Hey! I'm sort've curious here, but if you don't want to answer, that's fine; So I can understand that proto!heros are the prototypes of heroes before they were actually written... But who is Yamikumo?
Yamikumo, or Akatani Mikumo, is the prototype Deku! Aside from the different name, if you look at him it’s pretty much Deku with less floofy hair, and bangs covering his eye.
His hero outfit was pretty similar to the final too, albeit more evil-looking.
(I don’t remember if I saved the above pic from tumblr or discord– if you recognize the source please let me know!)
Horikoshi also mentioned in Deku’s civillian clothes sheet that he designed his prototype to have bangs covering his eye, but changed his mind afterwards.
PS. I don’t like FA’s translations but it’s what I have in hand right now. Also the old one shot he’s referring to is “Boku no hero” which featured Jack Midoriya, which we can consider yet another prototype for our current Deku. I hope this clarifies!
It’s how the fanbase calls this prototype of Deku. He was meant to be quirkless and rely solely on strategy and battle props. The features that discern his physical appearance from Deku’s are freckles only on his left cheek, and hair texture more similar to Yamikumo’s. Sometimes he’s depicted with dark turquoise hair instead of green in fanart, and associated with Gougou Katsuki. He’s also usually depicted as being more serious, assertive and blunt than canon Deku.
This poor anemic salary man who stars in Horikoshi’s 2008 one shot Boku no hero/My hero as the protagonist. He’s an ordinary guy working for a company that sells items for super heroes, and who dreams of becoming a hero himself. I find him a pretty funny and endearing character - he’s even got Deku’s dumb tie! The prototype for the pro hero Snipe is also featured in this one shot.
You can read the one shot here, translated by Fallen Angels. (x)
So! Correct me if I’m wrong, but as of now all the Deku prototypes we’re aware of are Jack Midoriya, Dekusan and Yamikumo/Akatani Mikumo. Protect all of them. All prototype Dekus are lovely.
Hey... I'm new to the bnha fandom and was wondering about the whole prototypes thing. If you end up seeing this and explaining what it is, I'm okay if you spoil stuff 😇
Hello and welcome to the fandom! To quote the explanation I use in my prototype sideblog,
They are early character drafts designed by Horikoshi that later would become the final characters featured in the current series. Yamikumo (Deku’s prototype) and Katsuki (Bakugou’s prototype) are specially popular in fanart in the eastern fandom, and often depicted as completely distinct characters from their final versions. Yamikumo is often portrayed as a more skittish and blunt (or alternatively, more timid and despaired) Deku, while Katsuki - deemed by Horikoshi himself as a nice airhead - is often a happy-go-lucky, borderline fawning yandere guy. Check out the official content tag to see Horikoshi’s drafts!
So basically, it’s a popular BNHA AU based off prototype drafts. You can see some of the official art by Horikoshi clicking here! Their fandom is more proeminent in the eastern fandom - on twitter and pixiv - but there’s much content on tumblr too! If you wish, you can check my sideblog @yamikumo where I reblog all prototype-related content I can find on this site. I hope this helped and you have a good time in the bnha fandom!
Uuumm, hello!! My friend introduced me to the MHA fandom like, a few months ago. Now I am completely hooked on the series, hahaha. 😂 If possible, I want to try making a fanfic of the series! But if you don't mind me asking, I was curious about Yamikumo and proto!Katsuki. If they are prototypes, are their Quirks the same as canon? And what do you think happens at their childhood?? ;w; P.S. I love ur portrayal of proto!Katsuki and Yamikumo?? They're so precious?? 😭😭😭
Heey! Welcome to the fandom!! Same for me, I watched the series in july of last year and it’s been a long time since the last time I’ve been this hooked. I think this is the most active I’ve ever been in a fandom. I’m glad you’re hooked in it too – gl with your fic!! Hopefully the second season will bring even more people in!
As far as I know, Yamikumo and Katsuki’s quirks should be the same as in canon, with Yami being born quirkless! Some other prototypes were not, though. Yuu for instance was a mix of prototype Mt. Lady and Uraraka, so she had the gigantification quirk. I took some liberties in my blog, like keeping the canon surname and quirk for Yuu, and changing their uniforms to canon UA’s uniform.
Now there’s no canon info on their childhood, but! There’s this databook comic drawn by Horikoshi himself, featuring Yami and Katsuki. What’s happening is someone asks Yami for his hero anotations, and he awkwardly complies, but looks dejected afterwards. Then Katsuki pops out of nowhere and karate chops the person with a explosion while going “nope, not okay” (thank you @sugarmagic for the photos and rough translation!).
From this I deduce they were, in fact, friends, and Katsuki’s even protective of Yami, albeit in a reckless/exaggerated way. If you take the canon timeline, in which Deku and Kacchan had known each other since kindergarten, I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume Katsuki and Yami had been friends since then!
Now, if we’re talking about how their childhood went on the ask blog – I actually created a whole timeline for their relationship based on the canon timeline and I want to post it in art + text form in here, but it’ll also be valid for the blog. “Spoilers” for @ask-protoheroes under the cut!
I won’t go into too much details so it doesn’t take out the fun of it – but the basic premise for their childhood phase is, they grew up studying in the same classes like Deku and Kacchan did. They met in kindergarten, and Yami followed Katsuki around like a shadow, like Deku did. Some events depicted in canon (like kids making fun of Deku for being quirkless, and the bridge incident) also happened, but with different outcomes. The difference was, unlike little Kacchan, little Katsuki liked little Yami to follow him around, to worry about him, and to look up to him. He really liked little Yami to be “useless” and “weak”, so Katsuki’s strenght and talent would shine even more when sided with him. He really liked the idea of Yami needing him, so he could took upon himself to be Yami’s bodyguard, even if Yami didn’t need any protection.
So yeah! They were always friends and always inseparable. But the hole’s deeper than the silly and loose vibe that prevails on the blog and hopefullly I’ll be able to convey everything slowly. Also! Thank you for enjoying my protrayal of theml! I’m really passionate about these dorks, it means a lot to me!! <3
kopKPODKPEW´KOKEPQK´´P OK I’M ACTUALLY SO HAPPY YOU ASKED BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A RAREPAIR AND I LOVE IT TO DEATH--!! AND ALSO THANKS FOR THE MENTION IN YOUR DRAWING!!!
It started out as a joke in a doodle, but then making up headcanons and AUs with @chibichibisha it escalated to a point where it became as much of an OTP as katsuyami is to us! We have a few friends who ship it as well and I cherish every tiny bit of content of this rarepair /cries
So!! Since there’s little canon information on Yami’s personality and thus its fandom portrayal varies, so does their possible relationship dynamics! Yami could range from an anxious socially awkward bean to a more calm, analytical and a bit cynical boi - ofc those are extremes and we (we as in me and Sha) like to balance him (you can see both in ask blog Yami!) but yeah he could tend a bit more to either extremes to fit what you’re going for!
And regardless of what Yami’s personality is portrayed as, most of the time we like to hc them to just be super supportive of each other!! Even lowkey (or highkey) looking up to each other!! And inspiring each other to strive to become better, regardless if it’s an AU where heroics are a thing or not!! Both are huge nerds, so they’d nerd out a lot and have many common interests to talk about. Just picture an adorable, endless convo of “and I like this thing-” “oh, I like it too!” or linking each other hero-related news when the other had just seen it and was about to link the same page. If you consider it an universe in which they are supposed to be mirrors of the same person, picture how furiously curious they’d be about each other!! Inquiring about their individual experiences and trying to find each little divergency in either timelines. Or comparing each other’s scars - Deku’s on his right arm, and Yami’s on his left arm (also yes it’s canon that Yami is either a lefty or ambidextrous and I cry and thank evveryday) - and Yami finding himself a bit flustered when Deku is lost in thought mumbling to himself as he’s holding Yami’s arm and comparing their markings. And fastforward to them comparing other differences, like the placement of their freckles - though I do like to imagine Yami and Deku having only very similar physical appearances, not identical like the Katsukis are. Also 120% of the time Yami’s simply struck by Deku’s presence. The cinnammon roll’s just so bright and inspiring, in a sincere and natural way, unlike proto!Katsuki (sorry, Katsuki).
Anyway I’m rambling and if you get me started I’ll just never stop-- I don’t know how to make nice organized headcanon posts either, because when I create/talk about hcs it’s me in a convo with someone with mUCH CAPS LOCK AND KEY SMASHING SO you (AND ANYONE) are welcome to talk to me about dekuyami or katsuyami or just general prototypes or katsudeku (and the list goes on), really!!
