My take on bakudeku, togachako and izuocha (objectively)
I’ve seen a lot of arguments between the bkdk fandom and the izuocha fandom, what is canon? Was it a bad ending? Was it out of character?
Slow down, first of all the real ending is 429, or at least that’s what is completely canon on the mha verse. Aside from that, we can analyse 430 and 431 for funsies, but if you want to just take mha till 429 that’s completely fine, horikoshi just puts an alternative ending out there, like for example the author of death note does (he writes many alternative endings but the only one that is canon is the original manga one, but you can chose whatever you want to as I did)
Horikoshi hasn’t made any ships canon in the official mha verse, nor bakudeku nor izuocha is canon. If you want to take 430 and 431 as endings that’s on you and that’s respectable cause the reader chooses what they want to read.
Now, let’s talk about those two chapters, for the people that want to take them into account. And with the parallels with katsuki, himiko, izuku and ochako. CAUSE THEYRE ALL THE SAME
In 430 we get offered an ending in which izuku becomes fully quirkless again and he finds a place for himself in teaching, he likes his job but he feels like he’s missing something out and that he should also be with his mates being a hero and saving people, which was his lifelong dream.
Katsuki then gifts him a super dupe suit that he has been saving for to allow izuku to reach his dream, izuku then cries his heart out, grateful for what katsuki has done for him.
The chapter ends with all class A being pros with a perfect smiley picture, we get that “closure” between izuku and katsuki but it doesn’t feel entirely right cause we feel like we need a chat between izuku and ochako, who is the most influential character with katsuki and all might for izuku, it feels like something is off. We also don’t get that togachako closure either, it feels bland, somethings missing.
In 431 we get that chat, izuku looks at ochako cause he knows she’s suffering and putting on a smile to distract herself from all the hurting she has inside. She can’t forget himiko after 8 years and izuku knows that because he feels the same with katsuki.
This chapter is super important in both their arcs cause they both let go of what was tying them to the blondes, and believe me, it wasn’t love. Izuku and ochako didn’t love each other either, nor izuku nor katsuki nor himiko nor ochako felt love, but twisted feelings for each other, 431 offers a possibility for both izuocha and bkdk that wasn’t there before.
Katsuki and izuku chased eachother for all of their lives, their resentment was what tied them so closely, they wanted to have what the other one hadn’t. Katsuki wanted to be vulnerable, to relax, to be able to express himself freely without the narcissistic facade. Izuku wanted to be bold, to be active, to express himself without the victim facade. They resented eachother cause the other had what they wanted. That’s why they couldn’t truly hate nor love eachother, they needed to know themselves more, they needed to love themselves before loving eachother.
Happens the exact same way with izuku and ochako. Izuku didn’t actually like ochako, she just was the first person in his life that gave him validation and affection apart from his mentors, a person of his age, more than that, a pretty girl. Of course 15yold izuku is gonna be head over heels with that new feeling but it wasn’t love, it was the need to be loved cause he hated himself.
That’s why we don’t really see izuku actually respecting ochako but idolising her, he thinks she’s cute and nice but he doesn’t see her as a person, not even as an equal. Ochako on the other side sees izuku as superior, again idolising him, she doesn’t see him as equal either, but as superior, infatuation, not love. Izuku wanted the validation he got from ochako, ochako was like katsuki, she wanted to be izuku, but she didn’t actually like izuku.
Nor katsuki nor ochako love izuku. And izuku nor loves katsuki nor ochako. (For now)
Now let’s talk about himiko and ochako.
Himiko and ochako weren’t in love either, their only tie was being infatuated with izuku, admiring him wanting to “become” him. As toga says “you love someone when you want to become them”, but she was wrong. Loving someone is not just admiring them, love is purer.
That quote is not casual, it refers to katsuki and izuku too. It’s saying , dude you can’t love someone till you recognise them for more than what you want for them, loving is selfless, you don’t want something out of someone you just want them, that’s it.
Ochako wanted to find comfort to himiko as she is the only one who fully gets her and that’s why even after 8 years she keeps thinking of her. Izuku wanted validation from katsuki and katsuki from izuku, that’s why 8 years later they’re still trying to chase eachother.
But the cycle finally stops and they break out of their dramas and arcs, as horikoshi stated on his letter. They finally get to be who they are without all of those twisted feelings disguised as love or hate.
Izuku is able to stop chasing katsuki by rejecting his offer to be a sidekick in his agency. He doesn’t want to compete against katsuki anymore he wants katsuki as a person, not as a rival.
Ochako is able to let himiko go and to finally understand himself and maybe who knows, become the person she actually admires, maybe getting to actually know izuku instead of idolising him. Maybe izuku starts to actually see ochako for who she is rather than someone that just validates him.
Maybe now katsuki stops seeking answers in izuku and tries to find them in himself and that allows him to truly love izuku without being selfish.
It’s an open ending nobody knows what might happen. Maybe none of them fall in love or maybe they do, but now they have the possibility to actually truly love.