One thing I really like about BNHA is the constant acknowledgement of the fact that the shonen manga “I can do anything if I just push myself hard enough and refuse to ever rest or back down” mindset is incredibly self destructive.
Like. All Might is falling apart, physically. Midoriya, at just 15, has destroyed his body so many times that he risks paralysis every time he channels his power through his arms. Iida has severe nerve damage in one hand. And literally no one who cares about them is pretending that this is an acceptable way to be. Even the resident magic cure-all, Recovery Girl, can’t do enough to keep up with the damage they put themselves through, and in Midoriya’s case has threatened to stop healing him so as not to enable his self-destructive tendencies.
Plus, a lot of their character development revolves around learning NOT to be like that. Iida spends several arcs after his fight with Stain trying to atone for the trouble his recklessnes caused and trying to prevent Midoriya from getting into the same type of trouble. All Might has to learn to live as a civilian after he gives his power to Midoriya and then CONTINUES to push his body so far that he pretty much breaks. Midoriya develops a new fighting style, reevaulates his tendency to rush in, and learns to ask for help from the Support department in order to keep from destroying himself in the same way.
It’s honestly refreshing; I was a little sick of the Bleach-style “the hero can loose twice his weight in blood and be totally fine an episode later” type of storytelling.
This is a huge reason for why I love the series. Like you think it’s gonna go in that direction after the second episode but as soon as Midoriya gets to UA, his homeroom teacher is like, “Nope.”
And it’s not just the breaking of his body, it affects how people look at his potential, aka, barely any internship offers after the sports festival because what good is a hero who breaks himself?
Like, I love that the solution is NOT self-sacrifice. Like no, you can’t wreck your body for the win, even if there is a character who can heal you. Yes, you will lose your arms, think of something else. Yes, you have this god-like power but it comes with a price, so you better learn how to NOT kill yourself with it.
There’s no senzu beans here, Midoriya, and even if there were we’d limit your intake.
