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I'm genuinely so upset that All Might isn't the one to defeat AFO. This is what he's worked for all his life as a hero. He was given OFA with the purpose to *kill* AFO. And he *did* manage it at one point, AFO *did* die. And Toshinori *did* manage to do heavy amounts of damage to him in the Final War arc, in the end, he didn't *kill* AFO. And I'm upset that it's most likely Bakugou that'll be the one to kill him and not All Might.

I can understand *why* not, because Toshi would've taken both of them out, and Deku is busy fighting Shigaraki, meanwhile Bakugou has actively *saved* All Might's life, but that doesn't stop me from being upset. It's to divert expectations, of course, I know that. MHA has *fantastic* writing, but just... Sucks. That All Might didn't go out in that blaze of glory that he wanted to (*twice*, mind you)? Like, don't get me wrong, I am VERY glad he's not dead (of course, he's my fave ever), but that's what he worked so hard for.

He had a near perfect score through his whole career, so it doesn't seem right to drag it through the mud by the end of the story.

I understand that it wouldn't be realistic for him to defeat AFO now, but I would have been satisfied with him incapacitating his nemesis by forcing him to revert into a baby.

All this has been denied just so Bakugou could have his moment of glory. That's what rubs me the wrong way.

All that said... I think we can try to look at this positively.

I definitely agree that Toshi felt useless and helpless without OFA. But I’ve come around to the idea that there’s not really a duality between All Might and Toshinori Yagi. OFA or not, they are the same person. It’s what Toshi tells Shoto in Ch. 386 — the body and mind are two halves of a whole. And I think Toshi’s need to feel useful arises from the person he is. It’s not that Toshi values himself “less” as much as his heart beats for others. His soul and his consciousness are at peace when they serve others. It may sound “crazy,” but young Toshi originally intended to become the Symbol of Peace without a quirk. As a teenager, he thought of his quirklessness and orphan status as assets — it meant he had nothing to lose. Why not try to change the world without a quirk? Like Izuku, Toshi just doesn’t care what happens to himself. Toshi is glad to try saving someone with his metal pipe, even if it’s a dumb idea that probably couldn’t succeed (like Izuku charging at the slime villain). Toshi thinks saving is “the coolest thing someone can do,” so he thinks nothing of putting himself in danger. Toshi’s fantasy was never having a quirk or being a superhero; it was stopping the cycle of grief and hatred so everyone could live with a smile.

Once he had OFA, and became All Might (which was before Nana died, as she calls him by his hero name in All Might Rising), things got muddy. Actually, I dare say it’s Nana’s presence in his life that changed things — she cared about Toshi, and was like a mother to him. That screws up his entire reason for himself being the ideal symbol that had nothing to lose. And then he DID lose Nana, so he doubled down on keeping others at arm’s length. I don’t think it’s possible to separate young Toshi’s understanding of himself as “All Might” from his need to be isolated. He successfully pitched the idea of becoming “All Might” because he was alone, and then his life experiences proved to him that, yes, All Might needed to remain alone. Then, the more successful All Might became, and the more people forgot about the man behind the hero, the more Toshi got lost in All Might.

Over time, Toshi distanced himself from his original idea to be the Symbol without a quirk. He became less “human.” In his 50s, having survived a gruesome injury, he saw that idea as youthful folly. So when Izuku asks in Chapter 1 if he can be a hero without a quirk, well, we get Toshi answering “no.” Just like Nana, Izuku’s young enthusiasm and selfless spirit wins the hero over, but Toshi still thinks Izuku needs a quirk. It’s only after Ch.326 and the Stain pep talk that Toshi understands the real “All Might” was his heart and soul all along, not OFA. Toshi realizes his original teenage ideals were right. It’s why Ch. 398 shows us these 3 panels together:

Toshinori Yagi cannot live his life in any way except for the sake of others. That means accepting he will put himself in danger in order to save. As he told Nighteye after his initial injury, he won’t stop helping until he’s dead. The difference is that now the risk of his death is far less because he’s accepting his humanity and accepting the help of others. Toshi is understanding that he’s not the only one who lives for others — people are willing to die to save HIM.

While Izuku fantasized about being a superhero, Toshinori was perfectly fine with becoming a quirkless All Might, as you say.

Meanwhile, Izuku only tried to save someone as a quirkless kid ONCE, against the Sludge villain. And after that he started putting himself down, saying that he "didn't really do anything".

Unhinged, deranged, feral.....

There's a reason why AFO feared this man

Unhinged, deranged, feral.....

There's a reason why AFO feared this man

Wait, wtf AFO; you’re seriously leaving behind Compress & Toga? Not to mention Machia? And possible the entire army? And I know this is an early translation but what even is that excuse? “Don’t worry, we’ll settle the score”? The hell?

Like, I’m prepared to retract this statement if he manages to retrieve them once they’re at a safe distance but; AFO, you suck. Like as a person, obviously, but also as a villain. All your power and you’re just leaving with only Tomura, Spinner, Dabi, & some Nomu? Compress is probably worth your entire Nomu escort (we’ve all seen their performance record), and you’re currently leaving him in critical condition & in enemy hands!

Note this is before I’ve read the translations, like everybody, but!

God please Horikoshi end this arc, I’m emotionally fatigued part 2

I was hoping that Mirio was Toga in disguise. I don’t mind him getting his powers back! I figured it might have had something to do with Monoma, I didn’t think Eri was ready yet. I guess she is? I don’t know, the pacing doesn’t seem right to me. This is (I’m guessing) “Season 6″ and she just was intro’d/started training in Season 4/5, right? It just seems too fast. But eh.

As I said in another post: I understand, we were all attached to Ground Zero, but that would’ve plopped Horikoshi into another hot water situation a la the doctor’s name (Maruta I think? I don’t recall) because of Nagasaki/Hiroshima. Plus, I like the fact that I’ve seen posts that Bakugo is using the same kanji from King Explosion Murder. It’s very Bakugo. He’s 15/16. Let him live.

Deku’s shout to Dabi, okay, let’s go!

Dabi will NEVER forgive Endeavour. It’s reminiscent of ‘You cannot escape the past’. Dabi never received the closure, the apology, the therapy; his entire existence since his “death” has been this obsession with revenge. His actions are understandable for someone who has been shaped by abuse and mental illness. Does that make it just, or morally right? No. But in Dabi’s mind, from his perspective, there is nothing else that will change it. He will not find peace until he gets his revenge. I love Dabi as a character so much; he is VERY well-written, but remember: well-written doesn’t mean morally good.

Deku can empathize and sympathize with Shoto’s story of abuse, but he never experienced it first-hand. That makes SUCH a difference. He HAS experienced Endeavour genuinely trying to aone, he HAS experienced Shoto slowly coming around to forgive his father, he HAS experience Endeavour being a legit solid menor in the internship. So all of his responses to Dabi are valid. 

Shoto is in a twisted place, caught between the above. He experienced the abuse, but he’s also coming around to forgiving his father. Not everyone can do that, and there is NO OBLIGATION for him to forgive his father. Endeavour said as much when he let the family live without him. But the fact of the matter is that Shoto is coming around, and as HE was Endeavour’s victim, if HE chooses to forgive him? That’s okay. We, as an audience / outsiders do not get to say NO YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED. 

In the same boat: We, as outsiders/an audience do not get to tell Dabi he SHOULD forgive Endeavour, leave Shoto alone, let his family “be happy”, etc. We have no right. Of course the fandom IS going to sit there and scream and freak out and fight about right vs. wrong, but the fact of the matter is that if you’re not the victim, you don’t get a say in what they decide. Even if it’s a decision that they regret later, if you really love the characters that had been abused, you will respect their decisions.

Besides the obvious, I mean.

It’s his unconventional design.

Here you have someone that is all angles, dark shadowed eyes, a scowl, eyebrows rarely visible, tall, gaunt, generally unhealthy looking.  His face is literally a skull.  You don’t need to squint much to notice that.

And under normal conventional character drawing methods / standards / cliches / what have you, any of these would immediately throw him in the villain pile.  It’s actually pretty amusing whenever I draw the Sunflower at work and someone unfamiliar with the series asks me why I’m drawing “such an evil looking person”.  Because we try to guess what someone’s like based on how they look.  How they’re drawn.  And angles and dark shadows usually mean “tragic past” and usually, trope-ily, “that dude that’s totally gonna betray you at the most pivotal moment of the story because of his tragic past.”

And yet, as those of us familiar with him all know, Toshi is one of the greatest heroes ever.  I can’t tell y’all how delighted I am that Horikoshi decided to break so so SO many comic tropes with this guy.  Never forget that All Might as we know him would have been removed in the early stages of BnHA if Horikoshi hadn’t decided that he liked doing something the editors didn’t like.  “Who is this old guy?  Kids aren’t gonna like him.”

There’s a world wide horde of fans that happily disagree.

Toshinori’s true form is a huge plot point for a good chunk of BnHA.  He’s ashamed of how he looks.  Even Izuku recoils the first time he sees him.  And I headcanon that one of the reasons Toshi adores his broccoli boy so much is because Izuku accepted the true form, maybe even admired him even more.  He didn’t lose faith or admiration for his hero just because of how Toshi looked.   And that goes a long way toward helping Toshi heal as a person.      

I also love is how Toshi is an artsy rorschach test of sorts.  Oh we all draw him with the wild burst of gold, the shadowed eyes, the towering lanky gait.  BUT.  BUT.  There’s something more in each Toshinori I see.  

There’s so many gorgeous renditions and interpretations of him.  The gnarled hands and wiry muscles.  Blue eyes that spark power and glow kindness.  An exhausted hero, a goofy teacher, a proud father…and a man struggling to be kinder to himself.  We draw him how we see him–as in, how we feel when we picture that lovely sunflower man–and I think that’s just so beautiful.  People love him just as much as the perfectly sculpted All Might.  I’d dare say moreso.  Because we know his story.  And our art reflects that.

So he may not be beautiful by “normal” standards. And that’s fantastic. He’s beautiful because of what he’s done and how he cares for people.  That’s a powerful message.  One happily shown again and again in our massive fandom each time we draw him.  And I think that is just so beautiful as well.