My Hero Academia Fans’ Criticism of Shoto and Ochako Misses the Point: A Discussion

This weekend, followers of Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia manga series witnessed the start of the epilogue, which hinted at a future focus on Shoto and Ochako, two beloved characters. Despite Izuku “Deku”Midoriya’s continued role as the protagonist, it was evident that the spotlight would soon shift to the aforementioned pair.

During this setup, fans of My Hero Academia observed Shoto Todoroki and Ochako Uraraka acting somewhat distant towards Deku. It was evident that they were still dealing with the aftermath of the war on their own. Although they didn’t completely ignore him, some fans are upset with how they treated Deku, especially since they are known to be his close friends.

Despite this, many fans of My Hero Academia seem to overlook a crucial aspect of Shoto and Ochako’s characters that greatly impacts their actions. In addition, these fans also seem to disregard the fact that their character development is not solely dependent on Deku, as they have their own individual storylines that are separate from the main protagonist.

The individual storylines of Shoto and Ochako in My Hero Academia are often overlooked by fans in comparison to Deku, but not Bakugo

One of the main misconceptions among some My Hero Academia fans is that Shoto and Ochako’s lives solely revolve around Deku. Although they are friends with Deku, who is the main character of Horikoshi’s manga, he is not the central figure in their lives. Portraying them as such would be unrealistic and dismiss the individual storylines they have, such as Shoto’s with Toya Todoroki and Ochako’s with Himiko Toga.

The series demonstrates this by showing how both of their storylines evolve into their own distinct narratives, separate from Deku’s, as the story progresses. Despite this, the characters’ storylines have not been fully resolved, at least according to what fans are aware of. However, their actions imply that the characters themselves have not yet achieved the closure they require, as seen in the final panel of chapter 425, particularly for Shoto.

Despite being unable to physically save Tomura Shigaraki/Tenko Shimura, Deku has found the closure he needs as My Hero Academia comes to a close. In the end, he was able to save Tomura spiritually, which still gave him a sense of fulfillment. With Toya currently on life support and Toga’s whereabouts unknown, it is understandable that both characters are more focused on their own personal lives and emotions.

Supporters who refute the notion that Shoto and Uraraka should be held accountable are highlighting the possibility of the “Bakugo influence”coming into play. This refers to the fact that Bakugo’s character development has largely centered around his relationship with Deku, resulting in frequent interactions between the two. However, as Shoto and Uraraka have their own distinct adversaries and character arcs, they are not as closely tied to Deku as Bakugo is.

Fan reaction

Despite the fact that numerous fans acknowledge the mistake in the aforementioned train of thought, there are still some My Hero Academia fans who firmly believe that Shoto and Uraraka are to blame. This is mainly due to their concern for Izuku’s lack of someone to confide in, as they believe this is necessary for the protagonist to complete his character arc.

“ochako and shoto brushing off izuku and acting like they’re both fine [5x frowning emoji],” said one fan.

“I can’t imagine how suffocated izuku must feel. He wants to speak, but the only way he can right now is by voicing his worries about others, but since all of his friends are rejecting him, he’s just left there feeling lost and avoiding the one person who can truly help him,” argued another.

“#MHA425 – poor Izuku, I feel like both Ochako and Shoto blew him off. I guess they are not ready to talk…

I really want the Saviour Squad to have at least one scene to talk about their feelings… [crying emoji],” mused a third.

Despite this, there are just as many, if not more, fans in the fandom who believe that it is unfair to place blame solely on Todoroki and Uraraka for their recent actions.

“A prime F***ING EXAMPLE.

Ochaco’s smile looks fake as F**K

She’s not fine AT ALL

NONE OF THEM ARE

Why is the rate of media illiteracy in the fandom just getting higher and higher? Do y’all not understand context clues???,” vented one frustrated netizen.

“Wild on a few fronts because 1. They’re still being deliberately ignorant about Deku and Ochako paying special attention to each other and 2. IS SHOTO NOT ABOUT TO SEE HIS MASS MURDERER OLDER BROTHER IN A FREAKING LIFE SUPPORT TUBE!? [2x skull emoji],” pointed out another.

“why are some of yall villainizing and acting like Ochako and Shoto are terrible friends for not noticing Izuku was upset when they both literally have not even had time to process/resolve their own battles from the war yet [face with raised eyebrow emoji],” emphasized a third.

Despite there being a seemingly correct answer, it is evident that this topic is causing division among members of the My Hero Academia community. However, since art is subjective, it is challenging to definitively declare one side as completely right or wrong. Fans are entitled to their opinions on the matter.