Kallan

Hi hi ~ so I am autistic and I strongly headcanon most of BNHA’s characters as neurodiverse (and gay but that’s another story). I think that Deku is definitely autistic and here are the main reasons why. For this “analysis” I’ve used both the anime (until s4 which is currently airing) and bits of the manga.

(I’ve had comments on my previous autistic headcanons pointing out that I was projecting myself onto the characters and YES I am very much doing this. No but seriously, I am writing about why I think certain characters have the same neurodivergence as me so yes of course I’m going to use my own life as a reference and as a material to explain why I think the way I do. If it bothers you it’s fine but don’t spread negativity is all I ask for.)

All autistics are welcomed to add to this post btw I’d love to have more perspectives <3

1. Stimming

I feel like this one is extremely obvious so I’ll start with it: Deku is one stimmy boi omg. Just look at the way he swings on his chair before watching that one All Might video:

“Stimming” also known as “self regulatory behaviour” is basically the repetition of movements, sounds, visual stimulation. It’s a way for autistic people to calm and reassure themselves, concentrate and express their feelings.

I’m also putting his mumbling in here because it’s very common for autistics to talk to themselves, it’s a form of vocal stimming:

2. Special interest

“special interest” is a term used by autistic people to refer to the topics that interest them. When we’re invested in something it’s not just a hobby. For us it becomes an obsession, we think about it 24/7 thus why we have a word for it. A special interest is not only an obsession, it’s a safe place, an escape route if the reality becomes overwhelming, something that gives us a joy and fulfilment.

All Might and generally Heroes are Deku’s special interest. He spent years to research and gather all informations in books. He’s so obsessed he goes back into ‘fanboy mode’ super fast and forgets the time and place at times. He knows everything by heart AND well enough to use it directly in battles.

Also like his mumbling could be due to him being in hyperfocus: an intense form of mental concentration that focuses consciousness on a subject, topic, or task. Hyperfocusing on special interests is something quite common for autistics. He’s so focused that he forgets that it’s not really “appropriate” (by society’s standards) to do that when other people are around.

AND he does that quite a bit huh.

3. Blunt, honest and infodumping

Deku is very honest and isn’t afraid of being vulnerable. This is something I tend to observe with the autistic community because we simply don’t see why some things are considered shameful or embarrassing. We say what we think and we don’t see the wrong in that.

He has a tendency to infodump: Infodumping is the practice, common amongst autistic people, of giving intricately detailed summaries of their topic of interest in single heaps. This can occur in conversation both online and offline. “Speaking in paragraphs” is another way to describe this. It happens multiple times in the manga but this one is my favorite example:

First of all, he was SO stressed at the beginning of the interview. Again, this is interesting in itself because Deku is not shy, he’s usually more on the spontaneous side. It reminds me of when he had to be funny with Sir Nighteye to gain his approval because he was surprisingly very stiff. This makes me think that maybe he feels uncomfortable in any social situation he’s not already familiar with. That’s… Very relatable as an autistic person because most of us also have social anxiety.

Anyway, about the infodumping. This example perfectly shows the switch that occurs in his behaviour before and after a special interest is brought up. When being asked about himself he doesn’t know what to say at all but he gets loud the moment he’s asked about All Might and start literally speaking in paragraphs. When can clearly see that he’s not stiff anymore. Talking about All Might was both a relief and something that got him suddenly excited.

4. Bullied

I find it so interesting that the series begins with Deku’s perspective and within the first pages we are already introduced to the concept of inequality in this world. People are not born equal. Deku learns it very early at age 4 because he’s quirkless and I can’t help but draw a parallel with neurodiversity. 

He’s bullied for being different, for not having a capacity that others have, for not meeting expectations…. This reminds me of almost every autistic person ever unless they become very good at masking (hiding autistic traits) very fast. Also he points out a few times that he’s probably not only bullied for not having a quirk. This makes me think that even if he had one he would have been ostracised anyway. Maybe being quirkless drew attention on him but he was different from the start. As an autistic person I relate so much to this and I think the discrimination he faces is very relatable to a lot of neurodiverse folks. This is my interpretation of this aspect of Deku.

5. Strong sense of justice

No I’m not saying that us autistics are better people BUT I think we have a strong sense of justice that we aren’t afraid to show no matter the circumstances. A lot of people don’t express when the feel like something is unfair mostly because of social rules but because we’re quite blind to these we often blur out things without even thinking or considering time and place. I think we see that in Deku’s childhood especially when he stands up for his beliefs while being quirkless and powerless.

6. He comes up with unique ways

Something very interesting with deku is how he always manage to come up with a unique plan. I think this is something most autistic people relate with because we often perceive things a bit differently than most and as a result we have unique ways to achieve our goals.

Ok and that’s all for me ~

Honestly there is not one single moment of him that makes me think he’s not on the autism spectrum lol. I could understand people disagreeing with other headcanons but this one?

I’ve seen posts talking about hyper empathy as an autistic trait Deku has and I didn’t put it in here because I don’t feel knowledgeable enough on the subject to touch it. That being said I think it’s a very interesting point to make! 

but did they queer bait u the way that green eggs and ham queer baited ?

turned into: 

According to Ricky Hill, PhD, a research assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a faculty member of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, queer baiting is “a marketing ploy that nods at queerness but never actually delivers queerness”. 

This is done through  “plots, characters, imagery, lyrics, social media posts, and interview answers” by “a director, author, writer, or producer”. The above is an official poster made by Netflix that was posted on multiple social media posts. 

Therefore, by using a marketing technique to nod at queerness, with the use of the ‘queer egg’ official canon promotional material by netflix but never actually delivering said queer relationship within the context of the show, they – meaning netflix–officially queer baited.

*the crowd goes fucking wild*

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