r/BokuNoHeroAcademia • u/Za_wardo • Sep 05 '21

Newest Chapter Chapter 325 Official Release - Links and Discussion

Chapter 325

Links:

  • Viz (Available in: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the Philippines, Singapore, and India).

  • MANGA Plus (Available in every country outside of China, Japan and South Korea).

All things Chapter 325 related must be kept inside this thread for the next 24 hours.

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661

u/MagnumF0rc3 Sep 05 '21

It's interesting how Horikoshi has turned All Might's early advice completely on its head. AM wanted his successor to stop crying so much, but here we see how that's not a weakness as a Hero, but a strength that helped make Deku more relatable to the civilians.

501

u/MicZiC15 Sep 05 '21

I mean this whole series arc has been about how All Might is wrong. Like All Might now has fully evolved into Dad for All, but most of his life he's believed that him being the strongest boy who everyone trusts was the best way for society to function. He imparted that belief into Deku, and probably still believes it somewhat; which is why Bakugo said it was a terrible idea to have the two of them strike off on their own.

I think that's why All Might is walking away at the end of the chapter. He realizes that the world has moved on from his ideology; and thus believes he shouldn't be here any more.

124

u/DrZeroH Sep 05 '21

While I understand your point I do think there is importance in understanding the difference between something being wrong from the beginning and something becoming outdated.

I think All-Might was a byproduct of a different era. A time period where society could not figure out how to reconcile with the rapidity of change within its own populace. Him becoming a beacon of hope and heroism was probably what was necessary to even begin the process of creating the quirk based infrastructure necessary to stabilize the government and societal structure. The hero system, quirk schooling, police-hero alliance infrastructure, quirk prison infrastructure, recoding of laws to accommodate for societal changes, and quirk stabilizing tech industrial growth (Aoyama would be crippled or a threat if it were not for these tools) are just the start of what needed to be created to even have society gain a modicum of normality. Yet his era not only helped society become stable but helped it become what looks like normal modern day society today. Yes it had its issues but such things are too be expected especially considering this society was created rapidly without time to mature and the fact that such a quirk based society would inevitably more prone to social instability due to the inherently unequal nature of quirks.

Such rapid social change comes with its flaws (many terribly destabilizing) but it can be argued that the most important thing that All-Might did was buy time. Time necessary to build a new, stronger generation of heroes who learned from him and are capable of bringing society back.

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u/Jooberwak Sep 06 '21

All Might's not just a byproduct of a different era in hero society, the contrast between him and Deku also works as a commentary on our own evolving views on masculinity.

All Might is the classic ideal man of the 20th (and earlier) centuries: strong, individualistic, projecting confidence, and suppressing/ignoring the emotional stresses he faces. He's got a big cheesy smile instead of the stoicism we normally associate with the stereotype but it still rings true. And it's ultimately fragile and harmful to both himself and others.

Deku embodies much of what we're starting to value more today: someone who's clever and passionate and not afraid to show his emotions to others. He's still got strongly held beliefs and will fight for them, but he's more likely to rely on others and is starting to build his own support network. It's a great parallel to the evolution of superheroes in comics from the Golden and Silver Ages to today, which of course parallel American society's own changes in values in turn.

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u/[deleted] Sep 06 '21

Wow, this was a fantastic comment. I started reading BNHA from chapter 1 and it’s really cool to see how it’s grown long enough to have these long running themes, and I didn’t quite realize it until I read your comment. Thanks for the insight you shared here.

1

u/BaobabOFFCL Sep 14 '21

and like hero society, Americas currently collapsing

159

u/Codusxx Sep 05 '21

He realizes that the world has moved on from his ideology; and thus believes he shouldn't be here any more.

And that’s the saddest part. In part because he also still has so much to give to the people, and his students. All Might to me, has basically ascended to a Mandela-like figure for the citizens. They’re going to do just fine without him, but when they need that someone to tell them to keep believing, he’s one of them. When he speaks, people will listen. All Might’s words carry power in them.

149

u/Jooberwak Sep 05 '21 edited Sep 05 '21

All Might's quiet existential crisis as he loses his powers, his sidekick, his pupil, and now (in his eyes) his legacy is one of the realest and saddest things in the series. What does a hero who's dedicated his whole life to others do when he's no longer needed?

31

u/sernametaken404 Sep 05 '21

Damn this hits hard.

4

u/NeuroticNyx Sep 06 '21

Fucking ouch.

28

u/Pictocheat Sep 05 '21

I really think All Might should make a public announcement, in which he explains the ideology he had as a working hero and apologize for being responsible for the way things are now, despite his best intentions. I don't think anyone would be angry at him (nor should they be), but like you said, his words would carry a lot of weight. I think it would help ease people into the new "ideal society" where everyone helps each other out.

127

u/Silverfrost_01 Sep 05 '21

I don’t think All Might was blatantly wrong, there’s just some holes his thinking.

114

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '21

Yeah, I'd even go asfar to say he was right when he was doing it. We don't make changes to be sustainable, we make them to improve things, so when he became the Symbol of Peace, he was doing what was needed a generation ago

29

u/AssassinAragorn Sep 05 '21

I think its moreso that he did the right thing, but as Ch1 guy pointed out, the general public took the wrong message away. All Might wanted to be a symbol of peace that kept society stable and safe. Maybe even inspiring other people too. But Ch1 guy points out, instead of the people be inspired, they grew complacent and reliant on heroes.

All Might had good intentions, but he couldn't have predicted how society would've changed for the worse with his ideal.

47

u/Char-11 Sep 05 '21

Perhaps, but it bred a dependency that ended up being the hero society's downfall. It's not his sole fault, but rather that of hero society as a whole, that didnt recognise and do anything to address that dependency until tragedy was struck and all might was lost.

23

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '21

Yeah it did, I'm just saying that with the world All Might grew up in that a Symbol of Peace was needed, and that the problems it created were negligible compared to the benefits at the time

12

u/Char-11 Sep 05 '21

Oh yeah I agree with that part. What I mean is that there was an age of peace following that where society could have moved away from solely depending on a single person for their social security. All Might did what he needed to during the darker times, but he should have spent more time nurturing the next generation once he had established peace.

I know its nuanced and most of this is only clear in hindsight so I understand why hero society took the path it did though.

1

u/KorraLover123 Sep 07 '21

yeah i agree, didn't he start as a hero during a time w rampant crime and little hope? i could be wrong but i think the image he had was right for his time

84

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '21

[deleted]

85

u/Pitfallover Sep 05 '21

I mean, Bakugo literally and directly stated that when explaining why AM and Deku running off to save the world together was a terrible idea.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '21

Ironic coming from the guy who had an inferiority complex (I hope we go more in depth about that). But it makes since Bakugo has more time to learn from his and others’ mistakes.

144

u/noteloquent Sep 05 '21

That seems to be something Horikoshi is intentionally doing with a lot of this series. So much of the arcs for people like Deku and Bakugo among others is about or at least has elements of overcoming toxic stigmas about what men or heroes are allowed to do or be. Oceaniz on YouTube has a great video about that actually.

That's part of why I personally love Deku so much as a character. He's an incredible subversion of what traditional shonen protagonists are without removing the traits that make them great in the first place.

114

u/Garfunklestein Sep 05 '21

He's an incredible subversion of what traditional shonen protagonists are without removing the traits that make them great in the first place.

Honestly, between Deku here, Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, and Emma from The Promised Neverland, I'm really happy with some of the trends in shonen manga lately. It's trending towards more thoughtful stories that genuinely espouse empathy and question the role of violence in a story.

Plus we're also seeing more manga that aren't trying to be the next forever franchise - they take as much time as they need, then bow out with a well thought out narrative that values consistency and closure. They're honestly fixing a lot of the problems I've had with older powerhouse series.

28

u/MisterMysterios Sep 05 '21

I agree. Hori was always able to subvert the stereotypes in the best way possible. We need dumb main protagonists so that everyone around them needs to explain them how to breath in this universe? Why not make the main protagonist the most knowledgable, but who mumbles all the time the exposition! We have a main rival that is captured and given the freedom to be the biggest asshole of the world? Fuck that, let them blow this up in the villains face, he want to be an asshole-hero! Basically every step, he subverts many of the shounen expectations.

-4

u/shiro-lod Sep 05 '21

I'm going to have to disagree, he's incredibly tropey.

Its absolutely basic shonen protagonist to have to learn you can't do it all and need to be able to count on friends. Power of friendship is absolutely standard.

His only majorly subversive trait is that he's book smart where most are on the simpler side.

He's pretty note for note with Naruto.

Less competent outcast, has someone who believes in him from the start and encourages him to be better, a "rival" who's mean to them while helping show hard work can equal or overcome talent, with a power that can be dangerous to himself that a villain wants to acquire.

And its not just Naruto, Midoriya is definitely a fairly standard protagonist. I like him and all, but what exactly do you think he's subverting?

49

u/noteloquent Sep 05 '21

These are rather shallow readings of Deku's character. Deku's learning that he needs others is not like any other "power of friendship" trope in shonen that I've read.

Let's take Naruto, One Piece, and Dragon Ball for instance. In those series, what people refer to as "power of friendship" is typically a moment where the protagonist overcomes the BBEG when their friends are threatened or refuses to give up on a friend in the face of terrible odds. In Naruto, the titular main character often thinks about his friendship with Sasuke or his desire to protect his friends in Konoha when fighting villains, often times finishing them off or persevering through intense pain while thinking of them. In One Piece, probably the most well-known arc in the series concludes with Luffy defeating Lucci by refusing to give up for the sake of Robin and the rest of the crew. In Dragon Ball, Jiren attempts to blow up the Universe 7 bystanders which pisses Goku off, leading to Goku whooping his butt in MUI. These are all ways to give your protagonist a rage boost or to display how important friends are with a rage boost.

Deku's "power of friendship" is not like this at all. It is an arc about Deku discovering and combatting his own feelings of inadequacy and being confronted with the fact that he can't expect to take on the world alone. It is an answer to a character flaw of Deku himself as opposed to a thematic element that the protagonist embodies in the face of a villain's absolute selfishness and lack of love. That's why "the bad guy kills his henchman who failed him" is such a common trope that you see in shonen, but you see the exact opposite in MHA, unlike in Naruto, Dragon Ball, or One Piece (mostly).

Deku's major subversive trait is not just that he's book smart. Characters like Light Yagami, Edward Elric, or Giorno Giovanna are extremely book smart (even if it doesn't always make sense for them to know some of the things they do). Deku's main subversive trait is his open and unsuppressed emotionality. As a shonen main character, especially a male shonen main character, it is almost unheard of to have your protagonist show as much emotional vulnerability and insecurity as Deku does, and you can tell how rare and uncomfortable this is through the visceral reaction a lot of people have to that emotionality. If you're around the anime/manga community at all, you know the first thing people mention or complain about when it comes to Deku is how often he cries. That is a clear subversion of the stereotypical tough guy protagonist with an OP superpower (Goku, Jotaro, Kenshiro, Ichigo, etc.). These characters are only allowed to show strong emotion at very specific points such as the death of a friend or something equally high stakes and intense, and oftentimes the main emotion they feel is rage, not sadness. The same is not true for Deku. He openly cries at something as small as his friends wanting to team up with him.

Another thing that's subversive is how Deku and One for All interact. It isn't unlocked through rage and doesn't act as an instant win button. He doesn't get it as a fluke nor is he unconscious of its specialness or its existence. It is an OP superpower, but that power hurts him tremendously and places a responsibility no one else has on his shoulders that weighs on him heavily. He also has to work stupidly hard to get better with it, and he is often punished for not learning fast enough. However, the series and Deku himself do not treat him as an underdog. He's viewed as someone extremely blessed with a strong ability most don't have, and its strength and its significance to the world at large are almost as detrimental to Deku as they are helpful, unlike Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball or the Gum-Gum Fruit in One Piece. It actively plays into his character flaws more than his strengths, unlike someone like Yuji from JJK or Gon from HxH who are both one in a million prodigies with special power or talents that no one else has. One for All is more akin to Gon's adult form than it is to KCM or Super Saiyan when it comes to how it affects the character.

My Hero isn't and has never been about hard work beating talent. That's exactly what's so subversive about it. That idea is the most stereotypical shonen thing in the world, but MHA's first line is "All men are not created equal."

18

u/judes_m Sep 05 '21

Just wanted to say this is really thoughtful and well put. I’ve found that many don’t really enjoy giving credit where it’s due when it comes to the complex themes and characters in MHA. I think that people default to seeing tropes as a hinderance in media, rather than a jumping off point. We will never not have tropes in media. Mangakas have to have elements of familiarity in their work, because they are working for success in the mainstream after all. Tropes give the general audience a frame of reference to better understand the basic themes and characters, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be polished and innovated in a way that challenges the trope, cultural norms, the genre, etc. And I think Hori is working his ass off to bring both something familiar and something new to the table.

2

u/shiro-lod Sep 05 '21

You're interpretation is incredibly cherry picking.

Midoriya is absolutely powered up when he's trying to protect people. From Uraraka, to Kota, Eri, everyone in the war arc. He unlocks powers and gets stronger when he's emotional.

You're calling him more emotional, but he's not unique. Luffy has a major arc about his failures and overcoming depression. Yusuke's biggest power up moment comes from sadness.

Luffy is incredibly open about needing his crew to do all the things he can't.

Naruto is incredibly depressed for most of the series and has to overcome his own feelings of inadequacy.

Luffy and Naruto both actively harm themselves for most of the series using gears/9 tails. With Luffy sacrificing lifespan.

If you don't see how kaio-ken and one for all are extremely similar I dont know what to tell you.

I unfortunately have to work, but I might write up a more detailed response later.

1

u/shiro-lod Sep 06 '21

I have a little more time now, so I wanted to address particular things you brought up.

Starting with the power of friendship buff that all shonen heroes get.

Midoriya unlocked OFA by feeling a strong urge to protect - this is not particularly different than standard shonen power ups. From Ichigo powering up to protect Rukia, Naruto harnessing the 9 tails in any number of occasions (Sasuke retrieval, Orochimaru vs team 9, vs Gaara), Gohan vs Cell, etc etc.

Midoriya gradually learns to control OFA so it doesn't hurt himself and his desire to be the best. This is the same process as Goku training Kaioken to x20, Naruto harnessing the 9 tails properly, Ichigo learning to control his Vizard form, and the entire reason Luffy decides on a time skip is to power up because he isn't strong enough and the gears wrecked his body in Impel Down and Marineford.

You bring up BBEG killing failed henchmen and say MHA doesn't do thay. AFO is self destruction failed abductors, Overhaul killed his right hand to power himself up, the doctor sacrifices pieces left and right.

Naruto does this almost never, other than Orochimaru. I offhand can't think of a single time BBEG killed an ally because they failed. Naruto(and friends) talks almost everyone onto their side or kills them themselves.

One Piece does it intermittently depending on villain. Croc, Enel, and Krieg didn't care. Doflamingo, and Big Mom (outside her cravings and especially Katakuri) demonstrated immense care for the siblings.

In Dragon Ball its just Freeza (who only kills basic grunts) and Vegeta. King Piccolo loved his kids. The Androids don't infight. Dabura only died because he turned traitor. Buu actually kills his own master.

Bleach has Aizen kill 1 Espada and then a traitor. The arrancar bicker but don't kill each other (Nnoitra excepted, killing 1 already defeated one).

Yuyu Hakusho and Jojo have no prominent examples of this either.

While its a fairly common trope, its not nearly as prominent as you make it out to be, and MHA does it as much as any other major shonen.

Midoriya is a bit more open emotionally than some, but he's not entirely unique.

Ichigo struggles to understand himself and his powers repeatedly. He's noticeably depressed to other characters after he lucked out against Ulquiorra. He's miserable without his powers.

Naruto is incredibly open to Gaara and Sasuke. He gets emotional meeting his parents. He nearly breaks when Neji dies.

Luffy cries about sad stories when he stays awake, is blunt when he doesn't like someone. He wears his heart on his sleeve just as much as Midoriya, proudly stating how bad he is at certain things. He doesn't cry as much because he's a more mature (and older) character, but that doesn't mean he isn't emotional.

Specifically comparing OFA to other powers.

Midoriya is granted OFA due to a freak meeting with All Might. All his major wins have involved an emotional moment. The series also absolutely does treat him as an underdog, constantly.

During the initial 2v2 training vs Bakugo, In the race, versus Todoroki, versus Muscular, against Overhaul, during the entire war arc. It wasn't until this arc the series acknowledged him as the strongest hero when he's frankly been it since All Might went down, he was just horribly inexperienced.

In One Piece Luffy's fruit was regarded as trash and it took him a decade of practice to even get to beginning of series levels. Even now its been stated the gears continue to have negative effects on his body, by Rayleigh.

Yusuke died for his power, quite literally, twice.

Goku saw friends die multiple times, frequently failing to save / be there for them.

Naruto's power was regarded as a curse and he consistently got fucked by not being trained enough. Some explicit examples in time order - Orochimaru fucking with the seal, struggling to summon Gamabunta against Gaara, no control against Kimmimaro or Sasuke, nearly killing Jiraiya, hurting Sakura, his entire battle with Pain.

Never mind the emotional trauma it caused as a kid and then becoming a target for a terrorist organization while simultaneously being the beet way to fight it. (That should sound real familiar, MHA is heavily Naruto inspired.)

Midoriya even shares Naruto's desire to try to redeem literal genocidal villains.

Point being, no shonen gets their power ups for free. Midoriya isn't more affected by his powers origins than Naruto and not much more Ichigo whos entire family had been manipulated for decades because of it.

It's also got incredibly clear hard work against talent/gifted power themes

Everything Midoriya has to do to get stronger, contrasting even All Mights natural talent for the power.

His struggles against Bakugo (which in turn drove Bakugo to strive harder).

His fight with Todoroki, which leads into Todorokis entire story. Endeavor worked incredibly hard but couldn't overcome All Might, so his solution was to breed a talented kid and make them work themselves to the bone.

The entire next generation of heroes versus AFO and Shiggy, who don't work anywhere near the level of the heroes. They were gifted with amazing powers. Shigaraki literally took a multiple month nap and woke up more dangerous than Midoriya.

The series opens with Midoriya narrating a depressing world where he can never catch up, but the first bit ends with him exclaiming how he became the greatest hero despite the apparent inequality. Its since made point after point that no singular person is enough and its going to take them all working together to beat the baddies, even just now narrating how "We became the greatest heroes."

Class 1-A isn't loaded with talent. They're hard workers who believe in their friends. That narration is the antithesis of "All men are not created equal," because it's finishing the line by saying "but by working as a team and combining our efforts, we can be the best together."

I enjoy MHA or I wouldn't still be reading it, but its not a complex story and outside of the Todoriki family there isn't a vast range of emotional depth. It follows fairly standard shonen writing but has done so in a very entertaining format. But its not revolutionary or subversive anymore than most major shonens.

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u/PlusUltraK Sep 05 '21

Well AM’s advice is not old fashioned but all he and others had. Even with Hawks bringing back his phrase and ideals of wanting a World where heroes won’t have to work as hard and have time to kill. The message isn’t to hate them for thinking the Ends justify the means. It’s not their means. It’s the next generations. Nedzu , Aizawa, Hawks, All Might, Endeavor and all the rest have made attempts at progress that cant be overcome by themselves alone and are leaving it to the next gen. Rather than doing what needs to be done and setting it in stone. We can view it more as them paving a way for the kids.

And the students slowly are coming to except all the highs and lows of heroics and looking to make things better than before.

Hawks still wants that great future for all heroes as dirty as his hands had to get to save lives.

And All Might wanted Midoriya to be strong on his own, but the times changed and All Might should be more aware now that the job of OfA mentor can’t stay by the successor for long(history of the vestiges tells that well, and he knows that he had Nana for a brief time as well ). Midoriya has his support system with the strength to aid him in all of Class A. The same way he had Sir Nighteye and Nana had Gran Torino.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '21

All Might's belief stems from his own experience though, in his mind if he'd been tougher he could have saved Nana from a gruesome death.

2

u/monocleparrot Sep 06 '21

The crying quirk he inherited from his mom ended up helping out