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
So many of these kids in animes seem to live alone and have no parents and I am continually baffled like is this an actual thing for Japanese kids or just anime not wanting to include the extra characters?!?
I don’t get it either. And the lack of on-screen parents gives fan theorists and fanfic writers some pretty dark ideas.
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.
