Let's talk about Quirks and how their drawbacks actually mirror real world disabilities.
Trigger warnings: talks of disabilities, allegories, mental health.
Let's start with this; I firmly believe quirks and quirklessness themselves are allegories for disabilities. Let me explain.
Let's start with
Izuku Midoriya
Izuku faces systemic bullying because of his quirklessness as we can see from the very beginning. From peers and authority figured alike. All because his body functions different than the 80% majority.
The story itself highlights how society views his quirklessness which again, is something he was born with. Society views his quirklessness as something to be pitied or fixed. Including himself. Rather than focusing on his own unique strengths.
When he does gain power from all might, his body cannot handle it safely and it often leads him to horrific injury.
Similarly
Shota Aizawa and Toshinori Yagi
These two pro heroes are examples of people gaining a disability from an accident. Aizawa for his eye and later on his leg. Using prosthetics in the actual story.
All might is literally missing his entire stomach and half his respiratory system. Along with this he experiences respiratory failure, daily pain and a strict energy reserve. Also known as his active hours.
Mirko
Loses multiple limbs in battle and by the end relies heavily on mechanical prosthetic arms and legs.
This represents two different types of disability, the ones you're born with and the ones you gain from an accident.
Katsuki Bakugou
Its a fan favourite theory but I do love the thought that Bakugo is hard of hearing or becomes so later in life. It would also fit into the theme of quirks not being meant for certain bodies like aoyama, touya, tenko and even midoriya. and he hates it. he hates that the quirk he used to lourde over everyone is causing him damage in a way he never anticipated.
However the idea that Bakugo is in perfect health is so real to life in another way. Either its the boy hates that his quirk affects him so much, or its the main character who is quirkless looking at someone who isn't and wanting to be like them. Which mirrors how many disabled people view fully able bodied people.
In general Bakugo seems to align more closely with mental health struggles than a disability.
Creating a new type of allegory all together there the stress of being put on a pedestal you never asked to be on starts to destroy you internally. We see something similar with Bakugos mental health when the guilt of forcing all might into retirement becomes too much for him since he's internalised it as his fault.
We can see how his journey is more of a painful, messy process of mental and emotional growth
Shoto Todoroki
Even Shoto, not many people know that his scar wasnt actually caused by the scolding water of the kettle. It was his mothers ice on his fire side. That demonstrates perfectly where the disability is only in one area and not the whole body. A real example of this would be people who have elhers danlos. People who have Elhers Danlos can have a wide range of issues but they typically manifest in one area of the body (in the legs for my family.)
Even characters like Momo where her ability takes from her physically via her lipids. Or even Sato whos power literally diminishes his cognitive ability depending on how much sugar he consumes.
Momo has to manage life threatening energy depletion.
Sato has to manage cognitive drops and insulin like spikes.
Kaminari faces literal short circuits to his nervous system, rendering him temporarily nonverbal if he uses too much electricity
Every single quirk has a drawback and some of these drawbacks do much more long term damage to the body than others.
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Anyways I'm really interested to hear your thoughts
