Art made by Neytirix on Twitter/X
WARNING: INCOMING ART GUSH
(And dissection of U.A’s esteemed principal, Nedzu)
Alright so time to outwardly gush about this art piece.
So, note, Nedzu's my favorite character in recent. Despite their not being a lot to him, what there is really fascinates me, mostly from how despite the knowledge we have him being limited, it's enough to build character potential over it. The most striking thing we know (and supposedly, no one else knowing) is him being experimented on to some degree, enough for him to have a deep resentment for humanity because of those experiments.
Now because he's so open as a character, it results in a lot of interpretations for how he acts. Some people write him to be a bit of an asshole at points due to this deep seeded hate, whilst others just effectivelly make him goddamn insane (but in a good way). The same can obviously be said for his backstory too, though not a lot of people tackle this aspect regarding this character, and frankly, why would they?
Not because it wouldn't be a interesting thing to look into, but because it's effectively just becomes complete and utter headcannon once doing so (Also, probably from it not really having a great moment within canon to appear unless its a Nedzu-focused fic). ANYWAY to get back onto my railroad tracks-
This piece is amazing. The lighting of a deep fog in the back not only puts the focus on Nedzu and the rodents, but enseams a sense of unclarity both for the viewer and potentially, Nedzu. Ya see, I've always been fascinated by his first ever line in the series being him making a joke at his own expense; Primary on his appearence being unclear as to what kind of animal he actually is.
Now call me a deep diver, but I feel like this line is a lot more personal on Nedzu's end then he leads on. Personally (Headcannon moment), I do belive Nedzu does know what species he is now, but for a long time did, in fact, not.
Nedzu, for a while, didn't even care for what species he was, because his primary goal was to be human. Not literally of course, but on the level of respect. Nedzu's quirk doesn't just give him intelligence, but specifically sapience. And a level that I imagine can go far beyond a human at times.
And this piece also really plays into that. In a room full of animals who just live to survive, Nedzu can live for far more that. Mice, rats, and all of those rodents in between all live to simply eat, sleep, reproduce, and repeat. Nedzu, though, doesn't have to limit himself there. Nedzu, for all he's capable of, can see himself above his species, and maybe even equal to those with his level of intelligence. The problem was...
...people didn't see him that way. Especially not those who experimented on him for god knows what. He was just seen as a smarter mammal, not an equal. So instead of wanting to be seen as an animal, he pushed himself to be human. His first line completely throws away the idea that he focuses on who he truly is, and instead his postion. He moved himself up on the social ladder to effectivelly enforce a sense of humanity into himself because otherwise, he was nothing more than just a rat. Or a bear. Or a dog.
Do I think Nedzu enjoys having to do this? Maybe not. He isn't happy in the piece per se, but I don't think he necessarily regrets it. On some level though, I imagine he does wish he didn't have the Quirk he did. Just a day to be true to himself, rather than to be true to humanity. But, for whatever reason, he did. So he isn't just gonna drop dead. He will use what he's been given and make the most of it. Even if it means losing that piece.
Ok I'm done now :).
