so i’ve noticed a surprising amount of overlap in themes, character behavior, and (unfortunately) fandom behaviors between My Hero Academia and Helluva Boss and it’s driving me slightly crazy so i’m just kinda curious
We know that Deku was not the intended heir of OFA. As a quirkless fanboy, he would never be considered if not for a chance encounter with All Might. There was a better option waiting. But I think All Might was making a mistake with his original plan too.
For all Mirio’s strengths, OFA would likely have been wasted on him. Mirio’s quirk requires an insane level of concentration and foresight to use the way he does. While that does mean he’s exceptionally skilled, there has to be a limit to that skill. Adding in the extra effort of using OFA would result in a monumental task. It would greatly increase the difficulty of working as a hero, and provide only a marginal benefit.
Among the UA students, there’s an obvious choice. Someone who would both use OFA to its full potential and gain massive benefit from it. Someone who always rises to the occasion with a calm and steady demeanor. Someone who inspires everyone around her.
Tsuyu Asui.
Tsuyu makes for a perfect successor to All Might’s quirk and Symbol of Peace status. She brings everything to the table needed to act as the top hero, and OFA supplements the only areas where she’s lacking. This is a quality she actually shares with Deku.
Tsuyu’s stats are on the left, Deku’s on the right. Their strongest suit is Cooperativeness, perhaps the most important aspect of the Symbol of Peace, a hero who must work with everyone and be loved by world. They possess above average Intelligence and Technique. But they are lacking in Power and Speed, the attributes which OFA can boost.
This is the perfect stat distribution to receive OFA. The best quirks are one which make up for their owners’ weak spots. The goal is to be a well rounded hero.
Okay, so maybe OFA is good for Tsuyu, but why is Tsuyu good for OFA? I’m glad you asked.
There are a few reasons why Tsuyu could make the most of OFA, using her Frog-Form attributes. “She can do almost all things frog-like,” according to her profile in the manga. It’s probably reasonable to assume this includes some froggy traits that haven’t been explicitly stated yet. Camouflage, for instance, is an ability she picks up later in the manga.
There are two frog-like traits that would be very useful in dealing with OFA, superhuman durability and accelerated healing. These are quite common attributes in frogs and other amphibians. Deku may have an absurd pain tolerance, but Tsuyu’s amphibious form could handle OFA’s power far easier than Deku’s brittle bones.
And then there’s that tongue. Punches and kicks are fine, but imagine a full cowl tongue slap with a 20m range. This puts her on a whole other level. No previous OFA user, to our knowledge, had a ranged attack of that caliber. It’s far more precise and powerful than sending a shock wave through the air.
But it’s not just about being compatible with OFA, All Might’s successor must also be worthy of recognition as the Symbol of Peace.
That’s not a problem for Tsuyu, she’s a true hero. She speaks what’s on her mind, and does what she thinks is right. When her friends are in danger, she jumps to the rescue. But she always keeps her head and comes in with a plan of action.
And she’s loved. Tsuyu will have no problem rocketing to the top of the hero rankings. Let’s get meta for a second here, she’s reached Hatsune Miku levels of popularity. She has fans who’ve never even seen the show.
All Might chose the wrong successor, twice. He couldn’t have asked for a better heir than Tsuyu Asui.
Okay this is going to be a weird rant-ish thing but in Boku no Hero Academia, how important are quirks to being a superhero?
Honestly, the answer I’m starting to find is: not very
like All Might is all ‘It’d be irresponsible for me to tell you you could be a Pro Hero without a quirk!’ to Izuku but??? so many pro heroes with quirks??? have the weirdest fucking quirks?
Take Fourth Kind for example. His quirk is ‘I have Four Arms’. Unless there’s an unmentioned side effect where he’s Super Strong as well, it’s literally just Four Arms? Like my dude, you’ve been replaced. Shoji has as many fucking arms as he wants.
And Ojiro’s quirk is: ‘I have a tail’. Not knocking it or anything, but… it’s literally just a tail. He’s an ordinary human plus a tail. I’m sorry Ojiro, but Todoroki can shit fire AND ice simultaneously, having an extra limb that can’t even hold things is just not that impressive.
So what I’m saying is Toshinori that was bullshit an ordinary human could absolutely become a Pro Hero (probably not like, top ten but with dedication and training you could definitely do it)
Sir Nighteye is another great example. His quirk, although I’d argue it’s one of the most powerful in the world, is not suited for hero work, and he rarely uses it anyway. He’s not top 10, but certainly up there.
He’s just a normal dude. Except that a normal dude has to accept they might die, and Nighteye knows he will.
Mumen Rider (pictured above) from One Punch Man is, imo, the most compelling character in that show. He’s a hero without powers, and the world of One Punch Man is on a much higher power scale than BnHA.
But the thing is, A LOT of BnHA characters are effectively quirkless, because their quirks are weak or ill suited to hero work. That dynamic doesn’t get played out, though. Mumen Rider stands out because he is remarkable as a powerless hero. Conversely, the weak-quirked characters in BnHA fade to the background because they’re so unremarkable. Not powerful enough to rise to the top, but they still have quirks, useless as they may be, so it doesn’t seem impressive that they’re keeping pace either.
There actually is one quirkless hero, just not in the main comic. Knuckleduster from BnHA Illegals. I can’t recommend that manga enough.
OFA, a merger of two quirks, each useless on their own. One that accumulates strength over time, but not enough in a single life to make a difference. And one that can pass itself on to new owners. Two worthless quirks combined to form…
…a single mediocre one, in all honesty. Don’t let All Might fool you. We’ve seen time and again that quirks themselves mean nothing. There are amazing heroes with pathetic quirks, and awful people with amazing quirks.
OFA is only special because All Might made it so, and only because he came to hold OFA in its prime. Which means, it’s past its prime for Deku.
The OFA in Deku’s hands is an overripe fruit. Eat fruit too early and its flavor hasn’t developed enough, it’s tart and stiff. You want it at the peak of the season, when it’s sweet, tender, and juicy. But if you wait too long, much like Deku’s bones, it turns to mush and, much like Bakugou, it becomes sour.
This is the tipping point of OFA. All Might mastered it. His predecessors used it as a slight boon. But now, it destroys Deku. The power OFA will accumulate by the time it’s passed on again will be far too great for anyone to contain. To give it to another is not a gift, more like a death sentence. Deku must be the very last hero to wield One For All.
Or in other words, I’m tired of answering the same question over and over, so from now on I’m just gonna link this post whenever someone asks
Times When It Is Okay To Call Him “Deku”
if you are talking about his “hero persona” like how people make the distinction between All Might and Toshinori
if you are referring to everyone as their hero names
if you are Ochako
that’s it.
“But Ochako calls him Deku!”
Ochako was given permission by Izuku to call him that. And she means it as “Dekiru”, a word which means “to be able to” rather than “useless” like how “Deku” means. Izuku has not given other people permission to call him “Deku” and so no one else does, except for Bakugou who is the origin of the insult. Bakugou means “Deku” as useless. He means it as an insult. No, I don’t think that’s okay.
“But it’s his hero name!”
Yeah, it is. So you can call him Deku when you’re talking about him as a hero. But if you’re not calling everyone else by their hero nicknames, then you’re definitely using it as a nickname. It originated as an insult and was used to ridicule him for years.
“But he’s reclaimed it!”
Reclaiming names is tricky. Most importantly, when reclaiming a name, it is up to the person being called that name. You have to listen to what they say about it. And Izuku hasn’t given anyone permission to call him “Deku” as a nickname except for Ochako. And so no one else calls him “Deku”.
Lastly
It is so easy to just,, not call him “Deku” that it baffles me that people are actually arguing with me over this. It costs $0 to just call him Midoriya or Izuku. Or, if you want to call him a nickname? What about Midori, or Greeny, or Mido, or Izu? It’s so simple to just. NOT call him “Deku”. Why do you care so much about calling him “Deku”. Just let it go.
Foreword: with this meta I’ll be writing down hypothesised alterations in personality and capabilities of individuals from BNHA if they became Vampires. Before I start, I feel I should establish a few things.
The hypothesize presented here are based on the abilities of Vampires as I write them, which I refer to as ‘Bronze-Strain Vampires’.
Only characters I feel I can examine warrant my attention will be brought up, so I’m sorry if you don’t see your favourite one here.
Each entry will be examining changes caused by Vampirism in characters towards their abilities, Quirk function, and personality. However the degree of analysis will vary significantly between each character depending on how much analysis I think I can pull off.
You are welcome to use the ideas presented here, but I’d be thankful if you mentioned where you got them from.
Twice in one I’m posting a story update, but this time it is for my BNHA fic, ‘From Despair To Rage’. Also, I’d like to invite @gothiclolitafanarts to read it and give their opinoin.
