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MHA Chapter 301 Analysis
“The Wrong Way to Put Out a Fire: Part 1”
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
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Who was Rei Todoroki comparing her children to and which child did she see peeking through the door that day?
Chapter 301 is incredibly revealing and shows that a flashback based upon a single character’s point of view is not and cannot be read as the full story.
What we knew of the Todoroki family - specifically Enji and Rei - mainly came from Shouto’s flashbacks during the Sports Festival and what we essentially overheard the family discuss when the focus is turned on them.
However! It isn’t the full story! It can even be misleading!
That is a mind-blowing way to write in a series like this. Just 100% good use of double-meaning and reread value. Horikoshi is honest-to-goodness impressive.
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Chapter 301 reveals at least the first half of the downfall of the Todoroki family structure and life.
We have a marriage built upon an agreement.
A man with growing power and influence marrying the daughter of an old-money family that had lost its prestige over time. Both parties understood that they had their part to give. Enji gives Rei’s family a continued connection to power, influence, and money while Rei offers her ice quirk to create the kind of child Enji Todoroki wants.
Enji as the Hero Endeavor has at this point already given up on becoming Number 1. He’s seen the gap between himself and All Might and judged that he comes up short. He simply isn’t able to bridge that gap, but he believes a child of his can - given the right quirk combination.
Enji and Rei have their first child, Touya, and have a second, Fuyumi, to be his companion and support.
Enji told Touya what he was going to be, built up the expectation (and pressure) that he’d teach him to be the Number 1 hero. But Touya’s body and quirk don’t match. His quirk harmed his body. At no fault of his own, Touya was judged as incapable of fulfilling Endeavor’s vision.
All Touya wanted was his father’s attention and affection. He pushed himself to prove he still could be a great hero with his quirk, and hurt himself trying to get the attention he needed as a child.
Enji, being an extremely well-written flawed character, wants two things: 1) to continue his vision and 2) to get his first child to stop hurting himself. So, he does what he believes would solve both problems. Continue pushing for the successful mix of quirks. His thought process likely being: If Touya could see that he couldn’t bridge the gap and wouldn’t have to, surely he’d stop.
But to Touya, he’s being replaced. Left behind. Erased.
Being cast aside and told to try something else only fuels his desperation to prove himself. It fuels his anger too. He continues to self-destruct.
And he lashes out.
Where was Rei during all of this?
Rei, meanwhile, had been upholding her end of the marriage arrangement. Having child after child put her under more and more strain, exhausting her. Maybe she believed that Enji’s plan would get Touya to stop. Maybe she believed that they all had their part to endure to be in this family.
Then, Touya lashed out at her and the infant Shouto with his flames.
I think this will be continued in the next chapter, but this is what we already know:
- Touya lashed out at Rei and Shouto when Enji pushed him away
- Shouto lived mostly separated from his siblings for the majority of his childhood, including Touya who was still present
- Enji put Rei in a mental hospital when she poured boiling water on Shouto
- Touya’s “death” occurred shortly after Rei was sent to the hospital
If Touya lashed out only once, there wouldn’t be a need to separate Shouto from him for so long. It’s likely Touya lashed out more than once. As sad as it is, it is also possible that he was not put through proper therapy and instead was sedated or punished.
If Touya wasn’t getting the help he needed and he lashed out with his fire more than once?
How do you stop your child from burning you, your other children, or himself?
How do you put out a fire?
You pour water on it.
You use whatever water is nearby. Over and over for as many times as he ignites himself.
That was Rei’s job as Touya’s mother. When he was upset and burst into flames, she said it herself: “We have to cool him down!”
So when Shouto overheard her talking to her mother in his flashback, what he understood was that he was being compared to Endeavor and his mother couldn’t stand to raise him anymore.
But what did Rei see? Who?
She saw Touya as he was when his hair was still turning white. Her baby boy, Touya, overhearing her compare the children to him and rejecting him. Saying she shouldn’t be the one to raise Touya because she can’t help him when she can clearly see he needs help. And in that state of extreme stress, she thought Touya had come to lash out again.
So she grabbed the water she had on hand and poured.
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This chapter is incredibly revealing and just the title card itself seems to point in this direction.
“That’s why I’m here.” Rei is stepping up again to put out a fire. This time hopefully the right way.
Enji was a terrible father, but not just for the reasons we believed we knew. He never let go of his vision and expected Touya to give up for the same reasons he did. Endeavor pushed Shouto to succeed not only for his vision but also to save the life of Touya whose drive he couldn’t understand. He was and is an extremely flawed and desperate man.
Rei hurt Shouto, but not because he reminded her of Endeavor. She was scrambling to put out Touya’s flames, trying to do what she could with what little support, mental stability, and options she believed she had available. Pushed to the brink, she slipped up and mistook Shouto for Touya.
Enji and Rei are both incredibly well-written flawed parents. We’re only now seeing the fuller picture.
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This post is based on my real-time realization discussion on the Toshinoumu discord manga chat page. If you want to read the Toshinoumu AU/ “I Am…” Series, check out our @toshinoumu blog for more information.
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Additional fun/sad fact courtesy of @aoimikans: Rei’s favorite flower is a blue lily. Lily roots and bulbs have been used for medicinal purposes. They were boiled into teas to treat stomach disorders, fevers, and assist women in labor. They have also been used topically to treat sores and burns. The essential oil is used to help treat depression.
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ALSO I SEE YOU DOCTOR YOU CAN’T HIDE!
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YOU!!! YOU WRITE THE TOSHINOMU SERIES???? FUCK YOU FOR BREAKING HY HEART MULTIPLE TIMES JUST TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER. Ok but in all seriousness.... the dadmight... Mmmmmmmmm so strong.... I love it
Haha! Yeah! @aoimikans and I write it together. We’ve been on a “wait and see how this (way longer than expected) arc turns out” given that so much of it directly related to events in our series. Even semi-spoiling future events we had planned out and need to retool/rethink possibly.
We’re super excited. This arc has given us some deliciously good material and just confirmed a ton of our theories. Also?? We’re super nervous because, after semi-spoiling future fic events, canon swung back around and parked parallel to the very beginning of our series (Canvas Chapter 1) like “oh hey, how’s it going?” And we’re like “Oh. Hey. So. Y’all aren’t going to like kill a UA driver and abduct Toshinori are you? Because we already felt bad Hibiki had to die once.”
I’m glad you like the series! We’re really excited to get back at it and tackle what needs retooling and what more we can now explore with more canon revealed that can be built on.
........ I
Um.....
I mean....
RIP Hibiki x2
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I wonder if someone might remember this. I made this years ago for school. The goal was to learn to make a stain glass digital illustration and use what we learned which was the pen tool and blur filter. I don’t remember where I got the reference for Aqua tho, but I remember it being really good. I’m sure someone in the fandom can find it though.
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i once saw a woman so pretty i started crying
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
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Guys! This is NOT a Training Alert!
I really love Chapter 287 because here we learn a lot about the nature of the «All for One» and «One for All» Quirks. And this is Afo's real lecture on quirks.
But something haunted me.
1. Afo loves to talk. Especially about quirks. He is fascinated by them. And he can talk about it for hours.
In this chapter, he talked a lot about the nature of his quirk. How the donor's quirk affects the recipient.
It was emotional. There was admiration here.
But who were his listeners? Kosei_Nana (remnant of the 7th predecessor), Tomura and ... Izuku.
Nana and Tomura looked at each other, stunned. And all their attention was focused on each other. Nana just wanted to drive Afo away, wanted to know about Kotaro's son - so she waited for Afo to finish his lecture.
Tomura wanted to get rid of Afo’s influence. Tomura wanted to destroy One for All. And he wanted to destroy what caused his father to be a disgusting parent.
Neither Nana nor Tomura cared about this lecture on quirks.
But only one of those present was definitely interested. Midoriya Izuku. Izuku who likes quirks. Who is fascinated by quirks. Who can talk about quirks for hours.
The lecture was for Him.
2. The lecture was interesting. Especially when Afo started talking about his quirk, his ability to directly interact with quirks. AND...
He says "僕 の 血 縁 ..." (boku no ketsuen ...) - "my blood relatives ...". And then he talks about his little brother's quirk.
However! At that moment, he "...", as if interrupting himself so as not to say too much. Do you know why?
Because "僕 の 血 縁 ..." is plural.
I specifically asked my Japanese friend for advice about this phrase. And he confirmed it was plural.
Here we are talking about the family. Which is in the present tense. And Afo almost let it slip.
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Guys, Dad For One is real. This is canon. Afo almost let it slip himself.
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Regarding bnha ch 162... it's now been revealed that Shigaraki isn't afo's only focus. Considering how in your Progeny fic you mentioned afo trying multiple times for a student, do you think that canon is one step closer to the afo-is-Izuku's-father theory being confirmed?
To be honest, I don’t think this chapter proves anything beyond AfO’s planning skills. Rather, it shows a bit how AfO thinks about those he “cultivates.”
EDIT: HA okay I go off in a completely different direction but stick with me!!
Giganto-Machia is “one of All for One’s faithful servants” which expands the playing field so to speak. Loyalty. I’ll get to that again.
All for One is also considered the “brain” behind the villain alliance.The true leader. He is the hand that moves his pawns, or when he decides to play, he the the King - the goal to take down.
In chess, the King is the most valuable piece. AfO would like everyone to believe that Shigaraki is the King, however, Shigaraki isn’t at that level yet. He’s a Rook/Castle at best.
Shigaraki has a rather straightforward approach to attack. He destroys what he doesn’t like head on rather than relying on other pieces. He runs forward, retreats back, and watches. A Castle Guard. AND an interesting move a King and a Castle can make is called “Castling,” when the King moves two spaces over, and the Castle moves from its corner and around the king. This move is most often used to protect the King, but if I know how AfO works, he used a similar move to protect Shigaraki rather than himself.
Shigaraki was cornered. He was going to be defeated. He couldn’t move, left, right, forward, or back. So AfO moved him away, out of danger. He made it appear to society that Shigaraki is the “King” to be protected, where AfO was the real threat. Shigaraki is still in his adolescent phase when it comes to villainy. He is only just now coming to terms as his potential role as King, but he is definitely not a king yet, despite his loyal followers. (He even failed to hold onto a chosen “Pawn” - Bakugou - mostly due to timing. A quite horrifying turn, because if you look back to the Kamino arc, Shigaraki asks for AfO’s help with Bakugou BEFORE the heroes arrived. Meaning… Shigaraki was going to make Bakugou his Pawn by force. –Noumu.)
No matter what AfO wants the world to believe, Shigaraki is not the King (yet).
Giganto-Machia is an interesting character, first introduced after the fall of Stain. Not much is known about him, except that he always carries a scratchy radio around with him, he has superhuman strength and size, and he was looking for hero offices one time while Kirishima and Ashido were still in middle school. He was actually pretty polite once Ashido gave him (false) directions. I assume he was more frustrated that society was scared of his appearance, and that no one wanted to talk with him. From there I can assume that AfO took advantage of that frustration and took care of him when society rejected him, creating a loyal Knight.
A Knight is an interesting chess piece, because it takes big strides and then side-steps. Or to any of these red squares from its resting position.
A Knight is considered the most loyal to the crown and is a piece to be relied upon.
Kurogiri could even be considered a Queen because of his loyalty to AfO, and freedom of movement - warping and free range. I.e. he listens to Shigaraki, but still acts on his own. The most troublesome member of the League.
The Queen often controls the outcome of the game. It’s also at the most risk, because it’s such a desirable piece. Note: Any pawn can be promoted to queen if it reaches the other side of the board… So if Kurogiri is taken out… There’s still a traitor in U.A.’s midst. A hidden Pawn, waiting to act. A Pawn that has reached the other side of the playing field.
I could go on, but maybe I’ll leave the rest up for interpretation! :3
Hope this was a fun read at least!! But yeah, if anything this proves AfO is the King (rather than a father haha, but who knows~~)
Hey hey! This is relevant again!!!
Remember the Castle and King analogy??? What else does a castle do literally?
House the King.
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That feel when you work in news in this year & you can’t write fast enough to beat MHA spoiler day.🙃
Here’s a look at the outline of what I’m working on w/ @aoimikans
We’ve been trying to get these analysis/predictions out for a while but ffffff we’ve been so busy omg
So I may have realized how this could related directly to noumu... oh boy.
@aoimikans and my “I Am...” series Toshinoumu AU is possibly validated again and this ... could be big for our series going forward too.
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Because @aoimikans and I can’t write our theories and thoughts fast enough and still rest enough to be sane between work hours HHHHHHHHH
So, our years-old theories we had and built while writing the “I Am…” Series (Toshinoumu AU) have proven to be canon and some are now being spoiled by canon before we can write and publish the scenes with them Cool Cool Cool UM HOW THOUGH? AFO Confirmed One Himself????? WHAT????? Spoilers for writing we haven’t finished yet?????
Seriously though, we’re so flipping excited by this and what this could mean for our other theories and our Toshinoumu series as a whole. Some very specific theories being confirmed that Aoi and I have discussed time and time again, ALONE????, like damn…
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AfO & OfA (cont.)
Hey! @kaeru-aka had a really good question about my All for One and One for All post and I wanted to write a post out here:
kaeru-aka
Hey there! :D I read your theory about AFO/OFA and was wondering about the last point (about the adverse reactions of second quirks) in which chapter was that referenced? And if people really could have such reactions to taking another quirk, what did All Might plan to do if his potential successor rejected OFA? He did originally plan to find a successor in UA which means the student would already have one quirk. So if the student rejected OFA would All Might have just gone from student to student until someone didnt reject it? Though the chances to find so many suitable successors is also pretty low..What are your thoughts on that? Thank you in advance for taking your time reading this :D
Me: Hey! Thanks for asking! The chapter I referenced was 59 “Know your history” particularly this part: http://bato.to/reader#ec9b6f01ff75c8e8_14
And to be honest I thought about the possibility of OfA being rejected, but dismissed it, because the very nature of the original quirk is to be passed down. I think of it kind of like a universal bloodtype that is compatible with anyone, while All for One steals quirks from specific people, quirks that are unique to certain individuals.
If someone with type A blood got a donation from someone with type B, they would get really sick. I think it’s kind of the same principle more of less. Quirks are tied to a person’s DNA, and I doubt it’s a simple matter to change one’s DNA, even for All for One.
Also as a bit of a side note I saw this little dark spot
as blood which leads me to believe that that’s how AfO transfers quirks that he’s stolen
What do you all think?
AHHHHHH I JUST TOOK A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS PANEL
AND THE DARK SPOT IS ON HIS OTHER HAND AS WELL
as @swiftwidget so eloquently put it in our discussion:
ONE HAND GIVETH THE OTHER HAND TAKETH AWAY
(MAYBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
yup I think the spots on his hands are the key to his absorption and transfer of quirks. The key to “All for One.”
Oh look this is relevant again... Also remember... Shigaraki consumed some of Izuku's blood/DNA (when he bit his arm, and when his palm touched Izuku's bloody face)
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All for One and One for All
We have an explanation of how One for All works thanks to All Might, so here are the main points we know:
- O.f.A. is a combination of the quirks “Stockpile” which gathers strength and the first predecessor’s ability to pass along quirks
- O.f.A. can be passed along to another person
-The person who has O.f.A. gradually loses their ability to use that quirk once it has been passed on
- O.f.A. cannot be taken without consent
- O.f.A. can be given away with or without the consent of the inheritor (though it’s polite to ask)
- O.f.A.’s transfer requires the consumption of the user’s DNA
But what about All for One?
Due to the nature of how the quirks came to be and how they seem to be flip sides of the other, here are my thoughts of how All for One works:
-A.f.O. allows the user to “Steal” quirks with or without the consent of the adversary [Considering the side-effect of having one’s quirk stolen, I highly doubt anyone consents]
-Multiple stolen quirks can be used simultaneously but take their toll on the user’s body [All for One is still human]
-The quirks are (most-likely) stolen by ingesting another’s DNA [Much like Stain’s ability to render his adversaries immobile after taking in their blood]
-Quirks are (most-likely) passed on by giving DNA related to the quirk to someone else
Since people had adverse reactions to trying to take in a second quirk it reminds me of how some people reject organ donations because their body attacks the foreign object. Successful cases of quirk transfer sometime lead to mutations and since the person’s quirk is defined by their DNA, taking in someone else’s DNA might mess with their own to create said mutation.
These are my thoughts, feel free to add your own! :D
Oh hey remember when I made that blood/organ donor analogy about AfO... well it's suddenly relevant again :3
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That feel when you work in news in this year & you can’t write fast enough to beat MHA spoiler day.🙃
Here’s a look at the outline of what I’m working on w/ @aoimikans
We’ve been trying to get these analysis/predictions out for a while but ffffff we’ve been so busy omg
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… WELL
This is what I get for getting sick all of yesterday and not writing fast enough.
I guess I’ll just have to speed up that bigger post Aoi and I are writing or at least write the part that specifically deals with the brilliant @aoimikans MHA Vessel Theory that we have screenshot timestamped from like a year ago.
BECAUSE OH BOY
*points* That's me! Haha but for real though I've had this theory on the down low for YEARS HHHHH and just-!!! VALIDATION!!!