Hey yall! I'm starting a reread of BnHA for the express purpose of talking about #UrarakaOchako +her moments of focus+her character through the story thus far. This WILL pass where the anime is currently so it will have #bnhaspoilers. You've been warned.

That said, I'm here to praise Ochako. I admit izuocha is my otp but ships will not be relevant in this thread. I'll reference one-sided izuocha because Ochako canonly has a crush after a point but if you're looking for ship fodder this thread ain't it chief

Updates to this may be spaced out a bit, but my goal is to hopefully catch up before the next manga update on 8/23. Can't wait to get started cause I always love a chance to talk about Ochako

So we start off with Ochako's first appearance: chapter 3 page 4. I really like the initial panel she's in too. It's not much other than revealing her quirk to us but it also shows off her concern and kindness for others to keep a total rando from tripping over himself lol

The rest of the panels on the page p much double down on both of these points, reiterating YES it's her quirk but also that she's just helping cause she's nice. Also possibly showing talking to someone else helps calms her down too

Well "talking to someone else" Deku says nothing LOL so she's more talking to herself, but it comes off to me like she's talking so much to help calm her own nerves rn

Anyway, she comes back on page 10 and again we get more of a glimpse of the fact that she's actually nervous about the test in spite of the bright smile she gave throughout the entirety of her previous page.

And this is notable because compare to, say, Iida who acts more or less the same throughout the duration of his appearance in this chapter (nerves nowhere to be found) and we could take it as more of a hint that she thinks herself less capable too.

Also shows in her next panel after Present Mic sends them off too. She easily has the most worried expression compared to the other students (sans deku) in the panel (also bottom right, Tokoyami was in their area too WHO KNEW!!!)

In the top panel we see her quirk in action before we actually see her one of few quirks we can easily make out from far away (tokoyami again too wow I feel like a dunce)

And then we get our first hint about her quirk's drawback. The sigh, dizzy written beside her, and that's a LOT of sweat on her face considering we see none on Iida in the following panel. But 28 points is also more successful than Deku's 0 so we still see her as capable

Here too though the look on her face is more nervous compared to Iida. Maybe cause she's closer to the zero pointer but again it has us the audience pin her as someone closer to Deku's "normalcy" than Iida's "hero" because their fear shows more readily in the moment

We get a page or two of the bot moving+everyone running+then we see her leg stuck under a chunk of rubble so yeah she probably was so freaked cause she was WAY closer lol. Probs also couldn't move as fast what with how sick her quirk was making her already

Hori doubles down on that with the close up shot LOOK AT THE NAUSEA LINES AROUND HER EYES+SWEAT ON HER FACE. That expression's def paired with an internal "I blew it" monologue that we don't see. Also the irony of those words earlier+her predicament now. Meant to be a gut punch

Not only a gut punch but we're meant to feel like SHE feels powerless and incapable here. She doesn't know or THINK anyone will help because she doesn't even call out or talk. She just. Resigns herself to that being where she'll have to stop

And then the bot she resigned herself to, the thing that signals her loss and futility is taken out and we see energy back in her face, that extra light in her eyes because it's actually NOT OVER for her yet!! (End of chapter 3 lol)

Chapter 4!!! Mostly just start with Deku freaking realizing his arm is broken trying to figure out how to live from falling like god knows how high in the air lmao and I could be wrong but this looks like something in motion to me which leads into our next tweet...

THE DRAMATIC REVEAL OF HIS SAVE. We can still see the exhaustion and sweat on her face but we also see how someone else's crazy actions spurred her into some equally crazy ones. It's a real look at her ingenuity too. Using scraps on the battlefield as a platform to reach

Funnily enough this is the moment in manga where we get a reveal of how her quirk actually works. I think in the anime we get a glimpse earlier with the small bots but this is the first moment we see her fingers touch+the floating objects fall and OW that looks like it hurt

And the moment where she can't bear the drawbacks of her quirk anymore, but she did it and she did DAMN GOOD! I can't fault her for throwing up after yall see how rough that landing was+how long she felt sick? Lmao

She's so sick after, my poor girl

We see Deku despairing for a couple pages after, assuming that he's not getting in because 0 points but then All Might shows him Ochako coming to Mic after to ask them to give Deku her points+make up for saving her in the first place

This reinforces Deku referring to her as the "nice girl." Because what else would you call someone who kept a rando from tripping, saved their life, AND demand that rando have the chance of a lifetime even if it means giving up their own chance. Wtf else is that but kind???

She's just NICE and GOOD, your honor! She deserves these head pats and rescue points I have other notes about this but I'm gonna wait till the reason for other notes come back and we'll go over this again later lol

Chapter 5 time!! And it's what she deserves THIRD PLACE OVERALL IN THE EXAMINATION YALL SEE THIS SHIT??? SHE WAS 1 POINT BEHIND KIRI! ONLY 1!! AND 4 BEHIND BAKUGOU!! WE STAN A QUEEN!!!

It's been over a month since the exam but she's so relieved the person who saved her got in too. Can you imagine how guilty she would have felt if he didn't since he's the reason she got the 45 rescue points? Oof

We also see that bit from before the exam again. How she just kinda talks a lot when she's nervous even if the other person isn't talking back lol. She's likely talking to Deku too cause he's the one she actually met proper the day of the exam

Then we have them go outside and....she was genuinely excited about those school events rip. Ochako like "what do you MEAN our first day isn't chill?????" That second speech bubble reeks of heartbreak

Ending chapter 5 on a determined expression but boy she doesn't look excited (not as scared as Deku is but still)

Chapter 6!!! I think it's telling that OCHAKO is the one who says this. The only other character (besides Deku) that looks anywhere near as nervous about it is Kiri. Which we know he's got issues about his quirk being "plain" so this adds to the idea I mentioned in chapter 3

This idea that she's maybe a little self conscious whether about her quirk, her ability or because she's got a lot banking on this is hard to say. Could be all 3, tbh. But either way she's one of few in the class who show worry about this development

We get another peek at Ochako's creativity here, using her quirk lessen the potential drag from her clothes. The tacked on "at least" and her expression show relief but there's still the sign of sweat that keeps cropping up during this and last chapter lol

The "whoops!!" kills me. Ochako your quirk negates gravity???? Were you not expecting that???? She's clever but maybe she's a little spacey (pardon the pun) at times

During Deku's turn nothing super meaningful other than she probs wants the one person she's talked with since the exam to do well too but look how cute her faces are...! Also her and aoyama

Ch 7 We see just how quickly she befriends people because she's super relieved that he did so well on the second attempt of the ball throw+also her concern when she notices what Iida said about his finger. Super friendly+quick to care about others outside of "regular kindness"

BETRAYAL FROM THEIR OWN TEACHER (these three are a good trio I miss them sigh)

Also obligatory LOOK HOW GOOD SHE DID. 10/20 She was just behind MINA who's praised for being like super athletic and having a great quirk too so I think that def says a lot about her skill

She pays a LOT of attention not only because of the catching "Deku" thing but the fact that she remembers ALL their names after one day+barely speaking to most of them. Iida doesn't even know her name+calls her "infinity girl" compared to her remembering all 3 boys' names

Okay fellow izuocha people have gone over this DOZENS of times but again I'm not gonna focus on this in a shipping lens but a character lens. Everyone should know by now she means "Deku" sounds like "dekiru" which means "to be able to do it" I think this speaks a lot to (cont)...

(Cont) Her cheerful+optimistic attitude more than anything else. She thinks the words sound similar+has a mildly positive connotation so she says rather than an insult she assumed it meant something "nice" brings us back to her being kind again if not a little silly for her lol

Asdfghjkl I love this trio lol and again more of Ochako's "spacey, clueless" kinda side--tho tbh I couldn't fault her that's not something I readily remember either lol

We end ch 7 with a look at her costume and what looks like a nervous frown hmmm We'll get back to that shortly

So ch 8, Deku tells us that students sent in costume requests and in the manga we see that Ochako focused more on usage than actual appearance, looking for things to combat z-grav's drawbacks and no directions on how it would actually LOOK. Contrary to Aoyama lol

She tried to go more practical as far as for application in the field, which explains why her first comment to Deku is his looks "practical" and regrets not having been precise on her appearance. "Embarrassing" so she's not super comfy with how hers turned out

She's not forgiving Aizawa for that "rational deception" anytime soon...(and again notice the nerves!! She's really spooked on not staying in school but we'll wait to go more in depth on this closer to the sports festival)

She's so excited to be paired up with a familiar face--even if he's been bad at talking the entire time they've known each other lol. But she at least knows they'll get along already compared to being paired with any other classmates

She's def looking a lot better and yeah it's totally because there's no concern about being punished or kicked out. But yknow how can she not...notice deku right? Look at im he's all nerves lol might be the first time we see her blurting things out in spite of them being so blunt

Another example of her having a good memory/being observant. Far as we know this was only mentioned the one time the day before and while she poses it as a question, the fact is she does (mostly) remember a pretty minor detail.

Deku answers with this (after talking about how much better/overall amazing Bakugou is)+she responds in a really lax kind of manner. She's interested but after he apologizes, she reassures him+then insists that they're a team without pushing the subject. (Cont)

Has her come off pretty aware that he may not really want to share so she doesn't push him. Means she's pretty socially aware+also focused on the upcoming task

Was that necessary? No. Ochako's just dorky in case you had any doubts

A wild Bakugou has appeared (and Ochako's face is exactly me when a pokemon pops up when mine are low on health)

SUGOI!!! (Also as not a joke, early interest in hand to hand, that's a tiny hint we'll reference again later)

Deku's panel is important here because we see Ochako realizing that this nervous ass friend she's made who was quaking in his goofy red shoes before getting inside has stood up for himself+bravely declared the silly thing she said the day before as something of pride. She's shook

(Cont) She's been nice to him, but this is like the first time he's really spoken so confidently in her presence and it's directly BECAUSE of her so she's just totally shocked here.

Ch. 9 begins (btw just a quick note I'm using the shounen jump app so all the translations are official no fan translations in this thread lol)

Nyoom-- (following Deku's request because Bakugou is TOTALLY distracted by him rn)

She sneak--

--until she's not. But honestly can anyone blame her? I also would have busted up laughing immediately. So she has a sense of humor. Normally good, rn tho? Tragic

It was in this moment that Uraraka Ochako realized she fucked up

She at least knows to contact her partner when she may have accidentally fucked things up (which is, at least, better than Bakugou w/ Iida rn) but it comes off like neither her OR Iida know quite what to do now lol

They weeble wobble

The wobbling seems to help Ochako find her footing in this fight--ironically enough.

(Cont) sorry my jokes made me forget to mention prev. tweet was ger first panel of ch.10q

LOOK AT HER GO. seriously all she needs is an instant and she's great at thinking around with her quirk and I guess you could say she's light on her feet? Hahahaha--I'm sorry the joke was right there.

Bad jokes aside, Ochako reveals this special move that she doesn't use often cause it's more difficult on her than floating others things (also since when has she said dispel...? I assume this was a one time thing lol)

She may be a quick thinker but Iida's quicker with his actual feet, unfortunately

Ouchie--Iida's not funny anymore now that her exhausting and last ditch effort was a miss. Though tbh Iida could have caught her already if he wanted to, so they've both had a swing and a miss here lol

No Ochako on these panels but her and Deku communicate over headset (again better than the other team) for about two pages to get their bearings in order for one last ditch effort. But Bakugou gets impatient--seems like they talked enough tho

PLAN INACTED A FEW PAGES LATER. Deku yells and Ochako....hugs some architecture. Iida is confusion

But it's okay cause Ochako is also confused for a sec. We obviously don't know what she's thinking but I love the idea that she's just like "oh yeah I forgot how freakin strong he is actually" lmao

But she recovers and boy is she EXCITED for this attack

But she learned from Aizawa because it was a rational deception!! Not meant to harm Iida but distract him enough to make it to the "weapon." Mission achieved!!! Also oof she looks sick again. End of ch.10

Now ch.11 we pick up where we left out and.....yeah our girl ain't feelin too hot.....she did use her "special move" twice which is hard on her body PLUS lifting that pillar after all

Still not feelin good when the class joins them for a recap. Iida's named mvp and while momo explains what she did wrong Ochako looks a bit disappointed with herself. But obvi Momo does have a good point

Fun fact: mochi is not the sweet mochi ice cream treat most people assume!! Mochi is simply rice cakes and in japan they can have a variety of fillings some sweet, some savory!

We round out ch.11 with Ochako fretting over her friend when he comes back from Recovery Girl with his arm still noticeably injured. She might feel bad because their last plan they went with was so risky and got him hurt

Ch. 12 features a cute starting Ochako being very unhelpful to the press. You're doing amazing, however unintentionally, sweetie

This chapter's focused on vote for the class rep (class president in the eng translation) so Deku wins by earning 3 votes and....well you can figure who one of those votes was lol

I forgot how much of the original trio is here trio eats lunch together and look at her face too cute. Iida and Ochako (Deku's two extra votes) reassure him that he'll be a great class leader

Bonus note: Deku's having his fav katsudon (pork cutlet bowl), Iida's having some kind of curry, and I'm not 100% on Ochako's... I see a bowl of rice, some miso, and it might be sushi in front of her but I can't say for sure. Probs easier to tell in the anime lol

Deku describes it best, Ochako just kinda talks sometimes without really considering what the others think or how it may sound lol. Seems like it's a thing with friends more than anything. But also she's so excited about meeting a rich kid omg (hint hint)

Okay maybe she's not the only one excited poor Iida tho baby boy is sweating under their stares

When he talks about his brother, Iida smiles and it throws them off and Ochako has to comment on how little he smiles "just says whatever pops into her head" is right lmfao

OCHAKO BABY DON'T CHOKE

QUIT SHOVING HER SHE'S SMOL SHE SHOULDN'T BE IN YOUR WAY SMH

Her last panels of the chapter, she helps Iida save the day!! (Honestly Ochako's one of the side characters with probably the most useful Quirk she helps so often)

Ch. 13 and we open with Ochako's opening panel is her back in her Hero costume for the rescue training! She also notices Deku's missing his costume before anyone else--or the only one to comment. As we noted last chapter, she's a blurter lol

Momo and Ochako have very different senses of humor, clearly. (Also, note Ochako's lifted index finger on the bar to keep from activating her Quirk)

Awwww this is the first time we've seen Uraraka get really excited about a hero! Actually this is probably the most excited we've seen a focused character other than Deku get about heroes. Def first one outside of All Might

And then when Thirteen makes this point Ochako really sobers up. When people are good, the idea that their quirk could be dangerous can slip the mind, and it looks like something Ochako never thought of her Hero before.

Thirteen says how they'll train today to learn how to use quirks to SAVE lives in spite of the easy potential for harm and Ochako's back to excited again lol look at her arms

HEEEEEEEEERE'S SHIGGY and Ochako (and Deku I guess) look rightfully terrified (have we talked about Hori's insane art yet??? Cause wtf the TALENT) end of ch 13

Chapter 14 doesn't have a whole lot of Ochako sadly but she's on the cover!!

Maybe she's over the "rational deception" thing cause she's looking p nervous about Aizawa fighting off the group of villains alone

Only other panel, tragically.ckncern about Kurogiri which. He just sent a bunch of their classmates away so. Understandable

Ch 15 is this one panel in which Ochako looks nervous but she still promises to provide support and encourages Iida to go get help even though he feels it's his duty to stay here. They're friends as much as she is with Deku now

Ch 16 we get one singular panel of Ochako being horrified by Thirteen's own quirk being used against them. THIRTEEN IS HER FAV KUROGIRI HOW DARE

But when Iida takes off, she doesn't just continue to stand there, horrified—she notices something that none of her other classmates with her have...!

Oh right last page was her start of 17. Ochako reveals her plan: if he's not just mist like he first appeared to be then that means—

YEET!! Look at 'im go bye bye kurogiri it was nice seeing you. Well not really considering you hurt Thirteen but buh bye

Last panel, sheer relief at All Might's arrivial

Ch 18 She's so happy that All Might's here. Well really it's probably a sea of emotions. Scared that they're being attacked, sad about Thirteen, and relieved about reinforcements. I think they all kinda bleed through the expression here

She point

And last panel of 18 she cheers on All Might as he starts fighting she still has tears in her eyes

Ch. 19 is like exclusively All Might vs Nomu with no Ochako but take this alternate sketch Hori made once and laugh with me

Ch. 20 Ochako has this one panel. She realizes Iida's back when the teachers arrive. We can also see she was helping Tsuyu with moving the now unconscious Aizawa

Ch. 21.......does Hori like really like her boots or something? All the other characters are inside the panel here except for Ochako so we can see her boots. Hori I'd like answers about this if you would

Original trio worried about each other I MISS THIS TRIO WHERE DID THEY GO

We get a shot of all the kids post-USJ and this is Ochako's expression. I see concern/worry idk about yall. And that tracks what with the villains attacking and all

Ochako back at it again with mild foot in mouth syndrome for the end of the chapter lol.

After a dearth of Ochako just from the title it seems ch 22 will be a feast!!! We also get some clarification on her Quirk and it's limitations. And some silly descriptions of her appearance. I think the tights bit kills me. Yup. She wears those

Aizawa explains the sports festival and how important it is/what they get out of it. We see up close shots of 7 students and Ochako's 1 of 3 who look more serious+determined about it

Then we see just HOW serious she's taking it a bit later (but also her telltale nervous sweat is visible too) Deku and Iida have concerns

Even the characters she's barely interacted with are aware how weird this is (Kirishima don't acknowledge the 4th wall) from what's been shown of her so far.

Additional note I think this was a weird translation lol. Not wrong just odd? She might have meant it as her name, but I think it makes more sense with the word uraraka (麗らか) which means peaceful and wonderful. She looked really fierce which is kinda the opposite so...

And the truth comes out. We can tell she's nervous/embarrassed too look at the sweat pouring off, the side glance, and her quickly moving left hand. Her right hand's also balled into a fist too. V clear visual cues for us

More sweat, her blush is more pronounced and she makes it clear she feels like she doesn't measure up. "Base" she feels it's less "morally right" than the reason Iida gave us in ch 12. Iida reassures her (good friend) after she puts herself below him

She confides in them about her family being poor. Not just poor, POORER THAN POOR. The Uraraka's have been struggling a lot(not the "don't mention that to anyone"). And for a long time too "said [...] way back" this is something she's struggled with for a lit of her life

That should be "note the" oops