Thread by @Sync_xma, I think one thing in MHA that I don’t see as much [...]

I think one thing in MHA that I don’t see as much people talking about is Mental Health

More importantly, Deku’s mental health. And how important that is for his character as a whole. So (since I’m taking so long on this video I’m sorry)

~ The Mental Health of Deku ~
[Thread]

I think a very underrated thing that has flown under the radar in MHA is Deku’s self deprecating and self-sacrificial nature

This kid has almost zero regard for his own life. And if you wanted to, his super somber attitude when learning of his destiny can be seen like this

I believe this was intentional - the series is overall very positive but the topics it covers and the rooted mind of our Main Character is very much the opposite

It’s an example of contrasting tones that work extremely well in MHA’s favor throughout the whole series tbh

Deku’s nature to not care about himself has been present throughout the entire series

He doesn’t care and he has always thought that there could be people more worth (life, quirk, etc.) than him

I get into this with my Deku video but he uses the idea that he was blessed

In order to keep himself going with such positivity - he was given such an amazing quirk, such an amazing life and he can’t let that go to waste or he disrespects and lets go of all that he was given by his mentors and friends - and he can’t have his life be a detriment to others

But now he has been told that his life is in fact special, he DOES have almost this cosmic like destiny and it is only him who can do this without any other option

This adds such a layer of responsibility and weight to his entire situation -

But it also combats this sense he has in himself that he isn’t as important as other people

Because now, he IS more important than other people. He is the MOST important person and he knows it

And yet he puts himself in more danger?

This is a physiological response that Deku shows because (imo) it is a somewhat self destructive reaction to what he learned in the Vestige world

And whatever these users said - as it was implied they continued this conversation and they have disdain towards Deku

The APA defines a similar condition to Deku’s behavior - Non Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI)

This can be seen in people with emotional instability, unstable relationships, and chronic feelings of emptiness

Please note the “marked by tendencies such as” section

Emotional instability? Deku is BIG on crying

Unstable Relationships? Bakugo. And of course maybe his father if that ever comes up

Chronic Feelings of emptiness?

A bit harder to prove but it could be juxtaposed by how he went from being alone with no one in his corner to going to UA and having everyone in his corner

Also the Vestiges inside of him make it impossible for him to be “empty” inside

Even the “borderline personality disorder” can be explained into Deku’s character

Notice how often during fights he’ll turn into this rage enduced Berserker - and as Deku says, he starts “acting like Kacchan” spewing off insults left and right.

I do not think Deku is suicidal but I do think he has self harm tendencies. This is through the form of NSSI and prioritizing others lives over himself

Plenty of examples, him endangering himself as a Rogue Hero to protect UA - him nearly killing himself to give Shoto therapy

Countless others but this loops into the idea of a “Great Hero” which is someone who is willing to endanger themselves for the sake of others well being

Ochako, most of the Hero Cast, a lot of this is seen with others characters as well

But Deku is an EXTREME example of this - to the point where he was holding like 9 people, broken arms and all, and singlehandedly holding off Shigaraki

And then belittling himself for not doing enough after this - lying on the ground broken and in shambles screaming at himself

Now this behavior comes from a long list of things. Mainly the years of torment, harassment, and abuse he received from Bakugo and society letting him down

Like it or not - Deku is mentally traumatized from Bakugo’s bullying - he just does a fantastic job of hiding it

The thing is this is acknowledged and brought up Bakugo himself in the story - because Bakugo understands this and it’s one of the biggest reasons he knows he has to make it up to Deku

Because Deku is a danger to himself at this point

This is one of the most important contextualizing lines in the entire story and it’s coming from Bakugo and All Might - the two people who KNOW Deku

Deku doesn’t take himself into account

And Deku doesn’t see Bakugo as a person who needs to atone

The float chapter is one of the best for contextualizing Deku’s character because it focuses so much on how he handles himself and his priorities

One of my favorite spreads in the entire series screams into your face that Deku has a problem here

Now this isn’t taking into account necessity or my own opinion on whether Deku should or shouldn’t have been so self sacrificial in this moment

It’s pretty much justified in the story - he had almost no choice

But the issue is how he views that - in this situation

Deku determined very fast before he even cognitively realized it that it was him or Everyone else and he chose everyone else without even so much as a blink of an eye

Remember NSSI? Non suicidal self harm? Here’s an unintentional act of it

Call it rage, call it emotional instability (like I said before) and call necessity but the reaction Deku had was not one of a mentally stable mind

Even Rock Lock was shocked by how much better that kid (Deku) was handling it then him - it’s because he cares about others far greater then he has ever cared for himself

I am extremely excited to see how this goes down the line - I used a lot of terminology that I’m not sure Horikoshi intended for his character specifically but I am sure that the mental trauma was intentional

Gonna be fun to see how this continues

And I am certain that down the road this mental health plot line will be explored through other characters reaching out to Deku and helping him - mainly Ochako and Bakugo if I had to say for certain - maybe even Iida if I was gonna think like Horikoshi

Thanks for reading!

Latest Threads Unrolled: