Mha Meta - Blog Posts

The Identity of Deku's Dad

Has anybody else been so hyped after reading the latest chapters of MHA (418-422) because of the hints that the identity of Deku's father will be revealed soon?

In chapter 422, The U.S. president is shown, stating that all American heroes are to come to Japan, so perhaps Deku's father might be on that list of people arriving to help out.

I know there is still the possibility of the reveal being Dad for One, which is an interesting theory in my opinion, but the other chance that it might be an individual who works with heroes or is one of them also seems very intriguing.

It could also be the president himself, given how he is always in the shadows, but I honestly feel there is a slim chance for that to be true.

I can't be certain how Horikoshi will put the puzzle pieces of who Izuku's father is together, but I feel the president panels might be a piece of the puzzle somehow. His face is in the shadows...

...but again so was AFO's face for a long time.

I still feel really strongly about the DFO theory. On one hand I do see how people might be displeased by it, because AFO does insert himself in a lot of characters lives and influences them from the background, but precisely because of that I find him a very interesting and fleshed out character. So desperate for attention and love, even when he has it he doesn't know how to respond to it. He is also quite a charming character, which I feel you would have to be to impress the lovely Inko Midoriya. She is just too amazing, I also feel that he would be drawn to her as well because of that. Or perhaps because she bears resemblance to a certain Shimura? But again, Inko is very different to Nana, as in, she appears much softer as a character than Nana does, and I feel AFO would crave that from a person given that he wasn't taken care of and had to help his brother out and grew up in a very feral state and an incredibly hostile environment for anybody, let alone a child. Even though he does end up using people, I do think that that is because of his defense mechanism and constant living on survival mode affecting him.

AFO is also someone who doesn't want people to know the real him, his weaknesses and inner thoughts, his human side. The memories he does share with Deku and Tomura are only to traumatize them and break them up; in short: they are carefully curated.

If DFO does come into play, I feel that Tomura/Tenko will have a hand in the reveal. Perhaps helping or saving Izuku from within the vestige world? Maybe he will be able to help by seeing Izuku's memories and altering them like Deku did for him, because in the case that does end up happening, Deku will be the one needing a helping hand in coping with the reveal, and who better than the boy who that man was a father figure to as well. And in the end Deku and Tomura could also together "defeat" AFO by seeing his memories and saving the defenseless child he once was.

This is probably overthinking, but I wanted to share my thoughts with you guys. I love trying to guess what will happen and still being surprised by Horikoshi's amazing execution each time. I would love to read what you guys have to say on the topic.

𝐑 𝐔 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄? — 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐘𝐒

𖤐 synopsis: touya finds himself desperately drawn to his equally dangerous colleague during an elegant gala, revealing vulnerability beneath his scarred exterior as he struggles with newfound emotions while they maintain control of their complicated dynamic.

𖤐 trigger warnings: mentions of violence, implications of criminal activity, power dynamics, manipulation, and descriptions of physical scarring.

𖤐 pairing: touya (dabi) todoroki x villain! gn! reader

𖤐 side note: this was my first actual fic i made..I just decided to post it now cause I’m obsessed with the song again...

the grand hall of the underground villain society's annual gala shimmered with danger and decadence. crystal chandeliers cast shadows across the marble floors where villains of all calibers mingled, their formal attire a stark contrast to the chaos they usually wrought.

you adjusted your gloves, running a finger along the intricate design that concealed the weapon beneath. as a newer but rapidly rising member of the paranormal liberation front, you'd earned your invitation through a string of perfectly executed missions that had left authorities baffled and the villain world impressed.

"enjoying the view?" a low, raspy voice asked from behind.

you didn't need to turn to recognize who it belonged to. the faint scent of ash and that distinctive voice gave him away instantly. dabi. the plf's flame villain with a penchant for destruction and a mysterious past that nobody dared question.

"i'm observing," you replied coolly, taking a sip of champagne. "there's a difference."

you finally turned to face him, allowing yourself a moment to appreciate how the formal black suit complemented his stapled skin and piercing turquoise eyes. unlike his usual casual attire, tonight he'd made an effort. the jacket hugged his lean frame, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing glimpses of his scarred chest.

"you clean up surprisingly well," you remarked with a half-smile.

"don't sound so shocked." his eyes never left yours as he moved closer. "though i could say the same about you. almost didn't recognize you without blood on your clothes."

you laughed softly, the sound drawing attention from nearby villains who quickly averted their gaze when dabi shot them a warning look.

"dance with me," he said suddenly, not quite a question but not entirely a command either.

you raised an eyebrow. "i didn't take you for a dancer, dabi."

"there are many things you don't know about me." he extended his hand, his eyes betraying a vulnerability that his smirk tried to mask. "yet."

the string quartet in the corner began playing something slow and haunting as you placed your hand in his. his skin was unnaturally warm—a side effect of his quirk—as he led you to the dance floor.

"i've been watching you," he confessed as his hand slid to your waist, pulling you closer than necessary. "since that mission in hosu city. the way you took down those pro heroes without hesitation... it was beautiful."

"careful," you warned playfully. "people might think you're developing feelings."

his grip tightened slightly. "would that be so terrible?"

you studied his face, noting the intensity behind his casual expression. dabi was known for his indifference, his detachment. yet here he was, holding you like you might disappear if he let go.

"you know how this works," you reminded him. "people like us don't do attachments."

the music swelled as he spun you effortlessly, bringing you back against his chest with practiced precision.

"tell me something," he whispered, his lips brushing against your ear. "are you just using me to pass the time? or is there more?"

you pulled back slightly to look at him. "that's a dangerous question."

"i'm a dangerous man."

around you, other villain couples danced, their faces masks of calculated charm and hidden agendas. everyone was playing a role tonight. everyone except dabi, whose eyes burned with something raw and unfiltered.

"every time you walk away," he continued, his voice dropping lower, "i find myself wondering if you'll come back. it's maddening."

"dabi—"

"i go crazy," he interrupted, "because being anywhere but with you isn't where i want to be. do you understand what that's like? to have someone crawl under your skin that deep?"

the music faded into the background as you studied him. this wasn't the dabi that the league knew—the apathetic, sardonic villain who cared only for his mysterious agenda. this was someone else entirely.

"you're acting like i own you," you said carefully.

his laugh was bitter and short. "maybe you do. isn't that what this is? you pull the strings, and i follow. like a damn puppet."

the song ended, but neither of you moved to separate. around you, villains exchanged partners, clinked champagne glasses, and plotted their next atrocities. but in your small bubble on the dance floor, something electric and dangerous was building.

"let's get some air," you suggested, acutely aware of how his fingers were now intertwined with yours.

he followed you through the grand ballroom, past clusters of villains deep in conversation, and out onto a deserted balcony overlooking the city lights below. the night air was cool against your skin, a welcome relief from the heat of the ballroom—and from dabi's proximity.

"better?" you asked, leaning against the stone railing.

instead of answering, he moved behind you, his hands gripping the railing on either side of you, effectively trapping you between his body and the stone.

"no," he said simply. "not better at all."

you turned to face him, your back now against the railing. "what is it you want from me, dabi? we've had our fun, haven't we? the missions, the nights afterward..."

"is that all this is to you? fun?" his eyes narrowed, blue flames briefly flickering at his fingertips before he controlled them. "because for me, it's become something else entirely."

"careful," you warned again. "shigaraki wouldn't approve of... complications within the ranks."

"i don't give a damn what shigaraki thinks." dabi leaned closer, his forehead nearly touching yours. "i only care about one thing right now."

"and what's that?"

"whether i'm yours," he said, his voice barely audible over the distant sounds of the party inside. "because you sure as hell are mine."

there it was—the raw desperation beneath his usual controlled facade. you'd seen glimpses of it before: in the way his eyes followed you during meetings, how his hand lingered on yours when passing equipment, the unnecessary risks he took to protect you during missions.

"this isn't you," you said softly. "the dabi i know doesn't beg."

something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "maybe you don't know me as well as you think."

his lips crashed against yours then, hot and demanding. it wasn't your first kiss—far from it—but there was something different about this one. something desperate and consuming that made your head spin.

when you finally broke apart, his breathing was ragged. "tell me you feel it too."

you reached up, tracing one of the staples that held his scarred skin together. "i've never seen you like this before."

"answer the question." his voice was strained. "am i yours? are you mine? i need to know i'm not just losing my mind here."

the vulnerability in his question struck you. for all his power, all his danger, in this moment, dabi was laying himself bare—something neither of you were accustomed to doing.

"we're villains," you reminded him. "we take what we want."

"and what do you want?" he searched your eyes for an answer.

you considered your options carefully. attachment in your world was a liability, a weakness that could be exploited. but there was something intoxicating about having one of the plf's most feared villains looking at you like you were the only thing that mattered.

"maybe i want you," you admitted finally. "but on my terms."

a slow smile spread across his face, transforming his features into something almost beautiful in its dangerous intensity. "i can live with that."

inside, the party continued—villains plotting, forming alliances, and breaking them just as quickly. but on the balcony, something new was taking shape between you and dabi—something that burned hotter than his blue flames and cut deeper than any weapon.

"you should know," he said, his fingers tracing a path down your arm, "i'm not good at sharing. what's mine is mine."

"i don't recall agreeing to be yours exclusively," you challenged, enjoying the flash of jealousy that crossed his face.

"you will," he promised, his confidence returning though the desperate need still lingered in his eyes. "i can be very persuasive."

the sound of the balcony door opening interrupted your exchange. toga's cheerful voice called out, "there you are! shigaraki's about to make an announcement. something big!"

dabi didn't take his eyes off you as he replied, "we'll be there in a minute."

when the door closed again, he leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear. "this conversation isn't over."

"i wouldn't expect it to be," you replied, straightening his tie with deliberate slowness. "but don't forget who's in control here."

his answering smile was equal parts submission and challenge. "wouldn't dream of it."

as you both rejoined the gathering inside, dabi's hand possessively at the small of your back, you knew that things had shifted irrevocably between you. in a world where power was currency and weakness meant death, you'd somehow gained the most dangerous kind of leverage—complete devotion from a man who burned everything he touched.

and despite everything you knew about the dangers of attachment in your line of work, you couldn't deny the thrill that came with it.

after all, what was villainy without a little risk?

taglist: [open]

mutuals: @https-bakugo @haikyuubby @va-3 @luvseraphh @lotusstarr @tulippanes @n3r0-5352 @gh0st-g1rll @majoryeager104

© property of kenzdolls

Hii! I wrote a meta(?) of bkdks relationship in chapter 431. I know a lot of people don’t care anymore here, but I actually made it for tiktok (@wonderduoglazer) because people still spread misinformation there. I wanted to share it here as well because I'm kind of proud,,? I tried my best to stay unbiased, especially on the "Bakugou is depressed" part. This is my first time writing, so please give me tips on how I can improve :)

Title: Katsuki and Izuku's relationship shown in chapter 431 of My Hero Academia.

I also uploaded a text-to-speech version on tik tok.

The choice of wording used here is something that I find very fascinating. I mean, it would’ve been enough if Monoma simply taunted Izuku by saying that Katsuki isn’t as great as he thinks / a bad hero, by calling their relationship delusional, or by criticizing Katsuki’s abrasive behaviour. Izuku could’ve gotten angry enough to create an opening for OFA to explode from just that alone and we all would’ve bought it.

But that isn’t what happened here. Horikoshi specifically had Monoma mock the fact that Katsuki continues to smile / laugh (depending on the translation) despite causing the end of All Might. That’s the truly messed up thing about all of this. This isn’t just normal playground teasing or jealousy. He’s implying that someone like Katsuki doesn’t deserve to be happy. It isn’t the damaging of Katsuki’s pride, his honour, their rivalry bond, or their shared dream that is presented as being Izuku’s weak spot, but the idea of someone threatening Katsuki’s happiness as a person. Someone mocking the emotional turmoil and resulting strength that Katsuki gained after moving forward.

I think that says a lot about how Izuku thinks of Katsuki. He isn’t just some beacon of victory for Izuku to admire and idealize in his head or a fellow hero to put a lot of expectation on for the sake of chasing after. For Monoma to decide to poke this nerve in particular and for Horikoshi to decide to have this be what triggers him into losing control, the message really seems to be that Izuku just wants Kacchan to be happy no matter what he’s doing in life. Counting by the severity of the situation, he feels this way the strongest out of all other feelings he may have concerning Katsuki.

And that’s just the sweetest thing.

Win to save, save to win

Or just a bit of meta from the perspective of the original Japanese. EDIT: replaced “symbol” with “image” because i am a clown and forgot that it is image and not symbol 

So, it’s already been established that Bakugo is a source of inspiration to Deku, with the latter explicitly acknowledging that his language becomes a lot dirtier and crasser when he is fighting to win–like Bakugo’s. 

Keep reading

Could you tell me your thoughts on Nine as a character? I rarely meet fans of his. If you would indulge me, How about a bit of a what if, where Nine replaces Shigaraki and Shigaraki is a footnote in Nine's story? IE, Tomura is a movie villain in this universe.

I can assure you it's the same for me 😅 Nine fans are a rare species, but here we are.

As for what I think about him as a character? Uf... where even start?

I really find him to be way more interesting and rich in themes than most people think.

On the sense most people seem to take him as a one note character whitout any interesting trait, and calling him incorrectly a "might makes right" guy which hey, is in part true but that's just the surface.

Another thing I don't agree with most people is that Nine ideology is a very basic "the survival of the finest and only the strong deserve to live".

That's not really true. There's multiple hints that reveal parts of his true nature, especially when we have his POV in his origin chapter:

It always istruck me how Nine claims that under his ideal world everyone should aim to make their own way to top by pure strength, but simultaneusly he steps to defend the people he sees as oppressed by an unfair society.

And while some people make the argument of "he only cares about the people with strong quirk", but think about this: how he even knows his friends for example were that strong even before meet them?

His story only show these persons at their lowest point on life, yet by pure instinct Nine decided help them and offer them a hand without really demand nothing in exchange.

When he rescued Chimera is particulary powerful because we know Nine gets ill by using his quirk, yet he had no problem on create a massive storm just to save Chimera from the people who intended to kill him for being an heteromorph.

I really think Nine uses his ideology as a sort of defense mechanism due the circunstances he lived through most of his life. Which is logical as he was an orphan abandoded at what seemed to be a public bathroom at birth, which is sick af.

And it also relates to this particular line of his chapter:

"Everything is already decided" while we saw him being a child alone and multiple ominous smiles.

It really gives me the feeling that Nine actually felt a lot of abandonement and insolation while growing giving him idea that only the strongest should rule over the world, but at the same it can't really take away his selfless nature.

The fact Nine knows he was being used by the doctor, yet the only thing he thinks about going through the process are his friends even correcting himself by say "is for create OUR ideal world" shows how much he actually values the people close to him, to what extremes he's willing to go for give them what he considers fair.

And it's so powerful how even with his body destroyed and crawling on the ground Nine still keeps moving by the sheer will to make real his dream world.

It's an interesting way in which he parallels Deku on how he fights even at the cost of sacrifice and destroy his body just for the people he loves.

Kinda ironic if you think about the fact Horikoshi make his way to try to portray Shigaraki as "a hero for villains" despite that idea doesn't fit him at all, when Nine was already an heroic villain who parallels Deku a way that is pretty organic and logical.

I said a lot of times how funny is that is a fraction of time Nine not only executes the same ideas and concepts the main stroy try to apply to Shigaraki, but he does it better.

Nine story is really the story of an underdog who starts from the very bottom, having a really tragic life that molded his vision of a flawed world that should be destroyed, yet he feels very human on the way he relates to people on the same situation and he will do everything for them.

Is what really sells Nine as a character for me. None of these things are stated trying to convince us they happen like with Shigaraki, with Nine this stuff just... happen. Is the most basic show don't tell.

I wonder were that subtle and smart storytelling went in the main story.

...

Oh also, as you asked about the what if scenario, I have a slightly different idea for an AU in which Nine position is inverted with Shigaraki.

But rather than make it a shallow rivalry (as the movie kinda implies they have) I was thinking: what it Nine intends to save Shigaraki instead?

As I said before, is part of Nine's nature to help people no one else would do.

If he found Tenko Shimura that day he will attempt to rescue him and protect him while living both in the streets as homeless orphans. Which is ironic because they're likely a very similar age, just with Nine being slighty older apparently.

And what if they both are later found by AFO and he has ideas for both of them?

AFO will still have his main plan to make one of them "the next me" like in canon, in this case Nine being the candidate because our potato weirdo projects himself and Yoichi into Nine thinking the child is what both would be together.

Problem is... Nine isn't a emotionally disturbed kid who can be manipulated by AFO bs, so obviously when he realizes what are the man true intentions Nine will rebel and fight back. Probably escaping, as he and AFO aren't really compatible at all.

It's ironic as AFO is actually what Nine tried to convince himself he is, but in reality AFO is a selfish lunatic who only uses everyone for his own sake. That would make Nine have a lot of introspection and realizes he doesn't want to follow AFO steps, and neither wants Tenko/Tomura to have that fate.

But as probably Nine could escape alongside Tenko, he becames the next big opportunity on AFO plans, being manipulated into something similar to canon or even worse.

While Nine will still fight and try to save the kid he helped that day, perhaps he will came to late and if something like the island incident happens but using Shigaraki as the villain there, he probably will die being a defining moment of Nine developement as a character.

...

Well that was a bit long.

I could write even more, but that would be me going crazy and making a long bible lol.

Hope you enjoy the what if scenario. It's a bit improvised because I didn't think about the details yet, just a very basic storyline structure.

Thinking about how Nine literally has the smile of Yoichi...

Secretly Nine is just a himbo

They seriously deserve to meet each other.

Give us the Shigaraki family reunion please 🤍🌩

Or just say Kai is another son born outside marriage, after all Chisaki looks more like a son of Kotaro than Shigaraki ever did.

Hell Kai IS the perfect son for Kotaro.

They would make a hell of a father & son duo and Kai will actually make Kotaro feel proud of being a dad.

I hope they get together in their next life or something like that.

... Wouldn't it have been a lot less convoluted to just make Tenko a biological relative of Overhaul's with a very similar quirk? Like, through his mom or something?

If you were to turn 9 and his squad into main series villains, how would you do so?

Tough question actually, because there's a lot of different things you can do with a group of characters like them.

And I don't want to make the classic "role swap" in which everything in the timeline is almost the same minus which characters fill X spot.

For Nine specifically, I would start his story right after Kamino and the defeat of AFO.

An idea I would like to play is he and Shigaraki could actually act as rivals of sorts when AFO is out of the picture (but he would still have a part on the story).

As both groups will start from the very bottom without much resources, and Nine will have his empty copy of the AFO quirk to fill with new quirks different than the canon, perhaps only keeping the more iconic ones as Hydra just because is so cool.

Actually the quest for find the ideal quirks and one that solves the cell degeneration would be an important part of Nine developement, rather than just happen offscreen.

As for what new quirks he could steal, that's not something I don't have very clear yet (so I accept suggestions) but one of them would be Dabi's blueflames. Lol I just want see Nine with epic blue flames.

...

Oh and an idea that always loved is that Nine needs another rival that isn't just Shigaraki, but someone else who is his direct opposite in terms of world view and ideology.

And that's no one else than Overhaul

Think about it, Nine and Kai are just the perfect foils for each other.

The concept of a quirk supremacist and an anti-quirk believer having a ideological (and literal) war for control the underworld and reform the world into their own view could be epic.

And for that to happen obviously we need to keep Kai as a recurring villain for most of the story. I would create a dynamic where a lot of villains groups will have internal battles while at the same time the heroes are another problem to deal.

But wait, you need soldiers for that to work.

And what best army for Nine than the one which literally believe in quirk supremacy?

Look I will die on the hill that MVA as a concept for an arc is literally made for Nine and his team.

The idea of Re-Destro wanting to contact a villain group that is getting more recognition and in the end they found common ground due beliefs fits way more with Nine than it does to Shigaraki.

I mean it's obvious, Nine is basically the living incarnation of all the ideals of the original Destro. If his descendant meet him he would instantly adore Nine.

...

So that's just a part of all my ideas.

I would like to better put them together into something more consistent. Need to work on it, perhaps some day I will make a story based on this rewrite idea.

Like father...

Like son...

I start thinking the Shigaraki expressions are hardcoded or something.

(Dad For One never beats the allegations 🌩)

Love the fact the anime made the three AFO users share the same (or almost the same) shield quirk:

Nine.

Shigaraki.

All For One.

Which is funny and notice I said the anime, because in the manga neither Shigaraki or All For One are using (or have) shield quirks.

They likely use air cannon or some blast quirk in those scenes ->

But Bones specifically changed that into quirks that resemble Nine's Air Wall quirk.

I like to think it's a tribute to my king 🤍

However the shield quirks of the other two seem to be much weaker that Air Wall.

AFO shield quirk in particular is probably the worst, as it only covers a very small radious and it was destroyed by one Jet Burn from Endeavor.

Meanwhile Nine's version of the quirk can cover a gigantic radious if he user wants:

Also Air Wall can stack multiple shields into one and it was powerful enough to stop a charge from Deku going full 100%

All this makes me think Air Wall is such a boosted quirk in general.

No wonder why Nine stole that one. Smart boy.

Biggest hear me out of MHA...

Goto Imasuji

Idk he's just so savage but like a sexy beast.

Also how little bit of stubble can make a man look so much better?

The contrast between s3 Goto and s6 Goto is insane

(Probably also helps he ditched the silly fake eye)

Anyway, he's such a beast and I love him.

People seriously sleep on how much attractive and fine looking All Might was as a teen...

I mean:

Big pretty blue eyes, tall, tan skin, golden hair.

Also the hairstyle sures help.

Weird how his old and skinny look seems to have more simps than the younger versions lmao.

Kinda ironic and poetic to think despite being one his favorite quirks, AFO probably has no idea about spearlike bones being his mother's quirk.

I mean realistically he doesn't have any way to know it, but I think he has an unconscious sentimental connection with his mom quirk as corny it sounds.

His favoritism even seem made him collect quirks that resemble spearlike bones in look and functionality, such as Rivet Stab and one unknown "drills" quirk. Both used at the same time during his last battle with All Might btw.

Also how we can forget the fact spearlike bones is also the last quirk he ever used? (On his original body at least)

Horikoshi definitely knew what he was doing here. I can't help but think it's brillaint despite the whole story is far from perfect.

If you show this to someone who doesn't read MHA or don't have much context about the story, would they guess these are two separate characters?

Lol, it would be a fun experiment.

The resemblance between Yoichi and Nine is uncanny.

I know! Nine in general would be an awesome villain for the main story, I'll die on that hill.

At the same time if AFO actually had eyes and was able to see Nine directly, he would have ended up in a vault Lmao. No way our dear demon lord let the perfect Yoichi clone to escape.

Horikoshi actually likes to imply a lot the idea of AFO projecting his obsession with Yoichi in different persons, like Shigaraki for example (even if in this case the parallel doesn't work quite well as with Nine). Or in a lesser degree with Dabi too.

We have panels like this as well:

And of course Nine and Shigaraki share their own set of visual parallels, which for a story standpoint makes sense as they're both in the same line of numerical experiments (another subplot totally wasted btw).

In general it feels like all this details and parallels were part of a bigger storyline that was cut short in the end, never reaching it's full potential (Shigaraki doesn't interact with Yoichi either for example).

So anyway we were robbed of having a big and interesting subplot with all the members of the Shigaraki family. Is a shame because it feels like AFO could have been a much more fully fleshed character.

MHA fans shouldn't ignore how beautiful Nine is.

Have you seen how gorgeous this man looks?

He should be bring into conversations about the most pretty male character more often.

Especially when Horikoshi draws him.

I don't think this need more explanation, Nine is something else.

The resemblance was subtle as a brick to the head:

Lol, but also Nine got a lot of traits from AFO as well. He's like their perfect mix.

Yet I can't help but wish the story actually did something with all this parallels between Nine and the shigabros. There's a lot of stuff implied but nothing really explored.

Nine is such a great character and his existence could've added a lot of the story of AFO and Yoichi.

MHA fans shouldn't ignore how beautiful Nine is.

Have you seen how gorgeous this man looks?

He should be bring into conversations about the most pretty male character more often.

Especially when Horikoshi draws him.

I don't think this need more explanation, Nine is something else.

If Mustard stayed relevant, how would you characterize him? I mean things past his baseline "pragmatic psycho" thing he has going on.

Interesting question, as I do agree that Mustard would need more things personality wise to work with if he's going to be a more long term character.

At first he's indeed very pragmatic, especially compared to the rest of the league and his implied age being probably the youngest even behind Toga.

But as pragmatic he can be he's still a child with an inmature side, and we can see that when he gets angry at Tetsutetsu and can't help himself but act less carefully and being a bit overcondident. He also seems to destile some represed anger on what he considers an easy target.

I would like to explore more that side of him, as Mustard seems to be very resentful against the education system for some reason, maybe is his "villanous" quirk that left him without the opportunity of being a hero? Who knows, but his dialogue can be interpreted as he wants something about hero schools and hates the ones who have the privilege of go to UA for example.

Other thing I would do with Mustard is explore the idea of him not fitting with the LoV.

Because let's be real, he doesn't fit there at all. His style and approach to crime sooner or later will clash with the rest of the members, especially Shigaraki at that point of the story and I can't see Mustard taking his bs once AFO is out of the picture and crusty boy has to lead.

Mustard might be a child but probably he has more clear ideas than the rest of the LoV and once the initial hype for shooting people and do random chaos he would think Shigaraki ideas of destroy everything are worthless crap, so he obviously will aim for better objetives.

I can imagine Mu having a bit of superiority complex and leaving the LoV for look better oppotunities with people who can aspire to bigger plans. Probably the Shie Hassaikai following the canon timeline.

But also, I would like give Mustard a more vulnerable and human side outside being just a gunnuts.

The fact he's a child in a world of crime and danger might have more downsides for him than he initialy realizes.

I can see Mustard sometimes feeling alone and out of place next to a lot of people way older than him.

He might want to have friends of his age like a normal child would do, even if he tries to negate that idea.

Also where is his family? Mustard would likely want to have a place to call home and feel loved, despite tries to convince himself to no need such basic things.

That's what I can think for now. Mustard had a really cool concept to imagine scenarios if he stayed as a recurrent character.

I love this fan translation of Nine's origin chapter way more than the official. More specifically the first line of dialogue:

"Storms calm my heart" just sound much more powerful in context and express a lot more of Nine as a character, and how he find comfort on storms and by extension his own power.

In case you wonder how the official translation is, here's the same page just colored:

The 2nd part of the dialogue also sounds great in the official translation, in a sense the line is more raw than ambiguous. But that's not bad at all.

Whatever it is the official or fan translation, it's certainly amazing how much we can learn of Nine in just a single page of manga and how much Horikoshi was able to tell us about him in so less.

Oh boy, what could have been if Nine was a permanent part of the main story.

A detail people tend to overlook (cause the anime fucked up the timeline) is that Geten and Cider were introduced in the same chapter in the manga.

And Re-Destro speech juxtaposed with Cider presentation.

So we have this two boys of a similar age, both have water/ice based quirks, both have white/blue-ish hair, both have the same blue eyes, and we didn't know their real identity at first (and in Geten's case is debatable if that's his real name).

What a big coincide huh?

My theory of C.H leader being a lost Himura gets more and more crazy everytime I think about it.

I love the idea of Geten and Cider, who I call Mizunami Himura, being lost siblings. And by extensions the lost cousings of the Todorokis.

This is such a fun scene when you think about the context, cause is supposed to be from Chrono's perspective.

Chrono really think he can fool us and make us think Chisaki, a person with severe misophonia, would voluntarily enter in a cage fight shirtless AND without gloves?

Especially considering we have another flashback of the same or a similar situation from Rappa's perspective and we clearly see Chisaki doesn't take off his clothes for "fight".

Is Chrono so thirsty for Kai that he unconsciously imagines him shirtless?

Well I can't blame you at all Hari... I do the same thing all the time.

Fun trivia: In the character page for Nine in the Volume Rising, we can see in Horikoshi sketches that the palms of his hands were supposed to have the little holes that allow an AFO user to physically steal quirks.

Same holes All For One and Shigaraki have:

Yet, in the movie itself the holes are totally absent from Nine's hands despite his gloves are clearly designed with that specific function in mind.

I guess the production just totally missed that detail in the translation from Hori sketches?

Morning!

I was thinking what if Geten and Mizunami are siblings and we get a golden child and scapegoat dynamic...except later Geten IS jealous of the life Muzi has. Deep down, he resents how, even through he has the strongest quirk, is always alone...while Mizu has friends, a gf/bf and IS happy.

Hell let's add Dabi in the mix too.

Can we say he is a scapegoat in the todo fam?

Morning!

They were cousing in my headcanon but... siblings certainly sounds good as well, even better maybe.

And it's funny how the anime made them look more alike in terms of colours:

Who should be the older sibling though?

Cause as far I know Geten is supposed to be young, I read he's even referred as "shonen" somewhere which means he must be 19 at max. And Cider/Mizunami is like 18 in my head.

Not like who is the oldest matter for the story, just a detail.

I certainly love the idea of Geten having a hard slap of reality when he realizes how empty his whole life is compared to his "failure of a brother". As for the Himura clan Geten is nothing more than an expensive breed of puppy they can sell to keep their bank acount full, and for Re-Destro he's only a very well trained attack dog, another piece in an ideology he sacrificed his whole childhood and teenge years for getting nothing in exchange.

Geten really had nothing and no one in the MLA is really his friend. While his brother got almost everything he lacks.

And that's probably why Geten would connect with his cousing (and future lover) Dabi very well:

I just love the idea of two losers deep resented with their brothers getting along and found something close to peace on each other.

Dabi and Geten share a lot of parallels even in canon, and the opposite element power couple is a trope I love (on top of being a direct reflection of Enji and Rei). Not to mention incest is canon for the Himuras, so Dabi and Geten would keep the tradition alive.

@mikeellee @kite2013

As you both notice, it's kind of funny how the interactions of Dr Garaki with both Nine and Shigaraki are such different in the way the scientist treats them (despite both are just lab rats in the end).

Because see how Garaki openly insults, disrespects and laughs of Shigaraki ideas in front of his supposed friends.

Garaki probably felt almost insulted for having to keep the game going just because AFO wants Shigaraki to have this illusion of free choice, when in reality he's just a kid which they still have in the palm of their hand.

Even after MVA when Garaki shows a bit more of tolerancy to Shigaraki for mantain the illusion, in the inside he still makes fun of him because obviously he's the only person to really know Shigaraki is just a vessel playing to be the super villain.

But then we have his interview with Nine...

Notice how the aptitude and demeanor of the doctor is completely the opposite of what we saw with Shigaraki.

Despite obviously he's offering Nine be part of a shady experiment, he acts strangely polite and even shows a bit of curiosity when Nine expose his motives to be part in the experiment.

But also, Garaki thinks Nine is a dangerous individual despite in theory he should be the one in control of the situation and unlike in Shigaraki's case, Nine is alone in front of the doctor.

The biggest difference on how Garaki view Nine and Shigaraki, is that in the first case he sees a real man with strong convictions and an indomitable will who could actually change the curse of the world if he's given the chance.

This is my headcanon, but I think Garaki saw in Nine's eyes the closet to AFO in spirit and convictions (and it's interesting how both of them have the same white/silver eyes, coincidende?).

But for Shigaraki?

He only sees a dumb kid who doesn't even understand the situation he's in. A more obvious puppet who can be used the way he likes.

Shigaraki never had any chance with Garaki.

Oh I forgot to mention, but it's also funny as hell how the doctor shows more respect to Dabi in their private conversations than he does with Shigaraki in the same situation.

This happens because just like Nine, Dabi was a dangerous person who can't be controled so easily by him. So at least it gives him a bit more of respect by the crazy doctor.

One thing that is now unfair to ask is...what is Nine's name? Look hori treated him as an afterthought but his lack of origins works better than the comical twnko's origins.

Yes his family was all killed thanks to him but ...I can't help to think that scene was too ridiculous.

We never saw anyone mentioned them again, not even shig. (He remembers them in MVA and we do see the disgusting human puppet hori flay around) But that's it.

So Nine...

Im not one of those people who think a new character needs to be related to a pre stabelished one. Nine doesn't need to be a Todoroki, Shimura or hell even a lost Midoriya (hahahahahahaha as if hori would care for this family)

But ....imagine if Nine was related to Oboro, somehow, wouldn't that be interesting?

Maybe, maybe not.

Oboro's character became a thing to turns Aizawa into a better character...and fails. Kuro was sacrificed for nothing.

The thing about Shigaraki/Tenko backstory is that it feels... a bit overdramatic?

Well we can say that about his whole character, but the part of his backstory in particular when he kills his family is so exagerated for the sake of shock value that it kinda feels comical.

Horikoshi tried a bit too hard on make MVA feel like the edgier and "different" arc of the series, but the contrast in so big that I can't take it seriously.

Especially when Hori already nailed a dark tone without being super explicit or over the top.

Take the simplicity of Eri's backstory for example:

No blood, no unnecessary violence, just two panels giving a basic idea of what happened to Eri's father and yet the image of those clothes lying on the floor is much more haunting and eerie than the enterity of Shigaraki backstory.

Why Horikoshi stop being subtle with his storytelling?

...

Anyway going back to Nine real name, or the lack of one, I think it's interesting how that aspect of his character adds to the underlying theme of how AFO and Garaki dehumanize people, especially the ones that are part of their experiments.

We know very well how AFO doesn't view other human being as persons but rather objects that belong to him. This starts with his very own twin brother, which name Yoichi means something like "my first possesion".

And just like Nine, number 6 from Vigilantes was a child which whole life was modeled by AFO. They both are just numbers without a real name.

In this case the idea is presented even more explicitly because Six was a child who suffered some kind of amnesia and couldn't even view himself as a normal human with a face.

He even died as a monster without ever know if he had an identity outside being the number 6.

It's funny how you mention the idea of Nine and Shirakumo being connected somehow, as isn't the first time I've hear that.

It's interesting notice how they share this common theme about sky and clouds as part of who they are (Nine's name also is supposedly a reference to the term "cloud nine") both Nine and Oboro are individuals willing to sacrifice their own lifes for others, and ironically both of them ended being experimented by Dr Garaki.

I even have the headcanon of Kurogiri being the "Number 7" in this line of experiments were Nine and Six belong, as sort of missing link between Six and the sentient nomus.

I probably should make a post later explaining better this idea.

And yes for Horikoshi, Shirakumo was just a diposable character to make Aizawa look cooler and more edgy.

While the author of Vigilantes clearly invested a lot of effort on making Oboro a real and memorable character which complements Aizawa rather than just being an accesory. But that topic deserves it's own post as well.

P.S: I have an idea of what real name we could give to Nine, but I keep it for me at least for the moment.

I hate how this subplot about AFO producing a line of experiments in response to OFA seem to be an afterthought and never properly fleshed out.

Like isn't very obvious?

You have 9 OFA users, and there's also 9 test subjects with the objective of create the perfect AFO successor/vessel.

And both Nine and Deku are such perfect foils to each other that feels really frustrating and insulting how their potential is wasted in favor of a forced dynamic with Shigaraki, who never had the same appeal as character or as a Deku rival.

This plot could've been generational if it was well written I swear.

Seeing your analysis of Nine, I really think he could have been the main antagonist of the manga, since you can see that he really is more interesting than Tomura.

Same! Nine is exactly what people think shigaraki is.

Honestly it's bewildering that nine got less then 10% of shigarakis screentime and managed to be better then him in every way possible.

I think it's also interesting that nine and izuku also easily share parallels with one another whether that be:

The similar belief that not everyone is born equal

Their names both meaning nine

The way they both would do anything for the ones they care for

The imagery they both share when it comes to not giving up even if it takes a physical toll on them

They also contrast with their beliefs with how izuku wants to produce a fairer society while nine wants a society where the strong rule

Both of them having a sky type quirk with izuku it's float and with nine it's his original quirk

There's more but nine already has the foundations of a great antagonists and is basically what the fandom thinks shigaraki is.