Hi! Your answer about heroism generally and Izuku saving Katsuki in ch.1 got me thinking. Izuku really does have heart of hero, he really wants to help people - that's for sure. But if it was just someone else and not Katsuki in ch.1 - Izuku definitely wouldn't rush to help. He even said something like "sorry poor guy I can't help you, but someone will do, I hope" before he saw it was Katsuki. So, it was kinda selfish moment for him, as I see it. So I wonder - can this exact moment be considered pure image of heroism on Izuku's behalf?
“So I wonder - can this exact moment be considered pure image of heroism on Izuku’s behalf?”
Yes it can, but it’s because I disagree with your interpretation of the scene.
I am aware that there exists a certain subsection of the fandom who view the scene as you describe, and I have no problems with analyzing the question of what’s going on in this scene or with crafting a what-if exploration of this scene in fanfic. That’s fun shit. I just ultimately don’t think that is what’s going on here at all.
First, we have Izuku acknowledge that he’s used to being a spectator. He’s never run out to save anyone before.
This is an important acknowledgement because it sets up the general behavior of hero society bystanders. The same bystander from chapter 1 reappears in chapter 325 to explain it:
Chapter 1 then establishes for Izuku to know that the heroes aren’t doing anything about the situation. Izuku is even made to empathize with the victim as he just experienced the same thing earlier that day:
Izuku ends up feeling responsible for the victim’s pain, and he falls into the same mental trap the bystanders and even the heroes on the scene do: “We need someone with the right quirk.”
“Someone will come to save you soon…” “A hero is bound to come…” Izuku knows the victim needs to be saved and acknowledges that no one currently there is doing anything to help the victim.
And then this happens.
There are many things here that could be triggering Izuku. One interpretation certainly could be that Izuku is prompted to act when he sees that the victim is Katsuki.
The problem with that is: we’re actually told what triggers Izuku here.
There are multiple potential triggers. The victim being “Kacchan” is one of the possibilities. But the narrator ultimately tells us what was the factor that sprung Izuku into action “at that moment.”
“You looked like you needed saving.”
The thing that spurred Izuku to act was not seeing Katsuki; it was seeing Katsuki’s face asking himfor help.
Izuku knows there’s a person suffering at the hands of a villain, a suffering Izuku is familiar with, a villain Izuku is responsible for helping escape All Might. Izuku is used to being a spectator who watches the heroes save the day, but there are no heroes here saving anyone. For the first time, he’s at the scene of a villain attack, and the victim has to look around and ask someone, anyone for help. For the first time, the victim looks at Izuku and asks him for help.
“But if it was just someone else and not Katsuki in ch.1 - Izuku definitely wouldn’t rush to help.”
So I disagree with your above statement. I think if any other person would have looked to Izuku for help in that situation, Izuku would have rushed out to help. I don’t think he’s only a hero for Katsuki’s sake.
However, I do believe there are other important reasons Katsuki is the victim here.
It demonstrates that any bad blood between Izuku and Katsuki is inconsequential to Izuku’s impulse to save Katsuki. Izuku does care about Katsuki.
Likewise, the fact that their bad blood doesn’t affect Izuku in this case does demonstrate Izuku’s heroic qualities. His personal life does not get in the way of his heroism.
Most importantly, it shows that Katsuki admires Izuku.
I’m honestly not fond of the “(selfish) Izuku only saves Katsuki because he loves him, it’s got nothing to do with his heroism” take because it betrays a bias. The notion that Izuku is selfish and cares only about Katsuki is a perspective that elevates Izuku’s feelings at the expense of Katsuki’s. This scene is not about how much Izuku cares about Katsuki; it’s about Katsuki’s feelings for Izuku.
For the entire chapter, most every character has made fun of Izuku for his dream of being a hero. They don’t take him seriously. They think he’s a joke.
Katsuki, consistently, does take Izuku’s dream seriously. He sees Izuku as a legitimate threat.
We also learn later why Katsuki takes Izuku seriously. Despite Izuku’s deficiencies, Katsuki has always seen something in Izuku that the rest of society misses. He sees the makings of a true hero, which causes Katsuki to doubt himself. He doubts whether or not he can measure up to Izuku in the same regard.
(He knows exactly what Izuku can do.)
Katsuki also ends up exposed and victimized by the way society is. Society sees people as just their quirks. That’s how the heroes who fail to save him behave. That’s even how the villain behaves.
Note that in this final picture, Katsuki looks away from the heroes to focus on Izuku.
On some level, Katsuki knows what real heroism is, which is what makes him so self-conscious and leads him to mistreat Izuku. When he is stuck and dying, none of the heroes even try to help him. Katsuki finds the one person in the area who would actually do something: Izuku. And so he pleads for Izuku’s help with his eyes.
It’s no mistake that All Might describes one of Katsuki’s feelings towards Izuku as “awe.”
He’s just been terrible at expressing his awe because of his self-doubt.
Despite his rejection of Izuku, Katsuki is regularly shown to be in awe of him throughout high school. He’s felt awe for Izuku ever since they were little kids. That’s what makes him so uncomfortable. He really can’t wrap his head around Izuku for most of their lives, which makes Katsuki himself feel inferior. But in chapter 1, in his moment of desperation, he looks to Izuku for help. He acknowledges Izuku’s heroism only in his hour of need.
So when it comes to how I interpret chapter 1, I think the above distinctions are important to make. I don’t mean to rain on any bakudeku parades. Seriously, if you like the other interpretation, you do you. But to me, THIS interpretation is the more bakudeku one. The reason Izuku’s and Katsuki’s destinies are so intertwined is because of their acknowledgement of each other’s heroic traits, specifically the ones the other feels they are lacking. That’s what makes them two halves of a whole. You can’t erase Izuku’s heroic traits, or else there is nothing for Katsuki to admire. There’s no one otherwise who sticks out in the hero-corrupted society that Katsuki feels he can count on for help. Their deep relationship comes from their mutual admiration of each other. Chapter 1 is Izuku’s heroic moment, and you have to have it preserved if you want Katsuki’s feelings for Izuku to make sense.
hello everyone (who’s still here), it’s been quite a while! I started this blog when I was in my teens, and I’m almost 30 now (wow, where does the time go)!
it feels funny to look back on posts and see so many different versions of well… me.
the last thing this blog was used for was BTS and while I am no longer an avid fan, I still like them — they’re always going to be precious to me.
that said, I debated on whether I should start a new blog for my new interest, but ultimately I decided that since this blog has endured at least 5 diff fandom changes in the last 10+ years, what’s another?
going forward, I plan to use this blog to talk about Kohei Horikoshi’s brain baby, My Hero Academia or MHA/BNHA. you’re welcomed to stick around for the ride! (also if you’re already a fan, hmu what are you waiting for hiiiii)
“what if i just straight up break down in class and scare the shit out of ms neo so that she’ll postpone the test?”
“is it too early if i have a breakdown in january?” “its the second week, man.” “i know.”
“let’s all just collectively skip the national exams, fuck the system!” *aggressive cheering*
in a really choked up voice, “i have rights.”
“what if i become a monk? do monks have to take exams?”
“in this context, what does ‘rapid’ mean?” “FAST AND FURIOUS”
“did y’all do the chem homework?” *collective ‘no’s* “alright, good. nobody be a wimp and do their homework, alright? if we’re fucked, we’re all fucked together.”
“wait, you mean to say that this school still teach fun stuff like music??”
*scandalised gasp* “you stole my circle template’s virginity!” “all i did was hook a finger through one of the holes!” “exactly!”
“i bought this $2 knee guard just because i want to pretend that i’m injured so that i can sit out of PE.” [slides knee guard on] “i have three consecutive tests after this and lord knows i need all the extra study time that i can get.”
in an increasingly panicked voice, “i can’t just do my lit homework in 30mins!” “well, i did.” “what did you put for characterisation and further analysis?” “i said the protagonist was a fuckboy, and then proceeded to write 3 paragraphs and a conclusion consisting of utter bullshit on why he’s a fuckboy.”
“don’t they call people from Germany, germanese?” said by a top student.
“i think i’m a hermaphrodite.”
“fuck, i hate this. can i just be an escort? or have like 67 sugar daddies?”
in the middle of physics class: “i’m leaving, i’m fucking leaving. i’m going down to the canteen to buy takeouts of 3 fishball noodles. y’all want anything?”
“i want the saddest pepe the frog meme you can find as our class logo.”
“i found a salsa dip in my bag, anyone have some chips?” [a girl sighs, puts down her calculator and reaches into her sports bag] “i do.”
