I haven't really seen anyone talking about it before, but do you think it's inevitable that Izuku will wind up looking as emaciated as Toshinori the longer he has One for All? From the flashbacks with Gran Torino it looks like Toshinori didn't always look as, ugh, haggard as he does now. Plus, we know that OfA has a lot of physical repercussions on the user, and both All Might and now Izuku don't take good care of their bodies/are notably reckless and self-sacrificing.
the reason why Toshinori is so emaciated isn’t due to prolonged use of OFA, it’s because he had a hole punched in his side and lost his stomach and lung, and the surgeries and their complications are why he became so skinny and emaciated
it has nothing to do with his use of OFA.
one of the major points in the series is that self-sacrifice isn’t always good, and you need to take care of yourself. that your actions have consequences, and you can’t recklessly run into a situation. Inko is worried about her son becoming paralyzed in his arms, and Toshinori is feeling the weight of that since he’s partially the reason why that happened.
Izuku is realizing that he can’t just recklessly charge in and damage his limbs in order to win, because it does him no good in the long run, and it makes the people he’s closest to seriously worry for him. his actions have consequences.
Horikoshi is very good with this. everyone’s actions have consequences. Todoroki and Bakugou didn’t pass the Provisional License Exam b/c they didn’t do what was required of them, Iida went after Stain in revenge and now he has a serious injury in his arm that makes it hard to use it properly, Izuku pushed himself too far in his and Todoroki’s fight and permanently damaged his hand, Inko almost kept Izuku from going back to UA because his injuries were so serious, Toshinori’s novice teaching skills caused him to accidentally cause Izuku’s self destructive fighting streak in the first place, etc
that’s why Izuku learning to take care of himself better and not injure himself in fights has become such a big deal, especially as of late. that’s why he switched to fighting with his legs, so he doesn’t do more damage to his arms, and he’s trying to regulate his power better so he doesn’t give himself even more injuries. that’s one of the major points of the series
hell, Aizawa said it early on in the series. if you injure yourself in the middle of a fight, you pretty much become as good as useless. Izuku took this lesson to heart, but he was still injuring himself in the process, just not enough to keep him down. now, he’s fighting in a way that doesn’t injure him at all.
Toshinori is all about self-sacrifice. this is one of his major faults. he’s so used to risking his life for everyone that it’s become normal for him. he told Inko straight up that he would risk his life in order to protect Izuku; and she flat out told him no.
he needs to live. no more of that self-sacrificing bullshit. no, he needs to live and take care of himself for Izuku. dying would do no good to anyone. if Toshinori died, it would do more harm than good for Izuku. Izuku needs him alive and well. he needs Toshinori alive in order to learn from him more, and Toshi is practicing Izuku’s reason for living; he admires him so much.
one of the major points of the series is that self-sacrifice isn’t all that good. Stain’s whole moral is that Heroes should only be about self-sacrifice, and he’s on the extreme end of the spectrum. he’s got strong ideals, but he’s clearly presented as wrong.
the series is deconstructing the self-sacrifice trope in shonen, and especially in hero comics. it has consequences. it’s not healthy. it’s bad for you. sometimes, just talking it out would be better. it’s not the only option you have. it causes pain, not just to you, but to those around you.
self-sacrifice is seen as good and noble, but there are consequences to it that is often ignored, and that’s what MHA is trying to show. it’s not all it’s talked up to be. the characters are being forced to see that it’s not as great as they thought, and that they need to think of other ways to fight, because self-sacrifice is just not going to cut it anymore
sure, there are going to be situations where it can’t be avoided. but that’s why they’re training. why Izuku specifically is training, so he can fight and protect without worrying about injuring himself again. the stronger and smarter and more cooperative they get, the less likely there’ll be many grievous injuries, or self sacrificial ploys
that’s one of the major points of the series. in the long run, self sacrifice isn’t gonna cut it. the characters are learning that and improving themselves so they don’t have to resort to it in every fight. to learn the value of themselves and how them getting hurt scares the people around them. about how their actions have consequences. how they can’t go on like that anymore
that’s the point Horikoshi is trying to make by showing us all the damage Toshinori took from his life of being a self-sacrificial hero. why he’s shown us Izuku getting more and more hurt as the series goes on.
because self-sacrifice isn’t the only way to be an effective hero.
A meta about how OFA is just pure strength without endurance & how Toshi’s normal form looked similar to All Might prior to his injury
A different meta about how OFA works and the moral battle between AFO and All Might and why All Might refused to die
A meta about Inko telling Toshinori that he needs to live, and why self-sacrifice isn’t always good
snowghoul
dededos
areudirty
pixelskylines
