this is mostly just to go along with the Deku post since I got all swept up in it now lol.
so if you’re not familiar with the Enneagram System, it’s basically a system of personality classification in the same vein as Myers-Briggs. the key differences from MBTI are as follows:
while MBTI sorts people into sixteen different personality types based on how you recharge emotionally, how you make decisions, and how you perceive the world, Enneagram uses just nine personality types, and the criteria for figuring out one’s personality type is based on uncovering your greatest needs/desires, as well as your greatest fears.
a key aspect of the Enneagram system is the fact that each personality type has different Wings (basically a second/complimentary side to your personality), and different Levels (e.g. it takes into account that we behave in different ways depending on our current emotional state and level of personal growth). so really there are more like 27 personality types, and each type has nine different levels which can vary drastically in terms of how people behave in each one. it all stems from the same place, however – those same base desires and fears.
the nine types also have a weird relationship chart thing going on where each type shares similarities with other types and the whole thing forms a sort of intricate interconnected pattern lol. I’m not gonna bother getting into that here because it’s not super important, but it isinteresting, and that’s basically where the whole “enneagram” name comes from in the first place; it’s this alchemic-looking pattern with the nine types arranged on a circle with little triangles drawn between each one. somehow it all works out, apparently. it’s pseudoscience of course, just like MBTI is, but it’s fun pseudoscience lol.
anyway, so I’ve often found Enneagram to be pretty spot-on in summarizing personalities once you pinpoint a person or character’s type, and Kacchan happens to be a particularly great example of this. it’s seriously one of the most perfect descriptions of his character you’ll ever come across.
THE CHALLENGER Enneagram Type Eight The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive.Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self- mastering, they use their strength to improve others’ lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.
Basic Fear: Of being harmed or controlled by others
Basic Desire: To protect themselves (to be in control of their own life and destiny)
Key Motivations: Want to be self-reliant, to prove their strength and resist weakness, to be important in their world, to dominate the environment, and to stay in control of their situation.
The Meaning of the Arrows (in brief) When moving in their Direction of Disintegration (stress), self-confident Eights suddenly become secretive and fearful at Five. However, when moving in their Direction of Integration (growth), lustful, controlling Eights become more open-hearted and caring, like healthy Twos.
the Arrow stuff relates to the relationship chart stuff I was talking about in that third bullet point. type Two just so happens to be Deku’s type, btw. so basically the more that Katsuki grows as a person, the more he’ll continue to take on the best of Deku’s traits. (and conversely, unhealthy Twos often take on some Eight traits, which is absolutely hilarious to me when I think about how Deku takes on Kacchan’s speech patterns and starts cursing people out when he gets especially pissed off lmao.)
anyway so I am just going to more or less copy/paste the entire rest of the type Eight profile underneath the cut while periodically stopping to gush about how well it fits him lol.
Type Eight Overview
We have named personality type Eight “The Challenger” because, of all the types, Eights enjoy taking on challengesthemselves as well as giving others opportunities that challenge them to exceed themselves in some way. Eights are charismatic and have the physical and psychological capacities to persuade others to follow them into all kinds of endeavors—from starting a company, to rebuilding a city, to running a household, to waging war, to making peace.
or to fight battles against villains. yeah, pretty much everything here is stuff we’ve known since the Sports Festival if not even earlier than that. charismatic, effortlessly gets people to follow him, and is always looking to climb that next wall.
Eights have enormous willpower and vitality, and they feel most alive when they are exercising these capacities in the world. They use their abundant energy to effect changes in their environment—to “leave their mark" on it—but also to keep the environment, and especially other people, from hurting them and those they care about. At an early age, Eights understand that this requires strength, will, persistence, and endurance—qualities that they develop in themselves and which they look for in others.
determination from an early age, and a desire to become not only a hero, but the greatest hero who ever lived.
Eights do not want to be controlled or to allow others to have power over them (their Basic Fear), whether the power is psychological, sexual, social, or financial. Much of their behavior is involved with making sure that they retain and increase whatever power they have for as long as possible. An Eight may be a general or a gardener, a small businessman or a mogul, the mother of a family or the superior of a religious community. No matter: being “in charge” and leaving their imprint on their sphere is uniquely characteristic of them.
I don’t think I need to add anything to this. being in charge, lol.
Eights are the true “rugged individualists” of the Enneagram. More than any other type, they stand alone. They want to be independent, and resist being indebted to anyone. They often refuse to “give in” to social convention, and they can defy fear, shame, and concern about the consequences of their actions. Although they are usually aware of what people think of them, they do not let the opinions of others sway them. They go about their business with a steely determination that can be awe inspiring, even intimidating to others.
again, not much to add. Katsuki’s insistence on doing everything alone was for a long time the predominant weakness that he needed to overcome. even now he remains very independent, though he’s finally come around to the “teamwork makes the dream work” point of view thanks to his classmates.
Although, to some extent, Eights fear physical harm, far more important is their fear of being disempowered or controlled in some way. Eights are extraordinarily tough and can absorb a great deal of physical punishment without complaint—a double-edged blessing since they often take their health and stamina for granted and overlook the health and well-being of others as well. Yet they are desperately afraid of being hurt emotionally and will use their physical strength to protect their feelings and keep others at a safe emotional distance. Beneath the tough façade is vulnerability, although it has been covered over by layer of emotional armor.
basically the biggest reason why Katsuki had so much trouble wrapping his head around the “save” part of Win And Save was because he was so independent that he couldn’t relate to the idea of other people actually wanting and needing to be rescued. the fact that this paragraph predicts that specific bizarre behavior so casually kind of blows my mind tbh.
and then of course we get to the fear of vulnerability, which I’ve long maintained is at the core of pretty much every single one of Katsuki’s actions. he practically invented emotional distancing, and it’s 100% because of what happened between him and Izuku when they were kids (which was his own dumb fault of course, but even that just goes to show how accurate this actually is). deep down under all those layers of gremlin he is shockingly emotional, possibly themost emotional character in the entire series.
Thus, Eights are often extremely industrious, but at the price of losing emotional contact with many of the people in their lives. Those close to them may become increasingly dissatisfied with this state of affairs, which confounds Eights. (“I don’t understand what my family is complaining about. I bust my hump to provide for them. Why are they disappointed with me?”)
When this happens, Eights feel misunderstood and may distance themselves further. In fact, beneath their imposing exterior, Eights often feel hurt and rejected, although this is something they seldom talk about because they have trouble admitting their vulnerability to themselves, let alone to anyone else. Because they fear that they will be rejected (divorced, humiliated, criticized, fired, or harmed in some way), Eights attempt to defend themselves by rejecting others first. The result is that average Eights become blocked in their ability to connect with people or to love since love gives the other power over them, reawakening their Basic Fear.
emotional distancing, trouble admitting vulnerability, fear of being rejected, and misguided attempts to protect themselves from rejection by rejecting others first. someone should just send Katsuki the link to this entire profile so he can read it and come to a few long-overdue realizations about himself. then again he pretty much already has by this point. but he did it the hard way lol.
The more Eights build up their egos in order to protect themselves, the more sensitive they become to any real or imaginary slight to their self-respect, authority, or preeminence. The more they attempt to make themselves impervious to hurt or pain (whether physical or emotional), the more they “shut down” emotionally to become hardened and rock-like.
haaaaaaaaaah?! lol I can’t.
When Eights are emotionally healthy, however, they have a resourceful, “can-do” attitude as well as a steady inner drive. They take the initiative and make things happen with a great passion for life. They are honorable and authoritative—natural leaders who have a solid, commanding presence. Their groundedness gives them abundant “common sense” as well as the ability to be decisive. Eights are willing to “take the heat,” knowing that any decision cannot please everyone. But as much as possible, they want to look after the interests of the people in their charge without playing favorites. They use their talents and fortitude to construct a better world for everyone in their lives.
damned if this doesn’t lay it all out there perfectly though. Katsuki at his best is a passionate, driven person and a natural leader. everything from the emphasis on being honorable to the willingness to take responsibility for unpopular decisions is absolutely spot on.
okay, so the next section is the part with the different levels of development, and I’m going to list these in the reverse order from how they’re listed on the site, because I want to start with the unhealthiest levels and then build up to the healthy ones. we’re about to go on a spectacular journey of character development lol.
Type Eight—Levels of Development
Unhealthy Levels
Level 9: If they get in danger, they may brutally destroy everything that has not conformed to their will rather than surrender to anyone else. Vengeful, barbaric, murderous. Sociopathic tendencies. Generally corresponds to the Antisocial Personality Disorder.
so in Katsuki’s case, the “danger” being referred to is the perceived emotional danger of being hurt and controlled by others, specifically Deku. unfortunately we already know exactly how accurate this description is, because this is exactly what Katsuki did and who he was at the start of the series. he destroyed his and Izuku’s friendship and tried his best to snuff out Izuku himself (or tried to snuff out his spirit at the very least). needless to say it was not pretty. not his finest hour, or his finest decade for that matter.
Level 8: Develop delusional ideas about their power, invincibility, and ability to prevail: megalomania, feeling omnipotent, invulnerable. Recklessly over-extending self.
props to Izuku for putting a stop to this shit almost immediately in chapters 8 through 11 lol. otherwise he might have really become insufferable. thankfully he had that wakeup call by getting beaten so spectacularly, and took that moment and actually learned from it.
Level 7: Defying any attempt to control them, become completely ruthless, dictatorial, “might makes right.” The criminal and outlaw, renegade, and con-artist. Hard-hearted, immoral and potentially violent.
again, this attitude thankfully got stomped out very early on in the series. he actually is a surprising stickler for the rules most of the time, although he still bristles at any kind of perceived effort to control him. but his reactions to said efforts have chilled the fuck out, for which we can be grateful.
Average Levels
Level 6:Become highly combative and intimidating to get their way: confrontational, belligerent, creating adversarial relationships. Everything a test of wills, and they will not back down. Use threats and reprisals to get obedience from others, to keep others off balance and insecure. However, unjust treatment makes others fear and resent them, possibly also band together against them.
this is pretty much Katsuki’s baseline from the sludge incident up to Kamino. “creating adversarial relationships” and how, lol. seeing everything as a test or a challenge, and using threats to keep other people off balance. it’s all true sob. this profile truly is coming straight at him and pulling no punches.
Level 5:Begin to dominate their environment, including others: want to feel that others are behind them, supporting their efforts. Swaggering, boastful, forceful, and expansive: the "boss” whose word is law. Proud, egocentric, want to impose their will and vision on everything, not seeing others as equals or treating them with respect.
finally learns how to work with others, but still insists on calling them extras lol. the swagger and pride are probably things he’ll always maintain, but thankfully he actually has learned to treat others as equals at long last. once again, it fucking kills me how impossibly on-the-money these descriptions are though, lol. the boss whose word is law.
Level 4: Self-sufficiency, financial independence, and having enough resources are important concerns: become enterprising, pragmatic, “rugged individualists,” wheeler-dealers. Risk-taking, hardworking, denying own emotional needs.
this is probably the least Katsuki-like of all the descriptions, but it still applies; you just have to remove the “business” vibes and insert some pro-hero vibes there instead. basically this is him being capable and hardworking. it even addresses the “denying own emotional needs” part, which is surprising. that’s something Horikoshi hasn’t even gotten to yet (hint hint, Horikoshi, I’m just saying).
Healthy Levels
Level 3: Decisive, authoritative, and commanding: the natural leader others look up to. Take initiative, make things happen: champion people, provider, protective, and honorable, carrying others with their strength.
the Kacchan of chapter 319. ‘nuff said.
Level 2: Self-assertive, self-confident, and strong: have learned to stand up for what they need and want. A resourceful, “can do” attitude and passionate inner drive.
we are getting so close now to what I think Katsuki will have fully become by the end of the series, and what I think he is already well on his way to becoming. this is the Katsuki who has finally overcome all of his doubts and left them all behind. he is literally one meaningful conversation with Deku away from this becoming a reality imo.
Level 1 (At Their Best): Become self-restrained and magnanimous, merciful and forbearing, mastering self through their self-surrender to a higher authority. Courageous, willing to put self in serious jeopardy to achieve their vision and have a lasting influence. May achieve true heroism and historical greatness.
you can see here where the whole thing with healthy type Eights mirroring type Twos comes into play. willing to put self in serious jeopardy to achieve their vision. chapter 285 anyone?
but yeah. true heroism and historical greatness. again, it’s almost like this was literally written about him, it’s so uncanny. that’s his dream, exactly. and he is more than capable of achieving it as this shows. I don’t think he’s ever going to become a completely sanitized, wholesome role model version of himself lol, but these qualities – courageous, heroic, and even merciful and magnanimous – are already things he possesses now. they’re mixed in with all of the ego puffing and thug posturing, but I think we all know that stuff is basically just for show now. this, right here, is Katsuki’s endgame. we literally got to watch him go all the way from level 9 up to level 1 over the course of the series, and that’s fucking incredible.
I’m gonna end this post with the “personal growth recommendations” section, which I skipped over in the Deku post, but which I can’t bring myself to do in this one because I started reading them and gave myself an extreme case of feels lol.
Personal Growth Recommendations for Enneagram Type Eights
- It goes against the grain, but act with self-restraint. You show true power when you forbear from asserting your will with others, even when you could. Your real power lies in your ability to inspire and uplift people. You are at your best when you take charge and help everyone through a crisis. Few will take advantage of you when you are caring, and you will do more to secure the loyalty and devotion of others by showing the greatness of your heart than you ever could by displays of raw power.
- It is difficult for Eights, but learn to yield to others, at least occasionally. Often, little is really at stake, and you can allow others to have their way without fear of sacrificing your power, or your real needs. The desire to dominate everyone all the time is a sign that your ego is beginning to inflate—a danger signal that more serious conflicts with others are inevitable.
-Remember that the world is not against you. Many people in your life care about you and look up to you, but when you are in your fixation, you do not make this easy for them. Let in the affection that is available. Doing this will not make you weak, but will confirm the strength and support in yourself and your life. Also remember that by believing that others are against you and reacting against them, you tend to alienate them and confirm your own fears. Take stock of the people who truly are on your side, and let them know how important they are to you.
“Inflation” was a short chapter at 13 pages, and there’s another official chapter coming in 5 days (a Friday release). But damn, when the art is this good, does it matter if the chapter is short???
Soooo….howdo you solve a problem like Midoriya? Apparently you shout his name a lot, then tell him he’s on his own because Shigaraki’s just one blink away from decaying UA. (I like that the heroes who knew him as a student call him Midoriya, not OFA or Deku.)
I love Horikoshi reminding us that Monoma continues to be a rock star, plus the little notes saying THIS IS MONOMA. (I guess Hori thought we wouldn’t recognize him without his bangs? Hmm, perhaps there will be a chapter extra page on this when the volume comes out!)
This chapter was also brought to you by the word “whoa.” Bakugo’s left gauntlet shatters from Shigaraki’s hands (whoa!), Aizawa realizes Midoriya needs a warp but they can’t do it (WHOAA!), and Midoriya has Toga come flying at him (WHOA!) It’s an oddly cute way to tie together these characters realizing that they’re in over their heads.
I’ll skip talking about the singularity here bc I have another post planned on that (I meant to finish it Friday but it didn’t happen!). All I’ll say is that the heroes continually underestimate Shigaraki’s non-quirk strength…. [Insert “I can’t believe it’s not quirks!” snark here.]
However! I will say it’s odd that Shigaraki’s face is changing and his eyes are disappearing and reappearing rapidly. Compare feral war Shig, when AFO just starts to exert control, to this chapter.
Since AFO’s face is covered by his mask right now, and we know he used to have white hair and red eyes, I wonder if his mask will eventually come off and we’ll see he has the same face as “perfected” Shigaraki. As Shigaraki and AFO have merged, it’s getting much harder to tell “who” is speaking, because it’s both. For example, yelling about heroes “sweeping things under the rug” and “couldn’t possibly comprehend” sounds very Shigaraki. But lecturing heroes on the singularity and how he’s so much smarter than the heroes? That’s AFO.
Ok, it’s TOGA TIME Y’ALL! I quite enjoy Horikoshi putting his twist on romance tropes. Red string of fate? Check. Confessing at the end of the world? Check. Toga goes all out to yank Izuku to her so she can confess her love and, hopefully, save his life. See, Toga doesn’t want Izuku to go to UA because she fears the destruction that awaits. Shigaraki promised her that he wouldn’t destroy what she loves, but the Shigaraki she knew is gone. And AFO wants Izuku even more than she does. If she really does love Izuku — and in her own way, she does — then she can’t let him go because she might not see him again.
I know people are upset that Danger Sense is used in this chapter as a shortcut for the “hard work” of getting to know Toga, or truly building an understanding with villains. But, to be honest, it doesn’t bother me. (There’s no right or wrong here, I’m just making my bias clear.) I personally don’t mind handwaving inconsistencies in quirk powers because powers always serve the story’s needs; e.g., we all know we’re gonna get “awakenings” and new moves during important battles. Though perhaps Danger Sense itself is a misunderstood and poorly named power. Wouldn’t be the first time a quirk wasn’t aptly named or known by its wielder.
Anyway. A few chapters back, Horikoshi introduced the idea that both Ochako and Izuku (and Shoto!) view the villains as humans. While that’s a big first step, it turns out to be … not very useful in actually making change happen. Humans are complex creatures motivated by many different things. Ochako recognized that what’s obvious to her isn’t obvious to Toga, but can’t put her finger on what IS obvious to Toga. Once that breakthrough happens, they can start to relate. Toga has said outright that she loves Izuku and Ochako, but Ochako couldn’t believe that because Toga’s always trying to stab them. Now, between Danger Sense and Ochako’s observations, I think both Izuku and Ochako are grasping how Toga sees the world.
…..Okay, before we go on….this final sentence isn’t 100% true. Toga will carve someone up out of love, yes, but she will also kill in self-defense, to avoid getting caught by authorities, and out of rage/revenge in extreme circumstances. Sometimes she kills when she needs someone’s blood to transform (the woman during Toya’s war fight with Ochako) and sometimes she doesn’t (Camie, Rock Lock, Aizawa).
Where does Toga’s confession leave us??? Well, I’m really glad we get a new chapter early, and it’s pretty much guaranteed to continue the Toga storyline since Ochako and Izuku are on the magazine cover. But, speaking of things that are not obvious… I have NO idea how Horikoshi will handle this. I hope Izuku and Ochako can gently talk Toga down (while battling Moonfish and the Nomu, hehe). If Toga truly loves them, and if she truly wants them to live a good, long life with her, then she can’t keep trying to stab them. But maybe Izuku and Ochako can voluntarily give Toga a vial of blood and show her it’s not the love or the blood that’s the problem; it’s really the random stabbing.
Like many other fans, I do hope this doesn’t turn into Toga and Ochako fighting over Izuku’s love, or immediately turning into a romance for Izuku and Ochako. I also don’t want Izuku and his powers to overshadow what Ochako can do. In fact, if IzuOcha will be canon, I’d like this to be a chance for Izuku to see Ochako help Toga. Like he understands what’s happening because of his Danger Sense insight, but he’s not equipped to help Toga the way Ochako is, so she takes the lead. Seeing Ochako be a hero, and save a villain in a way he hasn’t yet been able to, would be a good way for Ochako to inspire Izuku. And if Izuku decides he needs to be a bit more like Ochako as he approaches Shigaraki, then there’s something meaningful connecting the two (plus, thematically, it ties back to inspiration vs imitation). That said, I don’t think BnHA needs any endgame romantic pairs for the story to be complete, and I’d rather there be no romantic pairs than some last minute shoehorned pairings. But I’m still along for the ride no matter what because dammit I love these characters.
Suddenly a crazy thought occurred to me about what happened in Kamino.
We all remember perfectly the moment when the children, namely Izuku, first heard and then saw Afo himself. And we all know what happened next, the heat of the moment, the tremendous battle.
But what if … at that moment, Izuku … recognized that voice? And knew exactly who was in front of him? All For One is his father.
Why have I come to this conclusion? Because:
1. The parents’ profiles began to be published with the Midoriya family: right after the end of Afo’s monologue, when he was brought to his cell in Tartarus.
2. Izuku came home, and the expression on his face can literally read “if you knew, Mom, what really happened, you wouldn’t be so relatively calm.”
3. Toshinori and Izuku’s meeting at Takoba Beach. Izuku clearly wanted to say something after All Might’s hit, but he just wasn’t allowed to finish. Furthermore… as sincere and vivid a fan of All Might as Izuku is, but… don’t you think his emotion in this moment is too deep… I mean the depth of grief that can be felt in this moment.
It was this moment that made me feel as if Izuku wanted to tell All Might about a very important detail, but just… couldn’t do it, so he just sobbed through all his feelings in the arms of his idol and mentor, clinging to him as if it were the only thing that could save him now.
I would also like to make a few other points.
In the OFA’s memoir, Izuku notes that he would never forget that voice. He recognized it immediately. And I want to point out that for a teenage kid who has heard Villain’s voice once in his life, and in an extremely stressful situation. A voice that was muffled by the helmet. A voice that mingled with explosions, with alarms, with the screams of random victims, with the anger of heroes and villains. A phenomenal memory, considering that after the Kamino incident, Izuku also had several big stressful and exciting situations: the provisional license exam, the internship, the battle with Chisaki, the death of Night Eye, the Cultural Festival, the battle with Gentle and La Brava.
Also worth noting is the moment of training after Black Whip’s awakening, when Kacchan compared Izuku to Afo. In doing so, All Might admitted that he was afraid of these thoughts, which Katsuki voiced. And Izuku… Izuku just:
Another great moment that definitely doesn’t leave anyone who knows Izuku as a polite and kind boy unaffected. Here he directly tells Afo to shut up.
A bit cheeky of him, isn’t it? He’s only been that impertinent when it comes to Katsuki. Because Katsuki is his friend, the one who caused him a lot of pain in his time.
And Afo… what did he do to deserve such personal insolence? This anger… no, this resentment. Is it only by provoking impulsive words and the wounds of All Might? I think there is much more personal than that. Because after the battle of Jaku, in the vigilante Deku arc, after returning to the Academia UA, we haven’t seen Izuku’s personal thoughts on what’s going on. We don’t know what he was thinking all that time.
But once he told his fear to his friends as he fought them.
It sounds as if he, a child, was given toys for good behavior and then taken away as punishment. Don’t you think so? To take someone or something away, but not to kill.
Well, that would be an interesting turn of events. Especially if Afo tried to act out the famous scene from Star Wars.
We don’t know what Nana’s husband looks like, so we have many theories about who he really is. And there are even theories that her husband is Afo himself!
However, we know something that quite refutes this theory:
1) Nana’s husband died, probably killed by some villain - maybe even by Afo to get Nana to give the OFA to him;
2) Gran Torino knew Nana’s husband for sure, since he and Nana are great friends and comrades (maybe someone was even in love with someone), so Gran Torino would definitely have said something particularly caustic and nasty to Afo at the Battle of Kamino;
3) if Afo, who is obsessed with the concept of family, was Nana’s husband, then first, he wouldn’t have killed her and would definitely have broken her will; second, he, as Kotarou’s possible father, would have sought him out after the battle with Nana; third, he wouldn’t have so disfigured his personality and used Tenko as a possible grandchild.
But! Let’s see something funny that perhaps echoes DFO’s and Shimura Inko’s theories!
Kotarou’s hair structure is not like Nana’s: slightly curly hairvs.smooth straight hair. However, he has inherited the shape and color of his eyes from his mother. Tenko also has curly hair at first glance, but if you look closely and compare, Tenko’s hair is closer to Nao’s hair structure - slightly curly wavy hair, while Hana has inherited Nana’s hair structure - smooth straight hair. Tenko and Hana also inherited Nana’s eye shape (Tenko also has a mole under his lip and Hana has Nao’s eye color).
From this we can conclude that Kotarou’s hair structure was derived from his father. Nana’s husband has curly and unruly hair. But the only mystery now is the color of the hair.
Now back to the connections with the other theories! If Inko is Nana’s daughter, she definitely got her straight, smooth hair structure from her mother. From her father, however, Inko clearly could have inherited the color and shape of her eyes, as well as the color of her hair. It turns out, then, that her father and presumably Nana’s husband - in addition to his curly hair, his hair color and eyes, which are more round, are green. And perhaps his height is not above average either.
The main character of the “My Hero” oneshot, Jack Midoriya, comes to mind! Funny,if with such a friend and comrade as Gran Torino, Nana married an ordinary clerk of not outstanding appearance.
But you might ask, what does the DFO theory have to do with it, too? Given that Izuku, if he is also Nana’s grandson, might have inherited some characteristics from his grandfather. However! One note here - Gran Torino didn’t assess Izuku as someone familiar to him, only Toshinori noted that Inko is similar to Nana. Which means that after all, Izuku was able to inherit most of his external characteristics from his father,butwith the obvious influence of his mother’s genes.
Izuku has rounded eyes, while Yoichi, the supposed uncle, and Afo, the supposed father, have sharp outer corners. Maybe as Izuku gets older, his eyes will change slightly from being so childishly large and round, especially since we can already quite easily see in some of the shots lately that his eyes are starting to get a sharp outer corner as well.
As for height - assuming that Afo is 225 cm tall (and if that’s not the work of quirk), and Yoichi was not much shorter than his brother during the quirk era, then Izuku, who is taller than his mom after all, may still be taller. Just the growth spurt at his age may be contributing to this (moreover, we haven’t had any new information about his height yet, that personal height information dates back to his admission to the Academia UA, the boy could have grown up in a year).
And now the structure and the color of his hair. Izuku has rather unruly curly hair, and the dark part of his hair, which many people mistake for his second hair color, is still a shadow that shows the thickness of that hair. Izuku’s hair color is lighter than Inko’s, and has a shade closer to turquoise, which can be obtained by mixing the colors: white (silver) and green.
And if Nana’s husband had green curly hair, it would be more manageable, like Kotarou’s, and probably also trimmed short - a typical office worker. And that’s probably why Gran Torino didn’t recognize his friend’s grandson in Izuku yet - the hair color and texture + other differences in appearance inherited from his father could confuse the pattern of recognition. And vice versa - Gran Torino could not recognize a familiar villain in the person of Izuku because of the influence of genes on the boy’s mother’s side.
But we will only be able to speak more accurately and boldly about all this when the meeting between Inko and Gran Torino takes place. And it’s too bad that, for now, the paths of these two still haven’t crossed. After all, Gran Torino would have known for sure if Nana had had another child or not.
This is a newer, updated Hawks skeleton. I’ve taken the final leap and decided to just get rid of a few fingers and toes, lol.
Would anyone be interested in more Hawks anatomy sheets?
The art in the old one is a few years dated now, and there are things I’ve tweaked as I’ve given it more thought. Nothing major, but I would love to get back into it if people want to see it.
I love how the current fight shows finally without putting the focus on Endeavor, but on Shouto himself, how he achieved the thing he set out to do - and be the opposite of his father, not because of spite, but because he found his own moral core and beliefs.
He, who was brought into this world to be a mere “thing”, a tool for his father’s ambition, has found the way to become someone who decides what his power is and what it is for.
Endeavor wanted him to surpass All Might by achieving even more heat and destructive power through subjugating Rei’s ice. Shouto tamed his flames instead and redefined his own power mixing hot and cold and using fire to unchain his mother’s ice.
If Shouto can affirm his own reason that he was born for, then he chooses to be a hero for his family first, unlike his father who ran away from his sins, hiding behind his hero suit.
Endeavor’s rise was powered by his ambition, full of jealousy and resentful entitlement. Shouto chooses humility and an overflowing of thankfulness to unlock his new levels.
Because Endeavor’s flames are powered by such negative feelings, his fire becomes the light that attracts more darkness - infecting Touya with it. Shouto’s light however is pure, selfless love manifested and made tangible, and it is powerful enough to put out even the darkness.
And finally, for Endeavor a moment of triumph is to try to kill his de-humanised shadow, but for Shouto it is to understand him, empathise with him, embrace him, lift him up and save him.
I love that Endeavor was barely mentioned. The focus is on Shouto, who has accepted and made sense of all the parts of himself, of his past, of his power and his family. He transformed these experiences through his heart to be able to stand up for his truth and his values.
He freed himself from his abuser’s looming presence in his psyche and is now able to pursue who he is, and not focus so much on who he is not. Finding himself, he naturally became everything his father isn’t. A true hero for his family and for the world.
Q: Is there a specific moment in the series regarding Bakugo Katsuki that sticks out in your mind for any reason?
A: “The apology. It´s more recent. More fresh. It feels to be done at a bad time and place. We see Midoriya just standing there. No reaction. He is a doll. A prop. Seemingly not in the right mental space to actually really understand it.
When I got to this result in the survey submissions, I got really excited because it touches on one of the things I absolutely loved about the apology. In regards to the submitter’s opinion: I don’t take most of this apology in the same way they do, but there is one thing I am absolutely in agreement about and it’s the opening statement and want to talk about.
“…[The apology] feels to be done at a bad time and place. We see Midoriya just standing there. No reaction. He is a doll. A prop. Seemingly not in the right mental space to actually really understand it.”
Yes. Yes, it does. In fact, this was my first thought on reading the leaks and the resulting tragedy. This ISN’T the place and this ISN’T the time. And this is part of the tragedy of the whole dang thing.
This post is long but I’ve broken it into parts:
The Many Moments Bakugo Wanted to Apologize
What Held Back Bakugo from Apologizing Before This
Why Both Atonement and Apologies Are Flawed But It Doesn’t Mean They Aren’t Worth Doing
You may think I’m overthinking… and maybe yes, I am? But will it stop me? Nah. Just two idiots and their damn hair inspired me to this TED Talks.
Do not be afraid, I will not give a long lecture on biology here :)
Symmetry is one of the most fundamental and one of the most general laws of the universe: living, inanimate nature and society. The principles of symmetry play an important role in physics and mathematics, chemistry and biology, engineering and architecture, painting and sculpture, poetry and music.
There are two groups of symmetry. The first group includes the symmetry of positions, shapes and structures. This is the symmetry that can be directly seen by eyes and can be called geometric symmetry. There is a very complex multilevel classification of types of symmetries: central, axial, radial, mirror and so on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the BNHA world, the law of geometric symmetry, for the most part, is preserved.
And I’m not talking about costumes now, I’m talking about genetics: eyes, hairs, teeth, limbs have their own symmetry. Let me show you some examples.
- Shoji has 3 arms on each side. Not 2 on one side and 4 on another, or 1 on his back and others hell-knows-where-else;
- Mina’s eyes both are with black sclera;
- Kirishima’s teeth are sharp in the upper row and in the lower;
- activation of a quirk is possible with any hand, not just the left or the right;
- hair color also has its own symmetry: Kyoka, Sir, this dude.
Shouto and Fuyumi have their own symmetry in the color of their hair (we all know how Shouto looks like, so I just give you that Todoroki’s priceless facial expression).
And the question is: what went wrong with these two?
Probably, I would not have had this question, if they still turned out to be blood relatives. Because heredity can explain everything. But no, they don’t know each other. And since they only common things is a quirk and these streak… isn’t it strange?
I may be wrong, but it seems I am seeing something like that for the first time in the BNHA.
That is, it turns out, it’s a natural feature? I need to know if this is a coincidence or a purposely pattern.
Two strangers to each other man. The same type of quirk. The same figure on hair. Not just random spots, but a distinctly visible similar geometric figure. Yes, it is different for them, but at the same time is quite the same and recognizable so as not to be mistaken in what you see. They don’t hide it, on the contrary they are wearing a hairstyle of that type so that it catches the eye. And if this man also have black + yellow hair, I will shout very loud.
Before this man showed his quirk, we were almost sure that he had electricity-type quirk precisely because of this streak in his hair. Isn’t it stupid from his side then? Didn’t he just tells others in advance what to expect from him? And same for Kaminari.
I urgently need someone else with an electric quirk. Villain from USJ can’t help cause he have no hair. Or did he hide it under helmet (or that it is?)? If the last one - then he is damn megamind.
So, this streak comes as a bonus with a quirk? And precisely in asymmetric form - only on one side? Are you a magic pony, friendship is magic, all these things?
What for? Why nature work it this way? Why other people we know don’t have some patterns like that? I don’t know what it is. And don’t know is it even matters.
Either Horikoshi decided that such a design is too good to not use again, or I don’t understand something.
So I told someone a while ago I’d be writing an essay on Bakugou’s lines from 284, and I’m keeping true to my word. If you’re wondering which lines, well my friend, these lines;
So this, to me, is one of the most emotionally packed pages of these recent chapters. For one, it shows us that Bakugou has always been watching Deku, the same as Deku has been watching him. Since they were kids, probably from the age of 4, Bakugou was able to tell Deku never thought of himself first, it was always what he could do to help and protect other people with no regard to his own safety or well-being.
“He’s always been like that.”
How would Bakugou know Deku has always been this way if he wasn’t paying attention to him? It goes beyond his bullying in Middle School, because he’s watched Deku stand up for other’s his entire life. The very first scene of the manga is Deku protecting a child from Bakugou and his group of misfits, despite being quirkless, and essentially helpless.
Despite being scared, and knowing he didn’t have the strength to take on those boys, he still stood his ground and did what he could to protect the other kid. Bakugou witnessed that first hand, since he was the aggressor. He was the one Deku was protecting someone from.
There was no way Bakugou wouldn’t remember something like that.
We know he remembered how Deku extended his hand to him when he fell in the stream, even though Bakugou was fine and didn’t need any help. Deku still waded through that water and even risked possibly getting himself hurt, to reach out to Bakugou and make sure he was alright.
Now, I am going to point out that the stream incident definitely happened before the scene of Deku protecting that boy since it’s evident they’re older in that scene, but it was presented first (literally the first panel of the entire manga), so it takes precedent.
Then we have the big one, which is the Sludge Villain incident, and Deku’s biggest show of self-sacrifice probably to date within the manga, since he was quirkless and would have certainly ended up dead if All Might hadn’t managed to power up. Even with the times he’s wrecked his body using OfA, he at least had some kind of fighting chance because of the power, but with the Sludge Villain, he had nothing. He was just throwing himself out there in hopes, by some miracle, he could do something to save his friend, even if it meant losing his life in the process.
Another instance of Bakugou witnessing firsthand the self sacrificial nature of Deku. Throughout the manga we’re given these instances, and the next big one is Bakugou’s kidnapping. Now, he didn’t see Deku’s fight with Muscular, but he did see the aftermath, he saw that ruined body running at him full force with no care to the damage done to himself, and even before that, he saw Shoji carrying him while Deku continued to plan out their plan of rescue, like his entire body wasn’t a crumpled mess.
Time and time again, Bakugou has been witness to Deku’s behavior, to this self sacrificial nature. The scene above is the first real time we see Bakugou acknowledge it. He tells Deku to stay back, he knows if he continues trying to fight looking like that, he’s going to die. I’ve seen other translations and I believe in the anime he says something to the context of “Don’t come, Deku.” Which, either way you look at it, it gives the same impression of Bakugou trying to protect Deku in that moment. Because he knew if there was an opportunity for Deku to reach, he would have fought until there was nothing left of him.
“And now that he can do so much more…”
This line is important because it is Bakugou acknowledging Deku’s current strength with OfA, but it is also his confession of worry because he knows who Deku is, and what this means for him. If Deku was reckless and willing to sacrifice himself when he was a 4 year old child with no quirk, well now that he has the strongest power essentially in existence, that means certain death. There is nothing stopping him from completely destroying himself, and we saw a brief example of that when Deku fought Muscular, though not even close to the level he was going at Shigaraki, and what Bakugou was actually getting to witness during this chapter and 285/286.
I use the above image because it kind of shows how bad off Deku was, which is far worse than when he fought Muscular, let me remind you. That scene is in chapter 285, after he’s essentially destroyed both of his arms hitting Shigaraki probably upwards of 10 times with 100% OfA.
Remember, Bakugou has been watching all of this from the ground.
“Something doesn’t feel right, it makes me wanna keep him at arms length.”
Well ya know, I don’t really blame you for feeling that way, Bakugou, I wouldn’t feel right if the kid I knew my entire life was willing to die at literally every turn without thinking for a split second about himself, either. It’s a little strange, but that’s what makes Deku the unstoppable force that he is, because he has the drive to save people no matter what. Now if he could master his power and depend on other’s, it would be even better, because then maybe he wouldn’t have to kill himself trying to protect people.
But seriously, that line shows Bakugou’s uncertainty about getting close to Deku, because that kind of behavior is scary. It’s intimidating. To just…throw your life away for the sake of someone else, that’s gotta be scary to see someone do, and Bakugou has witnessed it over and over because of his closeness to Deku.
Now for the big one.
“Back then, I ignored my own weakness…so I ended up bullying him.”
There’s the kicker, folks. The real development we’ve all been waiting for.
I do want to point out that when Bakugo was 4, he didn’t realize he had weaknesses like that. He was honest to God just a bratty kid that probably thought Deku was weird for caring so much about people despite, essentially, being useless to them. Because what could Deku do? Nothing. He couldn’t help anyone because he was quirkless, but he still tried, and that’s what affected Bakugou so strongly.
So strongly, in fact, that he never forgot it for a single second.
From 4 years old all the way up to 16 years old. 12 years. 12 years Bakugou Katsuki was witnessing Deku’s self sacrificial nature. Again and again he watched as this boy who had nothing, continued to fight for something, and then he was granted power, terrifying power, and now Bakugou is left to wonder how the fuck any of this could have happened. Because if Deku had just stayed quirkless and accepted it, maybe, just maybe, he would stop that self sacrifical bullshit. Maybe he would see himself a bit more.
But then he was given OfA, and all of that hope was gone. Now he was given a power meant to take on the greatest evils and every person before Deku had died for the cause, so why would it stop with Deku, who was already ready to get himself killed to protect someone else when he was like 14 years old?
The scenes we have of Bakugou acknowledging Deku’s behavior, and acknowledging his own behavior, it’s such a raw scene. It takes a lot to acknowledge you’ve done wrong by someone else. It takes a lot of strength to sit back and recognize those ugly parts of you, and here Bakugou is, doing just that. And he isn’t doing it for some self righteous get me off, either. He’s doing it because he genuinely cares about Deku’s well being, and he always has.
It never came out the right way, and he sees that now, but that doesn’t mean the concern wasn’t there. He just didn’t know the right ways to express it, but as things have gotten more serious and now Deku is truly risking his life for this cause, he’s come face to face with it. He can’t hide from it anymore. The more OfA develops, the more Deku is going to put himself out there, and Bakugou isn’t going to sit around while he kills himself when he could just learn to ask for help.
This stretches all the way into 285 and Bakugou’s sacrifice, because he saw Deku about to end up seriously hurt or worse, and he knew he couldn’t let that happen. Of all the years spent endlessly tearing himself apart for other people, Bakugou knew he needed to show the other in some way he didn’t have to do it like that. He didn’t have to fight alone.
That, and it was part of his atonement. It was a piece of his apology to Deku, to show him that he valued him, and he was willing to put his life on the line for someone, for him.
Bakugou didn’t think when he rushed out to save Deku. It was instinctual, like breathing. He saw someone he cared about in danger, and his body moved on it’s own. That, from the angry brat we get in chapter 1, is a beautiful showcase of perfect character development and growth. If you take into account everything I’ve discussed throughout this, it should be easy to realize or at least see a bit of Bakugou’s perspective, and his thought process when dealing with Deku.
It never justifies any of his past behavior, but it gives us clarification, and then allows us to appreciate his thoughts and actions in 284 and 285 even more.
Given Bakugou-kun’s description as a “juvenile delinquent” (Horikoshi sensei uses the term 不良少年, or furyou shounen, meaning juvenile delinquent boy), it’s expected that he wouldn’t conform to standard. So obviously, it’s not possible to find Bakugou-kun wearing a tie properly…………….
What is up with this perfectly tied nonsense right here?!
Bakugou-kun, I thought I knew you!!! THE LIES! THE BETRAYAL!!!
But, it’s probably just a fluke. You didn’t mean it, right Horikoshi-sensei?
WTF?!WHY?!!!Horikoshi-sensei?!
Yep. Contrary to expectations, Bakugou-kun wearing a tie correctly only ranks at Ultra Rare status: difficult to find, but not impossible.
So, what’s rarer than a tie-wearing Bakugou-kun? Go Beyond, Plus Ultra Rare Bakugou!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In fact, it’s even harder to find Bakugou-kun wearing a tie improperly. Given proto-Bakugou’s loose tie design, I would have expected that to be the likelier delinquent-esque tie option. But I’ve only seen Horikoshi-sensei draw him like this once:
(Horikoshi-sensei’s one year celebration illustration. This is still fairly early in the publication.)
On top of that, Bakugou-kun consistently wears his uniform tie-less and with at least one button undone on his shirt collar. His pants are always slung low on his hips and legs bunching up at his feet (except when he had to wear jeans for Best Jeanist). You can even see panels where Horikoshi-sensei drew in the rips at the hems near the heel where they drag on the ground.
So why the inconsistency, Horikoshi-sensei? I see you over there, stop pretending you didn’t notice. I know you’re paying attention.
Horikoshi-sensei gave proto-Bakugou a loosened tie, so what is the reasoning for taking Bakugou-kun’s tie away?
Some No-Tie Theories
Fan Theory #1:HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW
//Like Midoriya-kun, Bakugou-kun came from a middle school with gakuran uniforms. They never learned how to tie them. Midoriya-kun messes up his tie, while Bakugou-kun doesn’t even bother to try.//
I actually think this is the least likely reason. Bakugou-kun was designed to be a naturally talented genius. I think this applies to anything he wants to do. If he does something, it’s always perfectly done.
Bakugou-kun can (and does if you look above) tie it perfectly when necessary.
CONCLUSION: If Bakugou-kun doesn’t do something, it’s completely out of personal preference or because he doesn’t see a reason to.
Fan Theory #2:REBELLIOUS NATURE
//Bakugou-kun is a delinquent and maintains that image because he thinks it looks cool. Or maybe he is rebelling against fashion designer parents. Either way, because of his family background he knows how to tie a tie, but wants to be a rebel.//
I’d give partial points for this one. I’m pretty sure he wears his pants loose at least partially because he thinks it looks cool. However, Bakugou-kun’s parents were noted to be designers and not specifically fashion designers.
Despite appearances, this is the kid that sleeps at 8:30pm, doesn’t break school rules, and yells at his friends for smoking.
He zips up the collar on his gym track suit all the way. Both the summer and winter versions get the same treatment. He doesn’t feel the need to “make a statement” by wearing his track uniform incorrectly. Outside of class, he can and does sometimes wear his track jacket unzipped, but during class he always wears it properly.
So then why does Bakugou-kun refuse to wear the band T-shirt and Christmas party Santa outfit? Because he isn’t cooperative. In Ultra Analysis, his Cooperativeness Stat was the lowest rank: E.
CONCLUSION: Bakugou-kun may be non-conformist and uncooperative, but he isn’t a rebel.
Fan Theory #3:TRAUMA/PTSD
//This is one of the more popular theories. Between Dabi grabbing his neck, the Sludge Villain and being restrained at the School Festival, our boy has been through the wringer. As a result, he just doesn’t like stuff around his neck because it gives him anxiety.//
The Western Fandom is definitely concerned about the mental health of the kids. But I don’t actually think this is the reason. Not that I don’t think they all need some therapy and self care, especially right now, but there just isn’t evidence for this specific trauma in Bakugou-kun.
He wears scarves and even turtle necks without a problem.
On top of that, Bakugou-kun ALSO unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and gakuran in middle school; even from before the Sludge Villain incident. There isn’t any evidence Bakugou-kun changed his dressing habits due to trauma. He wore a scarf to the entrance exam for UA, too.
CONCLUSION: Bakugou-kun has ALWAYS worn his shirts with the top button unbuttoned.
These 3 theories are inadequate, too. Even if they did explain the reasons Bakugou-kun doesn’t wear a uniform tie, they don’t factor in the reasoning for why he DOES wear his other ties properly sometimes.
HC#1: Bakugou-kun’s preference
Bakugou-kun doesn’t seem to care about his image and how “extras” see him. Even during the press interviews after his hero debut, he wore the same style of open collar look. He’s not shy about being nude or taking his shirt off.
But what he hates is being uncomfortable.
He is “explosively brawny”. Just look at how thick Bakugou-kun’s neck is when compared to Midoriya-kun’s. It isn’t just that Midoriya-kun is supposed to be scrawny, but also that Bakugou-kun has a thicker than average neck.
Bakugou-kun doesn’t like to button up his shirts all the way because it’s uncomfortable. It’s reasonable that he zips his track suit and everything else up because those are looser at the neck or made of stretchier materials.
As for why he doesn’t wear the uniform tie at all… Don’t forget Bakugou-kun is a perfectionist and a bit of a neat freak.
He always tucks his shirt in. For the band performance he wore a collared black dress shirt. From what we saw of his room, it’s minimalist and clean. I don’t see him wanting to look like a slob.
A sloppy loose tie would probably irritate him more than just not wearing it (which is even funnier when you think about Midoriya-kun’s chonk tie. It probably makes him want to strangle Midoriya-kun, or maybe just tie it himself…)
Bakugou-kun has difficulties compromising when it comes to his high standards. So if he has to wear it, it’s going to be either 0% or 100%.
HC#2:Explosiveness
Why draw Bakugou-kun with either 0% tie or 100% tie? If Horikoshi-sensei is going for a delinquent image, wouldn’t the 50% tie option make more sense?
Taking a look again at Bakugou-kun’s profile page, Horikoshi-sensei describes him to be explosive in every way. That includes his whole body being “explosively brawny”, but also adds a note that he looks slender in clothes.
Horikoshi-sensei put an effort to make every element of Bakugou-kun’s character in some state of either fully compressed or explosive.
His slimming clothes, general appearance and even his speech patterns are highly compressed (blunt/terse) and loud. The extremes of his attitude are compressed too; if Bakugou-kun is not loudly raging, then he’s quietly observing.
This contrast is key to his character. You can’t explode if you aren’t compressed first. It’s supposed to be shocking to see how brawny he actually is under his slenderizing clothes. And I always feel shocked whenever I see this kid compressed into a tie.
HC#3: Deku & Kacchan
These two are set apart from the class by design and very much on purpose. Horikoshi-sensei designed them to be at opposite ends of the same spectrum.
If Bakugou-kun has muscular arms, then Midoriya-kun needs muscular legs. If Midoriya-kun buttons up his shirt all the way to the collar, then Bakugou-kun’s collar has to be loose. Their designs reflect their connection.
So if Midoriya-kun has a poorly tied tie, the opposite of that is either non-existant or perfectly tied. If it’s perfectly tied, he’d just blend in with the class.
The no-tie option just makes more sense.
Plus Ultra Rare Bakugou
Horikoshi-sensei only ever draws Bakugou-kun with a tie in specific scenarios. Costume events that require the neck tie as part of the costume or “fancy” events where everyone is in formal wear. And even in those, Bakugou-kun manages to not wear his tie 90% of the time.
So, I just imagine that when Horikoshi-sensei makes Bakugou-kun wear his tie, he’s super grumpy! Just look at his face in every illustration he’s wearing a tie in. He’s probably hot, uncomfortable, and really not enjoying himself at all.
Ultimately, the “Plus Ultra Rare Bakugou” is a Bakugou-kun who wears the tie and SMILES while doing it.
(Yes, I know that’s NOT actually a tie. Shut up Bakugou-kun. You’re only smirking in this one because you won the Popularity Poll for the 5th time in a row…)
(Well that’s random, you say? Welcome to my blog. Considering the stuff going down on canon, I figured I should give fans, and myself, a break from angst to talk about something silly.
Please note that this applies only to the manga. I’ve found that the anime isn’t quite so strict about how Bakugou-kun looks.
Regarding the headcanons, I just want to clarify that everyone is free to think whatever they like. I enjoy all headcanons and support your right to have them.
I wrote this a while ago and then debated posting it because it’s such a huge meta about… Bakugou-kun’s tie. I had regrets. But now it’s become my new years post. Regrets were for 2020, it’s already 2021!
Demons out, fortune in!!! I know it’s not setsubun for another month, but 2020 was such a demon.
I was trying to pinpoint Touya’s exact age when Endvr gives up on him and accidentally found something interesting
So, there’s a four year difference between Fuyumi (born in December) and Natsuo (born in July), plus about a year between Fuyumi and Touya (born in January). So Touya and Natsuo are 5 years apart.
We know that Natsuo was born to dissuade Touya from training in secret. It takes nine months to carry a baby to term, so Touya was still 4 when Enji chose to have another child. It’s a pretty tight schedule, isn’t it? Quirks manifest at about 4, so that means Touya’s training started immediately after his showed up, and ended just as quickly.
But how long did Touya actually get to be the apple of his father’s eye?
Natsuo had to be conceived around October to have a birth date in July, so that gives Touya roughly 10 months with his dad’s undivided attention.
But if we are to trust the clothing as an oblique hint of the passing of time though the seasons, it’s actually less than that. The first time we see Touya protest that Enji’s not making time for him anymore, he’s wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts. It’s probably summer/late summer. And his words make it sound like Enji’s continued neglect is not a new thing, either, but has been going on for a while by then already.
The weather in October in Japan is still mild enough that they could be wearing short sleeves, but I’m inclined to say it’s not yet fall at this point in the timeline because we have another sequence of events before Natsuo’s conception.
The Todorokis go see a quirk specialist, and they’re wearing long sleeves. So are Touya and Fuyumi when they discuss later:
It’s light clothes, so my guess is that this is around late September at the earliest/early October
Next up in the timeline, it’s summer again (July), Touya is now 5, and Natsuo’s born. You can see it on Touya’s face that the truth finally sinks in.
His reaction now makes more sense, when you consider that by then, he’d already spent a whole year trying to convince his father to look at him. Despite his diagnosis, despite seeing Rei’s belly swell up again, the realization that he won’t get his father back never comes. And how can it? Even at five, Touya had already spent longer chasing after his dad than he did in Enji’s company. Let that sink in for a moment.
Plus, with the knowledge that all it took was barely six months at the longest for Enji to fully judge Touya’s worth and subsequently cast him aside, this other panel makes a lot more sense, too:
Shouto was “already” five because Touya “failed” at delivering on his potential at the ripe age of four.
And now, for my favourite detail…
Toga’s parents stopped tallying her height after she turned 3. Since quirks manifest at around 4 and they were repulsed by her fascination with blood, it’s hinted that they stopped loving her unconditionally after she turned old enough to manifest one. It was so soon after that, in fact, that they didn’t even get to mark her next birthday.
But more specifically, they stopped loving her when her quirk turned out to be something they couldn’t control.
Sounds familiar yet?
Yep.
Touya and Toga both lost their parents’ love shortly after turning four, and both spent the next decade of their life, up to middle school, trying to earn it back by being “a good child,” only to ultimately fail at that, too
So… Do we think that Dabi saw those tally marks when he followed Toga to her house…?
Cause I think he did, and that’s what prompts him to show her kindness for the first time afterward.
Here’s something that’s been bugging me about the latest chapter; specifically about the Public Safety Commission.
Even though the new chapter has given us some insight into Nagant’s backstory, there’s still one small detail that I’ve been unable to wrap my head around.
This might go into nitpicking territory, but that’s just a risk I’m gonna have to take.
So, ignoring the moral implications of a government association using one of their public agents to assassinate potential threats, why would their first pick for an assassin be Lady Nagant, the one gun-user who’s quirk ensures that she leaves behind an incredibly identifiable calling card;
There are two big risks to this:
1. Any police investigation would quickly figure out that the bullets used at the scenes of multiple terrorist murders look exactly the same as those used by the unique, up-and-coming pro hero, who happens to be trained in the use of guns. The police have been established as a separate force from the HPSC, so unless the corruption extends to all sectors of society, even the ones not directly involved with hero work, this might be a good case to use anyone else. But even if the police are corrupt in the mha universe too, there’s still the issue of
2. The fact that any random person who manages to find a bunch of people dead would probably notice the multicolored bullet lodged in a wall. Given the fact that the details of Lady Nagant’s quirk are public knowledge, it stands to reason that the bullets would be pretty recognizable to your average citizen, a fact that would probably result in the news getting leaked. It’s pretty much the equivalent of finding Captain America’s shield at the scene of a crime, or a batarang.
It makes no sense to use public figures to do your dirty work, when you can just spend the same amount of time training someone else from birth to use a gun. And if the public figures aspect is really essential, why wouldn’t they have just used Snipe?
Even though his quirk doesn’t do that much damage, it stands to reason that he’d be already trained as a marksman. Why wouldn’t they have given him a regular gun, with actual deadly ammo? He seems to be around the same age as Nagant, as they were active around the same time period. Why would he be the Commission’s choice? Actually, why wouldn’t they have just given Nagant a gun and live ammunition? Her accuracy didn’t rely on the gun, it was a natural skill.
Anyway, this post isn’t some deep criticism on the HPSC’s actions, just something that had been gnawing at me ever since I read the chapter.
Currently thinking about how Dabi still doesn’t know that Shigaraki literally stepped on his dad and called him out on being obtuse and self-centered like all heroes. You know, the one thing Dabi’s been seeking validation for this whole time
Better yet, Shigaraki specifically called out Endvr for hiding behind the labels of heroes and villains to justify his unwillingness to lend an ear to the other party.
… Which is exactly the kind of awareness that Dabi has been running himself ragged to get. I could scream about this for hours.
Shigaraki told Endvr that heroes trample over their families to help strangers. Endvr is literally trampling over Touya’s feelings by neglecting to face him and instead fighting AFO for the greater good of the masses.
Shigaraki said “you can’t understand me because you manufactured labels like heroes and villains to make our violence different on paper and feel better about your own”. Endvr literally tried to murder Shigaraki by burning him alive in a wall of scorching hot fire, was applauded and supported for doing so, and then turned around and called his son a mass murderer for doing the exact same thing
Better yet, Endvr used the excuse of that divide between heroes and villains that Shigaraki was talking about to justify neglecting his three other kids for years, hiding away in what he called “the world of heroes” and delegating the weight of parenthood solely onto his wife’s shoulders
I’m just. Hhhhhhhhh.
The people who could’ve made Dabi feel understood were always right there. Toga and Shigaraki foil him to a ridiculous extent. And Dabi doesn’t even know it because he never let himself entertain the possibility that other people might’ve related to all the scapegoating he suffered growing up and even helped him through it by offering him belonging. Instead, Dabi’s like “I don’t care about your personal feelings, boss. I’ll just do my own thing” and Shigaraki lets him. Because that’s what Shigi does. He doesn’t impose his goals and views on his allies, but he still supports them and makes room in his plans to accommodate for their needs.
Without even knowing that Endvr was Dabi’s father, without even knowing that Enji was an abuser too, Shigi was like “well, my father was a dick, and I didn’t take any of shit either” and I just. Think about what could’ve happened if only Dabi knew that the people he’s been dismissing as stepping stones of his revenge plot have been the first real people who have defended him, unknowingly or deliberately — no question asked, no personal gain in sight. And yes, I’m putting Spinner in there too because for all the mean comments he received last chapter, he’s also the only character in the story so far who wholeheartedly believes in Dabi’s strength and willpower
Last time Endeavor thought of his family during a fight, he was still justifying his quirk marriage and Shouto was this huge, idealized image (the masterpiece with everything) and Touya was tiny and the only character with eyes invisible - because Endeavor couldn’t bear facing him.
But now, when he thinks of them, they are the same size. Shouto looks very annoyed with Endeavor like he’s judging him, and Touya has his post-Sekoto face and manically laughing into Endeavor’s face.
And I feel like that’s… progress. That’s Endeavor accepting the reality of who his sons are and how they feel about him - and instead of painting images that he wishes were true, he focuses on the kids he actually has with all their imperfection and acknowledging their experiences.
I hope you don’t mind me adding something to your lovely post….
Throughout the entirety of BNHA, being seen/acknowledged and eyes have been a reoccurring motif in the Todoroki storyline. From the very beginning in how we saw Shouto blocking off his father’s eye, to the way Inasa described the way Shouto and Enji’s resembled one another to the focus in the Touya flashbacks and how clearly Touya wanted to be seen by his father. I think you’re completely right that this is the first time Enji is fully seeing Touya and Shouto as people. As people he hurt, not extensions of himself or tools for his ambitions.
okay but we need to talk about how Hawks was willing to die for E, and the way he mirrors Touya when it comes to E because it really shows up in this chapter.
Hawks looked up to E, and the hero represented both a symbol of hope in his childhood before the Commission and what kind of hero he could be when he grew up. Similarly, E represented this for Touya when he was young, even as E continued to neglect him and essentially replace him. Touya wanted E’s attention, admiration, and support as he tried to become a hero, and Hawks started to want the same from E when they began to team up more frequently after E slipped into the No. 1 spot and he became No. 2. But E remained incredibly focused on himself and his own goals. He found Hawks to be exasperating and, like he did to Touya, really didn’t give Hawks any time or attention—at least not more than he had to.
Hawks, despite all of this, continued to follow E (and sometimes I do wonder if he represented a father figure of sorts to Hawks, but that’s another post). Now, in this final major fight, Hawks is even prepared to die so E can get an upper hand against AFO because, despite everything, he still believes in E and his ability to be the father and hero he imagined he was.
Hawks fights with his all while E falters considerably after news of Touya’s defeat and as AFO continues throwing the harsh facts and realities at him that he’s managed to avoid all these years. Hawks strives to help E and be a team player in this chaotic group project of taking out AFO, while E isn’t helping much in return.
Faced with this, he goes harder and accepts his fate—then comes Tokoyami reminding Hawks that, as his mentee, he can still help him and they can team up in this fight. And Hawks’s expression says it all.
Hawks realizes several things here and I think now he’s finally seeing what E isn’t, and the way he actually doesn’t meet the expectations of the hero he’d placed on such a high pedestal.
Idk I’m rambling but it’s kinda sad that Hawks was so ready to die for E when the man barely gave him the time of day, and it took Tokoyami to remind him that he deserves to live while showing him what it actually looks like when heroes support each other and team up.
So, apparently, thanks to Caleb’s typically amazing translations, we didn’t get the full context of an important panel.
Credit to HebatuallahAhm1 on twitter who graciously allowed me to post it.
Further notes:
Doing my research I found this information - Ijime is basically continuous physical or psychological aggression towards someone weaker. It’s more than just teasing, it’s a really severe sort of thing that leads to ijime suicides.
Why is this translation not specific enough? Essentially Dabi isn’t saying “I didn’t go far enough”, he’s saying “It [the abuse] wasn’t enough.”
I want to emphasis what this means. Dabi is acknowledging, laughing even, that revealing his father’s abuse wasn’t enough. Endeavor, to use our current lexicon, is uncancellable. Showing his own history and relaying his family history of domestic and child abuse wasn’t enough to remove Endeavor from his position in society.
It’s an incredibly sad panel. And very realistic for those of us who watch #metoo situations end up with no repercussions for very famous people.
I think it’s kinda funny when people bring up the fact that Hawks is a hypocrite like it’s some kind of revelation and not his biggest, most defining personality trait.
Like, his whole character is based on the ideology that sometimes you have to do bad things for a good reason. As long as there is a net-positive result from an action, that action is excusable and even morally correct. That’s a running theme in his life that has affected his family, his career, and his current choices in the war. Of course Hawks excuses Endeavor; he’s the number one hero whose saved countless people during his lifetime and also, is kind of necessary as they fight in what is essentially a quirk apocalypse. Of course Hawks is trying to justify his killing of Twice; Twice has killed hundreds of people and is a known terrorist, who Hawks considered an active threat.
But the whole point is that Hawks’s ideology contradicts Deku’s (and therefore the narrative’s) belief that actually, no, doing a bad thing is always still just doing a bad thing and not morally correct. Hawks is supposed to be wrong. You’re supposed to see his character and realize that, while fundamentally he is trying to do the right thing, the way he goes about it is only leading to more suffering. You’re not meant to agree with all of his actions. He’s part of a bygone era, and chapter 354 is actively pointing out that he’s aware of that, and is currently fighting for a future that can be better than the one he was a part of.
Now, whether or not Horikoshi gets this across in the story especially well is an entirely different conversation, but yk.
- As we know, Manga interned with Wash during at least one of his internships.
- Wash is canonically a very popular and kid friendly hero, especially with small children. As it happens, Manga seems to have basically identical hero goals. He really likes kids, and his profile talks about wanting to make children smile.
- But also…. looking at their costumes, there’s a lot of similarity. The bulky gloves, the big chest piece shaped like fun objects, the yellow details…. They even have the exact same shade of blue as an accent on their chest!
- Finally: Wash is 29. So Manga would have been 4-5 years old when Wash first debuted - exactly the right age range to be a fan of the brand new hero most popular with preschoolers!
tldr; I think Manga probably idolized Wash since childhood - potentially to almost Midoriya-level hero-emulation degrees.
