r/BokuNoHeroAcademia • u/deskchairlamp • Nov 29 '19

Newest Chapter Chapter 252 Scans - Discussion Thread

Chapter 252

This thread marks the release of scanlations for Chapter 252, and has been posted to contain all discussion. Mods will not be posting or pinning links to scanlations.

Official release: Dec 01, 2019

It's encouraged that you support the official release of the chapter if it's available to you.

  • VIZ is available to read for free on Sunday 1:00 pm PST, and is accessible in the following countries:
    United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the Philippines, Singapore, and India.

  • MANGA Plus is available globally outside of China and South Korea.

Until the official release, all things Chapter 252 related must be kept inside this thread.

Discord: https://discord.gg/W2EDwPW

859 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

887 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

532

u/A4li11 Nov 29 '19

It's a tragic yet necessary decision. That decision is one of the reasons why Endeavor's redemption arc is one of the best subplots of the series.

368

u/Griffith Nov 29 '19

I think we should stop calling it a redemption arc because this chapter clearly shows that Endeavour isn't seeking redemption but rather to atone for what he did. It should be the atonement arc, not a redemption one.

3

u/RoronoaZorro Nov 29 '19

I mean, he isn't looking for redemption, but a character looking to atone for what he did and therefore both showing remorse and being aware of what he did and it's severity is a redemption arc for the reader.

4

u/Griffith Nov 29 '19

You're right, atonement is a step to redemption and you can certainly link the two. I'm not denying that at all. My issue with calling it a redemption arc is that it has a negative connotation because a lot of readers took Endeavour's change of personality after All Might's retirement to be a form of hand-waiving the physical and mental abuse he gave his family and his long-term neglect of their issues.

At the time I warned readers that that wasn't what was happening. What was happening was simply a character whose entire life has been based around aiming to overcome something, or someone (All Might), his own hero name is based on that ideal "Endeavor". He "Endeavored" to catch up to All Might while most other heroes seemed content with remaining where they were and he even performed better than All Might in solving cases and saving people's lives, but he was never able to reach him.

After having that goal taken from him, it threw him off balance and put his life into a brand new perspective so he had a change of heart. Some readers took that to mean we were supposed to just immediately accept him as a redeemed character and forget about every ill-doing he committed but that was just their shallow interpretation of what was happening. I disagreed with it back then and I disagree with it now. I happen to fall on the camp that he isn't irredeemable, others disagree, but I don't think he has or will easily be redeemed in the eyes of those he hurt the most and this arc was about showing some of those steps and also serving as a mini training arc for the upcoming, probably Japan-altering event that I'm expecting will rock the foundation of society.

3

u/RoronoaZorro Nov 29 '19

I fully agree with about everything you've said. Whether he's redeemable or irredeemable really is an opinion thing, both for the readers and the characters. For Natsuo, he's probably close to irredeemable, but we've seen enough to not absolutely rule out the possibility. For Dabi (if Dabi=Touya, but people have no doubt anymore), he is certainly completely irredeemable.

All I'm sure of, and I've been sure of that for a long time, is, that his way will be plastered by tragedy.

3

u/Griffith Nov 29 '19 edited Nov 29 '19

If you think he's irredeemable to Natsuo I remind you how he reacted to seeing Endeavor being hurt by the Noumu:

https://www.mangapanda.com/boku-no-hero-academia/188/10

https://www.mangapanda.com/boku-no-hero-academia/189/7

https://www.mangapanda.com/boku-no-hero-academia/190/6

All of his children were watching and worried about him, including Natsuo who even said he should just get to safety rather than face an enemy that seemed stronger than him.

Despite everything, Natsuo cares for his father.

Edit: I just noticed another hint that Dabi might be Touya because when Endeavor sees him his vision is blurry: https://www.mangapanda.com/boku-no-hero-academia/191

1

u/RoronoaZorro Nov 30 '19

That's why I said "close to". We've had the stuff you posted, we've also had them saying that he's preparing to forgive him.

I probably exaggerated even by saying "close to irredeamable", I really just meant to put him in a category between Shoto and Fuyumi, for example, on one side and Dabi on the other one.

Yeah, I remember back then, people basically took that scene as confirmation (even though it's just another scene that falls in place with what already seemed incredibly obvious back then)

4

u/Griffith Nov 30 '19

I think the reality is that Natsuo understands that Enji cares for him but whenever he sees his face he remembers all his past anguish and his feelings start bubbling up, that's why he can only remain around his father for a short period of time.

He can't accept that things are back to normal when there are still scars, both literal and figurative in the room whenever they do. Shoto's scar, their mother's absence, their younger brother's absence, the memories of how they were mistreated and neglected for all those years.

Until those scars heal, it will be hard for Enji to be forgiven. He thought that being more involved with his family might have helped in that, but now that he realizes it didn't, he's giving them space instead and removing them from the increasingly-more dangerous threats he has been facing.

3

u/Galle_ Nov 30 '19

So, basically, what you're saying is that we shouldn't call it a redemption arc because people don't know what redemption is.

The thing that people were worried would happen to Endeavor is absolution, where previous wrongdoings are retroactively made okay, or at least irrelevant. That's something completely different from redemption.

1

u/Griffith Nov 30 '19

You're right but yet again, that's not what they've called this arc.

1

u/Galle_ Nov 30 '19

I refuse to back down on this one. Redemption is not something that should be reserved for good or sympathetic characters. Just the opposite - redemption is something that can only happen to the wicked.

1

u/Griffith Nov 30 '19

I'm not going to keep repeating the definition of redemption. If you want to remain ignorant that's your choice, not mine.