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petri808 · 3 years

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Bakudeku AU/canon divergent. Vampire quirk

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As Bakugou stood on the train platform with just a duffle bag and a borrowed sleeping bag, he crushed the letter he was given by Aizawa in his hand and shoved it into his pocket. His instructions were to go to police headquarters to be briefed and paired up with the heroes in the search party. ‘Fuck that,’ he gritted his teeth and lowered his head to passersby. There was no way he was going to be railroaded or shackled by their rules. He didn’t care what the consequences might be for not following protocol. Not this time. Not when his friend was somewhere out there and needed….

What?

It was a question he’d been asking himself since it all happened. Midoriya better have a damn good reason for deserting him, that was for sure. But why he was so angry about it all was still unclear to the blonde. Was it a feeling of betrayal? Was he angry that his best friend just left him unconscious? Or was it something else? All he knew for certain, was he could barely get any sleep. Nightmares of the event plagued his dreams, and he swore at himself for not knowing fact from fiction. Maybe it was the guilt eating away, of being knocked out when his friend had needed him most. If he’d been awake, could he have prevented— whatever it is that caused Midoriya to leave?

Bakugou closed his eyes the moment he took a seat in the semi-filled train car as flash backs of a bright light and images of green lightning streaking away haunted his vision. A scream so blood curdling pinged in his ears… Those screams were worse than the visions. If Midoriya had been injured, why would he leave? It made no sense. There had to be another reason.

Yeah, fuck the authorities! They’d had a month with no leads and Bakugou had grown impatient in waiting for results. One of the final straws that pushed him into action was the day Izuku’s mom came to the school to talk to All Might. He’d seen the pain in the woman’s face, and it broke him. ‘Tch!’ The boys didn’t always get along, but… ‘aunty Inko deserved answers…’ He wanted some fucking answers! ‘There’s no way that stupid nerd would do anything to break his mother’s heart!’ Frankly, a part of him agreed with her, when she’d beat on All Might’s chest in anger that it was warranted. True, the man had made her sons dreams come true, but at what cost? Even a pro’s mother struggles with the loss of a child regardless of if it were for a good reason.

So, as he stood in front of the woman’s door, his hand stayed for a moment, hovering above the wood unable to knock. Bakugou didn’t prepare a speech, and most of his actions were being formulated along the way. He groaned and rapped a knuckle on the woman’s door. It took a few seconds, but he could hear the small shuffling sounds moving closer that he’d come to recognize from the woman.

“Oh, Bakugou, what bring you here?”

It was clear the woman had been crying based on the pinprick hemorrhages in her eyes and the puffy skin surrounding them. She offered him a weakened smile and if that didn’t pain him further, but also steeled his resolve to keep his promise. Bakugou averted his eyes to the ground. “I just wanted to tell you aunty Inko… I’m gonna find him— I promise to bring him home somehow.” Whether he believed in his own words or not, he made sure she did.

After a split second, tears exploded from the woman as she flew out of her door and wrapped her arms around Bakugou in a tight hug. “Thank you…” the same two muffled words pouring out over and over again. She didn’t know why, but she believed him, she had to.

Bakugou wasn’t one for physical contact, but he stiffly hugged the poor woman, patting her back as sobs racked her body. “Can you do me a favor,” he asked when she finally releases him. The woman nodded her head as she wiped the trails of liquid from her skin. “Give this to my mom,” he handed her a folded piece of paper.

“Okay…”

“Thanks aunty.” He quickly picked up his belongings and walked away without another word, leaving the woman a little confused but with hope to hang onto. That was surely a test of strength and patience completely foreign to the blonde. Just a few years ago he probably could have never pulled it off, but thanks to Midoriya he’d learned to control some of it. How ironic it was that he was now the one doing the chasing too.

Once Bakugou rounded the corner and was out of view, Inko Midoriya clutched the message to her chest. This letter must be extremely important, but strange that he wouldn’t have deliver it himself. No matter the reasoning, he was taking on a great burden in her eyes and it so she should treat this letter, whatever it is as important too. So, she immediately locked up her apartment and headed over to the Bakugou’s residence.

“Oh, hello Inko, please,” Masaru Bakugou answered and gestured for the woman to come in. “Is everything okay?”

Inko moved to the living room and took a seat as Masaru went to the kitchen to grab some customary refreshments. His wife Mitsuki, hearing the voices came out from another room and joined the other woman on the couch to keep her company.

“How are you holding up,” Mitsuki hugged her friend Inko. “What bring you here today?”

“I’m doing my best to stay strong,” Inko reciprocated the hug. She was grateful for all their friendship and support through this whole ordeal and over the years. Mitsuki had been a source of strength in keeping herself together through everything that happened with their children. “But I am here because your son showed up unexpectedly at my doorstep.” She pulled the letter from her purse and handed it to the woman. “Katsuki told me that he would find my Izuku, and handed me that,” she gestured to the paper, “asking me to give it to you.”

“Why the hell wouldn’t that brat just give it to me himself!” Mitsuki complained but took the paper. “Probably didn’t want to be yelled at for something,” she mumbled.

Inko shrugged, “I didn’t read it and he left before I could ask.”

Mitsuki proceeded to open the letter and read it. Her eyes flaring with a mixture of emotions the longer she continued. Inko sat quietly but nervously along with Masaru watching the woman slowly unravel before their eyes, unsure of what to say or do.

“That idiot!” Mitsuki jumped to her feet in a seeming rage. “But I’m so fucking proud of him!”

“What is it?!” The other two asked, leaning forward in anticipation. “What does it say?!”

“He’s gonna find Izuku.” She handed the letter to Inko, then sat back down beside the woman so she could read it too.

“Mom don’t go flying off the handle, but I left school to find Midoriya. I already got permission from the Principal and I’m supposed to check in with the police and stuff but screw that cause they’re morons! They had a month damn it and haven’t found shit! So, tell ‘em for me you know I’m fine and that I ain’t gon’ missing too, but I’m gonna find him myself. I got my cell, but I might not answer. I’ll contact you guys when I find him. And tell aunty Inko don’t worry. -Katsuki”

Tears brimmed in Inko’s eyes for the second time in less than an hour. “Oh, my that boy…” She handed her friend back the letter. “It makes me so happy Izuku has a friend like him.”

“We better call the school and authorities,” Masaru piped up. “Protect them as best we can.”

Mitsuki nodded in agreement, “I should be pissed that he’s messing with graduation, but a friend is more important.”

“Thank you,” Inko patted then squeezed her friend’s knee. “I am much in debt to you and your son.”

“Aww!” Mitsuki grinned and pulled her friend into another hug. “We’re more like family already!” Masaru smiled too and nodded. “Those two boys have been through so much together,” she laughed, “fight like brothers too.”

“I’m glad Katsuki always had someone around to balance him out,” Masaru chuckled.

“And Izuku had someone to pull him out of his shell,” Inko smiled.

Mitsuki gave her friend one more squeezing hug. "Hang in there Inko, we're gonna get through this. If I know my boy, he doesn’t know the meaning of give up.”

#bakudeku #bkdk #bakudeku canon divergent au #bakudeku au #bakugou katsuki #midoriya izuku #bakudeku fan fic #bakudeku fan fiction #vampire au #vampire quirk

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dazais-guardian-angel · 3 years

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Hot take: Bakugou's character wouldn't survive if not for the one he kept abusing all his life. 90% of his character revolves around his victim and yet the fandom paints him as this super developed, fleshed out character when in reality he'd never be anything bigger than a side character if not for Deku.

Also the concequences he supposedly received are just him being teased or not getting the win he wanted, no being kidnapped doesn't count, he literally got away with his shit while even been treated like a victim and the privilege to know something about Deku that isn't any of his business. And now because he sacrificed himself that one time the fandom acts like Izuku owes his ass anything. It's disgusting.

I have given up on him actually being half the decent character ppl make him out to be and the fandom reaction to him makes me hate him even more.

He's not complex, he's just a pretty boy, asshole archetype who gets nicer and has some more cooperative and ppl love to eat that shit up while making up stuff for him. He changes but he's doesn't change for what matters and definitely pales in comparison to other characters who are better written than him.

(holy shit, did they remove the character limit on asks?? omg a GODSEND)

Well yeah, if it weren’t for Izuku and how he treats Izuku he wouldn’t have anything to improve from; people only think he’s developed because he no longer outright bullies him and “””worries””” (I say in heavy quotes) about him, and “reflects” on how he treated him even though he.......... comes to the absolute wrongest, most idiotic conclusions imaginable, that put the brunt of the excuses on Izuku instead of himself, but Toshinori validates him because Horikoshi has made Toshi into Bakugou’s uwu stan and stan of the two boys’ “friendship” (completely ignoring the fact that THIS KID FOR TEN YEARS BULLIED HIS SON). He’s basically already been devolved to acting like a side character for a long time now, with his funny anger quirk pun partly intended that’s just treated like a joke at this point, just like everyone else’s character quirks, even though it would be far more interesting for him to, you know. actually get some therapy and learn to calm himself and become an actual pleasant person to be around. But that’s not what makes him “funny”, that’s not him, according to most people, so he’s always going to stay like this, a boring angry pomeranian who flies off the handle at everything for no reason, who has done the absolute bare minimum of “changing”, which makes him a perfect character in everyone’s eyes.

“He changes but doesn’t change for what matters” pretty much sums up the problem with him in a nutshell, and is the exact reason he frustrates me so much, that I’ve ranted about plenty before. Bakugou has never been viewed through the lens of a bully, an abuser, he was never set up to be that, at least not realistically, and so his development hasn’t happened in accordance with that setup either, and people don’t have a problem with it and actively praise it because the manga actively downplay(ed)s the severity of that origin story. People can ignore the reality of how seriously traumatic being bullied for ten years of your childhood, verbally and physically would be, and how seriously and with such sensitivity such a relationship and character arc must be handled, because aside from the very first chapter when Izuku and Bakugou are still in middle school, really, with the “take a swan dive off the roof” comment and others, it’s never focused on in that way ever again; ever since, it’s just been treated as a typical anime “rivalry”, that both of them need to better themselves to overcome. The story and teachers say “the two of them are so alike but they just keep missing each other; if they just made up for each others’ weaknesses and understood that they both want the same thing, they’d be stronger together!”, and Izuku HIMSELF tries so hard to reach through to Bakugou, always still considering him his friend, always feeling like he’s the one equally at fault for their relationship being as rocky as it is, when BAKUGOU!!! FUCKING!!! BULLIED HIM!!! FOR TEN YEARS. bullied a DISABLED CHILD, which again, as a disabled person who relates to Izuku and how he felt about his quirklessness, feelings that continue to affect him even long after he gets a quirk because of how he was treated when he was younger, is DEEPLY unsettling to me. You CANNOT read/watch MHA without the metaphor of quirklessness = disabled being very apparent, and so that makes Bakugou’s bullying and how it is so utterly glossed over and purposefully forgotten a hundred times more disturbing and aggravating than it already is! If this were any other shounen rivalry then yes, it could be resolved with effort from both parties, because both parties have their own personal reasons for why they have trouble getting along with the other, and the fun is watching to see how they will overcome those, but Izuku and Bakugou were never on an equal playing field to begin with; this is a bullying story, with its victim trying desperately to win over and befriend his abuser, when he owes him absolutely NOTHING and has a BOATLOAD of unresolved issues thanks to said bullying, with no outside help from adults for either of them because none of them are acknowledging it as fucking bullying. I guarantee you that if the manga went into much more painful, bleak detail and showed many more flashbacks of how Izuku was treated by Bakugou in the past, and then still continued with the “development” he’s had since, people would be unable to ignore it like they can now, and it would make all of them extremely uncomfortable like it does those of us now who already dislike him. Hori himself has said he doesn’t understand why Bakugou is so popular, but he’s able to just continue as he does with him because no one is complaining, and because he said he regrets making him so awful in the beginning, as if that magically makes it disappear as much as it already has in 90% of the fandom’s collective mind. You wanna know an actual good manga that also deals with a bully of a disabled child growing and improving himself and forming a close relationship with his former victim? A Silent Voice. Such a journey is long, and hard, and it is painful, with many ups and downs and many nasty, hateful, guilt-filled, depression-filled feelings from both sides, along with from other characters who either also partook in the bullying, were bystanders to it who did nothing, or were indirect victims as well. The bully is bullied himself after what he does, and then grows up nearly suicidal, closing himself off and struggling to be social and make new friends because he doesn’t know how and doesn’t entirely feel like he deserves it (and the story notably doesn’t go the route of “he was abused too at home and so that’s why he bullied”), and tries and fails many times to make amends with the person he hurt before he finally is at peace with himself and everyone; the victim, meanwhile, drowns in continued guilt and suicidal feelings over feeling like she’s a burden to others, both from her disability and from watching all the infighting and victim blaming and finger pointing that ensues between her old classmates when all of the nasty emotions are brought back to the surface, along with dealing with budding romantic feelings for her past bully when he genuinely starts being kind towards her and making an effort to connect with her. ASV is entirely about this complex narrative, it’s able to dedicate everything it has to telling this story tactfully and with all the time and attention it needs. MHA, meanwhile, is a shounen battle manga, and so it was never going to do this narrative and Bakugou’s arc justice, even though I honestly think it could have if Hori really wanted to, because Izuku and Toshinori’s relationship has such masterfully subtle and touching emotions and care, at least early on; Horikoshi knows how to write good, subtle character arcs. I’m not asking for something ASV level, of course not, when the series has so many other things it has to juggle. I just wanted Bakugou to be treated as exactly what he is: a former bully, who can be taught, and learn, and reflect, and change, and become a better, more humble, more interesting person, and actually become someone worthy of all the praise and love he gets, not only for Izuku’s sake, but for his own, as well. They don’t excuse his actions in the slightest, but it’s still undeniable that Bakugou himself is a victim of how the adults in his life have treated him and raised his own expectations of himself, giving him the crippling insecurity issues he has, and that they continue to harm him (and Izuku) by simply letting him continue to go on angrily the way he does, instead of getting him help and some therapy in order for him to change and heal from things like being kidnapped by villains (which is no small thing to go through!! on top of his guilt over Toshinori’s final battle!) and becoming a better person to the one he hurt in the past, and it all just makes me so sad, not because I’m all “uwu poor Bakugou”, but just cause his character deserves better, as a person he deserves better, just like Izuku deserves better than everything he’s gone through because of him. This is all just a very long-winded way of agreeing with you OP that yes, none of Bakugou’s “punishments” for his behavior mean anything because he’s punished as a rival student who needs to humble himself in order to get along with his friend he doesn’t like, not as a former(??) bully who needs to be separated from his victim. The bar is set so low, was never set where it should be, and so absolutely no progress to “better himself” Bakugou makes either will mean anything, as long as it’s never acknowledged that he needs to make amends as a bully and abuser.

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #my meta #replies #'i've ranted about this in-depth so many times; I'll keep it brief this time' I say #3 hours later:#every fucking time #the bakugou salt will never go away #and never will I cease being disturbed and disgusted by just how easily the fandom glorifies his development #and glosses over the reality of what he's done #'izuku has forgiven him so it's fine' IZUKU 👏 IS 👏 A VICTIM 👏 HIS WORDS 👏 MEAN NOTHING #HE IS BIASED TOWARDS BAKUGOU BECAUSE OF HIS LOW SELF-ESTEEM #AND HE HAS NEVER THOUGHT THERE WAS ANYTHING TO FORGIVE #AS LONG AS HE BELIEVES THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO IMPROVEMENT ON BAKUGOU'S END #god that scrapped cover concept of middle school Bakugou spitting blood makes me so fucking mad #'look it symbolizes that his old self is dead' THEN PROVE THAT HE'S ACTUALLY LEARNED ANYTHING #PROVE IT TO /IZUKU/#MAKE AMENDS AND APOLOGIZE THE WAY ONE SHOULD #Anonymous

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amysgiantbees · 3 years

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Head-cannons for me for MHA DND

Urarka is grey ace pan. She likes to perform cantrips or float a little to alleviate stress. Socialist, ACAB. Trains with Bakugo regularly, they’re very close friends. Her parents are poor builders. They live in the poor area of the city and do a lot of community and charity work.

Kirishima is a trans man. Loves meat, particularly red meat. Big protein guy. A whole homosexual. He has two mothers, one is a gladiator, the other is a stay at home mom. He does yoga and meditation. Absolute golden retriever, mourning person. He cracks his knuckles when stressed. Always goes for a mourning run. He knows how to speak Bakugo so he knows when is or isn’t being a dick.

Denki is nonbinary they/he, Bisexual. Denki loves flirting with people’s parents especially Bakugo’s. His parents are awful and resent him for being chosen by Kord as they are very stuffy, devout followers of him for years and never recieved similar attention. Dyslexic and ADHD - ticks ALL the boxes, like can pick up talents very quickly, like the lyre. Night owl, puts all his work off till night then sleeps till noon. Gets jitters and ticks when stressed. Massive flirt. No filter. Lack of self preservation. Would be a fantastic dancer if he didn’t overthink it so much. Was in Jiro’s band. Lichtenberg figure. When he short circuits it’s numbing. He can’t think and his thoughts come slowly too him at best. He often ends up drooling. He can’t focus on his surroundings. Can’t feel anything so people can easily take advantage. Usually can only form enough thoughts to reassure people and put his thumbs up to show he’s okay.

Sero is nonbinary, they/them. Demisexual panromantic. Skateboards exist just for Sero. He is from a large family. Two fathers, one mother. They’re part of a traveling commune. Sero is just sleepy, isn’t a morning or a night person. Best wingman, very observant. Very laidback. Rubs arm and elbow when stressed. His family are tattoo artists, did his elbow tattoos as his magic focusses before he left for high school.

Whole Bakusquad are Kord fans.

Mina is ace/aromantic. her parents are assassins' that specialize in poisonings. Night owl. Loves fashion, and visiting Bakugo’s parent’s store. Sensible one out of the Bakusquad. Bakugo is usually the brains behind their plans but she’s the primary authority on whether they go ahead. Kirishima tends to hesitate - look to others for advice, Sero hesitates too - wants to think it over and take his time, Denki just dives in on instinct - what feels right, Bakugo is impatient - does not hesitate at all and often doesn’t factor in people’s feelings. Mina is the perfect balance of everyone. Thinks it through, has good instincts, is brave, doesn’t need to ask but is open to suggestions.

Aoyama is gay. He has IBS (Alcohol, chocolate, caffeinated beverages are potential culprits as are certain types of carbohydrate known as FODMAPs). He massages his face when he’s stressed.

Tsuyu is ace and homoromantic. Her dad is a grung florist and her human mother is the accountant for the flower business. She has two little siblings, a twin brother and sister.

Jiro is a sex positive ace bisexual. Jiro’s family are very popular travelling bards. Songwriters too, they’ve patented songs. Night owl. She plays with her hair when stressed. Plays instruments to relax. Can get stage fright. Likes to sing to calm down people after a monster attack, help people with both her talents. Loves her parents.

Nejire Hado grew up as an orphan raised by the local temple of Sune. She has grown to have a stronger connection with Mystra now as she’s grown into her own person but she still loves and worships Sune. Nejire asks more questions than she answers. Gets over excited very easily.

Bakugo is pansexual - he just likes them strong. His mother is half-orc and a model and fashion designer for her and her husband’s clothing business. It’s called Green with Envy. Masaru has terrible shyness when it comes to modeling. So all of their clothing is made to be gender neutral and Mitiski models everything for the flyers and posters. Totally has ADHD, impulsivity, avoids lengthy tasks, feels restless, can’t stay seated. Never drinks, this man treats his body like a temple, he has a bed time, morning person. Bakugo cracks his neck and joints when stressed. Can play drums, was in Jiro’s band.

Tokoyami is ace and grey aromantic. He can play the lyre, was in Jiro’s band. Dark Shadow likes to collect shiny things. He pets and talks to her her when stressed. He loves poetry and ballads. Often spends nights in taverns listening to dark songs. Writes his own poetry. Only his best friend Shoji and crush Aoyama get to read it though and even then it’s very reluctantly.

Shoji is very nervous to date, very insecure. grey ace, panromantic.

Ojiro is pan. Everyone likes to play with his tail when he grows it. He plays with it when stressed.

Koda is ace and aromantic. Likes to hide, be somewhere small and confined when stressed. Terrified of bugs, but mostly just the crawly, scary ones.

Sato is grey ace aromantic. Stress eats. Solves other peoples problems with food too. Giving gifts is his love language.

Izuku is also pan he really likes them strong. His mother has a tiny cake shop in her house next door to Green with Envy. Night owl, anxious. ADHD - shows in impulsivity, distracted, very observant, fidgeting, can’t stay focused, talking excessively, interrupts, intrusive. He fidgets with his hands when nervous. Holds grudges and guilt trips when upset. can’t forgive himself, apologizes too much. Stubborn, doesn’t know when to give up.

Heroes are gladiator esque. They have posters, dolls, figures, homemade wood carvings. They work as adventures but some are paid by the heroes commission to remain in one city and participate in gladiator battles (not to the death) too.

All Might is currently ranked number 1 in the world by the hero commission and has permission to teleport anytime to other countries to help but is based in Faerun, Masfutu.

Izuku and Bakugo try every year to win behind the scenes tickets to the coliseum.

All Might is ace/aro. He’s always been naturally talented at picking up new skills - ADHD - and is thrown that he hasn’t quite taken so well to teaching. Struggled for a bit but is taking it seriously and putting in the work finally.

Grand Torino and Recovery Girl are in love and they spend their dates hassling and messing with the Youth.

Cementos is struggling with a divorce

Mic and Aizawa are married. They have been since a couple of years after school. Aizawa had a whole flamboyant, elaborate proposal planned for Mic, but the day he was going to propose Mic said “we should get married” while gazing lovingly in his eyes and Aizawa was so relieved.

Mic is nonbinary trans he/they. Before he got married to Aizawa and teaching when they took a break from each other he was a world famous Bard. He sings in class and Aizawa has to always bang on the wall to get him to shut up when it gets to loud.

Aizawa is trans and Shinso is son with an ex he jumped into a relationship with after he finished UA. He was never a “hero” in the coliseum, didn’t want the attention, he was a freelance adventurer for a little bit before becoming pregnant, then teaching.

The reason Power Loader never wears a shirt is because he is a huge fashionista and he doesn’t want any of his clothes getting wrecked because he refuses to own no more ugly clothes than required.

Ibara Shiozaki is straight. She’s from a whole family of temple worshippers. (Fantasy) bible before boys.

Jurota Shishida is the lone survivor of a werewolf attack and an orphan. He lives at the school permanently.

Iida is mostly straight. He swings his hands when stressed and musts his hair. plans everything. Morning person. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Yaoyorozu is the local royalty. She has lead a VERY sheltered life. Never left the city except when directly teleporting to other fancy locations. Iida is very dedicated to her as his family is one of her family’s vassals. She rubs her chest when stressed. Absolute capitalist. Only knows how to ball dance and can play the piano. Was in Jiro’s High School band. Doesn’t get to do her own shopping a lot so loves to whenever she can. Loves spoiling people. Kind of naïve.

Cementous and Exoplasm are the oldest teachers at UA and best friends.

Shouto is a grey ace demiromatic gay man. He darts his eyes when nervous. He’s autistic. Knows how to ball dance.

Hawks is pan. He’s a workaholic so he’s up at the crack of dawn. Always seems laid back but is VERY observant. High alcohol tolerance. He plays with his feathers when nervous but is aware of this tell so tries to just do nothing and only does it if very stressed. Favourite food is birds, like chicken, as that’s hawks primary food. He has tetrachromats eyes so can see ultraviolet light. Female hawks are generally larger than males. Hawks prefer open habitats, like deserts or fields. Probably lives on the outskirt of the city, lots of windows. His preferred time to work is just before nightfall. He will likely only live to his 30s at most. He’s mostly based on red-tailed hawks. Perfectionist. Orphan, is the adopted child of the head of the commission.

Shouto’s father is so desperate to find him and keep him because he knows that news of his reputation is vital. Enji is not royalty by blood but by marriage. He’s aware that if he doesn’t keep a tight leash on his family they could ruin his reputation as he’s human (mostly) and the rest are half-elves. So they’ll all outlive him. He’s already lost Touya so he’s desperate to as discreetly as possible find Shouto. Momo is helping him run away and hide out and paying for his school tuition. Enji was at first a hero like All Might until he managed to secure his marriage with Rei. He’s very aware that there’s only so much he can control his reputation as his whole family will outlive him. So will he redeem himself or double down?

Dabi is the League’s reluctant big brother. Likes to mess around with Toga most of all, she reminds him of his little siblings.

Vlad King is one of the founders of UA and is over 100 years old.

* These are purely notes for myself for a dnd game coming up for myself which is why I’ve nicked ideas from tiktoker lia_faye.

#myanalysis

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narnie3313 · 4 years

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LESSON LEARNT

Genre: Angst,

Rating: Everyone Warnings: Language, Anger, Character Death (temporarily), Bullying, Possible Trauma?

Setting: You’re the new kid in general studies at UA but you’ve befriended Midoriya and his group. No one knows your quirk since it’s not particularly helpful in battle scenarios. Your quirk is Revive. You can die as many times as you want and you feel absolutely no pain and you come back to life within a couple of minutes. The only way for you to stay dead is for your body to die of natural causes such as old age.

Pairing = No romance pairing but features Bakugou.

“How’d you go with those new styles, ‘Zuku?” You asked while taking the seat across from him. beside him sat Iida and beside you sat Ochaco in the lunch hall.

“Good. I’m finding different styles that work for me so I can do better.” The green-haired boy replied with a large smile on his face.

“That’s awesome! When is your next assessment coming up?”

“Thursday. So I’ve got 2 more days to work on it, and Aizawa paired me with Kacchan to try and stop our fighting. It’s going great!” Midoriya was not a good liar. His face gave him away the moment he looked over at Bakugou. “Actually, I have to go talk to him for a sec and I’ll be back.” With that, he stood up and you could see him slightly shaking. Ochaco said he’s gotten more confident throughout the year but Bakugou was still a sore point for Midoriya.

You could just barely make out their conversation as you, Iida and Ochaco kept eyes on Midoriya. Bakugou didn’t even look up from his lunch and barely acknowledged the boy who was just trying to talk about the school work they’d been assigned.

“God, why is he such an asshole?”

“Midoriya has been his friend for a long time and even he doesn’t know.” Ochaco said.

Just then, you noticed Bakugous voice get louder and you couldn’t miss the way Izukus body stiffened when Bakugous piercing crimson eyes snapped up to look at him. “Just do the damn thing and get away from me!”

“K-Kacchan, I can’t do it alone, that’s the point.”

Bakugous lips curved into a sinister grin and his eyes dropped back to his food as he muttered, “Just take that fucking swan dive already.”

Kirishima said something to the blonde that no one heard but you were focused on the boy standing by the table with his fists clenching at his sides and you just knew that he was holding back tears. Wether they were from sadness or anger was yet to be determined. You were sick of this. Before anyone could notice, you were up and stood between Izuku and Bakugou with your eyes emanating pure anger towards the blonde.

“What the fuck is your problem? Why are you actually like this, huh? You think it’s ok to say that kind of shit to someone? What would you do if he actually did it? How would you feel if it was your fault someone killed themselves? If you saw someone fall to their death knowing that your words had caused their actions?” You all but screamed at him while his eyes held yours. A mix of shock, anger and frustration. Before he could reply, you had your hand on Midoriyas arm and turned him to walk back to your table and that’s when you heard it. Bakugou spoke under his breath, just loud enough for you to hear,

“Do a flip when it’s your turn.”

You stopped and turned with a look that could kill. You knew what you were going to do. Someone had to teach him a lesson he would never forget, and you were the only one who could.

Bakugou was always the last one out of the gym at night so that was when you needed to do it. No one knew your quirk so you couldn’t exactly do this in front of everyone or only the teachers would know and anyone else could be horrified, but that was exactly what you wanted Bakugou to feel. You wanted him to learn that his actions have consequences. So here you stood, on the roof of the gym watching the door. Waiting for the blonde boy to come out and start walking to the dorms. You weren’t letting this go on any longer. One day he will say the wrong thing to someone and will cause them to harm themselves. He’s not a bad person deep down, I mean, he’s training to be a hero for Christ sake. He just needs to learn a harsh lesson.

“So fucking cold…” You hear the familiar creak of the gym door and the voice. This is it. You take a breath and allow yourself to fall forwards so you land just behind him where he was walking not but a second ago. As you land, you feel nothing but the same sensation you would when you fall asleep.

“What the fu…” Bakugous head whips around just as you hit the ground. He’s frozen. He can’t move, can’t talk. What just happened? He can’t think. Everything has stopped and he’s looking at your body lying in front of him. Lifeless. His head unwillingly cranes up agonizingly slow to see that you had to have fallen at least 4 stories. His head snaps back to you. As if possessed, his feet start moving towards you, slowly. One foot in front of the other. All he can see is your head to the side and your hair falling over your pale face. When he finally understands what’s just happened, he’s on his knees. He can’t cry. He can’t even make a sound. What is he meant to do? Does he call someone? It’s his fault. He said it. He told you to do it. You warned him.

His breath hitches and he goes to cover his eyes as if he can wipe away his nightmare. He doesn’t notice he’s crying until he feels his hands dampen as he rubs his eyes with shaking hands. Why….why? What? …..Why? He couldn’t process this. He’s meant to be a hero, yet someone died at his hands. He can’t just sit here. He has to get someone. Aizawa. He needs his teacher. But his body won’t move. He’s trying. His hands are covering his eyes again, this time with frustration.

As his hands drop to his knees, he can’t stop himself as his eyes raise to look at your body again, only to find you sitting cross legged looking at him with a blank expression. His body moves before he realizes and he falls backwards onto his hands.

“What the fuck. You were gone! What the fuck?!”

You can’t help but roll your eyes while you stand up as Bakugous eyes follow you, darting all over your body. “It’s my quirk. Remember this feeling. Remember the feeling of helplessness and guilt. Remember the way you’ve treated people and do. Better.” You give him one last look before walking back into the dorms and head to bed.

“Hey guys!” Midoriya, Iida and Ochaco all look up at you with their bright smiles.

“Hey y/n!”

“How’s your classes today?”

Midoriya is always the first to reply, “Good! Aizawa-sensei gave us a heap of information about the hero license exam today.”

“Oh wow, that awesome!”

“Bakug…..ou?” Everyone’s eye snap to the loud redhead to see him looking at the entrance. Bakugou is standing in the doorway, eyes wide staring straight at you. He seems to be debating with himself about something then he’s walking towards you before coming to a stop next to you.

“I-I’m sorry.” His eyes move from you to Izuku. “I’m sorry Midoriya. I’ll be in the library for the assignment at 4.” With that he walks away and sits quietly beside Kirishima. All eyes in the room are on him. Why had the foul-mouthed boy with explosive anger actually apologized to someone? Had the world stopped?

“Y/n? Why was he staring at you and what the hell did you do to him? That boy has probably never apologized for anything in his life.” All eyes at the table were staring at you incredulously.

You just looked down at your food and resumed eating and gave a gentle shrug. “Maybe what I said to him yesterday just struck a chord.” Midoriya, Iida and Ochaco all just kept looking at each other in disbelief.

“I don’t know what you did, but next time I have an issue I’m coming to you for your miracles!” Ochaco says with a chuckle.

There’d be no point in telling them since they probably wouldn’t believe you anyway. So for now, we’ll leave it at that.

NOTE

This is a bit different from what I’ve written before so I apologize if it’s not great. It’s just a kind of scenario I’ve had in my head for a while that I finally put to paper.

#bnha #mha #bakugou #bnha imagines #reader #angst

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heroes-among-us-all · 6 years

Note

Hi! Your scenarios are the best! Can you write about Bakugou's/Izuku's/Todoroki's S/O becoming a villain? (Bonus points if there's gonna be much angst). Thanks! ^^

Since there’s multiple characters, I’m gonna make it an hc request, but if you ever wanna request a scenario similar to this for a specific character, I’ll be happy to write it :)

Bakugou:

Devastation doesn’t even begin to describe the way Bakugou feels. He’s aware of the fact that people consider him to have a “villainous” personality, but he’s never once considered become one himself—not even when he was personally invited by the League of Villains to do so.

He’s crushed and broken, and more than anything just angry with himself for not noticing the signs earlier. You always seemed so happy whenever you were around him. Where the hell did things go wrong?

The night you went missing, Bakugou fell into a state of panic. He’d contacted the authorities, but that didn’t keep him from running out into the streets and screaming out at the top of his lungs in a desperate attempt to find you. This become a pattern over the next couple of days; he would search for you over and over again, but still to no avail. He felt weak, helpless, and scared. But the feeling to come was infinitely worse.

It appeared in the news not long after—a public announcement that reported how a former U.A student had reportedly made contact with the League of Villains and joined their side. Bakugou was in utter shock. He could see the words and images flitting by, but they still made no fucking sense. Even after it was the fact was made apparent by the school itself, he still couldn’t believe it. The only person he’d given a shit about was gone, and had willingly turned to life as a criminal.

You were such a huge part of Bakugou’s life and growth that the change is immediate once you’re gone. His aggression and hostility returns tenfold; he’s screaming at people more than he ever has and wears a permanent mask of chagrin. His family is worried sick, his friends are worried sick, but they know that there’s really nothing that they can do. Besides his drive to become a hero, you were his everything, and to have you so mercilessly torn from his grasp is more than Bakugou can handle.

His mental state has been thrown into total and utter disarray. The only thoughts that somehow keep him tethered to reality are the ones that keep telling him that it’s his fault things turned out this way. If he’d noticed earlier, it wouldn’t have ended this way. If he wasn’t so fucking weak, you would still be here with him right now. It makes Bakugou sick to the stomach to feel this way, but if he didn’t, he would have lost all fire and drive long ago. The most horrifying thought of them all is he turned you into a villain, by constantly making threats and treating others like shit. It probably isn’t true; hell, people tell him that it isn’t his fault, but Bakugou feels responsible for your decision.

He’s more battered down than he’s even been, but he’s still standing, and he will fight to bring you back to the right side. He’s been made aware of the fact that it’s a dangerous, bloody path—one that may very well cost him his life one day. Bakugou understands. If that’s what it takes to save you, he’s willing to throw everything away.

Izuku:

In all his years, even back before he obtained a Quirk, Izuku’s never felt this hopeless before.

Your decision to become a villain wasn’t something that he could have possibly predicted, but the guilt that weighs in his chest isn’t something he can possibly brush aside. All Might gave him this power so that he could save those that were in reach, and yet he wasn’t even able to keep his most treasured person from turning to a life of darkness.

When you disappeared without a trace, Izuku had been convinced that you’d been captured. It was like the villain invasion on the mountain all over again, except this time, the person being taken from him was infinitely more dear.

He’s driven to the point of hyperventilation, tears spilling relentlessly onto his cheeks. He notified all the possible authorities, All Might included, but they still couldn’t find any clues as to where you could have gone. Izuku’s so shaken that he doesn’t even find it in himself to go to school the next few days; or even leave the bed, for that matter. He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t sleep, and it’s near impossible for him to stop crying. He can’t remember the last time he felt this much grief, if ever, and the only thought racing through his mind is that you’re gone—for good.

Izuku wants to be strong, but the fact that he may never see you again is too much for him to bear. He’s both horrified and relieved when he sees your face in the news—at first he thinks that your deceased body has been found, but then he realizes that they’re broadcasting your betrayal against U.A and your compliance with the League of Villains. He’s happy that you’re alive, at least. He really, truly is, but this is almost just as bad.

Izuku tries to return to school and meet with his friends and classmates, but he’s practically a zombie. All of his cheerful luster has worn off; he’s little more than just a shell of the person he used to be. It’s made official on school grounds that you’ve defected from the path of becoming a hero and have chosen the opposing side. No matter how badly U.A wants you back, it was your choice, and there’s no way for them to change that.

Out of grief, Izuku turns to his mentor, All Might. Every time he sees him, he breaks down into a fit of sobs and collapses on the ground. The hero can only smile woefully, patting his head and reassuring him that it was in no way his fault. His words have little effect. Even if he hears it from the person he looks up to the most, it can’t put back the broken pieces of his heart. He just cries, over and over again.

“I couldn’t save them, All Might…! I couldn’t save them from that life!The one person I was supposed to be able to protect by my side, and I still couldn’t do it…”

Izuku doesn’t know if he’ll ever recover. He’s meant to become the Number One Hero at some point, and he doesn’t understand how he’s supposed to do such a thing if he was incapable of protecting you. He vows to bring you back one day, but in the back of his mind he already knows you’re pretty much gone for good.

Todoroki:

All he can think is: “It’s my fault.” Having spent his childhood watching his mother suffer at the hand of Endeavor’s abuse, he feels that very same guilt for being unable to do a single thing.

Todoroki knows he’s not the most expressive guy. He tries, he really does, but showing affection doesn’t come easily to him, and it may come across as clumsy a lot of the time. He always thought that you were okay with it, and that you were happy to be by side, but the fact that you chose to become a villain, of all things, makes him feel like he was completely wrong.

You were always the one who was more enthusiastic about messaging and staying in contact often, so when you abruptly halted all communication one night, Todoroki knew that something was wrong. He called you relentlessly, but no matter how he stared at his phone with those imploring eyes, you still wouldn’t answer. It wasn’t before long that your family got in touch with him to ask you where you were, and his worst fears were confirmed.

Most people would probably assume that Todoroki just didn’t feel things, but that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Sure, he was good at keeping his expression neutral and remaining composed most of the time, but he could easily be harboring a pain and no one would know. On this occasion, however, he wasn’t making any attempt to keep his emotions hidden. Yelling at the authorities and demanding answers; rushing out of his home over and over again despite his sisters’ pleas not to; hell—he even went to his father directly and practically begged him to help. Endeavor didn’t express much worry on your behalf, but he was still a hero, and he knew that he had a duty to pay to the public, and agreed to personally organize a search party for you.

The wait was agonizing, to say the least. Todoroki continued to attend his classes and tried his best to keep up with his studies, but he was stony-faced and rigid and felt more empty than he’d ever been. He’d never been much of a crier—it had happened as a kid, but once his mother had been hospitalized, he’d quickly sealed his emotions away out of fear of appearing vulnerable. But this, losing the one person who understood him and whom he cared for more than anyone, it was just too much. Todoroki would seclude himself in the bathroom during breaks at school, sobbing silently and wondering how the hell he could have possibly allowed you to slip away.

Before long, the headline of your treachery to the Hero Alliance was announced in the news. Todoroki didn’t know if he should feel relieved or shattered. One hand, you were alive, but on the other, you’d chosen a life that he knew he could never support. You seemed so enthusiastic about becoming a hero and saving people; you’d saved him, hadn’t you? From being consumed by vengeance and resentment? So why were you now choosing such a cruel existence?

It didn’t make any sense, but the number one thought going through Todoroki’s mind was that he just wasn’t enough of a hero himself. He feared that you’d seen his father’s cruelty in him, and lost all faith in the word “hero”. It had to be him. All of the fucked up things in his life, somehow, he was always responsible. It really hurt for him to start thinking of things that way again; to cast aside of all his mental and emotional growth, but it just didn’t feel right for him to be happy if you weren’t around.

Maybe he was the one in the wrong in the first place, expecting to become a hero when he had never even been able to protect the people he loved. Maybe he could see you again. Maybe the two of you could walk the new path you’d chosen, together.

#katsuki bakugou #todoroki shouto #midoriya izuku #bnha #bnha imagines #bnha headcanons #bnha imagine #bakugou x reader #todoroki x reader #midoriya x reader #katsuki x reader #shouto x reader #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha #mha imagines #relationship #angst

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shockwrites · 7 years

Text

Endure

Author’s Note: Someone needs to feed this girl

Series: My Hero Academia

Pairing: Izuku/Ochako

Length: 914 words

Rating: Safe

SLEEP. DON’T EAT. ENDURE.

That had been Uraraka’s unspoken motto.

She powered through the days, living by herself, ignoring the occasional grumble of her stomach and paying little heed to her poor eating habits.

That fact she hid well. One wouldn’t be able to tell from the way that she looked forward to every meal from U.A.’s Grand Mess Hall. She would normally go through nearly up to three trays of food by the time lunch was over. Lunch-Rush had always looked forward to her visits, enjoying the fact that someone had a special love for his cooking.

Her eating habits didn’t affect her figure as much as they should have. Uraraka still maintained a stout but fit body type, having some muscle from her regular training. Attending the greatest pro-hero institution did wonders for physical conditioning.

Izuku himself had been curious as to why his girlfriend had always had a voracious appetite.

Until he finally saw the inside of her fridge.

“It’s…empty?”

Uraraka shamefully stared at the floor. “Yeah…”

Izuku had taken it upon himself to check up on her when he found out that she was actually living by herself. Her small apartment didn’t grant her many liberties but it still allowed some form of comfort to her, especially since it lifted some of the financial weight off of her parents.

“But then what are you going to have for dinner?” Izuku asked her worriedly.

She scratched the back of her head. Uraraka had gone many days without a solid breakfast or dinner. She had always told herself that it was for the best; less money spent on food, the better. Whatever kept her from forcing money out of her’s or her parent’s pockets. Uraraka knew that her financial situation had been embarrassing enough. It took her months into her’s and Izuku’s relationship until she was actually able to reveal that she had been poor.

No.

Izuku wasn’t going to stand for that.

Not by a long shot.

–

“Deku, you really don’t have to do this! I’m used to not eating much!”

He wasn’t having any of that. Izuku practically dragged her out of her apartment despite her protests. “That doesn’t make it good! You’ve been starving yourself!” Uraraka senses the worry in his voice. The fact that he was genuinely concerned for her health, while it made her heart flutter, still left her feeling guilty-the same type of guilt she felt concerning her parents.

He led her straight to his home. She didn’t actually know what the boy had in store for her, only leaving her completely floored once he led her into his home.

Uraraka had been greeted to a full dinner table, fit for a family. Izuku’s mother beamed once she walked through the door. Now she knew where Izuku gets it from.

“Uraraka!” Inko Midoriya greeted her as if they were family that hadn’t been seen in years. She gave her a monstrous hug, lovingly squeezing the air out her lungs.

“Hi…Mrs. Midoriya.” Uraraka managed to squeak out from the woman’s death hug.

“Come sit!” Izuku’s mother was already leading her to the table. “Izuku tells me you have an appetite!” The woman’s endearing voice seemed to melt away whatever troubles Uraraka had been harboring.

“No, no I couldn’t trouble you for-” it wasn’t until the heavenly scent from the banquet had treated her nostrils did she reconsider what could have been a bad life choice. “Maaaaybe one bite wouldn’t hurt.”

–

Uraraka had woken up the next morning to a pleasantly mouth-watering smell.

She made her way to her small kitchen, only to find a familiar mop of seaweed green hair. “Deku?”

The boy turned towards his disheveled girlfriend, clad in her pajamas and her chocolate hair a mess. “Good morning! I hope you don’t mind,” she didn’t in the slightest. “But I used your spare key.”

Uraraka had already been staring hypnotically to the meal that he was preparing. Izuku held out a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of her. “Made you breakfast.” he said, planting the sweetest kiss on her forehead. Just from his kindness, the poor girl would have gone into sensory overload.

Still somewhat exhausted, Uraraka planted her face onto his chest mumbling out muffled gibberish into his shirt. Once he inquired what she said, she stared at her boyfriend with a heartwarming smile.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

(Alt ending)

–

Uraraka had awoken the next day following her usual routine: skip breakfast and count down the seconds until she could finally taste whatever Lunch-Rush has in store for her.

She had come home that day, secretly desiring to head over to Izuku’s once again for his mother’s heavenly cooking. Stubbornly, Uraraka pushed those thoughts further into her mind. She had already bothered them enough for one day.

Still subconsciously musing about Inko’s curry fried rice, she stopped at the foot of her door finding a note taped to it. The note had been scribbled in what she deduced was Izuku’s handwriting.

Open the fridge.

Curious, Uraraka followed the note’s orders.

Bless Izuku’s heart.

The once empty mini fridge had now been stocked completely with boxes of food. The sight alone had nearly driven the girl to tears, the icing on the (figurative) cake had been a sweet note from Inko attached to the door of the fridge.

Eat healthy! - Inko

Uraraka was enduring, that much was certain, but in situations such as these, how could she resist?

#my hero academia #midoriya izuku #uraraka ochako #izuocha #safe

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recentanimenews · 5 years

Text

Fans Give Their Hot Takes On The Anime Awards

More important than the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Havelock, North Carolina Chili Cookoff combined is the Anime Awards. It's that wonderful time when we can look over the past year of anime and bestow honors upon the ones that most touched our hearts. And with them looming ever closer, we asked some of y'all to give us your hot takes on who YOU think should take the trophy in some of the categories. And you didn't disappoint. Your answers ranged from surprising to thoughtful to inspired, so we decided to collect the twelve best of them and post them here for the rest of the internet to love and appreciate and then, as the internet does, nitpick into oblivion.

I'm gonna go down category by category, and what better category to start with than the big one: Best Anime.

BEST ANIME

"Yorimoi for AOTY" by Cameron (A Place Farther Than The Universe)

A Place Further Than The Universe was the best anime of the year. It was the best anime by far and no other show came even close. There were plenty of other shows I loved this year like Laid-back Camp and Revue Starlight but none of those shows compare to the good good Antarctica girls. The show teaches amazing lessons and made me cry many times. The email scene at the end of episode 12 made me cry for hours and I still tear up every time I think about it. It's just genuinely one of the best shows I've ever seen. This is my new go-to recommendation for people who want to get into anime. Their adventure is so inspiring and it deserves anime of the year.

"Devilman: Crybaby" by Manic Stylo (Devilman Crybaby)

It's been almost universally accepted by both formalist and populist anime fans that Devilman Crybaby has the qualities of an instant classic. From its unique visual direction, infectious soundtrack, and unrelenting use of adult content, Devilman Crybaby breathes new life into Go Nagai's classic manga and beautifully streamlines it for a contemporary audience. Remaining mostly faithful to its source material, director Masaaki Yuasa's sensibility for abstract and avant-garde visuals makes for a delightfully nightmarish fever-dream adaptation of Nagai's original concept (it's a match made in heaven...or hell in this case). As far as adult anime go, Crybaby is consistently balanced fare with uncompromisingly violent action for anyone who just wants a fun romp, solid thematic undertones for those who want more bite out of their shows, and tastefully implemented real-world commentary if you want more than just escapism. A hyper-stylized modern gothic masterpiece, whether it worked for you or not, Devilman Crybaby will not leave your subconscious any time soon.

"Zombies But Still Alive" by Jouii-chan (ZOMBIE LAND SAGA)

2018 has been quite the year for anime. It's my first year that I've been watching and keeping up with seasonal anime with Crunchyroll! But one show stood out to me, and that show was Zombie Land Saga. For the first few episodes, I was pretty doubtful about the series. I mean, an idol anime with zombie girls? That was just plain crazy!

But as the show went on, I realized Zombie Land Saga was more than some silly comedy show. It was beauty. All the characters had great chemistry, and the music was great. It got me addicted to it with it's great music too. The best part of the show was how it showed the indomitable human spirit and how even through the toughest of storms, anyone can prevail. Sakura provided a great lead with her past sucking her of all her confidence, yet she overcomes this to lead Franchouchou to a great future. Zombie Land Saga was one of the surprises of 2018, and I was always hyped to watch the new episodes when they came out.

"Violet Evergarden: An Anime for a Lifetime" by James (Violet Evergarden)

Violet Evergarden is an anime that grabs your heart. The loss of a father, mother, daughter, son- the fears of rejection, regret, and failure- Violet Evergarden reaches inside you, and pulls tight on these strings. It's not just a post-war story; Violet Evergarden is a somber filled tale that elicits a strong sense of empathy from the audience. Beautifully rendered and well-paced, the story features a subtle escalation in heart ache and healing. Each episode takes the time to fully immerse the audience in a complex micro-story filled with very human lives. This anime understands the importance of a well developed character, and spends it's time wisely weaving this incredibly vibrant, living world. Story aside, the animation and artwork are absolutely stunning. When paired, the audio and visual cues truly bring the world of Violet Evergarden to life. From start to finish, there is no other animation that delivers a more compelling sense of catharsis and satisfaction, and that is why I believe Violet Evergarden deserves to be Anime of the Year.

Best Boy

"I Would Lay Down My Life For Toono Hiyori" by Nija (Free! -Dive to the Future-)

200 words definitely aren't enough to properly convey my intense love and appreciation for my everything, the light of my life, the absolute blessing that is Toono Hiyori from Free! but I'M STILL GONNA TRY because he deserves everything. Starting out as a fun antagonist, turning into a slightly confusing antagonist, and then ep. 6 hits you with that ABSOLUTE GUT-PUNCH and I weep for him always. He did some things wrong (though I understand why he did them and wouldn't say I necessarily disagree tbh) but in the end he's just a lonely boy giving everything for the person he cares about the most without ever asking anything in return. Less important but still Important things include: he's a jerk sometimes and I love it. His frenemyship with Asahi? The funniest thing. He can and will ruin your life with a smile, he loves reading and coffee and has a really good fashion sense, he's very organised and on top of things, even if he's a social mess lbr... And if he likes you, he'll probably kill for you. All in all he's just the best and you, person who's reading this entry, should know that too. Bless his soul.

"Katsuki Bakugo, A Living, Breathing Explosion" by Mimi Valentine (My Hero Academia)

Katsuki Bakugo is easily one of the most dynamic characters of the year. Starting with his complicated relationship with Izuku, his hidden jealousy for a boy with no quirk, to outright anger at him suddenly having a quirk, to the rejecting the trope of "rival becomes evil for greater power," to confessing his feelings of inferiority towards Izuku, and the intense self blame for what happened to All Might. Katsuki has always shown that he has this heart, from treating Uraraka as his equal in the torunament, to fully acknowledging Izuku's growth ans strength. Seeing his slow dismantle from just a typical bully to a hidden broken boy only to show you that under all that anger, he's truly just a boy who wants to be a hero.

"Why Rimuru Tempest is the bestest boy of not just this year, but of all time" by Kat (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)

There were a lot of good boys this year, but who was the goodest? The undoubtedly most delicious smudge-muffin in existence?

My answer is Rimuru Tempest and here's why:

He is the kindest ball of squidge you could ever meet. He would stop and help anyone in need at the drop of a hat. In his previous life he DIED saving his kohai from an attacker and he would do it again.

He is adorable. How could you take one look at his face (or lack there of) and not fall in love instantly with this soft boy? Not only is he soft in his ball form but once he grants the wish of a dear friend, he becomes the ultimate soft boy. One you could probably hug endlessly and both of you would still be comfortable.

He is the definition of epic. One of the first things he does with his new life is befriend and EAT a dragon. He ate him, whole. Then he proceeded to eat everything else in the cave. If you hurt one of friends he'll eat you too! Not before he beats you in a hilariously and awesomely one sided combat sequence though.

BEST FIGHT SCENE

"SSSS. Gridman's True Final Battle" by Donovan Bertch (SSSS. Gridman)

The greatest part about SSSS.Gridman's final battle wasn't the sheer amount of quality animation and editing on display. It wasn't the satisfaction of seeing Gridman finally return to his original form, theme songs blaring, as he finally decked the villainous Alexis Kerib in his smug face. It wasn't even finding out what the hell SSSS actually meant in the end. All of those were wonderful moments that made the fight shine, to be sure. However, the greatest part was that when all was said and done, the fight wasn't Gridman vs. Alexis Kerib. It was the show's antagonist, Akane Shinjo, vs. Herself. Her sins, her insecurities, her self-hatred...it took a lot of effort, and it wasn't a total victory (given that Akane's final scene with Rikka shows her still processing her guilt), but few things are that simple. Even when the heroes came to encourage her, it was Akane who made the final choice that led to Kerib's downfall. Gridman may have landed the final strike and had the big speech about human potential, but Akane Shinjo defeated Alexis Kerib and saved her world. The action-packed duel was just icing on the cake.

BEST VA PERFORMANCE (EN)

"My Hero Academia, Episode 61: Bakugo's Breakdown (Clifford Chapin)" by Masky (My Hero Academia)

In one of the most emotionally stirring episodes of the entire series, we finally see all of Bakugo's pent-up anger come to a boil in this what could be considered a huge turning point for his character development. As a character who is known for his angry outbursts, this episode let us have some insight into Bakugo's inferiority complex and really reminded us just how young and emotionally immature these upcoming heroes are, and yet how much responsibility is weighing on their shoulders. With such an important milestone for a character like Bakugo, the voice acting in this episode was critical. Clifford Chapin gave an extremely raw and powerful performance that truly echoed Bakugo's pain; a performance that exceeded expectations of even those who don't normally give dubs a try. It was real, emotionally-charged, and could be considered a landmark for just how far english dubs have come.

"Clifford Chapin (Katsuki Bakugo)" by Katherine (My Hero Academia)

My Hero Academia fans sure are spoiled with a fantastic same-day English simuldub in addition to everything we already love about the series! With great casting overall by ADR Director Colleen Clinkenbeard, Chapin's take on Bakugo is one of the highlights. He's consistently been such a natural fit for the role that I can't imagine anyone else voicing him, and always seems to give 110%. Season 3 has been no exception with some key moments to really shine, including a fan-favorite emotional confrontation. His vocal cords would probably disagree, but I'm definitely glad he's a part of one of my favorite anime from 2018.

BEST OPENING SEQUENCE

"Fighting Gold - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure" by Loon (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)

"Fighting Gold" is an intro I was honestly excited for long before it was even announce. I may be slightly biased as a manga fan and long time Jojo fan but in all honesty "Fighting Gold" is really a masterpiece in my opinion. It highlights the series so well with plenty of hidden spoilers as most Jojo intros have had before it telling the story perfectly if you break it down. It is an intro I will honestly never try to skip to get to the anime itself faster.

BEST DIRECTOR

"Akira Amemiya - SSSS.Gridman" BY Katherine (SSSS. Gridman)

I would not be surprised to see SSSS.Gridman represented in quite a few categories this year, but its direction is where the show truly shines as one of the best of 2018. Akira Amemiya and Studio Trigger juxtapose the understated, day-to-day activities of our heroes with glorious, city-destroying kaiju battles without ever being jarring. However, that doesn't mean the former is only viewed though a mundane lens while the latter are just beautiful hype machines. Character moments have just as much flair as any fight with dynamic framing, art, and sound design, while tokusatsu battles are given so much attention to detail with how the kaiju move to pay homage to the live-action shows the team grew up with. Amemiya has a confident sense of visual language, and it shows every episode. SSSS.Gridman is subtle when it needs to be and bombastic when it wants to be, which is not an easy task to pull off.

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dazais-guardian-angel · 5 years

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A lot of thoughts about All Might, Izuku Midoriya, and My Hero Academia’s themes of empowerment and hope

So a few months ago I finally jumped on the infamous My Hero Academia bandwagon, and I’m finally getting around to talking about what it is about this series that has me so utterly captivated and emotional beyond belief, something I’ve wanted to discuss for a while now. MHA does a lot of things right, and at the same time, some things wrong, I can’t deny, (and man, I wish it didn’t do some of those things... alas), but there is one aspect of it in particular it (that expands into a few different things) that affects me more than anything else, that I wasn’t expecting at all when I first walked into it... something so special to me purely because of how so few other series focus on topics like these, and so beautifully and profoundly.

Below I’ll go into what I believe is MHA’s biggest strength, what makes it stand out from other shounen series, that resonates with me and so many others so deeply. This post is super long and rambling, with way too many pictures, and all of this has been said before by others, but hey, this is really damn important to me so I need to cry about it myself in-depth okay. Hopefully this all makes sense? lmao. Oh and lots of spoilers ahead.

It all has to do with our two main characters, and how they embody and exemplify more than anyone else the themes at the heart of the series:

First off, the main point: All Might is a disabled superhero.

I haven’t read/watched a ton, at least compared to many others, but I’m still confident in saying that, like other marginalized groups, finding disabled characters in media, main ones that are handled well, and don’t have their disabilities magically cured or made irrelevant somehow, is really fucking rare. And even in these cases, the disability is usually something such as blindness, deafness, muteness, an inability to walk, or lack of limbs. Which by no means am I saying that it isn’t important to represent those disabilities as well, far from it (I want more characters in wheelchairs, god dammit); I’m only saying that there’s even less chance of seeing more complicated disabilities, ones that might not be obvious from the outside, or on the flip side, ones that are very obvious on the outside (to the point that they might seem “unsightly”, disabilities that writers, especially in Hollywood, wouldn’t be eager to want to attempt properly, unfortunately), because of that.

All Might is arguably the secondary main character in the series, and he has a very specific set of issues due to the injury he received in the past: the blow to his torso meant they had to take out his stomach, much of his lungs were mangled and destroyed, and he had to have many successive surgeries just to get to a stable point, all of which left as emaciated as he is, and with a massive, ugly, bruised scar that caves inward like an impact crater, which looks like it hurts like hell. Losing his stomach means getting enough nutrition is virtually impossible for him (since he doesn’t have the time nor the discipline to eat as regularly as he needs to), making him even more dangerously skinny, and losing so much of his lungs wreaks havoc on his stamina and breathing, as well as causes him to cough blood on a regular basis.

...and All Might is the strongest superhero in the MHA universe, while still having all of these problems.

Now I won’t say that this is the absolute pinnacle of disability representation or anything, absolutely no way; All Might’s blood coughing is used for comedic effect, which I wish weren’t the case (though that happened the most near the beginning of the series; you don’t really see it anymore), and it would honestly be really nice if his disabilities were made more of a focus/point in the normal, mundane slice-of-life parts of the story, instead of just when the plot demands for it to be relevant, which so far has only been in the USJ arc, the Kamino Ward arc, and I suppose you could argue with the reveal of his death prophecy in chapter 131; it would be really amazing to see the other characters helping him when he needs it, and to see him using medical technology, even. Fanfiction is a blessing that I am eternally grateful for for doing this, but it’s not a replacement for canon. However, having said all that, it is incredible, something that I cannot even put into words how thankful I am, that Horikoshi has done even this much. All Might is not only the strongest of the strong, but he is simultaneously weak and sickly as well, he is both, and the best part of this is that when his “weak” side is revealed to Izuku, and later on everyone else, no one considers that part of him “lesser” or “inferior”: he is still strong, he is still “All Might”, to them, no matter what he looks like, and no matter what he can do.

In essence, having this in a Superman character is genius, because heroes are meant to be inspirations, beacons of hope, people who the characters, and the audience, watch, and are able to think “I can be strong and do good like them, too”, and one of MHA’s main themes is that heroes are heroes ultimately not because of what physical strength they possess, but because of their hearts... so how reassuring, how inspiring, how perfect is it for the top hero to actually be so ordinary, so human, underneath all the bravado and physical strength? Someone who is not some godlike entity on another level entirely, impossible to reach, but simply someone as normal as anyone else, filled with nothing but kindness and an entirely selfless earnestness to help the world, who worked as hard as he could to reach where he did, even despite all odds, despite everything he endured... someone that almost anyone can relate to, and feel like they can become. That is why everyone continues to love All Might no matter what he looks like and what he can or cannot do, and to have someone with so many physical disabilities be so beloved and considered so strong in the story?

That is powerful. That is the kind of character so many more stories need, who, again, people like myself can relate to, both in feelings of weakness and frailty and insecurity, but also in feelings of inner (and outer) strength and motivation and confidence, too. All Might is disabled: that’s just a fact of him, he is never going to ever recover any more, and no one faults him for his disabilities or treats him differently or delicately for it, except for Aizawa a couple times (out of concern). And I love him for it, because I can see my disabilities in him, I can easily picture him going through so many of the hells I’ve been through throughout my life, and god I’m just so emotional to have All Might. I was sobbing during the Kamino Ward All for One fight, seeing All Might be allowed to fight and WIN in his non-powered up, weak form, seeing everyone cheering him on because they held unwavering faith in him no matter what he looked like, to the very end. You never truly understand how important representation is until you are given some, finally. Could there be more to it? Yes, absolutely, and I wish there was. But it’s so wonderful to have a character like this at all, who is an endless sandbox of headcanons and art and fics, all of which are very likely based on what canon does tell us about All Might. It’s just... so nice to simply have a character like him there, shown positively. Thank you, Horikoshi.

However, it goes beyond just All Might; there is the other half of this representation (and relationship), as well:

In MHA’s universe, being quirkless is likened to having a disability; only 20% of the population do not have quirks, and being in that percent is considered strange, a tier below so-called “normal” people, and something to pity and sympathize, if the adults and kids around Izuku in his middle school years are any indication. It’s bad enough knowing that actual disabilities are often treated this way (All Might doesn’t want anyone to see his true body, out of shame, guilt, and fear that people will worry about his ability to continue helping them, even though he is the most beloved and strongest hero of all time, and proves for six entire years with these injuries that he can still work!), but the fact that this then happens to people without inhuman superpowers, something that no one had and wasn’t at all a part of society and everyday life generations ago, that not being cool (basically) will get you looked down upon too, is awful to think about. But that’s the situation Izuku is put in, and it’s because of this specifically that All Might has such an incredible impact on him: that is, not just because of what he does for him, and how he starts off admiring him from a young age, but also because of All Might himself (I’ll get to this).

Izuku admires and tries to emulate All Might as a child, dreams of becoming him when he gets older, just like any kid would; like many children probably did with All Might. But once he’s told that he won’t develop a quirk, clinging to that dream, clinging to All Might, becomes even more fervent and desperate and necessary and important, no matter how impossibly out of reach now All Might’s level may seem, no matter how foolish it is and how deep in denial he goes, because believing that he can become as great a hero as him, believing his heartfelt and motivational words and actions on TV, is all Izuku has to keep his spirits up, to still have any hope. Everyone around him loses faith in him ever becoming someone great, becoming as strong as others with powerful quirks will become, even someone with a pointless quirk means more in society’s eyes than someone like Izuku (ableist much??? ugh) but Izuku continues trying to shoot for his dream, though he has no idea how besides researching other quirks, refuses to give up on himself, despite the pitying, despite the constant, horrendous bullying (bullying that is, again, essentially the way a disabled person would be bullied for having a disability. Think about that. why is Bakugou painted as so forgivable in the narrative again), and I really do believe All Might’s existence for all those years before he met him was the only real reason for that. Izuku is stubborn, but it’s clear at the beginning of the series how badly everything has affected his confidence and self-esteem... if he had never met All Might, it haunts me to think about when Bakugou’s suicidal taunts might have finally pushed him over the edge, possibly literally.

But then, he does meet his hero. And who is it that he finds?

A depressed, broken, and unhealthy man, the complete opposite from the person he had known and looked up to and clung to all his life, who tells him that his heroic smile is no longer real, but rather a mask, and that Izuku should face reality: he can’t become a hero without a quirk.

Now, initially, of course, this utterly devastates Izuku, and one can’t blame him. He reacts exactly as All Might believes anyone would act if they saw his true form, true self, and then his hero rolls with the unpleasant mood and makes it worse, and deals the killing blow and shoots down his eternal dream, the scraps of hopes he’d been clinging to. And hearing it from the man himself, someone who is literally in the same situation Izuku is in, essentially, forces him to give up entirely, because if All Might says he can’t do it, then that’s the end of it, isn’t it? No more lying to himself, after this... not after his hero has basically just told him that everything he projects to everyone is a lie. All Might is the best of the best, and yet, still, he ended up like this, so how on Earth can Izuku think he can do even a FRACTION of what the number one hero has done, with no power at all, and come out of it alive??

All Might is depressed, and weak, and powerless (despite having so much power), just like Izuku is, but he has no inspiring words of comfort about pushing past boundaries or defying odds and expectations, because he doesn’t see himself as anything inspiring, anyone to shoot for, not like he is, doesn’t want anyone emulating him and getting themselves hurt like he is, and he’s not going to be cruel to someone and tell them that they can do things they won’t be able to just to make them feel better; he knows the harsh reality better than anyone. He doesn’t intend to hurt Izuku on purpose, he’s only trying to keep him from doing something reckless that will get him hurt (oh the irony, minutes later), and in his depression and self-loathing and guilt, he’s forgotten how he originally felt when he wanted to become a hero, way back when, the same way Izuku feels... he has lost all hope himself, so of course he has none to give to Izuku, someone sitting squarely in his similar, currently-hopeless position.

In short, all of Izuku’s insecurities and fears are confirmed by that first encounter, which is like looking into a mirror, (and, again, that is heartbreaking, for that to happen with All Might, of all people) and at that point, he’s ready to give up.

But then, the sludge attack happens soon after, and everything changes completely when they meet again.

My Hero Academia’s most beautiful and unique quality to me is how overwhelmingly hopeful and uplifting it is, the message it carries of realizing that you can achieve your dreams, in some way, in some form, no matter how out of reach they may seem and no matter how insignificant and lost you may feel; it is so positive and moving, heartfelt and sincere, wholesome, in everything that happens in it, even when “bad” things happen, compared to many animanga nowadays that steep themselves in darkness and depression (not to say they’re not good, of course I love many of them, but it’s still true), and that’s why it’s so incredibly refreshing and so beloved, I think, despite how very simple the story is. And all of that starts right here, in this scene where Izuku is first told that he can become a hero, that is probably one of the most iconic scenes in the entire series, if not the most iconic.

People like Izuku need to be given hope, encouragement, to know that they’re believed in, that there can be opportunities out there for them; on a most basic level, they need to be treated with normalcy and positivity, just like anyone else would be treated. Lying and giving false hope to unreasonable levels isn’t right, but neither is wallowing in and validating the utter misery, sorrow, and hopelessness the person is feeling, which is exactly what Izuku’s mother does; she doesn’t mean to hurt him, she’s still a good mother, but ultimately she does, unfortunately (especially when added to the school bullying that no one makes any attempt to stop, least of all Izuku himself, his self-esteem as low as it is). At the end of this scene, All Might offers to give Izuku his quirk, and the thing is that you can definitely say this is, in essence, Izuku’s disability being done away with, and I’m not going to say you’re wrong; I, too, was initially disappointed, because I had hoped that this was going to be a story of Izuku becoming a hero without a quirk, cliche as it might be (ideally with the support gear introduced later in the series that I didn’t yet know existed). What makes it more tolerable, though, is knowing that he doesn’t end up recieving One For All for a very long time after this, and even when he DOES get it, he has to work so, painstakingly hard to fine-tune it over the course of the series (reaching only All Might’s level will take him years, I imagine), harder than anyone else who had a quirk from an early age, to even reach a state where he can use it without breaking his body. But getting back to the point I’m trying to make: the focus of this scene is not on Izuku being offered a quirk (because, again, it hasn’t happened yet), but rather simply on the words All Might says to him. In this very moment, what impacts Izuku so strongly is being told that he can become a hero.

Simply those five words. That is all Izuku wants, what he needs more than any actual power itself. What he has been wanting someone to tell him for years upon years, to simply believe in him.

And this is where I’m extrapolating some, but I think that All Might’s condition/situation also has a hand in causing Izuku to react so emotionally to this: previously, All Might’s secret was devastating to him, coupled with his hero rejecting his hopes and exposing nothing but a bleak, harsh reality to him, with no hesitation at all, but here, when All Might completely turns around, inspired by Izuku’s actions and remembering that strength does not make the hero, but heart (”remembers his origins”, as it were), and finally tells him what he’s been craving from someone for so long, it is so much more powerful that it’s coming from All Might in his normal, human, sickly body, and not the heroic one everyone else sees. The “heroic” form of All Might might give off more confidence (especially in his own mind), but that is also the version of him that seems so much more impossible to reach, that seems so untouchable and as far away from the current Izuku as a hero can get, and not to mention is the version of All Might that is “fake”, that he doesn’t consider truly him, and able to convey his most genuine feelings; instead, All Might chooses to give Izuku his offer not as the beautiful hero the boy has idolized all his life (that, to him, is the only version of him he’d recognize, and like, especially since his normal form is the one that, just hours ago, told Izuku to give up), but as himself, as Toshinori, in all his weak, flawed, normal humanity, and it speaks volumes that Izuku is still so incredibly moved, so happy, to hear these words from this All Might that is so different from the one he’s always known. To other kids who have quirks already, powerful or not, they can easily look to the All Might that the world sees and be inspired by him (see: Bakugou), just like Izuku did all his life, be inspired by the power of that All Might, but this new All Might becomes infinitely more relatable to Izuku, just like a child in a hospital, who can look at Toshinori’s character (heart) and body instead, that is so strong despite being so frail at the same time, and can think “If he can do everything he does like he is, then maybe even I can, too.” And what makes it even more poignant to me is knowing that, ultimately, Toshinori essentially tells Izuku what he himself has been wanting someone to reassure him of for the past five years, too; he not only sees the younger, quirkless him in the boy, but also sees the him of now, who has been losing hope and confidence rapidly under crippling weakness for years, and hasn’t had anyone to convince him that he still matters and can do good for the world.

There’s a post I’ve seen that talks about the advice “never meet your heroes, because they’re sure to disappoint you” and how this ends up being subverted when Izuku meets All Might, and it’s absolutely true. What’s so beautiful is that meeting All Might, and seeing all of his many, many flaws, actually causes him to admire him more instead of less. Everything that Toshinori despises about himself, feels guilty over, are what leads to Izuku having an even greater amount of respect for him than ever before, knowing the human side of him, the person beneath the hero; his strength despite his physical ailments is already something Izuku is moved by, but then later finding out that All Might, too, started out quirkless, just like him, causes him to feel even closer to him, and more hopeful that he can become a great hero. He no longer remains simply a fanboy of All Might, but rather, someone who intimately cares about him as a human, as his savior, as his teacher, as his father figure, and finds so much in common with him. The “buff” All Might is everyone else’s All Might, but Toshinori is Izuku’s All Might, the person who told him he could become a hero, the person who shared his heroic spirit and dreams and lack of a quirk as a kid just like him, the person who is reckless just like him, and caring and strong (yet weak) and everything Izuku is and aspires to be. Izuku knows for the entire period All Might is still able to use One For All that his time is running out, that his era is rapidly coming to an end -- and he does cry when that end finally comes, mourns for the ending of the greatest hero he has ever known and the person he looks up to more than anyone else in the world, but even when that happens, his respect and admiration for All Might still does not waver one bit. Even when he can’t fight anymore, Izuku forever considers him All Might, and he’ll never stop doing so: from the moment he tells him he can become a hero, “All Might” and “Toshinori” blend together to him, and becomes someone he eternally loves and respects all the stronger, someone he wants to make proud, someone who he never wants to stop teaching him, and being there for him. All Might starts off as a vague, figurehead idol to Izuku, an image of someone that he loves from far away, and comes to him and becomes a person, and Izuku grows to love that normal, ordinary person more than he loves any other hero. It is the best and most touching version of a “meeting your hero” story that I can think of, where their flaws are embraced, and shown positively, and empowered, adding to their best qualities instead of taking anything away.

And Izuku’s love for Toshinori is, quite literally, saving his life.

As I alluded to, after sustaining his injuries, it’s clear that Toshinori falls into a deep depression, and changes vastly from the person he was when he first started out and for most of his career. After Nana is killed by All For One, he momentarily loses himself to anger and acts selfishly over the selfless duties of a hero, and tries to murder AFO out of revenge, and nearly dies as a result. Besides the obvious ensuing terrible trauma and ptsd he would have had to deal with, and an excruciatingly long recovery period (with probably many relapses), on top of his continued grief over losing his master, not being able to work nearly as much as he could before is absolutely devastating to Toshinori. Being All Might, helping people, saving people, being a hero is what he considers his only real value, which is why he desperately and recklessly continues pushing himself to keep working for however many hours he can, even if it hurts his body, even if his “All Might” smile and jovial personality turns fake and becomes a facade only for the peoples’ sake, not something he genuinely feels anymore, because to Toshinori, if he can’t be the number one hero anymore, he is nothing.

Toshinori has never been in it for the fame or glory; from day 1, from the moment he told Nana about his idea of becoming a “symbol” for people to rely on to keep their world safe for them, so they don’t let their fear lead them into crime, he has always been incredibly humble about everything he does, and extremely self-sacrificial. Of course, a hero needs to be selfless, at least to a degree (Ochako might be doing it for personal gain, but her desire to help people is still 100% genuine, for example), but after the major turning point is his life is when Toshinori begins to take it too far. When he goes after All For One is the sole time that he loses sight of how a hero is supposed to act, and he is punished severely for it, and continues to punish himself in order to make up for his mistake and do what he believes is his necessary duty, having completely forgotten how it felt to want to be a hero, for himself, for his own dream. Being the Symbol of Peace no longer is something Toshinori feels truly passionate about, like he did in the past, but now something he does on autopilot, something that he feels like he has to continue doing just because he’s already done it for so long, been so famous and so relied on for so long, even though it’s utterly exhausting for him, exhausting on his body and exhausting on his mental state, to keep up his normal upbeat personality that everyone knows and loves, but he continues on because not being able to continue serving the people is worse than literally anything else to Toshinori. He doesn’t have anyone there to prove to him that he has value as a person, not just as a hero, let alone to tell him that it’s okay for him to finally stop and rest. As far as we know, it seems like Gran Torino and Naomasa didn’t try to dissuade him much, and though Nighteye tries, rather violently, his approach isn’t the kind that’s convincing to him, and unfortunately his revelation that Toshinori will die in five or six years if he continues working as a hero seems to backfire, and instead makes him want to continue working more instead of less; he most likely believes that he won’t be around much longer, anyway, with the state of his health, so he’s convinced that he needs to do as much as possible before accepting the inevitable end. And then, Nighteye leaves him, so Naomasa is essentially the only person to support him Toshinori has left (seriously, Nighteye, I know you care; come on!).

But this is why meeting Izuku is so important for Toshinori, as much as it is for Izuku; everything changes for him when he does. At first, all he sees in Izuku is another fanboy, trying to chase a dream that Toshinori knows very well is completely unattainable for him without any power, because of how he can do nothing, is nothing, when he runs over his time limit and can’t use his quirk anymore, and he tries to shut him down as reasonably as possible, even admitting how unfair it is (because everything about himself is unfair now, to him); he knows how he must look to a fan of his, and hates it, and doesn’t have the energy to give him any small amount of hope or comfort, because he hasn’t known what it’s like to have hope in years, so he cannot give out any in return, when to him, now, being a hero is only something that will get you hurt, get you guilt-ridden, and, for someone like Izuku, get you killed. ...But it’s when he sees Izuku in action, sees his pure, unadulterated, selfless desire to help (however foolishly), it’s like a light turns on in his mind again, because actions always speak louder than words, and Toshinori is finally, truly reminded of that feeling, that innate, original, burning desire to be a hero that he had had when he was Izuku’s age, and also quirkless, and Izuku’s passion ignites his own passion once more, after so long, and lets him see the light and inspires him to act.

And because Izuku moves him, awakens something inside him again, like this, he chooses him to be the next One For All inheritor, partly because, as I said, he sees his younger self in him, but also I think because he understands exactly how hopeless Izuku feels, and wants to do something to change that, since he can (since he believes Izuku is worthy); his own dreams have been long since crushed out of helplessness, he doesn’t want this child’s to be too, when he himself got a chance from Nana when he was just like Izuku, back then. The thing is, at first, despite the spark that Izuku initially ignited in Toshinori, he still believes that he is going to be ready to die when the fated time comes, however it may happen; he starts teaching at UA, but knows that his time with One For All is running out, and believes that once it does, or once he dies, whichever comes first, that will be the end of things, and he won’t regret it. He knows he is not a good teacher, not knowing how to help Izuku train One For All so that he doesn’t hurt himself, and he initially believes that it is simply good enough that he managed to pass on his legendary quirk before he died, the one true urgent thing he’d been worried about since he became injured.

But then, over time, Izuku starts changing him.

Slowly, without even realizing it, Toshinori is affected by Izuku’s presence, his admiration for him, his care for him even when he’s in his normal, “inferior” state. He begins to be reminded again, truly, of what it means to be a hero, why he does what he does, why he loved it, and grows to again find value, importance, confidence, in the ideals he created for himself all those years ago, that his master encouraged him to stick to, again, and shows pride in them again, despite his “shameful” and “weak” appearance. The battle at Kamino Ward is truly the turning point for Toshinori, because he goes into it believing that his prophesied death will occur there, while taking down the person who took everything from him in the process, but it’s during that battle that he suddenly truly realizes not only what I said above, but also that it’s not enough anymore for him to simply win here, it’s not enough anymore for Izuku to solely have One For All on his own: now, All Might wants to live. He wants to live for Izuku’s sake, to be there for him and support him and care for him, and for his own sake as well, because Izuku has become more than just his successor to him. He wants to live, wants to defy his fate, he refuses to die, and tells his sworn enemy as much, multiple times, has a true will to live that Toshinori has not felt so strongly ever since his injury, and it’s thanks to his students, his fellow teachers, but more than anything else, Izuku. Because Izuku never takes advantage of him, never takes him for granted, never scorns him, never makes him feel as weak as Toshinori always felt; Izuku looks at him as if he’s the sun in the sky, he respects him, trusts and wants his guidance, he loves him, and in the same way that Toshinori empowered him on that day by telling him he could become a hero, Izuku gives strength to him right back, every single day, simply by being with him, and letting him know how much he needs him, how much he can do for him.

yeah I just wanted an excuse to put these panels cause they fucking kill me bye Just as much as Toshinori no longer wants to accept death, is determined to fight against it, Izuku is determined to stand by his side and make sure he succeeds in that, by helping him and protecting him however he can. No matter how many years pass, and how much stronger Izuku becomes, and how much weaker and more “unneeded” for his training and guidance Toshinori becomes, Izuku will never, ever, ever give up on him, or stop wanting him and believing in him. It is for Izuku’s sake that Toshinori has come as far as he has, not just mentally and emotionally, but even physically: he’s making a conscious effort to wear clothes that fit him now (obviously, now he can, without his quirk, but I think it says something that he’s made the change at all, since he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t wish to), and he’s trying to get in shape as much as is possible for him; anything he can do to extend his lifespan even a little bit more, for Izuku, something he didn’t care about at all before meeting him.

And of course he doesn’t want to simply live; he tries to make a conscious effort to become a better teacher, that Izuku desperately needs, even though Toshinori knows he’s not good at it. He realizes how important it is that Izuku stop injuring himself, stop being so recklessly heroic, lest he get himself into a deadly situation just like he did six years ago (something that Toshinori had to have thought about initially, when he first turned Izuku down that day, but since became ignorant of after giving him One For All and not knowing at all how to handle the teaching/mentoring side of things), and implores Izuku’s mother to let him continue teaching him and helping him become a hero, not only because of how deeply he’s come to care about the boy, but because of how much he genuinely believes he can achieve his dream, and how much he wants to make sure things go right with him, after everything in his own life went so horribly, depressingly wrong. Wants to make sure that he doesn’t lose his precious mentor, his source of guidance, the way Toshinori did, doesn’t want him to have to struggle alone, wants to make sure he can have someone to share his feelings with, someone to lean on, so he never has to hide anything, someone he can get everything he needs from, because Toshinori, as the number one hero, has been through it all. Toshinori wants to pour his all into Izuku, protect him, raise him, lift him up, as his successor and who is basically like a son to him, after everything Izuku has given him in return, after he has done nothing but save him the entire time they’ve known each other.

And that’s ultimately the core of their relationship, in the end: two people who saved each other, are still saving each other, in the most poignant and moving of ways. Both of them acknowledge somehow that the other being there is what kept them going. For Toshinori, I most certainly believe Izuku is why he is still alive today, and I honestly believe the same for Izuku as well. Without All Might, Izuku would not have made it through the bullying, and the pitying, and the loneliness and despair, and without Toshinori, he wouldn’t have been blessed with the gift he’s been given, wouldn’t be able to being living out his dream and trying to achieve it, wouldn’t have found friends, best friends, people to talk to, happiness, encouragement, support, strength, and above all, a father figure who he adores almost as much as his mother. Without Izuku, Toshinori wouldn’t have been given someone to guide, and nurture, and protect and want to see grow, wouldn’t, I believe, have had the same relationships with the teachers and students at UA, wouldn’t have been given a family, a son, a reason after he lost One For All to keep getting himself out of bed every day and keep living. Izuku and All Might parallel each other in so many beautiful ways: both of them begin quirkless, but hopeful, with strong ideals, a desire to do good, and kind and earnest hearts, and eventually they lose their way, Izuku gradually and hesitantly, and All Might drastically, devastatingly, and messily, agonizingly and bleakly, though both of them retain their kindness despite their internal despair, and then they meet each other and... save each other, become each other’s world, give each other so much. They both look past what they consider to be their weaknesses, and see the beauty and potential in each other, and bring out the best in each other, make each other happy.

More than anything else, All Might must live to the end of the series. He must. At the beginning, he started off depressed, dying, and ready to die, but now he is hopeful, still weak, still disabled, still dying, in a way, but trying so damn hard to live, and he deserves it so much. His arc is all about him doing everything he can to make sure that happens; he “should” have died at Kamino Ward, if this were any other series, he would have, but he didn’t, because he knew Izuku needed him, just like he needs Izuku. I want him to live, I want him to age, and become old and grey, and to need more help and need technology to help him (give him a cane, give him a wheelchair, give him oxygen, give him everything), but still be alive, alive to see Izuku become a great hero just like he always knew he would be, alive to see him graduate and get married and have children, and see that for all his other students too. I want him to live, for himself, for Izuku, and for everyone in the audience who he touches, just like he does to me. I see myself in Izuku, in his emotional state and his insecurities and his tears and his uncertainty about what he can accomplish, and I see myself in All Might, in his body (so much of his body) and his pain and his frustration and his shame and his insecurities. Both of them represent what it feels like to be disabled, in different ways, literally and figuratively, and being shown that you still matter, that you’re still important and can do so much greatness, and are given the opportunity to do so, to go beyond.

That is why All Might and Izuku matter, why My Hero Academia’s hopeful, uplifting, and inspirational outlook matters. The two of them are each other’s heroes, not because of any grand spectacle, but because they made each other feel needed, important, and strong when no one else was there to give that to them, at their lowest points. That’s why they are, to me, one of the absolute best mentor/mentee relationships in anime and manga, ever.

All Might will always be there for Izuku in some shape or form... but please, Horikoshi, from the bottom of my heart, let him live. He’s still important, always will be. Don’t let him fade into irrelevance. Don’t let him die.

Izuku needs him. I do, too.

(and let him wear this outfit in canon, it’s so badass; look at those oxygen tanks! SO MUCH POTENTIAL)

“Between my inferior self, and the world that surrounds me, I form an image and try to grasp it, but it feels so far away.

That endlessly expanding sky held no clear destination, so I started to feel scared. But no matter how many times I stumbled, you were right there, smiling.”

- “Heroes” by Brian The Sun

“And when it gets too hard, and nothing seems to work, I think about the reason why you kept pushing forward. I’m meant to be the savior but you saved me instead, I tried to hold your hand but you just held me in the end.

But then what’s left for me? With no one else around, I’m stuck here with the guilt that I can’t be left alone now. But keep looking ahead because you know that you should, and don’t be sad it changed, because I’m happy that it could!

And when I feel like giving up and doubting myself, I think of every letdown, the pain that I felt. But the things that I have lost are now the weapons I wield, each one of them a flower that is always concealed.”

- “Long Hope Philia” by Masaki Suda

#personal posts #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #my hero academia spoilers #toshinori yagi #all might #izuku midoriya #meta #i've been wanting to write this for the LONGEST FUCKING TIME #ever since I finished the anime #and especially after having seen those few arts and discussions out there from people who relate to All Might on a personal level like I do #I see you all and I love you #you're all so valid #I held off writing this till I read the manga though and I'm glad I did #it's not the most eloquent of posts but here it is lmao #i fucking love these two with all of my goddamn heart and soul #they are the ultimate heroes #the ultimate mentor and student #the ultimate father and son #im constantly crying over them; they mean the WORLD to me #not just because of how much i DIIIIIIIIIIIE for found family and father/son relationships like this #but because of DISABILITY #REPRESENTATION #please let them get the happy ending they deserve #please let All Might get it #please horikoshi im literally begging you to end this right.... how you started it #Toshinori has fallen on the popularity poll and he needs to gET BACK THE FUCK UP THERE #HIS 👏 IMPORTANCE 👏 NEVER 👏 DIES #ALL MIGHT NEVER DIES

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