You have a massive reputation in the criminal underworld… and you have no idea why.
“What do you mean they think I’m invincible?!” exclaimed Tsuna.
“Well…” The lackeys looked at each other nervously. Tsuna was never going to get used to that. He’d only just arrived in Italy and they were already treating him like he was a god walking the earth. And now the rumors…. Of gods, this was Reborns fault wasn’t it?? “You did defeat the Varia.”
“And destroy a future.”
“And turned the only person to ever escape the Vindice into your mist guardian.”
“And defeat Daemon Spade, a ghost.”
“And the Shimon! Who are really strong for some reason?”
“And don’t forget the Vindice themselves bow down to you! Even after you took one of their convicts in!”
“And the Arcobaleno are indebted to you!”
“Not to mention how similar you look to the Vongola Primo.”
“But how do you even know about all that?! How does everyone?!” Tsuna was not comprehending how this was possible. That meant Reborn was definitely involved. But why?! Why would he do this?!
(He raged and he burned. The clouds gathered and the winds grew)
When Dudley tried to beat him up, he didn’t meekly take it and step down. He fought back. When Vernon and Petunia tried to make him do an absurd amount of chores, he didn’t bow his head and do as he was told. He refused. When the Dursleys tried to make him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs, he didn’t allow it. As soon as his inexperienced mind figured out that making a child sleep there was wrong, he walked up the stairs and claimed Dudley’s second bedroom for his own.
(At night he dreamed. He dreamed of dragons and far off places. He dreamed of muscle moving smoothly, power in his limbs. He dreams of blood and gore and bones snapping under his hands. He could never quite remember them when he woke)
When the Dursley’s spread rumors about him, Harry fought back. When the teachers discriminated against him, he fought back. When his classmates got it into their heads to bully him, he fought back.
(Even if he didn’t know it–remember it–he was still a storm. Relentless attacks, never bowing down; that was what a storm was meant to do)
When Harry was 6 years old, Vernon Dursley tried to kill him.
Vernon had, of course, had the urge to off his nephew before. The brat was abrasive, rebellious, and horrible for the family image. He beat up Dudley whenever the boy tried something. He refused to cook or do chores. He was crass, stubborn, and an all around irritant. He never responded to punishment, physical or mental, and attempting to punish the brat lead only to one unnatural disaster or another. The boy was a freak, the son of a pair of freaks, and that unnaturalness refused to be stamped out.
Sometimes, he dreamed of wrapping his hands around that thick neck and just tightening the hold.
When Harry was 6, Vernon did just that.
(This was a turning point. Perhaps, if it hadn’t happened like this, then nothing would have changed. Perhaps, the turning point would have still found its way to Harry. Perhaps–)
Petunia was away shopping. Dudley was over at Pier’s. Harry and Vernon had been the only two people in the house and Harry had said something that just made Vernon… snap.
A pair of meaty hands were wrapped around Harry’s throat and squeezed. Air was cut off. His vision blurred. Spit ran down his chin and black spots started to decorate his vision. Harry, contrary to how most would act in his situation, didn’t feel panicked. He felt a wave of calm wash over him, the world moving in slow motion. He was all too aware of the hands around his throat, the look in Vernon’s eyes, his own life slipping away by the second.
I don’t want to die, he thinks. I want to live. I want to live.
Something within him broke. It shattered to pieces and his hands were on fire and Vernon was burning and the air around him felt hot.
(Like dragons just under his skin)
Flames, scarlet in color (red like a storm) roared around him and something just– clicked. Like this was right. Like he had been blind before and he was only just seeing the world for the first time. This fire dancing along his limbs, heating the air, disintegrating his uncle, felt so much like a part of him, like home, that he wondered why he had never felt it before.
When the flames vanished (hovering just beneath his skin–like dragons) and Harry could breath again, Vernon Dursley was nothing more than a burnt corpse on the ground.
Harry, knowing the way the rest of his relatives would react to finding a corpse on the floor, ran. He gathered every bit of money in the house he could find, packed a backpack full of food, water, and blankets, and ran as far as he could.
(That night, when he was sleeping in an out of the way alley, he dreamed of a chinese man with a long braid who had mastered every martial art he came across.. When he woke up in the morning, he remembered very little of it, only feeling like he was missing something important)
…
In which Harry Potter is the reincarnation of Fon. This changes things.
Was saving this (still using this) theory for a fanfiction, but it serves as a good canon theory fodder too – and I’ve already lagged behind in updates and it’s not fair to hold the theory off too long. I am of the belief that there is more to Shinsou Hitoshi’s quirk – or, that it has been misdiagnosed. So, let’s go through this logically!
What We Know
Shinsou has a tired demeanor, which may or may not be related to his quirk. Hooded eyelids, eye-bags, mild slouch, some sluggishness … this could simply be a character design, but considering he’s one of the few with eye-bags, it’s more likely to be quirk-related.
He needs a verbal response to his own provocations for his quirk to function.
He can do it for a relatively extended period of time. At least for ten minutes at a time – enough to last the Calvary battle, and to multiple individuals – as seen in both the race and the Calvary battle:
He can manipulate one’s actions but not one’s words, and their actions are sluggish and fairly simple.
He also seems to have to keep his commands simple and short. It’s something relatively noticeable whenever he implements his quirk, this his commands are never extremely difficult to follow:
A punch or some external force can actively knock someone out of his quirks’ control. And, some people do remember what is going on while under the control, whereas others do not. For example, Ojirou did not remember until he was disturbed:
But it becomes clear that Izuku does remember what happened before an external force was used on him. Otherwise he would have no memory of the vision of previous OfA users. This could be the influence of OfA as a quirk itself, but it does not have to be.
What It Boils Down To
Shinsou has a tired demeanor, which may or may not be related to his quirk.
He needs a verbal response to his own provocations for his quirk to function.
He can manipulate one’s actions but not one’s words, and their actions are sluggish and fairly simple.
He can do it for a relatively extended period of time and for more than one command, but he has to keep his commands simple and short.
A punch or some external force can actively knock someone out of his quirks’ control.
Some people do remember what is going on while under the control.
What Makes Sense
That which is above does not add up to brainwashing. Brainwashing is, by definition:
“[to] make (someone) adopt radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible pressure”
Brainwashing would imply that the commands would have greater permanence or be effective beyond the immediate control. It comes with greater complexities, and longer-lasting effects.
Common steps in brainwashing, as noted by psychologist Robert Jay Lifton, include:
assault on identity
guilt
self-betrayal
breaking point
leniency
compulsion to confess
channeling of guilt
releasing of guilt
progress and harmony
final confession and rebirth
But Hitoshi has implemented none of these steps against any individuals: brainwashing is a more conscious ordeal than an unconscious one.
Logically, it means that his quirk is not brainwashing. Instead, it is closer to sleepwalking because of its unconscious and impermanent nature.
Or, at least, the ability to cause others to sleepwalk. So, let’s talk sleepwalking, which is by definition:
“walk around and sometimes perform other actions while asleep”
Hitoshi victims perform simple tasks while under his control, lacking verbal response and permanence in the thereafter of his control. The above shows Izuku walking because of a particular command, but the logic behind this is not not just because that the command was to turn around and walk out-of-bounds. It’s that everything Hitoshi does in utilizing his quirk matches the symptoms of sleepwalking, which include:
get out of bed and walk around
Hitoshi’s victims can walk around, though it is a slow crawl / mechanical set of movements.
have a glazed, glassy-eyed expression
Izuku is not the only character to have had the glossy-eyed look when under Shinsou Hitoshi’s control.
not respond or communicate with others
be difficult to wake up during an episode
be disoriented or confused for a short time after being awakened
not remembering the episode in the morning
The four points above explain the effects that all of his victims have had in some form or another. None of his victims have been able to communicate or easily wake themselves from an episode, and anyone who has sleepwalked usually needs a punch or hit of some kind to snap out of it. Sleepwalking (and its sibling, sleeptalking) is simple-task-based, and sleeptalking is rarely more than five words strung together. Hitoshi likely cannot give complex (or too many) commands to someone, and his victims likely cannot perform complex tasks. In essence, he is using sleeptalking to control someone’s sleepwalking, the “sleeptalking” being his quirks’ way of getting in control over someone’s actions.
Hitoshi loses all control and influence when the dreaming / sleepwalking ends; if it was brainwashing, Izuku would have continued to walk out-of-bounds even after regaining control.
Extremely few are able to remember what happens during sleepwalking, but active dreamers are more likely to remember sleepwalking. Considering Izuku’s imagination and innovative skills, I would not be surprised if he is an active-dreamer, in which he has some control over his dreams and sleepwalking decisions. This explains why he remembers it from the moment he went under, and remembers it even after coming out (the vision) while Ojirou could only remember what came after being bumped by another team (and not during). Also note the use of colors during the animated sequence, which tend to match the way our brains work during dreams and in storing memories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVSjXooP7D4
have problems functioning during the day because of disturbed sleep
have sleep terrors in addition to sleepwalking
These two points above are likely the blow-back Hitoshi faces for using his quirk: his tired demeanor, the eye-bags, and abrasive attitude are all good indications of poor sleeping habits. Sleepwalking also occurs during the REM sleep stages, which is the level of sleep needed to feel well-rested (and Hitoshi does not look well-rested): this may also explain his absurd time limits in controlling people, for at least ten minutes and on multiple individuals, because REM sleep cycles last for 90 – 100 minutes at a time. This could be the maximum he can do on any one individual at a time, or at least the maximum time he can divide up among those he does have under his control.
The Plot-Contributing Point of it Being Sleepwalking?
By and large psychological. If you believed your quirk was brainwashing for most of your life, you likely would not have tested it to any extent. Certainly not to an extent where you figure out the confines of your quirks’ abilities are closer to something else. It would provide immense relief for Shinsou Hitoshi to learn that his quirk isn’t as mind-altering as originally interpreted to be, and likely serve as an opening for him to become a better hero.
Further Evidence
Can I just add in the soundtrack from the anime for a passing moment? When I first heard this, my instinct wasn’t that it was brainwashing. The use of lullabies and scattered voices, creepy as they are, alludes to sleep-related themes.
i know the fire icon is for unpopular opinions, but my god do i love shinsou. he’s probably my favorite student. i think it’s definitely implied that aizawa’s training him and preparing to move him into the hero course because holy shit, that kid downright deserves the world and has a lot of potential to be a hero. i can’t wait to see more of him.
i hope u dont mind headcanons, but i hc that shinsou was brought up in the foster care system and passed from foster home to foster home to group home. a lot of people ended up being afraid of his quirk, especially since, like everyone else, he couldn’t control it as a kid. he was never nefarious with it, but accidentally used it when he wanted his caretakers to do innocuous things, like let him stay up later or give him snacks or let him go outside. still, though, it scared his caretakers so much that shinsou switched hands a lot.
i also headcanon that shinsou is a big fan of eraserhead. shinsou was probably like 5 or 6 when aizawa was first starting out his solo career and probably accidentally got caught on camera by forgetting to evade the media while doing a take-down. i’d imagine that seeing him on the news probably blew shinsou away, because he’d never seen a hero without a physical quirk before? and that was probably when he started idolizing aizawa. i’d imagine that when he got old enough, he probably found forums talking about underground heroes and followed eraser’s activities through that.
so finding out that aizawa was 1-A’s teacher nearly made him choke. he probably didn’t talk to aizawa right away and probably tried to–i don’t know- convince himself that eraser wasn’t actually this great, idol person, but then aizawa went and nearly killed himself at usj fighting for his students and shinsou went “oh no he is a really great hero/person”. and then aizawa approached him after the sports festival and shinsou nearly fainted talking to him.
like i said, i definitely think aizawa is training shinsou. going along with my headcanons, i also think that aizawa has become a sort of parental/adult figure to him because shinsou hasn’t really had anyone in his life ever pay attention to him like aizawa does.
sorry i turned this into headcanons but i love shinsou so much.
Ahhhhh, how to answer this? Well, with regards to spoilers, you should be okay as Shinsou doesn’t really show up outside of the Sports Festival arc (unless something’s happened in the recent chapters. I’ll admit, I’m a bit behind as well), and I’ll be using that as my basis for my explanation.
Now. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, I love Shinsou because Shinsou is a symbol.
Shinsou, to me, has always been a person who lives in his head. He smiles when he doesn’t mean it, keeps his reactions subdued, and is always watching the world. He is bitter and he is proud. He is always thinking, constantly wrapped up in his thoughts, and it is only when he is forced to confront parts of himself that he doesn’t like (such as his pride), or faced with unfair odds, or struggles he has no means of competing against that these emotions bubble over and show.
This is what happens during the Sports festival arc. His frustrations, his anger, and jealousy–they all swirled up, amplified with the force of his adrenaline, and resulted in the outcome we saw.
He is sharp tongued and strategic. Smart, most certainly, and sort of listless with that intelligence. Sort of like Shikamaru from Naruto, if that gives you any idea of what I’m talking about there, though the comparison doesn’t really do it justice. He isn’t lazy, at least not mentally, but rather forcing himself down with his own doubts and the constraints thrown upon him by society. He is held down by labels, not unlike Izuku is, though his label is Villain rather that Quirkless, and it is simultaneously a heavier and lighter burden.
Mind control, Brainwashing… Those terms are terms he no doubt hates with a passion, and there is self depreciation there as well, because those are words he and others associate with himself. He hates himself for his abilities, and hates the world for making him feel that way and strives to prove them wrong.
It is this aspect, I think, that draws people to him the most. He is forced down with a burden that he never wanted, bullied (as we saw in the flashback) because of something he has no control over. He never asked to have a Brainwashing quirk, never wanted it, and yet is blamed for having it regardless. This is a struggle that is experienced by so, so many people. I’d compare it to discrimination in the real world, be it racial, sexual, gender discrimination or some other type of discrimination entirely. We didn’t ask to be born the way we are. We just are. And yet, people still push us down and expect horrible things regardless of that fact.
It’s one of the reasons people like Izuku as much as they do, as well. BNHA, at its core, is a story about a boy trying to succeed in a dream that he has always told was impossible. He has grown up his entire life being told that becoming a Hero is impossible because of his lack of quirk, only to finally get the chance to do just that.
The difference between Izuku and Shinsou is that Shinsou never had someone like All Might come around and tell him he could be a Hero. He never had some miracle quirk perfect for Heroism that could be passed to another person given to him, like a cheat code almost (though Izuku certainly earned it), that lets him bypass all the hate and pain and obstacles that are stacked up before him. And while Izuku still has to struggle to achieve anything, still has to work for it, he can see the end of the road. Shinsou can’t. There is no certainty in the future for him. There is no one to support him, unless something happened in the chapters I haven’t read yet. He’s entirely on his own, and floundering and he has no idea what to do. But he’s still trying. He still entered the sports festival. He still fought. He fought with everything he had, and while it turned out not to be enough, he made his stand.
He showed that he wasn’t going to take it. He wasn’t going to stand for being told “No,” and for being labeled as something that he is so clearly not. And that makes him a symbol. Not a symbol of peace, like All Might is, but a symbol for those who are oppressed, a symbol for those who are bullied, a symbol that it is okay to fight against what is not fair.
It’s not a coincidence the Heterodynes so rarely
produce girls – more of a tradition, really, that all their children are
raised as sons. It didn’t always work out, but it worked out for Barry.
It’s a series of scenes along the timeline full of explorative genderfuckery and delicious heterodyne weirdness. Barry’s not the only one written about. i thought it was really cool.
They’re creatures of Mad Science!!! Kind of orcs for a world of mad scientists rather than magic. They have a reputation that includes hating soap (true) and eating babies (not true).
They are voluntarily mutated super soldiers from the webcomic Girl Genius, who signed up to pillage everyone for their masters, but are nonetheless adorable.
They’re also a mixture of biological alteration, old and highly developed subculture, and playing up to their reputation as monsters that can make it very hard to tell where typically Jager behavior is coming from.
They’re immune to harm from a lot of things, so some things – like sewers – – they might fail to react to because it really isn’t dangerous for them.
I don’t know if they’re capable of having allergies, but they have a very good sense of smell, so something caustic might irritate sensitive noses.
You’ve probably noticed I’ve been thinking about this lately 🙂
Scent – – Always much better than human but in a very similar range to one another. If one Jager draws another’s attention to a scent they can always smell it. The fact that the Heterodynes used scent to put in a pleasure response to themselves might mean they did some very specific optimization here.
Hearing – – May be better than human. Despite some issues with Jagers having things sneak up on them it doesn’t really seem to be worse (they’re just bad at paying attention). Jenka’s phrasing of “you got the good ears” seems to imply it’s a pretty random thing and mostly left to chance. Dimo can pick out Agatha’s voice even when it’s being used by someone else to speak Geister, though, so there may have been some very specific tuning in this sense too.
Sight – – This seems to be even more random, especially since their eyes mutate to have vastly different appearances. Dimo’s are either reflective or glowing. One background Jager wears smoked glasses implying he landed with very sensitive eyes. In the side bit where the Jagers accept a Hugo Maxim (as Cheyenne) cheerfully thanks humans for being a trichromatic species, leaving me wondering if not all Jagers are.
Touch – – Probably less sensitive than humans, and broadly in the same range as one another.
Taste – – The sense itself doesn’t seem stronger or less strong but preference has been drastically broadened. I don’t think we’ve yet seen a Jager dislike anything – – oh, wait, Maxim complained about the beer. I think he just didn’t like it having changed in the last twenty years though. Preferences seem widely similar. Bugs, for instance, seem to be especially liked by all of them, and Othar makes use of knowing they all like fudge in his twitter. If the Heterodynes did this on purpose then it makes sense to have your soldiers happily eat anything and bugs are a cheap source of protein.
Cheloneuniverse 