You know what? There’s a version of My Hero Academia out there in another dimension, locked deep within the darkest confines of the multiverse, where Midoriya never got his Quirk.
Like, I’ve been thinking about it, and I realize that if All Might had never run into Midoriya, and/or if neither one ran into that green blob villain -- which is feasible, given the slim odds of their encounter -- then the Symbol of Peace would have gone on as planned, given his Quirk to someone else he deemed worthy at U.A., and left our hero to be…not a hero.
I won’t lie: there’s a part of me that wouldn’t mind seeing that story play out. Maybe have Midoriya enroll in U.A. anyway in the support class? Have him develop gear for heroes (in-training or otherwise) while providing support as their mission control? Let him find ways to build armor/equipment that simulates useful battle Quirks? Or -- and here’s the real kicker -- have him team up with Bakugou so at least one of them can make it to the top. Bakugou’s got the talent and power, but Midoriya assists and conditions him so that the fire in his belly gets directed instead of scattered in all directions. An uneasy alliance, sure, but a BEST MATCH when the two truly learn to work as a team.
But you’re not here for hypothetical situations. You’re here to find out who is best girl in My Hero Academia (besides Iida, as discussed). And the answer is…drumroll pleeeeeeeeeeeeease…
Kyoka Jiro! You’re my big favorite!
Admittedly she hasn’t done much in the anime’s first season, but that’s true of a LOT of Class 1-A. It basically comes down to who can make a good first impression and/or make a big impact and/or come off as striking in one way or another. What I’ve noticed about the show is that, interestingly, a big chunk of the female cast is -- as they say -- low-key savage. (Damn, Froppy’s got no qualms about throwing out those barbs.) Kyoka takes it up a notch by actively booting her comrade into the line of fire against a horde of villains -- a move made out of a pragmatic need to win and survive, sure, but man. And then she tries to con a villain into getting blasted by her sound waves, partly by trying to break his spirit…in spite of being pinned and cornered.
Having a fair bit of knowledge of the source material and future events, I hope there comes a time when Kyoka -- and everybody, to be clear -- gets so much time to shine that they’re worthy of a spot in the OP of the season. Class 1-A is intensely lovable, so it would be an absolute travesty to let some of the second- and third-bananas get swept into the corners to make room for more Kirishima or Todoroki. With that in mind? No matter how long the list is, I’m hoping Kyoka’s at the top of it. She’s so punk rock, I think!
Now for some assorted thoughts/opinions/questions that took form during my recent watch of Season 1. And since we’re talking about Class 1-A, it’s a perfect segue into…
1) Wait, who were you again?
I’m hoping, and praying, that we don’t have another Naruto situation on our hands. Or a shonen situation in general, now that I think about it. You know what I’m talking about: a manga/anime will add all these neat characters over its run, but as time passes, plenty of them will get stuck on the benches because of the near-obsessive focus on a select few (which will often exclude the fairer sex, because cooties or something, I dunno). It happened with Bleach, it happened with Naruto, and now I’m worried that we’ll head down the same path with MHA -- a fatal flaw that even the progeny of the genre must bear within their DNA.
Again, I know about the source material. I know that the creator himself has regularly said “I sure hope I get a chance to focus on this character in the future!” I believe it. But BOY, S1 does some of the other heroes no favors. Granted I’m hard-pressed to think of a smooth way to introduce everyone within a 13-episode span -- and it’s even harder to flesh them out -- but damn. Between their lack of focus and character designs, it’s like some of these guys were made specifically to pad out the head count.
…Is where I would like to leave that sentiment. But even if there are guys that get nothing (I honestly couldn’t tell you Fleshy McMountainface’s name without a hurried Google search), they still get something by virtue of sheer charisma, if not force of will. Give me more Sero. Give me more Sato, too. Especially Sato. The big guys need love too, or else he’ll just be a jobber for the rest of --
It’s this guy. This is Sato.
HOW CAN SOMEONE BE SO BASIC YET SO COOL?
2) You Say Run will never not be the best(ish) song
If there’s one complaint I have about MHA at large, it’s that I’m concerned it won’t have enough steam going from episode 1 to episode WTFever. How many more times can you make a moment feel epic? How many more times can you make us feel bad for Midoriya? How many more times can you slam that HERO button? If you try to make every moment have maximum emotional torque, then nothing will. That’s a given.
So what I’ve noticed about S1 is that, unexpectedly, it uses “You Say Run” WAY more than I expected. It’s surprising, buuuuuuuuuut the problem is that it threatens to make the song, and the moments it’s attached to, feel less special. It’s a golden track that should, in theory, be used sparingly. Judiciously. Making that song, above all others, feel run-of-the-mill is a war crime that should be punishable by death.
On the other hand? “You Say Run” is a track that will always, always be special.
If you ask me? It’s that good. Hell, it might even be the perfect song, in the context of MHA or out of it. But since we’re talking about context? You can just imagine the opening notes symbolizing and embodying Midoriya’s struggles. All of his pain, frustration, fear, and hesitation coalesce in the opening seconds; as the drums and horns kick in, so too do you feel his inherent heroism blow past his inhibitions -- just in time for the real heroism to take center stage.
I could write a whole post, or at least several more paragraphs, on the subject. I won’t, though. As it stands? Even though the OST at large is fantastic, the only song that can rival “You Say Run” is its successor, “Jet Set Run”. Even then, it’s a close race ending in a photo finish. By extension? The only song that can surpass it is “United States of Smash”. In the interest of not linking to spoilers, I’ll cash in my years of blogging credibility and say…trust me on this one.
3) It’s cool to be smart
One of the most refreshing things about MHA is that even if it’s a show about superheroes and the fantastic powers they wield -- and another entry in the shonen genre/Jump cadre -- there’s a legitimate effort to try and make it so that “power levels” aren’t the be-all and end-all.
Are the days of idiot heroes like Goku and Naruto past us? Probably not. But Midoriya’s here to try and shake things up for the better with his actual dedication toward analysis, observation, deduction, and a little quick wit. The dude even filled entire notebooks with scribbles on heroes. While he may be the latest owner of One for All, it’s his brain that works harder than any muscle…except when he lets his instincts take over vis a vis hitting the panic button in a tight spot. In which case, it’s back to the infirmary.
It’s not a fluke that orbits solely around Green Naruto. Todoroki gets his chance to shine in 1-A’s first hero session by virtue of his overwhelming ice powers (HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX!), but Yaoyorozu -- God, I’m never going to be able to type that correctly without looking it up first -- gets recognized by everyone, including Shit King Bakugou, for being able to accurately assess the preceding rival battle. Iida manages to get a leg up on Uraraka by cleaning the area he’s in to a polished sheen. And at this stage, it’d be outright redundant to explain how Midoriya’s plays compensate for his bone-breaking abilities.
You know what’s really got me hyped, though? Sure, I want to see the class develop their strategies alongside their powers. Beyond that, I’m itching to see them thrown into conflicts and situations beyond just “drop the opponent’s HP to 0 to win”. Had it not been for the League of Villains interfering at USJ, we would’ve seen that in full in the first season -- so I guess it’s waiting time for me. And I am waiting; if the Marvel movies and the DCAU (not the DCEU, I should stress) have taught me anything, it’s that being a hero means having the wits to deal with catastrophes, collateral damage, and citizens in the line of fire. Let’s get some of that in the mix more readily, because there’s a ton you could do with that.
4) Bakugou is the worst, and therefore the best
I should quantify that statement and explain that, no, he’s not my favorite character. How could he be, even if you overlook best boy (and best girl) Iida? Bakugou is a borderline unrepentant piece of shit who exists almost exclusively to be Midoriya’s foil. And that’s what makes him great.
The commitment to the bit is astounding. It’s like the “bombing king” was born to play the heel -- aggressive, brash, rude, cocky, violent, volatile, and downright toxic. He’s someone who’s extremely easy to hate, in-universe and out of it. Despite that? Speaking personally, I think that’s part of the appeal. He’s such a polar extreme -- a caricature of a caricature of a caricature -- that it ends up working in his favor.
In a sense. It must be maddening in-universe to know that one of the most talented kids in Class 1-A -- if not U.A. in general -- is a jerkass who once told his childhood friend to kill himself just ‘cause. But yeah, underneath all that bluster, vice, and spiky hair, there’s a sharp mind that can sort out even the direst of situations. And underneath that, there’s -- dare I say it -- a sensitive soul. Or if not sensitive, then at least aware. Cognizant, even. Bakugou knows when he’s beat, thank God, and can learn and grow from his mistakes. All it cost him was a devastating blow to his pride. A small price to pay, for sure.
With all that in mind? If Midoriya is Green Naruto, then I guess that makes Bakugou…uh…Blonde Sasuke? Or would it be Violent Sasuke? No, no, vanilla Sasuke was already pretty violent. Eh, I’ll workshop it and come back later. The important thing is that even if comparisons are easy to draw -- the Venn diagram between the two would be interesting -- the big difference that sticks out to me is that once he gets to U.A., Bakugou gets dunked on all the time. He’s not the strongest, he’s not the smartest, he loses to a “damn nerd”, and the rest of the class gladly, openly pokes fun at him despite him earning top marks in the entrance exam.
I’m not saying that Sasuke never got called out for his shit, buuuuuuuut…
…I don’t know how to end that sentence. So on to the next!
5) Midoriya and the power of…lying?!
Okay, for real, though? Of course I like Midoriya and think he’s worthy of the leading role. And of course he’s a precious cinnamon bun whose smile must be protected at all costs. But the thing that’s got me thinking about our hero -- and MHA at large -- is this: is it just me, or is this story built on lies?
Think about it. All Might is the Symbol of Peace, and he’s staying in the game despite his career-ending injury, unbeknownst to the public at large. He passes on his Quirk to Midoriya in secret, so that he can become his successor and save the day in his stead. It’s a noble endeavor, and just what you’d expect given the inheritance aspect of One for All. But was it really the right thing to do? Is it okay to make certain choices and take certain actions for the greater good, even if it’s built on lies?
All Might didn’t have a Quirk either, but gallivants around while claiming he had a natural-born Quirk (that just happened to be the metaphorical jackpot). He’s still playing hero even though his time is running out. Yes, it’s to lie to the population and put their minds at ease. But yes, it’s to lie to himself -- something he admits in the second episode -- and keep the fear at bay. The smile he wears is a massive deception; he wants others to believe the hype, and despite being the mastermind of it, he buys into it in turn.
And to what end? Now Midoriya has to lie, too. He can’t tell anyone that he inherited the Quirk, much less from All Might. He can’t reveal his deeper links to the Symbol of Peace (like the months-long training session, I’d wager) because it’d spark justified concerns of favoritism between teacher and student. And what happens when Midoriya becomes a pro hero? Will the people he went to school with suspect some shit when he’s in costume or out of it, and draw the link to All Might? Actually, scratch that; what’s he supposed to do, given that people have already started drawing the lines between him and All Might? What happens if a villain links Midoriya to All Might, then decides to get back at both by going after the former’s mom?
Seems to me like our boy didn’t just inherit One for All. He also got a gigantic headache. Among other myriad aches.
To be clear, though, I’m not saying that those are things that make MHA inherently worse. If anything, those shower thoughts of mine help make it better. Being able to ponder on a piece of art -- even if I’m talking out of my ass, as one would -- means engaging with it on a deeper level, and applying a texture beyond simple thrills.
I wouldn’t say that the series -- manga or anime -- is rewriting the book on how to do a shonen battle series (we esports tournament arc now, bois). It’s just that what it does do, it does with confidence and competency. I can feel a steady hand behind the story, and I’m keen to see what else is in store.
And that’ll do it for now. See you next --
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I guess I should talk about him some more. He’s slightly more important than --
*checks the wiki*
Slightly.
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