Lets take a moment for Toga and Dabi’s relationship. Unlike the fanon idea, canon Toga-Dabi wasnt as good as now and they actually disliked each others a lot and this is why i find it interesting the later interaction they have.
At the start when they met Shigaraki, despite the fact that both of them had interest in Stain, it was completely opposite reasons. Toga for her own type, Dabi for his ideals. Toga who always honest to herself and Dabi who who always deny his feelings. You would think they are complete opposite but actually, they are similar in core. Because in the end, both of them was driven by personal feelings. Toga for idea of love and Dabi for revenge.
Shigaraki, Dabi, Toga. They had that ‘i will kill you’ moment when they met but at least, their relationship with Shigaraki changed, not much later. Every decision Shigaraki made, the fact that he made league, that he gave a speech about messed up society, and later actually become a leader, accept them, treat them with care and respect, even later to save them etc etc. With every move he made, Shigaraki eventually won their heart one by one or all together. He gained Dabi’s respect and Toga’s care.
But that wasnt the case between Toga and Dabi, really. Just because they are in same group doesnt mean that they are super close, after all. He constantly look down her and call her crazy. To him, she is just crazy and thats it. And Toga, of course, dislikes anyone who doesnt accept her.
Toga vs Dabi Smash Bonus;
-Before the match-
Toga: Dabi, you are not cute.
Dabi: Yeah, I agree.
-Toga wins-
Toga: I wanna go home. You’re annoying.
-Before the match-
Dabi: You’ve got a few screws loose, y’know.
Toga: Uh-huh, and that’s fine!
-Dabi wins-
Dabi: See? We don’t need you.
Source.
Of course, even their dynamic change since legaue is home for them. Toga tease him and worry about his wounds while Dabi seems to be a little softer to her than before. (He is smilling, unlike before). Like sibling dynamic.
I always thought that Toga and Dabi are the ‘selfish’ ones in the group when it comes to working together or doing things for the sake of group because they both always focus on doing their own things more than doing thigns for group. Compare this to other members;
Shigaraki is literally leader and despite the fact that he doesnt have to, he does his best to making their wishes come true. Twice is too who always live for the sake of group. Even Mr compress, he also has his own goal too but still, he become the caretaker of the bunch of children in a sense. Spinner isnt really much a caretaker of group but still, he follows his leader and after Twice’s death, he is the one who try to put the group together. I think, compared to them, Toga and Dabi didnt realize that how lucky they are to have their this weird family, until they loose it. After Shigaraki is gone (and Mr Compress too), and especially after Twice’s death.
I think thats when Toga and Dabi’s relationship truly changed because Dabi changed his perspective of her. The way she reacts to Twice’s death like that shows that she cared, that she is not just selfish crazy girl.
And later, Dabi most likely saw Toga’s home. How she was forgotten, abandonded, just like him. Maybe first time he ever really related to her and he reach out to her, comforting him by burning her house, giving Twice’s blood and telling her to smile. Thats also the first time he calls her with her name, i think. Look at Toga’s warm smile, how happy she is.
And we later see in official picture that Toga imitates Dabi’s frankeinstein move and Dabi softly smile. Note; Toga only imitate people she loves.
And later, they work together, to not let heroes forget about sad man’s parade. Of course MVP is Spinner and he did a lot but i love their character developments too. We also see Dabi’s first time saying ‘we’, not just ‘him’ because its not just about him anymore. Its about them and what society did to them.
Personally, i never thought their interaction and characters would improve this much, i am so proud of them. I might’ve made similar meta about their relationship before but anyway, i wanted to talk about them again because i feel like they grow up a lot since then.
So, I guess the biggest plot point I have noticed for Ochako is to not let people go.
On one hand, we have Deku:
The greatest asset for the heroes; all tattered and bruised running away from his own comfort and happiness to protect his loved ones because the hero society has brainwashed him into thinking that heroism is all about sacrifice and he is the only one who can offer that.
And then, we have Toga.
A cunning villain according to the heroes, a constant thorn on their side.
But in reality, Toga's not a monster that she's perceived to be. She was just an unlucky girl born with a cursed quirk that led her friends and even family boycotting her.
A teenage girl, whose feelings are all over the place. A girl who loves heroes and wants to be like them. A person whose biggest question is that her life matters or not?
And then, we have Ochako.
More under the cut_
Who has failed thrice in reaching out:
First, when she didn't go after Bakugo. She convinced everyone else too, to not go after Bakugo in the Hideout Raid arc because of her own passiveness.
And then she even regrets later and tries to fix things up. But well we know how it goes.
Then she failed to save Sir Nighteye. He was a hero, that died in her arms and there was nothing she could do but helplessly watch.
We see some character development as she rushed to save Deku from the Black whip but just mindlessly running into danger without a plan in mind is not the best solution to a problem Chako cheeks.
But, baby-steps.
We have Toga. It's because she failed to answer Toga's question properly during the war (not that I blame her for it, considering the situation) that Toga turned into the villain she is now.
And finally we have Deku. A product of the society who's brainwashed into thinking that it's his Destiny to suffer in silence because he's a hero.
And yes, there is reason Ochako is highlighted here.
Deku isn't just a random person. He is her best friend and a fellow hero who is willing to suffer in silence for the greater good.
But doesn't he deserves to rest?
This is the bigger questions of the story asked several times.
Who is a Hero?
How do you define a hero?
A figure who doesn't flatter in a situation no matter how dire?
Or someone willing to stand up against the injustice?
Or just a tool of violence to keep villains down?
And that is exactly why Deku is the first person that Ochako saves. Not his life, bit his heart.
It's noticable how much importance heart is given in MHA. A story about saving the hearts of people.
This is also the reason why Ochako succeeds where even Best Jeanist fails.
The No#03 hero, Best Jeanist, a fan favourite, failed to convince the angry and panicked mob because he said that Deku is their biggest asset in this war and that they need him to win. Because in their eyes, an asset is what he is.
A tool, a weapon.
And tools can be kept anywhere. They don't have feelings. Why UA?
Because he's also a human.
More precisely, he's a High-schooler.
He shouldn't even be fighting there.
He has plenty to learn himself.
And like how All Might gave him the right to be hero..
Ochako gave him the right to rest, as human.
For Toga:
We've seen that Ochako looking back to her fight with Toga at the mansion. She was regretting about her actions as a person, something she did not considered before.
And now, she's on the battlefield ready to save both heroes and villains because they're both people. They are powerful but they're just as helpless when it comes to them.
They have bad pasts and horrible things happening to them.
They make mistakes and they're put on pedestal, but
Their lives matter.
Their happiness matters.
Their smile matters.
So, Uraraka's arc is about humanizing both heroes and villains. How they both are the victims of this superhuman society and how they both deserve peace and quite.
Which is why I think Ochako will be the turning point of this manga, now that everything have possibly gone wrong in the worst way possible.
Toga is out with her sad man's parade and dabi is there too, along with AFO all because Spinner's voice reached Kurogiri.
Ochako's name means a 'bright and sunny day' and her power is literally making things weightless. So what if she makes this entire deals weightless by getting Toga on their side?
Principal Nezu already said in his speech that they're just one step away...from understanding each other. And taking that first step is always hard...and when someone takes that impossible step, it leads to the birth of a true hero.
And yes, URAVITY is that hero.
A symbol of hope.
The greatest hero that will surpass even All Might.
Thinking back on the books and shows that have captivated me most over the years, I’ve noticed that a significant part of my enjoyment comes through glimpses of the creator themselves. The human, fallible, subjective, personal, and unique perspective that bleeds through. I'm forever trying to see things from the other way around instead of as the audience. As I become more familiar with a person’s work, I almost imagine myself as the close friend who can see bits and pieces of their loved one in everything the write.
When I deal with fandoms or read and listen to media criticism, I inevitably get slapped in the face by the absence of this habit in other people. Maybe it’s because of concepts like “entertainment” and “consumption” making art into a product we spend our money on, and therefore we feel it owes us something. Maybe it’s the trend of pretending arbitrary differences in taste are actually somehow a basis for objective criticism. Regardless, even though I see plenty of reminders all over fandom spaces encouraging people to just enjoy things without worrying about whether they have some sort of intellectual merit, I don't see much acknowledgement of the creator’s point of view here.
So let’s talk about creative work as what it is: somebody’s dream, which brewed in the dark and solitary chambers of their mind, real but invisible to the outside world. By some miracle of good fortune and incredibly hard work, that dream is made accessible to us, the audience. It’s difficult to express how surreal that really is. Not all media is like this, of course. But sometimes you can see when a story is made with love, that the creator is so in awe of this miracle that they bring all of themselves into it. When that happens, I too fall in love, and preference no longer seems to matter. It’s not, “I enjoy this thing because it’s so ME,” it’s more, “I enjoy it because it’s so THEM.”
I worry sometimes that I have rose-tinted glasses on, but here’s the thing. We seem to over-associate criticism with logic, and praise with delusion, when in reality they are both limited. What I’m talking about here is neither. Sorry if this sounds cheesy, but I think “to love,” means “to know.” It’s where flaws and strengths blend together into a whole that is understood as it is cherished.
All these various observations have been tumbling around in my head more and more since I’ve gotten into this funny little thing called Boku no Hero Academia. It’s so popular, so polarizing, it draws in such a wide range of opinions from so many different kinds of people. I find it fascinating to watch, but, like I just said, it also tends to slap me in the face. Not out of personal offense, mind you. More than anything I’m stunned by how disconnected a lot of people are from this human element, whether they are being negative or positive. Even if they know enough to invoke the name of Horikoshi, they treat him like more of a figure than a real person.
It’s true none of us can actually truly know him. However, I think that while the author/audience relationship is a somewhat parasocial one, it’s worth acknowledging the mutuality of it as well. Let me take you all on a little journey to bring “the creator” down to Earth.
First, a few plain facts: Before bnha, Horikoshi was able to get two other manga into serialization: Oumagadoki Zoo and Barrage. The former lasted 37 chapters from 2010 to 2011. Barrage lasted 16 chapters, in 2012. Juxtapose this with Boku no Hero Academia, which as of writing this, has been running for over 370 chapters spanning 8+ years since 2014. Horikoshi is currently 36 years old (born in 1986).
Now let’s go back even further. His first one-shot was published in 2007, when he was 21. It’s called Tenko, and you can read it in English here. Most obviously, we can see that this Tenko character was later adapted to the Tenko we know in bnha, with a similar power, backstory, and appearance. But I actually think there are a few other ways we can draw comparisons from this genesis of Horikoshi’s career, all the way to the present.
Here is the intro that prefaces the 2007 one-shot:
^I get chills looking at this, and it makes me grin, no joke. Please take a moment to read all the little tidbits. It sounds like the intentionally foreshadowing first scene of a famous person’s biopic, but no one had a clue back then. I just find that so hilarious and moving at the same time.
So think of the Tenko one-shot as a window into who Horikoshi was as an artist and a storyteller pre- pro industry, with the assumption that certain aspects of his work are probably simultaneously a bit more upfront but also underdeveloped. You know, like a kid. There’s both honesty and naivety there. I can also think back to being around 21 myself (only a few years ago lol), about the stories I was writing in school, the workshop classes I was in with other people my age, what they were writing, the things that were important to us that we discussed informing our work. It’s a formative time, right?
One of the primary things I notice about the Tenko one-shot is that it centers themes of power, heroism, and trauma, and has a resolution which involves bridging misunderstandings.
It’s all very ideological, but also full of raw emotion. I read somewhere (sorry can’t remember where) Horikoshi saying that in formulating his idea for the ending of bnha, he has kept asking himself, what does it truly mean to be a hero? It seems he started asking that question way back in 2007, through this little story about swords and their wielders. The Tenko one-shot acknowledges that people and power are morally complicated, as is the idolization of heroes. The ending is hopeful, and looks ahead to times changing for the better by the will of progressively-minded and determined people.
This reminds me of the current arc of the bnha manga, and how the whole story might eventually end. Horikoshi has shown us that the villains are worthy of sympathy, that they are a product of society’s willful ignorance, that “heroes” have also done abhorrent things. But he has also embraced the pure optimism of youth. He seems eager to ask the big questions about right and wrong, and present us with both ambiguity AND certainty. The final fights are not at all a contest of strength, and there are no winners and losers. I’m very curious to see how far he takes this. I’m sure it will ruffle some feathers, and leave some people unsatisfied, but that’s probably a good thing.
The other major thing I notice in the one-shot is the character Hana. Now, as she shares her name with one of the main characters in Oumagadoki Zoo, and they are also similar in personality, that could be where the comparison ends. However, that’s nothing to say Horikoshi didn’t continue her themes elsewhere. The Hana in the Tenko one-shot is primarily preoccupied with her goal of becoming a warrior, and she was inspired some time ago by a warrior who saved her. This other warrior, conicidentally, turns out to be a brutal, a-moral, self-proclaimed demon, and he actually doesn’t take Hana seriously. In some ways, this reminds me of Hawks with his own idols, Endeavor and Lady Nagant, and more generally the idea in bnha that someone you look up to might not be all you imagine them to be. Like All Might and his hidden suffering. Or like Ochako looking up to Izuku up until his solo arc, after which she proclaimed, “special powers are one thing, but there’s no such thing as a special person.”
Speaking of Ochako. Hana’s primary source of angst in the story is that since she is a woman, her “masculine” ambition is laughed at and dismissed. Her dialogue with other characters is very direct about this, which I find pretty interesting.
You can really feel her frustration and see the blatant misogyny in how she’s treated. Even though things are stated kinda bluntly, it feels genuine, ya know? Note that she also wears men’s clothes, and nothing about her appearance is catered to the “male gaze.” I mention all this because to me it contextualizes Horikoshi’s more recent female characters. We can infer that he carried this perspective on, but in subtler and more nuanced ways that might not be immediately noticed. They may sometimes look like shonen stereotypes and be influenced by a misogynistic world, but this is likely an act of parody and/or criticism on Horikoshi’s part. For example Ochako’s fight in the sports festival illustrates a similar point to Hana’s struggle as Katsuki is the only one who takes Ochako seriously while other male classmates see her and other female opponents as inherently weak or potential love interests.
Hana remains ambitious, fostering her own motivation beyond her previous idol, and her ultimate goal is to help people. She reminds me so much of Ochako’s recent convictions. Ochako is fully herself now, and I’m confident her fight with Toga will show this even more, in a way that is much more direct. Since ch 374, I anticipate we may be getting confirmation of things pretty soon, so I wanted to restate that ASAP.
I’ve said this before, but it really does trouble me how a lot of people assume so much about bnha based on other shonen, disregarding the fact that Horikoshi is his own person. This either leads to undo criticisms or expectations that will likely not be delivered on. It makes me sad because I want people to enjoy this story for what it is. I hope this is a reminder that although it may seem on the surface like Horikoshi is rehashing the same old thing, his work really is a labor of love, of knowing. It is an homage, which both celebrates and deconstructs. Please remember that for the day when folks will be scrambling trying to figure out how we got here. Ironically, the signs were there all along, from the start of Horikoshi’s career, if you only care to look.
Right before Toga disappears we see Uraraka express regret that they still haven’t talked about love. This also parallels Shoto’s attempts to get Toya to stay with him rather than go after Endeavor. However, I think it’s important to remember that neither of them were actually trying to talk that much with Toga and Toya before that point. This is just as much a regret that they didn’t get the opportunity to talk, as it is a taunt to keep both Toga and Toya fighting with them so they can stay and be defeated. Which shows why the kids failed to keep them there, and also the butterfly effect that created this situation. More under the cut.
1. The Butterfly Effect
It’s significant that the flames from Toya and Shoto’s fight, as well as Endeavor’s is what’s referred to as changing the weather so significantly that it’s brought about a sudden rain event. Afo goes on to add that it’s the emotions of Spinner that the heroes underestimated that allowed the villains to change the tide and create the right circumstances for the sad man’s parade.
Endeavor, Enji, and Toya’s flames have always been a metaphor for their feelings, Toya is implied to have kept himself alive through a pure blazing grudge, Enji’s habit of overheating is a metaphor for his destructive and violent nature, Shoto has difficulty controlling his flame side because he has trouble reintegrating his father’s childhood abuse into who he is currently and trying to grow up as his own person.
Toy’s blue flames are powered by his emotions, the quirk evolution that turned his flames blue happened when he started crying, the flame that burned him alive and started an entire forest fire happened again when he was crying.
So flames = emotions, the emotions of everyone involved in this fight is so significant it’s literally changing the weather, and to top them all off, Spinner’s feelings have changed everything.
The current situation like a butterfly flapping its wings, is created by the feelings of one individual, and Hero Society as a whole has the habit of trampling on individuals in order to uphold the greater good of society. It is essentially the logic that Hawks used to justify the killing of Twice, he as an individual couldn’t be allowed to live because of the threat his quirk presented to all of society.
All of this a long prelude to, before the fights itself not only have the villains made multiple attempts to have those feelings understood, and the kids have expressed interest in trying to understand what those feelings are.
However, it’s incredibly important that at the same time, those same kids have then repeatedly tried to squash any attempt to sympathize with the villains they have inside of themselves, by remdining themselves of the destruction the villains have. Deku and Uraraka both mention seeing Toga and Shigaraki’s crying face, Shoto mentions he literally knows nothing about Toya even his favorite food.
Then they immediately go back to squashing those thoughts. It’s important to realize the kids are actively trying not to sympathize with the villains, because it’s easier to just see them as villains and clears doubt from their head. This idea of crying is brought up by Toya too “whether you’re crying or smiling doesn’t matter”, the deeper meaning of that statement is that the people they are fighting against just don’t really care about what face that they are showing the world. Remember, Hawks actively dehumanized Toya’s mourning of Twice his friend, by insisting he couldn’t care because he was smiling even though Dabi literally cannot biologcally cry due to his burn wounds. The outside world just doesn’t care what kind of emotions they’re having, so might as well be strong and show a smile.
All of this to say, the villains right now are the individuals the butterfly effect is referring too, they have continually been pushed down and insisted their personal grievances of society doesn’t matter because they are threats to the whole of society. But the butterfly effect statement reflects what Toya says to Hawks. A single person with a single conviction has the power to save the world. The collective isn’t all that exists, individuals are still important.
All of this to say, the feelings of all the individual villains matter. All of the attempts to shut them up for the sake of the collective good have only backfired. We see this pattern repeated, Shoto, Uraraka, and Deku express an interest in what the villains feel only to just resort to physical violence.
However, they never even act on their expressed interest to talk. Shoto asks Toya why he didn’t come home, and then proceeds to beat the crap out of him. Uraraka tells Toga she’s been thinking about her, and then proceeds to beat the crap out of her. Deku asks if Shigaraki is still there in the body possessed by AFO, but then doesn’t do anything else but beat the crap out of him.
It’s not even that the villains didn’t reciprocate, Toya said very clearly that he still wanted to come bac home after being burned alive and only gave up when he thought his family had moved on without him, Toga was still trying to ask Deku to understand her and even says aloud that heroes are the only ones they count as real people and villains aren’t even considered human. Shigaraki breaks free from AFO’s control a couple of time and shows clear distress.
Which is why I want to clarify, the villains themselves are giving clear hints that they don’t actually want to destroy, Toga hints she wants acceptance more than revenge against Hawks and the heroes, Toya makes it clear that there’s still a part of him that wants to go home (he literally tried to) Shigaraki still exists within AFO-Garaki. It’s the kids themselves that didn’t try to show them there was still a chance for things to go different, the plan wasn’t to talk to them ever the plan was to beat them up.Which is where we get to this chapter.
This isn’t an attempt to get them to talk, this is an attempt to get them to stay and fight. In fact during the Uraraka fight itself Urarka didn’t try to talk to Toga at all, the plan wasn’t try to de-escalate or try to understand Toga the plan was to sick a bunch of heroes on her at once and then... beat the crap out of her.
It’s even confirmed in the chapter itself, Toga’s incredibly impulsive and emotoinal, she’s not really a long term strategy or big picture girl. Yet, she survives in the fight despite being vastly outnumbered because she had to. It was the heroes attempts to just beat Toga down that forced her evolution and made her into a more cunning villain. A different strategy would have probably thrown her off of her game, but Uraraka had all the time in the world and didn’t even try it.
Which is why the one hope the heroes might have right now is Uraraka getting thrown into the combat scenario with Toya, Enji, AFO, HAwks and now Toga. As none of those heroes except for Uraraka have ever expressed any interest in talking in the past.
However, part of me wonders if Uraraka herself is going to have to actually question and challenge the adults present in order to actually get the character development where she acts on her feelings and desire to talk. (The feelings you’ve locked up inside...) those feelings are the only chance to turn the tides. THe feelings of one crying girl (Himiko Toga) have created this disaster, and the comfort given to one crying girl can be what stops it...
However, I want to keep in mind that there is a reason all the kids have been suppressing their desire to talk with the villains, and that is their hero worship of the previous generation. Hawks makes it clear what he wants to do to Toga now that Twice is back (Kill her). The kids so far haven’t questioned the wisdom of the adults so far and that is what directly has led to repeating their mistakes. After all, Toya is here because SHoto agreed that despite Enji being the one who abused Toya, it was totally okay for him to have to skip any kind of confrontation with Toya and just leave all the responsibility up to Shoto.
Toya bee lined to Enji, because Enji abandoned him for like the six millionth time. Toga herself, wants to target Hawks, because Hawks expresss no remorse over Jin’s death at all and given the chance would kill him again. Toga wants to fight Hawks, because she’s said several times Jin was someone important to her and his death is something she is still reeling from and mourning, and not even a single kid hero seems to question the fact that Jin was murdered in cold blood and Hawks the murderer went free. Toga pretty much told Uraraka to her face that Jin was someone incredibly important to her, and then later on that heroes just don’t see villains as people and Uraraka herself saw the broadcast that Hawks murdered Jin when his back was turned. Nobody else has acknowledged that Jin doesn’t deserve to die (not Uraraka and not Tokoyami) and therefore Toga’s grief for him is completely invalidated.
Like, yes I think Toga killing Hawks and continuing the cycle of revenge would only make things worse. However, in the eyes of the heroes and even the kids (Uraraka and Tokoyami) Hawks did not do anything wrong in killing Jin. There’s no way the cycle of abuse can be stopped, if the cause of that abuse isn’t even addressed in the first place.
Which is why the kids have to disavow the elders. They are the reason so far the kids haven’t been able to act on their desire to talk. Every time the kids have expressed a desire to talk, they completely squash it, and despite thinking they might be able to talk these people down they go along with the plans of the adult heroes that are essentially “Beat ‘em up.” Shoto decides to go along with Enji’s plan to just leave Toya entirely to Shoto, and abandon him yet again. Deku wants to save Shigaraki, and yet he builds a floating coffin and death trap in the sky with all the adults and just pummels him. Uraraka wants to talk to Himiko and yet the plan for fighting her is essentially just to have several heroes against one girl until she’s too exhausted to either run away or fight back.
The kids have expressed an interest so far, but they haven’t changed. This chapter is about the power of the individual, the only way the world is going to change is if the kids stop going along with everything the adults tell them and learn to think for themselves.
Dang, first Toga & Dabi were toxic and self-destructive for attacking the kids trying to reach out to them; but now that they’ve stopped that to instead go after powerful adults who have actually wronged them, that’s still toxic and self-destructive?
My guys just can’t win.
(No but seriously, suspending judgment on Toga because she is giving up on her crushes to focus on revenge, but I actually think Dabi ceasing his murder attempt on Shoto to focus on confronting Endeavor is a vast improvement in every way. Don’t drag uninvolved people in, just strike at the heart of the matter. Exactly what Shoto told him to do.)
