Wow so, apparently this theory is getting popular. I would just like to point out a few things in regards this this reply in particular:
Allow me, if I may, to please direct our attention, just a few reblogs up to the original post…
About your first point, there are not 7 people in the picture, there are 6. However, as you pointed out, the missing 2 are accounted for: they are Izuku and the first user, who is fighting AFO. I forgot about user #1, so I got off by a number. What can I say, this started off as a crack theory anyways, and I jumped the gun a bit. Haven’t taken a math class in 3 years either and have lost the ability to count, apparently. But still, if my theory were true, the point still stands: there are 2 past users of OFA who are missing. I literally mention that discrepancy in the original post lmao
Next point. I cannot think of a single time where doing something alone was rewarded or cast in a good light. Look at Iida, going on a revenge chase after Stain. He almost died. Look at how teams worked together in the USJ, in their end of term exams, in pro-hero fights against villains. Look at literally all of Bakugou’s character.
This ‘working alone’ isn’t a part of Izuku’s arc, either. Since he inherited OFA, Izuku has struggled with trying to be too much like All Might. From his costume’s bunny ears and smiling face mask, to the way he copies all might’s punching smashes, he has consistently tried to imitate All Might. His journey is learning to be his own hero, and not All Might #2. His journey is also learning how to not make the same mistakes as All Might.
So now, let’s talk about All Might. All Might being a symbol of peace was necessary. Toshinori knew so himself from a very young age. Thus, he became the one true symbol of peace, a singular great pillar to the society. And it worked very well for him, and for society as a whole. But then. he fell. The All Might that society had learned to solely rely on, was suddenly gone. There is no one at his level to pick up the slack – that became clear in Enveavor’s latest fight – he wasn’t even against AFO, he was against a Nomu. It is honestly entirely possible that the society will fall as a result. It will be very, very fragile, at the very least.
Him becoming a symbol of peace was not a mistake. But taking on that burden by himself was. And if Izuku wants to learn to be his own hero, wants to learn from All Mights mistakes and regrets, then doesn’t it stand that he learn to rely on others? That he decide to make their society’s next symbol of peace, its next pillar, to be something much more sturdy?
Now, let’s talk about Bakugou again. From the very beginning, he has been a bit of a loner. He didn’t have friends, he had minions. Cronies who just followed him around to stay out of his blast zone. This trait followed him to UA. He didn’t work with Iida in the class’ first exercise, he reluctantly worked with Kirishima at the USJ and with his team in the cavalry battle, he hates working with Todoroki against the villains in the camp arc. In the final exam against All Might, his refusal to work with Midoriya almost leads tot heir failure. In the Provisional License arc, he goes off to more-or-less do his own thing, so does Todoroki, and they’re the only two in the class who fail. And yet, at Kamino, it looks like he’s getting somewhere when he accepts help and takes Kirishima’s hand – and it’s literally what saves him. Bakugou learning how to deflate his ego so he can work with others is literally one of the biggest points of his character arc – if not the entire series.
And lastly, let’s look at Kirishima. Kirishima, whose entire arc centered around his insecurities about his quirk and about his heroism. For Kirishima to be given a boost based of his merits as a hero, would be a huge honor.
Do I think my theory is true? Nah, not particularly, I literally started typing it this morning as a crack theory anyways, as just a way to explain why these two characters looks so much like Bakugou and Kirishima. Because let’s be real here, one of the first rules of character design is having a recognizable silhouette, and you can bet your ass that this was one of the first things that Horikoshi learned at manga school. But even still, it’s only one of endless explanations, and a far-fetched one at that. I’m not attached to it.
But my point is, Izuku working as a team and sharing his OFA power does not in any way undermine his growth. If anything, it contributes to it. And if the possibility that Izuku learning how to be his own hero, Bakugou learning how to work as a team, Kirishima finding self-confidence due to a gift shared with him due to his heroism, and their teamwork leading to the strongest pillar that their society has ever seen, makes you want to chuck out the entire series……. then idk what to tell you fam
