#bnha 409 spoilers

[is-bakugou-alive-yet]

Katsuki was born elderly

[marimeeko]

Izuku is 100 yards away slack-jawed and watching in awe as his Kacchan gives AFO the beat down that he has deserved for hundreds of years, and Shigaraki just sitting there trapped in black whip like "k, I can tell you're gonna need a minute" and accepting his lot in this fight

[commander-revan]

So, uh, idk if Bakugo is going to end up keeping that arm. I don't think it should bend that way...

Horikoshi obviously loves Star Wars, and I feel like he might outdo Lucas in how many characters lose limbs in a franchise, depending on how this keeps going. Especially since not all of the battles are wrapped up yet.

Shoto may be the Hand-Crusher, but Horikoshi is the Limb-Taker.

[chandralia]

Katsuki dropping the equivalent of a “I’ll treat you right Izuku” shkfhdkdhdj

[fan-of-chaos]

Not Hawks being funniest motherfucker ever and holding a fan meeting in someone else's soul XDDD

[tinyshinysylveon]

AAAAAAA IT’S BABY KACCHAN!!

[ratretro]

Kacchan really out here thinking about Deku while on his way to give an eldritch abomination a beat down

[dynamightmite]

Incredible that all of the babies Horikoshi draws are ugly in the real way. Like yeah that IS what a baby looks like. Horrible. Terrible little man.

[legendoftherisingtide]

I will probably write a whole essay about this later but,,

The fact AFO is attacking Bakugou with the language Bakugou would use to demean people. The way that the downfall of AFO would be the very attributes that Bakugou had to relinquish in order to beat him. The way that he is not only fighting the big bad but is also fighting his past. The way he is again sacrificing his everything to win and for Midoriya. The way he is hearing that he is an extra, that he is a nobody, all of the things he has told everyone else, and has not only accepted it but is embracing it: He is here to support Midoriya, he is the one who needs to get out of Midoriya's way, he is not the main character of this story. And he has wholeheartedly embraced that.

He has not only taken the hand of others and realized he can't do it alone but has found the strength in doing so.

He has learned that the world doesn't revolve around him. He has learned that he needs to know when to get out of someone's way.

But not for AFO. Bakugou will still never back down from a fight. He still will go down swinging. He will not move out of the way when it comes to an enemy.

But he has realized Midoriya isn't an enemy. Izuku never was.

[spinji]

All for One calling Bakugou an extra while Katsuki internally and calmly swears to never pick on Izuku again. This is fucking cinema.

[mettywiththenotes]

The current state of the battlefield, to me

[transhawks]

In all seriousness, Keigo has "fulfilled" his mission here. He got inside of the League (AFO) and essentially tore it down from the inside (rallied all the other vestiges to fight against AFO). He has, in essence, become the perfect mole because All For One, in his hubris, actually *put him inside himself*, leading to this.

[socalledsomethingorother]

this looks like afo reacting to katsuki with a facecam

[is-bakugou-alive-yet]

His arm is just hanging there

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 409: Bro I’m Straight Up Having a Good Time

Previously on BnHA: AFO murdered his brother like the mischievous knave he is. Bruce was all, “hey Kudou don’t look now but I think Yoichi might have given you his secret quirk that we didn’t know he had.” Kudou was all, “damn that’s wild, it almost feels like this is a pivotal moment that will change all our destinies forever, you’d think Horikoshi would have spent just a little more time elaborating on this but I GUESS NOT.” Back in the present day, AFO was all, “I’m just going to use all my quirks at once because fuck this kid,” and Katsuki was all, “lol oh shit.”

Today on BnHA: Kacchan is all, “okay, I know I should be hopelessly outclassed, but hear me out: what if I just win anyway. What if I just go ahead and blow his shit up, because this is the final battle, and this is what all of my character development has been building up to since day one. What if I just beat him, because I’m the guy who wins. Simple as that. What if I just kick his ass with my one quirk, and prove all the haters wrong.” Horikoshi is all, “okay, sure.” AFO is all, “wait, wha -- ”

oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my g

huh. well I wasn’t expecting to start tearing up less than two panels into this chapter but HERE WE ARE

I love that he’s screaming and crying with his balled up little fist right from the get go lol. he was born a pissed off baby

he’s so squishy

and so tiny!!!!?!?! !?!??!?!

and he was RAISED WITH LOVE. fucking thank you, lol. gonna print that out and frame it on my wall. turn it into a flashing neon sign to give me comfort any time I stumble across stray Mitsuki discourse lol

anyway. oh my goodness. if this is a sign of things to come, there’s a very strong possibility this chapter may destroy me. how exciting!!

yep. yep yep yep. this is for sure going to be the chapter that finally does me in. it’s been a great ride folks

you better not be thinking any thoughts about dying, young man. this had better be meant in the sense of “because I’ll be by your side supporting you instead”, as opposed to “because I will be a little pile of dust in about three seconds’ time oh shit”

(ETA: after finishing the rest of the chapter, I’m pretty sure it’s the former! the first flashback is a reference to his chapter 120 speech -- “even higher than you, Chosen One.” the second is a throwback to chapter 247, when he told Endeavor he only had his one quirk, but it was strong enough to do anything he wanted to do. and the third flashback is one he also had at Jakku when he sacrificed himself to push Izuku out of the way.

so to me, this reads like (1) a reminder of his determination to surpass Izuku and become the strongest hero; (2) foreshadowing for him defeating AFO with Explosion, the Little Quirk That Could; and (3) a reminder of his “origin.” that last one being important because nowadays it’s just as strong of a motivator as his original goal. back at the beginning of the series, all he cared about was being the strongest. now, though, he’s not just fighting for himself; he’s also fighting to atone, and he’s learned to put himself aside if necessary.

as for the dialogue, this reads like a continuation of his mental conversation with Izuku that he began in chapter 362 (“gotta win... right, Izuku?” “so, Izuku... can I still catch up to you?”), and then continued in chapter 406 (“for some reason, I feel like I could overtake you now”). so in that context, “I’ll no longer get in your way” basically means that he’s done chasing Izuku, and that he’s caught up now and can hold his own. his determination to get stronger hasn’t wavered. his confidence in his own quirk and his own skills hasn’t wavered. and his resolve to atone for everything he did to Izuku is as strong as ever. put those all together, and we have the recipe for quite a spectacular redemption fight. his follow-up to chapter 362.

because earlier when he fought Tomura/AFO, he was basically just trying to buy time. no one ever planned or expected him to have to face the Big Bad one-on-one; that was supposed to be Izuku’s job. he was only meant to be there as support. and in the end he wasn’t strong enough, and he nearly died. and rather than being able to support Izuku, he ended up being used against him.

but this time is different. he’s no longer the decoy, the distraction. he’s no longer the pebble. he won’t get in Izuku’s way, because this time he’s going to be strong enough to win the fight. he’s going to hold his own, and get the job done.

so yeah. “I won’t get in your way” = “you can depend on me”, basically. because he’s become that guy at last. the guy who shows up in the clutch and wins the day. the hero he always wanted to be. good stuff.)

OH MY GOD

once again, just really solid hero advice from All Might here. there’s a reason he’s the GOAT

lol but in all seriousness it does tug at my heart to see him shouting so desperately at this kid. especially knowing that he’s presumably feeling the same pride and awe that I am, but with a lot more heart-stopping terror mixed in because unlike me, All Might doesn’t know that Kacchan is actually going to live forever. he narrated chapter 285, All Might, have a little faith

AFO is the extra-est mfer to ever live. but also it really tickles me to think that Kacchan pissed him off THIS much. it’s kind of an honor in a way

of course his plan is to simply just blow AFO up. of fucking COURSE it is. maybe there will be brain cells later on in this chapter, but for now who even needs them lol

OH MY GOD?!?

DID THIS MOTHERFUCKER JUST BLOW THE FUCK UP FROM THE INSIDE?? am I seeing this right?? DID KACCHAN JUST SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST ALL FOR ONE WITH HIS MIND

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

(ETA: shoutout to AFO for being so analytical when I personally would have just been screaming, “OH MY GOD MY FUCKING EYEBALLS AHHHHHHHHHH.”)

THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING THOUGH!! HIS POWER WASN’T DONE AWAKENING YET, APPARENTLY??

oh no wait it’s even better. this isn’t Awakening at all, this is just Katsuki playing 5D chess

so he actually did have brain cells the whole time then! Katsuki I sincerely apologize. you somehow had the presence of mind to make a goddamn minefield even in the midst of all of this hullaballoo

AND HE’S HUMBLE TOO LMAO

it’s true!! I’m people!! please ignore the multitude of times I’ve previously called him a dumbass, including earlier in this very chapter lol

hahahahaha yesssssssss

this chapter is incredibly validating for a number of reasons. I’m going to attempt to remain calm about it. but I’m enjoying this a lot ngl

oh AFO

:D :D :D

(ETA: you know what, I actually do have more to say about this. because I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve debated with people about this very thing, lol. for a while there post-Jakku it was just constant pessimism about Kacchan’s future in the manga. all this stuff about how Katsuki doesn’t have a main villain. Katsuki isn’t important enough. Katsuki is being phased out. Katsuki isn’t strong enough. Katsuki’s done developing. Katsuki’s just a joke character now. Katsuki’s just the damsel in distress. Katsuki’s always going to be second fiddle to Izuku. etc. etc. etc.

and then this chapter -- this whole entire fight, really -- comes along, and it’s just nonstop rebuttals, lol. and it’s not just that he’s proving all the negativity wrong. it’s that he doesn’t even care about any of that. AFO is out here trying to goad him with that same “YOU’RE JUST A SIDE CHARACTER” bait, and in response Katsuki just hits him with a Howitzer and tells him to shut the fuck up. AFO thinks he can get to him by being petty, because AFO still sees him as the bratty kid from the Sports Festival. but the present day Katsuki has long since moved past all of that, and no longer gives a fuck whether or not he shares the spotlight. unlike AFO, who never lost his childish egotism, Katsuki has learned to see outside himself, and the resulting growth has made him a bigger badass than AFO could ever hope to be.)

(۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶

ouch

HAHAHAHAHA

bro I’m straight up having a good time. this recap is gonna suck this week because there’s absolutely no commentary I can think of to add other than “I’M REALLY ENJOYING THIS, THIS IS GREAT”

I want to take this entire chapter and get it tattooed on my face

sorry AFO. this must really suck for you

lmao. is that all Kacchan. tell him how you really feel

OH MY GOD NO WAY LOL

so, fun fact, I literally just read chapter 385 last night lmao. most fortunate timing I’ve ever had, holy shit

okay so lemme just add some more thoughts on this one really quick

Hawks deserves all the nice things in the world and I’m so sad I can’t give them to him, but at least he gets this. sweet sassy revenge

I am once again calling everyone’s attention to the fact that AFO continues to be his own undoing. congrats on screwing yourself over bucko

Kacchan’s sleeve ripping up Deku-style is once again making my Plus OFA Theory senses all tingly. it probably is just a coincidence and has nothing to do with OFA, but I can’t unassociate it now, so I’m just gonna sit here and read as much into it as possible

if I had a nickel for every time AFO’s eyes blew up in this chapter, I would have two nickels, and that is way too many fucking nickels jesus christ

ever since he came back from the dead, Kacchan’s been doing this thing where he is just really pretty at all times, even when he is being a gremlin. and honestly it’s taken some getting used to, although I’m not complaining

but like in this panel especially, it just really stands out to me how even his “GRYAHHH I’M GONNA KILL YA!!!” face somehow has this really cool, intense, piercing glare now and he no longer looks like a baby troll when he does this kind of thing lol

OH FUCK YEAH

୧༼✿ ͡◕ д ◕͡ ༽୨

“THERE’S NO WAY I COULD’VE WON THIS ALONE.” OMG. THAT KACCHAN CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT JUST HITS DIFFERENT EVERY DAMN TIME, I SWEAR

he and Hawks basically pulled a “you hold him and I’ll punch” lol. thanks for the assist Hawks

Mitsuki and Masaru being all, “my little baby boy!!” and “HOLY SHIT”, respectively, sent me all the way to the moon lmao

HELLO THERE YOICHI? fancy running into you here. just chilling out over in this montage of people close to Bakugou who are watching him kick ass. did you take a wrong turn, mayhap. you’re not inside of AFO, we know that much. and Deku, much as I’m sure he’d love to have a front row seat to all this, seems to have his hands full dealing with Tomura right now, sadly

so all of that does seem to raise an interesting question, no? where did you come from just now, and why? and when Kacchan says he’s not alone, is there perhaps more truth to that statement than even he knows? or am I once again just reading way too much into this lmao

anyway so yeah! that sure was fun. and with the end of the year approaching and back-to-back two-week chapter breaks coming up, I have a chance to do the funniest thing of all time, and still not manage to catch up, lol. nah but I’m gonna try my best though. pretty sure I should be able to manage

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 409 spoilers translations

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

tagline 1 愛を受けて育ち成長した少年はー… あいをうけてそだちせいちょうしたしょうねんはー… ai wo ukete sodachi seichou shita shounen wa-... A boy who grew up receiving love-...

tagline 2 No.409　"個性"‼︎爆破‼︎　堀越耕平 ナンバー409　"こせい"‼︎ばくは‼︎　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 409  "kosei"!! bakuha!!   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 409 Quirk: Explosion!!  Kouhei Horikoshi

1 俺も全部俺のモンにして上へ行く おれもぜんぶおれのモンにしてうえへいく ore mo zenbu ore no MON ni shite ue e iku "I'll make everything mine and go higher."

2 「爆破」はやりてェと思った事何でも出来る！ 「ばくは」はやりてェとおもったことなんでもできる！ 「bakuha」 wa yariteE to omotta koto nandemo dekiru! "Explosion can do anything I want!"

3 出久 いずく Izuku Izuku

4 もうおめーの邪魔はしねえ もうおめーのじゃまはしねえ mou omee no jama wa shinee I won't get in your way anymore.* (*Note: This is a sentence that could have many potential translations: "I won't get in your way anymore," "I won't hold you back anymore," "I won't be a hindrance to you anymore," etc.)

1 避けろ少年!!! よけろしょうねん!!! yokero shounen!!! "Dodge, young man!!!"

2 頼む たのむ tanomu I'm counting on you,* (*Note: This word literally means "to ask, to rely on, to request," but when spoken like this, it's usually a manly way to say "please".)

3 爆ぜろ はぜろ hazero burst.* (*Note: This word means "burst open" or "pop," but in this context it clearly means something like "explode" too.)

爆ぜろ はぜろ hazero "Burst!"

1 何だ⁉︎奴は今何の挙動も見せていなかった筈！ なんだ⁉︎やつはいまなんのきょどうもみせていなかったはず！ nanda!? yatsu wa ima nan no kyodou mo misete inakatta hazu! What!? He certainly wasn't showing any behavior* just now! (*Note: Literally the phrase written is "he wasn't showing any behavior," but they mean "he didn't move or seem to do anything to cause this.")

2 雨で威力落ちっからよぉ あめでいりょくおちっからよぉ ame de iryoku ochi kkara yoo "With the rain, their power will reduce, so"

3 "コーティング"して飛ばしといた！ "コーティング"してとばしといた！ "KOOTINGU" shite tobashi toita! "I applied a coating and hurled them away!"

4 爆発する汗粒を普通の汗粒でな！誘爆せず飛ばせて ばくはつするあせつぶをふつうのあせつぶでな！ゆうばくせずとばせて bakuhatsu suru asetsubu wo futuu no asetsubu de na! yuubaku sezu tobasete "[I coated them] with normal drops of sweat instead of exploding drops of sweat!

5 時間差で混ざって他の刺激で起爆できっかなって！ じかんさでまざってほかのしげきできばくできっかなって！ jikansa de mazatte hoka no shigeki de kibaku de kikka natte! "I guess the time lag caused them to mix and detonate by some other stimulus!"

1 あの時‼︎僕の口の中に⁉︎ あのとき‼︎ぼくのくちのなかに⁉︎ ano toki!! boku no kuchi no naka ni!? At that time!! Inside my mouth!?

2 あの土壇場で!⁉︎ あのどたんばで!⁉︎ ano dotanba de!!? At that last minute!!?

3-4 センスだけは褒められてきたンでね センスだけはほめられてきたンでね SENSU dake wa homerarete kitaNde ne "I've been praised for only my good sense."

5 "個性"は一つで充分すわ‼︎ "こせい"はひとつでじゅうぶんすわ‼︎ "kosei" wa hitotsu de juubun su wa!! "As for quirks, my one is enough!!"

6 奴はダメージを負うと身体が若返っていく！わかるな⁉︎ やつはダメージをおうとからだがわかがえっていく！わかるな⁉︎ yatsu wa DAMEEJI wo ou to karada ga wakagaette iku! wakaru na!? When he takes damage, his body gets younger! Understand!?

7 ダメージで力が乱れたもう一度放出をーー ダメージでちからがみだれたもういちどほうじゅつをーー DAMEEJI de chikara ga midareta mou ichido houjutsu wo-- With the damage, his power is in disarray. Release it one more time--

8 これは…僕の物語だ…‼︎ これは…ぼくのものがたりだ…‼︎ kore wa...boku no monogatari da...!! "This...is my story...!!"

9 どけ doke "Out of the way,"

10 モブがああ MOBU gaaa "you extraaa!"

1 ハウザー HAUZAA Howitzer

2 インパクト!!! INPAKUTO!!! Impact!!!

3 〜〜っ……‼︎ ~~......!! "~~gh......!!"

1 んだらあああ!!!!!!! ndaraaaa!!!!!!! "JUUUUST!!!!!!!"

1 うぅぅるっせええェえええええ uuurusseeeEeeeee "SHUUUUUUUUUT"

1 えンんだよォオォオオオオオオおおおお!!! eNnda yoOOOOOOOOOoooo!!! "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!"

1 おかしい！因子の結合が上手くいかない おかしい！いんしのけつごうがうまくいかない okashii! inshi no ketsugou ga umaku ikanai It's strange! My combination of factors doesn't work well.

2 こんな爆破ごときで崩れるなどありえん！ こんなばくはごときでくずれるなどありえん！ konna bakuha gotoki de kuzureru nado arien! There's no way it would collapse from such an explosion!

3 身体が幼く脆くなったせいか⁉︎ からだがおさなくもろくなったせいか⁉︎ karada ga osanaku moroku natta sei ka!? Is it because my body has become young and fragile!?

4 "負の感情"に振り回されて"支配権"が弱まってんスよ "ふのかんじょう"にふりまわされて"しはいけん"がよわまってんスよ "fu no kanjou" ni furimawasarete "shihaiken" ga yowamattenSU yo "You're being swayed by negative emotions and your 'authority' is weakening."

5 だから dakara "That's why"

6 俺のファンミ※会場にされちゃうワケですわ おれのファンミ※かいじょうにされちゃうワケですわ ore no FANMI※ kaijou ni sarechau WAKE desu wa "I'm using you as a venue for my FanMe※."

small text ※ファンミーティング ※FAN MIITINGU ※Fan Meeting

7 "死柄木"に呑まれたな "しがらき"にのまれたな "Shigaraki" ni nomareta na "You got swallowed by Shigaraki, eh?"

8 これは俺たちの これはおれたちの kore wa ore-tachi no "This is our"

9 物語だ!!! ものがたりだ!!! monogatari da!!! "story!!!"

tagline その妄執に終止符をーー積み重ね、繋がれた一撃‼︎ そのもうしゅうにしゅうしふをーーつみかさね、つながれたいちげき‼︎ sono moushuu ni shuushifu wo-- tsumikasane, tsunagareta ichigeki!! Put an end to that delusion--a layered, single blow lands!!

1-2 皆が少しずつ与えてきたダメージと苛立ちが… みんながすこしずつあたえてきたダメージといらだちが… minna ga sukoshi zutsu ataete kita DAMEEJI to iradachi ga... The damage and frustration everyone has caused little by little...

3 ついにーー‼︎ tsui ni--!! finally--!!

4 AFO オール・フォー・ワン OORU FOO WAN All For One,

5 あ… a... "Ah..."

6 が… ga... "Gah..."

7 今度こそ こんどこそ kondo koso this time, for sure.* (*Note: This phrase emphasizes that "this time" is different, "this time" is certain. The implication is that "this time AFO has been defeated for real.")

8 俺一人で…勝てるワケねーーンだよ おれひろりで…かてるワケねーーンだよ ore hitori de...kateru WAKE neeeNda yo "By myself...there's no way I could win." (Note: This is the completed version of the last line from the previous chapter, the line with the unclear meaning of who it was exactly Katsuki was calling an idiot who couldn't win.)