kimbap

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.

First, I rarely post about this kind of thing as I hate getting caught up in fandom drama- very few things take the enjoyment out of something quicker than people being pissy to each other (and to creators) because something didn’t go how you imagine.

BUT.

I need to say a few words in the defence of this new chapter, and I think there are a lot of really positive things going on that can be chalked up to character GROWTH and not character ASSASSINATION as everyone has been yelling about. Things that actually really tie up three really great characters in healthy ways, and in ways that also highlight the themes of moving forward and reaching out hands that the author has been pushing. I’m not going to address Ochaco’s growth here, which is also good, but I need to discuss the Baku-Deku stuff.

I’d like to preface all of the following with one important thing: when I read and watched MHA I never once incorporated SHIPPING into my enjoyment of these characters. It wasn’t the part of the text I was interested in. Did I think there were some cute moments between Izuku and Ochaco? Yep. But that’s about as far as it went for me. I also fully expected from day one that they would end up together because that’s how these kinds of stories in this genre go. I will also say that the character dynamics and growth between Izuku and Bakugo was something that is generally well done and a key aspect of why both those characters are so enjoyable for me-one of my favourite parts.

So, when I read these leaks, I actually found a bunch that I think tied up these characters really well.

I’m going to start with the big elephant-in-the-room one that everyone has been freaking out over. The: “Izuku would never turn down an offer to work in an agency with Bakugo that’s just so not him and he’s awful and I’ll never forgive him” thing that I just can’t…understand why people are angry about. This is a GOOD thing.

One of the things I actually sort of critical about in the INITIAL ending was that Izuku seemed like he still wasn’t putting himself first. One of the things that especially Bakugo KNEW to be the case about Izuku was he “never thinks of himself” and how self-destructive that was. We saw it time and time again- he was always sacrificing things for other people: his health, his time, even his QUIRK were sacrificed for OTHERS. He never put his own self-interest FIRST. He grew in strength, he grew and matured as a HERO, but part of saving people means also knowing how to save yourself.

The initial epilogue had this air of ‘he’s sacrificed something and he’s incomplete due to that’. Others (Bakugo and class 1-A) stepped up to help him fill that hole with the suit, and that thematically worked, but there was still a gap there for Izuku’s growth. I think this chapter completes his arc in the best possible way. Izuku did something purely for himself. He LEARNED that last lesson he needed to learn. AND he did it by ALSO helping Bakugo learn a lesson too.

Bakugo offers, in sort of a round about way, for Izuku to join his agency as a sidekick. He’s turned down other sidekicks because they thought he was amazing and wanted to be in his shadow. He wanted a sidekick that would say they would ‘surpass’ him. For Bakugo that has always been what he admired (and sometimes resented) about Izuku- Izuku wasn’t afraid to say that he would push himself to be better than Bakugo, and in doing so they both made themselves stronger.

But I’d argue that this rivalry was an endless cycle for both of these characters- not an opportunity for them to change how they saw each other. Izuku would surpass Bakugo and Bakugo would work to surpass Izuku on and on for eternity. Bakugo even mentions this in the hospital- that he hoped they would get to compete with each other “for the rest of their lives”. BUT that would also mean they would NEVER be more than rivals to each other.

When Izuku turns down Bakugo’s offer to be his sidekick, Izuku ISN’T saying “no, I don’t value you or what you did for me with the suit”. He’s saying, “I know what you did for me and I’m thankful for you, but I have to make my own choices separate from you.” Izuku is NOT Bakugo’s sidekick, or vice versa. They are adults that should have their own separate goals and lives. And, in a way, he’s also telling Bakugo, “you are your OWN person. You don’t need ME to be stronger. Keep pushing yourself forward on your OWN terms.”

And that’s the thing about Bakugo- from day one his growth has been DEFINED by Izuku. He’s pushed himself forward almost entirely because of how he sees Izuku, as a rival and, in some cases, as someone who he has to constantly try to live up to. That isn’t particularly HEALTHY. Bakugo sacrificed his LIFE to “catch up to Izuku.” Like, great acknowledgement of Izuku’s ability and moving on from being a bully, but not a physically healthy thing to do. There were a couple things about the initial epilogue that made me a little edgy because while Bakugo grieved the loss of OFA almost more than Izuku did (which was growth, and interesting growth), then worked tirelessly to get Izuku the suit, he did it because he wanted Izuku to keep being his RIVAL.

When Izuku turned down the offer to be his sidekick, but in the same scene also says he can’t wait to work as a hero again with his friends and see Bakugo MORE OFTEN as a guest lecturer in his Hero classes (which like, I don’t see why people are pissed about since that’s literally one of the biggest fanfic ideas people have been writing about since chapter 430 dropped), it actually shows how much more GROWN UP these two ARE. Izuku is acknowledging Bakugo as not only an EQUAL (not someone to chase after), but also a FRIEND. Someone he looks forward to seeing and working with. In fact, Bakugo saying “see you” isn’t a goodbye. It’s a PROMISE.

The panels of Izuku walking away are actual true character growth for BOTH of them. Izuku putting himself and his choices first, and Bakugo, for the first actual time in the ENTIRE SERIES feels like he doesn’t have to chase after Izuku. He can let themselves walk their own paths!

And, because the writing is actually better than you guys are giving it credit for, this choice actually does give them opportunity to still compete because Izuku will be on the chart now as an independent agent (because remember he’s not rejecting the suit and hero work, he’s incorporating hero work into a teaching career he’s ALSO grown to love and is good at). So now, as Izuku starts climbing the charts on his own (which he will because it’s Izuku we’re talking about), they can still push each other forward ANYWAY so like…that’s a GOOD thing. It’s like having your cake and eating it too, for BOTH of them.

First let's start by the "afterword", the note Horikoshi left after 430 and before the extras, chapter 431.

Original japanese for those who understand.

The best traslation I found and most people are agreeing with.

Key sentences are:

1.The real final chapter is 429, 430 is more like a curtain call.

2. PS: For chapter 431, I turn off the cameras and free the characters from their dramas.

This note being left after 430 and before the extras is so important. . The clarification of "the real final chapter is 429" and 430 is the curtain call is screaming: the show has ended here. This is further stated by "i turn the cameras off" by the man who use to refer himself as the camera man, I leave you with an example.

(They're talking about Vol 37 cover)

And back to point number 2: "and free the characters from their dramas", which could perfectly be understood as "the characters are no longer tied to their previous plots and drama" no longer connected to the main story.

It may seem like a reach until here, we're just trying to convince ourselves that's not canon, right? They´re delusions, right?

The problem is how far away everything about 431 antagonizes the whole story, the characters doesn't feel like themselves, they even regress back all their development, the drawing style looks totally different and there are many irregularities that call for our attention.

Dabi, 431 and by Horikoshi

Toga and Ochaco in 431:

Toga and Ochaco by Horikoshi:

All Might's signature for Katsuki (Horikoshi would never mess this up):

Kirishima with 6 fingers lol, Horikoshi loves drawing hands, he would never.

Katsuki's odd teeth what the fuck. (His hand looks good to me)

Ochaco and Shoto just look, weird. It's clearly not Horikoshi's art style.

And this awful background (center) was the main giveaway.

Horikoshi's backgrounds are so professional:

At this point I'm getting tired since the difference is astounding, don't believe me, just check the manga.

I don't think Horikoshi would've allowed those mistakes had he have a role in the making, maybe he did, there's no saying about that, but clearly if he did his involvement was very low.

Character's development wise now.

Seriously? "Deku"? And Katsuki complaining for picking him up. He cried his eyes out when Izuku lost his quirk and now he's back at season 1?

Izuku would never in a million years turn down that offer. And if he did, it would never be like this, so devoid of emotion and empathy.

430 showed us an Izuku aiming for his dreams again and at 431 this Izuku ¿? It's okay with being a teacher? Ok. And if that's not the problem, why he outright rejects Katsuki out of nowhere? When their rivalry was one of the main points of the plots for 430 chapters and now just um over? Without justification? Ok.

Ok.

Now specifically about that ship canonization and bkdk.

Horikoshi has been doing this for 10 years. The choices he took the whole manga were incredibly intentional, all those romantic tropes given to bkdk, his interviews, all stand in direct opposition to what happened in this last chapter.

I, myself, don't know much about Jump but what I've heard is they end lot of shonens with the same heterosexual formula. I don't think all of this is a coincidence.

Something really important that needs to be adressed to is what happened back in June (I think), when suddenly MHA announced it was ending in 5 chapters could've something to do with this. The manga was suddenly rushed to its ends with unsatisfying resolutions and as if that was not enough, one month later (at most) the same happened to JJK and all of this came accompanied by a switch of one of the heads of Jump.

About 431 again though.

I was just thinking what would I do if I was pressured to write something that ruins the biggest project of my life and goes against everything I was hoping for? Refuse. Tell them to write it themselves. If I can't do anything to stop it and it'll be there, alright, but I WON'T DO IT.

And I think this could be Horikoshi's case.

I've never seen a shonen manga come so close to implying his male protagonist and his male deuteragonist are in love before. Yes, it was not EXPLICIT but it was so fucking clear if you knew how to read, all the way up to 430. All those cliches tropes he gave them, he knew, we know.

I thought I'll die trying to explaineverything that seems wrong with this with nothing to back me up but the fact that he added that note is clear for me. I'm surprised they allowed him to publish it, I thought we wouldn't even have that.

PS:

It's interesting this being posted the same day 431 comes out. Also "heroaca is pretty dark, huh?"

I'll not go into this anyways because it's kind of a reach but the conclusion is: I think it's a "soft" censorship and Horikoshi did his best to relay his message given what he had.