There was a post written by tumbler user saisai-chan allllll the way back in January 2017 comparing Horikoshi’s two characters: Shigaraki Tomura (My Hero Academia) and Shiina (Oumagadoki Zoo). Design wise, somewhat personality wise, the two are similar. White hair and red eyes, a throne/king motif, and ‘childish’-mindsets. The post, however, ends with noting that they’re total opposites in their motivations, and how they’re what the other would end up if things went right/horribly wrong.
Fast forward two and a half years, and we have Shigaraki Tomura in the spotlight, with a lot of things revealed about him and a shitload of character development. And now, I would argue that the character of Shigaraki really does uses Shiina as yet another prototype, like Tenko from the oneshot, like Sazanka from the drafts; and he’s more alike Shiina than readers previously though.
First off, here’s Shigaraki Tomura with bunny ears from Smash!
Now the biggest similarity: how they took in the rejects of the worlds, the ones who couldn’t fit in right, and made them friends to whom they’ll fight for.
Magne who wanted to be herself, Toga who wanted to live free, Twice who felt there was no place for someone crazy like him, Spinner who is looking for change in the world… All these different people, all the people that seemed to have been left behind by society, Shigaraki recruited them and formed his League.
Same for the animals Shiina found for his zoo, the strange ones that didn’t act like they were ‘supposed’ to.
In fact, the word Shigaraki keeps using, is 仲間 (nakama), translated to ‘friend, ally, comrade’. That’s the same word Shiina uses for the ‘beasts’ of his zoo.
I mean, yeah, it’s just a word, but it’s such a ridiculously shounen protag concept, the idea of friendship and camaraderie, and fighting for it. Shiina shouts it like every chapter; and at the rate My Villain Academia is going, so will the League.
To emphasize the shonen vibe, Shigaraki and Shiina will push themselves to their limits for their comrades, whether it’s month-long sleep deprivation or being completely wrecked and injured.
Chapter Seventeen - Two Truths and a Big Fat Fucking Lie
Rating: Explicit - Minors DNI
Summary: Tomura Shigaraki was her dad's boss's son. He was the creep that stole girls' underwear and tried to grope her in his room. But it's not like he could get her Dad fired just because she wouldn't sleep with him, right? ...right?
CW: Quirkless!AU, Explicit Smut, Dub-Con, Coercion, Blackmail, Cheating, Sexual Guilt, Humiliation, Unhealthy Relationships, Virginity Kink, Groping, Power Play, Hate to Love, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Animal Death, Slow Burn, Misogyny
Read Full Chapter on AO3
[excerpt]
Izuku Midoriya didn’t think much of it when one of the bathroom doors was locked. Didn’t think about it all actually, the team “dinner” was a crowded event after all, it was perfectly understandable for the single stall facility to be occupied by one of his other teammates.
No, he just moved on to try the other bathroom door. But before he could touch the handle, it opened, a puffy-eyed Ochaco Uraraka emerging from the other side.
“D-Deku!” she squeaked, rubbing at her eyes to try and hide the tears away, “I-I’m sorry, were you waiting long?”
However, he’d definitely caught them, his brows furrowing in concern, “No, I just got here.”
“Oh, th-that’s good…”
“Are… you okay?” he prodded gently.
She quickly overcompensated with her smile, “Y-Yeah, of course! Why do you ask?”
“Well, I guess… You kind of look like you’ve been crying or something.”
She waved him off, again, way too enthusiastically. Way too fake, “Oh, no, no, no! It’s just irritation from the water, I’m fine! Really!”
He wasn’t so sure. It’d been at least three hours since anyone had gotten in the water, let alone her. Any “irritation” should’ve been gone by this point. But at the same time, he didn’t want to push her when she was so vehemently denying it. They were friends, he had to believe that if she needed to talk to him about it, she would.
“Oh… Okay…”
“Well then, excuse me…” she said, dropping her head and hurrying past him.
That really should’ve been it honestly, he had no place to pry. But something about this whole thing just didn’t feel right.
“Wait, Uraraka!” he called, turning heel and jogging after her.
He caught her just around the corner, a few short steps from the entrance back to the dining room.
“If um… If you’re ever not okay and you need to talk, just let me know,” he smiled, “After all, we’re friends right?”
She stared at him for a long time, at a complete loss for words. But before she knew it, her lip started to quiver, her eyes started to burn. And finally, she dropped down to the floor, head in her knees, with a not especially quiet wail.
“Waaaaaaaghhhhh!!!!!”
“O-Oh no, I’m so sorry!” Midoriya dropped down next to her, guiltily and frantically trying to calm her, “I shouldn’t have pried! If nothing’s wrong, nothing’s wrong, I believe you—!”
“I completely choked out there!” she cried, stopping his panic in its tracks.
Midoriya frowned, “Uraraka…”
“All my individual times were total crap, and I almost lost us the entire relay! And in front of all those recruiters, too! I couldn’t show them anything that I was made of!”
“Hey, that’s okay,” he cooed, patting her back, “It’s the first meet of the season, there are plenty of other chances.”
“I just don’t know how I’m gonna be able to come back from this,” she breathed, “Every time I think about swimming in another meet, all I can think about is how that might be my last chance, and then I completely freeze.”
Midoriya’s brows furrowed, “Woah, what? Why would the next meet be your last chance?”
“Something Senpai said,” she answered, “About how the recruiters don’t care what we do and that we only have so many chances to to stand out, so we gotta make the most of them.”
Midoriya almost couldn’t believe his ears. The upperclassmen on Uraraka’s relay team were all so nice and supportive, it was hard to even imagine that type of harsh, pressure-building advice coming from one of their mouths.
“I know she was just trying to help,” she continued, “But it totally got in my head and now I’m wondering if maybe it’s all just downhill from here.”
His typical bashfulness around his dear friend and classmate was momentarily forgotten as all he could think about was comforting her. He took her hands in his and squeezed.
“Uraraka, you’re an amazing swimmer. And you’ll have as many chances as you make for yourself. There’s no way this is the end for you.”
She smiled softly at him, genuine relief warming her stomach, “...Thank you, Deku. Honestly.”
Uraraka excused herself soon after that, saying that she really should get back to the table now before Asui worried. To be honest, he still didn’t feel great about the situation as he made his way back to the bathrooms. He knew that there wasn’t anything he could actually do to alleviate her hurt, and it was frustrating. But he also couldn’t understand why on Earth their upperclassman would give Uraraka that kind of “advice”. It didn’t make sense, not unless she was trying to—
No, no, no — that was a ridiculous thought Izuku Midoriya. She wouldn’t do something like that, no way… Right?
As he opened the door to the bathroom, the other one suddenly opened next to him. A guy, some supposed friend of said senpai — he was pretty sure that his name was Shigaraki — came out. He looked around carefully, clocking Midoriya with a bit of irritated surprise, before pointedly closing the door behind him. Then he stalked straight down towards the staff exit.
Huh. That was weird.
For a couple of reasons, actually. For the shiftiness about him of course and the way that he hurried out the back. But also for the fact that Midoriya could’ve sworn that he’d left already.
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