My Hero Academia Appreciation 2021

[Dark Soul # 7]

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That's also the tragic irony when they briefly reference Nighteye too, that if they knew about the issue with OFA earlier/could get in contact with each other, potentially their fallout and disagreements regarding the next successor would've never happened.

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I suspect that Nighteye would still have done his very methodical search for a suitable candidate, maybe going with some young police recruit or someone with a similar background rather than trusting All Might's gut pick of Izuku. Also, remember that the initial conflict was born from All Might refusing to rest because finding a successor would take too long. Looking for a suitable person without a quirk would probably take even longer. So I think that the initial split at least would still occur

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I just thought of another potential option that these two were the only ones that were forcefully given OFA, since it's been established while OFA can't be forcefully taken, it can be forcefully given, which could be why they are distant from the rest, since they never truly accepted it in the first place. It wouldn't be a surprise to learn that AFO's Brother desperately passed it on to some unwilling person before he died, and then did the same to someone else, especially considering they're complete unknowns in the real world too. His appearance also just makes me so happy to remember he's showing up in the anime soon and excited to see how he will sound (in Japanese & English)! The only issues AFO seemed to face as far as we know with his Quirk were only after his fight with All Might, which in that instance some of the powers were keeping from him dying, but they also weren't necessarily helping him get better either. When you consider the Nomu and Shigaraki, who all had to have their bodies remodelled in order to even handle multiple powers, it feels like Gigantomachia is the only one so far that can handle multiple Quirks with no true hinderance on his body, and that's pretty much just because his Endurance quirk gives him near unlimited stamina. And then you can throw in someone like Shoto who is the "cheat" to this dynamic, a power that acts like 2 Quirks, when it's really 1. I am most expecting after all this he's gonna talk with Gran Torino about it too, not only to learn about whether the theory that he's Nana's real husband is true or not, but also I think it would be great to see a callback to the hospital scene after All Might vs. All For One. When Gran Torino tells All Might he can't be getting too emotionally involved and seeing Shigaraki as "less than a villain", and after their encounter during the War, telling Midoriya something along the lines of "Do what you think is right". All these revelations also made me realize in hindsight why some of the decisions from the War arc were made. Like how even with the Quirk erasing bullets and AFO in play, no one lost their Quirks, or how someone who already did, Mirio, got his back. Turns out it's so that they couldn't be easy potential "OFA successors/replacements" for the story to deal with.

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Or maybe they feel that they accomplished the least out of all of the inheritors and don't really have any wisdom or knowledge they think is worth imparting to Izuku and are ashamed of that. It's also possible that they used the power for less noble deeds and don't feel like they belong with the others who are proper heroes. There are a lot of possibilities and I'm not sure which one I like the most. I'm also super-excited for Banjo's anime appearance and to hear what voice he's given in both sub and dub. It's impossible but part of me wants him to be voiced by Ron Perlman since he resembles Hellboy in appearance. Even Gigantomachia is affected by having multiple quirks I'd say. His endurance allows his body to keep going strong, but his mind is clearly not all there. Though even that is a bit of mixed bag since he can function as a kind of cunning death machine but he's also a simple obedient attack dog who basically needs somebody to direct him for him to function properly. There are a number of way of seeing Shigaraki at this point. He's a dangerous villain who's committed murder and societal upheaval on a massive scale and absolutely needs to face consequences for all of that. But he's also a victim of different kinds of abuse and failures on society's part, and he got dragged into this same war as Izuku only without giving any consent to wanting to be a part of it. "Do what you think is right." might be the best option and they have to determine what is right as they go along. You forget one great candidate. KNUCKLE DUSTER!!!! ...assuming he's still alive at this point in history.

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[leokearon]

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So the whole kill Tomura question was a test and a pretty good one which really shows Deku's character and what it means to be a hero. Also how All For One attempts to bend the rules of One For All is also interesting; also looks like we are finally going to meet users 2 and 3

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[Inversed]

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Nana and the users ask Midoriya about if he can kill Shigaraki. They reveal that One For All's will can be overridden by someone with strong negative emotions, and they feel that All For One has been grooming Shigaraki and nurturing his hatred with the purpose of stealing One For All this way. Nana tells Midoriya that even if she feels like it is her fault this has happened, questions if he has the resolve to end things if Shigaraki becomes unstoppable and can't be saved. Midoriya stands his ground, saying that even through his hatred, he could sense deep within him his child self crying. He thinks about all the villains he's fought and how he never got the chance to understand where they came from, further adding that All Might has showed him that One For All is a power meant to save, not to kill. That even though he doesn't know how he will go about doing it, he wants to try saving him. The users thank Midoriya for his resolve, and Nana apologizes for testing him. The First User then turns to the 2nd & 3rd users, telling them to cooperate with Midoriya so he can achieve full strength.

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Midoriya still proving himself to why he is the best boy. I'm really glad he is still clearly aware that there is the option that he might have to kill him, but that is in the absolute worst case scenario, and that now that he's aware who "Tomura" really is, he can much more empathize with him, and thus, want to do something to save him, or at least give him the freedom to make his own decision. The images of young Izuku with young Tenko, and then the crying vestige All Might did give me all the feels. And now we're finally gonna find out who the two in time-out are. From the wording about "playing nice" and "cooperating", does make it sound like it'll probably end up being that they don't acknowledge him and that's why they've been hidden, so it'll be interesting to see why that is. Also hopefully now this'll mean all the time travelling Bakugo theories will DIE!

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[Dark Soul # 7]

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Midoriya still proving himself to why he is the best boy. I'm really glad he is still clearly aware that there is the option that he might have to kill him, but that is in the absolute worst case scenario, and that now that he's aware who "Tomura" really is, he can much more empathize with him, and thus, want to do something to save him, or at least give him the freedom to make his own decision. The images of young Izuku with young Tenko, and then the crying vestige All Might did give me all the feels. And now we're finally gonna find out who the two in time-out are. From the wording about "playing nice" and "cooperating", does make it sound like it'll probably end up being that they don't acknowledge him and that's why they've been hidden, so it'll be interesting to see why that is. Also hopefully now this'll mean all the time travelling Bakugo theories will DIE!

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There are bound to be people who just don't get it. People who want Izuku to be Batman or Goku or whatever, or a version of those characters who goes straight for the kill when things get too tough. But that's not what this series is about, and it's not who Deku is. He wants to be a hero to help and save and comfort people, and that includes the terrified little Tenko Shimura who is trapped inside the web of hate and anger that is Tomura Shigaraki. Maybe he will have to kill him, but before that Deku is going to do his damndest to save him. And saving him doesn't mean that he's forgiven for his actions or pardoned of his crimes. It means to hopefully bring him some peace of mind and start correcting the failures that gave birth to Shigaraki. I absolutely agree about the image of little Izuku standing across the crying little Tenko. It is one of the most striking images yet from this arc in its simplicity and I just love it. I do like that the brother is adressing them kinda playfully, kinda acknowledging that they're being really childish by just staring into the only wall available instead of talking to Izuku.

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[Dark Soul # 7]

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So the whole kill Tomura question was a test and a pretty good one which really shows Deku's character and what it means to be a hero. Also how All For One attempts to bend the rules of One For All is also interesting; also looks like we are finally going to meet users 2 and 3

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AFO attempting to use Shigaraki's hatred is interesting since he's controlling Shigaraki's body now. Does that mean he's just letting Shigaraki stew in his own hate and that he can just bring it out whenever he attemps to swipe OFA away? That's a pretty sick way to treat Shiggy.

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[PCN24454]

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AFO attempting to use Shigaraki's hatred is interesting since he's controlling Shigaraki's body now. Does that mean he's just letting Shigaraki stew in his own hate and that he can just bring it out whenever he attemps to swipe OFA away? That's a pretty sick way to treat Shiggy.

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I would expect nothing less from him by this point.

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[TheCape]

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There are bound to be people who just don't get it. People who want Izuku to be Batman or Goku or whatever, or a version of those characters who goes straight for the kill when things get too tough. But that's not what this series is about, and it's not who Deku is. He wants to be a hero to help and save and comfort people, and that includes the terrified little Tenko Shimura who is trapped inside the web of hate and anger that is Tomura Shigaraki. Maybe he will have to kill him, but before that Deku is going to do his damndest to save him. And saving him doesn't mean that he's forgiven for his actions or pardoned of his crimes. It means to hopefully bring him some peace of mind and start correcting the failures that gave birth to Shigaraki. I absolutely agree about the image of little Izuku standing across the crying little Tenko. It is one of the most striking images yet from this arc in its simplicity and I just love it. I do like that the brother is adressing them kinda playfully, kinda acknowledging that they're being really childish by just staring into the only wall available instead of talking to Izuku.

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Honestly, i think that people just forget that this an idealistic shonen manga, yeah sometimes things get tought and dark and sometimes talks about uncomfortable truths, but more often than not they are idealistic stories of overcoming the trials of life to reach your dreams, wich usually mean that the optimistic protagonist is gonna acomplish his goals, with a conclusion that is more sweet than bitter

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[TheCape]

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I would expect nothing less from him by this point.

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Honestly, i just expecting that reveal of his first name being Tomura too, it would make so much sense for someone so self-centered

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[Inversed]

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There are bound to be people who just don't get it. People who want Izuku to be Batman or Goku or whatever, or a version of those characters who goes straight for the kill when things get too tough. But that's not what this series is about, and it's not who Deku is. He wants to be a hero to help and save and comfort people, and that includes the terrified little Tenko Shimura who is trapped inside the web of hate and anger that is Tomura Shigaraki. Maybe he will have to kill him, but before that Deku is going to do his damndest to save him. And saving him doesn't mean that he's forgiven for his actions or pardoned of his crimes. It means to hopefully bring him some peace of mind and start correcting the failures that gave birth to Shigaraki.

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Even though it's kinda ironic because Izuku's already got that same sense of Batman of not wanting to kill at all. I'd say you could look at it in a very similar way to Batman/Joker or Spider-Man/Green Goblin, these absolutely dangerous beings that will always do more harm than good and killing them would probably be the "safe" route, but these two absolutely refuse, and will in fact even help the villain when they're in danger, cause that's what they stand for. Only in this instance, Midoriya is also aware Shigaraki is very clearly a victim too in his own way, meaning he also has that drive to "save" him rather than just simply "not kill". Also, I feel like alot of those people who just won't listen and won't get it, confuse "anti-killing" with being also "anti-violence", when that is clearly not the case. Midoriya would much rather prioritize saving, but he knows he still has to beat the crap outta people to succeed, that's what the whole "save and win" arc is all about.

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AFO attempting to use Shigaraki's hatred is interesting since he's controlling Shigaraki's body now. Does that mean he's just letting Shigaraki stew in his own hate and that he can just bring it out whenever he attemps to swipe OFA away? That's a pretty sick way to treat Shiggy.

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It's also a really clever way of explaining how exactly Shigaraki is able to take OFA when AFO never could. Since for a while we just assumed his experimentation with the Doctor somehow gave him that ability to override it, but here the explanation is that you need just an "immense sense of hatred" to combat the will. And like you said, it doesn't seem like AFO's end goal is to completely take over Shigaraki's body, but rather he's in control right now to effectively force him to cool down his body, and also piss him off enough so that he can steal it when the time comes, which is to be fair, pretty smart in terms of evil plans.

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[PCN24454]

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Even though it's kinda ironic because Izuku's already got that same sense of Batman of not wanting to kill at all. I'd say you could look at it in a very similar way to Batman/Joker or Spider-Man/Green Goblin, these absolutely dangerous beings that will always do more harm than good and killing them would probably be the "safe" route, but these two absolutely refuse, and will in fact even help the villain when they're in danger, cause that's what they stand for. Only in this instance, Midoriya is also aware Shigaraki is very clearly a victim too in his own way, meaning he also has that drive to "save" him rather than just simply "not kill". Also, I feel like alot of those people who just won't listen and won't get it, confuse "anti-killing" with being also "anti-violence", when that is clearly not the case. Midoriya would much rather prioritize saving, but he knows he still has to beat the crap outta people to succeed, that's what the whole "save and win" arc is all about.

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I've found that whether or not people like a hero is more about aesthetics than anything they actually do. Deku actually caring about people rather than treating the situation like a video game makes him seem impractical when really it's about getting as many hero points as possible. After all, that's what anybody else would do in his situation.

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[leokearon]

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AFO attempting to use Shigaraki's hatred is interesting since he's controlling Shigaraki's body now. Does that mean he's just letting Shigaraki stew in his own hate and that he can just bring it out whenever he attemps to swipe OFA away? That's a pretty sick way to treat Shiggy.

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And given that he loves to steal people's quirks, it isn't that surprising.

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[Dark Soul # 7]

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Even though it's kinda ironic because Izuku's already got that same sense of Batman of not wanting to kill at all. I'd say you could look at it in a very similar way to Batman/Joker or Spider-Man/Green Goblin, these absolutely dangerous beings that will always do more harm than good and killing them would probably be the "safe" route, but these two absolutely refuse, and will in fact even help the villain when they're in danger, cause that's what they stand for. Only in this instance, Midoriya is also aware Shigaraki is very clearly a victim too in his own way, meaning he also has that drive to "save" him rather than just simply "not kill". Also, I feel like alot of those people who just won't listen and won't get it, confuse "anti-killing" with being also "anti-violence", when that is clearly not the case. Midoriya would much rather prioritize saving, but he knows he still has to beat the crap outta people to succeed, that's what the whole "save and win" arc is all about.

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Yeah, with long-running villains like Joker and Green Goblin everybody knows that they're just the worst and any sorrow they've experienced has long since been outweighed by their repeated horrors and flagrant nonchalance of getting captured over and over again. Deku at least has decided that he's going to do something final about Shigaraki. He doesn't know what yet, but he's recognised that it's an issue that has to be dealt with. He's going to try to live up to his goal as a hero who saves everyone first, but if that doesn't work in the end then he'll deal with that at that point. Meta-wise it also helps to know that MHA has an ending while western super heroes will just go on and on and their popular villains need to stick around so Izuku's decision feels more impactful because of it. There's a reason why "Feral Deku" is a thing with the fandom, and why we love it. The kid knows how to throw down and will go to great lengths to beat down anybody who needs an ass-whupping, be they fanatic serial killer, blood thirsty thug, callous crime lord, misguided sadsack with a mid-life crisis or hate-fuelled super villain who has been bugging him and his friends since the first week of the school year.

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It's also a really clever way of explaining how exactly Shigaraki is able to take OFA when AFO never could. Since for a while we just assumed his experimentation with the Doctor somehow gave him that ability to override it, but here the explanation is that you need just an "immense sense of hatred" to combat the will. And like you said, it doesn't seem like AFO's end goal is to completely take over Shigaraki's body, but rather he's in control right now to effectively force him to cool down his body, and also piss him off enough so that he can steal it when the time comes, which is to be fair, pretty smart in terms of evil plans.

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I do wonder if AFO is planning on moving back into his body at some point, or if his longterm goal is to just keep having a second consciouness inside Shigaraki. And another thing to consider if whether AFO knows about the issue with OFA being passed to a person with a quirk. I assume that it would be even worse for a person with as many quirks as he's shoved into Shigaraki at this point.

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[Dark Soul # 7]

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And given that he loves to steal people's quirks, it isn't that surprising.

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It certainly isn't. I'm just a bit put off by how much he's just using Shigaraki and the anger AFO fostered inside him as a tool. He's a such a delightfully despicable villain.

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[Inversed]

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There's a reason why "Feral Deku" is a thing with the fandom, and why we love it. The kid knows how to throw down and will go to great lengths to beat down anybody who needs an ass-whupping, be they fanatic serial killer, blood thirsty thug, callous crime lord, misguided sadsack with a mid-life crisis or hate-fuelled super villain who has been bugging him and his friends since the first week of the school year.

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Also why it's great when Spider-Man goes nuts, because that's when they know the gloves are off and it's time to truly get serious. Also I'd change the last one to "angsty teen harassing a bunch of high schoolers" lol

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I do wonder if AFO is planning on moving back into his body at some point, or if his longterm goal is to just keep having a second consciouness inside Shigaraki. And another thing to consider if whether AFO knows about the issue with OFA being passed to a person with a quirk. I assume that it would be even worse for a person with as many quirks as he's shoved into Shigaraki at this point.

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My belief is it'll probably be a case of AFO's consciousness will always live inside him due to the Quirk, but that after he gets OFA, his intention is to give Shigaraki control again. It always seemed to be like his true goal is that he ultimately just wants someone who agrees and believes in the same things as him to rule by his side, that relationship he never got with his brother, and that he's been grooming Shigaraki to be that person. Especially after in Vigilantes, when we learn that before Kurogiri was babysitting Shigaraki, he was effectively babysitting AFO, further makes me believe that he just really wants someone to talk to more than anything. I feel like AFO would probably be the exception to the rule of OFA's overload, since not only was the Quirk technically created by him in the first place, but also his Quirk Factor itself is designed to hold multiple Quirks due to its function, so I don't see it having the same backlash as any other person. Shigaraki would probably be the case of needing to complete his procedure at 100% first before he could handle it. At this point he would DEFINITIVELY explode from trying to handle them.

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[Inversed]

The anxiousness has raised up to 12.

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All Might reveals the truth of One For All to Hawks, Best Jeanist (and presumably Endeavor), who hold a press conference a few days later. Endeavor and Hawks both confess to their actions and troubled pasts, standing their ground to reclaim the public's favour by resolving the mess. They also reveal that U.A. and other hero schools will become sanctuaries for civilians to move into and be safe, including the parents of the students. Endeavor ends with the declaration to "Just watch me". Later, Midoriya gives handwritten notes to each of his classmates in 1-A, confessing the truth behind One For All, how All For One and Shigaraki are after him, and because of that, he has to leave, to everyone's confusion, and Uraraka's uneasiness. By April, a lone Midoriya stands atop a building, as he sullenly reacts to a giant villain attacking.

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While it's disappointing we still gotta wait again to learn the identities of the 2 OFA users, there is so much here that put the story at a point where there is absolutely no turning back. You have both the public and the heroes knowing they want an answer, but nobody knows what that answer is, so you have whoever is left basically scrambling to do whatever they can to help others in any way possible. Endeavor's "Just watch me" going from a declaration of strength, that he'll be able to beat any foe he comes across, to a declaration of resolve, to stand and help people in this time of crisis no matter what the circumstance. Also, seeing Inko & Mitsuki moving in to U.A. now, makes me hope that the Todorokis are also moving in, cause I so wanna see Inko and Rei become close that'd be so adorable. But most importantly, there is so much to unpack in that final genuinely chilling page. Is he possibly in America right now? Are those Melissa's Full Gauntlets on his arms? He's got Gran Torino's scarf so what happened there? And then there's just the contrast to the very first chapter, where he excitedly reacts to a giant villain attacking, and now he's just tired and apathetic. I like how he did go out of his way to write personalized letters to everyone in the class, but it's also just so sad seeing him leave everyone like that, especially with how upset Ochaco is and just how tired he is too. And with "The Final Act Begins", maybe the series really does have just a few years left to go. It's definitely clear we'll get some flashback to see how we got to this point eventually, but for now, man I'm anxious to see where this is going next.

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