thinkin’ about this panel today
i came up with what i’m about to say while watching the the dub, which phrases it like “if i looked down on you, i’d want nothing to do with you. but i’m still here.” my thoughts still work with the translated manga, tho.
this is the beginning of izuku’s response to katsuki accusing izuku of having looked down on him their entire lives. he goes on to say what boils down to: “i admired you anyways, so i wanted to see what you’d become.”
katsuki admits to having looked down on izuku their entire lives, but only because katsuki’s inferiority complex perceived izuku’s innate heroism as a threat. katsuki wasn’t really looking down on izuku when he bullied him, but—in some fucked up sense—he was defending himself.
so, even if it was bullying, katsuki spent time with a guy that he believed insulted him. katsuki should’ve wanted nothing to do with izuku, but his insecurities made him feel like he needed to assert himself.
but katsuki wouldn’t have any need to assert himself if he hadn’t subconsciously viewed izuku as superior to him; someone worth admiring, even if katsuki couldn’t do so back then.
so, back to what izuku said.
izuku admired katsuki despite his flaws.
katsuki admired what he pretended were izuku’s flaws. (which later became his actual flaws, but that’s for another time.)
katsuki never looked down on izuku. he looked down on himself for not being like izuku.
because if izuku’s compassion for others wasn’t something katsuki felt could challenge his ability to be the best hero, why the fuck was he so surprised in this panel?
could it be that katsuki genuinely thought that izuku got into UA quirkless? that izuku’s heroic personality alone got him into the hero school?
could it be that even when izuku’s mom, all might—and izuku himself—had no faith, some part of katsuki always believed that izuku could become a hero without a quirk?
yeah.
