Today's MHA Ramble Is Either Gonna Be Great Or Ineligible And There Will Be No In-between. I'm On My

Today's MHA ramble is either gonna be great or ineligible and there will be no in-between. I'm on my computer instead of my phone today so I can type so much faster, but, I am slightly dehydrated and out of it because I just spent like eight hours outside in the sun for a renaissance fair so maybe I'll just pass out half way through, who knows.

Lizzy's MHA thought/ramble of the night: MHA and why I think it does the "power of friendship" trope the correct way (IE: Not cringy/weird).

Now, I honestly think trying to wrap up the intricacies of the end of MHA in just "the power of friendship!!" is doing the series a huge disservice, but in its simplest form, that kind of is what happens. To be honest, I'm such a sucker for this trope. I love it when we get to see all the people the MC (Izuku in this case) has made an impact on over the course of the series and they all come together to back the main character, that is thee shit and I will eat it up.

However, the thing I love about MHA's approach to this is something we see explored a lot through the series: the idea that you don't have to go at it alone. Like, I feel like the ending has so much more of an impact because instead of them all the other characters standing behind him and going "Yay!! You can do it!! Good job!!" No, instead they run beside him and say "rest, we'll clear you a path. We know we can't do this for you, but at least let us do this".

Because that's what a friend is. That's what friendship is. It's realizing that not only is a friend someone you want to protect, but it's someone who protects you.

It gives me chills Every. Damn. Time.

It's through that we get to see the impact Izuku has made on everyone in the series. I joke with people that even when Izuku has nothing to do with something that's happening, he has something to do with it, and that really comes to a head in the final chapters. In a sort of ironic way, it's what ends up defeating All for One, because it's literally the only thing he never managed to get. Deku says as much while they're fighting, that deep down All for One really is just a lonely man. He had power, people to do his bidding and hang on his every word, but the top of the world is a very isolating place to be because there's no one who can look you in the eye. Followers and friends are two different things, a friend is an equal, a follower is a pawn.

I think it's why All for One was so attached to his younger brother Yoichi, because deep down, he knew All for One in ways that no one ever could. It was the closest to a genuine loving relationship he ever got.

Honestly, it's part of why All Might failed the first time around too. He had a few friends, sure, but in the end he was surrounded by mostly fans. People who adored and appreciated him, but did so from behind a barricade. All Might pretty much worked alone - and Deku definitely couldn't have made the progress he made without the trail All Might blazed - but Deku had the one thing All Might never did: People who fought alongside him even when he didn't want them to.

And, honestly? I can't blame All Might for avoiding it. After all, Deku almost does this same thing. They both wanted to protect people so badly they don't want to accept help. They see themselves as the only person who's allowed to make sacrifices because they're so scared they'll loose someone. It's part of the reason I find such comfort in Izuku as a character, because he never wants to see anyone else hurt because of him.

However, because Deku reached out first in the beginning, because he made friends and took care of them whenever he could, because treated them as equals, they said "too bad so sad, you get our help whether you like it or not, because that's what you'd do for us". It's the beauty of those final episodes of season six and why I love them so much, because 1-A had no reason to go after Deku other than they were worried about him. They didn't take no for an answer, because sometimes it's a friend's job to take you by the hand and scream in your face to "TAKE A NAP!!! EAT SOME FOOD!! YOU'RE WEARING YOURSELF DOWN AND YOU NEED A BREAK!!! SIT DOWN AND LET US CARRY YOU FOR A WHILE!!!"

It's exactly like Ochaco says, they don't want to be protected. They're not fragile victims to be looked after. They didn't get blindly wrapped up in this mess, they dove in head first because they cared about Izuku and wanted to stand at his side.

And therein lies the difference.

All for One had followers.

All Might had fans.

Deku had friends.

Followers will only do as they're told. Fans will only cheer on. But friends? You can't tell them to do shit, they do what they want, and if they want to help you then they will. Friends go the extra mile. Friends run beside you when no one else can. Friends clear the path for you so you can deliver that final big ass punch.

That's the magic of this trope, and you can see it so clearly here because it's realistic. And by that I mean Izuku doesn't get a magical burst of energy because everyone was cheering his name from the sidelines. It came from them actually doing shit to give him a chance. It came from Aizawa bandaging his wounds, it came from Iida grabbing his hand and half-dragging him across the battle field, it came from Eri giving a little bit of her quirk, it came from Bakugo showing up at the last second to blast the crap out of someone, it came from the countless attacks launched by the rest of the heroes to give him a chance to get back on his feet.

You know what they say, actions speak louder than words, and that's the magic of this kind of storytelling. We don't need to be told they care through chants or claps, they just show us.

That's the true "power of friendship". People who don't just stand beside you, but sometimes run in front of you so you don't trip over that stump in the path.

That's friendship. That's love. And I think that's incredibly beautiful.

...these posts get longer every time. Maybe I need to stick to my phone so my thumbs get tired faster. 😂 This is what happens when I'm allowed to cook late at night. If you made it to the end, thank you and I salute you.

I sent this to my brother because he’s the one who got me into MHA, and I’d like to reenact our conversation for everyone.

Me: *send the picture*

Bro: YES PLEASE

Bro: Stupid meme heroes

Me: If I were saved by someone named the Rizzler I’d just do throw myself back at the villain

Bro: What if the hero was also named the sizzler

Bro: *Rizzler

Me: Then I’d just find a cliff

And I’d have no regrets, Deku was really out here doing the Lord’s work by keeping those names off the streets.

Every few days I remember that MHA is technically over and we don’t have very many episodes of the anime left and then I stare at a wall and wonder if I’m gonna cry about it or not.

It feels like a silly thing to cry over, it really does, especially as a grown ass adult, but it’s a story that kind of…grew up with me. I was a teenager when I started it, and I’m an adult now as it’s finished. It feels like a reminder that my childhood has truly come to an end, that nothing goes on forever but sometimes I wish it would.

Like, logically, it can’t go forever, and I think if it went any longer with the existing story arc it would probably start to severely deteriorate, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss seeing my son every week on Saturdays.

There will always be other stories to dive into, all with their silly fandom shitposts and weird ass ships, but this one holds a special place in my heart as one that saw me grow up and become a semi-functioning member of society.

…But we still have a few episodes left, it’s not time to get sentimental yet or I will not be able to stop.

I keep getting assaulted by pictures of Ochaco and Toga at every turn. Nowhere is safe anymore. Batten down the hatches everyone it’s only getting worse from here. 🫡

I don’t know if it’s this way for anyone else, but watching the anime after reading the manga still feels like this whole different experience. Like I read the manga of Toga’s/Ochaco’s fight and it was like sad, yeah, but after watching the anime episode it just, it actually hits yk?

Like she’s gonna die, it’s over now.

It’s all almost over.

…That realization hurts more than I wish it did. As much as I say things like “literally sobbing over here”, I’m not a media crier. Like the only piece of media that has ever made me shed tears was HXH, but I think when the dub comes around, this season is gonna have me crying.

I know that fandoms in general get a bad rap, and yeah, the MHA fandom had/has its issues, but honestly it’s been one of my favorite parts about watching this show and one of the reasons I’ve stuck around. It’s amazing to get to see what everyone else sees, how they envision the ending, how they wanted to see it play out.

The ending of MHA wasn’t perfect, but honestly, I don’t think a franchise of this size could ever come up with a 100% satisfying ending, and that’s okay. But that opens a door, I get to come here and see a thousand different ways it could’ve been for free. I get to see people inspired by those who don’t even exist.

It’s hard to explain how I feel about this show and this fandom without sounding cringy, but what the hell, no one knows who I am so fuck it. Everyone here? In the MHA space? I got one thing to say to you:

Y’all are great, y’all are talented, and y’all deserve the world, I mean that. I hope I keep seeing you in this space, that we can keep creating crazy shit to make each other laugh and cry.

Thanks everyone, it’s been a fucking blast and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Okay but can we talk about the amount of electrolytes (sodium specifically) that Bakugo must need to consume to exist??

Weird thing to fixate on, I know, blame my degree, but think about this: His quirk relies on his ability to sweat, which means the more he sweats the more he can use it. The main thing you lose when you sweat is water and sodium, the longer you sweat, the more those leave your body, that's common sense. Sodium helps you retain water and maintain the fluid balance inside and outside your body, which is why you see it hanging out with water so much and why it's such an important electrolyte that gets lost easily. Yes, technically, you also lose magnesium and potassium, but you lose less of those in sweat than sodium.

Most people don't actually need to supplement electrolytes, even those who exercise regularly, (this is excluding those with illnesses, just considering the average person here), you can get what you need from plain water. Even some athletes don't necessarily need to, it tends to depend heavily on how long you exercise, which is why you see people who do ultramarathons or ironmans downing them. There's ways to test whether or not you actually need them, but suffice it to say, more often than not, just drinking normal water is perfectly fine.

But Bakugo?? There's no way that boy doesn't burn through sodium like it's a fucking competition.

See, the key to whether or not electrolyte supplementation is needed is often found in how long you exercise for, as well as the environmental conditions. Say, if you're exercising outside in the spring for like, thirty minutes to an hours, just water is going to be all you need. Contrast that with a hero course student who likely exercises excessively, multiple times a day, every day, and has a quirk that relies on sweat. That is a recipe for ✨disaster✨ and you know what I don't see on his, or LITERALLY ANY OTHER HERO'S, costume??

A WATER BOTTLE.

I don't care if it ruins the aesthetic you're going for, dude, get a freaking water bottle and some little electrolyte packets before you pass out. How have any of these kids not thought of having some form of water on them while hero-ing?? Like y'all gonna be out on patrol for HOURS without any source of hydration? What a great way to die!

Honestly though, how many times do you think Bakugo just keeled over as a kid? Like dehydration can be a sneaky little shit, and with a quirk like that I'm sure they became besties.

Honestly, I wonder if he does actually carry electrolyte drinks and packets around with him because of that. Like, Izuku had to drag his ass back home too many times while they were out playing as kids and he got tired of it so he spent forever researching different electrolyte brands and sleuthing out which had the best water to sodium to sugar ratio (because you do want some sugar in your electrolyte drinks, the sodium uses it as a quick transport to get where it needs to go) for optimal rehydration. And now he's like, hyperaware of the symptoms and anytime his classmates look even a tiny bit like they might be dehydrated he just storms up and starts throwing electrolytes at their face like:

"DRINK YOUR WATER YOU IDIOTS, DO YOU WANT SURVIVE THE FUCKING LEAGUE OF VILLAINS JUST TO DIE OF DEHYDRATION?? THAT'S FUCKING PATHETIC. SIT DOWN AND DRINK THAT BEFORE YOU PASS OUT, DUMBASS."

All while violently shaking a water bottle with the electrolyte powder to shove down their throat.

Aggressive love, yk? At least he's trying.