“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.
Paring: Dabi x Female Hero Reader Characters: Dabi, Izuku Midoriya, Himiko Toga, Reiko Yanagi Rating: SFW with some themes
Why hello there :) this is a part 1 of 3 (Turns out i needed a third part lol) post about the love of my life, Dabi. I hope you like it
It was your last year at UA High. So close to graduating. Sure there were ups and downs, but you always pushed through. And then this happened…
The wailing cries of civilians drowned out the sound of police sirens. Pro heroes swarmed the streets that surrounded blazing infernos all throughout the city. Your eyes scan the sidewalk full of people. “Hey! Midoriya! What the hell happened here?” You ask as you notice a familiar face. “I couldn’t tell you. All I know is that there are fires all over the city. Spread so they’re not even close to each other.” “What a pain in the ass.” You mumble. “Think it’s the League of Villains?” “Is it weird to say I hope so? Anyone else having this ability is a terrifying thought.” “Hey, I’m gonna see if anyone needs help.” You say as you start to jog backwards. “Ok! Stay safe!” You hear Deku call out as you take your leave.
“Hello?!” You yell as your feet carry you into an extinguished alleyway between two buildings. “Is anyone here?! I’m a hero and I’ll get you to safety!” dead silence. You wanted to turn back but something was screaming at you to press on. “Hello?” You call out once more. A small squeak echoes in the near distance immediately triggering you to run towards it. As you round the corner you see two beings standing above a girl backed against a wall. You screech to a halt as the two people turn.
Your eyes gaze up at them. One about 5′9, male, burns and stitches covering his body. The other 5′2 and female with cat-like eyes. “Looks like we have company.” the stitched man boasts. The small girl blushes. “She’s so… pretty!” she says with a grin. “I want her instead, Dabi.” You freeze on the spot, only snapping back to reality when you see a fellow UA student against the wall. Reiko Yanagi. “I don’t know who the hell you are or what you want, but leave her alone.” You say, standing your ground no matter how terrified. “Hm. Impressive. But what are you going to do against us?” The man who was labelled as ‘Dabi’ smiled coldly. “Yawn. Boring. This is taking too long!” The girl instantly lunged forward. Your training kicked in as you dodged her attack and rapidly using your own quirk against her. “Wha- I can’t see!” The girl whined. You concentrate on your power. Removing her sight took a lot of strength out of you. “Well… temporary sensory deprivation. I had a feeling that was you. Knew someone at that school had it.” Dabi’s hand gripped your wrists. “Side effect: quirk only lasts as long as she can handle her own senses fading.” He repeated the exact words that were on your student profile. “Let go of me.” You growl. “Your sight should be leaving you soon.” He wasn’t wrong. The distance already seemed blurry. “This so isn’t funny.” The girl huffed. You notice a blur of colours slowly creeping their way past Dabi’s back. Reiko was escaping. You hold your breath and pray that she can slip past. “Tell me, Y/N isn’t it?” “Piss off.” “Oh you’re so kind.” His grip tightens ever so slightly. “Know where we can find one Izuku Midoriya?” “Never heard of him.” You spit venomously. “Funny too.” Heavy footsteps pounded against the pavement just around the corner from the building. “Seems like the one from before searched for help. Hey, Y/N… how old are you?” The question took you by obvious surprise. “17.” Dabi paused, raising his eyebrow. “Hm, shame… Guess I’ll be seeing you soon then.” The footsteps grew louder. “Come on Toga, we gotta get outta here.” He gripped the small, blinded girl and dragged her away. As your vision almost fully disappeared, he stepped once again to where you could properly see his face. “Don’t forget about me now.” His lips curled into a devious grin before he vanished. “Y/N! Are you okay?” A familiar voice echoed through the alleyway…
So we open on a flashback, or potentially a broadcast of young Toga’s first murder. Someone who witnessed it actually got a good look at Toga’s face.
Okay, so setting the tone for this chapter. We also get more from Toga’s flashback showing that she was obsessed with blood before her first murder.
I’ll talk about this more when we get back to it as we cut forward to the present.
Kizuki is still interviewing Toga, and I swear to god you could show me some of the faces in this chapter out of context and I’d think they’d be moved to orgasm.
Toga’s not able to really stand. Getting blown up will do that to you. And Kizuki begins to monologue again. Though to be fair, unlike last week, it balanced much better with more potent dialogue and Toga’s own introspection. o its not like dominated by one person.
So we get introduced to a new concept for this world, quirk consoling. It’s not a surprise, that powers you are born with affect your personality, simulations, and interests. Toga can transform from drinking blood, so naturally she’s interested in blood. Bakugou’s got an explosive temper, could be partially detritive from his quirk. Same with Aoyama and his sparkling motif. People’s quirks reflect their quirks.
Quirk consoling is for those who’s personalities effected by their odd quirks are made to psychologically integrate them. Essentially press down their psychosis and make them normal. But a quirk is a part of you. It doesn’t just go away. Focusing on suppressing your oddity just makes you think about it more. And the more you think about the thing you’re told not to embrace in an effort to not do it, its no surprise Toga snapped.
Now to be fair. This is just Toga. We have seen people with blood based quirks like Vlad King, actually manage to live a normal life. It’s likely because his stimulation with blood manifested more acceptably. Showing that Toga’s interest could’ve been met, but rather than being forced down, she could’ve been shown to put her interests in another form.
Toga snaps at Kizuki again, and she reveals a support tool to blow her back. I’m guessing all the Liberation Army executives have a special support tool.
Kizuki brings up something I’ve been saying for awhile, that the LoV and the Liberation Army have the same objective. Thy both wanna change society for reasons that create outcasts. But again, something that makes them different it their closeness. Kizuki, doesn’t care about Toga’s suffering so she can help her, she cares so she can furthur her own agenda.
But the League cared. Gave Toga a place to go. But these guys, she’s just another drop in the bucket for their ends. If they really cared, Kizuki would’ve offered Toga a chance to join them. But no, she’s just another pawn.
Toga dashes off, and I again have to props to Horikoshi as an artist. I tend to hear Horikoshi get shit for ways he draws women at times (personally, I don’t agree with that assessment, but that’s not what this is about right now). But Hori is one of the few shounen artists willing to take this female character who many do consider cute and adorable, regardless of being a serial killer, and burn her. Burn and blood that cute face, because it horrifying, it gets the message across.
So while I get some of the complaints about how Hori draws female characters, I feel its worth mentioning that he will treat their appearances like a male’s. Give them muscle tone and give them full facial damage. It’s something I see rarely done by mainstream shounen and I appreciate it.
Granted, she doesn’t stay like that for long. As she turns into Uraraka while fleeing.
So we get another dive into Toga’s head. This time about Izuku and Uraraka. While it is good, how Toga becomes like Uraraka because of love. She wants to be like Uraraka because Izuku loves her. I also feel this chapter hasn’t brought up the source of that love.
Because as we saw in the flashback, the boy she was watching looked like Izuku, so how much of this love is genuine and how much is superficial. Its not answered and maybe it will be alter, but seeing this scene makes m want a clear answer on if Toga is projecting onto others or is this “true love.”
And here’s where we get the most controversial thing in the chapter. Which this chapter has been great so far, but this moment…
Toga can now use the powers of the people she turns into. Something that only seems to have happened because she is at death’s door. Okay, I’m going to level with you, this is an asspull. This out of nowhere enhancement is the same thing people gave to FT and OP for how they won fights. My damn intellectual honesty does tell me this is still cheating.
BUT! Unlike, say FT, this power up is backed by the story. Sure its not “built up” but the fact this new ability was dveloped thanks to a heavy psychological reason and not say “I have friends” or some shit, that reality bends entirely to their will.
It also lines up with Toga’s powers. Its not like she gained the ability to blood bend. Her evolution came from still having to transform her body from ingesting a person’s blood. And we also she, it has limitations. Like with Monoma’s copy quirk, I can accept such a strong ability as long as it has limits. And this one does. She can’t maintain the form she’s in forever.
So is it an asspull? Yes, but it a very well done asspull that allows to look over the plot convenience.
Our chapter ends pretty gruesomely, but kinda amazingly. Also, she says she’s just like Izuku. I don’t know if that means that the LoV knows the truth about One for All or if she’s just saying that because she has Izuku’s blood.
Post Chapter follow up: This chapter is great. The best part about it is finally diving into who Toga is as a person. It’s such a trip and honestly erriely similar to real life killers.
I love the worldbuilding and commentary on society in this chapter. Horikoshi really knows how to take a modern setting for a battle shounen and give it such depth.
Kizuki is also far better in this chapter. She’s still one-note, but this time she’s not dominating thee chapter and at least gives us more insight into the Liberation army.
The only fault I can find in this chapter is the powerup. But I’ve already written why I can see a reader accepting this over some Nakama crap. And even if the change does bother you there is so much good here, it still is a good read.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Gives us a great psychological look into our villain
Character development in spades
Interesting societal commentary
I agree. Toga’s sudden ability is an asspull (for that moment) and yet not impossible (we have seen quirks evolve with use) but Eri’s quirk was also OP and an asspull, so I have no doubt Hori will nerf it well enough.
Also, the LOV really needs to recruit a doctor (and not the crazy scientist kind). How is Himiko still alive and standing at this point?
Everyone’s favourite little lovesick psycho! Finished this a bit ago but kept forgetting to do previews and a thumbnail lol all new mesh, by me Has 49 swatches Hat chops 18k poly~
