Because Act One depicts the fantasy of heroism, the villains are depicted as one-dimensional evildoers until after the Kamino Arc (excluding villains who don’t consider themselves villains like Stain). Act Two concerns the reality of heroism, so the main villains get to make their case on their criticisms of hero society during the PLF War Arc.
Shigaraki argues that hero society has failed in its promises to save everyone and swept all of its failures under the rug, creating a complacent civilian population and leaving many to rot. Touya asserts, albeit disingenuously, that those worshipped as heroes are unworthy of that title due to their misdeeds. They should be removed from their pedestal because they failed to meet expectations. (It’s a disingenuous argument from him because Touya does not believe in true heroes in general.)
Toga’s criticism cuts at the heart of their society’s social contract. The basic social contract in BNHA’s society is that everyone should suppress their quirks unless they have been recognized as heroes. Those who become heroes can use their quirks in exchange for taking responsibility for all saving tasks in their society. Civilians give up power and self-expression in exchange for the delegation of any responsibility for each other. Toga views this suppression of quirks as a suppression of self because her quirk is so intertwined with the expression of emotion. To entirely suppress her quirk was to deny her own emotions, so of course it eventually led to an outburst. Toga criticizes Ochako for shutting away her feelings as a hopeless denial of self that will eventually blow up in her face.
Shigaraki and Touya’s critiques center the failure of heroes to meet expectations, but Toga’s argument hones in on the impracticability of suppression as the method of maintaining society. Toga doesn’t see herself as a villain at this point in her character arc. Unlike the other main villains who condemn or have contempt for the civilians, Toga is making an argument that the cost of suppression placed on BNHA’s civilians is far too high.
amandla
tangentwithtanner
turnnoffyourmind
stormborns
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
areudirty
vaporwave
