Final Chapter thoughts on Izuku and how it may alter how I write him on the blog...
OOC: I have many mixed feelings about the ending of the manga, particularly where it pertains to Izuku's character. Overall, I do like the ending, but I can't help but feel that Izuku deserved better than what he got.
I really wished that he would've been able to keep One For All in some capacity. While I understand that there was a possibility of it being lost and there was hints of it throughout the series, having Izuku going through an 8 year period of being a civilian while all of his friends accomplish their dreams just feels so sad to me.
While it seems that society has given him a lot of recognition, I wonder why wasn't there some statue made in his honor or made in the honor of Katsuki for that matter? It just seemed like other than the interactions he gets from people familiar with U.A., he went back to being another face in the crowd. I just wish we got to see some type of scene where the students of Class A gave him the comfort and support that he needed post-war. It's heavily implied that he was faking smiles and was traumatized just like Ochako, but he reached out to help her while everyone else is too busy with their own problems to reach out to him. If it was something done off screen, I wish there would've been at least some implication that Katsuki, Shouto, Ochako, or anyone else would've checked in to make sure he was mentally okay. Maybe Horikoshi had intended for there to be a scene like this but was rushed to scrap it for the epilogue? I can only speculate on what was planned, or if this was always the type of epilogue he envisioned.
I think some time away from the group would give Izuku some time to process the trauma he's endured, and also help him figure out where he wants to go in life. So, there is some good with allowing him to have that small wall of separation between him and everyone else.
I think until I've had more time to process this epilogue, I'm not going to change Izuku's verse to "default" post-canon. Currently, his default verse is during the final two arcs of the manga. That said, I am happy to explore a verse that is post-canon... I think it'd be interesting to write him as a Quirkless teacher who is a fanboy of all of his pro hero friends.
I think I'll also create an AU verse where Izuku is able to still keep One For All in some capacity.