Summer☀️

Mineta is expelled (or at least dropped from the hero course) for sexual harassment.

Class A vs B happens earlier and Shinsou joins the hero course the day after the “test” to fill the vacancy left by Mineta

Yaoyorozu gets a better costume. For example: the cloak is part of it from the start and her leotard can close all the way. The book would also strap her side not her back so she can sit down. Or just give her a different costume entirely.

Better hero names for Ashido, Jirou, Aoyama, Todoroki, and Hagakure. Ashido especially. Pinky is not better than Alien Queen.

Midnight does not make inappropriate comments about the students. She is a teacher she should not be making such remarks. Trying to make that a “joke” was a poor writing decision.

Bakugou being chained to the podium at the Sports Festival was so messed up. They could’ve had him storm off instead or blow up the medal to showcase his bad behavior without making the teachers look like psychos. I wish someone would’ve at least pointed how wrong it was. Especially since it made Bakugou a target of kidnapping.

After Bakugou punches Midoriya in the final exam he faces punishment from the school. Attacking your allies/coworkers would be unacceptable for a pro hero and Bakugou should face some kind of penalty for that (ex: detention, anger management, a mark on his record). He stays in UA’s hero course, but is held accountable for his bad behavior. It helps progress his redemption arc.

After the summer camp attack and All Might’s retirement, a few of the Class 1A and 1B hero students leave UA for other hero schools. It would demonstrate how UA is losing trust. A student could also drop out of hero studies entirely due to being confronted with the dangerous reality of a career in heroics.

If a student switched hero schools, Class 1A could run into a former classmate at the provisional license exam (ex: Satou or Ojirou). Being forced to fight each other would make for good drama.

Female hero students get more attention and fight scenes. Ex: Nejire, Uraraka and Asui are not sidelined during the Yakuza base raid.

There is more than 1 female OFA user. I’d suggest changing the smokescreen guy because he looks like emo Best Jeanist. There could’ve been a much better design. Like a woman with purple hair to match the purple smoke. That way at least 2/9 OFA users are women.

Touya and Keigo met as kids, which would explain how Dabi was able to find out who Hawks was despite the HPSC’s efforts to bury his past.

More spaced out time line or more time skips, so that Class A would be in their 3rd year during the final war. That way they would be 17-18 and the adult pro heroes wouldn’t seem as useless in comparison.

Midnight’s death is different. She isn’t killed offscreen by random villains. Instead she dies protecting her students from a fearsome villain.

In the MLA raid a student from Class 1A dies (Sato or Koda would be a good candidate since they’re background characters). It would have an emotional impact on the class and teachers, as well as demonstrate how messed up it was that the HPSC sent 2nd year students to fight the MLA.

After Dabi exposes Endeavor there are a variety of reactions from the pro heroes and students. Some hate Endeavor, some tolerate him, some support him. A mixed bag of reactions is more realistic. Also those who are close to Shouto lean more towards hating Endeavor (ex: Aizawa and Class A).

Shouto’s custody is also transferred to Fuyumi after the reveal due to safety concerns by UA teachers.

However the criminal courts refuse to touch Endeavor and it further demonstrates hero and law enforcement corruption. It’s a parallel to the real world and how cops get away with domestic violence. It shows why so many people are starting to be sympathetic to the League of Villain’s cause and reignites Stain’s message.

Honestly I’d prefer Endeavor never get a “redemption” or “atonement” arc at all. But it’s such a big part of the second half of the series that it would be hard to remove. A corrupt hero like Endeavor becoming the new #1 hero should’ve showcased the flaws of the hero system and caused a revamp, not maintained the status quo.

Hawks has an actual reaction to finding out Endeavor was an abusive father just like Thief Takami. It could delve into Hawks’ own feelings about how the HPSC basically did to Hawks what Endeavor did to Shouto. Whether it’s condemning it or thinking it’s “normal” because of the HPSC’s grooming.

Aoyama does not become a hero after the “traitor” reveal. He never wanted to be a hero because of how scary the profession was. He only joined the UA hero course because of AFO’s threats. Instead he transfers to the business course and eventually becomes Hagakure’s manager.

Aizawa does not lose an eye. He already lost a leg the man has been through enough. Losing an eye also overshadows the scar he got from protecting his students at the USJ.

Miruko does not lose as many limbs. In canon she lost both her arms, her right leg, and half an ear. The poor woman was treated like Swiss cheese. Miruko being so brutalized feels sexist to me. Instead she only loses one arm in the Nomu lab raid and uses a prosthetic arm in the final war arc.

Gran Torino dies because it was ridiculous that he was still alive after everything. It also gives Midoriya further mental anguish and motivation to defeat the villains.

Bakugou does not get his heart impaled because it makes no sense for him to be able to continue fighting after that. Much less be able to defeat AFO.

Maybe Best Jeanist throws himself in front of Bakugou and gets injured instead. Jeanist and Edgeshot are UA school friends so it makes more sense that Edgehsot would be willing to “sacrifice” his wellbeing for Jeanist than a teenager he doesn’t know. It would also explain why Bakugou is the one fighting AFO and not the top 10 heroes.

All For One steals Endeavor’s quirk instead of Hawks’ quirk. It would be karmic for Endeavor since he abused his family in pursuit of the perfect quirk. It would also serve as a better explanation of why Shouto did all the work in stopping Dabi.

Hawks does not become the HPSC president. His quirk was damaged by Dabi but still usable. His feathers grow back much slower which limits his hero work hours. This allows him to have the “free time” he desires and helps him escape the organization that bought and groomed him.

In Hawks’ free time he helps establish and run a villain rehabilitation program. Maybe he names it “Second Chances” in honor of Twice.

The HPSC’s child soldier program would be exposed during the war. So would their orders to send the 2nd year students to fight in the MLA raid. It’s also revealed that they helped cover up Endeavor’s abuse. After that the HPSC would be disbanded and replaced with a new organization to oversee heroes. Perhaps a counsel with diverse members instead.

The Hero Rankings are discarded after the war. They promoted competition among heroes who should have been working together. It also led to heroes prioritizing popularity over saving lives. So a teamwork approach is emphasized in the future. There is also more focus on hero work than celebrity status / popularity.

New laws are passed that better protect people against quirk discrimination (mutation quirks, “scary” quirks, being quirkless). There are also stricter child abuse laws and a ban on quirk marriages.

Uraraka’s quirk counselling program gets nation wide support and is implemented in all schools. There is an additional program for civilian support gear. Also restrictions on public quirk use are lessened and people can get quirk use licenses for non hero related jobs.

Aizawa adopts Eri instead of Mandalay. Aizawa served as a source of safety to Eri thanks to his erasure quirk. He was very gentle towards her and already played the unofficial role of a father figure. If Mandalay could be an active hero and care for Eri then so could Aizawa. Additionally, Aizawa adopting Eri would serve as a more hopeful and thematic resolution for both of them after all the loss in the war. Worst comes to worst, Aizawa could retire from active hero duty and only be a UA teacher so he has more time for Eri. Even if Aizawa wasn’t able to care for Eri, it would make more sense for Ragdoll to adopt Eri than Mandalay since Ragdoll was retired.

Rei divorces Enji and lives separately from him. She gets lots of alimony.

Touya does not die a slow death in a tube. He is sent to a psychiatric ward instead of a prison and slowly heals both physically and mentally. His family visits him regularly. Touya is also a part of Hawks’ villain rehabilitation program. In the 8 years later epilogue Shouto reveals that Touya is doing well and will be released soon.

Toga also survives. Either A) it’s revealed she faked her death or B) she is entered into Hawks’ rehabilitation program. There’s no way Toga died from blood loss after all the ridiculous injuries that the heroes survived in canon.

Shigaraki has a better death scene with more agency. Maybe he even turns against AFO and dies to save his friends. Shigaraki and Midoriya fighting AFO together would have been epic.

After things have settled down, Midoriya holds a funeral for Tenko/Tomura and gets special exceptions made for the League of Villains to attend.

There’s a lot of criticisms about how the OG Gaang is treated by TLOK and some of them are valid, however criticizing TLOK because the Gaang were shown to be flawed parents is ridiculous. The Gaang all had traumatizing childhoods and fought in a war at a very young age. That’s gonna have an impact on them and they’re not gonna be perfect parents. Nobody is a perfect parent. They’re gonna mess up and that can leave emotional wounds on their kids.

It makes sense that because Toph’s overprotective parents locked her up for the first 12 years of her life that she’d do the opposite and give her kids too much freedom. Toph was a very hands-off parent and this hurt her kids, which is realistic to Toph’s character. She was not a nurturing person and neglected her children’s emotional needs. Toph’s inattentiveness lead to Suyin getting involved in crime and Lin having “eldest daughter syndrome” due to shouldering the responsibilities of an extra parent. This led to Lin being bitter towards her absent mother which is understandable.

However, Toph being a cop goes completely against her character. Toph hated rules and restrictions. Not to mention her history of scamming and stealing lol. Toph would’ve had enough political pull to get Suyin off the hook for her crimes with her rich Beifong status and being a member of Team Avatar. She didn’t need to be the police chief to achieve that. Toph could’ve trained cops in metal bending as an expansion of her metal bending academy, but there’s no way she would’ve been a cop. Toph’s disregard for the law and Lin’s opposite perspective would’ve been a better tension point. It could’ve been an allusion to how Lin craved the structure her mother failed to provide, which is why Lin became a member of law enforcement. Toph using her status to protect Suyin from facing legal consequences would’ve also made Lin look bad to her coworkers. Lin would be resentful towards both her mother and sister because of how their actions reflected on Lin as a cop. That would’ve been a much better plot than Toph retiring in shame because of Suyin.

Toph living in the swamp like a hermit is way more in character than her being a cop. Toph being a cranky and sassy old lady who beat up Korra was amazing. Plus her telling Aang’s grandkids that their grandfather got on her nerves was so funny. Toph saving the day from Kuvira was badass and I screamed in excitement alongside Bolin. Toph reuniting, fighting, and then reconciling with Lin was nice, though I wish it had gone a bit more in depth. Also Toph’s apology was not that good, but to be fair Toph isn’t the type to give a well thought out apology either, or even apologize at all, so maybe it’s the best we can expect from her.

I dislike the plot point of Toph hiding Lin’s father’s identity from her. Toph should’ve at least told her once she reached adulthood. My guess is that Lin was an accident baby from a casual fling that Toph wasn’t ready to care for. In canon Toph says Kanto was a “nice man” so it’s not like Toph hid Lin’s father because he was a shitty person. My guess is that Kanto didn’t want the responsibility of a child and Toph accepted that. However, she should’ve told Lin when she was 18. There could’ve been different drama that Kanto died young before Lin ever got the chance to know him. That would’ve made more sense than Toph keeping that secret for 50 years then causally reveal it to Bolin (because wtf??). Or the show should’ve focused solely on Lin’s resentment of her mother being an un-involved parent. They didn’t need the extra baby daddy drama.

There’s been a lot of debate about who Suyin’s father is as well. Some people think it’s Sokka, however there’s no way that’s true. If that did happen Sokka would’ve been involved in his kid’s life. It would have been out of character for him to be a deadbeat father. Toph also trusts Sokka so she wouldn’t hide that from him if that were the case. Besides it’s pretty obvious that Suyin’s father is Satoru from the ATLA comics “The Rift” and “Imbalance.” They have the exact same hair and Satoru has a tanner skin tone.

My guess is that Satoru died young because he doesn’t seem to be the type to be an absentee father. Satoru’s initial presence could’ve further stoked Lin’s resentment since Suyin got a father for at least a couple years but she never did. Satoru dying could’ve also been part of why Suyin acted out as a teenager.

I like that Sokka was a council member for the Southern Water Tribe. Republic City was the center of progress and politics so it makes sense that Sokka (as an inventor and strategist) would spend a significant amount of his adulthood there. He also becomes the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe in later years, presumably after Hakoda dies of old age, which is a nice way for the torch to be passed.

I do think it’s out of character for Sokka to not have kids, especially knowing that he lived to his late 60s since he helped rescue Korra from the Red Lotus. We don’t know how Sokka died but we do know it’s after he rescued Korra from the Red Lotus but before TLOK starts. Personally, I think it would’ve been an interesting plot point if Sokka died from injuries he sustained while saving Korra from the Red Lotus. It would set up the Red Lotus as even more fearsome villains and make the fight more personal for Kataang’s kids. However, he also could have died of natural causes due to his old age.

Sokka seems like the type to want to have children, which is probably why there’s so many baby daddy theories surrounding him. I think it would have been better for Sokka to at least have one kid. Probably a non-bender who was a fierce fighter or an inventor. I also wish Sokka being an uncle figure would’ve been mentioned more. Especially in regard to Bumi who likely felt out of place in a family full of benders. The TLOK writers likely didn’t want to juggle even more characters which is why they didn’t give Sokka a kid. However, they could’ve come up with a reasonable explanation of why they weren’t very present — like not living in republic city or having a job that keeps them busy. It was just lazy tbh.

Some people theorize that Varrick is Sokka’s kid due to his interest in technology and being from the Southern Water Tribe (and also behaving eccentrically). It’s a fun theory, but I don’t think Sokka would have raised a kid with such loose morals. Maybe Varrick knew Sokka as a kid and Sokka encouraged his dreams? Varrick seeing Sokka as an inspiration would’ve been a nice detail.

There’s also the theory that Sokka and Zuko were lovers and raised Izumi together. That secrecy would’ve made sense as it could have had political ramifications. It also explains why Izumi had a water themed name. However, there’s also the possibility that Mai is Izumi’s mother since she has similar sharp features and Izumi was named after the fountain incident. Zuko and Mai’s relationship gives comphet to me though. It’s possible they were beards and/or that Mai acted as a surrogate for Zuko. Maiko also broke up in the comics and was never shown getting back together, so it’s possible Izumi’s mother is a complete new character who Zuko met after canon. Zukka is a fun theory but was never confirmed by canon, just given fruity little hints in the new movie.

I love how Zuko is shown to be a supportive father of Izumi in TLOK canon. Also his grandson being named after Iroh was a great detail. I do wish we saw a bit more of their family dynamics, but TLOK is about Korra not the Gaang. Zuko likely also made mistakes as a parent, but Izumi wasn’t an active character like Kataang or Toph’s kids, so we don’t have much information.

We had some good Zuko moments in TLOK. Korra meeting the original Iroh in the spirit world and Zuko’s reaction to it was so sweet. Zuko having a dragon was awesome and I hope we eventually get a comic about how Zuko found Druk. Also Zuko being awkward in the elevator and mentioning he hired combustion man to kill the avatar was hilarious and so in character for him. My socially awkward king.

Aang being a flawed parent was also realistic. He is the last survivor of a gruesome genocide and has an extreme amount of pressure on him to ensure his people’s culture isn’t forgotten. Aang would’ve been so excited and relieved to have an air bender in the family, so it makes sense that Aang would favor Tenzin. Tenzin’s air bending allowed Aang to pass on the teachings and ensure air bending was not lost. It makes sense that he’d spend more time with Tenzin because of that. Tenzin also inherits the same pressure to uphold the Air Nomad’s culture, which is a giant responsibility and is shown to wear on him at times. Aang probably put too much pressure on Tenzin due to his own fears of the world losing the Air Nomad’s culture. It’s sad but accurate to Aang’s canon character and storyline.

However, I do think it’s unrealistic that Kataang’s kids would not have been taught both Air Nomad and Southern Water Tribe culture. Kataang wouldn’t have only taught each kid one culture based on their bending. Katara wouldn’t have tolerated blatant favoritism either. They’re a mixed family. So it would’ve made more sense for all the kids to learn both cultures, but for Aang to spend more time with Tenzin due to teaching him air bending. Maybe they did do that and it simply wasn’t shown in TLOK canon, however the clothing colors they wear implies otherwise. The show could’ve had Kataang’s kids wear a mix of blue and orange/yellow clothes to signify their mixed cultures (or at least have a small accessory of the other nation’s culture).

The show makes it clear that Aang loved all kids, but that he favored Tenzin due to his air bending which I believe is realistic. However, I do wish there was a better showcase of their family being of blended cultures, instead of a rigid divide between the benders.

Also Katara not being at Jinora’s air bending master ceremony was criminal. There’s no way she would’ve missed that. They could’ve had an emotional moment for Katara with how much Jinora reminds her of Aang in that moment and wishing he was here to see this (it’s so sad he never got to meet his grandkids T-T). The only logical reason Katara would’ve missed it would be if she was too sick to travel. However, Katara is shown to be as healthy as an old woman can be when healing Korra afterwards, so that explanation doesn’t make sense. Katara also travels to Republic City multiple times during the show, so the excuse that she’s too old to travel doesn’t hold up either.

There’s also criticism that there’s statues of Aang Zuko Toph and Sokka in Republic City but not Katara, which is valid. Katara should’ve had a statue in Republic City or in the Southern Water Tribe. Also it’s criminal there wasn’t a statue of Yue in the Northern Water Tribe. Yes, there’s “Yue Bay” named after her in Republic City, but my girl Yue deserved recognition by the Northern Water Tribe for her sacrifice.

Fans also point out that it’s strange that Aang named a kid after Bumi but not Monk Gyatso and I agree. It makes sense that Katara would want to name their daughter after her mother. However, I dislike that Aang named a kid after Bumi instead of Gyatso. I think it would’ve made more sense for Bumi to have a traditionally air nomad name like Tenzin, but not be named after anyone in particular so he could be seen as his own person. Also the Bumi 2 stuff gets annoying lol. Katara and Sokka’s mother was dead during the canon ATLA story, but King Bumi was alive and kicking so it’s more confusing. It would be better for Bumi 2 to have his own name. Bumi having a traditional air nomad name could also tie into him later being able to air bend after Korra opens the portals.

Suki is never mentioned in TLOK, which I think is a disservice to her. In the ATLA legacy book Suki and Sokka’s relationship is talked about in the past tense. So it seems like they broke up in the future. That makes sense as most teenaged relationships don’t last. There is the theory that Suki died young, but that’s just a rumor. She’s seen in the credits of the new ATLA movie, so she at least lives to her twenties in canon. The absence of Suki in the art of the older gaang could be explained by A) the creators forgetting about her or B) Suki and Sokka breaking up. Even if she died young in her 30s, she should’ve still been mentioned at least once in TLOK. But the creators have a habit of forgetting/excluding Suki.

It’s a shame the Kyoshi warriors were not involved in TLOK. It would’ve been a good way to show both Kyoshi and Suki’s legacy. I do like the idea of Suki being romantically involved with another Kyoshi warrior (sapphic rights). I can easily see Suki raising/training the next generation of Kyoshi warriors. Also, the Kyoshi warriors could’ve at least been mentioned during the Equalist Arc. The Chi blocking method used by the Equalists were likely spread by the Kyoshi Warriors because they’re the only ones that Ty Lee taught her technique to in canon.

It’s also a shame that we never hear what happened to Azula’s trio as adults. Technically they’re not a part of the gaang, but I’m talking about them anyways. There’s the theory that Ty Lee was a descendant of air nomad Rioshon due to her chi blocking abilities. I wish that would’ve been explored in the comics or TLOK because it would’ve been a great plot point. I also really want to know what happened to Azula and if she was ever able to heal from what Ozai did to her. Lowkey mad that Ursa didn’t show more concern for her in the comics. When Azula ran off into the forest Ursa and Zuko should have run after her, but that’s a separate post.

There is a theory that Azula is the Fire Nation healer that treated Korra. Maybe that method of healing helped Azula recover from her traumatic childhood and now she uses it to help others. However, that healer/shaman could’ve been a random old lady. I’m also curious what happened to Mai. Did she continue to be a teacher? Did she get back together with Zuko and marry him? Or did they stay friends? Was she Izumi’s mother or surrogate? I wanna know.

What if Cassian and Nesta adopt an orphaned Illyrian child. I think Cassian adopting would be very fitting considering his childhood.

The girl they adopt was born on a blood moon, and came out with red hair, red eyes, and red wings, alongside moon pale skin. Her mother named her Scarlet for her unique coloring, Illyrians are superstitious types so they’d believe the girl was cursed. Especially when a few years later her mother contracts an illness and died. Because of this belief, they refuse to let her into the orphanages the High Lord and Lady had built.

Nesta is well known as a witch to the Illyrians, and still has some unknown kernel of power from the Cauldron, so she’d likely feel connected to Scarlet. Both of them hated and feared by others.