Why I Think Dad For One Is Canon (A Long-ass Essay)

Why I think Dad for One is canon (A long-ass essay)

Just putting my two cents on this theory. I saw someone recently post an analysis and a bunch of proof, and I thought some things were missing/not clear. Just wanted to voice my thoughts before this theory is confirmed or denied.

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Just a warning: I found most of these points while doing research, so some of them are a bit repetitive and not my original ideas; I just wanted to put all the proof in one place. Also spoilers ahead obviously. 

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Part 1: Who is Hisashi Midoriya

·       Inko’s husband

·       Father of Izuku

·       Has a fire breathing quirk

·       Took a work post abroad

That’s literally all we know about him. He is only mentioned in the series once (Chapter/Episode 1), when Inko visits a pediatrician who asks about him, which is how we found out about his fire quirk.

The name “Hisashi” comes from the Japanese phrase “Hisashiburi”, meaning a long time (since the last time) or first in a long time. This could insinuate it’s been a long time since he has seen his family; or, since we know All for One is 150+ years old, the phrase could insinuate he’s been alive for a long time.

I also want to point out the Kanji in this name. Horikoshi likes to sneak in easter eggs or certain hints in the names of the BNHA characters. This is what I found:

The kanji used to write the name “Hisashi”:

·       久: “long time”

·       永: “eternal”

·       尚: “still”

·       彌: “complete”

·       長: “long”

·       寿: “life”

·       昶: “long day”

 It clearly emphasizes the “Long time” part.

I want to point out another aspect in his name, the “Midoriya” part.

There could be 2 possibilities:

1.     Either All for One made up this last name

2.     “Midoriya” is actually Inko’s maiden name she gave him and Izuku

Now I see a lot of people saying it’s common for Japanese men to take their wives last names’, but I don’t see anyone posting proof (from the series) about this. We don’t know how common this is in the BNHA universe; until I came across this:

So we now know this is a common practice in the BNHA universe. It doesn’t seem far fetched that All for One wanted to forget about his past/past family and have a new family. I think him taking the “Midoriya” from Inko was like a new beginning for him. He didn’t want to associate his new family with his criminal activities or his past.

Part 2: The Quirk

Hisashi Midoriya has been confirmed to have a fire breathing quirk.

Now why fire breathing?

I guess its simple and wouldn’t cause too much trouble. He didn’t want anything flashy in case it attracted unwanted attention.

All for One has AT LEAST one fire-based quirk. We see proof of this throughout the series.

In both photos, AFO is using a fire quirk. So we can now confirm he has at least 2.

Bonus point: Notice how AFO never specifically uses fire breathing. This is because he would damage his oxygen mask and respiratory support. He can’t use this quirk. How ironic and well timed is that?

Part 3: His “work” abroad

I heard many people say they think Hisashi works in America, which I think is highly likely.

We know AFO has been overseas. Especially America. In the manga panel above, is an image of the Chrysler Building in New York. Different angles but its clearly the same building. AFO could be sending letters, payments, packages to the Midoriyas from New York; to make it look like he was working a normal job in the US.

Part 4: Izuku and genetics

1.     I want to point out Izuku looks more like his mother then father. We know this because he gets most of his colors and features from his mother. This isn’t really surprising, as we see other main characters, like Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo who get most physical features from their mother. Denki and Jiro are other examples.

2.     Izuku does indeed have some resemblance to All for One. Not just in one panel, but SEVERAL. Here are just a few examples:

I don’t see any other person in the same poses as Izuku and AFO. Coincidence? Also, a young AFO bears very strong resemblance to Izuku. I honestly think he cut his hair shorter as he got older.

3.     The x-ray: Let’s assume the x-ray the doctor shows in episode 1 is real. As generations pass and evolve, the extra joint in the pinky toe disappears. It appears to be unnecessary. Let’s assume both Hisashi and Inko are forth generation users. They both would not have this feature. How is it possible that Izuku inherits it? AFO is a first-generation quirk user, it is 100% certain he has this extra joint, therefore passing it onto Izuku.

4.     All for One is very likely to have a quirkless child. More then 80% chance. Quirks back in his time were extremely rare. I know there are many other quirkless people (Melissa, Aoyama, Jiro’s father), but its very rare and unlikely. The quirk gene should be dominant.  You see most of the older generation having more quirkless individuals then the new generation. There is a 20% quirkless population worldwide. Don’t forget that Dr. Ujiko runs several orphanages and hospitals worldwide. There is a chance he helped AFO steal quirks from children or even babies, later making them think they are quirkless, increasing the quirkless population.

5.     Izuku is very plain looking. In chapter 363, we see AFO’s true face. According to BNHA logic and even a lot of fans, he looks very plain, any ordinary guy you might see at a Home Depo on a Sunday. In a world where quirks make a person unique, this is a bit surprising. You see every character has a unique feature connected to their quirk. Both Izuku and AFO are just plain looking characters.

6.     Ever notice how much Izuku gets injured when using OFA? More then he should? Maybe its because his body isn’t evolved enough to be able to handle such evolved quirks (Quirk singularity). If this is true, Izuku being a first-generation user makes sense. AFO’s body cannot handle how strong quirks have gotten, which is why he used Tomura Shigaraki as a vessel. Izuku must have the same body type.

7.     Usually, people who use more then one quirk become brain-dead monsters. That’s why Nomu exist. Izuku has like, what, 7 quirks now from the previous users? How does his body handle all these quirks?

8.     Parallel to Yoichi Shigaraki: Yoichi (AFO’s brother) and Izuku are very similar. They both have a strong sense of justice, strong willpower, both love/want to be heroes, and both are OFA users who were previously quirkless. The series started with AFO and his family and will end with AFO and his family. Family is clearly an important theme, otherwise why give AFO a brother he loves? As Izuku looks like AFO, Tomura looks like Yoichi. Izuku and Shigaraki mirror AFO and his brother.

Part 5: The doctor

These two are the same people. You cannot tell me otherwise.

He goes by many names, so lets just call him Dr. Ujiko. Dr. Ujiko was Izuku’s pediatrician, and the one who diagnosed Izuku quirkless. He is also AFO’s doctor and partner in crime. Now, why take Izuku to this specific doctor? That is a very odd coincidence. According to his wiki page, Dr. Ujiko is famous in the area for being the head of several hospitals and owning several orphanages. Meaning he is an important man. Clearly, many people would want to take their children to him.

We see in chapter 301 Endeavor and his wife visit Dr. Ujiko. We know this because they are in the same building Inko and Izuku were in. Endeavor is an important hero and has a lot of influence, of course because he was desperate for a perfect child, he would only go to the best doctor.

Inko does not seem to have any influence or important backgrounds, how did she get an appointment with such an important man, who is well renowned and has celebrity heroes as his patients?

Hisashi Midoriya of course. He would have enough influence and know the doctor well enough to convince him to diagnose his son. AFO must have told the doctor about his wife and his child, and out of curiosity decided to take Izuku in as a patient. Maybe even agreed and conspired with AFO about the diagnosis.

Bonus point: I notice how Dr. Ujiko asks “What is your husbands quirk?” in the anime and some translations of the manga. A lot of fans say if he knew AFO was Hisashi, why would he ask such a question? AFO has many quirks, he likely does not know what quirk AFO told Inko he had.

Part 6: Parallels with Tomura Shigaraki

It has been confirmed that AFO and Tomura are a dark parallel to All Might and Izuku. Izuku was taken under All Might’s wing, a hero. Tomura was taken by AFO, a villain.

Wouldn’t it make sense, if Tomura’s ancestor was a hero, and Izuku’s ancestor a villain?

I heard a theorist say: “Tomura descends from a hero, while Izuku descends from a villain.”

Its literally a perfect parallel. 

Part 7: AFO vs Izuku

There is almost NO direct interaction between Izuku and All for One.

Back to Kamino, when AFO revealed himself a few minutes before All Might appeared.

All for One KNEW Izuku and his friends were behind that wall. Because his stole Ragdolls quirk: Search.

“Search allows the user to monitor and observe up to a hundred people at a time. This includes knowing their locations and weak points. The individuals being observed are visualized through the Quirk as star-like vestiges and can allow the user to know their location up to even miles away. Search also permanently stores the information gained after its usage”

Why not attack Izuku or kill him and his friends when he had the chance? He has had so many opportunities. He killed all other previous users of OFA, why is Izuku an exception? Especially when, unlike All Might, it’s so easy for someone like AFO to kill Izuku because he has no control over OFA and not on pro-level yet.

When AFO is later arrested, All Might asks if AFO wants to kill Izuku. AFO laughs and doesn’t confirm it. All Might made up that theory himself. AFO’s demeanor changes; it’s like AFO avoids talking about Izuku. For someone who is is very chatty, All for One is awfully quiet here.

Bonus point: One thing I really can’t understand is why AFO talks shit about Izuku in the manga later (Chapter 287 specifically). Calling him “Worthless”, “Weak”, “Unworthy of the power”. He literally makes fun of him in the OFA world. Not something a father would do. However, what if he was just trying to break his spirit? Maybe destroy his self-worth in order to take him in and manipulate him into hating heroes? (lmao poor Izuku his dad is literally talking shit about him. Dad of the year y’all)

Part 8: The Horikoshi interview

In 2018, when asked when Izuku Midoriya’s father will make an appearance, Horikoshi said this: “Deku’s father will be revealed in the future,”

Key word: Revealed

He said REVEALED not introduced.

Meaning we have seen his father; we just don’t know it yet because it hasn’t been revealed.

I believe Horikoshi is a smart man; he clearly thinks before he speaks, and he has been definitely PR trained. Was this a hint? Foreshadowing?

Part 9: Fucking Star Wars

The most common annoying-ass argument that people bring up when it comes to this theory.

In all honesty, its just very cliché and repetitive. I think that’s why BNHA fans are against this theory. Horikoshi would just be plagiarizing Stars Wars at this point.

I also heard arguments like “We already have a Star Wars reveal, the whole Dabi saga and Tomura is Nana’s grandson”.

I think Horikoshi might pull the “I am your father” card as a final homage to the famous franchise. He had taken so many names and ideas from the franchise what will stop his from doing this?

Here are just A FEW examples of him using Star Wars for BNHA (I found these on the internet since I know nothing about Star Wars) :

·       Tatooine Station. A story has to start somewhere.

·       Hosu, Tokyo. A harsh place in both stories.

·       Wookiees. The furriest shopping mall ever!

·       Kamino. Makin’ copies!

·       All for One. Darth Vader doppelganger.

·       Mustafu: Named for Mustafar, the site of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s last battle. 

Its so blatantly obvious the man doesn’t even try to hide it. Literally took the same names. Did the Star Wars creator not sue him for copyright?

Also Parallels to the characters:

·       Deku is Luke

·       All might is Obi-Wan

·       Gran Torino is Yoda

Star Wars story in a nutshell: A teacher figure (All Might), takes in a nobody (Deku) to fight evil, and turns out the evil is his father (AFO).

Horikoshi has taken so much from Star Wars, why would it be surprising that he pulls this? We have had so many plot twists, surprises, and reveals throughout the story. Why wouldn’t he add more shock factor?

Part 10: Extra easter eggs and theories

1.     All for One’s prison number is 1541. The 41 stands for “For One”. What about the 15?

 2.     Tomura and Izuku have similar red shoes. As a child and young adult, AFO gave Tomura the red shoes when he was found under the bridge; could he have bought Izuku the same/similar shoes from the same brand? Maybe an American brand?

3.     In episode 76, when Deku fights against Overhaul, AFO’s theme plays.

4.     There is never any mention of Hisashi Midoriya after chapter/episode 1. Why? Whenever Izuku is in danger/on the verge of a tragedy, he calls for ‘Mom’ and ‘All Might’. Are Hisashi and Izuku not close? Wouldn’t a father overseas call his son or have a relationship with him? (As a university student who’s father has been working overseas for 5+ years I would know) Izuku doesn’t even acknowledge his father, not even in his thoughts. Hisashi has never once visited his family. Is this because of AFO’s injury he can’t see his son or wife?

5.     It makes no sense to introduce a new character so late. As of writing this, we are in the final war arc (chapter 364). 

6.     “Wouldn’t Izuku recognize his fathers voice?” I think this is because Izuku was so young when his father left that he does not remember. Also, AFO uses a breathing mask. His voice is very strained especially after All Might left him disabled; he might have damaged his speech or vocal cords.

7.     Izuku is the only one who was able to talk to the vestiges of the previous OFA users.

8.     I heard a lot of people say “I doubt AFO would want to conceive a child”. How do you y’all know that? We don’t know what his moves are or what he’s thinking. His relationship with Inko and Izuku is either a loving one or an experiment. Who’s to say he doesn’t have other children out there? As long as he’s a man it’s possible. We don’t even know who he is, just that he wants to commit evil. That’s literally his personality.

9.     If Hisashi is clearly an absent figure, why even mention him? Why not say he died or divorced Inko if he’s not that relevant? Unless he’s important in the story later?

10.     The fascination with quirks. I have yet to see anyone other than Izuku mumble and be so fascinated with quirks. Oh wait-

11.     A conveniently ironic tale indeed.

Dear Psycho,

Hello again.☺️🤗 Hope you are having a wonderful afternoon.

While investigating Tartarus chapters, I found another funny coincidence in between Allmight's and AFO'S conversation.

You once researched on Midoriya family home and stated that at first they might have lived in a traditional Japanese house with tatami floors. In the anime, (sorry 😔 I forgot which episode) the scenes of AFO's thought while their conversation was not that clear. But in the manga it's different.(Chapter 116)

As you can see, I've marked it out. For a better view:

It might be the Todoroki house. Or, it might be the exterior of the house that Midoriya family was staying.(chapter 96)

So what so you think of this? Which traditional Japanese house was AFO thinking about?

Hey! You know, of course on the one hand a traditional style house (like Todoroki’s) can just be part of listing the values and those material things that everyone has in their life, and then some of that has to be inherited by someone just to continue the Life line further. This is what Afo is talking about in this talk.

However, here are some thoughts on this whole picture.

1. Home. This is where the family lives. Moreover, we have some symbolism here - a traditional style house: it is that traditional way of life - a family where the head is the father of the family, the mother looks after the household and raises the children, and, as a rule, the eldest son must inherit it and take care of the house and the parents (if there is no eldest son or sons at all, he is “adopted” through marrying a daughter, if the wife's family is higher in rank or it is not beneficial for her to give her daughter to another family).

2. A building that symbolizes work. I would like to point out that in the past and even now in Japan there is still the concept of “family work”, where the whole family worked for the same company (for another person or family) or then the son replaced the retiring father at work. And, of course, the “family business”, which can also be inherited.

3. I really like that we have two types of food here: as like European-American sandwiches, snacks and other goodies

and traditional Japanese breakfast: miso soup, grilled fish, boiled rice, scrambled eggs and pickled vegetables.

It's funny that it's all these simple things a family does when they get together that Afo imagines. Especially breakfast - it's a boost for the day, including the mood.

I think he really appreciates small family things like eating and living together. Yeah , I think he's quite a family man, very appreciative of the concept of family, but All Might deprived him of all that. And we just aren't shown it because Evil has to be Evil so no one feels sympathy for him. But that's for now, because the details still show what's important to him, which means Evil isn't so Evil.

“I want to be a hero…”

Do you think the dad for one theory has a shaky evidence? Asides from the doctor and physical appearance thing, what are the other firm theories to convince that it's true.

Hisashi was mentionned once in 330 chapters in a manga where we've met Jirou's parents. Add to that how AFO's face is always shadowed.

Seriously, Izuku was hospitalized so many times and no mention of his father.

AFO ignoring Izuku in Kamino despite having Search, X-Ray quirk and the kid hiding six meters away from him behind a flimsy wall.

AFO telling All Might that he loathes him because "You took something from me!"

The only moment in the anime when AFO is raising his voice is when he calls Izuku by his full name and he keeps giving All Might shit for being a bad teacher.

Izuku getting the quirks of the past OFA users, something that never happened before.

There are about three times where AFO calls Izuku by name. Always his full name. 1. While fighting All Might. 2. In the Vestige world. 3. At the end of the war arc, where ShigarAFO was evacuated by the noumus. Every time it happens, there is virtually no one around. (He was planning to kill All Might, the Vestiges can't snitch, and neither can the noumus)

Speaking of the end of the war arc, what AFO used to push back Izuku was a love tap compared to what he could have done. And since his hand was shown bleeding immediately after, it really looks like he held back and hurt himself doing so.

Machia smelling "two masters" when Shigaraki and Izuku are fighting during the war arc.

Izuku loving quirks and his mumbling is acknowledged in-universe as creepy. AFO is shown to mumble about quirks during Kamino.

Izuku is shown to be more fragile than his classmates. Bakugou was thrown through a wall, Todoroki took a building on the neck, and so on. One could argue that Izuku's bone breaking tendencies are because OFA got ridiculously buffed during All Might's time but again, during Kamino, AFO is shown shaking his hand as if he is in pain after using the air canon that sent All Might through three buildings.

Seriously, if AFO really wanted to end the OFA line, he could have kidnapped Izuku any time between the Sport Festival and the moment when he went to the dorms. He knew who Izuku was and it would have been so easy.

There are probably more things but I am tired.

Sketches celebrating the start of S6 from Nagatomo

I find it funny that people deny the DFO theory because AFO doesn't look like Izuku. Have they read or watched "Fullmetal Alchemist"?

It's literally the same person at different ages. And his son looks exactly like him when Hohenheim was a teenager.

Well! That’s it!!😌