Todoroki keeps getting portrayed as someone who’s quite aloof and detached when he’s about 5 seconds away from serious violence at any given moment
Throwback to the time when he froze the entire stadium cause he was just “upset is all”
deadass created a whole new ecosystem and a second ice age (not to mention poor, poor Sero) cause he was just UpSEt iS aLL
Also when he called the Chief of Police a “mangy mutt” and was an inch away from squaring up with him even though he just entered the room. Literally had to be restrained by Midoriya cause he was about to throw hands
but also like GODDAMN he really called the CHIEF OF POLICE a “MANGY MUTT” like the NERVE
Passive aggressively slurped soba in front of his abusive father
Slurp, slurp, bitch
“ThATs A nAStY ScAR YoU gOt ThEre”
SNARKS his teacher when he gets captured during the final exam “You think you’ve caught me? This is nothing. I could burn or freeze these restraints in an instant” like WOWOWOW way to give away that strategy Todoroki and undermine the intelligence of the person who assigns your grades
And then when Aizawa reveals the caltrops under Todoroki he goes “You’re pretending to be some kind of ninja?” DID NO ONE TELL THIS KID TO RESPECT HIS ELDERS?? WHO ALLOWED this ROASTMASTERto go unchecked for so long
Todoroki was put in the back of the class cause he would obviously throw his pencils at Aizawa when he says something Todoroki disagrees with
Even bakugou doesn’t talk back to his teachers but Todoroki clearly has no fucks left to give
Im just…shook
Todoroki would fight all of us in the UA parking lot and he’d probably win too cause he’s an overdramatic BITCH
Okay, listen I have a theory I used to hint about this a lot on my main blog but like what if Mineta is the traitor. Like I shit you not. If you really think about it no one would expect him because Mineta is pathetic and useless they would just think he was just some perv. Mineta could very well be the traitor because doesn’t have much personality and like no one would even expect it. Not to mention him being the traitor would finally give him some story that isn’t centered around being a fucking perv.
Like we all hate Mineta right? So we wouldn’t be quick to suspect him cause we’re too worried about it being a fan-favorite and actually likable character. I’m not so sure about what the eastern fandom thinks about Mineta, but I get the feeling that he’s supposed to be a funny guy or whatever. I also know no one ever suspects comic relief to betray the main cast.
One thing I really liked about Avatar is how each tribe exists at a different stage of societal evolution from our history. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense with only four cultures, all with open travel and trade, but the principal of it is rooted in fact. Real wars have been fought with spears on one side and ironclads on the other.
A major theme of The Last Airbender was fear of industrialism. Technological supremacy was synonymous with military supremacy, until faced with a deus ex machina.
Legend of Korra was a retraction of that ideology. Its message was one of unity between man, machine, and spirit. It literally ends with a marriage of the world’s leading industrialist and spiritualist.
So I have a couple explanations for why the BnHA world is underutilizing quirks compared to LoK.
First, it’s possibly due to narrator bias. We see the world through Deku’s eyes. As a quirkless hero-worshiper, Deku cannot come to grips with quirks being used for such mundane, utilitarian purposes. His worldview is built around an ideology that quirks must be used heroically.
As a final note, I think it’s reasonable for BnHA and LoK to handle their superpowers in radically different ways. Bending only comes in four flavors (with very rare exception) and pervades 30-50% of the population throughout history. Quirks cover infinite possibilities and very recently became common, only existing at all for 100 years or so.
So it’s the difference of a society that grew with simple superpowers, versus one with complex superpowers suddenly imposed upon it in modern times.
At first glance, the world of BnHA seems like it might be a fun place to live, but that’s because we’re viewing it from the perspective of the top 1%. For most people, the only difference between their world and the real one is that they are in constant danger.
Let’s review what we know about quirk law. Only licensed heroes are authorized to use quirks in public. You may use quirks privately, but they must be registered and there are myriad restrictions. You must obtain a license to use quirks for your job, also with various limitations.
On the surface, pretty commonsense. In practice, these laws target the lowest common denominator and thus punish everyone else. If you ever had a teacher who demanded silence from the class because one person misbehaved, it’s like that on a societal scale.
(excerpt from the spin off “BnHA Illegals”) This guy can move slightly faster than a brisk walking pace by holding 3 points of contact with the ground. He’s not allowed to do that. He becomes a vigilante hero, which is a crime.
The “Illegals” manga features several people who turned to the “crime” of vigilante heroism because of the draconian regulation of quirks. It’s on the level of thought-crime, guilty until proven innocent.
While licenses make sense in the real world with regards to vehicles and guns, it doesn’t make sense for quirks because A) nearly everyone has them, and B) it’s not a choice to obtain it.
(excerpt from chapter 85) Let’s talk about a case where these laws don’t just inconvenience an individual, but harm all of society. Momo has the quirk “creation” which is very tightly regulated for the sake of the economy. With a hero license she can create anything she needs for heroing, but anything else is (officially) off limits.
This is legislating to the worst case scenario, which, I contend, is a poor strategy in this world. It works from the assumption that she would use her quirk selfishly and excessively. If she created billions of dollars, she would ruin the economy and we would all suffer.
But what if she used her quirk selfishly and in moderation? She could make anything she needs for a modest life, or the money appropriate for a modest living, and it would have no impact on the economy. A good outcome for her and a neutral result for the rest of us. There’s no reason to prohibit this.
And, of course, the law doesn’t consider the best case scenario. What if she uses her quirk selflessly? What if, for example, every couple years she set aside a month to create smart phones for everyone in the world? Would that wreck the economy? One particular industry, sure. Would it benefit literally everyone but electronics CEOs? Would it save thousands of child laborers in sweatshops? YES! That’s a brilliant trade off! But, even if she applied for a business quirk license, I think she’d be denied for the potential disruption of the economy.
(Side note: It has been a topic of many forums whether Momo can make things as complex as a smartphone. I say yes. Recall in the School Trip Arc, she made a tracking device and matching GPS unit. It’s absolutely within her ability.)
Rapid fire round: what should these people do if society was more lenient? Shinso: suicide hotline operator. Todoroki: work inside a nuclear cooling tower, heat up water at the bottom, cool down steam at the top, infinite energy. Uraraka: construction worker work at NASA.
As civilians these quirks would be restricted. Even as heroes these quirks are going to waste from a utilitarian perspective. No one benefits from this arrangement. There is so much potential in the world, and its governments seem dedicated to squandering it.
This is a society that is oppressive to the majority. Quirks could fuel the next stage of human evolution, but laws keep society grounded in the stone age. How can anyone in that world (aside from the 1%ers in their ignorant bubble) not resent that? This is the philosophy that breeds villains, and I can’t help but agree with it.
Cheloneuniverse 