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sleepingpopplio · 1 year

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The depth of Bakugo’s apology

I saw the clip from the anime’s rendition of Bakugo’s apology and was filled with the same emotions as when I first read it in the manga. It was powerful, it was beautiful, it was gentle, and it meant something to people. But while it was great to see Bakugo apologetic for his past actions to Izuku during his time of need, the fandom often neglects the layers to that apology.

I think one thing about Bakugo’s apology that makes it so powerful is that when he says “I’m sorry [Izuku] for everything”, he’s referencing more than simply his bullying. Sure, he’s haunted by his constant guilt for what he did and the long term affects of it, but he’s also sorry that things ended up the way they did.

He’s sorry that Izuku has so much self loathing towards himself and his quirkless past. He’s sorry that Izuku was given One For All without being given the full truth about the quirk and its legacy. He’s sorry that Izuku was given so much responsibly and sorry that Izuku was put under so much pressure as he wielder of One For All— that he had to be the next symbol of piece alone. He’s sorry that Izuku was made to feel as though everything & everyone relied on him. He’s sorry that Izuku feels as though his only value comes from saving people, and that if he can’t save everyone then he’s a failure. He’s sorry that Izuku feels the need to break himself beyond repair in order to be respected as the deku who always does his best.

Bakugo is sorry that Izuku has been through so much emotional torment over the past year, going through a downward spiral since the minute he was given OFA, and he [Bakugo] couldn’t stop him from leaving the hospital and their friends behind in time. He’s sorry that things had to get to this point.

So much can be taken from just a few words. Bakugo knows deku very well, and he knows that Deku’s suffering extends far beyond his being bullied. I think that is another reason Deku has such a strong visible reaction to Bakugo’s words. He feels seen, and he feel like everyone in his class, not just limited to but especially Bakugo, are finally understanding him on a level that he refused to understand himself on. The light comes back to his eyes because Izuku Midoriya has suffered, and everyone knows, and they still love him. Luckily, things will be ok because he is not alone. Bakugo’s there for him. 1-A’s there for him. They’ll heal together.

In conclusion, I believe that during fandom discussions about Bakugo’s apology that we should really take the time to realize just how charged his words are and how he is using his apology to build a level of understanding— not just simply to right a past wrong. He wants to right ALL the wrongs of Izuku’s life, and that can simply be done through empathy and understanding. You can’t undo the past, but you can help one-another heal, because in the words of Bakugo Katsuki, “I/we know.”— I/we get it, and we’re sorry you’ve gone through all that.

Before I go, I also just want to mention how Bakugo’s use of language in Japanese is noticeably softer than how he usually talks. He cares so much, and he wants to make that fact known. In addition, he uses Izuku’s first name, which as many of you already know is a huge deal in Japanese culture. It signifies intense closeness. Bakugo is once and for all reclaiming his status as Izuku’s childhood friend. This has already been happening for a while, but in this moment he finally wants to make that known to the people around him without shame or guilt. As he stands surrounded by water, he apologizes for not taking Izuku’s hand in the river. He also reclaims this moment by metaphorically taking Izuku’s hand in the form of the apology. It doesn’t matter anymore whether he physically takes his childhood friend’s hand, what matters is his intent and his want to connect. What matters is Bakugo Katsuki’s ability to never let Izuku go again.

This isn’t really necessarily meant to be shippy I just love character connections and quotes with multiple meanings. Also when I mention Deku’s pressure from OFA please don’t think that I’m bashing All Might. I love him I just think that some mistakes were made and Izuku just generally feels pressure from his role as the yielded of the quirk.

#Bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha meta #bnha analysis #midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya #bakugo katsuki #katsuki bakugo #I’m simply tagging this just to help people sort through the content they want to see:#Bakudeku #Bkdk #This entire apology gets me right in the feels #There’s just something so beautiful about so many different feelings and thoughts only being able to be conveyed in a few powerful words #Also to the people that follow me for my metas: hi I’m back did you miss me

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epickiya722 · 1 month

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Oh, boy... what does CBR have to say now?

[Note: if you are caught up with the anime, you are safe. There are no spoilers for the manga here.]

But Hagakure specializes in stealth. Not all of the Heroes are hands-on fighters. Hagakure could have turned off the robots using her quirk to sneak up on them, or even beat them down with whatever equipment was lying around.

If you're gonna question how she got in, then question how Koda got even that at the time, he isn't a combat fighter like that or actually hadn't perfected his quirk to the point he could summon a herd.

Keep in mind though, Stain is aware of how his quirk works and guess who else? Deku... THE SAME PERSON WHO HAD TYPE O BLOOD. The same blood-type that has the shortest amount of time for the victim to be paralyzed.

That alone gave the trio the element of surprise. Stain didn't know their blood-types, damn sure didn't know Deku's. Also, every time Stain took down Heroes, he always snuck them and they were solo. It's how he got the drop on Tensei (which still pisses me off because he is the exact hero Stain would appreciate) and Native. They were alone.

Of course, Stain got his ass beat! He was dealing with not one, not two but three teenagers. They jumped him, as they should because why in the hell would you fight a serial killer alone? (Sorry, Tenya... still love you though.)

I don't think they remember how Shinsou got control of Midoriya. He egged him on about Ojiro. If Midoriya had a better handle of his emotions and not answer to Shinsou, Shinsou would still gotten his ass beat.

Midoriya had experience with hand to hand combat then somewhat. Shinsou had to resort to punching Midoriya and even that didn't work because Midoriya is such a damn wild card and ate that punch like a snack. If any... I think the punch just made him angrier...

Plot armor or whatever, it didn't last long because Midoriya lost his fight against Todoroki.

I really only agree with this one about Midnight and honestly? Out of all the members in her group, Curious was the most entertaining. Personally would have traded in any of the other members for her.

#just kiya's thoughts #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

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misplacedgamer · 1 year

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Everyone’s talking about the new OP and how weird it comes off, but I feel like enough people ARENT talking about the ED just…completely ignoring Bakugo’s growth as a character and the role he plays in the vigilante arc, and it frustrates me.

I am willing to give a pass to Bakugo in the memory montage. Izuku running through the memories he has with all his classmates through the ED is a nice expansion on one of my favorite panels in chapter 318, and that panel is infamous for having Bakugo be the only person not facing him while he's smiling.

But the fact that even at the end of the ED, when all of Izuku's friends are together and trying to bring him home, Bakugo still looks like THIS

This is the same Bakugo that humbled himself in front of all their classmates, bared his soul, and admitted how shitty he was. The same Bakugo that said "I know Deku better than anyone else", again in a room full of his classmates. The same Bakugo that's already admitted that he was pushing Izuku away out of guilt and realized how wrong that was because there's never a guarantee that you'll be around long enough to make up with people you've wronged. THAT Bakugo...is currently sneering at Izuku because he's too cool to soften up for TWO SECONDS.

Honestly, no fucking wonder so many people still don't like Bakugo-the anime takes every opportunity to make him as shitty as possible (and then the dub doubles down). I've given up at this point. I would retreat to the manga, but....well, manga readers know

#bnha #bnha spoilers #mha #bnha manga spoilers #bakugo katuski #katsuki bakugo #bkdk #bakudeku #i'm so fucking disappointed #what's even the point #and speaking of disappointment #since i mentioned it #HORI LET BAKUGO SMILE AT DEKU PLEASE #CAUSE HE STILL HASNT

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makeste · 1 year

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BnHA Episode 122, a.k.a. NOBUHIKO YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN

THEY CAN'T KEEP LETTING HIM GET AWAY WITH IT!

oh my god.

so first off, let's just get the one big major criticism out of the way: this episode was definitely not up to the same high quality standards as the first third of this season. and hey, I get it! you're doing 24 episodes in all, you're on a time crunch, and you've only got so many animators to go around. and the quality of some of these earlier season 6 eps (118 and 119 especially) was seriously some of the best this series has ever had. by contrast, chapters 284 and 285, while still easily ranking among my favorite chapters of all time, definitely do not go as hard with the visuals as some of the other War arc chapters (that very last 285 page being the one standout exception).

anyway so yeah, it was still a slight disappointment, but I'm fine with it. it does mean Deku vs Kacchan 2 will still retain its crown as my all time fave, but the real meat of this episode was never going to be about the flashy visuals -- it's all about that sweet, sweet character development.

two more very minor criticisms before I get to the OMG nonstop gushing part of this post! one, they did cut out this scene from ch 282 where Tomura originally had TWO quirk-be-gone bullets in his possession and Kacchan actually destroyed the second one.

YOU THOUGHT WE WOULDN'T REMEMBER, BONES. BUT WE DID. so for everyone who is giving Kacchan his well-earned love, praise, and admiration today, don't forget to also give him props for saving Aizawa's other leg, or whichever other appendage this doubtless would have hit. my boy out here lowkey saving his sensei from being ReDestro'd.

and then one final nitpicky little quibble, which is that the anime subtitlers declined to use the "Catch-A-Kacchan" translation, despite it being the single cleverest translation of all time, and by far Caleb Cook's biggest and most important contribution to the BnHA canon. alas, twas not meant to be. BUT ANYWAY NOW ON TO THE GUSHING.

okay so first off, we all know that Aizawa is an absolute badass and the most metal motherfucker in this entire series, and that Shouto has by this point all but perfected the art of swooping in to save the day at pivotal moments, and that the U.A. kids all need ALL OF THE THERAPY GODDAMMIT, and that Deku is a COMPLETE LUNATIC who thinks that HAVING FUNCTIONAL ARMS IS OVERRATED ANYWAYS. yes and yes and yes and yes. and if you wish, you can read all about my thoughts on these things and more, here and here and here and here.

but you already know what I actually came here to talk about today.

first of all, YOU GUYS. the music. THIS FUCKING MUSIC, THOUGH. they used the exact same OST track that was used for the "why was I the one who ended All Might?" speech all the way back in DvK2. THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE "TIME FOR NOBUHIKO TO FLEX HIS VOICE ACTING CHOPS" MUSIC. A TRADITION HAS BEEN BORN.

anyway so if anyone needs me I'll just be sitting here playing this scene on repeat until the end of time. no big deal though. I can quit at any time. not like I'm obsessed with it or anything. I definitely love this scene and this character a perfectly normal amount.

All Might talking about how Katsuki understood from the get-go about how OFA was a secret that could put other people at great risk really hits hard in hindsight. especially when you realize that Katsuki really did know right from the start, and he willingly accepted that risk with no hesitation, and he absolutely did suffer consequences for it (it was his knowledge of OFA that led to him following Deku and subsequently getting involved in this battle). and I don't doubt that he has absolutely zero regrets.

okay but can we seriously just talk for a sec about the way Kacchan's anxiety is practically boiling over when he starts to ask All Might about the Fourth's cause of death?? I feel like this is one thing that kind of got overlooked at the time in the manga because we were so completely distracted by EVERY SINGLE OTHER DAMN THING IN THAT CHAPTER lol. but hearing it again here, you feel how worried he actually is about Deku, and idk why but it all of a sudden just hit me so damn hard.

"I'm worried about him. you are, too." because that truly is what this whole conversation is really about. or at least that's the driving force behind it. behind this whole episode, in fact. it's simple, when you get right down to it: Kacchan is afraid that Deku is going to die. it's literally been the biggest fear on his mind ever since Deku unlocked SIXQUIRKS. right from the start, his mind was immediately going to the worst case scenarios. he immediately deduced that OFA might have a deeper connection to AFO than any of them realized (shoutout to Kacchan for being the original "Deku is a horcrux" truther lol. ONE DAY HORIKOSHI WILL FINALLY REVEAL THE TRUTH AND PROVE US RIGHT). he instantly zeroed in on the sobering fact that all of the previous OFA users died young. and as he reveals here, he took particular notice of the fact that All Might seems to be hiding something about OFA IV's death, and he is goddamn PRESSED about it.

and I absolutely LOVE the way that Nobu voiced this part of the conversation. when he starts to question All Might, his breathing starts to pick up a little, and his voice starts to get louder, and the words start to spill out faster and faster almost like he's in a rush to get it all out, and his voice starts to crack just a little, and he goes from not looking at All Might to hesitantly, almost fearfully glancing at him from the side, and then finally turning to face him head on with his eyes all wary and his teeth gritted like he's bracing himself for the very worst (because he is).

and then he finally just asks him, "was it because you realized something?" and then he takes in this achingly hesitant little breath before finishing with, "...about One for All?" and just. the whole scene is just SO well done. like, he's seriously so fucking scared about this, though. but at the same time he just needs to know, and just. oh my god. and Nobuhiko manages to emote all of this so clearly, and that is such a difficult line to walk when you're dealing with a character like Katsuki who's always so hesitant to show his vulnerability. he has to portray these two separate layers of Bakugou at the same time -- the part of him that is trying his hardest to be nonchalant and matter-of-fact in order to hide his fears and emotions; while at the same time also portraying said emotions which are clearly seeping through anyway, regardless of his efforts.

anyway so yeah. I could talk about this for eighty years and never get sick of it honestly but let's move on.

let me tell you guys, I've been bracing myself for this scene for two full years, and it still kicked my ass. THIS SCENE HAD NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE. literally RIGHT IN the feels. direct hit.

"he's always been that way." no, but guys. the regret when he says that. the way he states it with such simplicity and clarity. almost profound. this is just a truth of the world. this is just how Deku is. this is something that took him so long to understand, but now that he does, he can't fathom how he was never able to see it before. and then that ever-so-slight bitterness that creeps into his voice as he goes on to describe how he fucked it all up. ;_;

and then last but not least!!

"ijimeta." one word, in Japanese. it all comes down to that. and his voice gets so quiet. this whole last part of his speech is so quiet and so soft. but when he says this very last part, his voice wavers perfectly on that last word, and it just. sounds so resigned, somehow, but also just... almost faltering, for just a moment. you can hear the regret as clear as day, but you also hear the fear once again as he finally reveals this fact -- literally his biggest shame; the worst thing that he's ever done -- to All Might. his hero. just, damn.

anyway. so needless to say, despite my expectations being SKY HIGH, this scene absolutely met all of them and blew me away. as expected from the best fucking voice actor in Japan, according to me, a single lone person, whose subjective opinion is absolutely definitely not biased in any possible way.

back to the action! and Nobu getting to do his very best Deku impression lol.

can you believe this kid. one single nerdy analysis speech was all it took for him to start emitting such powerful Main Character Energy that even Endeavor got taken in and was just automatically following orders lol.

awesome choice of music here while Deku and Tomura continued to battle and Bakugou laid out his plan. you know it's good when they still manage to make you feel the tension even though this is basically just a generic action scene, and you additionally already know exactly what's going to happen.

I have no idea why, but that part with Deku's "Kacchan... my 'Deku' means 'you can do it!'" speech juxtaposed against the image of him going all out against Tomura with such fierce determination hit me like 100x harder than it did in the manga. I was NOT expecting that to be as powerful as it was. damn near gave me chills.

literally the only time I've ever been on board with the whole "FUCK YEAH, I'LL JUST BREAK ALL MY BONES AT YOU!!" deal lol. it literally makes no goddamn sense but this scene is just so raw.

THEN WE YEET THE ENDEAVOR!!!!

SO ON-BRAND. NO DEKU-INSPIRED PLAN IS EVER TRULY COMPLETE WITHOUT A GOOD YEETING.

and then the next few moments are some of the most legitimately unsettling of the entire series, as we have Tomura screaming at the top of his lungs while being burnt to cinders (and I mean, I love Tomura dearly, but I get it; he literally just Thanos'd tens of thousands of innocent people), followed by AFO's creepy fucking ghost hand reaching out all "LEND ME YOUR BODY~~~" which is a scene that absolutely NO ONE ASKED FOR but okay.

but then right afterwards though! when AFO finally did take over, and you hear that "TV shutting down" sound effect all of a sudden? and then the next few scenes with all the BKDK flashbacks are also weirdly TV-themed? I could not for the life of me figure this out at first, but now I'm actually thinking it could be a reference to the chapter 306 color page?

OR MAYBE NOT? I actually have no idea. anyway though it may have been random af but it worked for me, what can I say.

AND THEN THE MOMENT OF TRUTH AT LONG LAST.

THIS ACTUALLY IS SO PRETTY THOUGH?? LIKE I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT COLOR COMBINATION AT ALL?

AND IT HAPPENS SO QUICKLY!!!!??? YOU BARELY EVEN HAVE TIME TO BLINK?!?!!

oh. my. god.

THE WAY THE MUSIC SUDDENLY GOT QUIET. THE WAY HIS NARRATING VOICE CAME ON AND, PRAISE EVERYTHING, IT REALLY WAS DEEPER. THAT REALLY WAS THE ADULT HIM. SAME AS DEKU. MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS ARE SO FUCKING MUCH RIGHT NOW.

AND THEN THE FLASHBACKS!! THE SCENES OF THEM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL!! AND GROUND ZERO!! AND THEN CUTTING TO THE TWO OF THEM AS LITTLE BABIES, AND THE TV SCREEN ALL OF A SUDDEN SWITCHING TO COLOR??? AND THE HANDS??? THE REACHING?!?!

AND THEN?!?!?!

"HEY MAKESTE, IF WE GO AHEAD AND ACTUALLY MAKE THE VOLUME 29 COVER CANON, WILL YOU FINALLY FORGIVE US FOR ALL OF THE HALF-BAKED PAINFULLY OOC FILLER EPISODES AND OVAS?" WELL, STUDIO BONES, YOU DRIVE A HARD BARGAIN, BUT HOW CAN I POSSIBLY REFUSE.

AND THEN THEY FULL ON MURDERED ME!!!!!

that's right bitches. DREAD IT. RUN FROM IT. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ARRIVES ALL THE SAME.

holy shit. and then THE END CREDITS oh my freaking heart. words can't even describe.

Studio Bones out here not resting until they've succeeded in making EVERY SINGLE PERSON feel the MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF SADNESS THAT A HUMAN BEING CAN SUSTAIN. their callousness truly knows no bounds.

anyway so there we have it! part one of the spectacular season 6 Bakugou Katsuki Redemption Saga. I laughed, I cried, I cried, I cried, I cried a little bit more, and then I cried a little bit more after that. final verdict: yeah, it was pretty good.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha season 6 #bnha episode 122 #bakugou katsuki #bakugou meta #makeste watches bnha #okamoto nobuhiko appreciation post #and I feel character development in this chili's tonight

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oshiawaseni · 10 months

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I recently am now looking through the mha fandom for the first time and discovered your blog. Looking through your posts and analysis you seem like you’re quite knowledgeable about Horikoshi’s writing or him in general and are confident about the potential of bkdk being canon. In fact, quickly looking through the bkdk tags, a lot people on here are quite confident about the relationship, whether viewing it platonic or romantic. Now I kinda expected that, as a bkdk shipper as well, but I became confused when I found alot of people implying that Horikoshi “ships” bkdk or encourages it. For the longest time I’ve only ever consumed the anime and never really knew what’s been going on in the fandom. So I don’t know much about Horikoshi, but I swear I heard way back about him not liking the ship bkdk and deliberately implying the relationship between Izuku and Uruaka. The questions I’m getting at here is, what makes you think that Horikoshi wants bkdk to be canon and is there any hints about it outside of the main anime/manga that supports that? I acknowledge how it’s hinted at that bkdk heavily “need each other” or something like that in the anime/manga, I just always thought it was always going to be platonic and that Izuku and Uruaka will be end game. Maybe it is that and everyone is just joking about Horikoshi, idk I’m confused and lost lol.

Okay what you're asking for is a little strange, because Hori's storytelling really does speak for itself, his heart shows up the most in his writing of bkdk, but here goes…!

In regards to Hori’s feelings about them, hmm I’m going to get there one day soon(tm), but I’ll give you two examples outside the manga that show bkdk are important to him and why Hori is a bkdk like us.

First is when an interviewer was asking about Kirishima saving Katsuki and Hori responded to him with a sentiment that sounded a lot like “actually the takeaway from this scene was bkdk. that it was a bittersweet moment because Izuku couldn’t be the one to take his hand… but the decision was made." He really deflected the topic away from Kirishima and pointed at bkdk "Look at them instead".

Showing importance of that decision to bkdk’s development because THEY are what’s most important to the series, not any of their relationships with the main side characters. (And then we got the parallel to this where Katsuki feels he didn’t have what it took to take Izuku’s hand during the Deku retrieval arc. Regrets, regrets, regrets... everywhere. Now Katsuki is dead and Izuku "still hasn't told him ____")

My second example is something I bring up on twitter a bit, but that's only because it's so validating.

So you know when Katsuki died, every bkdk was crying and/or freaking out, right? Back then the mood was… “How is Izuku going to react to this?” And in a lot of bkdk’s hearts, we imagined Izuku kneeling at Katsuki’s side, embracing him, possibly acting very protectively over his body. People drew fanart of this.

I also had this kind of vision of him... but back then, MANY of us did.

But for the most part, we knew it wouldn’t be practical in the middle of a fight setting and then come January, Horikoshi showed us he felt the exact same way as us about them with his Volume 37 cover “illustration.” It was like a brainworm image of Izuku and Katsuki he couldn't get out of his head unless he drew it for the cover, something he felt bkdk deserved, but he couldn't give it to them in the manga because of the unrealism and impracticality of it happening mid-fight.

What I’m saying is: when Katsuki died, all bkdks dreamed of Izuku holding him close and/or protecting him and Horikoshi turned that collective vision, that many of us felt in our hearts, into a freaking volume cover.

As bkdks, we have this idea in our heads of these characters; what motivates them, what or who are important to them, because this far along the story, these characters are basically writing themselves. And by him and us connecting on this feeling Izuku has with Katsuki, Hori is confirming the way we see Izuku and the importance of his intense love for Katsuki as "the correct version" of Izuku that also exists in HIS mind, and he showed his hand to us of him being the biggest bkdk out of all of us. He quite literally is our King of BkDk.

The reveal of this cover is the moment I knew, without a doubt, that Hori was one of us. And that's not even factoring in that Edgeshot quote. Even that is a whole thing in itself to unpack, which I've done multiple times already.

If Hori's chosen composition and overall mood for this cover weren't already damning enough evidence for his love of bkdk and intent on making them canon, the other thing of note is that the red fingers in their background are HEAVILY inspired by Berserk.

When I saw it, I got flashbacks of the eclipse, and the hand that lifted Griffith out of Guts' reach. It also turns out there was a very similar "lovers" pose between Guts and Casca for that eclipse content. And then there are all of those Spider-Man death embraces with Gwen Stacy.

The inspirations for this volume 37 for the hero comic-loving Horikoshi are quite clear: Izuku is embracing his future lover.

#bkdk #bkdk canon #bakudeku #dkbk #kana writes #asks #btw anon hori hasn't said anything about izuocha being romantic himself - izuochas like to make up a lot of unsubstantiated claims #it's probably something like that

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autism-aint-a-flawtism · 1 year

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Anybody been noticing the evolution of Deku's overall aesthetic? Like in terms of heroic aesthetic. Each hero generally has their own aesthetic. All Might had a Superman-esque aesthetic. Not exactly Superman, but the closest thing imaginable. All Might always tried to inspire hope. He always did that on purpose.

Endeavor later learned how to replicate All Might's hope aesthetic, but his is more centered around "Hope for Victory" in contrast to All Might's "Hope for Peace"

Notice Endeavor constantly looks like he's chock full of pride? I'd almost give post-"Holy shit I'm a terrible father" Endeavor a Vegeta-esque vibe.

Stars and Stripes is somehow a combination of both

Horikoshi loves to play with aesthetics. One of my favorites being Shigaraki.

Beginning Shiggy: Obviously looks like a villain, thought he was going to shoot a dog.

War Shiggy: Elegant. Almost like Nana Shimura. If I never read BNHA, I thought he would've been a hero

But my point is, Deku's design and aesthetic has been reflective of his arc throughout the series.

Deku Mk I: green, doesn't know what he's doing. Has no realist ideals. Simply an idealist.

Notice how frail he looks despite the fact we KNOW he's built like a triple decker bus. It's supposed to represent how out of his element he is.

Deku Mk II: More experienced, learning from his mistakes. He's becoming a more traditional member of hero society.

You can tell by the more thick look of the suit that Deku is beginning to look more competent, but you can tell that he's uncomfortable with this. Ignoring the fact that Deku canonically didn't like the mods to his mom's suit, you can tell he isn't comfortable yet.

Deku Mk III: Finally used to his own self. He has become the pinnacle of traditional hero society

This is a Deku that visually looks more complete. Deku MK II had too many loose lines. His gloves rising up to his bicep makes him easier to look at. He looks less confusing to look at. This is a Deku that made his first real independent step. He went from punching to kicking. Notice this is the costume Deku uses in his first official villain fight.

Infinite Deku

Right here we get Deku's first legit "All Might" moment. Where visually he looks like a symbol of hope

I used a still from the anime here because the colors and poses pop more in the anime than in the manga. This is a Deku that if I didn't know who he was I'd assume he's the main character

Deku MK IV: Same general deal as Deku MK III

The Air Force gloves eventually help him become more of a visual vesself for the OFA users, and that's the most significant visual difference. This is a Deku that looks like a good, fine, member of hero society, but he doesn't look like symbol of peace material. He just looks like a strong background character

Vigilante Deku: Basically a villain. Crap your pants terrifying. Beaten, broken. But, he looks the most like a hero. Granted, in the way Batman looks like a hero. But he looks like his true hero. All he had to do was reject traditional notions of hero society

notice how Deku is slowly looking more and more unhinged throughout the vigilante arc

Isolating himself and acting like a "true hero" is driving Deku insane. So while his vigilante era is the most akin to traditional comic book heroes, he can't maintain that.

Final Deku: An amalgamation of Mk IV and Vigilante

Aesthetically speaking this is Deku one step before he becomes the symbol of peace. Sure, his costume isn't super visually distinct, but, Horikoshi makes up for that with how he's posing and framing Deku. I have a feeling that Deku is going to get one more redesign. But as of right now, this is a Deku that looks closest to a Symbol of Peace. He can still be unhinged like Vigilante, but can look just as heroic as Infinite.

Thanks for listening to my ramble

#bnha deku #bnha #bnha midoriya #bnha manga spoilers #bnha dabi #bnha bakugou #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #mha spoilers #bhna #bnha essay #deku #vigilante deku #final war deku #war arc deku #final deku

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bicheetopuff · 2 years

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Hi! I just read your reply to mhatheoriesbrainrot's ask about Bakugo and staying true to manga. I'm an anime only and am curious about what you meant regarding Bakugo's character development. I'm still on the fence if should I read MHA's manga or just stick to anime.

I'm placing my whole trust into you. So if you think that it's more worth it for me to read the manga myself then I accept your opinion and thank you for your time. But if you think that it's not worth it to read the whole manga just because of this (not mentioning that anime hasn't covered all of the published manga) then I'll be glad if you could explain how anime "messed up" Bakugo's character development. Thank you so much in advance ❤️

I’m glad you trust me! However this response will kinda be based around my own experience with the manga and anime. Personally, I think reading the manga was just an overall more enjoyable experience and I highly recommend it but I’ll still explain myself.

I’ll start off by saying I’ve only been into mha since the end of last year. There’s a lot of things I didn’t get to see “live” so to speak and I didn’t get to feel frustration or malice towards the studio when they did weird things in other seasons or movies so I was kinda late to the party but I’ll still voice my opinion on everything despite that.

The first three seasons of the anime are great. There’s a few parts here and there where Bakugous characterization specifically is kinda wonky but I think that’s mainly the result of the anime studio putting on kid gloves. To be more specific and to answer part of your question, I’ll elaborate.

During the Quirk Apprehension Test after him and Deku race

(This screenshot is recycled so excuse the highlighted part)

In this scene he thinks to himself about how he uses his quirk and actually shows curiosity about Deku. Kinda keeping a close eye since he’s still not sure how he made into UA at this point. There’s not really malice coming from Katsuki here.

However in the anime, this scene he says out loud “my quirk has more uses than anyone else” making him seem a lot more arrogant than he was. At this point in the story, it was only a few chapters in so yea he was arrogant and cocky but that part of his character has never been a constant. In the anime it’s a constant.

Another scene would be from the sports fest arc right before him and todoroki fight. He goes into the wrong waiting room and kicks the table in front of todoroki out of frustration but, in his own way he reiterates what Deku told Todoroki in their fight (it’s your quirk not his; don’t fight with half of your power; don’t quote me on these, I’m going off memory lol) but in my opinion the anime made this scene seem more like an angry and comedic gag instead of a reaction stemmed from Katsukis frustration with Dekus growth. It’s one of the few times we see Katsuki attempt to mimic Deku to get what he wants and failing and the anime doesn’t make that part very clear.

This one isn’t really a scene but Katsuki is not a casual touch kind of guy and doesn’t just let people touch him. But the anime kinda forced Kirishima onto him where he’s constantly touching him casually? This isn’t like a bias thing cuz it also happens in season 5 with Deku. In the manga when they’re all in the car with endeavor and he complains about having to be so close to Deku and leans really close to the door. The anime changed that and actually made Katsuki lean more onto Deku.

And then there’s the final exam arc where him and Deku have to fight All Might and a lot of his dialogue just gets… cut out. Also after their match Deku sticks around with Recovery Girl to watch what’s left of the other matches (this arc was formatted differently from manga to anime. Instead of each team taking turns, every test was happening at the same time and Deku didn’t watch a majority of them. I think the anime mainly added that format so Deku could see Uraraka freak out about Aoyama accusing her of liking Deku).

It really doesn’t get irritating until after the end of season 3 with Deku vs Kacchan 2. I have no complaints about DvK2, I actually really like the animated fight, it’s mainly how the anime studio deals with Katsukis character after DvK2. He doesn’t have anger outbursts anymore and he actually becomes almost playful with Deku. He worries about his well being and he helps him train with no complaints (more like aggressive criticism) but in the anime they kinda made it so training with Deku was more of a burden for Katsuki in season 5. Him acting annoyed and bored in the one scene we see them training together but in the manga… it’s not that different but the manga kept the playfulness there.

There’s a particular part in season 5 that’s a lot more obvious than the other things I talked about and that’s match 4 of the class A v class B exercise. Manga to anime contradicts each other. 1) before his match starts in the manga he says “follow my lead” but in the anime he says “stay out of my way” which contradicts what he says later on about helping him when he’s in trouble and him doing the same for his team. And 2) there’s this particular scene after Monoma notices Bakugous change in attitude.

The pan to deku was completely cut out. So it just seems like senseless praise from Kirishima in the anime. It’s not connecting the two dots that Bakugou is changing and that change ultimately stemmed from Deku.

I’m mainly pointing out some of the differences because you asked but I personally don’t care all that much about what the anime studio does because the manga will always be home base for me. However I’m assuming you’re also wondering about the second episode of season 6 which is what everyone’s been talking about.

This… did kinda disappoint me.

I can’t compare this from manga to anime cuz this entire scene is filler. It wasn’t in the manga and didn’t really have any business being added to the anime. And that goes back to the anime putting kid gloves on the story, none of the characters knew what was happening at the hospital. They were told to evacuate the city incase of a fight. And them finding out about the hospital this earlier is gonna make another scene kinda… lose its sense of dread.

But the way they handled Bakugou specifically in this scene was just kind of gross and contradicts him learning the importance of saving people throughout season 5 and season 6 is supposed to be a really important developmental arc for him. He’s so important in this arc and his attitude changes a lot so him whining like a brat about having to evacuate civilians feels like 2 steps backwards. He doesn’t think he’s better than everyone anymore and he hasn’t for a long time. So it just feels like a throw back to season 1x

There’s other things I could say about the anime like how Uraraka also isn’t done Justice and their inability to take serious topics seriously. The studio focuses more on “hey don’t forget this is a shonen” instead of being faithful to the source material and they just use Bakugous character as comedic relief and have no idea how to characterize him accurately (same with Uraraka) unless Hori is involved (which is why I think the first and third mha movies are garbage). All of that might be a different post but might not be because I don’t really take the anime seriously anymore.

Tl;dr

The anime is the manga with kid gloves. They put the story through a strainer and can’t keep up with characterization very well because of how complex Hori likes to write them. If you want the story unfiltered in its full glory, I highly recommend the manga.

I hope this helps calla but whether you wanna read the manga or stick the anime is completely your decision. The anime isn’t bad by any means it’s just a different experience from the manga.

#ask puff #puff answer’s #bakudeku #bkdk #bakugou katsuki #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha meta #kinda but not really #bnha manga #bnha anime #i don’t hate the anime but I much prefer reading the manga #also Horikoshis art style is really beautiful #if you do decide to read the manga I think you’d enjoy it :)

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theuntamedangel · 6 months

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Wanna get them off my chest

Few things i wanna talk about here. I'll go point wise

A: Overhaul arc had all the male characters do something epic all while giving us a solid background to their past lives, even the villains like Rappa were given a decent amount of interest. And they fought like crazy. The girls (god i HATE Nejire) were there just to be cute and have girly moments. Their team effort couldn't put up a respectable fight against that giant meat head of a villain despite having a pro hero by their side and their victory was shown off screen. Why were the female characters even there? They're all fap bait material and anyone who says otherwise, you need therapy, help, you need Jesus

B: This is hard for me to say it, but here goes. I have a soft spot for Shigaraki and a few LoV members. But they are as stupid as the heroes because if they'd been a tad bit smarter and actually did some serious digging, they'd be able to figure out about Hawk's true intentions. No chips, no tracking devices, no hidden cameras attatched to his clothes without Hawk's knowing, or anything of that sort despite knowing Hawk's is actually the #2 hero of Japan? I don't run any criminal organization but even my dumb brain can tell me that this is plain stupid. Thanks to the LoV being this gullible enough to allow Hawks to dance, prance and flutter his feathers all over the place, we are in this shit storm now.

C: The villains had Best Jeanist's dead body floating around in their facility, waiting for the right moment to use it and turn it into a nomu. Wouldn't the ''right time'' have been now, during the war? If you need to make both the villains and the heroes equally stupid and irrational, then it's better to take a 3 to 5 months hiatus and rethink about the plot of the series

D: Stars and Strips. Enough Said. Also, i won't be going into details about the latest events of the manga because I have self respect and also because I dont care. Maybe I will once the manga ends.

E: It's ok for both Izu and Mirio to use Eri's quirk but it's not if its the villains who are doing it. Double Standard. Also, Overhaul himself could have used his own quirk and made bullets to sell them off in the back market. He too can destroy and heal at the same time. Sell the healing part of his quirk to the heroes and sell the other quirk of his to the villains. Capture Eraser Head, use artificial drugs to enhance the erase quirk and also sell his quirk in the black market. Problem solved. This whole Eri plot still doesn't sit well with me.

F: MVA is pointless, Shigaraki's growth and achievement and him getting more powers from the crazy doc to become even more stronger because a war was coming, are not worth the the mention because potato ball sac just possess Shigaraki. That poor character is now a nothing ass character. I'm sorry Shiggy hunnie, you're my ultimate anime husbando but I see the reality too and it's twisting my heart, ripping it apart.

G: Don't expect/have high hopes for Deku vs Shigaraki to happen because the manga is busy wetting itself for Bakugou. Hori might not be decent enough to let this happen

H: Who is Izuko Midoriya?!?

@theloganator101

@anti-katsuki-lounge

@mikeellee

@amethystoceandespiser

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connisk · 8 months

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(Fanfic that I really like by @kitsunefyuu )(strongly recommend)

Something about this mental image of AFO dressing izuku in fancy clothes, like very dear doll, just stuck with me. And I felt like drawing a few of the more feminine outfits since every one of them has some kind of meaning to the story.

The first more feminine outfit was the one izuku chose specifically when he tried to convince his father to let him go to UA.

"Dad, I want to go back to a real school and make actual friends," Izuku spoke bluntly. Trying his damn hardest to keep himself calm as he asks, and had even prepared himself with his dads favorite outfit. It was a traditional green Hanfu dress with flowers. More than aware it is for women, but it isn't as if it matters in a home where the only company he's allowed is his father.

Absolutely creepy, but in sweet way. As he doesn't care about what he supposed to be wearing and enjoys everything, but at the same time trying to persuade his father to what he wants with it.

The second outfit I drew was the black dress he wore when he accidentally met his childhood friend. And it escalated quickly to the worst

Maybe Izuku was desperate for some kind of recognition. To gather a fraction of the past that his father took him away from after all these years. That he dug far back to that nickname he hated even if didn’t want to say that name as Kacchan was about to leave, “How about Deku?”

Now that seemed to trigger something and a curiously amused expression showed on Bakugou’s face. The recognition sparked in his eyes as a loud hum escaped him.

“Oh yeah! Deku must explain why you look like a weird doll,” Katsuki said with amusement.

Izuku felt a stab in his chest at the other words.

This happened right after izuku ran away from his dinner with his father. Naturally he was wearing a dress. I can't find the exact quote but I remember it being described as dress with a ribbon. Maybe it was just my imagination, but izuku wearing a dress and looks like a doll, Plus kachan recognizing him by his old nickname just felt very symbolic. Like Deku will never be more than just a doll for others.

The last image, and the one I liked the most was izuku wearing his school uniform.

"Dad! Can you grab me my uniform!?"

(...)

Izuku doesn't even check what the man brought feeling pretty good right now. Though clearly, he was going to end up late so he just throws it on.

(...)

"Sorry he's just- Well he's excited I have a friend," Izuku noted only to realize Shoto was looking at him up and down. "What? Is something wrong?" Ugh, did he not put on enough makeup? Did he put the uniform on and mess up his hair? Izuku felt nervous at his friend's suddenly very critical gaze wondering if he needs to run back home to fix up-

"You look nice,"

(...)

Though when he arrived at the school Izuku felt like he was getting a LOT more looks than normal. To the point if he was honest he kind of felt almost anxious about it as while attention can be nice it felt more like they were weirded out. Wondering why that is the case, he worked hard on his appearance! Even Shoto said he looked nice, did he miss something? "Hey do I look weird?" Izuku questioned wondering why people were staring knowing his friend would be honest. Shoto glanced around a bit then back at him in confusion before a light bulb seemed to register. Those eyes light up as he finally decides to answer the question.

"Probably because you're wearing the girl uniform?" Shoto questioned. As if he hadn't just revealed the most horrifying thing Izuku could have done. The innocent way his best friend didn't even think to point out the uniform was for a girl.

The betrayal izuku felt. For his father it was simply a joke. For izuku it was world shattering. How he took izuku's trust and played with it.

Shoto, with his pure heart didn't question it.

I reason chose to give izuku white hair even when he supposed to still have his green is because he's under his father's manipulation. From the moment his mother died his father was everything to him and he was everything for hisashi.

And still, he plays with izuku's life like he's some kind of doll. Just because he doesn't see a problem with it. But for izuku it affects everything.

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sleepingpopplio · 1 year

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Izuku Midoriya and confronting a complicated past— an analysis

With the upcoming arc in the anime about to come after next week’s episode, I think that it’s important to talk about Izuku as a character, and everything that has led him to this moment and this particular arc in the series. While there is a lot going on in that Kid’s head, most of the things that directly cause Deku to act the way he does during his vigilante time has been left unsaid and up to the reader to pick up on. This could be seen as sloppy writing, but it could also be seen as a great use of subtlety to create a slow downward spiral for our protagonist that can be incredibly rewarding for readers who take the time to do some extra sleuthing. So before the arc begins, and before the inevitable controversy on whether or not the arc was rushed or came out of nowhere, how about we take a close look at Izuku Midoriya as a character and his depth that is often ignored. Let’s take a peek at how his entire arc is filled with tragedy, hope, and the importance of confronting one’s past. Sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy my first in depth BNHA analysis where I hope to give manga readers who are currently watching the anime some added perspective. Also disclaimer: I love all the characters in this series and will not be bashing on any of them, as I feel as though it would be undermining the messages of the story and the depth of the characters. Nothing I say is meant to be putting down any characters and I am not blaming any single character for Izuku’s struggles. All fans of any characters are safe and welcome to enjoy this.

At the beginning of the series during the very first line from our protagonist, which is something that is supposed to help the audience understand the type of story they are about to read— Izuku says “people are not born equal”. He also states that he learned that fact at the young age of four years old. From the very beginning, Deku was made to believe that he is less than everyone else. Less than those with quirks, and therefore less of a human. Quirks, literally translated from Japanese, mean individuality. To be quirkless, in the eyes of MHA’s society, is to be without a soul. Or at least, that is what can be understood by a small child who simply wants to belong. Therefore, deku internalizes form a young age that he inherently has less value as a quirkless boy, and such internalizing severely damages his perception of himself for the rest of the series. He’s a useless deku that does not have much to contribute. However, during the very same first scene we also see Izuku fighting back against the kids trying to beat him up. Despite the odds stacked against him, Izuku midoriya is determined to prove himself. He’s determined to prove to others, and to himself, that he has value. He is also determined to keep moving forward despite society seemingly turning him away. But children need time to process their emotions. They need time to learn and talk through the issues they’re facing. Izuku does not do that. He keeps fighting, he keeps wanting to be a hero, but he doesn’t talk to any adult around him about how he feels. He doesn’t get told that he is perfect the way he is, or that he doesn’t have to prove anything. What happens when such insecurities and trauma are not given the space to heal at an early age? Well let’s move forward a few years…

When Deku meets all might, and demonstrates his innate and pure heroism when he runs to save Bakugo from the sludge villain, he is offered a once an a lifetime chance: One For All. He is told that he can become a hero, and is aided in training to use the quirk and get into UA. By this point, Izuku’s self esteem issues that stemmed from his childhood and the the perception of quirklessness that was placed upon him by the world around him have only grown. He wants to be a hero, but he also has become quiet and reserved, as he thinks of himself more as an afterthought. He wants to help people, because he cares and he is a kind hearted individual, but also because he want to be useful. He has to be a useful hero, but how? The quirk of One For All thus represents a way to be useful in the way that Izuku thinks is correct, which is by being a quirked individual. So what happens when you give a kid with extreme self esteem issues, and who views himself as flawed for simply being himself, a very powerful quirk along side the opportunity to become a hero? That child latched onto the quirk like a lifeline. They have to make good use of their new quirk; they have to utilize the blessing granted to them or else they will remain useless and will be left behind. Izuku will work hard to earn his quirk because he feels as though he is unworthy, even though he already proved himself the second that his body moved on its own. Therefore, the second Izuku is given his quirk, he begins the cycle of using it as an unhealthy coping mechanism and source of validation. He is more hopeful than ever when given the quirk, but his unhealthy mindset is also given the power to run rampant. This is the story of a boy becoming the greatest hero he says, so early on in the series, but it also of a boy desperately trying to become more than he currently is, for better and for worse.

This then leads to the beginning of his time at UA, where Izuku, in addition to clinging onto his quirk as a replacement for his self esteem, begins reclaiming the meaning of his nickname Deku. “Deku is the name of a hero” he declares, and while taking back the power from his former bully and standing up for himself is an incredibly uplifting moment or Izuku in the beginning of the manga, there is another side of the coin that is the reclamation of Deku. Izuku Midoriya feels as though he has to be the new, hero Deku, or else there is nothing else worthwhile about him. He has to prove himself as a true hero or else he’ll have to go back to the old, useless Deku…He’ll forever be left behind. So, he breaks himself. Over, and over, and over again. The hero named Deku breaks his limbs time and time again, because if he doesn’t push himself to the brink, then he hasn’t done enough, and therefore he has failed the quirk that he was blessed with and failed the people who have helped him. The sentiment that he needs to hurt himself, or even nearly get himself killed, is incredibly concerning and could even be seen as suicidal ideology. Furthermore, this ideology creates an intense fear that follows Izuku wherever he goes, and even causes him to blame himself in scenarios where it’s not his fault at all, such as the summer camp arc where he was nearly killed by muscular, yet still beats himself up over Bakugo’s capture.

Another development that occurs at the beginning of Izuku’s time at UA is the start of an insurmountable amount of pressure being placed on his shoulders. When Izuku first received One For All, he was told that he could use the quirk to achieve his dreams of being a hero. He knew nothing of its past, and was given no indication that he had to live up to it. Yet, during the tournament arc Allmight begins mentioning the idea of Izuku becoming the next symbol of peace. While an honor to have, being the number one hero and an international symbol was not what Izuku, a fourteen year old kid at the time of the sludge villian attack, signed up for. Yet, he takes on the responsibility with a nervous smile on his face, and the shadow of all might begins following him. Next, he learned about the horrifying figure that is All For One, and Izuku is told that he may have to fight him one day; He may have to fight someone that he had previously thought to be nothing more than an urban legend. The child who wanted to become a hero now has to be prepared to fight the demon lord. Moreover, these revelations begin the process of Izuku placing more and more pressure on himself to be the best hero possible. He cannot afford to make a mistake. He cannot afford to be useless, because the legacy of One For All demands that he be exceptional. Afterall, he’s the ninth user. Do the wants of Izuku Midoriya really matter more than the fate of the world?

During all of this, Izuku slowly becomes more comfortable with his quirk, and grows in confidence. He truly becomes equals with Bakugo and works with him to mend their relationship, and he also develops his shoot style in an effort to move away from imitating All might. These things are all possible development for Izuku’s character and also gradually take place as the series goes on. After so many years of being quiet, he finally opens himself up again; He opens himself up to love from his peers, and opens himself up to new experiences. He also becomes more willing to talk back to others, as demonstrated by his attitude towards Endeavor, and later his more frequent and friendly banter with Bakugo. However, the self esteem issues and insecurities never go away, and Deku still breaks himself every chance he gets. The pressure also still continues to build as Allmight retires, and Izuku becomes truly trapped in his role as the successor. He accepts his role, and is happy to be serving others, but Allmight’s retirement leaves a void that Izuku feels as though there is no one else left to fill but himself. There’s no backing out now, and Izuku’s quirk development now has to speed up or else he will never be able to fill that void. He also witnesses the might of All For One in person, and the nightmare of him having to face the demon lord becomes even more of a reality. Through all of this, Izuku still refuses to talk about his feelings with his peers or the adults around him, and instead he decides to keep marching forward without taking any time to let himself, or his mind, rest. The only sliver of hope for Izuku’s mental well-being is the fact that he still allows himself to cry. Therefore, the shadow of responsibility that followed Izuku morphs into a massive weight on his shoulders that helps to steer his development backwards and into character regression.

Izuku’s mental health then takes a turn for the worst after the Overhaul arc, which was also a turning point for the series with its dark tone. As Izuku sees for himself the real horrors of the criminal underground, he once again blames himself for Eri’s circumstances and his inability to save someone. Through this experience, Izuku becomes so entrenched in the idea of becoming the perfect hero that he even begins denying himself the right to cry. He says that “heroes don’t cry”, and other characters such as Todoroki are shocked at the statement by their friend. Crying was one of Deku’s last healthy coping mechanisms, and he loses that too. Nighteye’s death cements this fact, as it is actually the last time that Deku sincerely cries in series, before the end of vigilante arc. All other times that he cries moving forward form this point are played off as gags, and thus Izuku represses his emotions to an extent that is even foreign to him, as someone who has been suppressing his emotions since he was a small child. It should also be noted that this arc highlight’s Deku’s uncertainty as a holder of One For All. This shows that no matter how much Deku’s confidence improves, he will continuously view himself as not good enough and fear the return of the former “useless” Deku. In addition, the overhaul arc also highlights Izuku’s loss of innocence. As I said before, Izuku is exposed to the true cruelties & horrors of the villian underground, but this development is not new. Dating back to the Stain arc, Izuku has been gradually losing more and more of his innocence. Even when he endured a very difficult childhood, Deku was at least able to told onto hope and be optimistic for the future, but being thrusted into the world of heroes takes the bright eyes boy and chips away at his soul. He keeps going, because as always he refuses to give himself time to heal, but the Izuku at the end of the Overhaul arc is not the same person as we was when he first enrolled in UA, and he never will be again. The fear, responsibility, and loss of innocence all culminate to send the mental health of Izuku Midoriya into a free fall, but he would never admit it. Instead, he keeps on smiling.

We are getting close to the vigilante arc (I hope you’ve been enjoying this so far!), but one final significant development in Izuku’s mental state occurs during the Class 1-A and Class 2-A training session, where he is once again given responsibilities that he never asked for. At this point, Izuku’s confidence has grown exponentially, but on further inspection much of that confidence seems to be misplaced. You see, while Izuku becomes extremely confident in his use of One For All, he still remains insecure about himself as an individual. He still lives in fear of being useless, and constantly needs to prove himself. This is because Izuku Midoriya the individual is being slowly left behind, while the Deku the hero becomes comfortable with his quirk because if he can’t master his quirk then he has nothing. He is nothing… Then Blackwhip appears, and Izuku has to relearn his quirk even though he had already been working fro months to get to to the place he’s currently at. It feels like a slap to the face, but now that Izuku has now more formally met the vestiges, he’s given no choice but to accept his new quirks in addition to his role in “completing One For All,” as The 1st user puts it. Izuku Midoriya fades even more, the incredible amount of responsibility grows even more, and the hero Deku sees himself as nothing else but the ninth holder. Most of this understanding of Izuku’s mental state is not actually spoken of out loud in the manga/anime, but the context clues of the events leading up to this moment (as shown by all the writing before this), Izuku’s facial expressions, and the events afterward help strip away the smile that Izuku is so determined to keep on his face almost the entire arc and show high Izuku’s walls have grown around his internal anguish. Therefore, the metaphorical vault shown that Izuku uses to lock away his quirks is also used to lock away his emotions once and for all. The only leak in this facade that we have until the end of the vigilante arc is…

Izuku’s character regression has already been set in stone by the time the war arc comes around, but what is important to note is how his repressed emotions manifest in the form of his intense rage. We’ve seen this before, with how Izuku becomes incredibly intimidating and unhinged during his fights with villains such as Muscular and Stain. All For One’s theme even plays in the anime as Izuku fights Overhaul to represent how monstrous he is int eh eyes of villains during battle. The difference during this arc is that other characters are finally catching on to just how toxic Izuku’s ideology has become. Bakugo in particular takes takes note of just how not ok it is for Izuku to not take himself into account, and shows visible concern while Izuku fights with Shigaraki in the air. Not only is Izuku being destructive to himself, but he also lashes out so harshly that is seems though he intends to kill Shigaraki in the moment. But to Izuku, he has no other choice. He is Deku, a hero, and the Deku who always does his best. Deku himself veery clearly states during this arc that he will no longer be the useless deku, and with that statement he resolves to kill the remnants of Izuku Midoriya, the quirkiness kid with bright eyes, himself. He cannot afford to be useless. He refuses. He will kill himself during this fight with Shigaraki if that’s what it takes to be a hero who saves everyone and a hero who is worthy of being the ninth holder of one for all. Finally, everything has come full circle, and the name Deku starts as something negative, then is given hope to become something positive, but then once again becomes a toxic image within Izuku’s life. That is why it is so important when Izuku is called by his first name in the vigilante arc— because Izuku Midoriya, both the quirkiness child and the current person, are deserving of love and have value beyond their quirk. Izuku is more than One For All, but unfortunately all of his repressed emotions that have been highlighted throughout this entire analysis have to explode out of him in order for him to heal. In addition, Deku and the repression of his emotions has led him to push everyone else away, even back when he was smiling nonstop. The war arc simply showcases ho bad that seclusion has gotten, and that when it comes down to it Deku will purposely exclude his peers in order to suffer alone.

Izuku, in the vigilante arc, will simply be the ninth holder of One For All, whose only purpose and value lies in defeating All For One himself. Furthermore, at the center of this entire discussion, is the fact that Izuku is afraid of his past. All of his self esteem issues come from such a young age, and yet he does not know what else to do besides run from it. Izuku Midoriya is a character that is so defined by his past, yet is so desperate to escape it. Therefore, he will need to be reminded by his loved ones that the cycle of trauma that he has endured throughout his life does not have to continue. He can choose his own way. He is not shackled by his past, and thus healing is possible. It’s not too late, and all he needs is his friends to remind him of why he is loved for his heart, and not his quirk. Therefore there is no singular character that got through to Deku. All of 1-A saved the boy who was so desperate to save anyone but himself.

With that said…

Deku’s entire arc throughout the series leading up to the vigilante arc has been filled with regression, in the sense that the heros around him place more and more pressure on him to the point that he does not consider himself human, but rather a tool that has no value outside of One For All. This is the story of a boy that becomes the greatest hero, but also of a boy that was stripped of his innocence and beaten down by a system that rejected him since the beginning, yet he still dreamed of being a part of. The entire vigilante/villain hunt arc brings together all of the pent up pain and self-loathing that has been following him since the beginning of the series, and shows how everything that he’s been hiding has finally caught up to him. The pain and trauma that we see from Izuku in this arc was always there, and all it took was the war arc to trigger it to come forward. In conclusion, Izuku Midoriya is an extremely complicated character who has been on a fascinating downward spiral since the beginning of the series, and if readers can take the time to see how he got to where he is, then maybe we can at least better understand the context behind the vigilante/villain hunt arc, and the complexity behind My Hero Academia’s protagonist.

Credit to @mettywiththenotes for having the post that inspired this essay, and that I originally had the conclusion of this analysis posted under as a reblog. Also credit to @pikahlua’s mha discord server that I’m in for encouraging me to write this!!!

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dekusleftsock · 2 years

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Dudebros being in the mha fandom are so odd bc they’re the same people talking about how “cool/insane manga deku is compared to anime deku”, bitch wtf-

Like yeah, sure, his vigilante arc DOES LOOK SICK and he is VERY COOL during that time, but also, the entire fucking point of class 1-A’s message to him is to tell hm “dude, this isn’t healthy for you” AND THEN HIS MALE CHILDHOOD FRIEND EMBRACES HIM!

The amount of times I’ve seen deku compared to other mc shonen characters bc of how much “better” the other mc is personality wise compared to deku is insane. It shows just how weird this fandom and shonen is towards emotional male characters.

They wanna make him oober big and strong and 7 feet tall and in a completely different style just like all might! But he’s not that. Time and time again mha manages to show positive masculinity, and it’s toxic male characters (not characters that are for jokes like mineta) aren’t misogynistic. And if they are subtly and realistically misogynistic, it’s called out by its female or male cast. Specifically kirishima and kaminari calling uraraka frail and Katsuki saying “you call that girl frail?”

Or when they say that uraraka is stale and boring, that she has no personality, that she isn’t her own character outside of deku. These are people who have literally READ THE MANGA! And it boggles my mind just how clueless and stupid these people are!

Izuocha isn’t my otp, not by a long shot, but these people will die on the hill that uraraka is uninteresting and that mha shouldn’t/never will be about love (AS IF OFA AS A POWER ISNT DICTATED BY LOVE WHICH I FIND RATHER IRONIC LMAO-)

Like I’ll die on the hill that Izuku will have an explicit or implied ending with Katsuki. If it’s an implied ending bc of publishing issues then in my mind horikoshi will juse post a page on his Twitter that he can’t even publish of them legitimately being gay and lovers after it’s over.

Anywho, this is just brainrot. No meta posts, just me being a dork for my gay people haha

They should be symbols for the queer anime community after this tbh. (Art credits to @/mikahyuni on Twitter, idk if they have an account on here lol)

#mha deku #midoriya izuku #bkdk #mha analysis #bkdk brainrot #bakugou katsuki #bnha deku #bakudeku #deku midoriya #mha bakugou #mha katsuki #dudebros

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somefandomshit · 9 months

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I don't know what else to post so I'll just do some Aizawa hcs (these turned out more angsty than I anticipated lol):

- He has a hard time sleeping at night bc of what happened with Oboro and that's kinda why he's so tired all the time

- When he's alone and reviewing training footage of his class from the day he actually gets pretty sweet about them and thinks about how proud he is of them

- He doesn't show his admiration of them to them though bc he thinks that it'll go to their head

- Sometimes he just looks up at the sky and thinks about Oboro for a second and when someone asks him what he's doing he'll just say something like, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking, that's all"

- He probably kinda sees some of Oboro in Deku and that's why he was so tough on him at first, so that Deku didn't go down the same path Oboro did and die young

- I like to think that he sees signs of PTSD in todoroki but hasn't pieced together that his dad abused him when he was a kid

- I feel like at least one of the class 1-A kids came to him alone after class, hugged him, and then just started sobbing and Aizawa just squeezed them tight and started shushing them to try to calm them down

- After that day, he probably checked in on that student frequently to make sure that they're ok

- Ok so this one isn't a hc but I just want to point out that in the manga once Aizawa saw Endeavor being attacked by nomu on tv he immediately ran to check on todoroki bc he knew that he would probably take it hard, and he even ran so fast that he lost a slipper

He cares so much for his students 😭😭😭

Anyways that's all guys I hope you like it :)

(Also as a side note are you guys hyped for the mha vigilantes anime!? I know I am!!!)

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itsnothingofinterest · 1 year

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Hey 👋, can I ask you how you feel about the recent episode of bnha? And specifically about the heroes?

It's pretty much exactly the same as in the manga, although for some reason danger sense wasn't in the anime, despite it being clearly shown on the page, that was weird, do you think?

It's meant to be so inspiring, the whole scene, but all it really says as a whole is that people should treat the heroes better and that the heroes will then 'bring everything back', both points being the exact opposite of what needs to happen in the setting/series, as if the heroes are the ones that need saving and didn't cause half the problems/threats they now face in the first place. There's zero accountability and awareness with their side, and they still want more, hawks is straight up delusional, saying that 'thinking about everybody' even though they're obviously not thinking about everybody.

The part when ochako is thinking about toga being the only thing that wasn't oblivious to the big picture. Do you feel similarly or differently?

Yup, same as ever for the heroes; we're waiting on any hero-driven societal progress and they're just worried about themselves and the status quo.

And yet you know, the funny thing is that the scene is probably the one piece of progress in the entire series that might (though that is a BIG might) prevent one type of villain from our League appearing in the inevitable next League made up of people Class 1A fails when they're pros.

See, one of the big things that led to Tenko becoming Tomura Shigaraki was everyone leaving everything to the heroes. And while this episodes' developments were more inspired by cutting the heroes some slack than reflecting on how impossible it is for the heroes to handle everything wrong in the world and how irresponsible it was for all parties to act like they could; the result is still this promise to reduce the citizens bystander attitude, that could see them helping the next Tenko...maybe. So the next League might (again, might) not have a Tomura.

It's just a shame that, like we said, this came about for the betterment of heroes rather than from any self-reflection on their villain-generating failures. This means atm we can't exactly expect any societal faults that benefit heroes, such as quirk profiling, letting heroes get away with murder or domestic abuse, Tartarus, or other forms of corruption in the industry, to get fixed or stop coming up.

Nor do we have reason to expect heroes to do anymore than they've been doing about issues that don't really affect them at all like hetemorphobia. Not to mention the issues in HeroAca taken from real life like the transphobia that inspired Magne or...just everything about Japan that led Twice to the streets and then the League. So already, if this is the final arc, I can already see Hero Society and the next gen heroes dealing more Togas, Dabis, Spinners, Twices, Compresses, Magnes, & Nagants. Very likely forming their own teams and re-destroying society within 20 years. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Hence why I keep hoping this arc in the manga isn't the final arc. The series clearly wants Deku & his class to inspired hope; so the fact they don't really leads me to believe they need more time in the character development oven.

So like I said, this thing with the citizens at UA is technically progress. But I wouldn't call it "inspiring" or "a step in the right direction," because that direction deadened after this one step. It's all business as usual otherwise unless things change in the heroes' mindset.

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funmalibmillie · 6 months

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Can you tell that I had way too much making the first half of this pic if I made up some supportive images on Canva for it? I'll be posting the images I did that accompany my new bkdk fanfic piece "Ripple" on Archive of our own. Check out Chapter 1 of Ripple: Chapter 1: Denki Bares the News

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It’s the morning before the celebration of the New Year 2200 and this was a rare opportunity for Best Jeanist to give Katsuki some time off from hero work. Alright, Alright…gave is putting it lightly. Forced. Forced is more like it. Katsuki told Billie Jeans that he was fine. He’s just had a lot on his mind recently which made him just a tiny-smidgen-you-can’t-even-see-it-through-a-microscope upset! A lot being a green haired, green eyed freckled asswipe that has haunted his every wet dream almost every night since the end of the war in their first year. His hand has amazing stamina at this point. He just…can’t tell Deku his feelings for obvious reasons. Katsuki has been breaking his ass to reach his childhood goal of the Number 1 Hero spot. There is no time for shitty extras and sappy romances; they’ll just get in his way and he’ll never be number 1 with such distractions. Especially when one of the people in his damn way right now is Deku ranking 5th in the recent fucking hero charts with Katsuki at the 6th! THE 6TH! Stupid Nerd! Stupid Starry Freckles! Stupid Blinding Smile! Stupid Forest-laden Eyes! Stupid Chiseled Greek God Body! Stupid Voice that got deeper as they got older and now sounds like vocal chocolate that Katsuki wanted to lick into oblivion! S-Stupid EVERYTHING! Everything is out of order! First is Katsuki (ALWAYS) and then Deku (IF HE’S LUCKY!). So Katsuki Bakugo does NOT have time to take a vacation or date or do any other distracting thing when he could be doing more to up his ranks! Seriously, Universe?? Go fuck yourself.

Billie Jeans seems to disagree and thinks Katsuki’s “unwillingness” to not stay after work; his increased—albeit-already-abnormally-high-for-your-average-22-year-old—irritability toward anyone simply breathing; and his not-so-subtle-but-totally-not-a-big-deal “ExTReMe UsE oF FooORCe” as obnoxiously mentioned by the media on small-time villains will get in the way of his hero work.

Standing high on his designer Levi-branded soapbox, Denim Head went on the same rant he’s told Bakugo over a thousand times about how similar he was to the younger man as a hot-headed, childish, and arrogant new hero years ago. He paid a high price for his cockiness one day, when due to his lack of attention, a villain he apprehended broke loose, causing the death of a civilian and a still-missing child. That incident forever changed the way the fashion hero performed his duties, and he’s never stopped looking for the missing kid. He targeted the hot-headed ash blond because he didn’t want Katsuki to make a similar mistake and—blah blah blah.

Shit happens, ok?! I mean, Katsuki’s not heartless anymore, but he still knows that things don’t always come out perfect in a hero/villain situation. Jeansie didn’t go into much detail, but it wasn’t his fault, it was the villain’s. Right? Right. As for Katsuki, this was totally unrelated. So what if the younger blond hero used a howitzer impact on a petty purse thief last month? Makes the shitty villain more convinced to not do it or other crap like that again. Faster reform for the snatcher and a bigger message to the remaining extras in Japan who might want to try the same stupid crap on his watch. It’s win-win situation, right? But NNoOoOooOo. Apparently, that and yelling at reporters and making 1 or 2…or 4 dispatch workers cry within the last 5 days is means for Billie Jeans to give his explosive ash blonde sidekick of 3 years an ultimatum—take at least two weeks of earned leave or take two months of suspension from hero work. Guess which one Katsuki picked?

Sigh…so there he was. Begrudgingly at the favorite brunch restaurant of his Bakusquad (Raccoon Eyes, Soy Sauce Face, Shitty Hair, Ears, and Sparkplug), on the verge of getting kicked out since Damn Denki can’t hold his alcohol from the bottomless mimosas the table ordered. Katsuki doesn’t drink alcohol frequently and if he does, he has his reasons, but he doesn’t get shit-faced like the rest of his (don’t-tell-them-this) friends. It’s just wet carbs to him and he’s on a tight eating regime and sleep schedule. Mina is currently laughing her ass off and trying in vain to prevent the Chargedolt from getting on top of the table and singing a recent pop song VERY off-key. Soy Sauce Face and Shitty Hair are loudly yucking away about the MMA fighter line-up coming this weekend and Ears is just sitting coolly and seemingly unaffected…oh she has noise reduction buds on (good idea). And out of the corner of his eye, a poor young waitress stands off to the side, shaking her head, which Katsuki is sure he hears her say before she storms away, throwing off her apron: “They don’t pay me enough for this shit.” Tch. Same, Girl. Same.

“Guys! Guys!” loudly slurs the blonde electric hero. Luckily, it was was too early in the morning to be that crowded, but Mina’s always anticipated the rowdiness of the crew and booked a semi secluded area of the restaurant.

“Keep it down, Denks!” Demands Mina.

“Got it!” Continues Denki at the same volume. “Did you hear? Shindo is gonna propose to Midoriya tonight at the New Year’s Hero Gala!”

(Cue Record Needle Scratch) SCCCRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

“HHHHHAAAAAANNNNNHHHHH???!!!!!!!” Katsuki interjects, hiding a twinge of sadness and jealousy under his signature angry scowl. He knew of Deku and Pan-Quake dating but didn’t think they were that serious.

Mina: “Oh, yeah, you didn’t know Blasty?”

Katsuki (tries to not express his annoyance): “Tch. My guess is Pan-Quake is just trying to use Dumbass Deku for his hero ranking to boost himself up.”

“Uh…” Speaks Kirishima, “Kats, I don’t know about that. I think Shindo’s been serious from the get-go about Mido since the provisional licensing exam.”

Sero mentions brightly: Literally swooped him off his feet that day!

“Haven’t they only been dating for about 8 months?” Asks Jiro, she seems to be suddenly engaged with conversation now that the voices have returned to reasonable decibels.

Sero: Yeah, but I think they’ve been off and on for the past couple of years. They’ve known each other for while, and they work at the same agency now, right? Mirko’s?

Denki (Sighs slowly while staring into the distance, sitting his chin in the palm of his hand): Oh, yes. My lavender lover is at Mirko’s, too!

Jiro (smirking): So is Momo.

Kirishima (bringing the conversation back to the greenie): I think Yo-kun’s been chasing after Midobro since he got back from his overseas mission after we all graduated.

Mina: Naw, even before then too, Babe. Remember when all the hero schools partnered more after the war? Whenever we combined with Ketsubutsu, Yo-kun had nothing but heart eyes for Midoriya then too.

Denki (coming back to earth): Well…If my gossip is right, and it always is, Shindo is going all in. Even the Sahara Desert doesn’t compare to his thirst for the green bean.

Sero: Didn’t Izuku save him from Muscular when he went on his vigilante shit?

Denki: Holy fuck, you’re right!

Mina: No wonder he’s head over-heels!

Jiro: I mean, yeah, have you guys even seen the new magazine highlighting the top 5 heroes recently??

Oh…Um…Yeah…Katsuki definitely saw the new magazine and NO he didn’t get it because of the shitty nerd even though that was his first time buying the magazine since All Might retired. He got it for…for…analytical purposes…yeah…ANALYTICAL PURPOSES for when he outranks Deku in the next hero billboard charts in a few months. Nice to get an idea of what they’ll ask him when he hits top 5. And NO, Katsuki absolutely didn’t go home and read and reread the entire article on Deku for over 45 minutes completely ignoring the rest of the magazine. And under NOcircumstances-NONE-NADA-ZERO-did he jerk off once or twice or four to Stupid Deku’s photo spread! Katsuki was still having a hard time focusing, not just on the magazine which he may or may not take out later for more analytical purposes, but marriage? The nerd? To some extra like the human vibrator of all people? Didn’t Deku have standards? And plus, aren’t they all too young? Yeah, they’ve seen some shit with the war and everything, but for Katsuki, that only fueled him to get to his dreams faster of being the number 1 hero, not…ya-know…fall in love or anything like that. Or admit his love to Number 5 for that matter. He’s had a few flings and one-night stands to get the edge off, but he’s not longed for anything beyond that, well…it doesn’t help perhaps that he mostly imagined his partners with freckled and scarred skin, green hair and green eyes, but still.

Kirishima: Woof. Who hasn’t seen it? Our little Greenie’s come a long way, hasn’t he? Super ma—

Denki: —I’d like to make him come a long way, if you catch my—

Jiro: Puh-lease Denks, it’s 10 in the morning!!!

Denki: Okay! Okay. Either way, it’s definitely happening tonight. My sources—

Kirishima: What sourc—

Denki: Doesn’t matter. My sources say that Shindo No-Mo-Ho has had the ring since the summertime, and was actually planning on taking our Mido to Yuuga’s Restaurant and Vineyard to propose then, but ya know…hero work and all that.

Sero: Did you say Yuuga’s? As in Aoyama Yuuga?

Mina: Yes, the one who refused to tell us how or why he managed to bitch Mineta.

Jiro: In all fairness, Grape Juice was a sick bitch to begin with.

Denki: He goes by WineNDine now. Remember? Either way, Whatever magic or quirk our blond drag glitter queen pulled, had Mineta singing a new tune when we came back as second years.

Katsuki found himself tuning them out on their next wave of gossip, his thoughts going toward a man of green. As a matter of fact, when was the last time he talked with Deku? Like really talked? Was it Auntie’s and All Might wedding a year and a half ago? Shit. He really dropped the ball in keeping up with him. Izuku texts him every now and again, but Katsuki rarely responds back and if he does, it’s normally short responses. Nothing to keep the conversation going. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t heard from the nerd in a while.

Mina (reaching over the table to wave a hand in Bakugo’s face): Blasty…Yoohoo?! Are you still on earth with us?

Katsuki (shaking out of his daze): SHUT THE HELL UP!

Denki: Ah, there he is. So…how are you feeling about this Kats?

Katsuki: Fuck do you mean. Dunce Face?

Kirishima: Come on Bakubro, we all know you’ve been pining for Mido for a long LONG time now. Holding in your true feelings’ not very ma—

Katsuki: —I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Throwing up their hands together in perfect practiced choreography, Jirou, Kirishima, Sero, Mina and Denki all grunt in unison: UGH, HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Katsuki: WHAT?!

Kirishima: Seriously?! Bakubro, how long are you going to do this for?!

Sero: Well…you know what guys? Now that I think about it, it’s too late isn’t it?

Mina: To tell the truth? It’s never too late for that, even it’s just to get it off your chest. –nods at Sero then returns her attention to the irate blond—Blasty, you’ve almost died! Both of you! All of us! Multiple times! None of those moments ever showed you that maybe—just maybe—that life is too short to handle your relationship—

Denki: Or lack thereof

Mina (continues over Denki): —the way you do?

Jiro: We all know he confessed to you the night of the graduation party.

Katsuki: Wha-how do you know that, Ears?!

Kirishima glared at Katsuki—a rare sighting on his normally happy-go-lucky friend: Bro, because he asked us for advice on how to approach you about it.

Oh no. The nerd got the squad involved? Shit.

Sero (voice downcast): Yeah, Kats, he wanted to see if we might know how you’d respond.

Denki: We all told him yes, that you…

Katsuki: —that I what?

Mina: that you liked—maybe even loved—him beyond the platonic sense.

Jiro: Yeah, Bakugo, the signs were all there. By our 3rd year—hell even before then—you shifted when it came to Midoriya. You may have spewed the regular insult, but it didn’t have as much bite as it did as in our first year.

Kirishima: When you two sparred or went out on your internships or just hung out with everyone during game night, you were a Wonder Duo. Like you two worked so perfectly in sync as if you were made for each other—on and off the field. It was incredible to see that, it was super ma—

Sero: —Plus, it was the way you looked at him sometimes Kats. Don’t think we never noticed. By the time we graduated, you would get more and more “angry”—sero puts up air quotation marks—by the tiniest stuff Midoriya would do. You paid attention to him more; you’re damn eyes were pretty glued to him.

Denki: You even smiled more! God, the first time that happened, I thought you were demon possessed! I was half tempted to asked you for your TIC (Toga Identity Code)!

Mina: So, imagine our surprise on graduation night, when you came back down from the roof top alone huffing and puffing with poor Midoriya nowhere in sight? We only learned later that he locked himself in his room for two days only to suddenly pop out afterward and tell everyone he’d taken a job overseas for a year.

Of course Katsuki remembers that night. Too fucking well actually. While he has many regrets he refuses to voice—other than his apology for how he treated Izuku when he was younger—the one he made that night…made the top spot.

----

CUE FLASHBACK START: MAY 11, 2196

On graduation night, bathed in the twilight's bittersweet purples and pinks, Izuku mustered his courage. Sweat coated his palms, and his heartbeat reverberated in his ears like a dolorous chant. The time had come.

Katsuki always paid close attention to details. It was in those details he found his next move. Always a man of action. Every knoll and cranny of the UA whispered tales of his own journey of a hero in training. For three years, they had been together — him, his friends, and his insecurities, and most interestingly…Izuku. The feelings that blossomed for the greenie over time were just as vibrant as the man itself. Tonight as he followed Izuku to the UA rooftop, the echoes of his past were overpowered by the pulsating rhythm of his heart.

The door to the rooftop creaked under their history, blending with the laughter of nervous anticipation.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Izuku asked, gesturing to the vast cityscape bathed in the moon's tender glow. The neon lights flickered on and off like fireflies.

Katsuki nodded hesitatingly, attempting to purge the sinking feeling from his heart and replace it with the grandeur of the scene. Everything to Katsuki was Izuku. The latter had been a constant. The anchor in his raging storm, keeping Katsuki together and grounding him though he didn’t admit it. But there was a strange energy in the air tonight, a sense that something irrevocable was on the brink.

"I've, uh, I've wanted to tell you something for a while now, Kacchan," Izuku began, drawing Katsuki's attention away from captivating view of the city they’ve saved countless times as a Wonder Duo to the more mesmerizing view of the man beside him. This wasn't the same scrawny, quirkless boy who Katsuki betrayed and used as a punching bag. This Deku was different. This was Izuku.

At first glance, he would pass as the person the blond used to know. Same green eyes that sparkled with peridots and emeralds, but these held an added depth to them, hardened like a diamond under pressure. His hair was still viridian evergreen but ran wild like tiger stripes, earning him an air of rugged charm. His well-worn ridiculous ‘T-Shirt’ t-shirt hugged his bulkier frame, revealing the physical testament to a sudden life of heroics as the ninth and final wielder of One for All. Katsuki examined Izuku, his heart squirmed in its cage, caught off guard by an overwhelming rush of emotions. God…could the nerd have looked more glorious?

His voice trembled slightly, “Kacchan, I…uhm…”

Katsuki’s never been a man of words. Neither was he a patient one and his nervousness definitely didn’t help lighten the mood, but he barked with no bite: “Spit it out, nerd. Haven’t we gotten past you being nervous and shit around me?”

Izuku: Well, it’s…this…is not that easy.

Katsuki: Come out with it, dumbass, I ain’t getting any younger!

Izuku: I love you! Or rather I like you a lot. But like…like like. Is that too much? I just—”

Izuku rambled on but the world spun around Katsuki, and he didn’t hear a damn thing. A strange feeling, a cocktail of excitement, relief, and dread, settled in his gut. The confession mirrored the blonde’s feelings and stirred a gale in his heart yet; he utterly feared the repercussions. He wanted Izuku. Gods, he wanted him. Strip him bare, bend Deku over and ram into his ass right then and there with all the stars and holy hosts watching above them, but Katsuki couldn’t. The blond didn’t want to address those types of feelings. Not right now. After dying at the war and learning of the sacrifices made to keep him alive, he became even more determined to pursue his dream of the Number 1 Hero spot. He didn’t want to make time for…this…but in the future, yes. Oh gods yes, Izuku please. And if he was honest, he felt Deku deserved better. Preferably someone who didn’t come up with the name “Deku.” Someone who didn’t hurt him. Someone equally loyal and bright and blinding. Izuku’s freckled Adonis body only knew Katsuki’s hands as an abuser, a bully, a rival, and the blond didn’t know if his hands could be anything else for Izuku beyond that. Coming back from his thoughts and catching the nerd in a mutter, his heart ached at his decision.

Izuku: “I-I have been in love with you for—uhm—for…geez…ever? I just didn’t want for both of us to graduate today and not tell you how I fe—

Katsuki couldn't meet his gaze, feeling himself a traitor: I don’t love you.

Silence followed his declaration — pure and unwavering, casting a hallowed spell over them.

Izuku, the bright ray of sunshine that he his…Izuku’s smile didn't falter, but in his eyes were trees of the deepest rainforest rocked and bent relentlessly back and forth from a hurricane of hurt. Katsuki wanted to take the words back then and there. The blond cared for him, loved him with a passion as explosive as his quirk, but his own insecurities and fears of commitment clouded his senses. He was too afraid to accept that he could be enough for Izuku, that he could, in fact, love him, worship him the way Deku deserved.

Izuku: I….oh. Oh. I…

Katsuki eyes brimmed with an uncanny mixture of regret and guilt. He tried to hide his hitching breath, and he felt the world beneath them give away.

Katsuki: Sor-, I-, Deku, Y-you need get over me. Get over this. I-I’m s…I just. I’m not in love with you like that.

Izuku (stutter completely gone): I understand. Thanks for being straightforward, Kacchan.

Katsuki: Tch. W-whatever nerd. We won’t speak of this again. This will stay between us, y-yeah? Just—let’s just get back downstairs.

Izuku: I’ll head down in a minute. –wipes at a tear falling down his cheek— Enjoy the party.

Leaving Izuku on the rooftop, Katsuki returns to the commotion below. Despite the masses moving with Jiro’s music, he can feel eyes on him as he made his way to kitchen.

Kirishima looks nervously at Sero, Mina, and Denki before speaking: “Bakubro, y-you um-“

“What Shitty Hair?” huffs the blond, irritated by the existence of people in general at the moment, saddling roughly at the kitchen island bar.

“Nothing Blasty, here’s a drink!” Interrupts Mina, giving Kiri a woeful smile and a slight shake of the head. “Congrats on uh…getting an offer at Best Jeanist’s Agency.”

“Tch. Of fucking course. What would Billie Jeans do without me?” He spits, his eyes never making contact with theirs’s.

Denki shakes his head and offers a wince that passes as a tired smile. He sighs. “Yeah. Yeah Kat. Congrats.”

The night weighed on Katsuki like no other. When the nerd returned from the US, he became an even greater force to be reckoned with: more confident in his sense of self, more fluid in his quirk, more socially adept, more devastatingly beautiful, and Katsuki just didn’t know what to feel. His feelings never changed for Deku; they only deepened. As they deepened, Katsuki grew more distant.

FLASH BACK END.

Katsuki can barely form a coherent thought. He needed some time to himself. The nerd wasn’t seriously tying the knot right now was he? They’re in their 20’s for Kami sake, should they be really thinking about heavy crap like marriage when they have the rest of their lives to go for that sappy shit? And why fucking Pan-Quake? Katsuki abruptly rises from his seat, grabs his wallet and puts cash on the table for his portion of the meal. He’ll get to the bottom of this.

Katsuki: Just leave it alone, guys. As long as the nerd is…happy.

Kirishima: Kat. We were just—

Katsuki makes a predatorial glare at the squad before pacing out: Leave. It. Alone.

Denki (woefully too inebriated to care about the death glare): Wait, where are you headed out to, Kats?

Katsuki (already walking away shouts over his shoulder): Picking up some shit for the old hag! Now, fuck off!

As the blond makes his way out toward his car, he whips out his phone to do something he realizes he hasn’t done in a while: initiate contact with Izuku. Upon closer inspection of the text message dates when he presses send, he comes to a startling discovery:

“Holy shit. How did I forget the nerd’s birthday?”

#bakudeku #bkdk #bnha bkdk #dekubaku #kacchan #decchan #mha bkdk #archive of our own

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