My Hero Academia chapter 393: Ochaco gets her Quirk Awakening amidst Toga’s flashbacks

With the official release of My Hero Academia chapter 393 earlier this weekend, fans were thrown straight back into Himiko Toga and Ochaco Uraraka’s emotional fight. This issue was nearly universally welcomed by fans of the series, with many appreciating how author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi developed their fight thus far.

Especially exciting about My Hero Academia chapter 393 is that it sees Horikoshi return to full-length issues after a string of 9–13 page issues in recent weeks. Likewise, this would indicate that whatever health troubles or other issues were plaguing Horikoshi over the last several weeks have been dealt with.

In any case, My Hero Academia chapter 393 is an especially triumphant return to full-length releases for the series thanks to the engaging content within. While those looking for over-the-top action from this fight may be disappointed, fans more concerned with the narrative context of the bout will be more than pleased with what’s inside.

My Hero Academia chapter 393 continues the emotional story of Uraraka reaching out to Toga

My Hero Academia chapter 393: Familiar friends and old advice

My Hero Academia chapter 393 opens up with a continuation of Himiko Toga’s flashback to discussing villain names with Twice and the other members of the League of Villains. Compress and Spinner urge her to pick one, with the latter pointing out that Tomura Shigaraki also hasn’t chosen one.

Toga responds that she doesn’t want to choose one, but Spinner and Twice suggest “The Female Vampire: Carmilla”and “Bloody Kiss Pikachiu”anyway. Toga rejects both, while Dabi comments on how both names are lame due to being references to pop culture from before Quirks even existed.

My Hero Academia chapter 393 then sees Shigaraki comment on how, in the past, there was no clear distinction between Heroes and Villains. He adds that one theory says that people didn’t know the identity of their enemies, so they made up names for them. He further states that these secret identities and codenames became like masks that helped them survive.

Likewise, as Heroes and Villains became societal symbols, those codenames and secret identities led to real-life imitating comic books. Shigaraki ends by saying he doesn’t need such a thing, even though he does like the concept. Toga then jumps up excitedly and says that’s why she joined the league, adding that she’ll live her life as Himiko Toga.

My Hero Academia chapter 393 then returns to the present, where Toga has just removed her knife from Ochaco Uraraka’s stomach. She tells Uraraka not to apply her standards to Toga in order to decide that she should pity her. Uraraka coughs up blood but is still able to hang onto Toga, as she says she’s not trying to pity her.

Toga breaks free shortly thereafter, commenting on how floating doesn’t put her at risk right now. Toga then says to Uraraka that, despite using pretty words to cover it up, she’s just trying to lock her up in order to secure her eventual execution. She adds that if Uraraka is unable to capture her, then she’ll just be killed like Twice was.

My Hero Academia chapter 393: What’s in a smile?

My Hero Academia chapter 393 then sees Toga claim that their battle is one for survival, her face now fully free from the Twice clone mask as she says this. Uraraka responds that such a viewpoint is one most would agree with, prompting Toga to assert that if it’s not pity, then it can only be ego. Likewise, if that is the case, she adds that Uraraka will die as she activates the Sad Man’s Legion.

As Toga’s legion of Twice clones continues to overrun the ProHeroes in the area, a news reporter comments on how unique the situation is. She then quotes an archaic theory that Quirks will become stronger and harder to control as generations go on, asserting that the Quirk Doomsday Theory is coming true before her very eyes.

She adds that a girl and her feelings can change the world as Toga and Uraraka stare each other down, with Toga then sending the various clones she’s made to attack Uraraka. My Hero Academia chapter 393 sees Uraraka use her Gunhead Martial Arts to counter her attackers, then use her Quirk on them in order to make them float.

Toga’s clones comment on how they haven’t been hurt, but Uraraka adds that her Quirk Zero Gravity isn’t meant for hurting people. This causes Toga to angrily remember when Uraraka claimed that she’d never feel happy about dropping someone out of the sky to their death. Uraraka then says that Toga’s comment about Uraraka being motivated by ego if not pity might be true.

My Hero Academia chapter 393 sees her follow up by admitting that she can’t pretend Toga hasn’t killed people on purpose. However, when she sees Toga’s face, she can’t help but wonder what happened for her to turn out like this. She asserts that something must’ve happened on the day her world turned upside down in order to make her look so sad today.

Toga says that it’s Uraraka’s fault, but Uraraka responds that there’s more to it, explaining that when they first met, she was scared because she didn’t understand Toga. She explains that she questioned how she could smile so genuinely in the middle of a fight, prompting Toga to tell her to shut up as she remembers Twice’s words to her after the earlier flashback.

My Hero Academia chapter 393 sees Twice tell Toga that if she plans to live as herself, she should be sure to kill as many people as she likes so she can become whoever she likes. She then remembers her parents’ words urging her to stop making the face she made as a child while questioning why Uraraka won’t just die already.

Uraraka responds that although she pushed Toga away once and that this world isn’t her ideal one, she’s seen so many happy faces. Likewise, Toga should never try to hide her feelings or true face, saying so while looking back on her life as a young child and as a teenager. There’s even a brief scene that shows a young Uraraka looking at a young Toga.

My Hero Academia chapter 393 then sees Uraraka say that Toga has such a lovely smile and that she even envies her for it. Uraraka then says that she won’t pretend that she didn’t see Toga smile, with lightning bolts flying out of her fingers as she says this. It seems to be her Quirk Awakening, as she then sends a massive group of Twice clones flying without ever touching them.

The news reporter repeats her words about a single girl changing the world with her emotions, while Uraraka tells Toga that she can’t pretend she didn’t commit crimes or validate them. However, she urges that if Toga still feels like talking to her, even a little bit, then Uraraka will give Toga her blood for the rest of her life. She says she wants the two to talk about romance, as the issue ends with a scene of a young Uraraka offering a young Toga her arm to bite.

My Hero Academia chapter 393: In summation

In all respects, My Hero Academia chapter 393 is an excellent and noteworthy installment for both the series overall and for the course of Toga and Uraraka’s fight. Seeing as this is the climax of the two’s bout, fans can likely expect the next few issues to focus on Toga’s emotional walls coming down as well as her admitting defeat.

What makes this issue genuinely great is that it contains an amazing chapter and sees Horikoshi return to full-length issues. If this is the case, fans can expect the final moments of Uraraka and Toga’s fight to be of exceptionally high quality and some of the most engaging content from the series in recent memory.

Be sure to keep up with all My Hero Academia anime, manga, and live-action news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.