

As for how Izuku is gonna receive him, I have no doubt whatsoever that Izuku will beam at him with joy, satisfaction, and the occasional awe. He has accepted Katsuki as he is ever since DvK2, happy to be by his side to watch him better himself and then chase after him. They have been getting more and more comfortable with each other, working together, planning together, talking casually together.

I don't think their relationship is going to change much, other than the ways they are going to let each other in more. And gosh, what a joy that would be to see, huh?

It's all gravy from here on out, man.

Also the opening fucking rocked, and I absolutely yelled when I saw explody boy doing his fourth-wall-breaking gentle gaze at the camera. Izuku is very lucky to be the one those eyes land on more often than not, and he's superfan enough to be grateful even if he's not particularly self-aware!!!

#asks #anon asks #bkdk #mha spoilers #mha season 7 spoilers #mha manga spoilers #Katsuki is a tsundere in many respects #he's also just fucking funny #his explody bullshit is FUNNY #it's entertaining and inspiring and delightful #he's a winner and he knows it now #I love him #I love him explosive and I love him soft #love him tender love him true #Izuku CHERISHES that boy #as he should #I dunno if this is what you were expecting anon but I hope you got something out of it haha

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donkeys-waffles · 29 days

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Okay, hear me out, I totally understand that sick and twisted DFO would totally be canon if the theory pans out. And don't get me wrong I love that, truly, it's one of his ehm many quirks.

But just, ugh, the idea that AFO genuinely loves Izuku in a not just possessive "you are part of me" but also in a "I will burn everything down just to see you smile" way.

Like big bad, supervillain who has zero moral code, kept every single baby book, toy, and article of clothing Izuku had throughout his childhood. This man has a container of baby teeth in a pretty little jar and all of his underlings think it's from one of his enemies, no it's from AFO's hero son. This man is a hoarder!!! I mean people have been building this head canon for years, but instead of hoarding jewels and pretty things, he hoards photocopies of every analysis Izuku has even written, Izuku's favorite stuffed animals and his baby blanket that are so tattered and loved that people think they're from HIS childhood.

LIKE PLEASE.

The idea that baby Izu nearly saved the world because his father almost gave up on villainy. It makes me sob!!!!

Baby Izu bringing home injured animals off the side of the street and DFO miraculously healing them to make Izuku happy. Then proceeding to do that years later when he sees an injured bird or something, because he misses his son.

Like you know how parents always talk about how they'll never see their kids as anything but their babies. That they just never truly grow up. THAT is AFO coded to me. Like he comes back from being abroad and is absolutely aghast when he finds out Izuku doesn't sleep with his stuffed rabbit anymore. He keeps the damn ugly rabbit around just in case Izuku gets a nightmare but will cut your throat out if you look at him the wrong way.

The idea that he left to protect his son is great, amazing, spectacular.

But him leaving because Izuku was making him weak kills me too. That after 200 years of stubbornly fighting for world domination and your toddler babbles about how much of a great Papa you are, and you question whether any of it is worth it.

The idea that Izuku could grow to become AFO's Jiminy Cricket, his little heart that forces him onto a straight path. Or even that AFO would throw everything away for his heroic son without hesitation.

Or that this man is so grief stricken but not just losing his brother for good but knowing that he'll never be able to go back to his family. That Izuku is his nemesis' successor, and they are sworn enemies as a result.

OR GOD FORBID, HE DIES OFFICIALLY BECAUSE HE COULD NEVER KILL HIS BABY!!

#all for one #bnha #izuku midoriya #dad for one #afo #dfo #bnha all for one #all for one is hisashi #mha #my hero academia #My brain rot #THE IDEA THAT IZUKU IS NOT ONLY YAGI'S WILL TO LIVE BUT ALSO AFO'S

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lineli225 · 8 months

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Tomura's Kill count in Canon

I'm done with people calling Tomura a "sadistic genocidal mass murder who killed millions" BECAUSE HE ISN'T.

So, i finally decided to prove it my self.

So today I'll be listing EVERY person Tomura killed! With his reasons too.

1- His father, his first intentional kill and one of the few he felt a thrill or pleasure, justified since he abused him.

3- The two thugs, he killed them under AFO's pressure, and if you pay attention, he was wheezing during it the same way he did during his panic attacks.

Time skip to the present:

USJ had no kills (despite his attempts), Stain's arc had no kills either (except some papers and a binocular, RIP). No kills even during Kamino, as he seemed to not even want to kill Bakugou.

Tomura's first kill, chronologically, in the entire series, is ironically, only on the 4th season, and 11th story arc (Shie Hassaikai Arc)

4 kills so far, one of Overhaul's man, this kill was literally self defense (and revenge)

5- The cop driving the police car, guarding the ambulance Ovehaul was in (we don't know if he died or just lost his hand though, it might not have even been intentional considering he aimed to the steering wheel)

Then we have the Overhaul arm snatching scene, the only moment Tomura is shown as actually sadistic so far.

Totally owned though, Overhaul shouldn't have threatened him, killed and injured his friends

Then, we move to the MVA arc, where the real kill count starts

First, we have a unknown number of kills, when the league visits Creature Rejection Clan, there was around 20 visible members, assuming the kills where shared equally though the League, we can say Tomura killed around 5 or 6 of these guys.

Which he did with no Sadistic glee, actually, so far, he either kills with no emotions, or seems bothered by it (Also, racists, so owned 💅)

Anyways, around 10 kills by now.

2 kills, then i could count 32 people, so 44 kills.

Considering Deika had 110,000 Meta Liberation members, and that good part of these people had died by GigantoMachia, Twice, Dabi and others.

We don't know though, how many where killed by Tomura's decay wave.

In the end Hawks had reported around 9,946 MLA members dead

I don't know if the kill wave should be counted though- since they weren't direct intentional kills

So by far Tomura has killed around 7,000 people, but none of them where innocent people (except that cop rip) People left alive:

Now we move to the Paranormal Liberation War Arc

First kill being X-less, then once again a unknown number of both heroes and villains killed by the decay wave, let's count the visible/shown deaths.

Crust, these 2 guys, some of the list- around 15 kills by Tomura

Since the city was evacuated, no one died besides a few heroes.

Tomura didn't kill anyone else during his fight against Endeavor and Izuku, so now we move on, with a kill count of around 61 visible kills and hmm.. 8,000 off screen?

I won't count any kill during the Tartarus scape since these where clearly by All for One

So we move to Stars and Stripes! Since here Tomura and AFO's personality where already half way, i'll count thise ones too. So more 2 kills here

Then the final arc begins, but despite the absolute mess the fight against Tomura in the UA cage was- it had no deaths besides Bakugou.

FINAL COUNT:

On screen kills by Tomura: 61 kills

Kills counting ShigAFO: around 64

Kills counting off-screen deaths: around 1,000 to 9,000

Bonus: Nine lol

Ngl, owned too

Now you're probably thinking: uhh- that's still a lot of people.

But the thing is, he killed much less than it looks like, literally all kills where out of self defense or necessity, very few in the list where innocent people, the vast majority are villains, and he never killed for pleasure or in a act of sadism.

Actually, he had very good reasons to kill each one of them.

Yes yes, he did attempt to kill much more, but he didn't.. Even if he did kill "millions" because of Deika- he's still not the monster he is portrayed by some.

Like come on, if you had an entire city trying to kill you, you wouldn't try to defend your self in your way to rescue a friend? If someone threatened you and had brutally killed your friend and taken another's arm, you wouldn't feel joy in vengeance?

Anyways, Tomura is innocent

"The reason why he killed them or how he felt doesn't change the fact he killed them!"

If so same for Gran Torino's "killing is a form of saving" ass!

Like come on, look at him!

Anyways, my job here is done 😌

#shigaraki tomura #tomura shigaraki #shigaraki #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #tomura #mha thoughts #mha analysis #bnha analysis #mha shigaraki

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spinji · 6 months

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Imma be honest, I have no idea where people are coming from sympathizing with All For One.

I get the simps, you guys are gonna twist things for your meow meow all you want. More power to you.

But the narrative wastes no time showing us that AFO's greed and desire to control is INSTINCTUAL. He stole nutrients from Yoichi in the womb, stole his mother's quirk, and (arguably) stole her life. This was long before he'd be developed enough to make a conscious choice.

"But AFO is the one telling us this so of course he might lie" No???? We don't have any characters that could relay this information to us so the narration is just neutral omniscient dialog to explain what's happening, referring to AFO in the third person. This isn't diagetic narration.

Do you honestly think AFO, losing his goddamn mind in the middle of a fight, would turn to Bakugou like "so my mother was a prostitute-". The last page is the only one explicitly from AFO's point of view and that has a very obvious change in perspective. So no, I don't think All For One is telling us the story of how he was almost eaten by rats. We can absolutely take this at face value.

There are more complicated implications about the world building in this chapter, like how the actually recorded first quirk was flashy but harmless to set up a nice and happy origin of meta abilities despite that not being true. It puts AFO in a tight position as well because well he grew up in a hellscape with no parents and learned how to survive on his own right? So it's okay that he killed all those anti-quirk people right?

What about Yoichi?

Yoichi grew up in identical conditions to AFO, just as starved, just as unloved, just as alone. But Yoichi also grew up kind. He had empathy and hope, not wanting innocent people to get hurt. You can't inherently blame their circumstances when AFO has been a dickhead since birth and yet his twin, in the same scenario, did not. The difference? AFO had power and a compulsive need to control.

Yoichi would not have felt the need to run away, willingly, with Kudou if this was meant to be AFO's tragedy. Tenko's family ran to him, Touya's family thought they lost him, AFO's ran away from him.

AFO is blinded by ego and an all consuming sense of control. He is very much meant to be the embodiment of these things, monolithic as a threat. And his pursuit after One for All has been both a power grab and a desire to have complete control over his brother again in the form of suppressing his vestige.

Remember how Himiko actively chose not to live by a villain name? Because she didn't see herself as a criminal?

This is All For One's origin story and we still only know his villain name.

Do you really think that's not intentional?

#mha #bnha #my hero academia #mha spoliers #mha manga spoilers #mha 407 #all for one #shigaraki yoichi #look I'm just ranting here if you want to sympathize with this patient zero for the abuse cycle that is this series' villains be my guest

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bibibbon · 4 months

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MHA and dumbing down all might

Yes, you heard this right I wholeheartedly believe that horikoshi has been dumbing down all might because some of the stuff that happens really makes no sense.

The canon MHA stats that are made by horikoshi himself state that all might is actually quite intelligent yet we never see it in the series. If all might was very intelligent then wouldn't he :

Train Izuku in basic hand to hand combat? I mean he literally gave izuku A whole diet plan and gym routine so he can build up muscle because he realised that it would be DANGEROUS to give izuku OFA at his current state so wouldn't he also train Izuku in hand to hand so izuku can use OFA in closer range? Like are we talking about the same all might who planned how Izuku's life will go for the past 10 months by a whole schedule couldn't be offer izuku combat training?!?!

Fully explain to him the concequences of OFA? I don't mean anything about AFO but the quirk OFA itself. Even though they were both in a rush you could of had all might warn izuku not to use the quirk until the last moment because he was still weak as a user and needed more time to grasp OFA but he just ends up giving izuku horrible advice which just makes all might look dumb.

Realises how bad of a person bakugo is, plans to then help him and then NOTHING?. This can be easily explained by horikoshi and his absolute love for bakugo but all might actually realises that one of his students needs help and he planned to give bakugo counselling that's more then any other teacher has done but afterwards he also becomes blinded by bakugos "greatness BS"

Realises how much of an escalated battle between izuku and Katsuki but doesn't stop it? This one is 50/50 for me while all might didn't have any audio from both of them he saw how badly that battle escalated and it also escalated so badly to the point you had students like kirishima saying that bakugo was going to murder izuku at this rate. Iam actually fine having this one because maybe all might never understood how bad their relationship was so he allowed this to go on but we could of had an apology scene afterwards where all might could of apologised for not stopping it sooner and have some teachers give him constructive criticism on his teaching.

Actually keeps in mind that his successor is a child and understands that OFA is a big secret for a child to have or keep but then kind of leaves izuku alone with no proper support system? Look I get it. Telling every single living being about OFA is very very dangerous but the only people that do know about it do NOTHING to help or support izuku and with something like OFA Izuku definitely needs support so you could of had at least a bit of the teachers know vague details of the quirk (they don't have to know about how it can be transferred and passed down) but know that Izuku got it late. I get the reason why all might is so strict about telling NO ONE but it doesn't help Izuku. ALSO PROPS ON ALL MIGHT FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THAT IZUKU IS JUST A KID!!!!!

Withholding help from izuku (but not really??) ???. Idk how to word this but let's be honest it's not a good look on all might when you have Izuku learning more from GRAN TORINO AND ENDEAVOUR?!?! When it comes to OFA all might is just there a lot of the time ( he doesn't really do much) and yes you can blame this on the narrative because we don't get that many scenes of them and their relationship in their first place but the point stands it's not a good look on you when you're successor is learning more from people who aren't OFA user's. I know all might was probably afraid of gran Torino and that's why he didn't contact him but like almost withholding and putting off help for izuku isn't a good look especially when we see all might do nothing about izuku breaking his bones.

Forgetting to tell izuku about AFO?? At the beginning of the conversation after the stain arc it's stated that all might forgot tell izuku about the origins of the quirk which rubs me off the wrong way. I think the whole AFO reveal and it's involvement with OFA could of have been a great plot point that would make us see Izuku's feelings and maybe create some tension in AM and izu's relationship which can be sorted out because Izuku just accepting that he is gonna have to FIGHT a full on villain that has killed multiple people with no complaints rubs me off the wrong way

All might is scared of gran Torino because of how hard he was "trained" by him but then brutally beats izuku and bakugo around??? I don't know but the whole final exam fight seemed so out of character of all might especially with how hard he was going at Izuku like recovery girl herself stated that he would of damaged Izuku's lower back a whole lot more if he added more aggression and this makes no sense to me. You're telling me the guy who was beaten around by Torino until he vomited and was on the verge of passing out would do that to his own successor and another students

There are definitely more examples of this happening that I didn't include but the point is the plot and narrative tend to heavily dumb down all might which is sad.

Someone can be a GOOD MENTOR but a BAD TEACHER ( especially if it's with a group of overpowered teenagers) however, the plot doesn't do all might justice.

#mha critical #bnha critical #hori is a bad writer #horikoshi critical #izuku deserves better #all might #all might deserves better

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gentrychild · 6 months

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I don't think you'll have it canon to Anyone as you have a different backstory in mind, but I'm imagining Anyone AFO telling the Anyone circle his crazy backstory and them thinking he's just screwing with them while Yoichi is just like :/ in the vestige world hearing it

This is not canonical in the Anyoneverse and in any of my fics because it would wreck my AFOs. (Except maybe for the twin part. I need to see what I wrote.) However, I know exactly how the reveal would go in Anyone.

‐-------‐-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AFO: "Back in my days, we didn’t have it easy like you spoiled brats! The only minions we got was the one we spare from our daily slaughter because their powers were useless and because your brother couldn’t stop whining about how killing was bad and how he just wanted to go to pre-school!"

Izuku: *already put his let's-ignore-the-evil-white-cat playlist and has been playing with his earbuds for the past five minutes*

AFO: "And let's not even talk about having to take care of Yoichi since I was born. Some people to raise their siblings as teenagers. I started doing it five minutes after I was born."

Izuku: *head bobbing with the music*

AFO: "I didn’t even become a villain for a motive as mercantile as money. I just stumbled into it, between the moment my mother gave birth to me by the river and rats immediately tried to eat me, and the moment I had to learn to swim to escape the rats. While carrying my brother."

Izuku: *does not hear one word*

AFO: "And did I get a word of thanks for making sure my brother and I survived? No, it was always "Don't daily kill people, Big Brother!", "Could you please slow down with the slaughter, Big Brother?", "Oh, a comic book not too stained with blood!"..."

Izuku: *silently singing along the lyrics of the new All Might movie soundtrack*

Dabi, Kurogiri, Hawks and Shouto: *huddled in one side of the bar, absolutely horrified, their brains about to explode*

Nagisa, listening to them from home: "What the fuck?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hawks: "Shouldn't we do something after hearing this? Like put him in therapy ASAP?"

Kurogiri: "Where will you find a therapist that can undo two centuries of *waves at all that AFO is*

Dabi: "I feel that urge to go home and to apologize to my family and to cherish them."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

16 year ago:

Hisashi: "I had problems with my brother back in the day so I think that, for this one, we should study ahead with the behavior training."

Inko: "I am so glad you're saying that because I kinda plurged for child-rearing-books with your credit card."

Hisashi: "Child rearing books?"

Hisashi: *promptly hides the Training Your Puppy For Dummies book behind his back*

Hisashi: "Yes, that’s definitely what I was talking about."

#bnha 407 #bnha leaks #bnha manga spoilers #anyone fic

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greenhappyseed · 5 months

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MHA 409 Review — The Extra and the Pebble

Ch 409 is a really interesting continuation of the action in 405-406, prior to the AFO backstory in 407-408. These few panels of Yoichi and AFO in the OFA-AFO mind palace (406 on the right; 409 on the left) tell us a LOT about AFO and how he’s been affected by Katsuki.

I’m not even sure what’s left of AFO. Is he fully baby-fied now? Is he down on the ground like Toya and Himiko? Throughout the chapter, it looked like AFO was gaining a pupil in his right eye, which is the one Katsuki doesn’t have at the moment. Is this just clever art mirroring or hinting at AFO’s next move????

Unlike 407-408, this chapter focuses on Katsuki. I don’t think it tells us something we didn’t already know — Katsuki was born to a couple with a happy, functional marriage who loved and wanted him. He has a strong and versatile quirk. He’s powerful, smart, and strategic. And yet, at the start of the story all those advantages combined made him more of a brat than a hero. But it’s different now. The final page really shows how Katsuki has connected it all. See how the lines of his explosion frame the rest of the page? How the left line points directly to his dialogue about not being alone? And below Katsuki are all the influences that have supported him — All Might, his parents, and Yoichi/OFA (via Izuku).

Katsuki is going all out at the end, breaking his right arm (again) but able to pull off one last huge blast due to the brace All Might gave him (like Izuku using Melissa’s gauntlets in Two Heroes). If his gambit of dropping sweat beads in AFO’s mouth didn’t pay off, he would have delivered the blast sooner, but luckily his ploy worked.

FWIW, Katsuki dropped the beads in AFO’s mouth right when AFO was shouting about Kudou and Katsuki said his name was Kacchan, because Kacchan is a clever kid.

Katsuki is also acknowledging directly that he could not have soloed AFO. Even though he’s awesome, there’s a limit to what he (or ANY one person, including All Might) could do alone. Seeing as Yoichi’s message to Izuku has always been, “You are not alone,” it further emphasizes how Katsuki has grown to adopt the spirit of OFA. The kid who thought needing help was a sign of weakness, and who thought Izuku holding out a hand was mocking him, now understands the importance of accepting that hand. Standing on the shoulders of giants helps one see further. :)

Moreover, Katsuki is now motivated by helping Izuku and getting out of Izuku’s way. Izuku isnt the pebble in Katsuki’s path — Katsuki is the one in the way of Izuku. Back when 362 dropped, I wrote about how Katsuki’s death was very Buddhist in that he had to lose all his physical attachments (including his body and quirk) to achieve a spiritual awakening. It seems like that worked, and now Katsuki is genuinely, truly appreciating all the gifts he has, as well as his role as a piece of something bigger. He’s no longer demanding that others get out of his way, but rather thinking about when HE has to move for someone else. The kid who pathologically couldn’t walk behind someone else is now able to get out of his own way AND clear the path for others.

This fits the pattern we’ve seen numerous times in the final arc with a hero accepting a villain’s taunt in order to defeat them. Of course Katsuki takes a different tactic than, say, Shoto (“A half-baked dummy, that’s me”). Katsuki yells he’s the final boss, he’s not a filler character, etc. But the point is the same. Katsuki is accepting he has one quirk; he’s NOT physically bound to the OFA-AFO quirk; he IS a pebble compared to AFO. His role IS to support Izuku….and it takes absolutely nothing away from him whatsoever. Katsuki has his stupid awesome quirk, his intelligence, his strength, his commitment, and people who care about him. He can play his part to the best of his ability and deliver a big win for the heroes.

#bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha 409 #mha 409 #Katsuki bakugo #Kacchan #gemg dynamight #AFO #all for one #bnha meta #mha meta

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super-paper · 6 months

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Truly Yours: A Defense of "Iron Might"

"My dear, In the midst of hate, I found within me an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found within me an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found within me an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that… In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better – pushing right back "

Disclaimer: The above quote is famously misattributed to Camus-- who seemingly only wrote the midst of winter/invincible summer portion of the original piece-- and the author of the expanded quote remains unknown. Nevertheless, it fits Toshi's character perfectly.

Iron Might remains a polarizing love-or-hate-it topic within the fandom, with many fans expressing their concerns that it ruins Toshinori's character/arc. It's no secret that I fall pretty firmly on the "love" side of camp-- and as is the case with all things I love, I can't love quietly or in moderation. So here's another really really really long post on all the reasons why I love it, and why I don't feel that this was character assassination in the slightest.

Breaking the key points down, I aim to discuss:

A) How Iron Might acts as a sort of resolution to Toshi's complex relationship with his body and injuries, and reconciles the divide between Toshinori's body and soul.

B) How Iron Might embodies MHA's definition of "love" and acts as a love letter to everything Toshinori wants to protect and everything he's ever wanted to protect. Iron Might is not meant to be read as a suicide mission, but as Toshinori weaponizing the joy of living as "Yagi Toshinori" and pitting the weight of his entire existence against AFO.

C) How Iron Might further cements MHA as "meta-fiction" through discussion of what being "quirkless" means on a narrative level + the dismantling of popular but overdone tropes that people have come to expect in comics. Toshi is also fighting for his right to exist in a battle manga against a toxic comic nerd who thinks that Toshi's role ended in Kamino and that he contributes more to the story by dying.

D) How Iron Might functions as a narrative device (i.e. It gets Toshinori to Izuku and Tomura). This is the battlefield where Toshi's character was always destined to end up because this is where all his unfinished business is at. Simple as!

"The body and mind are two halves of a whole" Iron Might as Toshinori coming to terms with his injuries and his body:

Kicking things off with this point bc I feel like... understanding how Toshi's relationship and struggles with his own body have been a major part of his character arc is something that's, like, absolutely essential when it comes to getting an accurate read on what Iron Might means to Toshi's character. Iron Might ultimately functions as a reconciliation between Toshinori's wounded body and heroic soul, so it's a bit sad to see people repeatedly dismissing it as "ruining Toshinori's character arc" without ever taking Toshi's relationship with his own body into consideration. Like, this is not some "insignificant" part of his arc that's being prioritized over everything else:

A collection of very relevant panels! Side note: Tsukauchi fumbling the toshibowl so hard that Toshi's car seems like the better romantic choice in comparison will never stop being funny. Aiba ur the only person in that control room i respect btw.

For the longest time Toshinori has viewed his emaciated, ill body as something pathetic and shameful. His body was something he felt that he *had* to hide from the world, in order to maintain the illusion of being a hero who could never possibly succumb to evil. His injuries and the state of his body cleaved his identity/self-perception in two-- he begins the series treating his actual body as the "secret identity" instead of his authentic self. The story doesn't spoonfeed this to the readers because it expects its readers to have enough empathy to put two-and-two together on their own-- That Toshi doesn't simply struggle with the loss of OFA & "All Might/heroism" in the aftermath of Kamino, but also the loss of what he felt was his "true" body.

Toshinori is very easily read as someone who suffers from intense body dysmorphia-- and him forcibly changing himself back into his muscular form over and over again can also quite easily be read as Toshi attempting to cling to whatever time he has left with the body that doesn't make him feel like a stranger in his own skin. It's him holding onto the self he views as "actually him" for as long as he can.

Toshi's arc is something that resonates with a lot of people who have disabilities or suffer from dysphoria-- So it's frustrating when some fans decide to take the least gracious interpretation of his character and issues and run with it, instead attempting to frame Toshi as some washed up attention seeker who ~simply can't let go of his glory days~. Toshi's character has been hit with a lot of ableism both in-universe and out of it, with the fandom only really acknowledging that he's a disabled man when it conveniences them and otherwise disregarding how this aspect of him plays a major role in his arc.

Iron Might is built to specifically resemble Toshi's "ideal" body-- to the bitter cynics, this supports their idea that Toshi is unable to let go of "All Might" and hasn't learned to value himself or his life as Yagi Toshinori. To those who understand what Toshi's been going through and understand that his arc was never *just* about "living," though, it's a different story altogether. So much of Iron Might symbolizes Toshinori coming to terms with the fact that he is a disabled man, accepting that there was never anything shameful about this, accepting that it never needed to be "hidden away" for him to be a hero-- and ultimately, accepting that his body is 100% him and an undeniable aspect of what makes him a hero, no matter how injured.

"Who's that skinny guy?" KID, LET ME TELL YOU A STORY.

There is a noticeable shift in Toshi's relationship with his body during Act 3-- We go from practically begging that Toshi's true form not be exposed to the public during Kamino, to Toshi encouraging that this fight be broadcast to the world. In the aftermath of Kamino and after losing the last embers of OFA, we still see Toshi forcibly shifting into his muscle form multiple times whenever he wants to "reassure" others, even though this process obviously hurts him:

The implications behind this are obvious: Toshi is not coping with the loss of his body as well as he lets on, and all those implications finally come to a painful head during the dark hero arc.

During his meeting with Stain, Stain outright refuses to recognize Toshi's "Muscle form" as "All Might" and instead makes it clear that it was Toshi's heroic soul that earned him the right to call himself a "true hero"--and that this "soul" still exists in everyone Toshi has ever saved. It never went away. The embers of OFA might have vanished, but the flames of Toshi's own heroism remain all around him-- they keep him warm and allow him to keep shining.

Toshi begins to accept his own body for the first time after his meeting with Stain-- we see him starting to reassure his friends as his authentic self instead of scrambling to shift back into his muscle form. During his last stand against AFO, he boldly shows the world his injured back, and wordlessly asks that they still express their faith in it and feel protected by it. His injuries are a part of him and his lived reality, and they're part of what makes him a human.

"--Because a hero's back exists to reassure others!"

Toshinori's body itself is ultimately included among his blessings that he weaponizes against AFO: his bonds, his origin, and his body-- no matter how badly injured it may be-- are all what defines him as a hero. Even if his back is no longer "broad," it will always be something that reminds others that "he is here."

During this fight, Toshinori reconciles his fractured identity by finally embracing all the aspects of himself that he'd previously grown distant from. Reflecting on the life he's led as Yagi Toshinori-- the life he led before he ever became "All Might" and the life he led after receiving his injuries and losing OFA-- is what gives him the strength to laugh in AFO's face, and it's what causes the light to finally return to his eyes. In the midst of a battle between life and death, we witness Toshinori being reborn.

He fully embraces his humanity during this fight, and then weaponizes that humanity against AFO (and considering AFO's character/how AFO is constantly attempting to escape his own humanity... it's pr delightful to see him getting his shit wrecked by another "god" who fell to earth and was forced to live his as a mortal, but ultimately realized that he loved it).

The battle ends with "All Might's" iconic shading now being used for Toshi's true form-- symbolizing the reconciliation between Toshi's heroic soul and his wounded but nevertheless heroic body.

As an aside: I also feel the context surrounding Iron Might/Toshi's body touches on MHA's theme of "consent versus nonconsent" as something that separates true heroes from true villains (starting from AFO forcing a quirk on Yoichi, cumulating with Toshi offering Izuku OFA and later making it clear that the quirk requires Izuku's explicit consent to be passed on-- OFA being born from an act of utter violation and then turned into something that explicitly requires consent always been one of my favorite aspects of MHA's lore, but I digress). During Kamino, AFO forcibly exposed Toshi's body to the world in an effort to completely humiliate him and destroy the public's image of him. Now, Toshi taking his power back and exposing his true form to the world entirely on his own terms.

"All that I've been blessed with will bear its weight against you!"-- or, Iron Might as a love letter.

I've talked on this point a lot bc it's what enamored me immediately with this fight (which is really about the depth of Toshinori's love and the love others have for him and his willingness to BE loved by others -versus- a man who takes advantage of the love others have for him and is utterly unable to leave his fragile heart at the mercy of others out of fear of ppl perceiving him), so I'll try to keep it brief:

Iron Might embodies the essence of how MHA defines love (love is admiration, love is imitation, love is seeing/watching, etc) while also acting as Toshinori's love letter to everything he wants to protect (himself and his life as "Yagi Toshinori" included). It also embodies the essence of how MHA defines true heroism (those who have been blessed should use their blessings for those who have not been blessed, those who can still act must act, etc etc etc ).

Toshi would not have been able to pull off Class 1A's moves or found the best way to integrate them into a cohesive fighting style without love as imitation/watching/admiration. (again, versus AFO, who at this point just randomly fires off powerful quirks without any actual respect for how the quirks work or how they can support each other, & who doesn't admire his own student beyond his capacity for rage).

This battle is a celebration of the bonds Toshi has allowed himself to form. It's him using everything he's ever been given and everything he's ever been blessed with to fight against a man who only knows how to take things away. Toshi has learned that OFA was never what made him a hero, that he can live without OFA-- and he's pitting the weight of that life against a man who is convinced that OFA is everything, who can't move on from it, and who has built his entire existence around getting it back. AFO wins the physical battle, sure, but Toshi remains the clear winner in the war of existences.

"This story is still being written, Toshinori."

Another aside: Names are everything in MHA, and that's especially true in the final act. MHA treats names like incantations, and “Do your best, Toshinori!” is the magic spell Toshi is using to motivate himself. Hori frequently uses how a person chooses to refer to themselves during key scenes as a way of emphasizing a person's mental state. From this, we can deduce that Toshi doesn't view this fight as All Might vs. AFO-- he views this fight as Toshinori vs. AFO.

Toshinori has weaponized his blessings and bonds and is now hitting back at AFO with the full weight of his complete existence. In this fight, he carves the joy of living-- of being Yagi Toshinori-- into AFO's barren, empty soul. Every scene he flashes back to is a scene of the life he has lived as Toshinori, not as All Might. This fight, just like the rest of the war, is all about "love" in all its various forms. AFO's abuse of love (both of his own deeply hidden love and of the love others have for him) is why he cannot win in a war where love is the essential element-- love is what keeps motivating everyone in this war to keep getting up, to keep struggling, to keep reaching out, etc etc etc.

Moving on.

"I'm quirkless. Born without a role." or, Iron Might as an act of defiance against both the narrative and the expectations of the 'battle manga' genre.

MHA being an example of stealth meta-fiction is something I've talked about before, particularly so with these two posts (plus... basically any post about our favorite cringefail LARPer, AFO).

Horikoshi takes full advantage of the medium/the fact that MHA is a manga and uses every tool that's available to both tell and enhance the story, and these chapters have cemented him as someone who has mastered his craft-- The decision to draw Toshi's true self with thick/bold lines after his armor breaks, the dark shadows finally leaving his eyes, Toshi consistently referring to himself by his own name instead of his hero name, the chapter titles, the backgrounds, etc etc etc all of it. Absolutely everything has meaning.

Through Iron Might, we once again delve into how the series chooses to define "quirklessness"-- the idea that quirklessness is meant to be a disability allegory gets more or less debunked (thankfully, since MHA already has a fairly good track record with depicting ACTUAL mental and physical illnesses/disabilities), with the narrative instead framing the possession of a quirk as something that determines what "role" a person gets in life. The implication being that not having a quirk means you don't get a role, period. You don't get to shine brightly on stage, you don't even get to be an "extra." This fits into the previously established idea that society's biases against "villainous quirks" basically railroad a lot of people onto the path of villainy (plus, the treatment of heroes/villains as fictional characters by the masses instead of viewing them as actual people). But, quirks are just quirks-- they're neither good or evil, and they aren't what determine whether a person is a hero or a villain. And as such, having or not having a quirk isn't what determines whether or not someone is truly a hero.

Toshinori is now defying the narrative that states that not having a quirk means you don't get a role. At the same time, he stands up against AFO-- our resident toxic comic book fanboy who sincerely believes Toshi should have picked Kamino as the best time to "bow out" (read: die) as a character-- who spews all sorts of vile things about the state of Toshi's body and how this is the primary reason why Toshi has no place in the story. The satire practically writes itself.

Like so many other characters, Toshinori uses the "role" of All Might as a coping mechanism for much of the series. As already stated, there is a disconnect between Toshinori's body and his soul--Toshi begins to use All Might as a mask to hide his feelings, his fears, and his humanity from the rest of the world. The series draws attention to the fact that the people forgot about the heart and soul--that is, the person-- behind All Might and started treating him like a character instead of a real person, and it's made clear that Toshinori forgot, too.

AFO is still trying to hide his true self in the role of the demon king, but Toshinori is no longer trying to hide himself behind All Might. AFO thinks Toshinori should have died in Kamino because that's where his "role" as a "character" ended, but Toshinori refuses that end. Both men find their origins in fiction (AFO from captain hero, Toshinori from Anpanman) but only Toshi has managed to reconcile his identity, break free of the story, and meet AFO head on as a human instead of a character. AFO is still hiding and refusing to engage with this story as a real person.

Toshi's overshadowed eyes are also heavily implied to be a side effect of him completely losing himself in the role of "All Might," rather than merely being the result of the injury he got from AFO-- we see that his eyes were already overshadowed long before he ever received his fateful injury, and the emphasis on shadowed eyes is also a design quirk that ties him to AFO (whose eyes were constantly hidden by shadows bc he was constantly LARPing as a demon lord instead of being authentic-- To drive this bit of visual story telling home, Hori emphasizes AFO's eyes whenever the "demon king" mask starts to slip and we start seeing peeks of what an utter sad sap of a person AFO is beneath the mask). It's a clever bit of show-don't-tell and another testament to Hori's art direction. Eyes are forever the window to the heart and soul in MHA, and Toshi reconnecting with his heart and soul-- with what defines him as a person-- is what finally causes the light to return to his eyes. The mask is fully off.

"Midoriya Izuku and Yagi Toshinori ~ Midoriya Izuku and Shigaraki Tomura ~ Shigaraki Tomura and....?"-- Or, Iron Might as a Narrative Tool.

(reminds u that the pivotal/trajectory changing chapters known as 304 and 305 were titled "Midoriya Izuku and Yagi Toshinori" and "Midoriya Izuku and Tomura Shigaraki". These three are the key!)

Changing gears for a sec and speaking purely from a writer's perspective: Iron Might simply couldn't have been included at Gunga and Toshi simply couldn't have remained locked up in a surveillance room for the entirety of the final battle-- because Toshinori's final destination as a character was always supposed to be the Izuku and Tomura fight. That's where his role as a character was always supposed to reach fruition and find his resolution:

"--I want to save that little boy!"

Aura!Might shedding tears when he realizes that Izuku wants to save Tomura and that Izuku has redefined OFA as something that exists to save is one of those underrated character moments that deserves more attention, because it's like. Everything. One of the most important scenes in the series by a large margin.

Izuku's declaration tells us everything we need to know about the trajectory of the series. Aura!Might crying in response to that declaration gives us everything we need to anticipate where his character is heading and to understand why Toshi's arc isn't over until he finally reconciles his business/regrets with Tomura & OFA/Nana.

it's heavily implied that real!Toshi was crying, too, after he felt what vestige!Izuku said. His eyes are hidden, but we see him briefly wiping his tears away. (and this is one of the many things I love about MHA-- there are so many lovely little details that add so much to the story. You just gotta be willing to look for them.)

Anyway! This point really speaks for itself, so I won't get into it too much: Tomura/Izuku's battlefield is where Toshi was always supposed to end up-- it's where he obviously needs to be to wrap up the loose strings in his arc, hear Izuku's "I am here" moment, and "change fate" by Izuku's side (not necessarily just his own fate, but also Tomura's). Iron Might is just a way that gets Toshi from point A to Point B while allowing Toshinori's character to shine as brightly as possible.

TL;DR The stage is finally set, the main characters have finally assembled, and now we get to see how the grand finale plays out.

-- -- -- -- --

In summation: Iron Might is sappy, sentimental, and fueled entirely by heart rather than logic-- and it's everything I love about this series.

#my hero academia #yagi toshinori #mha.txt #long post

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pikahlua · 1 year

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Katsuki ain’t waking up any time soon and it’s gonna be amazing: Oh wait I think I know how MHA is gonna end ahahaha holy shit holy shit holy shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, a picture essay

I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna do the thing.

@greenhappyseed and I were having a lovely discussion over internet tea until we accidentally on purpose stumbled upon the MHA ending hahahahaha SIT DOWN, KIDS.

I’ll tell you how it’s gonna go. I’m gonna tell you everything important that you need to know. (With...one exception, which is the HOW EXACTLY??? But fear not because I’m sure Horikoshi will fill in the blanks to make this happen. It’s gonna fucking happen. Certainly. Probably. I’m maybe 100% sure.)

I’m gonna try not to be super wordy. I’ll just explain the dots we have connected with pictures. And I’m gonna laugh my ass off the whole way through it.

(Little did I realize how hilariously, literally correct I was.)

Oh, uh, probable spoilers warning? Like really, you should be absolutely sure you wanna read this before you do. Because, you know, it might just spoil everything. At least everything to do with Izuku, Katsuki, and Tomura.

Okay, let’s start with the big one.

What the fuck is going on in this picture? That’s the big question everyone’s been asking for months now. What the hell? Where is this? What is happening? By what means would Katsuki suddenly be able to see All Might’s vestige in some nebulous space not of the real world probably? What the hell????????

No, seriously, what happened? Is this how Katsuki died? This is all super ambiguous! Did his heart explode? Did Tomura destroy Katsuki’s heart when he struck him in the chest? DID he strike him in the chest?? What the hell am I looking at???

These are the questions I plan to answer with the following points, and it will consequently lead us directly to the ending.

Stay with me on this one.

When this chapter came out, a lot of people speculated that somehow Katsuki entered Izuku’s vestige world, which is why All Might’s vestige is there. In fact, Katsuki may have made it to Izuku’s world BECAUSE of something to do with All Might’s vestige. Additionally, many people thought Katsuki’s heart exploded on its own, and that’s probably a deliberately ambiguous mystery. Horikoshi went to great lengths to HIDE the correct angle that would show us what exactly is happening in the final image above.

But consider this hypothesis:

Katsuki didn’t enter Izuku’s vestige world--he entered Tomura’s.

Tomura’s vestige world has a white background too. It’s just All For One’s corruption that produces the slowly encroaching black background.

And I mean, think about it. Whatever happened to Katsuki happened as a consequence of his and TomurAFO’s clash. Izuku isn’t anywhere close to them yet. It makes far more sense for Katsuki to have entered Tomura’s vestige world rather than anyone else’s.

So how did Katsuki get in there? Well, this is where I think Horikoshi is gonna fill in the blanks for us. I don’t know which specific mechanics Katsuki employed in their clash to accomplish this feat. All I’ve got is: I think All Might’s vestige brought Katsuki there somehow. Perhaps it was done consciously, or perhaps Katsuki found a way to connect with the vestige to get to Tomura’s heart.

But then...what about All Might? Why is his vestige there? Inside Tomura’s vestige world? How?

One way might be how OFA and AFO connected at the end of the Paranormal Liberation War.

The other OFA vestiges appeared during this fight, which means for a brief time All Might’s vestige was connected with AFO. He could have left a piece of his vestige behind somehow.

Or it’s possibly thanks to Star.

Before we move on from this picture, let me point out that AFO’s corruption is highlighted by the black background that grows from his center. Additionally, this glimpse into Tomura’s vestige world shows us AFO and Tomura merged together--but are these merely quirk vestiges, or do they encompass something more? Remember, Izuku has a vestige in this world, and he has no quirk. What is the nature of this merged vestige? I’ll come back to this question soon.

For now, remember that All For One called Star’s vestige a “specter of All Might.”

Wouldn’t All Might’s vestige count as such a “specter?”

The characters in this final arc have hammered home the image of a chain connecting everyone, and Star’s actions preceding her death must be part of that chain. Her interference in AFO’s possession of Tomura may have left the All Might vestige behind inside Tomura’s body. It would work very well with the blatant imagery we see in chapter 364 of All Might reaching out to Star, who then reaches out...and on the next page we see Katsuki’s body and Edgeshot.

Perhaps this page is symbolizing the connection between Star and her vestige of All Might born from her admiration. Because Katsuki shares the same admiration (and parallels like hell with Star all over the place), he was able to connect to the All Might vestige inside of Tomura, and that’s how he gets to Tomura’s vestige world.

Or something something. Some anime bullshit, you know the drill.

But how did Katsuki know how to do all this? Man, idk. This is the part I’m expecting Horikoshi to fill in for me later. I just really think Katsuki did seek this outcome because of moments like these:

In what way was he chasing after Izuku here? Because we just saw his battle ability skyrocket only to end in his own apparent death. Well, the way Katsuki has been chasing after Izuku this entire manga, it’s pretty much gotta come down to Katsuki acknowledging Izuku’s strength in saving people. He’s been learning from Izuku’s example how to become a hero who saves. So it’s most likely that Katsuki’s final plan has something to do with rescuing Tomura, not merely fighting him.

But isn’t the vestige world merely comprised of quirks? How does this make any sense knowing that? Well now, let’s get back to that question of what is the AFO-Tomura vestige’s nature.

These vestiges in play cannot be merely quirks.

1. Izuku has a vestige when he is quirkless. 2. All Might’s vestige itself is a piece of his own consciousness. 3. The AFO-Tomura vestige has some weird, telling pieces to it.

When Star tears apart the AFO-Tomura vestige, the side that represents Tomura withers away, but we get a zoom in of the AFO vestige’s core where Tenko lies waiting.

And then when faced with the prospect of the heroes reviving Katsuki, Tenko panics and remembers his family.

...whom then spawn as figures on Tomura’s body.

We even saw Tomura’s family back when Tomura accepted AFO during the Paranormal Liberation War.

And finally, in chapter 379, Tomura explains the nature of the Tenko vestige we keep seeing.

In Japanese, Tomura calls this vestige his “origin” that he hid inside his heart.

These vestiges are more than just quirks. There is some woo-woo “the world within one’s heart” anime bullshit going on here.

And so, I shall leave you with my ultimate prediction.

Let’s use one part vestige rebellion against AFO:

One part One For All is resonating with All For One such that the vestiges can see each other:

And one part massive childhood hand-holding complex:

Prediction:

(and tl;dr)

Katsuki becomes some sort of vestige inside Tomura so that at some point, when Izuku's and Tomura's vestige worlds once again merge (or just resonate hard enough), Izuku will reach out and Katsuki will grab his hand, thus creating a link for Izuku to pull something out, be it the AFO quirk and its stolen vestiges, or Tenko, and perhaps Katsuki himself.

Thus, ironically, Katsuki’s resurrection is literally tied to Tomura’s rescue, so he ain’t waking up before then.

(But this is just a theory. A game theory! Will it actually happen this way? Definitely. Maybe. Probably. I don’t know. But damn it sure seems like it could.)

#my hero academia manga spoilers #final showdown spoilers #katsuki bakugou #tomura shigaraki #all might #star and stripe #i dunno guys i really think this could be the one #greenhappyseed #meta #theory

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