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fae-v1606 · 3 months ago

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Dabi and Nerve Damage

This (rather lengthy) post has been a long time coming as I've found the whole debate on whether or not Dabi could feel pain because of his nerve damage interesting from a medical standpoint. I was made even more curious when it was revealed in his backstory he has damage to somatic nervous system, and then even moreso when he begins talking about not being able to feel parts of his body anymore (his arm, in particular, which was showing the most damage at the time and ends up being the arm he loses during the final battle). Furthermore, i was even more interested in his potential nerve damage when I had a injury to a nerve in my arm myself recent and had to look into it a lot deeper for myself, and strangely enough I've been thinking about Dabi since then.

I thought it would be fun to type up some of this just for meta purposes as well as fanfic reference, since a lot of fanfics seem to brush over Dabi's nervous system issues or just boil it down to "he can't feel things" when actually it's much more complex and interesting than that.

Let's start with the nerve damage; Touya likely had severe nerve damage from burning at the peak, which likely caused long term or permanent damage to his nerve endings as well as the issues with his somatic nervous system mentioned at the facility. Burns, especially of that severity, will cause nerve damage, but third degree and forth degree burns especially often cause permanent damage and can destroy the nerve endings. Nerves and nerve endings can regenerate and regrow sometimes depending on the severity of the damage, how quickly the injury was treated, and the rest and recovery process. Giving Afo's facility the benefit of the doubt and assuming he was properly treated medically for his burns after being (literally kidnapped) taken there, it was possible Touya's nerves may have been able to grow back or regenerate. However, since he immediately started training with his quirk and burning himself again as soon as he woke up, to the degree he's covered in third degree burns and scarring by the time he joins the League, it's safe to assume he didnt/was unable to take proper care of his wounds and likely destroyed all the nerve endings at least in those parts of his body.

Now, what's that like? To put it simply; really, really horrible. Like, i don't think y'all realize how bad of a condition this would be to live with. Nerve damage causes an array of physical issues and challenges; including numbness, muscle weakness (especially in the limbs, which can cause issues with walking, coordination, reflexes, and lifting things. Technically speaking, he'd be qn active fall risk and suffer from a lot of chronic pain and muscle deterioration), frequent shooting or burning pain, inability to feel touch on affected areas. Also wanna point out, he'd be able to feel pain. Technically, he'd have neuropathic pain from the damaged nerves sending pain signals to the brain until they die off. That likely means the parts of his body he claimed he couldn't feel any longer had already been so damaged the nerves died off and stopped sending signals to his brain.

Now let's go into the somatic nervous system; according to what All For One said to Touya when he woke up from the coma, his somatic nervous system had been damaged in the fire. Now, your somatic nervous system controls your muscles and sends information to your brain so you can basically control the movement of your body. It also processes your senses and sends that info to your brain as well.

So, what's that mean? It's a very important part of the body and the nervous system as a whole, without it functioning correctly it can cause uncontrollable tremors, cramping, and twitching, muscle weakness, as well as muscle shrinking/deterioration (sorry guys, more evidence Touya could never be buff and muscular and lift up your blorbo. He's destined to be a twink or squishy forever <33), loss of bodily control, loss of touch sensations, difficulties with balance and fine motor skills, neuropathic pain, and even paralysis. Very much like nerve damage, since nerve damage usually effects the somatic nervous system.

So the TL;DR is basically; if we're looking at stuff from a realistic standpoint (and not accounting for random quirk/futuristic medical crap stuff) Dabi had damage to somatic nervous system as well as severe damage or possibly destroyed his nerve endings due to his burns, likely from the time he was a teenager. This probably worsened over time, and by the time he was an adult the damage would be unlikely to reverse itself, he wouldn't be able to regenerate/regrow his damaged nerves by then either because of the repeated physical trauma. He would most certainly be considered physically disabled on this standpoint alone. He would have a lot of issues walking and moving around in general and with his coordination and fine motor skills. He would likely also have chronic pain (mostly neuropathic pain), muscle wasting and weakness, and tremors/spasms/twitches due to nervous system damage.

Poor guy.

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fae-v1606 · 9 months ago

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Theory: Dabi is literally Frankenstein’s Monster, both in his appearance and origin story

/www . reddit . com/r/BokuNoHeroAcademia/comments/coy27z/theory_dabi_is_literally_frankensteins_monster/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

I previously discussed my thoughts on Dabi’s character, IF he indeed is Touya Todoroki (this has NOT been confirmed!), being based on Frankenstein’s Monster a few months back on a post by _Hireath_. I’d thought that I’d post it again here and further expand the discussion and see what other people think of the comparisons.

I believe that not only does Horikoshi draw inspiration for Dabi’s appearance from pop cultural depictions of The Monster but his origin story also parallels the themes of the novel.

Endeavor/Enji Todoroki = Victor Frankenstein

Dabi/Touya Todoroki = The creature (Frankenstein’s monster)

APPEARANCE

The Monster’s appearance varies in popular culture, but he is often portrayed as having a body that appears to be stitched together and seen wearing dark, tattered clothes with heavy boots. When we’re first introduced to Dabi, his clothes are tattered. His clothes later change with the addition of boots and metal-like arm bracers, which could be homage to the bolts in the Monster’s neck

And as u/_Hireath_ pointed out, in Chapter 191 we see Dabi do a pose that is pretty much the exact same as Boris Karloff’s portrayal of the Monster, who played him in the 1930s Universal Picture films.

Dabi’s pose versus Boris Karloff’s pose

NOVEL THEMES

First let’s look at the name of the novel in question, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

For those who don’t know, Prometheus is the Titan/Culture Hero who created humans from clay and gave them fire. Right off the bat, we see the parallels between the Flame Hero Endeavor and Victor Frankenstein/Prometheus.

The BritLit blog has good analyses on some of the themes in Frankenstein, some examples are:

Sins of the father

Loss of innocence

Dichotomy of fire

Responsibility and culpability

Society and isolation

Revenge

1. SINS OF THE FATHER

Vitanza, D. (2018 September 5). Sins of the Father [blog post]. BritLit: Frankenstein. . Retrieved from blogs . baylor . edu/britlit/2018/09/05/sins-of-the-father/

Victor’s lifelong pursuit to create his creature filled him with purpose and drove a series of feverish attempts to fulfill his dream. There is never mention of why he has chosen to do this other than for self-serving reasons.

We see Endeavor’s ambition and fallibility in “creating” his children.

Endeavor (speaking to All Might): “I’ll mold him (Shoto) into a Hero who surpasses you. That’s the only reason I created that kid.” (Ch 31)

Shoto (speaking to Midoriya): “My dad… he’s a powerful bastard who only thinks of becoming stronger. Yeah, he’s gone all out to make a name for himself as a Hero but he’s always seen that living legend, All Might, as a roadblock and an eyesore. My father could never beat All Might on his own. So he came up with another plan… Raising me as a Hero who could exceed All Might, just to fulfill his own ambitions.” (Ch 31)

Once the fruits of his labor are realized, he immediately becomes the prototypical absent father. The ultimate sin of the father is irresponsibility and selfishness.

Endeavor was an absent father to Touya, Fuyumi, and Natsuo because they were seen as “failures”. The three older children were raised separately from Shoto.

Endeavor (talking about Touya & Natsuo): “Don’t look at them, Shoto. Your brothers… they belong to a different world than you.” (Ch 39)

Natsuo (talking about Endeavor): “I don’t remember him well. At this point, he basically feels like a complete stranger.” (Ch 187)

Natsuo (talking to Endeavor):“‘Say it’…? That’s rich, coming from the guy who wouldn’t even look me in the eye for all these years. You’ve got some nerve, you know that? It’s funny, I had no idea soba was Shoto’s favourite food until today. You took special care to never let us, your “failures” into his life after all. You completely neglected us, and left us to listen to mom screaming and Shoto crying.” (Ch 192)

Possible Predictions?

The creature’s construction is not the genesis of his evil, it is Victor’s failure to fulfill his duty as a father.

Victor only dabbles in acknowledgement of his fatal flaw. It isn’t until he is near-death that he finally acknowledges that he is ultimately responsible for all the death that resulted in his creation.

Will Endeavor end up the same way as Victor Frankenstein? Acknowledging when he’s on his deathbed that Dabi/Touya is the way that he is because he failed as a father and that he is ultimately responsible for his actions?

2. LOSS OF INNOCENCE

Castillo, B. (2018 September 5). “I Ought to be Thy Adam”: The Theme of Lost Innocence in Frankenstein’s “Monster” [blog post]. BritLit: Frankenstein. Retrieved from blogs . baylor . edu/britlit/2018/09/05/i-ought-to-be-thy-adam-the-theme-of-lost-innocence-in-frankensteins-monster/

When I think of innocence, the first group of people that come to mind are children. Children come into this world knowing nothing, and the way they view the world is heavily influenced by their early experiences, their education, and the culture they live in.

We see this loss of innocence in the Todoroki children due to Endeavor’s intense training and abuse of their mother.

In a flashback in Chapter 39, we see Endeavor training a young Shoto to the point that he’s in tears and vomiting on the floor with Rei trying to intervene:

Endeavor (to Shoto): “Get up. You won’t even be able to defeat third-rate villains, let alone All Might, if you get knocked down by a hit like that…

Rei (to Endeavor): "Stop it, please! He’s only five years old…”

Endeavor (to Rei): “Yes, he’s already five! So get out of my way!” (slaps Rei)

The creature’s moral decline parallels that of Adam and Eve’s eating from the fruit of the tree. As he gained knowledge about humanity, there was no turning back. While I find the creature’s decisions to be questionable, I feel they bring a few questions to mind: If the creature had been given the same opportunity to develop the way a healthy child would, how might the story be different? Although we would deem the creature’s actions as monstrous in nature, can we hold this “monster” completely accountable for his actions?

When Giran introduces Dabi to the League of Villains, he “has no outstanding criminal record to speak of”. He wanted to join the League because he wanted to make the Hero Killer Stain’s will a reality. After he joins he begins committing murder - there’s no turning back. But if he was given the same opportunity, say as Shoto, would his story be different?

3. DICHOTOMY OF FIRE

Strong, T. (2016 September 26). Lightning and Fire [blog post]. BritLit: Frankenstein. blogs . baylor . edu/britlit/2016/09/26/lightning-and-fire/

The monster and Victor both have first memories in the natural world that shape them quite profoundly – Victor has his lightning storm, with the complete destruction of a tree, and the monster has his fire, which warms him while it destroys and burns.

The monster’s fire is a different matter, though it affects him similarly. He came upon his first fire during his wandering days, when he was discovering his senses and vulnerabilities. He came upon a fire “which had been left” by humans (Vol. II, Ch. III), so a human tool left in nature. He was “overcome with delight” and joy, but touching it brought him pain. “How strange, [he thinks], that the same cause could produce such opposite effects!” He has learned the dichotomy of flame – to save and to hurt.

Endeavor’s flames save (he is a Pro Hero, after all) whereas Dabi’s flames hurt, both himself and others.

Dabi (talking to a group of unnamed villains): “Don’t need… types like you… begone. I guess trash like you is… good fuel for my fire.” (Ch 115)

Higawara (to Dabi): “All those burnt corpses that’ve turning up here and there lately…” (Ch 160)

Dabi (referring to Higawara): “Looks like only his top half can turn to sand. He’s probably dead.” (Ch 160)

Geten (to Dabi): “You’re the one who’ll be dying here, wielder of blue flames. Your body has been reeking of burnt flesh for a while now.” (Ch 230)

Geten (to Dabi): “Judging by that peeling, burnt skin or yours… you can’t fight for very long, can you? Your body can’t stand your own flames.” (Ch 230)

4. RESPONSIBILITY AND CULPABILITY

Rima, L. (2018 September 5). On the topic of responsibility and culpability [blog post]. BritLit: Frankenstein. blogs . baylor . edu/britlit/2018/09/05/on-the-topic-of-responsibility-and-culpability/

The topic of responsibility can be a difficult one to explore, because “responsibility” may heavily affect the view of one’s culpability for his or her actions – despite responsibility, one may be condemned or condoned. How deeply, therefore, must we take into account context and history when determining a sense of “blame” for these characters? Does an abusive childhood at all excuse, or at least contextualize, a serial killer’s actions? Does it lessen the blow of the gavel, and by extension, the punishment? If so – just how harshly should a reader judge the monster and his violent actions, and Victor Frankenstein for creating him?

Looking at their relationship in a family perspective, Victor holds as much responsibility for his creation as a parent does his child. This creature is a blank slate, confused and ignorant just as a newborn, and Victor plays the stereotypical role of absent father immediately by running away, “unable to endure the aspect of the being [he] created, [rushing] out of the room” (84). This instantaneous rejection is certainly not lost on the creature, who will be experiencing this rejection for the rest of his life. It is, after all, what spurns the creature into exacting revenge upon Victor. In this way, Victor is directly responsible for the creation of the monster – of course – as well as the monster’s desire for violence towards the Frankenstein family and friends. Responsibility for this creature, however, is not culpability for this creature’s actions. Frankenstein’s monster has the gift of free will, which means that ultimately, his actions are his own and therefore he himself is responsible for them. This son’s sins cannot be solely blamed on the father! Those in connection to Victor, after all, are not the only ones who receive the monster’s wrath.

Endeavor is responsible for creating Dabi/Touya but is he culpable for his crimes? How harshly should the audience judge Dabi for his actions? How harshly should we judge Endeavor?

5. HOW MIGHT DABI’S STORY END?

So, if Dabi/Touya is based on Frankenstein’s Monster, how might his story end?

Well, in the novel, after Frankenstein dies, the Creature jumps off the boat in the arctic to go kill himself and is never seen again. Hopefully that doesn’t happen. A more interesting take is a potential, what could have been, redemption.

(Captain Robert) Walton’s Responsibility to Frankenstein’s Monster

Adams, D. (2016 September 26). Walton’s Responsibility to Frankenstein’s Monster [blog post]. BritLit: Frankenstein. blogs . baylor . edu/britlit/2016/09/26/waltons-responsibility-to-the-monster/

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s critique of the criminal justice system’s consistency, her critique of retributive justice, and the death of Victor leave Walton with the responsibility to deliver justice to the monster. He is responsible for counseling the monster and restoring him to human society.

However, Walton is not responsible for killing or exiling the monster. The retributive system of punishment (matching punishment to crime) only results in more death and pointless suffering. Shelley emphasizes this through the monster’s murder of William, Elizabeth and Henry as he tries to retributively serve justice to Victor. Yet the monster reveals at Victor’s death that retribution is not satisfactory. The monster ends up wanting forgiveness*; “what does it avail that I know ask thee to pardon me? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee by destroying all thou lovedst” (217).* Retributive justice only destroys everyone involved; there is neither healing nor consolation. It only leads to more destruction and is therefore not just.

Walton instead has the responsibility to help the monster process his existence so he can best live for himself and for human society. The monster believes that his creator Victor is responsible for preparing him for a virtuous and happy life: “‘Remember, I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam…I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy and I shall again be virtuous” (118-119, 119). Victor did not befriend him nor guide him so the monster never learned how to live virtuously. It is fair to the monster that he be helped in this way and Walton is the last one who can help him.

So, if Dabi/Touya does eventually get a redemption, who will take up the role of Captain Walton? Shouto? All Might? Hawks? Another Pro Hero? Another family member perhaps, such as Fuyumi or Natsuo?

It’s interesting to note that Natsuo’s major in college is medical welfare,

which deals with sociology and mental health, among other things. Those who major in it can become counselors, social workers, and psychiatric social workers.

From Suzuka University of Medical Science, Department of Medical Welfare, Clinical Welfare Course page: “In this course students… acquire the skills of counselling for clients and their families and combine them with other medical services and health and welfare specialists.”

However, this redemption would require detention. First, it would provide the opportunity for Walton to peacefully restore his feelings, for the monster lost some ability to empathize after killing Elizabeth: “then I was not miserable. I had cast off all feeling, subdued all anguish to riot in the excess of my despair” (218). Regardless if he lost all feeling or not, he would need guidance to learn how to feel sympathy, respect, and love. Second, it would help appease his fellow humans as they could see him “pay his debt to society,” helping them process his existence as well, though preferably in a monastery or small town where people could interact with him but stay away from large groups of people.

It would be a bittersweet ending if Dabi/Touya ended up being institutionalized, just like his mother.

or dabi could commit suicide after endeavors death like the frankensteins monster for I think shigaraki who touya is paralleled with is going to die of course I think a big difference between Dabi (if he is Touya) and Shigaraki is that he still has a family to help him heal.

this theory adds to the dabi is a zombie theory given that frankensteins monster was created from corpses fuzzypastaangelfreak . tumblr . com/post/186925080336/bnha-theory-for-all-intensive-purposes-dabi-is-a/embed

@hamliet

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