I always think about how, if the Dad for One theory is true, it’s possible he wasn’t in Izuku’s life long enough for Izuku to remember him much/have a connection to him. This would explain why, regardless of whether or not the theory holds water, Izuku doesn’t mention his father ever — other than his fire breathing quirk, which was only relevant to him because he was quirkless.
So I’m thinking: Izuku is about 16 right now. Shigaraki is about 20. When Izuku is a baby/toddler, what is AFO doing? He’s kidnapping and grooming Tenko Shimura.
Izuku and Tenko, now Tomura, are foils. The manga revolves around their growth. They have opposite mentors from two different sides, and we watch them both as they grow to replace them. And following the MVA arc, we see their visual resemblance before Tenko is twisted into the Shigaraki we know today:
Here’s what AFO does after he kidnaps Tenko:
1. Changes his name to Shigaraki Tomura. He now shares a name with AFO, effectively making him family by name.
2. Gives him his own room, buys him things like action figures and video games (as time goes on his room is more well-stocked, so I’m assuming they were also grooming tactics).
3. Has now-Tomura call him “sensei”
At this point, Tenko hadn’t worn sneakers. He wore sandals, or was barefoot. After he murders his family and runs away, he’s barefoot, due to his quirk. So OF COURSE AFO buys him shoes. But I’m talking about the kind of shoe he buys him.
Who else wore red high tops since childhood? Izuku.
What shoes do they both emulate even now that they’re older? Red high tops.
“But Tenko’s shoes aren’t red in that MVA panel!” Okay, yes, but Horikoshi never colors in his shoes like he does izuku’s. From the Overhaul and Gentle arcs:
(Similarly, Horikoshi doesn’t color in Touya Todoroki’s red hair like he does Shouto’s, even though the anime shows it’s red twice.)
But back to my argument. Tenko and Izuku are foils — so of course they could have similar character designs. But almost every other character changes shoes; Horikoshi takes the time to point out Izuku/Tenko’s shoes regularly in manga panels. And they never change them. They must have some attachment to them. Even Izuku doesn’t wear his shirts with text on them all the time like he does his sneakers. It’s less a funky design quirk and more an actual character habit.
A hair further: characters point out Izuku’s shoes. It’s not a They Just Wear The Same Clothes Because Anime thing. They have plot AND character significance. “It’s gotta be red.”
So no, I don’t think this is JUST 1) a character design thing or 2) a coincidence thing or even 3) just pointing out they’re foils thing.
Me, adjusting my tinfoil hat: AFO kidnapped Tenko and warped him, intentionally or unintentionally, into a new son. Izuku and Tenko wear similar shoes because DAD bought them both their first pair.
My question is: WHEN was the last time Izuku saw his dad?
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