My Hero Academia - Plus Ultra

[Gar For Archer]

Okay, Im thinking in getting into this series but can someone try to explain something to me first? (Unless it goes into heavy spoilers territory).
Im a guy thats used with cynical and dark animes (with varying qualities, I will admit) and usually people with powers are usually feared from hell and back (sometimes with good reason), kept in facilities where they usually escape having deep hatred for humanity (Elfen Lied for example). I guess what I am trying to say is that I always found MHA setting to be...how do I put it, too positive and bright? There is no way so many people having powers wouldnt lead to an apocalyptic or borderline apocalyptic scenario. Dont get me started on how the goverments of the world wouldnt be work 24/7 on stopping the spread of this X Hero-Gene by containing any babies that show powers. Maybe its because I watched far too much cynical entertaiment (X-men being mostly about how people with powers would NOT simply just get accepted). And even if the "heroes" outnumber the normals, dont tell me it wouldnt lead to some sort of Magneto styled nightmare where normals would be seen as a genetical dead ends to be abused and enslaved. Also assuming everything goes correctly, who's to say the heroes dont cause more damage than they solve? (its a classic question Im not sure if it brings up).
Anyway, can someone give me some insight, please? Its one of those "just go along with the setting" like One Piece ?

With One Piece, while the setting is 100% fantastical, it has its internal logic and consistency for the most part. I’m a sucker for worldbuilding, and One Piece really drew me in with it. With MHA you really just need to roll with it. Nothing is properly explained, the implications of 95% of the population having superpowers isn’t really explored, and with the exception of having a hero association their society really isn’t much different from our own. Like, what’s the geopolitical climate like in this world? There are DEFINITELY superpowered special forces, probably entire armies consisting of superpowered individuals, along with certain individuals who are pretty much a WMD in their own right. But we’re never gonna see any of this, because the story pretty much is just gonna focus on the superhero industry in fake-Japan. IMO, the worldbuilding is about on par with Harry Potter - it’s meant for kids, don’t ask too many questions.

I also think that quirkless people being bullied doesn’t make all that much sense. It seems that a good percentage of the population have quirks that are so weak or useless that they might as well not exist. If anything, I think it would make more sense that people with disfiguring quirks to face some sort of discrimination, especially when it comes to the professional hero world (e.g. an “ugly”/evil-looking hero being passed over for a more conventionally attractive but less heroic one).

Personally, I stopped watching it seriously about halfway through season 3. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters (and particularly disliked the way minor characters were handled), thought the fight scenes were all INCREDIBLY boring - it usually comes down to who has the more powerful ability and the good guy’s ability to just punch harder when the situation calls for it - and had zero investment in the worldbuilding. I literally could not believe it when the main villain’s master plan was to gather a wide range of quirks FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF PUNCHING ALL-MIGHT REALLY, REALLY, HARD, instead of, ya know, actually thinking of a way to counter All-Might’s abilities with the literally limitless range of powers at his disposal.

If you like typical Shonen stuff then MHA does it pretty well, arguably way better than average. But at the end of the day even well-done typical shonen stuff is still typical shonen stuff.

 

[The handsome tard]

With One Piece, while the setting is 100% fantastical, it has its internal logic and consistency for the most part. I’m a sucker for worldbuilding, and One Piece really drew me in with it. With MHA you really just need to roll with it. Nothing is properly explained, the implications of 95% of the population having superpowers isn’t really explored, and with the exception of having a hero association their society really isn’t much different from our own. Like, what’s the geopolitical climate like in this world? There are DEFINITELY superpowered special forces, probably entire armies consisting of superpowered individuals, along with certain individuals who are pretty much a WMD in their own right. But we’re never gonna see any of this, because the story pretty much is just gonna focus on the superhero industry in fake-Japan. IMO, the worldbuilding is about on par with Harry Potter - it’s meant for kids, don’t ask too many questions.

I also think that quirkless people being bullied doesn’t make all that much sense. It seems that a good percentage of the population have quirks that are so weak or useless that they might as well not exist. If anything, I think it would make more sense that people with disfiguring quirks to face some sort of discrimination, especially when it comes to the professional hero world (e.g. an “ugly”/evil-looking hero being passed over for a more conventionally attractive but less heroic one).

Personally, I stopped watching it seriously about halfway through season 3. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters (and particularly disliked the way minor characters were handled), thought the fight scenes were all INCREDIBLY boring - it usually comes down to who has the more powerful ability and the good guy’s ability to just punch harder when the situation calls for it - and had zero investment in the worldbuilding. I literally could not believe it when the main villain’s master plan was to gather a wide range of quirks FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF PUNCHING ALL-MIGHT REALLY, REALLY, HARD, instead of, ya know, actually thinking of a way to counter All-Might’s abilities with the literally limitless range of powers at his disposal.

If you like typical Shonen stuff then MHA does it pretty well, arguably way better than average. But at the end of the day even well-done typical shonen stuff is still typical shonen stuff.

Well then, thank you for the actually great and detailed answer. That helped a lot.
I wish I could like it twice but meh. You deserved it.

 

[Nobunaga]

O my seven quirks

 

[UnKillFill]

So I haven't ever seen much of my hero macademia,

but this chick is pretty hot. Is the rest of the show like this?

 

[Tism the Return]

Quirkless people getting bullied make literally no sense when you read the manga, find out you can essentially train your way into being superhumanly powerful anyway and then there's a character that's not-Batman in the spinoff manga.

It also makes Deku into an undeserving lazy cunt that would rather cry about being a normie than lift.

 

[Overcast]

Personally, I stopped watching it seriously about halfway through season 3. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters (and particularly disliked the way minor characters were handled),

Honestly, part of me was interested because I kept seeing Tsuyu everywhere, then I read the manga, got over one hundred chapters in and find she doesn't even do much.

Kinda feels like the only reason she's shown so much is because she's a cute girl weebs can fap to.

 

[Gar For Archer]

Honestly, part of me was interested because I kept seeing that weird Tsuyu everywhere, then I read the manga, got over one hundred chapters in and find she doesn't even do much.

Kinda feels like the only reason she's shown so much is because she's a cute girl weebs can fap to.

Yeah, MHA is waifubait/shipbait:the show. With a massive cast like MHA you run into sort of a Chekov’s Gun issue when it comes to minor characters - by fleshing them out *just a little*, giving them little character moments here and there, you’re subconsciously tricking the audience into thinking they’re actually important, and they will subconsciously be let down by the fact that none of those expectations were followed up on.

Instead, minor characters should be characterized primarily through their relationships with the main characters, but otherwise kept in the background.

As a direct case study, I’m gonna compare Mei and Uraraka, both ostensibly “love interests” for the main character (by a loose definition of the word). Uraraka appears quite a bit early on in the show and is very clearly presented as part of the “main crew”, yet she doesn’t actually get much characterization beyond “uwu wants to help my poor parents”, being a generic “nice girl” and having a crush on Deku. Mei, on the other hand, is cemented as a minor character with her status as the “guy who provides protags with cool devices”, an inherently secondary/support role that gives her opportunities to interact a lot with the main cast - and through these interactions a very clear idea of her personality is painted, all without her needing to straight up state her character motivations.

Another great minor character that blows ALL of Class 1A out of the water is the mind control dude. His motivations are perfectly portrayed during his fight with Deku, and that setup is paid off with him becoming Aizawa’s trainee, setting him up for possible promotion to main cast further down the line.

Kirishima is an example of a decent minor character. His main characterization is that he’s Bakugo’s friend and someone who can temper his temper (lol), and as far as I remember outside of obligatory tournament/exam sequences he doesn’t show up all that much. Mineta would fall into this category (as a comic relief side character) if the creepiness was toned down a bit, but as-is he legitimately just makes me feel uncomfortable.

Basically my point is that minor characters should know their place and not overstep their bounds by masquerading as main characters. MHA’s problem is that its 3 actual main characters - Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki - aren’t actually friends, so the story can only very occasionally focus on their interactions - and it’s these interactions that ultimately drive interest in a story, not a character’s motivation or backstory. To get on another tangent related to One Piece - having a tragic backstory and personal motivations isn’t what makes Zorro, Sanji or Nami good characters - it’s their hilarious interactions with each other and the rest of the cast. Backstory is just the icing on the cake - if you don’t have a solid foundation of character interactions then having a super-in-depth backstory isn’t going to salvage the character.

Anyway, sorry if this is rambley and a little bit incoherent, typing on mobile it’s hard to review my writing to check that I stayed in thesis. May edit later to improve clarity of thought.

 

[Overcast]

Yeah, MHA is waifubait/shipbait:the show. With a massive cast like MHA you run into sort of a Chekov’s Gun issue when it comes to minor characters - by fleshing them out *just a little*, giving them little character moments here and there, you’re subconsciously tricking the audience into thinking they’re actually important, and they will subconsciously be let down by the fact that none of those expectations were followed up on.

Instead, minor characters should be characterized primarily through their relationships with the main characters, but otherwise kept in the background.

As a direct case study, I’m gonna compare Mei and Uraraka, both ostensibly “love interests” for the main character (by a loose definition of the word). Uraraka appears quite a bit early on in the show and is very clearly presented as part of the “main crew”, yet she doesn’t actually get much characterization beyond “uwu wants to help my poor parents”, being a generic “nice girl” and having a crush on Deku. Mei, on the other hand, is cemented as a minor character with her status as the “guy who provides protags with cool devices”, an inherently secondary/support role that gives her opportunities to interact a lot with the main cast - and through these interactions a very clear idea of her personality is painted, all without her needing to straight up state her character motivations.

Another great minor character that blows ALL of Class 1A out of the water is the mind control dude. His motivations are perfectly portrayed during his fight with Deku, and that setup is paid off with him becoming Aizawa’s trainee, setting him up for possible promotion to main cast further down the line.

Kirishima is an example of a decent minor character. His main characterization is that he’s Bakugo’s friend and someone who can temper his temper (lol), and as far as I remember outside of obligatory tournament/exam sequences he doesn’t show up all that much. Mineta would fall into this category (as a comic relief side character) if the creepiness was toned down a bit, but as-is he legitimately just makes me feel uncomfortable.

Basically my point is that minor characters should know their place and not overstep their bounds by masquerading as main characters. MHA’s problem is that its 3 actual main characters - Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki - aren’t actually friends, so the story can only very occasionally focus on their interactions - and it’s these interactions that ultimately drive interest in a story, not a character’s motivation or backstory. To get on another tangent related to One Piece - having a tragic backstory and personal motivations isn’t what makes Zorro, Sanji or Nami good characters - it’s their hilarious interactions with each other and the rest of the cast. Backstory is just the icing on the cake - if you don’t have a solid foundation of character interactions then having a super-in-depth backstory isn’t going to salvage the character.

Anyway, sorry if this is rambley and a little bit incoherent, typing on mobile it’s hard to review my writing to check that I stayed in thesis. May edit later to improve clarity of thought.

I forsee more Bleach style book burning when the manga ends and the ships are confirmed. (Or perhaps never confirmed considering what happened with Fairy Tail.)

 

[Gar For Archer]

I forsee more Bleach style book burning when the manga ends and the ships are confirmed. (Or perhaps never confirmed considering what happened with Fairy Tail.)

Considering we’re almost certainly going to see them as adults in the future (since the entire story is framed as Deku’s flashback about his rise to power) it’s inevitable that at least some of the minor characters are gonna end up together, even though as of now the story has featured like zero romance. You’d think that a group of high school kids would have a bit more relationship drama.

 

[Dukect]

Considering we’re almost certainly going to see them as adults in the future (since the entire story is framed as Deku’s flashback about his rise to power) it’s inevitable that at least some of the minor characters are gonna end up together, even though as of now the story has featured like zero romance. You’d think that a group of high school kids would have a bit more relationship drama.

Yeah but its a Shonen Anime your not going to get something like X-men or Young Justice. Speaking of Marvel and DC and I know this is going to get into fanfiction territory but screw it. If you had to pick one classic storyline from either Marvel or DC like for ex. Clone Saga, Days of Future past, Kingdom Come, The Judas Contract, and etc. Personally I would love to see an MHA version of The Judas Contract but that's me insane brain at 3:30 at the AM.

 

[Gar For Archer]

Okay, Im thinking in getting into this series but can someone try to explain something to me first? (Unless it goes into heavy spoilers territory).
Im a guy thats used with cynical and dark animes (with varying qualities, I will admit) and usually people with powers are usually feared from hell and back (sometimes with good reason), kept in facilities where they usually escape having deep hatred for humanity (Elfen Lied for example). I guess what I am trying to say is that I always found MHA setting to be...how do I put it, too positive and bright? There is no way so many people having powers wouldnt lead to an apocalyptic or borderline apocalyptic scenario. Dont get me started on how the goverments of the world wouldnt be work 24/7 on stopping the spread of this X Hero-Gene by containing any babies that show powers. Maybe its because I watched far too much cynical entertaiment (X-men being mostly about how people with powers would NOT simply just get accepted). And even if the "heroes" outnumber the normals, dont tell me it wouldnt lead to some sort of Magneto styled nightmare where normals would be seen as a genetical dead ends to be abused and enslaved. Also assuming everything goes correctly, who's to say the heroes dont cause more damage than they solve? (its a classic question Im not sure if it brings up).
Anyway, can someone give me some insight, please? Its one of those "just go along with the setting" like One Piece ?

Ok to be completely fair I was a bit harsh on this show yesterday. By most accounts, barring a certain recent plot twist the recent arcs seem to have improved a lot in quality with generally less fluff, and the villain-protagonists actually seem to get a deeper level of development than out “main” characters. If you are vaguely interested in the show and like/tolerate Shonen stuff, I think it’s still worth at at least a background watch. Once you slog through the first few episodes of Deku being a pussy it’s actually decently enjoyable.

 

[The handsome tard]

Quirkless people getting bullied make literally no sense when you read the manga, find out you can essentially train your way into being superhumanly powerful anyway and then there's a character that's not-Batman in the spinoff manga.

I guess im far more used with (somewhat) more realistic and cynical animes/mangas/comics/games to which powered individuals are sometimes far too powerful for their own good (like, lets face it, if 70% of the population suddenly got superpowers, our world would become an utter chaotic shitstorm with villains, heroes that are actually villains and "heroes" that think they know whats the right thing...what Im saying is that the non villains would obviously see themselves as incapable of doing wrong). X-Men, for as much unrealistic it can get, does show somewhat how chaotic that would be with multiple sides and gray areas. Sure, you can say humans are bigot with mutants but you cant blame humanity when you see mutants like Apocalypse that developt god-complexes and the Phoenix who is too powerful for her own good. Of course quirkless humans would be abused and used by the powered population in a somewhat realistic take (with no way to train themselves into becoming Batman because no one can be Batman besides Batman...Batman) . But MHA isnt realistic or cynical (outside of a few moments I suppose), its meant to be idealistic, bright and positive escapism.

 

[Gar For Archer]

I guess im far more used with (somewhat) more realistic and cynical animes/mangas/comics/games to which powered individuals are sometimes far too powerful for their own good (like, lets face it, if 70% of the population suddenly got superpowers, our world would become an utter chaotic shitstorm with villains, heroes that are actually villains and "heroes" that think they know whats the right thing...what Im saying is that the non villains would obviously see themselves as incapable of doing wrong). X-Men, for as much unrealistic it can get, does show somewhat how chaotic that would be with multiple sides and gray areas. Sure, you can say humans are bigot with mutants but you cant blame humanity when you see mutants like Apocalypse that developt god-complexes and the Phoenix who is too powerful for her own good. Of course quirkless humans would be abused and used by the powered population in a somewhat realistic take (with no way to train themselves into becoming Batman because no one can be Batman besides Batman...Batman) . But MHA isnt realistic or cynical (outside of a few moments I suppose), its meant to be idealistic, bright and positive escapism.

I always thought mutants were a fucking terrible metaphor for gays or your oppressed minority of choice, because normal humans have VERY good reasons to be scared of mutants. The Legion TV show did an interesting take on this where the main anti-mutant character is literally a gay dude with an adopted black son, which is obviously supposed to indicate that he’s not just a typical anti-mutant bigot but somebody who is legitimately afraid of the power that mutants can have over normal people.

 

[The handsome tard]

I always thought mutants were a fucking terrible metaphor for gays or your oppressed minority of choice, because normal humans have VERY good reasons to be scared of mutants. The Legion TV show did an interesting take on this where the main anti-mutant character is literally a gay dude with an adopted black son, which is obviously supposed to indicate that he’s not just a typical anti-mutant bigot but somebody who is legitimately afraid of the power that mutants can have over normal people.

There are some great X-Men stories, tho I do like when they do add some brutal realism and look beyond the gay/black metaphor (which has become dated, lets face it) and just put it on broad terms that "humanity has a point", not that it justifies fucking giant robots (thats when it becomes too comic book-y) but mutants need to understand that humans sometimes have good reasons to fear insane and malevolent individuals with super powers that vary in potency (some mutants can be so powerful to the point of being reality warpers). It does show shit isnt black and white (as much most stories want to pretend that it is). So yes, I do prefer when stories that have "normals" and "supers" at conflict that show that, actually, humans do have a point at being afraid. You can do the whole #NotAll, but just like real life, it aint so simple. But Im fine with a series that doesnt go there on purpose because it wants to be positive and idealistic (which our society does need nowadays, I admit. Some light at the end of the tunnel, please ?)

 

[Gar For Archer]

There are some great X-Men stories, tho I do like when they do add some brutal realism and look beyond the gay/black metaphor (which has become dated, lets face it) and just put it on broad terms that "humanity has a point", not that it justifies fucking giant robots (thats when it becomes too comic book-y) but mutants need to understand that humans sometimes have good reasons to fear insane and malevolent individuals with super powers that vary in potency (some mutants can be so powerful to the point of being reality warpers). It does show shit isnt black and white (as much most stories want to pretend that it is). So yes, I do prefer when stories that have "normals" and "supers" at conflict that show that, actually, humans do have a point at being afraid. You can do the whole #NotAll, but just like real life, it aint so simple. But Im fine with a series that doesnt go there on purpose because it wants to be positive and idealistic (which our society does need nowadays, I admit. Some light at the end of the tunnel, please ?)

Okay, to be fair I have not actually read any comics, only watched the movies which REALLY push the gay angle for obvious reasons. Got any recs if I want to get into some older stuff?

 

[The handsome tard]

Okay, to be fair I have not actually read any comics, only watched the movies which REALLY push the gay angle for obvious reasons. Got any recs if I want to get into some older stuff?

Did you watch the X-Men animated series?

 

[Dukect]

Okay, to be fair I have not actually read any comics, only watched the movies which REALLY push the gay angle for obvious reasons. Got any recs if I want to get into some older stuff?

Well even though it had a horrible movie this past summer The Dark Phoenix Saga is an awesome read you should check it out

 

[Atatata]

Okay, Im thinking in getting into this series but can someone try to explain something to me first? (Unless it goes into heavy spoilers territory).
Im a guy thats used with cynical and dark animes (with varying qualities, I will admit) and usually people with powers are usually feared from hell and back (sometimes with good reason), kept in facilities where they usually escape having deep hatred for humanity (Elfen Lied for example). I guess what I am trying to say is that I always found MHA setting to be...how do I put it, too positive and bright? There is no way so many people having powers wouldnt lead to an apocalyptic or borderline apocalyptic scenario. Dont get me started on how the goverments of the world wouldnt be work 24/7 on stopping the spread of this X Hero-Gene by containing any babies that show powers. Maybe its because I watched far too much cynical entertaiment (X-men being mostly about how people with powers would NOT simply just get accepted). And even if the "heroes" outnumber the normals, dont tell me it wouldnt lead to some sort of Magneto styled nightmare where normals would be seen as a genetical dead ends to be abused and enslaved. Also assuming everything goes correctly, who's to say the heroes dont cause more damage than they solve? (its a classic question Im not sure if it brings up).
Anyway, can someone give me some insight, please? Its one of those "just go along with the setting" like One Piece ?

MHA is definitely the type of story you just need to roll with, though I have a feeling that the author doesn't want it to be as bright as shiny as it is right now.

But just fyi there is the MHA Vigilantes manga that look at (though not much darker) more street level crime like drug dealers and stuff. It also builds some of the plot that may or may not become relevant in the main anime sometime in the future. Been a while since I read it though.

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

, though I have a feeling that the author doesn't want it to be as bright as shiny as it is right now.

There is also the fact that, Previous to All Might showing up as "The Symbol of Peace" Crime was apparently out of control. The Story does have some darkness in the backround what with All for One having run Japan for an indeterminate amount of time. Places outside of Japan are still apparently really bad off because they have crime rates 3 times of what we see in the current show.

Like given That All Might couldn't get to UA without having to stop to deal with a crime or two on the way to the school that seems pretty bad.

 

[The handsome tard]

You know, I just had the crazies fucking idea ever.


The boys and MHA crossover!

Allmight: Suck the allmighty dick.

God damn it, it cracks me up. Its all idealistic and bright then BOOM, "Suck my dick"!
I mean, Homelander was meant to be "What if Superman was a dick and a hero just in name?"
Allmight was meant to be the show's "superman" (still idealistic and inspiring despite any flaws).