#BNHA 397

[itsnothingofinterest]

Horikoshi coming out of a break to deliver a chapter that's around 75% All Might beating up AFO and then immediately going back on break is self-care.

[fever-dreamer97]

Bro, chapter 397 was only about eight pages.

All I thought was: Is Horikoshi okay? Is his staff okay? Because bless their hearts, if they need take a longer break to rest, I hope they do.

It feels like the chapter was put out just to please the fans and give us something after a week break, and I don’t want them to feel that pressure of getting something out and destroying their health.

Mangaka will always get my respect because that is just a grueling and high-pressured job.

[sobasluuurp]

you know, aside from the fact that I fully believe that All Might living would be 100% more interesting and is backed with past foreshadowing and theming, there's another factor that points to that outcome.

The only other time Nighteye's prediction has been wrong was back at the Overhaul battle, in which Deku used Eri's quirk to prevent himself from sustaining injury. At the time, fans speculated that the true reason that Nighteye's prediction didn't come true was because her quirk messes with the natural flow of time, thus negating Nighteye's ability to accurately view what was in store -- in other words, her quirk's ability to literally undo what would've happened in any other situation distorted the vision that Nighteye saw because, well, she undid it before it could happen. And you know what quirk is yet again in play now that All Might is in his would-be final battle? It's Eri's (reverse-engineered) quirk again.

Perhaps if AFO wasn't rewinding indefinitely -- if he was at his full power and maturity -- he would've been able to easily kill All Might here. But instead Rewind is coursing through his veins, and whatever might've happened without it is doomed to never be. He's missing quirks he gained later in life, he's impulsive and desperate, and All Might is just as determined as ever. He's got this, and he'll live.

[mettywiththenotes]

No thoughts head empty Tomura and All Might making fun of AFO

[gentrychild]

vigilante 15 year olf all might real

My beautiful baby.

[dynamightmite]

God on the one hand this image of young Toshinari is so good

All Might was never just a quirk. The greatest hero in the world was always standing in the shadow of his childhood self, gripping heroism like a metal pipe and swinging. He never lost that innate drive to help. And that's why he's on the battlefield again, decades later, beat down and powerless. Because there's no where else he could be. Because he is a hero.

On the other hand, this whole chapter feels like a mourning song for the story we might have had about Quirkless Hero Deku. So I'm a little sad.

[sammy-the-dead-dumpster]

All Might was prepared for this

[greenhappyseed]

Toshinori is using his shattered left arm to point at AFO, when in Kamino he raised that same left arm in victory and used it to point at the camera and say, “now it’s your turn.” Toshinori is using every piece of wit and physicality at his disposal to infuriate AFO.

[maythebaebewithyou]

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 397 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 まったく気が滅入るぜ‼︎ まったくきがめいるぜ‼︎ mattaku ki ga meiru ze!! ”How absolutely depressing!!"

2 50も半ばを超えて 50もなかばをこえて 50 mo nakaba wo koete "I'm more than halfway through 50,"

tagline 1 躍動‼︎アーマードオールマイト‼︎ やくどう‼︎アーマードオールマイト‼︎ yakudou!! AAMAADO OORU MAITO!! Vibrant!! Armored All Might!!

3 幼気な青年をなぶるってのぁ‼︎ いたいけなせいねんをなぶるってのぁ‼︎ itaike na seinen wo naburu tte noa!! "and I'm tormenting a helpless young man!!"

tagline 2 No.397　ゴミ拾い　　堀越耕平 ナンバー397 ゴミひろい　　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 397 GOMI hiroi   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 397 Picking up trash  Kouhei Horikoshi

4 貴様はOFAを手に入れる為"激しい怒り"を宿した きさまはオール・フォー・ワンをてにいれるため"はげしいいかり"をやどした kisama wa OORU FOO WAN wo te ni ireru tame "hageshii ikari" wo yadoshita For the sake of getting your hands on One For All, you [chose to] harbor a fierce rage.

5 そこに付け入る そこにつけいる soko ni tsukeiru I'm taking advantage of that.

6 それのみがこの戦いを唯一成立させる！ それのみがこのたたかいをゆいいつせいりつさせる！ sore nomi ga kono tatakai wo yuiitsu seiritsu saseru! That alone is what makes this battle work!

1 私と貴様の縁!!! わたしときさまのえにし!!! watashi to kisama no enishi!!! That connection between you and me!!!

2 魔王が聞いて呆れるぜ！ まおうがきいてあきれるぜ！ maou ga kiite akireru ze! "The Demon King will be shocked to hear!"

3 "無個性"でも戦れる程度とは‼︎ "むこせい"でもやれるていどとは‼︎ "mukosei" demo yareru teido to wa!! "The degree to which one can fight even when quirkless!!"

4-5 私から目が離せないくらい夢中にさせてやるよ‼︎ わたしからめがはなせないくらいむちゅうにさせてやるよ‼︎ watashi kara me ga hanasenai kurai muchuu ni sasete yaru yo!! I'll make you obsessed until you can't take your eyes off me!!

6 「発条化」＋「膂力増強」＋「押し出し」＋「鋲突」　「ダークボール」＋「光塵」 「バネか」＋「りょりょくぞうきょう」＋「おしだし」＋「びょうとつ」　「ダークボール」＋「こうじん」 「BANE ka」＋「ryoryoku zoukyou」＋「oshidashi」＋「byoutotsu」　「DAAKU BOORU」＋「koujin」 Springlike Limbs + Strength Enhancer + Air Cannon + Rivet Stab + Dark Ball + Light Dust

1 ボゴオ BOGOO Sound effect: BASH

1 …雑に組んだな…！ …ざつにくんだな…！ ...zatsu ni kunda na...! "...So sloppily combined...!"

2 ユーティリティマントオートガード"黒影" ユーティリティマントオートガード"ダークシャドウ" YUUTIRITI MANTO OOTO GAADO "DAAKU SHADOU" Utility Cloak Auto-Guard "Dark Shadow"

3 煽りが効いてる証拠 あおりがきいてるしょうこ aori ga kiiteru shouko It's proof my provocations are effective.

4 喋れ喋れ煽り続けろ俊典‼︎ しゃべれしゃべれあおりつづけろとしのり‼︎ shabere shabere aori tsudzukero Toshinori!! Keep on talking and fanning the flames, Toshinori!!

5 マント損壊 マントそんかい MANTO sonkai "Mantle damage:"

6 左上腕骨・鎖骨粉砕 ひだりじょうわんこつ・さこつふんさい hidarijou wankotsu ・ sakotsu funsai "Upper-left arm, clavicle smashed."

7 動作補助MAX‼︎ どうさほじょマックス‼︎ dousa hojo MAKKUSU!! "Operation assistance to max!!"

8 "戦えている"？何を勘違いしている…？ "たたかえている"？なにをかんちがいしている…？ "tatakaete iru"? nani wo kanchigai shite iru...? "'We're fighting'? What are you misunderstanding...?"

1 出涸らしのゴミクズが でがらしのゴミクズが degarashi no GOMIKUZU ga "You're washed-out garbage."

2 ゴミ袋を被ったら気が大きくなったか？ ゴミぶくろをかぶったらきがおおきくなったか？ GOMI bukuro wo kabuttara ki ga ookiku natta ka? "When you put on that garbage bag, did it make you feel uninhibited?"

3 あ？ a? "Huh?"

4 壊れて失うだけだ こわれてうしなうだけだ kowarete ushinau dake da "It'll only break apart and you'll lose it."

5 道具は それは sore (kanji: dougu) wa "That (read as: tool)"

6 限界を超えない げんかいをこえない genkai wo koenai "will not surpass its limits."

7 くれぐれも頼り過ぎることのないようにな くれぐれもたよりすぎることのないようにな kuregure mo tayori sugiru koto no nai you ni na Please don't rely on it too much.

8 アイテムを失ったら力が発揮できない アイテムをうしなったらちからがはっきできない AITEMU wo ushinattara chikara ga hakki dekinai If you lose your item, you won't be able to demonstrate your power.

9 そんなヒーローを私は多く見てきた そんなヒーローをわたしはおおくみてきた sonna HIIROO wo watashi wa ooku mite kita I've seen many heroes like that.

10 気が合うね親友… きがあうねしんゆう… ki ga au ne shinyuu... "We do get along, huh, my close friend..."

1 なんだ？少年 なんだ？しょうねん nanda? shounen What? Young man,

2 その棒切れ一本で勝つつもりだったのか？ そのぼうきれいっぽんでかつつもりだったのか？ sono boukire ippon de katsu tsumori datta no ka? were you planning to win with that one stick?

1 君の時間稼ぎに釣られたんじゃない きみのじかんかせぎにつられたんじゃない kimi no jikan kasegi ni tsuraretanja nai "I wasn't lured by you to buy time."

2 ゴミ拾いできる程ゆとりがあるんだよ僕には!!! ゴミひろいできるほどゆとりがあるんだよぼくには!!! GOMI hiroi dekiru hodo yutori ga arunda yo boku ni wa!!! "I have the leeway to be able to take out the trash!!!"

3 取り繕ってんじゃないよみっともない‼︎ とりつくろってんじゃないよみっともない‼︎ toritsukurottenja nai yo mittomonai!! "You're not keeping up appearances, you're [just] unseemly!!"

tagline 咆哮‼︎ ほうこう‼︎ houkou!! A roar!!

[tinyshinysylveon]

so basically, this whole chapter was mostly about AM and AFO rap battling trash talking to each other as they fight against each other 👀

[itsnothingofinterest]

Lol. Lmao even.

Sounds like someone hasn’t heard that all his remotely threatening allies he brought into this fight, all 3 of them, are either down or have (perhaps predictably) broken free of his control and effectively gone rogue, seemingly torpedoing his entire win-condition in the process.

Similar story for all his non-threatening game peices while we’re at it.

It's pretty much already over. All AFO has left on his own side is himself at this point, and I think All Might summarized his solo act best.

[saltytearsofjoy]

horikoshi should take a several month break completely unannounced. some of you need to chill with the media consumption

[littleholmes]

“Gotta be sure not to rely on them too much. In my time, I’ve seen too many heroes who can’t wield their power after losing their items.”

Nana taught him well!

[is-bakugou-alive-yet]

Is Bakugou alive yet?

08/19/2023

No

[bkdk-art]

I mean. I see all the hints of All Might potentionally dying now (e.g. having his back turned on the 9th anniversary art) but tbh it makes no sense to me. Because why give us the storyline of Izuku changing the future Nighteye saw regarding Eri if not to imply that the death he foresaw for All Might would be ultimatly changed too?

So yeah, it does seem like All Might might die in battle against AFO but that would be so... whack!