#cathleenbate

Something someone pointed out-"The introduction of Star and Stripe brings up the potentially fascinating and fertile ground of exploring what the hero system looks like outside of Japan as well as how the superhero system affects international politics. Instead, when a Japanese-based villain like Shigaraki and an American hero like Star and Stripe duke it out, any discussion of foreign superheroes effectively dies with her defeat and is swept under the rug completely. Given the involvement of US Air Force fighter jets in her attack on Shigaraki, which ends with her death, the battle would be considered by both countries as well as the United Nations to be an unambiguous act of war between Japan and the United States, but any potential repercussions are completely forgotten about and left-unexplored with no explanation except from a token Hand Wave that AFO is using his international contacts to prevent foreign powers from intervening, which seems implausible at best."

Analysis & Speculation on Ethan Drive

Who he is (Canon):

Full name: Ethan Drive (イーサン・ドライブ)

Age 53 (current, post-timeskip), 6'3", black buzz-cut, gray eyes, mustache, built like a tank.

U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, callsign “Bravo Leader”

Commander of the elite squadron that was permanently assigned to support America’s No. 1 hero, Cathleen Bate — Star and Stripe.

Basically her personal air wing: they flew the X-66 Pegasus supersonic bombers/fighters that carried her into battle and provided fire support with precision lasers.

One of the very few people Star and Stripe truly trusted and considered family. They had a decades-long bond; he and the squadron watched her grow from an insecure 18-year-old recruit into the strongest hero on the planet.

He used to beat teenage Cathleen in hand-to-hand sparring (no Quirks allowed). She eventually surpassed him physically, but he was genuinely proud.

During the Star and Stripe vs. Shigaraki fight (chapters 330–333), Ethan and the squadron disobeyed direct orders from the U.S. government to stand down, flew into Japanese airspace anyway, and provided close air support until Shigaraki stole New Order and obliterated most of the jets.

Ethan himself told Star that if her final plan required vaporizing him along with Shigaraki, she had his full permission — he was ready to die with her. She couldn’t bring herself to do it.

After Star’s death, Ethan (as the surviving senior officer) personally delivered every scrap of data they recorded on “Tomura Shigaraki”/All For One to All Might and the Japanese heroes. That data became critical for planning the Final War.

Current job/role after Star and Stripe’s death (as of the latest manga chapters in 2025):

Still active-duty U.S. Air Force, still Bravo Leader of the remaining squadron.

The U.S. military and government now treat the Shigaraki/All For One threat as a global extinction-level event, so Ethan’s unit has effectively become part of the international coalition supporting Japan.

He and his pilots are stationed at the joint command center seen in the Final War arc, providing real-time air/space reconnaissance, satellite targeting, and (when needed) stand-off precision strikes using the rebuilt/next-gen X-66 jets.

He is the de facto liaison between the U.S. military and Japan’s heroes — whenever we see American jets or drones assisting Deku & co. in the sky, it’s almost certainly Ethan’s squadron.

Horikoshi has repeatedly drawn him in the background of the Final War command room panels, still wearing his flight suit, coordinating with Tsukauchi, Nezu, and the U.S. general.

Speculation & Theories:

He might get one last on-screen moment flying close air support during the very end of the Final War (Horikoshi loves him and has said so in volume notes).

Some fans think he could sacrifice himself and the squadron in a kamikaze-style laser barrage to create an opening for Deku in the absolute final battle.

Very small theory that his Quirk (if he has one — never confirmed) is something minor but combat useful, like perfect spatial awareness or enhanced reflexes, which is why he’s such an ace pilot.

He is basically the American equivalent of Crust or Midnight — a high-ranking pro who was personally closest to the fallen No. 1 and now carries her will.

The Interesting Existence of Stars and Stripes 1. Late-Game Introduction With No Prior Foreshadowing

Star and Stripe (Cathleen Bate) doesn’t appear until just before the “Final War” setup.

There’s no prior hint of her existence or role in the story, despite being the U.S.’s No. 1 Hero and supposedly one of the strongest people alive.

The sudden urgency to fight Shigaraki before his “completion” only emerges right before her appearance — almost as if her presence was written in to create a temporary roadblock.

2. Purpose-Built to Weaken the Villain

Her quirk New Order is an incredibly versatile, high-concept ability capable of altering reality within rules she sets — the kind of thing that could break the power scale if she survived long enough to team up with Deku.

The narrative makes sure this doesn’t happen:

She gets in one big fight with Shigaraki.

She sets her final “order” so New Order self-destructs while destroying some of his quirks.

She dies immediately afterward, removing herself and her quirk from the board.

This allows Shigaraki to be weakened for the finale without having to show him losing to an active hero before facing Deku.

3. Vague & Arbitrary Nerf

The number and type of quirks she destroys inside Shigaraki/All For One is deliberately unspecified.

Shigaraki still has enough abilities afterward to be almost unstoppable in the Final War, making it hard to tell whether she meaningfully changed his power level.

Because the damage is nebulous, her entire sacrifice feels mechanically hollow — the stakes of her death aren’t tied to a clearly visible change in the threat.

4. One-and-Done Impact

In spite of her huge status (No. 1 U.S. Hero, All Might’s biggest foreign admirer), she:

Has no significant build-up before her arc.

Doesn’t affect any other villain or plot thread.

Leaves no active allies behind who change the war’s trajectory.

She leaves a “mental scar” in Shigaraki that Deku exploits much later, but this is more of a thematic callback than a tactical game-changer.

5. Emotional Weight vs. Plot Function

Her backstory, admiration for All Might, and bond with her squad are all emotionally charged to make her sacrifice feel noble and tragic.

But mechanically, the plot could have had any temporary powerhouse arrive, damage Shigaraki a bit, and die to the same effect.

This gap between emotional presentation and plot necessity makes her look like a narrative tool more than a fleshed-out player in the war.

Bottom Line

Star and Stripe reads as a narrative stopgap — a “speed bump” for Shigaraki that:

Arrives late.

Weakens him in a vague, unquantifiable way.

Dies immediately after.

Leaves the battlefield essentially unchanged for the real final fight.