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[Veelk]

Lol I just don't even know sometimes

In his defense, I can relate to his position. Early on before I could fully articulate my thoughts on One Piece, I thought that Luffy was too much of an invincible hero even though I acknowledged the times he lost fights. It took me a while to realize it's not that Luffy is unstoppable, but that the narrative doesn't justify his victories as earned to me, which induced the feeling that his victories were phony, and it just took me a while to understand that and word it correctly.

Subpar is probably something similar. He sees the narrative structure of the underdog that is inevitably going to rise to the top, not the narrative of how Deku is actually doing. So to him, it FEELS like somethings off since Deku's rise is inevitable due to the narrative structure, and it just comes out as a logical jarble when he tries to actually word it out since the content of the story is that not only is Deku disadvantage, the kid is a goddamn mess.

 

[caliph95]

In his defense, I can relate to his position. Early on before I could fully articulate my thoughts on One Piece, I thought that Luffy was too much of an invincible hero even though I acknowledged the times he lost fights. It took me a while to realize it's not that Luffy is unstoppable, but that the narrative doesn't justify his victories as earned to me, which induced the feeling that his victories were phony, and it just took me a while to understand that and word it correctly.

Subpar is probably something similar. He sees the narrative structure of the underdog that is inevitably going to rise to the top, not the narrative of how Deku is actually doing. So to him, it FEELS like somethings off since Deku's rise is inevitable due to the narrative structure, and it just comes out as a logical jarble when he tries to actually word it out since the content of the story is that not only is Deku disadvantage, the kid is a goddamn mess.

Fair enough since i have difficulties articulate my feelings about a series if that is the case

 

[PK Gaming]

Ionno. I never not see these "uncool" MCs who gain the BEST super power and start making lots of friends / potential love interest. It's hard to shake the belief that this isn't a personal desire from the author. There's a saying that people always want to be Superman or Jesus but never the guy 2 houses down.

I have no interest in reading into the author's potential desires, but there's nothing wrong with a character set up if the execution is on point, and the execution is on 100% point in this case.

deku's not realistic. there's literally no loss with his character, only gains. sure, he breaks his arm but he's been on a steady curve up. he's gaining friends / love interests pretty quickly, he's steadily getting stronger, and even though he has "hangups" IE he gets super emotional, non of this is detrimental to his character. think back: has Deku's character ever been into question or lost? you'll be shocked to realize this underdog has, like, zero disadvantages.

Oh yeah, the guy with a power that literally destroys his body because he can't use it properly + the weight of literally the entire world on his shoulders has zero disadvantages. And I know you're going to retort with "it all works out in the end" and of course it fucking does, because it's a Shonen. That doesn't change the fact that Deku has to bust his ass off for literally everything, and it's a visceral experience for the viewer. He has to face off and overcome countless obstacles (physical/mental), use a dangerous power he can't fully control all on top of having to bear the weight of being All Might's successor. The path to success isn't easy, and it's precisely why he remains compelling after receiving All for One. Life is not easy for Deku. Life will never be easy for Deku.

PS: Steady upwards curve? He got his ass beat by Todoroki, remember? Even Naruto got to beat Neji on his first try.

 

[LotusHD]

Lol I like how you said "Even Naruto" as if he's known for losing a lot or something

 

[Veelk]

Lol I like how you said "Even Naruto" as if he's known for losing a lot or something

Well, he is and he isn't.

Naruto the Genin ninja by himself is a complete fuck up. It's the Kyubi inside him that gives him the leg up. You could argue that it is just the same as a bloodline thing where it's just a an extra tool he happens to have that helps him against opponents who have their own advantage they only got by virtue of birth (Haku's ice powers, Sasuke's Sharingan, Neji's Byakugan, etc), but it feels different since he's almost never in control of activating it or using it, unlike those guys. It's just Kishimoto going "Oh fuck, my main character is being outplayed, how can he win um oh yeah lol, have an extra helping of kyubi chakra lol".

Many people say that MHA is Naruto done right, and it's kind of for this reason that I agree. Yeah, Deku has a leg up on the competitition with one of the best offensive quirks in the game, but even early on, he has to use it strategically or else it works against him (like how he figured out to isolate the damage to his fingers to get multiple shots out of it), making his victories feel more earned.

 

[Huw_Dawson]

Naruto's "tournament arc" - the exam arc - was overall stronger than this arc IMO. This show is suffering a lot from its explosion in character numbers which detracts from Deku's character development, which was consistently the most interesting thing about the start of the show.

 

[LotusHD]

Well, he is and he isn't.

Naruto the Genin ninja by himself is a complete fuck up. It's the Kyubi inside him that gives him the leg up. You could argue that it is just the same as a bloodline thing where it's just a an extra tool he happens to have that helps him against opponents who have their own advantage they only got by virtue of birth (Haku's ice powers, Sasuke's Sharingan, Neji's Byakugan, etc), but it feels different since he's almost never in control of activating it or using it, unlike those guys. It's just Kishimoto going "Oh fuck, my main character is being outplayed, how can he win um oh yeah lol, have an extra helping of kyubi chakra lol".

I'm aware, just found it funny is all

 

[CornBurrito]

deku's not realistic. there's literally no loss with his character, only gains. sure, he breaks his arm but he's been on a steady curve up. he's gaining friends / love interests pretty quickly, he's steadily getting stronger, and even though he has "hangups" IE he gets super emotional, non of this is detrimental to his character. think back: has Deku's character ever been into question or lost? you'll be shocked to realize this underdog has, like, zero disadvantages.

People can have only good things happen to them for an extended period of time.

 

[Ascheroth]

Naruto's "tournament arc" - the exam arc - was overall stronger than this arc IMO. This show is suffering a lot from its explosion in character numbers which detracts from Deku's character development, which was consistently the most interesting thing about the start of the show.

The chuuning exams arc has 48 episodes.
This tournament arc has... 6?

Of course the former should be stronger overall. I mean it has more episodes then the entire MHA anime will have after this season is over

 

[Chase17]

The Deku win that bugs me is when he not only wins the race, but wins it quirk less. He comes across debris and decides it might be useful, sure I can live with that. But then he brings this huge slab of metal on a tightrope over a canyon. And of course he is able to utilize it by stacking grenades and using expert math to have the perfect trajectory (I shouldn't overthink manga logic lol). Yes Deku is resourceful and you need to build him up as a rival on Todoroki's level, but this is too much for me lol. Should have taken 3rd.

Still a hype moment though.

He also used shenanigans to beat Shinso but I'm ok with using for all magic to handwave that. Poor Shinso

 

[Finn of Ooo]

Just my thoughts, is Deku's rise inevitable? Obviously, it says so in the opening sequence that this is the story of how he became the greatest hero in the world. Does that detract from his journey to that place? Only if you want it to. He has put in work, pouring hours into physical training, enduring multiple injuries, supporting those around him even when it comes at the cost of his own success. I mean you say "yeah he broke his arm, so what?", do you realize how painful those injuries would be? Never mind the fact that he has now permanently disfigured his hand, he has to endure an extreme amount of pain to use his abilities at the moment. I don't know how anyone could say that he hasn't earned the victories he's achieved.

 

[Maximo]

Just my thoughts, is Deku's rise inevitable? Obviously, it says so in the opening sequence that this is the story of how he became the greatest hero in the world. Does that detract from his journey to that place? Only if you want it to. He has put in work, pouring hours into physical training, enduring multiple injuries, supporting those around him even when it comes at the cost of his own success. I mean you say "yeah he broke his arm, so what?", do you realize how painful those injuries would be? Never mind the fact that he has now permanently disfigured his hand, he has to endure an extreme amount of pain to use his abilities at the moment. I don't know how anyone could say that he hasn't earned the victories he's achieved.

All this without a proper 1V1 facing a villian.

 

[Chase17]

All this without a proper 1V1 facing a villian.

Did you miss his fight with Bakugo in season 1?

/s

 

[Maximo]

Did you miss his fight with Bakugo in season 1?

/s

 

[Subpar Spatula]

All Might told him to proclaim himself to the world and he failed. Didn't even make top 3.

"has Deku's character ever been into question or lost?"

Deku LITERALLY has a moment questioning if he was the right person to inherit One for All because he thinks he's such a failure.

How is this not a loss?

Make top 3 isn't the problem. I don't believe you understand. Losing the tournament isn't a disadvantage.

Him doubting himself isn't true because he stays the course.

Again: you have to look at his curve, he's on a constant up never any downs. His downs are illusions because even though he SUPER DOUBTS HIMSELF, he still takes the One For All, and even though he SUPER DOUBTS HIMSELF he still does whatever task X. Self doubt only matters if it actually affects the character negatively in a significant way. His self doubt could have shined in that training facility if someone got hurt badly / died / whatever and he seriously questioned himself HOWEVER he does the generic protag "my body just reacted".

All of Deku's faults, disadvantages, failures, character growth, etc. are just illusions cause they don't up to scrutiny.

 

[Trojita]

Okay now I've gone from being perplexed to just loling. Spatula, you sound like you are making the Tucker Carlson defense of "What you think is happening isn't really".

His friends almost died during USJ. He tried to save All Might near the end but it was the help of his classmates that had the most direct benefit at the time.

Deku through sheer will and ingenuity won the first race, the only reason he barely advances to the next round after that is because of his teammates, and he savagely destroys his own body fighting Todoroki.

All the while Deku knows that he was given this enormous gift and responsibility, but he knows All Might's active hero time is getting less and less. That is a lot of pressure.

 

[Permanently A]

Make top 3 isn't the problem. I don't believe you understand. Losing the tournament isn't a disadvantage.

Him doubting himself isn't true because he stays the course.

Again: you have to look at his curve, he's on a constant up never any downs. His downs are illusions because even though he SUPER DOUBTS HIMSELF, he still takes the One For All, and even though he SUPER DOUBTS HIMSELF he still does whatever task X. Self doubt only matters if it actually affects the character negatively in a significant way. His self doubt could have shined in that training facility if someone got hurt badly / died / whatever and he seriously questioned himself HOWEVER he does the generic protag "my body just reacted".

All of Deku's faults, disadvantages, failures, character growth, etc. are just illusions cause they don't up to scrutiny.

Wait so what do you want to happen, a life threatening injury that puts Deku out of commission? Because that can also be written off as a "illusion of a down" because his upwards trajectory will still be intact.

Give me an example of what you would consider to be a true down that breaks his constant upwards trajectory.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

Wait so what do you want to happen, a life threatening injury that puts Deku out of commission? Because that can also be written off as a "illusion of a down" because his upwards trajectory will still be intact.

Give me an example of what you would consider to be a true down that breaks his constant upwards trajectory.

what if all his injuries amounted to a rift between him and using his powers? like, breaking his ENTIRE body doesn't seem to phase Deku's trajectory so what will?

His friends almost died during USJ. He tried to save All Might near the end but it was the help of his classmates that had the most direct benefit at the time.

Deku through sheer will and ingenuity won the first race, the only reason he barely advances to the next round after that is because of his teammates, and he savagely destroys his own body fighting Todoroki.

All the while Deku knows that he was given this enormous gift and responsibility, but he knows All Might's active hero time is getting less and less. That is a lot of pressure.

Have you heard of those lightnovels like Tales of Demons and Gods where some person reincarnates, sent to another world, gains super OP powers, finds object that helps him become stronger fast, etc? If you gloss over a few you will realize they have a few things in common: all are at first pretty bad at what they do but gain an incredible way to get stronger, illusion of growth, and pretty generic writing. It's quite easy to argue those characters have growth and what not because arcs exist -- that fragment that when added to other fragments will create the whole story. During these arcs these characters find ways to power up either through fighting bad guys, fighting super strong bad guys, or outsmarting them by using a giant demon ape as a way to destroy some sect. During these power ups they still lose in the sense that they were physically beaten or their way never happened. Yes, those are technically loses but they're written in such a way that it doesn't negatively affect the character because even if they get beat up... they still win in a good way in the end. For example, Deku loses the tournament but does it feel like the character lost? Pride? Ego? Or does it seem weird you feel happy he helped Todoroki over some hurdle of sorts? The only difference I see is Deku isn't super OP. The characteristics are still the same.

 

[Shy Fingers]

what if all his injuries amounted to a rift between him and using his powers? like, breaking his ENTIRE body doesn't seem to phase Deku's trajectory so what will?

...but they just said he can't do that anymore, and it fucked up his hand in doing so

 

[Permanently A]

what if all his injuries amounted to a rift between him and using his powers? like, breaking his ENTIRE body doesn't seem to phase Deku's trajectory so what will?

Okay, so I get the sense that you want Deku to eventually suffer a permanent blow and an arc where he is lost and not making progress towards his goal. To which I'd respond, isn't it a little too early for that kind of serious setback? He's only in freshman year. The lowest low only resonates if it hits someone who was at the highest high. This kind of permanent disability would only really have lasting consequences much, much later in his life, for example if he was already established as a hero and suffered a blow like All Might, crushing his dreams of being a hero soon after he achieved it. An arc like this, at this point in the story, to me has very little lasting value overall to Deku's character.

 

[Meffer]

A good way to find out what happens to Deku in the series so far is to either A) Wait for new episodes or B) read the manga if you're that curious.

 

[PK Gaming]

Make top 3 isn't the problem. I don't believe you understand. Losing the tournament isn't a disadvantage.

Him doubting himself isn't true because he stays the course.

Again: you have to look at his curve, he's on a constant up never any downs. His downs are illusions because even though he SUPER DOUBTS HIMSELF, he still takes the One For All, and even though he SUPER DOUBTS HIMSELF he still does whatever task X.

Your perspective is so goddamn reductive. Using your own standards, I could make the argument that literally every protagonist who ever embarked on a hero's journey didn't have any low points, ever. What's self doubt? Fuck that, doesn't matter. Inability to control his or her power? Please. Actual loses? Doesn't matter because they win in the end.

Self doubt only matters if it actually affects the character negatively in a significant way. His self doubt could have shined in that training facility if someone got hurt badly / died / whatever and he seriously questioned himself HOWEVER he does the generic protag "my body just reacted".

Speak for yourself; self doubt works best if the viewer can relate, since it's something everyone has experienced at some point in their lives. And considering Deku's situation (the literal successor to this universe's Superman) I don't need more than that. Having self doubt in a situation like that isn't generic shonen self-doubt; it's a natural response to being in such a pressure-intense situation. And he tries his best too; it's not self doubt all the time, because moments like this happens:

There is no "illusion" here. Sure, him being scared of robots is obviously nothing in the grand scheme of things, but the story operates on moments. That shit will always matter, so overly cynical statements like "it doesn't matter" misses the entire fucking point of an ongoing story.

His self doubt could have shined in that training facility if someone got hurt badly / died / whatever and he seriously questioned himself HOWEVER he does the generic protag "my body just reacted".

No offense, but your suggestions are laughable. The author doesn't need to rely on amateurish, overt flourishes to make Deku's self doubt more impactful. Less is more.

 

[Trojita]

We didn't all see it at the beginning.

These are the eyes of a crazy person.

The Mad Man was foreshadowed since the very beginning.

 

[Meffer]

 

[Maximo]

My reaction seeing all those games coming to 3DS and not switch.

 

[Meffer]

Deku is just a Metroid fan that just wants more games of a series that he loves.

 

[NSESN]

All Might believes in Deku. If All Might believed in me to become an Austronaut I would be the first man in Mars.

So All Might is Nintendo and OFA is Prime 4?

 

[CornBurrito]

Okay now I've gone from being perplexed to just loling. Spatula, you sound like you are making the Tucker Carlson defense of "What you think is happening isn't really".

His friends almost died during USJ. He tried to save All Might near the end but it was the help of his classmates that had the most direct benefit at the time.

Deku through sheer will and ingenuity won the first race, the only reason he barely advances to the next round after that is because of his teammates, and he savagely destroys his own body fighting Todoroki.

All the while Deku knows that he was given this enormous gift and responsibility, but he knows All Might's active hero time is getting less and less. That is a lot of pressure.

I'm actually shocked nobody did die at USJ. But at the time I didn't realize this is a "nobody dies" shounen.

I bet boost leg dude's brother is actually just hospitalized despite being drained of like 4 liters of blood. I mean vacuum hero survived having his entire back blown up.

 

[CornBurrito]

Have you heard of those lightnovels like Tales of Demons and Gods where some person reincarnates, sent to another world, gains super OP powers, finds object that helps him become stronger fast, etc? If you gloss over a few you will realize they have a few things in common: all are at first pretty bad at what they do but gain an incredible way to get stronger, illusion of growth, and pretty generic writing. It's quite easy to argue those characters have growth and what not because arcs exist -- that fragment that when added to other fragments will create the whole story. During these arcs these characters find ways to power up either through fighting bad guys, fighting super strong bad guys, or outsmarting them by using a giant demon ape as a way to destroy some sect. During these power ups they still lose in the sense that they were physically beaten or their way never happened. Yes, those are technically loses but they're written in such a way that it doesn't negatively affect the character because even if they get beat up... they still win in a good way in the end. For example, Deku loses the tournament but does it feel like the character lost? Pride? Ego? Or does it seem weird you feel happy he helped Todoroki over some hurdle of sorts? The only difference I see is Deku isn't super OP. The characteristics are still the same.

Have you considered that this might be the Japanese attitude of "never give up. Ganbaru!!!" present in these fictional works?

 

[Jintor]

Amazingly it is possible for characters to have both elements of happiness in assisting a friend alongside doubt and shame for not achieving a goal at the same time

 

[Subpar Spatula]

Have you considered that this might be the Japanese attitude of "never give up. Ganbaru!!!" present in these fictional works?

It creates conflicts, then. You have a protag who supposedly doubts himself but the entire time his actions lead to a victory. Exposition saying, "Oh my god, what do I do?!" and then him doing the right thing doesn't really illustrate a character who actually doubts. Someone who doubts would not act in a lot of cases. So when Deku punches a giant robot, cleans an entire beach, helps during the USJ (water vortex and punching Domu), you realize that all this, "what can I do? I'm helpless" speech doesn't hold up to what he actually does most of the time.

 

[Trojita]

It creates conflicts, then. You have a protag who supposedly doubts himself but the entire time his actions lead to a victory. Exposition saying, "Oh my god, what do I do?!" and then him doing the right thing doesn't really illustrate a character who actually doubts. Someone who doubts would not act in a lot of cases. So when Deku punches a giant robot, cleans an entire beach, helps during the USJ (water vortex and punching Domu), you realize that all this, "what can I do? I'm helpless" speech doesn't hold up to what he actually does most of the time.

 

[LotusHD]

I love how my mind is making the thud noises on its own.

 

[Moaradin]

You're not gonna get anywhere with Subpar Spatula lol

 

[Ascheroth]

It creates conflicts, then. You have a protag who supposedly doubts himself but the entire time his actions lead to a victory. Exposition saying, "Oh my god, what do I do?!" and then him doing the right thing doesn't really illustrate a character who actually doubts. Someone who doubts would not act in a lot of cases. So when Deku punches a giant robot, cleans an entire beach, helps during the USJ (water vortex and punching Domu), you realize that all this, "what can I do? I'm helpless" speech doesn't hold up to what he actually does most of the time.

We literally had a moment last episode where Deku doubted himself in front of All Might, because he didn't even make it into the semifinals and broke his entire body so hard in the process that Recovery Girl told him to knock that shit off because she can't keep healing this and he got a permanently scarred hand out of it.
Also, this tournament is for showing off your skills as a hero. Do you think breaking your bones everytime you use your quirk is a good showing for a hero!? The audience doesn't think so.

But hey, going by your arguments, it wouldn't even matter if Deku got his right arm ripped off and had to be one-handed for the rest of the series, because he's going to get his 'wins' even with just one arm anyway.

 

[Meffer]

It creates conflicts, then. You have a protag who supposedly doubts himself but the entire time his actions lead to a victory. Exposition saying, "Oh my god, what do I do?!" and then him doing the right thing doesn't really illustrate a character who actually doubts. Someone who doubts would not act in a lot of cases. So when Deku punches a giant robot, cleans an entire beach, helps during the USJ (water vortex and punching Domu), you realize that all this, "what can I do? I'm helpless" speech doesn't hold up to what he actually does most of the time.

Self doubt is simply self doubt. It can stop a person from doing something but won't stop someone from succeeding. And the reason why he does these actions despite his doubt is because he has help from people (which he points out and is grateful for) and also because people depend on him.

 

[Hellwarden]

The face of a true hero.

And bonus whoever.

Source.

 

[Philippo]

I love how my mind is making the thud noises on its own.

You're not alone lol

 

[Jintor]

should be the tournament finale tonight

 

[Ascheroth]

Lmao the after-ending scene was hilarious.

 

[Raxus]

Bakugo goes Plus Ultra in everything he does, even fighting cavities.

I am glad they included the small character moments after the tournament. They are sweet cappers after everything as happened and set up some future stuff too.

 

[caliph95]

Bakugo is such a nice, healthy considerate young man

 

[LotusHD]

Bakugo is such a nice, healthy considerate young man

The nicest, healthiest, most considerate, indeed.

---

Todoroki with the feels.

 

[caliph95]

Found was apparently early Bakugo

[IMG]https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c0015ffe489ed6c3e265e028f976e90e4fcd6468af1873e739eb1684ef242435.jpg?w=800&h=851[/IMG]

It just hilarious thinking about

"I daresay germs would could you kindly vacate my teeth"
"Ha fellow students, remember to do your best especially you young Deku, such an inspiration"

 

[Jintor]

it's kinda funny how nothing except his expression changes yet it's a completely different character

 

[spiritfox]

Found was apparently early Bakugo

[IMG]https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c0015ffe489ed6c3e265e028f976e90e4fcd6468af1873e739eb1684ef242435.jpg?w=800&h=851[/IMG]

It just hilarious thinking about

"I daresay germs would could you kindly vacate my teeth"
"Ha fellow students, remember to do your best especially you young Deku, such an inspiration"

I want a chapter/episode where a villain turns him like that.

 

[Raxus]

Found was apparently early Bakugo
"I daresay germs could you kindly vacate my teeth"
"Hey fellow students, remember to do your best especially you young Deku, such an inspiration"

Hello old chums! Would you kindly fall over so I may pass to the next round? I daresay I wish to be the top of the class. With your support, of course.

 

[Jintor]

yo did the ost just go "be a fucking superstar"?

 

[caliph95]

I do find it interesting that the recap for this episode made a point of showing a lot of Bakugos being competitive and drive to be number one especially to emphasise his "disappointment" with the voice actors for both sub and dub being emotional (besides anger) when he realised todoroki held back (though he would have been burned alive but i guess the attack was supposed to blow out the flames)

It's pretty much a Bakugo episode

 

[T-Rex.]

So is Bakugou the smartest fighter in the class? Seems that way.