My Hero Academia Chapter 226 Review
Oh lord this chapter. Wow.
So we open on a flashback, or potentially a broadcast of young Toga’s first murder. Someone who witnessed it actually got a good look at Toga’s face.
Okay, so setting the tone for this chapter. We also get more from Toga’s flashback showing that she was obsessed with blood before her first murder.
I’ll talk about this more when we get back to it as we cut forward to the present.
Kizuki is still interviewing Toga, and I swear to god you could show me some of the faces in this chapter out of context and I’d think they’d be moved to orgasm.
Toga’s not able to really stand. Getting blown up will do that to you. And Kizuki begins to monologue again. Though to be fair, unlike last week, it balanced much better with more potent dialogue and Toga’s own introspection. o its not like dominated by one person.
So we get introduced to a new concept for this world, quirk consoling. It’s not a surprise, that powers you are born with affect your personality, simulations, and interests. Toga can transform from drinking blood, so naturally she’s interested in blood. Bakugou’s got an explosive temper, could be partially detritive from his quirk. Same with Aoyama and his sparkling motif. People’s quirks reflect their quirks.
Quirk consoling is for those who’s personalities effected by their odd quirks are made to psychologically integrate them. Essentially press down their psychosis and make them normal. But a quirk is a part of you. It doesn’t just go away. Focusing on suppressing your oddity just makes you think about it more. And the more you think about the thing you’re told not to embrace in an effort to not do it, its no surprise Toga snapped.
Now to be fair. This is just Toga. We have seen people with blood based quirks like Vlad King, actually manage to live a normal life. It’s likely because his stimulation with blood manifested more acceptably. Showing that Toga’s interest could’ve been met, but rather than being forced down, she could’ve been shown to put her interests in another form.
Toga snaps at Kizuki again, and she reveals a support tool to blow her back. I’m guessing all the Liberation Army executives have a special support tool.
Kizuki brings up something I’ve been saying for awhile, that the LoV and the Liberation Army have the same objective. Thy both wanna change society for reasons that create outcasts. But again, something that makes them different it their closeness. Kizuki, doesn’t care about Toga’s suffering so she can help her, she cares so she can furthur her own agenda.
But the League cared. Gave Toga a place to go. But these guys, she’s just another drop in the bucket for their ends. If they really cared, Kizuki would’ve offered Toga a chance to join them. But no, she’s just another pawn.
Toga dashes off, and I again have to props to Horikoshi as an artist. I tend to hear Horikoshi get shit for ways he draws women at times (personally, I don’t agree with that assessment, but that’s not what this is about right now). But Hori is one of the few shounen artists willing to take this female character who many do consider cute and adorable, regardless of being a serial killer, and burn her. Burn and blood that cute face, because it horrifying, it gets the message across.
So while I get some of the complaints about how Hori draws female characters, I feel its worth mentioning that he will treat their appearances like a male’s. Give them muscle tone and give them full facial damage. It’s something I see rarely done by mainstream shounen and I appreciate it.
Granted, she doesn’t stay like that for long. As she turns into Uraraka while fleeing.
So we get another dive into Toga’s head. This time about Izuku and Uraraka. While it is good, how Toga becomes like Uraraka because of love. She wants to be like Uraraka because Izuku loves her. I also feel this chapter hasn’t brought up the source of that love.
Because as we saw in the flashback, the boy she was watching looked like Izuku, so how much of this love is genuine and how much is superficial. Its not answered and maybe it will be alter, but seeing this scene makes m want a clear answer on if Toga is projecting onto others or is this “true love.”
And here’s where we get the most controversial thing in the chapter. Which this chapter has been great so far, but this moment…
Toga can now use the powers of the people she turns into. Something that only seems to have happened because she is at death’s door. Okay, I’m going to level with you, this is an asspull. This out of nowhere enhancement is the same thing people gave to FT and OP for how they won fights. My damn intellectual honesty does tell me this is still cheating.
BUT! Unlike, say FT, this power up is backed by the story. Sure its not “built up” but the fact this new ability was dveloped thanks to a heavy psychological reason and not say “I have friends” or some shit, that reality bends entirely to their will.
It also lines up with Toga’s powers. Its not like she gained the ability to blood bend. Her evolution came from still having to transform her body from ingesting a person’s blood. And we also she, it has limitations. Like with Monoma’s copy quirk, I can accept such a strong ability as long as it has limits. And this one does. She can’t maintain the form she’s in forever.
So is it an asspull? Yes, but it a very well done asspull that allows to look over the plot convenience.
Our chapter ends pretty gruesomely, but kinda amazingly. Also, she says she’s just like Izuku. I don’t know if that means that the LoV knows the truth about One for All or if she’s just saying that because she has Izuku’s blood.
Post Chapter follow up: This chapter is great. The best part about it is finally diving into who Toga is as a person. It’s such a trip and honestly erriely similar to real life killers.
I love the worldbuilding and commentary on society in this chapter. Horikoshi really knows how to take a modern setting for a battle shounen and give it such depth.
Kizuki is also far better in this chapter. She’s still one-note, but this time she’s not dominating thee chapter and at least gives us more insight into the Liberation army.
The only fault I can find in this chapter is the powerup. But I’ve already written why I can see a reader accepting this over some Nakama crap. And even if the change does bother you there is so much good here, it still is a good read.
Gives us a great psychological look into our villain
Character development in spades
Interesting societal commentary
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