[OWLS Blog Tour] Losing Sight

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Archi-Anime’s stop on the March edition of the OWLS blog tour.

Wow. It’s certainly been a hot minute since I’ve posted here. As you’ve noticed, things have also changed around here in terms of layout. I recently downgraded my site due to inactivity. I’m going to try to change that by kicking off again with an OWLS blog tour. If you’re not familiar with our group: we are a group of otaku bloggers who promote acceptance of all individuals regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and disability.

We emphasize the importance of respect, kindness, and tolerance to every human being. Even though we come from all walks of life, each and every one of our amazing members are dedicated to our cause.

This month we’ll be talking about “Devotion.”

When we talked about fandoms, we show our appreciation and support by buying merchandise, cosplaying, writing fanfiction and etc. In fact, our appreciation can end up looking like a sign of religious worship. For this month, we will be talking about how certain characters express devotion to others, objects, and values. We will also be discussing how devotion can turn into an unhealthy form of passion and obsession and the implications of that.

It should be of no surprise, but if we’ve interacted during the last year and prior, the reason I took a bit of hiatus was because I got very deeply involved in the My Hero Academia series and it’s fandom. And, you know, maybe it’s time I started writing more about the series again on my blog, but time is always a heck of a factor.

But, the moment I saw March’s prompt, I had to jump onto it, because while I have my own level of devotion (read as obsession) to this series; more specifically to it’s main character Izuku Midoriya and the most current antagonist of the current season Overhaul, these two both express their devotion to their values.

Kai and Izuku are two sides of the same coin. They ultimately devote themselves to ideals they believe are for the benefit to themselves and to their community. However, while they both have good intentions, one is considered heroic while the other is villainous.

Izuku Midoriya & All Might

Izuku is a hero fanatic, but nothing beats his fanaticism with All Might. All Might is his inspiration to be a hero since he was a child, and the one person that gave him the motivation and reassurance that he too could be a hero.

Izuku’s not able to yield One for All at 100%, his body is not yet equipped to handle it as is, and due to his time limitations to get a feel and own it, he’s pushed into it and do his best with what he can use.

The thing about idolization is the need to be like that person, to emulate them and mimic them. Because it was given from All Might, not only did he feel the need to emulate him, but to carry on All Might’s legacy, and in order to do that he felt the need to mimic his fighting style completely. Yes, some of his moves also came from studying Katsuki, but that was mostly maneuvering than fighting.

For Izuku, inheriting All Might’s power and having studied him so obsessively made him narrow minded in what he could do with the ability of One for All, he even copies the names of all of All Might’s moves, and inevitably it only does damage to Izuku’s arms, to the point he could loose function of them if he continues to put strain on them.

Which brings us to the Provisional License arc, in which Izuku had to develop a special attack as his own, and finally came to the realization that he doesn’t have to copy All Might, and develops his own style using Shoot-style which inevitably becomes Izuku’s new fighting style.

Overhaul & The Yakuza

Overhaul, or, Chisaki Kai, was not a bad guy from day one. It was something he morphed into before taking on the moniker ‘Overhaul’.

Kai was an orphan when ‘The Boss’ adopted him and raised him. At the beginning too, we can see that Kai wasn’t adverse to physical touch, as he welcomed ‘The Boss’ giving him a head pat as a child. This later on changes as Kai hates being touched and develops mysophobia. Kai also views quirks as a disease that needs to be eradicated.

But, as time passed and the rising of heroes and villains with quirks, the Yakuza took a hit and essentially faded into obscurity. His entire life Kai has always felt thankful for having been brought in and a sense of pride for ‘the family’.

In an effort to bring the Yakuza back up to their original position of power, Kai schemes ways for them to earn money and establish their role as formidable adversaries.

When Eri comes into the picture, he sees her as the opportunity to bring the Yakuza out of obscurity. However, ‘the Boss’ shoots down the idea, saying going down this route will be the end of his humanity. Kai fully believes in his idea and that this is the key to help the yakuza out. Because ‘the Boss’ doesn’t want Kai to pursue this and is completely against it, Kai is convinced he is right and that he will prove it, so he uses his quirk on ‘the boss’ which puts him in a coma.

Unfortunately, this is when Kai develops the persona Overhaul, to be more menacing and intimidating. He becomes heartless and cruel in his misguided mission to not only bring the Yakuza back up but to erase quirks.

In the end, Overhaul’s devotion to his cause doesn’t bring glory back to the Yakuza like he had hoped, inevitably losing to Izuku in their battle.

Conclusion

Kai had good intentions, but the ends did not justify the means. His devotion became skewed and he became a deplorable chracter at the end.

Izuku, on the other hand, took him awhile to accept that he didn’t have to follow All Might’s footsteps to a Tee. Izuku now thrives after breaking from the shackles he put on himself in emulating All Might. He’s making the quirk his own, by creating his own style and adjusting every time he ups his power level.

We can see through both characters how devotion can bring upon your utter downfall, but if you can break from and realize how blind you are to it, you can work past it and thrive.

What did you guys think of Izuku and Overhaul’s levels of devotion, whether in manga or in the anime? Let me know in the comments below!

Also, don’t forget to read Matt’s post  found here.

And don’t forget to check out Nyan’s post tomorrow also found here.

Also, if you haven’t don’t forget to follow us on facebook as well as our twitter @OWLSbloggers and our official blog as well as our YouTube channel! And if you’re interested in becoming an OWLS member, you can contact us here.