#chapter 039

Todoroki Rei ‘Ī no yo, omae wa──────…’ 轟冷「いいのよ、おまえは──────…」 Todoroki Rei “It’s okay, it’s you (we are talking about)-…”

Todoroki Shōto ‘(I somehow forgot what happened next.)’ 轟焦凍「（この先はいつの間にか忘れてしまった。）」 Todoroki Shōto “(Konosaki wa itsunomanika wasurete shimatta.)”

Todoroki Shōto ‘............ Nanno tsumorida? Zenryoku... ? KUSO oyaji ni kane demo nigira sareta ka...?’ 轟焦凍「…………何のつもりだ？全力…？クソ親父に金でも握らされたか…？」 Todoroki Shōto “What are you trying to do? Full power...? Did my shitty old man give you money...?”

Todoroki Shōto ‘......... Iratsukuna! (Kinkyorinara omae wa taiō deki......)’ 轟焦凍「………イラつくな！（近距離ならお前は対応出来……）」 Todoroki Shōto “... I am angry! (If it’s close range you can’t handle it......)”

Bakugō Katsuki ‘(Ugoki ga nibui! Karada ni shimo ga orite karada... ! Osoraku ore no iryoku jōgen to chigatte. GAME no MP mitēna mon…...... Shōyu-gao no toki no `kibo’ ga oyoso saidaigen ka...!?)’ 爆豪勝己「（動きが鈍い！体に霜が降りてからだ…！恐らく俺の威力上限と違って。ゲームのMPみてえなもん………しょう油顔の時の「規模」がおよそ最大限か…！？）」 Bakugō Katsuki “(His movements are slow! It's because frost has fallen on his body...! It's probably different from my power limit. It's like MP in a game... Is the "scale" (of the attack) against soy sauce face the maximum...?)”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Migiashi agatta shunkan ni...... Koitsu...’ 轟焦凍「右足上がった瞬間に……こいつ…」 Todoroki Shōto “The moment I raised my right foot... this guy...”

Midoriya Izuku ‘IMAGE... Denjirenji no... Bakuhatsu... Shinai... ... Bakuhatsu... Shinai... ! Shinai!!’ 緑谷出久「（イメージ…電子レンジの…爆発…しない……爆発…しない…！しない！！）」 Midoriya Izuku “(Imagine... a microwave... don’t... explode... don’t... explode! Don’t!!)”

PRESENT MIC ‘MORO daa──── namanamashī no haitta a!!’ プレゼントマイク「モロだぁ────生々しいの入ったあ！！」 Present Mic “A solid hit!! We've got some action!!”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Gūū!!’ 緑谷出久「ぐううう！！」 Midoriya Izuku “Guhh!!”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Hatsu... Kutsu...’ 轟焦凍「はっ…くっ…」 Todoroki Shōto “Ugh... Ugh...”

Kankyaku ‘Todoroki ni... Ippatsu ireya gatta! ! Dō mite mo Midoriya no kata ga BOROBORO nano ni...’ 観客「轟に…一発入れやがった！！どう見ても緑谷の方がボロボロなのに…」 Audience “Todoroki... he hit Todoroki with one punch!! No matter how you look at it, Midoriya is the one who's in a bad shape...”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Gehotsu! Koko de kōsei ni deru nante... !’ 轟焦凍「ゲホッ！ここで攻勢にでるなんて...！」 Todoroki Shōto “Cough! To launch an offensive here...!”

Todoroki Shōto ‘(Nande…)’ 轟焦凍「（何で…）」 Todoroki Shōto “(Why…)”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Kōri no ikioi mo yowamatteru.’ 緑谷出久「氷の勢いも弱まってる。」 Midoriya Izuku “The ice’s strength too is weakening.”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Gutsu… nigirenai…!! (Kare no yō ni naritai.) Ūtsu (Sono tame ni wa 1-ban ni naru kurai tsuyoku naranakya ikenai. ) SMASH! (Kimi ni kurabetara sasaina dōki kamoshirenai.)’ 緑谷出久「ぐっ…握れない…！！（彼のようになりたい。）ううっ（その為には1番になるくらい強くならなきゃいけない。）SMASH！（君に比べたらささいな動機かもしれない。）」 Midoriya Izuku “Ugh... I can’t hold on...!! (I want to be like him.) Ugh (To do that, I have to become strong enough to be number one.) SMASH! (Compared to you, this may be a small motivation.)”

Todoroki Shōto ‘(Nande soko made…)’ 轟焦凍「（何でそこまで…）」 Todoroki Shōto “Why go to such lengths...”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Kitai ni kotaetainda... ! Waratte kotae rareru yōna... KAKKOĪ hito (read: HERO) ni...... Naritainda!!’ 緑谷出久「期待に応えたいんだ…！笑って応えられるような…カッコイイ人（ヒーロー）に……なりたいんだ！！」 Midoriya Izuku “I want to live up to everyone's expectations...! Someone who can meet those expectations with a smile... a cool person (read: Hero)... this is who I want to be!!”

Todoroki Rei ‘Shōto…’ 轟冷「焦凍…」 Todoroki Rei “Shōto…”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Dakara zenryoku de! Yattenda, minna! Kimi no kyōgū mo kimi no kesshin mo, boku nanka ni hakari shirerumon janai......... Demo......’ 緑谷出久「だから全力で！やってんだ、皆！君の境遇も君の決心も、僕なんかに計り知れるもんじゃない………でも……」 Midoriya Izuku “That's why I'm giving it my all! Everyone is doing it! Your circumstances and your resolve are beyond the comprehension of someone like me... But...”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Zenryoku mo dasanaide ichiban ni natte kanzen hitei nante FUZAkeru natte ima wa omotteru!’ 緑谷出久「全力も出さないで一番になって完全否定なんてフザけるなって今は思ってる！」 Midoriya Izuku “To become number one without even giving it your all to make a complete denial (of your father), now I think you must be kidding!”

Todoroki Enji ‘Tate. Konna mono de taorete ite wa ALL MIGHT wa oroka zako teki (read: VILLAIN) ni sura…’ 轟炎司「立て。こんなもので倒れていてはオールマイトはおろか雑魚敵（ヴィラン）にすら…」 Todoroki Enji “Stand up. If you are to fall down due to something like this, forget (beating) All Might, (you won’t beat) not even a small fry enemy (read: Villain)…”

Todoroki Rei ‘Yamete kudasai! Mada itsutsu desu yo’ 轟冷「やめて下さい！まだ五つですよ……」 Todoroki Rei “Please stop! He’s only five years old…”

Todoroki Enji ‘Mō itsutsu da! Jama suru na!!’ 轟炎司「もう五つだ！邪魔するな‼」 Todoroki Enji “He’s already five! Do not get in the way!!”

BASHI~TSU 『バシッ』 SLAP

Todoroki Shōto ‘Urusē… ………………’ 轟焦凍「うるせえ… ………………」 Todoroki Shōto “Shut up… ………………”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Iyada yo Okā-san… Boku…… boku Otō-san mitai ni naritakunai. Okā-san o ijimeru hito ni nante. Naritakunai.’ 轟焦凍「嫌だよお母さん……僕……僕お父さんみたいになりたくない。お母さんをいじめる人になんて。なりたくない。」 Todoroki Shōto “I don’t want it, Mother…I…I don’t want to be like Father. I don’t want to be someone who bullies/torment/persecute/chastise my mother. I do not want to become it.”

Todoroki Rei ‘………… Demo HERO ni wa naritain desho? Ī no yo, omae wa──────… Tsuyoku omou “shōrai” (read: VISION) ga aru nara────…’ 轟冷「…………でもヒーローにはなりたいんでしょ？いいのよ、おまえは──────…強く思う〝将来〟（ビジョン）があるなら────…」 Todoroki Rei “…But you want to be a hero, right? It’s okay, it’s you (we are talking about)-… If you have a “future” (vision) that you strongly feel—-…”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Dakara...... Boku ga katsu!!’ 緑谷出久「だから……僕が勝つ！！」 Midoriya Izuku “This is why... I will win!!”

ALL MIGHT ‘Hidarigawa o tsukawanai… ano oyako no aita ni aru atsureki… Midoriya shōnen kimi wa masaka…’ オールマイト「左側を使わない…あの親子の間にある軋轢…緑谷少年君わまさか…」 All Might “He doesn't use his left side... (it is due to) the friction between that parent and child... young Midoriya, don't tell me you...”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Kimi o koetetsu! !’ 緑谷出久「君を超えてっ！！」 Midoriya Izuku “I will surpass you!!”

Todoroki Enji ‘Shōto miruna. Nī-san (read: ARE)-ra wa omae to wa chigau sekai no ningen da.’ 轟炎司「焦凍見るな。兄さん（アレ）らはおまえとは違う世界の人間だ。」 Todoroki Enji “Don’t look at them, Shōto. Your big brother (read: the one we’re talking about) and the others are people from a different world than you.”

Todoroki Rei ‘Okā-san… watashi HENna no… mō DAME kodomo-tachi ga… hinihini ano hito ni nite kuru… Shōto no… ano ko no hidarigawa ga tokiori totemo minikuku omoete shimau no.’ 轟冷「お母さん…私へンなの…もうダメ子どもたちが…日に日にあの人に似てくる…焦凍の…あの子の左側が時折とても醜く思えてしまうの。」 Todoroki Rei “Mother… I’m becoming strange/I’m going crazy… I’m not good anymore for the children… day by day they look more and more like that person… Shōto… that child’s left side, sometimes I can’t help but think it’s so ugly/unsightly.”

Todoroki Rei ‘Watashi… mō sodaterarenai. Sodatecha DAME na no…’ 轟冷「私…もう育てられない。育てちゃダメなの…」 Todoroki Rei “ I… I can’t raise them anymore. I must not raise them…”

Todoroki Shōto ‘O…kā-san…?’ 轟焦凍「お…母さん…?」 Todoroki Shōto “Mo-mother…?”

Todoroki Shōto ‘I---…’ 轟焦凍「俺は────...」 Todoroki Shōto “I---...”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Okā-san wa……?’ 轟焦凍「お母さんは……？」 Todoroki Shōto “(Where) is mother…?”

Todoroki Enji ‘Omae ni kigai o kuwaetanode byōin ni ireta. Mattaku… daijina tokida to iu no ni…’ 轟炎司「おまえに危害を加えたので病院に入れた。全く…大事な時だと言うのに…」 Todoroki Enji “I put her in a hospital because she hurt you. Good grief… even though it’s an important time…”

Todoroki Shōto ‘………… (Ore wa oyaji (read: koitsu) o) Omae no seida……!’ 轟焦凍「…………（俺は親父（こいつ）を）おまえのせいだ……！」 Todoroki Shōto “… (I, to my old man (read: this guy)…) It’s your fault…!”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Oyaji o----…’ 轟焦凍「親父を────…」 Todoroki Shōto “My old man's----...”

Midoriya Izuku ‘Kimi no! Chikara janai ka!!’ 緑谷出久「君の！力じゃないか！！」 Midoriya Izuku “Yours! It is not his power, isn't it!!”

ALL MIGHT ‘“Kosei” to iu mono wa oya kara ko e to uketsuga rete ikimasu. Shikashi… hontō ni daijina no wa sono tsunagaride wa naku… jibun no chiniku…… jibun de aru! To ninshiki suru koto. Sōiu imi mo atte watashi wa kō iu no sa!’ オールマイト「〝個性〟というものは親から子へと受け継がれていきます。しかし…本当に大事なのはその繋がりではなく…自分の血肉……自分である！と認識すること。そういう意味もあって私はこう言うのさ！ 私が来た!──ってね。」 All Might “A “Quirk” is passed down from parent to children. However… what really matters is not that connection… it’s your own flesh and blood… yourself! To recognize that. That’s why I say this!”

Todoroki Rei ‘(Demo HERO ni wa naritain deshō?)’ 轟冷「でもヒーローにはなりたいんでしょう？」 Todoroki Rei “But you want to be a hero, right?”

ALL MIGHT ‘Watashi ga kita! tte ne.’ ALL MIGHT ‘“私が来た!──ってね。」 All Might “I say ‘I’m here!’”

Todoroki Rei ‘(Ī no yo, omae wa. Chi ni torawareru koto nanka nai. Naritai jibun ni, natte īnda yo.)’ 轟冷「いいのよ、おまえは。血に囚われることなんかない。なりたい自分に、なっていいんだよ。」 Todoroki Rei “It’s okay, it’s you (we are talking about). You won’t be held captive by blood, you can be whoever you want to be.”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Itsu no ma ni ka, wasurete shimatta?’ 轟焦凍「いつの間にか、忘れてしまった？」 Todoroki Shōto “Before I knew, had I completely forgotten it?”

PRESENT MIC ‘Kore wa───... !?’ プレゼントマイク「これは───…！？」 Present Mic “Is this──...!?”

Īda Tenya ‘Tsukatta... !’ 飯田天哉「使った…！」 Īda Tenya “He used it...!”

ALL MIGHT ‘Masaka Todoroki shōnen o... Sukuou to... ! ?’ オールマイト「まさか轟少年を…救おうと…！？」 All Might “No way, the young Todoroki... could it be that you are trying to save him?”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Kachitē kuse ni............ Chikushō… Teki ni shio okuru nante dotchi ga FUZAketerutte hanashi da... Ore datte, HERO ni...!!’ 轟焦凍「勝ちてえくせに............ちくしょう…敵に塩送るなんてどっちがフザけてるって話だ...俺だって、ヒーローに…！！」 Todoroki Shōto “Even though you want to win, damn it... Sending salt at the enemy, who of us is kidding?... I too want to be a hero...!!”

Observation notes:

So we continue Shōto and Midoriya battle, only now Shōto will be plagued by memories of Rei.

By the way, before resuming the fight Shōto asks Midoriya if he was acting like that because Enji paid him, and it makes sense Shōto would think so, since he said, not long ago, that Enji persuaded his grandparents to let him marry his mother thanks to his wealth.

As the battle continues the fact Shōto overused his ice side slows him down, where Midoriya is fully on the offensive.

All the Pro rightfully worry for Midoriya, though they still let the match continue, but none of them expresses concern about how Shōto is refusing to use his left side, despite his body starting to get covered by ice, which might be not healthy for him as hypothermia can have serious consequences and yes, the story didn’t want to worry about it previously but since Midoriya expressed concern over it, now we should be obliged to worry about it but nope. I get that the story wants to remark how Midoriya cares as he is the only one to worry about it, and I also get how Midoriya is in a worse shape than Shōto but it still feels way too unbalanced. Someone among the Pro should worry for Shōto too. both from the physical side than on the psychological side but again, nope, no one will really care not even after this battle or the end of the sport festival.

As the two fights Shōto asks Midoriya what moves him and Midoriya says he wants to live up to (All Might’s) expectations because all he wants to be is a smiling, cool Hero. On the opposite side we have Shōto who doesn’t want to live up to his father’s expectations... however, since in the next moment he remembers his mother calling him, it is possible the idea is Shōto wants to live up to his mother’s expectations. We don’t know.

Anyway in between flashbacks Shōto’s past gets unveiled and he remembers something Rei told him he previously forgot, that he is not bound by his father’s blood. At the same time Midoriya’s insistence it his HIS power and not Enji’s manage to persuade Shōto to use his fire side because he reminds himself what he wanted to do wasn’t only to get back at Enji but also to become a Hero.

It is worth to note that this chapter uses a stereotype popular in Shōnen... it has two characters fight in order to comunicate.

Also honestly while the whole chapter structure feels very cool, I have a hard time thinking Midoriya’s words triggered Shōto’s memories and persuaded him to use his left side. It just feels too easy but whatever, this is a necessary suspension of disbelief in the story that uses the rule of cool to its advantage so it is not a big deal.

It is just upsetting they didn’t use the same trick to save the Villains but whatever.

Cultural notes:

Oni gunsō (鬼軍曹 “demon sergeant”): it is an idiom used to describe a strict, aggressive, and sometimes harsh/abusive authority figures. While the term originates from the strict leadership of military sergeants, in modern contexts it is generally used to refer to the Japanese trope of the abusive trainer/coach. Enji being an abusive trainer is a really old Japanese trope that is better expressed/represented by a kabuki dance dated 1872 and called ‘Renjishi’ (連獅子 “Two lions”) in which a father and son ‘shishi’ 石獅), mythological lion-like creatures, are on a sacred mountain in China. The father is training the young cub by pushing it into a deep ravine. The father lion maintains a stern demeanor but is secretly anxious, waiting to see if the cub can climb back out (or he will just die). In the author’s intention this is meant to serve as an emotional demonstration of strength, discipline, and a parent-child bond. The performance celebrates the cub’s successful, arduous climb and the legacy passed between generations. This idea was then transposed in manga starting with the really old ‘JUNGLE taitei’ (ジャングル大帝 “Jungle emperor”) (1950/54) to become really popular in spokon like ‘Kyojin no Hoshi’ (巨人の星 “Star of the Giants”) (1966/1971) and ‘Attack No.1’ (アタックNo.1) but that also spreaded in the mecha genre, for example in ‘MAGNE ROBO GA-KĪN’ (マグネロボ ガ・キーン “Magne Robo Gakeen”) (1976/1977) and even in the shoujo genre for example in ‘GLASS no kamen’ (ガラスの仮面 “Glass mask”) (1976-hiatus since 2012) and is still present nowadays in shounen works like ‘Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso’ (四月は君の嘘 “Your Lie in April”) (2011-15) and, of course, BNHA. Nowadays in Japan the use of this trope is taming down and getting criticized a little but, back in the past, abusive trainers, especially if parents, were considered POSITIVE/EXEMPLARY FIGURES. Mind you, the victim never liked them but ultimately he would understand his abusive trainer, who could even force him to train for a sport he has no interest in, was a noble person who made him a great athlete (or something else like a mecha pilot or an actor). Also, in Japan being an abusive trainer is still not a crime. Various athletes tried to raise the problem, even adult athletes, even during the olympiads, especially since other athletes died but currently Japan’s stance is to discourage this practice, not to make it illegal.

Retcon notes:

So in chap 32 Present Mic encouraged the students to fight on as hard as they could because anyway they have Recovery Girl who could fix them. Now Cementos claims that Midoriya is doing exactly that, thinking Recovery Girl will fix him but with the injuries he got Recovery Girl might not be able to fix him. This is trying to hide what is actually a retcon. Not only we were never told Recovery Girl’s healing has a limit (beyond the stamina thing which was a retcon introduced in chap 7) but in Chap 4 Recovery Girl effortlessly healed a damage way worse all in one go.

In chap 302 Horikoshi will try to subtly retcon most of the flashbacks in this chapter.

For start in this chapter we could see Shōto’s left hand as he watches his siblings is bandaged, something that will disappear in chap 302.

Then in chap 302 we will see that Shōto didn’t just passively let himself be dragged away but asked for this once to be allowed to play with his siblings.

The original plan for chap 302 also wanted Enji’s abuse of Shōto and Rei to truly start AFTER Tōya’s death (an idea Horikoshi was forced to scrap for the volume version of his story when, after printing things as such in the magazine version, he was reminded by his readers he had already stated Rei died PRIOR Tōya’s death) so chap 302 would have shown a Shōto that didn’t passively watch as Rei gets abused but that, right from the first time, would have tried to protect her. Still, despite the changes, chap 302 will establish a Shōto that is more protective of Rei than what is shown here.

We continue the flashback in which we have Rei being very distressed by the look of their children, especially Shōto’s but much later on, in chap 302, it will turn out the look that truly upset her and reminded her of Enji was Tōya’s. Only Tōya here doesn’t get mentioned at all because Horikoshi had no plans for his backstory yet, and all the focus was meant to go on Shōto, so that is why he gets mentioned instead.

I finish mentioning how Enji, in the flashbacks, always have his flaming beard and in Enji’s profile it was said that is because Enji normally leaves it on in a flashy show of power... only in chap 301/302 Enji normally won’t do it.

Actually in the colored version of this chapter we can see another thing that will be retconned, which is that Tōya’s hair is depicted as red when it should be white. However this might be a mistake due to how the coloring is based on the anime coloring. In the black and white version of the manga we see that Tōya’s hair is white instead than black (when he has red hair it is colored black), which means Horikoshi meant for them to be white as it will be revealed to be even later on and will continue to depict it as white in chap 188 while the anime will insist in depicting them as red. Long story short, the choice to depict Tōya’s hair as red might not be Horikoshi’s choice and fault, but just an anime decision that ended up influencing the colored version of the manga as well.

Teaching notes:

Wouldn’t it have been important, instead than encourage the students to fight as hard as they could because anyway Recovery Girl can heal them, tell them that Recovery Girl’s healing has limits? And Cementoss concerns becomes ridicule, the problem is not that Midoriya is hurting himself over and over just to win a damn sport match and might suffer long lasting consequences but that, if he hurts himself too much, Recovery Girl might not be able to fix him AND THEN MIDORIYA WON’T BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THE TOURNAMENT. He’s worried for the tournament, not for Midoriya! Who cares about the well being of a student, the show must go on! This is what is worrying him!

Besides Cementoss is passing Midoriya going that far because he thinks Recovery Girl will heal him as Midoriya’s idea but it was Present Mic who, at the start said that “Injuries are fine! Our Recovery Girl is standing by, so you can set morals and ethics aside for now!”

This undoubtedly helped Midoriya thinks it was fine if he was the one who were to get hurt since Recovery Girl is there and this seems to be encouraged further as Midnight doesn’t stop the match.

Meanwhile Aizawa, who previously told Midoriya he should learn not to break his bones when he uses his Quirk, now thinks it’s okay if he does because he can see he is learning a bit to control it and that this is the best strategy Midoriya can use to win.

Long story short, no one sees anything wrong with Midoriya breaking his bones to win a tournament... except, and here I am spoilering, the Heroes among the viewers who, after seeing this fight, will decide not to ask Midoriya to intern with them. They aren’t asking to stop the fight either though, because Midoriya is not a girl and it’s okay if he breaks his bones then.

I want to mention something else here, though we will face it in the future. Allowing Midoriya to hurt himself in order to win, depicts it as Midoriya doing the right choice. This means that Tōya accepting he would burn himself to use his Quirk was also the right choice. His parents shouldn’t have stopped him, they should have just told him he had to learn not to overburn himself or he wouldn’t have been capable to keep on fighting and then let him figure out how to do it.

And the mere idea makes me wish to scream.

Ah, I guess I forgot to mention another oh so amazing teacher, All Might, who loaded Midoriya with his expectations even though he knew Midoriya could not control his Quirk so that Midoriya now is fighting in this way. But well, All Might also realizes Shōto is refusing to use his left side due to his conflict with Enji and that he is in need of saving (which is what Midoriya is doing) and... will not doing something about how this is troubling Shōto, not even after the end of the sport festival when Shōto will spell out for him he is not okay. Such a caring teacher All Might is.

After all the complaining I made about how horrible are the teaching methods in U.A. High, it feels almost weird how the story however denounces Enji’s teaching as abusive, which yes, it is, but considering what the series asked me to swallow as an okay training method till now (and I have not discussed All Might’s training of Midoriya in chap 2 because in that part there were no Todorokis involved but hey, that too was VERY BAD), I am surprised they instead have a bone to pick with Enji’s methods, unless the idea is that we should have a problem with them solely because Shōto is unwilling.

Said so, yeah, it is absolutely wrong how Enji demands for Shōto to continue training after the latter threw up. Many think that Shōto is throwing up because Enji hit him, but more likely Enji is forcing him to undergo to Quirk training instead than fight training and this is the result of overusing his fire Quirk. I want to remark that since Shōto is throwing up, doesn’t make his training better because Enji didn’t hit him. Shōto has clearly surpassed his limit and continuing to train him any further put his health at risk and Enji should definitely stop and make sure his son is all right as Rei told him to do. The fact that Enji doesn’t want to makes him a horrible teacher and makes the training abusive training. Sadly though, abusive training is not a crime in Japan, just something that is not recommended.

Translation notes:

When Midoriya talks about how he can’t understand Shōto it is interesting he says he can’t understand his ‘kyōgū’ (境遇 “circumstances”) and his ‘kesshin’ (決心 “resolve”) with the latter being in bold so as to remark it.

‘Kyōgū’ (境遇 “circumstances”) often describes the conditions surrounding a person's life, such as their upbringing or current social standing.

‘Kesshin’ (決心 “resolve”) actually implies that one has made up their mind to do something, often implying a strong, committed, or resolute, action-oriented mindset, also implying removing hesitation, setting a goal, and committing to it. Having ‘kesshin’ is normally kind of the main characteristic of shōnen manga protagonists.

Rei’s personal pronoun is ‘watashi’ (私/わたし Lit. “One own person”), which in casual speech, is typically only used by women because if used by men in casual context it may be perceived as either stiff or feminine however, in formal or polite contexts, this is gender neutral (for example All Might uses it, his catchphrase “I am here” in Japanese is ‘watashi ga kita’ 私が来た lit. “I have arrived”).

Regarding the words that Enji tells Shōto when the latter is on the ground it is worth to mention that the Japanese version is a lot vaguer than the English version as in the English version they say ‘if you get knocked down by a hit like this’ but in the Japanese version it’s:

Todoroki Enji ‘Tate. Konna mono de taorete ite wa ALL MIGHT wa oroka zako teki (read: VILLAIN) ni sura…’ 轟炎司「立て。こんなもので倒れていてはオールマイトはおろか雑魚敵（ヴィラン）にすら…」 Todoroki Enji “Stand up. If you are to fall down due to something like this, forget (beating) All Might, (you won’t beat) not even a small fry enemy (read: Villain)…”

‘Konna mono’ means “like this thing”.

‘Taorete’ means “to break down (e.g. from overwork), to fall, to collapse, to drop, to fall senseless, to fall ill, to go down to the ground from an upright position, usually by accident”. It’s the verb you use if you suddenly faint or fall down because you are very ill or weak or if you collapsed following a vigorous exercise session at his home, not due to being hit.

This leaves open the possibility Shōto fell sick not after being hit but after being driven to exhaustion due to excessive fire Quirk use… and we know using fire can be taxing and that Enji wanted him to use his fire.

‘Bashitsu’ (バシッ) and ‘pashitsu’ (パシッ) are both onomatopoeia that describe the sound of hitting something or an impact. However, the intensity, hardness, and texture of the object differ depending on whether they are voiced (‘ba’) or semi-voiced (‘pa’) with ‘bashitsu’ (バシッ) pointing to a heavy, strong impact that creates a heavy, powerful, and dull sound, like hitting something thick (e.g., beating a futon) or giving a heavy punch, a powerful blow or a firm, hard slap while ‘pashitsu’ (パシッ) points to a lighter blow which makes a light, sharp sound like hitting something thin or light (e.g., paper, clothing) or giving light slaps. This to say that since Horikoshi chose ‘bashitsu’ (バシッ), it means the blow Rei received was hard, not light.

Child Shōto to refer to Enji and Rei uses the formal ‘otō-san’ (お父さん “father”) and ‘okā-san’ (お母さん “mother”). It seems to be implied he stopped using the formal way to address to his father after Rei was hospitalized, though normally boys start using ‘oyaji’ (親父 “father” or “old man” lit. “parent father”) when they are in their teenager years.

To refer to what Enji does to Rei Shōto uses ‘ijimeru’ (いじめる) which can be translated as “to tease/bully/torment/persecute/chastise”. Yes, it is a word that has a wide range that can go from “to tease” to “to bully/persecute”. Still, generally it refers to acting cruelly or unkindly towards someone, often involving repeated, malicious, or unfair treatment intended to frighten, embarrass, or hurt them. It can also mean to ill-treat or treat harshly.

Multiple long dashes called ‘nami DASH’ (波ダッシュ - “wave dash”) at the end of a Japanese sentence can be used to indicate a drawn-out sound for a cute, comic, or drawn-out effect, or to suggest a range, origin, or subtitle. The specific meaning depends on context and how it's used. 

In Japanese, a long dash followed by three or more dots (……) is called a ‘santen LEADER’ (三点リーダー “long ellipsis”) and is used to indicate a pause, an abrupt interruption, or trailing off in speech. While three dots ((…)) can be used, six dots are often used in professional publishing for a stronger effect. This is different from the standard English usage, where it usually signifies omission or a trailing off sentence. 

Rei talks about Shōto having a ‘shōrai’ (将来 “future”) which we are told should be read as ‘VISION’ (ビジョン).

‘Shōrai’ (将来 “future”) generally refers to a closer, more subjective future, often related to personal aspirations, careers.

As he did in chap 34 Enji uses ‘Nī-san-ra’ (兄さんら) to talk about Shōto’s siblings. Literally it means “your older brother and the others” where ‘-ra’ is a very casual way to make a plural, and the fact he uses “your older brother and the others” implies Shōto is the younger among more children, the oldest being a male. Here though the reading given is ‘ARE’ （アレ）which might feel like an insulting way to call someone because it’s usually translated as “that thing” but ‘are’ can also be used for people that both you and the person(s) you are talking to know (have already met) (but that are far from you/are not present) or when sharing an opinion/idea/info with the reader/listener. It has an ‘you know who I mean’ feeling. It’s used to omit a detail, avoid repetition, or because you want to avoid direct mention (because it’s embarrassing, it’s something you shouldn’t talk about, can’t remember what it’s called or too lazy to try and mention it). The fact that it’s written in katakana instead than in hiragana (あれ can also be used) gives it a tone of mild condescension or an attempt at talking behind someone’s back or just remarks it. Long story short Enji isn’t trying to dehumanize Shōto’s siblings with that word, he is merely using it because Shōto knows of who he is talking about. While still not being really polite toward his children, as Enji is their father he is not expected to be polite or formal toward his kids. It is worth to remember Shōto also used ‘are’ (アレ) to talk about All Might in episode 12 and Present Mic used ‘are’ (アレ) to talk about Shōto in chap 24 and there are probably other instances I forgot. Long story short… it is not a big deal.

Rei too uses the formal ‘okā-san’ (お母さん “mother”) to talk with her mother.

To refer to her mental state Rei uses ‘HENna’ (へンな “strange”). This word describes someone or something that is not normal, unexpected, or suspicious and it is used when something feels off, uncomfortable, or out of place so it can also be a roundabout way to say “she feels she is going crazy”.

Rei claims Shōto’s left side is ‘minikuku’ (醜く “ugly/unsightly”). It is used to describe what is unpleasant to look at to the point of being unsettling as if it was disfigured or someone who behaves in a disgraceful manner.

‘Mattaku’ (全く) primarily means “completely,” “totally,” “entirely,” “utterly,” or “really/truly”. It is an adverb used to emphasize the absolute degree of a state, condition, or action. However, when Enji speaks, it is just an expression of frustration like “good grief”.

When Shōto blames Enji he uses ‘seida’ (せいだ) which means “it is [someone/something's] fault” or “it is due to,” is used to indicate that a negative result occurred because of a specific reason with ‘sei’ (所為) usually refering to negative, undesirable outcomes. It translates to “[reason] is to blame” or “because of”. It often carries a nuance of blame and is used to express responsibility for an undesirable outcome.

‘Teki ni shio wo okuru’ (敵に塩を送る) literally means “sending salt at the enemy” but technically means “helping the enemy”. This phrase was coined due to how in the Sengoku period, Uesugi Kenshin sent salt to save people living in his enemy Takeda Shingen’s territory, who were suffering from a shortage of salt due to the economic blockade. This phrase is believed to remind us that we should help each other as long as it is not the essential field of the conflict.

Weirdness notes:

When Shōto starts remembering his mother’s words, the first time he remembers her saying “…But you want to be a hero, right? It’s okay, it’s you (we are talking about)-…If you have a “future” (vision) that you strongly feel—-…” however later all he remembers her saying is “But you want to be a hero, right? It’s okay, it’s you (we are talking about). You won’t be held captive by blood, you can be whoever you want to be” the bit about him having a vision he strongly feels about disappearing.

All Might’s words feel like a very convoluted and unnatural speech placed there with the aim to target Shōto’s situation in a rather messy way. I get All Might is trying to say that it doesn’t matter which Quirk you inherited by your parents because what truly matters is the use you do of it... but it actually matters which Quirk you inherited from your parents because Midoriya, who inherited none, couldn’t become a Hero without a Quirk, no matter how determinate he was and All Might himself, who was Quirkless, needed to inherit a Quirk from Nana (which he viewed like a mother) to become All Might and people with weak Quirks are not allowed to become Heroes and people with Heteromorph Quirks are mistreated. So honestly, All Might’s motivational speech feels mostly empty/convenient words.

English version notes:

In the English version as a child Shōto refers to Enji and Rei as “daddy” and “mommy” probably in an attempt to make him sound more like a child, but in the Japanese version he uses the formal ‘otō-san’ (お父さん “father”) and ‘okā-san’ (お母さん “mother”) and not more child-like ways to refer to his parents.

Enji is more specific in the Japanese version, saying he sent Rei to a hospital (“put away” might refer to her being sent to a psychiatric hospital but also to a prison) and doesn’t refer to her as a fool but uses a much more generic expression of frustration that can be translated like “good grief” and that isn’t aimed at insulting Rei.

Now, regarding the anime version...

Episode 23 - Todoroki Shōto: Origin (轟焦凍：オリジン Todoroki Shōto: ORIGIN)

Added parts notes: Not big but in the anime Shōto says Midoriya’s name before asking him what he was trying to do.

The anime shows Rei arriving and kneeling next to Shōto as he was coughing.

The anime adds Tōya falling on the ground and Natsuo laughing at him.

After having Shōto saying it is Enji’s fault the anime has Enji turning toward him (in the manga we never see Enji turning toward him and, for all we know, Enji might not have heard Shōto talking and just continued qalking away) and then it has Shōto continue his sentence.

Todoroki Shōto ‘Omae was Okā-san wo!’ 轟焦凍「おまえがお母さんを！」 Todoroki Shōto “You (made) my mother (do this)!”

The anime also shows Rei smiling as she watches the television with Shōto something the manga did not do as she was shown from behind and shows her caressing Shōto’s head.

Changed parts notes: As said in the previous chapter this is something that is not really the anime’s fault. This episode put together 2 chapters and a half, chap 38, 39 and part of chap 40 so, as a result, the starting flashback included in chap 39 is placed right at the start of the episode instead that where chap 39 should begin, which would place it at the beginning of chap 38 instead than of chapter 39. While, yeah, it makes sense, this parts that flashback way too much from the others so… it is not a great idea. The flashback is also expanded so that instead than just saying:

Todoroki Rei ‘Ī no yo, omae wa──────…’ 轟冷「いいのよ、おまえは──────…」 Todoroki Rei “It’s okay, it’s you (we are talking about)-…”

Rei in the anime says:

Todoroki Rei ‘………… Demo HERO ni wa naritain desho? Ī no yo, omae wa──────… ’ 轟冷「…………でもヒーローにはなりたいんでしょ？いいのよ、おまえは──────…」 Todoroki Rei “…But you want to be a hero, right? It’s okay, it’s you (we are talking about)-…”

Shōto’s sentence after such memory instead remains the same.

Shōto’s “(If it’s close range you can’t handle it……)” now is moved after Bakugō speaks his piece.

In the anime it is clearer how Shōto managed to freeze Midoriya’s arm.

According to the anime it is the audience the one who says “To launch an offensive here...!” though in the manga it seems more it is Shōto the one who is speaking.

In the anime Shōto doesn’t see his mother getting hit as he was looking on the ground when we hear a smacking sound and then a thud to signal she fell on the ground. In fact it is once he heard those sounds he opens his eyes, raises his head and calls his mother as he understands what had happened.

The scene of Shōto crying in Rei’s arms and her telling he wants to become a Hero is different. In the manga we see she is not smiling as he cries, which instead isn’t shown in the anime which however shows her smiling at him as she tells him he wants to become a Hero, while in the manga, in that flashback, we couldn’t see Rei’s expression (it was shown in the flashback at the beginning of the chapter). With this change the anime recycles the scene at the start of the episode and, at the same time, focuses on Rei’s supportive nature... however downplays her pain and the effort it takes her to be supportive. The manga’s idea not to show her smile here when it showed it at the start of the chapter instead plays well with how Rei is growing progressively depressed, so that we forget, like Shōto did, that she was shown smiling when she said so at the start of the chapter.

The anime changes Tōya’s hair from white to red. In the manga they are clearly white as red hair is colored in black and Tōya’s aren’t colored at all and I have no idea why the anime decided instead to paint them red. At this point in the story Dabi already existed in the manga so it is possible Horikoshi revealed he was Tōya to the anime staff and, either they decided for red since he had a fire Quirk or Horikoshi actually wanted to change his hair color and asked them to only to go back to his original idea and make Tōya’s hair white even though at the start they were red. We don’t know.

Ironically differently from the manga the anime doesn’t show Shōto’s eyes as he calls Rei before she will throw boiling water at him. Ironically because eyes will become a big point later, in chap 302, even though I am not sure I like the idea of not showing Shōto’s eyes as not only it changes Shōto’s expression but the eyes too were part of what made Shōto’s left side ugly in Rei’s eyes.

The dialogue between Shōto and Enji is changed slightly. First we hear Enji complains about the situation, then, as Shōto questions him he sounds for a moment surprise and unsure about what to say before continuing confidently.

Todoroki Enji ‘Mattaku… daijina tokida to iu no ni…’ 轟炎司「全く…大事な時だと言うのに…」 Todoroki Enji “Good grief… even though it’s an important time…”

Todoroki Shōto ‘Okā-san wa……?’ 轟焦凍「お母さんは……？」 Todoroki Shōto “(Where) is mother…?”

Todoroki Enji ‘Ā? Ā, omae ni kigai o kuwaetanode byōin ni ireta.’ 轟炎司「ああ？ああ、おまえに危害を加えたので病院に入れた。」 Todoroki Enji “Oh? Oh, I put her in a hospital because she hurt you.”

The anime changed Shōto’s expression so that he is no more shown being a mix of surprised and shocked at the news but he just looks sad/angry.

The anime also changes what Shōto thinks, which now is placed after this flashback. In the manga before saying it was Enji’s fault Shōto was thinking:

Todoroki Shōto ‘(Ore wa oyaji (read: koitsu) o) ’ 轟焦凍「（俺は親父（こいつ）を）」 Todoroki Shōto “(I, to my old man (read: this guy)…)”

and then he says:

Todoroki Shōto ‘Oyaji o—-…’ 轟焦凍「親父を────…」 Todoroki Shōto “My old man’s—-…”

In the anime everything gets to be said after the flashback ended and becomes:

Todoroki Shōto ‘(Ore wa koitsu o… Oyaji no chikara o…) ’ 轟焦凍「（俺はこいつを…親父の力を…）」 Todoroki Shōto “(I, to this guy… to my old man’s power…))”

In the anime it is after we hear All Might’s words that we get to hear Rei’s words (in the manga they partly seem to be said at the same time). It makes sense as everything might have been hard to follow if they were speaking at the same time.

Enji grinning is shown later, all in a single scene while the manga foreshadowed it in this chapter, showing him smile, and then focused on him in the next one.

Deleted parts notes:

As Enji complains about what Rei did, the manga showed the Todoroki house from outside. The anime though doesn’t.

Extra notes:

The scene of Shōto finally using his fire in battle was included in the scenes that took part to the ultimate scene ranking.