#this katsuki analysis was >>>

[dekusleftsock]

I think about this sometimes but I personally love that Horikoshi took the Yandere trope, split it in two, and gave one half to Izuku and Himiko.

Like it’s so fascinating how you can just SEE how purposeful Himiko was as a character in hindsight standing next to him.

Himiko is a really interesting subversion of her trope for two reasons:

She hurts people because she loves them, not for isolation or destruction of the competition (gore/blood is love to her, not necessarily a means to love someone)

She’s not possessive. Like at all.

I’ve seen that hc a few times and it always bothers me. Ochako is for sure a possessive character (we saw that with Hatsume around Izuku way back at the sports festival arc), but Himiko? Really?

You mean the girl who had a crush on a boy AND the girl who also had a crush on the same boy? Her?

You mean the girl who doesn’t hurt people who love who she loves, rather actively encouraging it in the first place? That one? Really?

Like it’s such an integral part to her subversion too. It’s what makes her such a weird and fascinating character. Possessiveness is supposed to be whats ugly about love itself, yet her love remains ugly without it. She is ugly because the fundamental ways in which she sees and feels about the world are considered “wrong”, “dangerous”, and “deviant”.

But Izuku… ohhhh Izuku…

He holds this trait like a badge melted to his skin. My man cannot escape these allegations. It’s to the point where it’s honestly a fundamental to his narrative. Izuku does not act nor feel the same without it.

Izuku holds a cutesy nickname that literally every other childhood friend of Katsuki’s has long left behind, saying his real name instead (this is honestly why I’m also uninterested in a scene where Izuku calls him “Katsuki” instead of “Kacchan”, Katsuki doesn’t represent the same things the name Izuku does, imo at least), izuku “give him back to me” midoriya, holds his dead body to his chest on a cover, freaked out on someone either hurting/offending Kacchan.. 3 times(?), keeping big boy ofa secrets…. The list goes on.

So it’s this main reason that I think their characters are just so. Fucking. Intertwined. I’m glad this has become a more common interpretation because there’s just so much that aligns between them.

Both of them call their “special people” with -chan endings, both by their first names, both deemed deviants/irrelevant by society. It’s no wonder Ochako fell in love with Izuku, just like she did toga, they’re fucking freaks. They’re interesting. They’re weird. They’re overly friendly and socially inept and a little beaten down by the world yet have too much passion to stay on the ground. They’re envious of the ones they love (Ochako of her freedom to be a normal girl, Katsuki for his raw power and harnessed skill), and I guess I just wanted to make this post because I adore how it’s all done.

I LOVE how the yandere trope is used as societal commentary here. Not necessarily as a way to make the main love interest jealous and feel she must protect the main character, nor for some kinky reason surrounding her character, but because the trope is built off of real, ugly feelings that can and do happen. That love can and is considered truly beautiful in all its forms, especially those of queer people.

So I especially love it because it isn’t just limited to Himiko, but Izuku as well. He may never hurt the ones he loves, but he would hurt for them.

A perfect narrative foil on queer and deviant forms of love. Big fan Horikoshi.

[lilybecca1]

So they say that how you show affection reflects how you've been raised. And wellllll let's say that Bakugo didn't exactly learn how to show his affection in a healthy manner.

As we've seen so far, he and Mitsuki usually just scream at each other and his mom often boinks him or shoves his head down. Ahh such motherly love

But all this rough handling doesn't mean they don't love each other right? It's just their way of showing their love. And we also know Katsuki isn't exactly good at showing his emotions and telling people he loves them, but that's just something that he hasn't learned through his childhood.

So if children learn how to show their affection for the people they care about from their parents, then Bakugo probably expresses his love in a similar way to Mitsuki. Or to put it simply, through ✨violence✨

A prime example

To a stranger who doesn't know him, it would seem like he's actually mad, but no. This is actually his way of showing that he cares about his friend. He sat down with Kirishima to tutor him which he definitely wouldn't do to people who don't matter to him, so act of service is definitely a big one for him, and also physical touch in a way, apparently. Of course, this doesn't mean he cares about everyone he hits, but these are harmless and this is just how he learned to express himself through childhood.

But this doesn't happen a lot, EXCEPT

aaand here it goes

EXCEPT with Deku.

Like you literally don't see a single interaction between the two of them without Bakugo in some way hitting Deku. Or just shoving him. Or really anything. Like my dudes, this guy CRAVES physical contact when it comes to Deku I SWEAR.

Just look at a couple of them

He literally goes out of his way to shove or make physical contact with Deku in some way even when Deku is just minding his own poor f*king business. And he sure as heck likes to shove his head especially, kinda like how his mother does to him too. Like he just wants to reach out and touch his hair a lot...we all know you want to Bakugo, don't deny it

I swear Bakugo is like one of those kids full of testosterone that push and pull the hair of their crushes cause they don't know how else to express that they like them and they don't know what to do with those feelings

He initiates contact even when it's not necessary, and mostly with just Izuku. If violence is really the way Katsuki shows his affection then he basically showers Deku with it 🚿

And yeah, he shows that he cares to his friends too, but he seems like he cares about Deku a lot doesn't he? When we look back at all the interactions that they had, and how Bakugo generally gets ticked off by the mere presence of Deku, that makes him want to scream at him and shove him all the time..all that might just be him not knowing what to do with all that affection inside of him that he wants to express, because he never learned how to express it.

When we look back at everything, it just looks like a boy who doesn't know how to show that he cares about the people he loves in a healthy way, and it's very easy to misunderstand that and think that he dislikes everyone around him. But in reality he's just a boy who very much craves that affection too, just doesn't know how to give it and how to ask for it, so he naturally does what he has seen his parents do.

[sleepingpopplio]

A Reminder about MHA’s last chapter

Dear MHA fandom, the leaks never said that Class-A lose complete contact with Izuku for the last 6 years, only that they haven’t been able to see eachother because of scheduling conflicts. TEXTING, CALLING, AND VIDEO-CHATTING ARE STILL A THING. FOR ALL WE KNOW THEY’VE BEEN TEXTING 24/7 SO PLEASE STOP REACHING SUCH AN INSANE CONCLUSION WHEN THATS LITERALLY NOT THE CASE.

Translations say they “haven’t had enough time to get together”, which means seeing each other in person. It doesn’t mean anything about other forms of communications. Long-distance relationships happen all the time. Dont you remember still keeping in touch with others after moving away or after highschool/college? It’s the same case here.

So, let’s all take a deep breath, no matter who you ship or care about most, and remember that these kids all care about eachother and nothing can change that.

[revilloutionaire]

can we acknowledge how insane izuku was? like he was literally insane. surely we realize that as a fandom, right? he’s insane-

oh. we don’t? oh okay let me just compile a list…

-GRABBED onto All Might’s leg in an attempt to have a single conversation with the man

-WITHOUT THOUGHT ran into a literal villain, and attempted to save HIS BULLY while having NO QUIRK or COMBAT experience

-Cleaned ALL OF DAGOBAH BEACH (a literal landfill) on his own without question

-Broke his bones the first time he used his quirk. Knows the pain of breaking bones. HAS NO PROBLEM WITH BREAKING THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN

-breaks his bones just to fight Katsuki.

-jumps IN FRONT OF ALL MIGHT (a 15 year old boy trying to save the symbol of peace) to take a hit for him from shigaraki in the USJ

-Executes his plan with the mines during the sports festival, LAUNCHING HIMSELF USING EXPLOSIVES WITHOUT GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS (he literally could’ve died if he landed wrong)

-broke his ARMS JUST TO PROVE A POINT against shoto (nobody asked him to do that??? he just did??? never had to do that???)

-Uses the name associated with a very specific insult towards him specifically into his HERO NAME (Brave move. like who the heck does that)

Let’s not even begin to discuss how Izuku is in a constant HANDS OR NOTHING mindset. The amount of times he could’ve called in for a professional or a teacher for backup, but instead electing to dive headfirst into combat regardless if he thinks he’s gonna make it out alive or not. He has no problems running into the portal during the league of villains training camp raid if it means he can save Katsuki. He used OFA at 100% regardless of the intense pain he felt just because Eri was rewinding him. When he meets gentle, he doesn’t even try to call a teacher or text a friend. NOPE! He’ll fight the fucker himself. Nobody told him to go vigilante. He chose to go vigilante because he felt it was necessary to do handle shit on his own. Forget recuperating and figuring out strategy with the class. He’s gonna go fuck all and find Shigaraki himself.

Also, LET’S NOT EVEN BEGIN with when things involve Katsuki, Izuku is a MASSIVE CRASHOUT. His biggest character moments are him having to fight against his crashout tendencies. He isn’t even a self-destructive crashout. He’s a destroy absolutely everything around him crashout. HE IS A PROBLEM

Extenuating circumstances aside, his mindset is ABSOLUTELY not a common one for the average 15-year-old. Let alone the type of sunshine nervous cinnamonroll the fandom makes him out to be. He’s a nervous wreck, yes. He’s also very kind. But he is also literally insane.

It’s why I love him so much tbh

[dancingontheblades]

Why Yuuri is surprised to see Viktor cry

Yuuri’s famous three words at the end of episode 11 have been a source of anxiety and distress for fans ever since Yuri!!! On Ice first aired.

Yuuri’s surprise about Viktor crying is the result of thoughts and decisions prompted by his anxiety disorder and his tendency to self-deprecation and depressive thoughts. That he ends up saying this line has been carefully foreshadowed throughout the series:

1. Viktor making Yuuri believe that he only wanted to coach him until the GPF

Viktor never explicitly states that he will coach Yuuri only until the Grand Prix Final—it’s the conclusion Yuuri’s anxiety brain draws from his words because anxious people question everything and find interpretations that comply with the source of their anxiety. Like never being enough.

And the unintentionally ambiguous comments continue, while Yuuri is within hearing distance:

The first time I watched the anime, I got a queasy feeling in my stomach during this scene because Yuuri is so convincing and relatable as an unreliable narrator. It’s the source of fear and confusion. Like what does that even mean? Is Viktor talking about his career or is this a carefully crafted answer to convince the press to leave him and Yuuri alone for the next couple of weeks? This secret will probably be forever between Viktor and the YOI creators alone. Viktor is that adept at talking to the press.

2. Lack of self-esteem

Although Yuuri becomes more confident throughout the series, his self-deprecating side has a low opinion about his own skating. From his perspective, his contribution to the sport seems less valuable than Viktor’s, even when he begins to understand that he’s far more than a dime-a-dozen skater. The realisation that he is as least as talented as Viktor, only drives home the moment he breaks Viktor’s world record.

Because Yuuri has such a low opinion of himself, he doesn’t understand how much Viktor enjoys watching him skate, which is another aspect factoring into his decision to retire.

3. Guilt

Yuuri genuinely believes that Viktor wants to return to the ice and would rejoice when Yuuri retires. Having just witnessed Viktor watch his competitors skate (and do better than him) cements the decision he made at the Rostelecom Cup. The fact that basically everyone has told Yuuri throughout the series so far that he’s keeping Viktor from skating gives more weight to the idea.

Yes, you got that right. Yuuri decided to retire, before he proposed to Viktor and before he bought two matching rings and put one of them on Viktor’s finger. However, Viktor’s readiness to keep coaching Yuuri for as long as Yuuri wants to keep skating, forces him to release Viktor from his duties and he chooses the date at which Viktor has allegedly planned to end their work relationship.

“Let’s end this” is not about breaking up. Yuuri is releasing Viktor as his coach. He is sacrificing his career so that Viktor can keep pursuing his own career which Viktor once sacrificed for him.

Of course, he’s surprised that Viktor bursts out in tears.

Yuuri has the right to retire whenever he wants. He doesn’t need to consult Viktor. If he thinks (for whichever stupid reason) it’s time, he can make this decision without consulting his coach and partner. Although it would have been better, but then verbal communication isn’t one of Yuuri’s strength.

The decision to retire is the antipode of selfishness because it stems from Yuuri’s agape, even though his mental issues distort his thinking. However, Viktor takes personal offence in Yuuri’s choice, calling him selfish, because he’s conflating the coach and the partner. His inability to understand that Yuuri did that for him inflicts feelings of hurt and rejection, causing a drama Yuuri was not prepared for.

However, neither Yuuri nor Viktor are to blame since the whole situation is created and exacerbated by their individual underlying mental issues. Viktor still only scratches on the surface of understanding how Yuuri’s anxiety and lack of self-esteem inform his actions and distort his thinking. And Yuuri doesn’t know how miserable Viktor was when he was still competing.

If both had better communication skills, they would have sooner found a solution with which both would be happy (both training in St. Petersburg *wink* *wink*). However, it’s neither malice, nor insensitivity, or shitty behaviour that drives Yuuri to this point, but his mental issues. And love.

[dekacchannn]

BKDK IS SO CANON

I CANNOT BREATH Y’ALL.. THE WAY THE RAINDROPS WERE FROZEN around both of them cause the time STOPPED WHEN THEY SAW EACH OTHER????? Izuku’s face lighting up???? OH THIS WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. 😭😭😭🧡💚

Katsuki’s head slowly turning to where Izuku is across 4 different panels, his expression INVISIBLE on one of them and then immediately locks his eyes with Izuku’s with the tagline “our feelings are becoming one” after being gone for over a year..oh they’re SO CANON.😭🧡💚

The word “omoi” is used for the word “feelings. Same word used when they described that powerful emotions can override OFA and bend its rules. 😭 KACCHAN DEFINITELY HAS OFA!!

EVEN DUDEBROS ARE SURRENDERING SLOWLY 😂

[madarasfloofyhair]

what sets katsuki bakugou apart as a character for me, has got to be his intelligence amongst the entire range of his character development. he's good, he's really good at what he does. and it's not genius.

he's just this mix of deeply agressive but insanely effective. he knows what it takes to be great. he studies well, he clearly starts working out more after first year begins, aiming to cover his bases. he analyses well, and his entire character arc is about what he's not seeing and how this is holding back someone so incredible otherwise. that emotional depth, and his self-image in respect to those he sees as weaker, the arrogance that blinded him. and he actually overcomes this. behind the volume and antics, there's someone calm and laser focused. he's drive, frustration, confidence, and he's made sure he's effective, no matter what people say about his personality.

the show focuses on highlighting the duality behind his behaviour. he can cook shockingly well, he's particular about manners, he sleeps early, he breaks down completely. you're supposed to be initially surprised by this. but he's the sort of character that requires a double take. he needed to overcome himself and that was never going to be pretty, but he's always been striving for his goal, and this was another step along the way.

[curiousochako]

What did Horikoshi mean by “Please read Manga Volume 42 and use your own imagination for that answer.” A importance thread

During the events of chapter 431 Katsuki and Izuku had the discussion back in the car scene where there is an importance on what it means to have people that are special to you. Katsuki emphasize to Izuku that it’s important to not give everyone special treatment because then the meaning itself dosen’t carry much weight if you view everyone the same way. He indirectly tells him to do an internal dive into his own heart to figure out if he has someone he views as special.

Shortly after that scene we then cut to the class 1A reunion where everyone gathers together to celebrate Shoto becoming the number two hero on the hero rankings. After the dating conversation gets brought up by Ashido which it then gets revealed to the reader that Kuroiro and Kinoko from class 1B began dating and shortly after that we get Kaminari and Jiro joking to everyone on how they did not begin dating.

Then we get Deku’s internal thoughts where he begins to question if there is a side of himself that he has not discovered (which chapter 431 directs the reader to the realization that romance was something he never explored for himself). Bakugo’s quote on how “Giving special treatment to everyone means that no one is really special to you”. Starts to play a role when Izuku is staring at Ochaco smiling and beginning to come to that conclusion that he indeed is in love with her.

Once more Deku thinks back to the conversation that he has with Bakugo after class 1A decides to go home for the night. We then get Ochaco’s perspective of her thinking back to some of the memories she had recalling her own feelings to Izuku. Here we are shown that it isn’t only Izuku who wanted a chance to talk to Ochaco more then usual as she is going through similar thoughts on the matter.

It’s important to keep in mind that Ochaco wasn’t the first one to confess but it was Deku as he was the one who ran all the way to find her. Deku says “I really want to talk to you, Uraraka. And not just today. From now on to” this is his way of confessing that he has fallen in love with her and wants to be in her life for as long as they live. Horikoshi wrote Izuku’s confession subtly but in a way that makes it clear that the answer to whether they do end up together is through his words. Ochaco’s expression also says it all.

Finally we reach this famous panel of Izuku and Ochaco looking directly at each other after Toga gives her speech about wanting Ochaco to live a life as she directly says to her “I’ve lived exactly the way I wanted to. And since I loved you so much, Ochaco, my wish is for you to live exactly like you want to!” the conversation Ochaco has with Toga is importance because she has holded on to the pain of not being able to save Toga from death and we see that Toga is helping Ochaco be more open and honest with her feelings which directly ties into her arc about not suppressing her feelings.

The last thing Ochaco says to Izuku on the speech he gave is that she feels the same way as he does about wanting to get closer.

The original question that led to Horikoshi’s answer asked “Did Ochaco finally confess her feelings to Deku? and with everything that has been presented in chapter 431 the only part of the chapter he is telling reader to imagine is Ochaco’s return confess to Deku since the chapter ends with them mutually agreeing that they feel the same way. It’s heavily implied that she most likely opened up more to Izuku about her feelings after the famous hand holding panel on the last page of the manga. Which is more then likely what Horikoshi was referring to and fans using their imaginations to piece together the answer to the question.

[k3r0deku]

erm hey. never posted this but have had it for like a month now. bkdk tattoo

designed myself :p

if anyone wants a whole analysis on the design i’ve got one HAHAHA

[tawney]

PLEASE pile up on me your favorite Teacher Izuku fics. Ones with some depth and personalities to the students rather than just a one-shot, I'd love to see slice of life fics with Deku dadzawa-ing his students and his students being Deku's personal problem children and all the sweet casual fluff crap 😭 all these tropes and ideas I'm seeing on twitter and tumblr are making me long and I'm close to just starting an ao3 account and writing them myself.

[dekusleftsock]

Someone described Katsuki’s thoughts on their future as this “catch and chase” esc game and I can’t stop thinking about catch-a-Kacchan now. The symbolism of that now is so telling with Katsuki’s new admission. Oh my god.

Like of course izuku could never catch Kacchan: that was the game. The hope that their rivalry and therefore their new found relationship could stay this way forever. He would never lose Izuku because they were always trying to catch each other—chase, grab, hold, let go, and chase again.

IT EVEN PUTS A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON KATSUKI’S PHRASING OF CALLING OFA A “CURSED POWER”

Honestly it almost feels like the end to this statement, one he never quite articulated to himself, and especially not to the world. Ofa gives power, ofa gives hope, and ofa ties itself to the people it interacts with. Ofa breathes the life into the game of their lives, catch and release.

Ofa may be a cursed power, but I just thought we’d be competing, and I’d be on your heels, for the rest of our lives…

Because ofa is the beacon that, on a very literal level, allows catch-a-Kacchan to exist. What do I do if I don’t have an excuse to be with you? What if I don’t deserve it?

AND THE NUMBER ONE RULE OF HOW KATSUKI ALWAYS WON CATCH-A-KACCHAN WAS THAT HE HAD TO TAP IZUKU ON THE BACK… HE HAD TO MANEUVER HIMSELF BEHIND IZUKU TO WIN…. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME

And it’s such a small detail of symbolism, and idec if it’s purposeful, it’s just the fact that it exists at all that I love it so god damn much.

As Izuku tries to comfort him in the only way he really knows how (“well I still have the embers! It was a nice dream while it lasted! Please don’t cry you’re just overly sensitive right now, I’m sure you won’t feel this way later..”), and as Katsuki believes that the only way he’s allowed into Izuku’s life is this small glimpse into their rivalry—and, in spite of it all, allmight reminds them that they have changed.

The world, it has changed. The winds still blow high across the country, and we are reminded that the most important part of despair is the connection we have with each other. They are not just heroes, they are the greatest heroes—together.

The world will never be the same—and isn’t that the most beautiful part of it all? That we have changed, together?

[lilybecca1]

An analysis about "Their feelings becoming one"

So far, this panel still has been a mystery, we still don't know what it's really supposed to mean. Their feelings become one? What feelings? Their love for each other?

Well, as good as that may sound, I don't think that's the case here particularly. In some way, yes, it does symbolize their love for each other, and that doesn't necessarily mean romantic. It's the true, unconditional love for the person that means the whole world to you, who is more important to you than anyone else. At this moment, you can see that realization settle in their eyes as they look at each other. As they realize that the person right in front of them is the one who they'd do anything for.

But let's talk about what "their feelings becoming one" means.

The whole manga basically revolves around their story and how they've grown to accept the sides of the other that they themselves have lacked in the beginning. It began with them, Bakugo's Win to Save, and Midoriya's Save to Win. The story has always revolved around this concept, what it means to be a true hero. Like All Might said, in order to reach their full potential, they have to accept and embrace the other side of the coin too, not just their own ideals on what they believe being a hero is.

“After being a hero for so many years you learn a few things. Striving to be the best, like you, young Bakugou, and caring deeply about people, about rescuing those in trouble, like you, young Midoriya; both of those feelings are necessary in a hero, otherwise they’ll never truly be able to represent justice. That’s why you admire his strength so much, young Midoriya…and I know that’s why you’ve always feared his heart and spirit, young Bakugou. Now that you’ve laid your feelings out on the table, maybe you can understand each other. If you have mutual respect and focus on making one another stronger, I’ve no doubt you’ll become the ultimate heroes, winning and saving people at the same time.” 

That's the real story here, that was the main purpose of the whole manga. It's about their journey on accepting the other's point of view and becoming a true hero. A hero that doesn't only win or save, but both.

In the beginning, Bakugo believed that being a hero is winning at any cost, meanwhile for Izuku, it was about saving at any cost, no matter the outcome. This side of Deku always triggered something inside Bakugo because he never understood why someone would have such a strong desire to help others and save them, even at the cost of his own wellbeing. He thought of it as a weakness, it was something that pissed him off to no end. That was until Deku vs Kacchan 2, when he finally started to see the bigger picture. After having this realization about Deku, and after All Might told him that in order to be the ultimate hero he'd have to accept Izuku's point of view, Bakugo started to focus on saving too, not just winning.

Izuku on the other hand, started off the opposite. He wanted to save and help others more than anything, and to him, it didn't matter coming out as a winner in the end, because to him, saving meant winning. It didn't matter to him what happens to his own body because he always put others over himself. But he always looked up to Kacchan and admired him for his determination to win no matter what, and to him, Kacchan is the image of victory, Kacchan is the embodiment, the symbol of winning. In Izuku's mind, Kacchan always had what he didn't.

His whole view of what winning is supposed to be comes from Kacchan, not All Might. Deku started to view Kacchan as his image of victory at the moment when he saw him stand up to his bullies. And the image of saving is what comes from All Might, as we know from that debut video that Izuku loved.

For Kacchan, his image of winning comes from All Might, but the image of saving has always come from Izuku. Right from that first moment when Deku reached his hand out to him. At first he thought it was pity, but deep down he always knew that it was more than that.

He knew that Izuku's desire to save was stronger than anyone else's, and that's what made him concerned. Because Deku's desire to save was so strong that Katsuki knew he'd go to any lengths to do it. Even if it meant hurting himself in the process.

------

“I’d never admit something like this to your face, but the truth is…when I get riled up and my desire to win surpasses my desire to save someone…without meaning to, I start talking like you. You’re so mean sometimes, and I hate it, but my idea of victory is so tied to the image of you in my head, that in those moments I can’t help but imitate you."

Bakugo wasn't the only one who rejected this side of the other at first. Deku hated it, he used to suppress this desire to win inside of him because he saw that as a weakness too. He knew that saving came first, but upon being riled up, he'd throw that out the window, and he didn't want that. He thought of it as a side of himself that he should reject.

But over time, he has also grown to accept that side of himself, and he started to realize that winning is just as important as saving. His idea of victory is so tied to the image of Kacchan in his head, that he can't help but imitate him whenever he desires to win. Kacchan is the one who gave the Win to Save to Izuku, because the idea of what winning is supposed to look like comes from Kacchan too. Without Kacchan, it wouldn't exist. And without Izuku, Bakugo's Save to Win wouldn't exist either. For Katsuki, the Symbol of Saving is Izuku, and that's why he starts mumbling and analyzing in the last battle. That's why he jumps in knowing that he'll die, because he knew Izuku would do the same.

It has always been them. The story has always been about them, because they complete eachother. They are the two sides of the same coin. Without the other, they wouldnt exist.

Because remember, Izuku's body only moved on its own once he realized it was Kacchan.

And Katsuki's body only moved on its own once he realized that Izuku was in danger.

They are the person that awakens the hero inside of the other. Without the other, they wouldn't be true heroes. They were always meant to be true heroes together, because they push each other to be their best self, and they couldn't reach their full potential without the other.

So I say it again: the story is about the two of them and how they become the ultimate heroes together. The story wouldn't exist without the relationship that they have. THEY give each other the meaning of what it means to be a hero. All Might was always just an ideal, something that planted the dream of being a hero inside their head. But not in their heart. They never needed him, because All Might was their hero, but they were the ones in each others life.

They are two halves, and by embracing the other, they embrace being a true hero as well.

And do they ever become true heroes?

They do, and let me explain it.

This panel right here is very important in more ways than one. I think this panel is meant to symbolize the peak of the entire story, it's meant to symbolize them achieving what they have been working for in the entire manga.

This is the beginning of them being true heroes. Quoting All Might, "both of those feelings are necessary in a hero, otherwise they’ll never truly be able to represent justice". And right at this moment, their feelings become one. This is the moment where they finally embrace both sides of the coin. "Their feelings become one"="Their desire to Save to Win and Win to Save become the desire to Win AND to Save"

It's not Save to Win OR Win to Save anymore. Neither desire is stronger than the other anymore.

Look at Bakugo's panel. Right at that moment when his and Izuku's eyes meet, he realizes that winning isn't as important as it was anymore. He realizes that he desires to save Izuku just as strong as he desires to win. He realizes that winning doesn't mean anything if Izuku isn't there by his side.

And when Izuku sees Kacchan, he realizes that he has to win in order to be able to save him. He has to win this fight, because if he didn't, his world wouldn't have Kacchan in it anymore. He realizes that he has to keep fighting on, for Kacchan. That he has to win so Kacchan can live on in a world where he is safe.

At that moment when their eyes meet, both of their hearts feel that Saving to Win and Winning to Save are equally important.

By embracing the connection that they have, by embracing their other half, the person that completes them, they have finally given eachother the heart of a true hero.

[coladaminx]

So if you watch this scene izuku and kacchan are sitting on both ends of the couch and what makes this scene so sweet and kinda sad is that izuku consciously or maybe unconsciously brings himself closer to his kacchan with the Manga version you can actively see him scooting closer (HE WANTS TO BE CLOSE TO HIM) and be able to actually talk with him Normally ;A; which we find out later he feels blessed being able to be near him and ya know talk and katsuki didn't push him away THEIR INSANE YA'LL!

[kathrahender]

Am I the only one who doesn't hate bullies being redeemed? (or wouldn't hate them being redeemed in those shows/movies where they didn't change for the good?)

They were bad, I know. They did bad things to the hero. They treated the hero like trash and hated them (sometimes for unreasonable reasons). Some of them made the heroes' life impossible throughout a great part of the movie/show they appear (for example Johnny, Flash and Dash)— But I've always seen more than that.

I didn't watch their shows/movies and thought they were monsters, or thought that they were irredeemable, or thought "God, they are so evil". I thought about why they were like that, about why they felt the need to bully another person, about what could made them change.

Also, no. I won't justify them by saying "they were kids". Even when kids act bad, they need to take responsability for what they do wrong. "They are kids" is not a valid response when people criticize kids' actions. That's true. But it's also true that some people are immature when they are around the age of 14-16 (or even younger), and that they have the ability to change as they grow.

Most people act differently when they grow, when they become adults. And that's important, because that shows that people are capable of changing. And as well as many people in the real world have the ability to change, bullies can also change in fictional shows/movies.

Of course, I understand why some people hate bullies' redemption. But not all bullies are the same. Not all bullies did unforgivable things. And in the case of the bullies mentioned in the tags, some of their actions can be attributed to how they were raised. For example Johnny, Steve, Chloe and Bakugo.

Johnny was a good kid. It was the influence of Cobra Kai what made him worse. As well as Cobra Kai's influence also made Daniel a different person (but I don't see people hating Daniel for being part of Cobra Kai in 1985). Both Daniel and Johnny were manipulated by Kreese/Terry (Johnny didn't know who Kreese truly was, as well as Daniel didn't know who Terry was). Both became worse when they were trained by Kreese/Terry. Before that, they were good kids. Johnny was a good kid. A kid who wanted to be loved by his father, a kid who wanted to have friends, a kid who wanted to be more.

We don't know many things about Steve, but we do know that his father was a bad parent. "Jim also had a bad parent and didn't become a bully!". That's true, but it's also true that Jim had Toby, Barbara, Strickler, and later Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, who were good influences for him. But who was there for Steve? Who was there to make Steve a better person? No one. He had friends, yeah. But were they really his friends? Were they good persons like Toby? And his mother? She doesn't show up, so I don't know how she acted towards her son. Maybe she was a good mother who didn't have anything to do with his son's behavior, but maybe she had something to do with Steve's personality.

Chloe also had a bad mother, a mother who only cared about herself and didn't pay attention to her daughter. Hell, when she went back to Paris she didn't care about Chloe. She didn't care about her pain or desire to be loved. She only cared about Chloe being like a mini-version of her. And her father? He wasn't an idiot with his daughter like Audrey was, but he only seemed to care about "keeping Chloe satisfied". And yes, parents are there to make their children happy, but they also need to be there to tell them "you can do this" or "you can't do that". They need to show their love for their children, but they also need to make sure thay are good persons.

In the case of Bakugo, I don't know if his behavior can be attributed to his parents, but if her mother's violent behavior is a hint, his anger's problems could also be her fault. "It's not her fault he bullied Izuku!" No, it's not. That was Bakugo's decision. And I'm not saying Mizuki caused Bakugo to bully Deku. I'm saying she could have had a part in his personality. And if Bakugo had been raised by a person without anger-issues, maybe -just maybe- he could have been more emotionally stable. Instead of acting as if everything could be solved with anger. "He told Deku to kill himself!" Yeah, that was a mistake. But people always bring this argument as if other characters didn't do worse things. Heroes/villains in the show killed. Endeavor made Dabi turn into a villain and traumatized his wife and children. Please, don't demonize Bakugo's character when in the show there are literal killers.

What I wanted to show with this is that not bullies are monsters. Of course, there are bullies who are bad. Bullies who are cruel just for the sake of being cruel. But in the case of Johnny, Steve, Chloe and Bakugo, they weren't only bullies. They were also victims. Yeah, some characters also had bad parents and weren't bullies. But not being a bully not only depends of "being strong enough to follow another path", it also depends on the support you have, and it also depends on someone telling you bullying is bad.

And did someone tell Johnny, Steve, Chloe, Bakugo, Flash or Dash that bullying was bad? Was anyone really there for them? Did someone show them a better way of handling their emotions -instead of acting as if all the misfortunes were the heroes' fault-? No, they didn't have the support the heroes had. And that could have sailed their destiny.

I'm not justifying their actions. I'm not telling you to love these characters. I'm only asking for you to see them as more than the monsters you want them to be.

Besides, some of them showed they could change.

At first, Flash (from Ultimate Spider-Man) only bullied Peter without caring about him. But slowly, that started to change. He started to be more fond of him, and when he became Agent Venom and Spider-Man's ally, all the anger he felt for Peter dissapeared. His admiration for Spider-Man and Peter's goodness made him better, to the point that in a lot of scenes he was the first to defend Peter. In The Amazing Spider-Man, although Flash is not Agent Venom, when Peter loses his uncle he changes completely, and stops bullying Peter. It's sad that in that universe he only changed for that reason, but after that, he only showed care for Peter.

Bakugo was Izuku's friend until he became his bully, and his relationship became more complicated. Izuku kept trying to be Bakugo's friend, while he was tired of his attempts to recover their friendship. But one thing Bakugo has in common with Flash is how both redeem. Bakugo learned to be better, he learned to become a good hero. He slowly stopped hating Izuku. He stopped considering him "a bad hero". He apologized to Deku for hurting him and called him "Izuku" for the first time in years. And he even saved his life. He was a bully to Izuku, yeah, but he perfectly showed he was more than that.

Flash and Bakugo's redemption were the best bully's redemption I've seen (in Flash's case, especially in Ultimate Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man). Although I accept Johnny and Steve's redemption could have been better written. I love how they changed, but the writers should have adressed the harm they caused to the hero. They both should have apologized to Daniel and Jim, because both heroes needed an apology (even if Johnny's actions were worse). And I would have loved Chloe and Dash redeeming too— but to be honest I didn't expect that happening. Because Miraculous Ladybug and Danny Phantom's writers are bad.

But not liking how they handled their redemption is not the same as hating that they were redeemed. And my question is: why people hate their redemption? What's so bad about changing for the better? What's so bad about realizing that you did wrong and redeeming? What's so bad about apologizing for hurting someone else? I never understood it.

Of course, I know where people come from. Some of them might have been bullied and see Johnny, Steve, Chloe, Bakugo, Flash or Dash as their bulies. But let me tell you something (and this comes from a person who also was bullied in school): fictional bullies are not your bullies. They didn't hurt you. They aren't real.

I'm sorry that you were bullied. You shouldn't have go through that, but fictional bullies don't have anything to do with real bullies.

And that's why people need to differenciate between reality and fiction: because understanding a bully/villain in fiction doesn't mean you're sympathizing with real bullies/villains.

[dancingontheblades]

On not getting Eros – the ace-coding of Katsuki Yuuri

Having discussed Yuuri not getting eros multiple times, it’s time to explore in greater detail what it actually means and explain why this is so glaringly obvious to a certain demographic of fans.

First: What is eros? - a very short trip back in time

Yuri!!! On Ice explains eros as “sexual love”, matching the Ancient Greek definition as “sensual or passionate love” from which the term “erotic” is derived. Classical philosophers described eros as a “madness from the gods” that befalls people at the sight of another person with disastrous results (e.g. the story of Paris and Helena). In YOI, this “madness” equates to “what causes you to lose the ability to make normal decisions”.

The definition of eros has varied a lot over the centuries. Plato defined eros as a general concept of passion that excludes physical attraction and argued that it can be utilised to pursue intellectual interests. Freud insisted that eros is not to be confused with libido, and the Catholic Church’s definition had a huge influence on more modern definitions and not for the better.

What the ancient Greeks called eros is nowadays known as sexual attraction. Classical philosophers probably didn’t make the distinction towards romantic attraction since the two are often conflated up to this day. However, “madness from the gods” describes a primal instinct that the majority of humans experiences, starting from when the body begins to produce sex hormones during puberty.

What does that mean for Yuuri?

As an adult male of 23, Yuuri is long past puberty. Thus, one would expect him to understand eros on an intuitive level. However, what makes him lose the ability to make normal decisions is not the sight of another human being, not even his celebrity crush parading in front of him like a Greek god—no, it’s his favourite food. And there’s only one explanation for that:

So far, Yuuri has not experienced sexual attraction.

No anxiety disorder, no feelings of inadequacy, no lack of self-esteem, and certainly not an alleged ability to restrain himself can explain this absolute cluelessness about a basic human instinct, a sensation the majority of people experiences before they even had sex for the first time. It cannot explain why Yuuri is immune to the sight of naked Viktor—or in other words why that doesn’t make him want to bent Viktor over the edge of the hot spring and do unspeakable things to him, leading to the following conclusion:

Yuuri is on the asexual spectrum.

Where on that spectrum he could be, I’m going to discuss in a minute.

Yuuri is well aware that at his age the general populace is able to experience eros and that by extension, he is expected to and should be able to express it. In his first attempt at tackling sexual love, he uses his favourite food as a workaround, but if he had no particular food cravings, literally anything he’s passionate about would work as well (it took me ages to figure that out myself because, personally, I rather roll with Plato than food metaphors). Yuuri keenly feels that katsudon isn’t it, though. He thus changes the protagonist of the story he made up for his SP because he relates to the woman’s situation more than to the playboy, which works fairly well because it reflects his fears about Viktor leaving him and instigates his desire to keep Viktor for himself (for further information, please check out the links at the end of the post).

It will take Yuuri until episode 6 to find his eros, and this eros is a very possessive and commanding one (for further information, please check out the links at the end of the post). Essentially, episode 6 is about Yuuri learning that he is indeed capable of seducing Viktor with his skating and this ability comes with a certain power that is reflected in his scores.

That Yuuri is acespec is essential for the plot of Yuri!!! on Ice to work.

Asexuality is a spectrum consisting of various micro labels with different levels of attraction and flavours ranging from sex-favourable to sex-repulsed.

Which asexual micro labels are compatible with canon Yuuri?

This is pretty much open to interpretation. However, episodes 6 and 8 give us some hints that narrow the list of micro labels narrowed down to demisexual, greysexual, and sex-favourable ace.

A demisexual Yuuri would experience sexual attraction once he has formed a close bond with another person or got to know them intimately enough. Before Viktor, Yuuri struggled to form close relationships of any kind; Viktor is the first he wants to form a bond with and whom he lets into his heart. In this context, Yuuri’s SP in episode 6 could be interpreted as his first experience of sexual attraction due to the sexual tension in his brief exchange with Viktor and his inner monologue during his performance.

A greysexual Yuuri would be capable of experiencing sexual attraction sometimes and in certain situations, but again, the point when Yuuri perfects his short programme defines the earliest instant at which he could experience sexual attraction for the first time. For example, it could mean that Yuuri only feels sexual attraction when he’s in his Eros role.

Personally, I have a hard time picturing Yuuri as lusting after Viktor’s body at any time, which is mostly attributed to how his depiction in the anime. His performances of Eros have the vibe of outbursts of sensuality and possessiveness rather than being an overall change in how he feels about Viktor sexually. To me, Yuuri’s Eros has the nature of a kink rather than sexual attraction because it is possessive, wants Viktor for himself, and demands of Viktor to watch him and make him lose his mind. Yuuri’s Eros is dominant. I thus see Yuuri as a sex-favourable ace with at least one kink, which he has learned to use very well during his explorations of Eros.

The prominent reason that acespecYuuri is an unpopular reading despite asexual fans identifying the hallmark traits of aceness in him, are the harmful misconceptions circulating about asexuality even inside the queer community. Being ace myself I can assure you that not experiencing sexual attraction is no reason to stay celibate and that there are many other valid reasons to engage in sexual intercourse like the desire for physical closeness or sharing pleasure with your partner (many ace people don’t want to have sex and that’s okay, but that’s another story).

Le tue mani, le tue gambe, le mie mani, le mie gambe, i battiti del cuore si fondono tra loro. Your hands, your legs, my hands, my legs and the heartbeats are fusing together.

Physical closeness as expressed through “Stay by my side” is a leitmotif in Yuri!!! On Ice, played back and forth between Yuuri and Viktor throughout the show. The lyrics of Stammi Vicino go even further by describing a unification on a physical and mental level, implying an intimacy that can’t be explained alone by Yuuri and Viktor being a couple and skating this routine together.

If you want your version of Yuuri to be canon-compliant, you can’t go wrong with either flavour of aceness, including those I didn’t discuss. If you came to the conclusion that a sex-repulsed kinky Yuuri would work just as well, my answer to you would be that canon Viktor would be happy with everything his Yuuri is willing to give. If there’s a fictional couple who would make a relationship in which one partner in sex-repulsed and the other is allosexual work, it would be viktuuri.

On a side note, it amuses me that Morooka calls Yuuri “Japan’s ace skater” in the Blu-ray subs, but aside from the fact that things one character says about another should always be taken with a grain of salt due to perception-bias deriving a character’s sexuality from such wording is as far-fetched as deriving it from colour schemes, aesthetic attraction, or characters blushing at one another (and in YOI, everyone blushes at everyone else like all. the. time.). The YOI creators likely didn’t intend an asexual reading of Yuuri, but the result of making Yuuri exploring sexual love is a nevertheless an unambiguously ace-coded Yuuri that is needed for the story of Yuri!!! on Ice to work.

Below some questions I wish someone had explained to me in this context:

Q&A: But why does Yuuri...?

dry-hump Viktor at the Sochi banquet: If the amount of clothes Yuuri wears gives away the timeline of the event, he danced with Viktor before he went off to the pole with Chris. Dancing physically as they did can be enough to cause arousal. Add an unholy amount of alcohol to the equation and you have Yuuri rubbing his genitals at his idol. (note that libido ≠ sexual attraction)

say that Viktor could impregnate everyone, including him: Being asexual doesn’t deprive you of the ability to identify sexiness in other people and understanding the meaning of “hot”. Viktor demonstrating Eros right in front of Yuuri would instantly put Yuuri into a massive swoon, and while it wouldn’t arouse him, he would be swept away because of how cool and amazing Viktor is.

hastily turns away when Viktor stretches in front of him in the bath: I’m sorry to breach it to you, but not everyone enjoys staring right at someone else’s dick and that holds true even for allosexuals (unless you love dicks, obviously).

Why this discussion is overdue

Good ace representation: Although it's not officially confirmed, Yuuri is a realistic representation of a queer label that is often overlooked and underrepresented in media. In addition to that, it's the only label that applies beyond a superficial impression.

Educational purposes: There are many harmful misconceptopns surrounding asexuality, and while this post doesn't aim at dispelling them, I hope it will make a little difference.

Spreading awareness: Because there is so little awareness about what it means to be asexual—even inside the queer community—the ace-coding is only obvious for people who have educated themselves on the subject. Unfortunately, this makes Yuuri being prone to being mischaracterised.

Helping people figure themselves out: Asexuality is a concept that is very hard to make sense of when you don't even know that you experience things differently. I've seen posts discussing ace-coded characters and they only confused the hell out of me. I hope that this post will be helpful to other people being unaware of or questioning their aceness.

For further reading about Yuuri and his endeavours to tackle eros, please check out these metas:

How skating to Eros despite not getting it showcases Yuuri's extreme bravery (episode 3): [X]

Yuuri finally finding the definition of eros that works for him (episode 6) [X]

The development of On Love: Eros throughout the series, including a discussion of the workarounds Yuuri uses: [X]

The romantic aspects of Yuuri's love life: [X]

My special thanks goes to cecebeanie for our countless discussions on the subject and patiently answering even my stupidest questions, for proofreading, and for encouraging me to write this post in the first place 💜💙

If you enjoyed this analysis, please check out my works on AO3 (link in bio).

Edit: While I was going through the reblogs of this post, I came across a lovely comment from someone who was a bit divided about whether Yuuri is overly sexual or asexual with a tendency towards the latter, and so I thought I'd provide some context for anyone else wondering about this:

In my experience, these two things aren't mutually exclusive. People with a strong libido or sex drive can be perceived as overly sexual, and that can apply to asexuals as well. Experiencing no sexual attraction doesn't determine whether someone has a low or high libido, nor does it determine whether someone enjoys having sex for whatever reasons. It's true that many asexuals don't ever want to have sex, but enough of us like it because we find it pleasurable, want to feel physcially close to our partner, engage in sex-related kinks etc. It's a spectrum after all. Personally, I think that Yuuri would enjoy sleeping with Viktor for all of these reasons once he's okay with allowing so much intimacy.

[dekacchannn]

Made it with only bkdk!

I removed everyone else from the Jump cover and made it only bkdk! I’m not a very good artist and since I had to draw the covered parts myself, I hope it’s good enough!

Kacchan has to be so WHIPPED to let Izuku pull him by his tie like this. 😂

JP readers had cool reactions to it saying how this is something you don’t do with a friend. They were surprised!