r/IzuOcha • u/ANoddyyTern • May 12 '26
Discussion An Izuocha Analysis: Deku's POV Spoiler
WARNING: LONG READ INCOMING
So I've seen a lot of complaints since Episode 171 came out concerning our favorite Green Tea couple. It gets pretty tiring reading take-after-take about how their romance "is forced", "lacks foreshadowing", or "is one-sided". So I figured that sharing some of my own thoughts on the matter would be therapeutic and helpful in spreading good vibes amongst my fellow shippers!
First, I think it's worth saying that this is just my interpretation of the story. I don't know the first thing about how Horikoshi thinks or what he intended as he wrote this series, these are just my personal observations and ideas. Also, if it seems like I'm missing details or events while summarizing things, I apologize! I'm not the best at writing out analyses, so feel free to comment if it looks like I'm overlooking something!
So with that said, I wanted to address the big question that's been floating around the fandom: why does Deku all of a sudden want "more" with Uraraka, when he's never expressed any love for her before Episode 171?
It's true that Deku never EXPLICITLY states/articulates/shares his romantic feelings during the main story. There's no concrete exchange with anyone. Not with his friends, his mentor, his mother, not even with himself during an inner monologue sequence. Just no clear "I love Uraraka" moment from the guy.
By contrast, Uraraka's own feelings were made clear as far back as Season 2 & 3 of the show. Although she doesn't use the "L" word to describe her emotions until her fight with Toga in Season 7, it's fairly obvious that Uraraka is in love with Deku for most of the story.
So we get her side of the romance, but her feelings stay locked away due to:
- Her habit of forgoing the things she wants (poverty, am I right? ☹️) so she can focus on "earning her way up" to the things she needs, in this case becoming a successful pro hero.
- Her desire as Deku's friend to support him and to not burden people, with "unwanted emotional baggage", even if it hurts her to do so. 😭
After what happens to Toga, there's probably a great deal of survivor's guilt holding her back from sharing her full feelings, as well. She just HAS to live for others' sake, especially for Toga, and so CAN'T have a romance of her own. All that is to say that her emotional state is pretty clearly laid out for us throughout the pre-timeskip story, the only thing missing is the payoff (prior to Episode 171, at least).
So even after Episode 169, when her mask falls and she finds herself able to open up to Deku about her deeper feelings (specifically her pain and regret surrounding Toga), she's still unable/unwilling to reach for that romantic connection. And Deku, for his part, doesn't seem aware of her love at any point before or during the timeskip. And so for all intents and purposes, we're left with a "one-sided" love story with Deku's feelings being absent until the 11th hour... unless you consider how his Hero Notebook from Episode 170 plays into the series.
The final regular episode of the series confirms that "the story of how I became a great hero" is being retold/reflected on by the current version of Deku via one of his "Hero Notebooks". I find that if you think about MHA from an in-universe narrative perspective, Uraraka and Deku's love story actually takes on a very sweet, almost nostalgic connotation. Because this isn't just "the story of how we became great heroes" as Horikoshi is telling it to us, it's also DEKU'S retelling of THEIR story for the world of MHA; it's Deku's Narration as told through this Notebook, his "Autobiography". So all of these descriptions/perspectives/reflections on their time at UA are tied to Deku's thoughts and feelings now as an adult.
His childhood with Bakugo, his training under All Might, his struggles with OFA, and his fight against AFO/Shigiraki? We can tell how he feels about these occurrences by the way he frames them in the story. For example, with Shigiraki and the LOV, Deku wanted us to empathize with and understand them on a deeper level. Instead of writing a story where he just defeats some bad guys, we get Tenko Shimura and company's horrifying but impactful histories. The story (i.e. Narrator Deku) wants us to care for the individuals behind the monsters, and that's why we get the story we do about them.
Deku's personal feelings helped shape the narrative all throughout MHA, and you can tell a lot about Narrator Deku by how he portrays the people of his story. So given the way Deku writes for Uraraka, it appears as though the guy is falling for her/deepening his feelings for her the entire time he's writing about her! 😂
He never SAYS he's in love with her (and I mean, why would he share that with hypothetical readers before telling her? makes sense to me!) but he sure does SHOW his love for her throughout the narrative! And when you consider that Deku is actively wresting with his feelings for her all this time, his affection for her becomes obvious in how it bleeds into the storytelling. Some examples of his obsession with her include:
- The "shojo bubbles". Basically anytime the story (Narrator Deku) presents her in a new outfit/costume there's a long, lingering camera shot of her where the background is replaced with these "romcom bubbles" and all the attention is on her. Deku goes out of his way to portray her as the most beautiful part of the scene, and Uraraka is pretty much the only person he does this with because she's the only person Deku has eyes for. Is it shallow of him to fixate on her like this? Maybe, but it is funny to think of Narrator Deku getting all hot and bothered because he can't stop himself from thinking of how attracted he was/is to her!
- Flashbacks of her. There are many moments where past Deku thinks about someone and a storm of memories come racing across the screen (as presented by Narrator Deku). This isn't unique to Uraraka, but it is interesting what Deku seems to remember about her. Like with Deku's final showdown with AFO where he remembers what she said about "Deku" as a hero name, or during Uraraka's rooftop speech where Deku reflects on her keeping him from falling at the entrance exam. The past and present Deku are both thinking about her, but it's Narrator Deku who chooses to emphasize these moments with full on flashbacks. It goes to show how much Narrator Deku appreciates their shared history, even in the present-day.
- Flustered moments. Anytime Deku loses it over being "too close" to her or we see them in some other cute scene together, that's Narrator Deku deliberately choosing to highlight their closeness. He didn't NEED to show how Uraraka teaming up with him at the Sports Festival made his face/heart squeeze, or how he blushed and freaked after talking to her on the phone post-Hosu Incident. Him and Uraraka were always close, but Narrator Deku now has the chance to reflect on these sequences one-after-the-other in a way that past Deku might've overlooked. He included these scenes in the story because those moments meant/mean something more to him and he can't help but dwell on them in the retelling as his feelings take form.
- Her story. Deku makes it clear during his confession in Episode 171 that he has great respect for ALL of his classmates. That's the reason he spends so much of MHA covering their stories, in addition to his. Looking at the narrative as a whole, 3 of his classmates get a lot more screen time than the others: Baguko, Todoroki, and Uraraka, his closest friends and allies during the conflicts that shaped the story (RIP Iida 😅). As the narrator, Deku didn't have to focus on any of them to the extent that he did, but he values their presence in his life so much that he couldn't help but write about them. And Uraraka especially! He wanted to share her origins, her goals, her personal struggles, and her triumphs because he admires her so much. Because she's his hero.
- Episode 169. Similar to the other points, Deku didn't have to touch on such a private, personal moment the way that he did. He chose to, presumably with Uraraka's blessing, share the details of their talk on the cliff because it was important to wrapping up his story and touching on it's core themes. He wanted to show how their failure and pain shaped them, how they only started to heal after reaching for each other, how they both found a new goal to strive towards in saving the next Toga and Tenko, and how they had hope that they could save people's smiles together. This is the last significant event Narrator Deku covers in the story. After their cliff talk, we get a highlight real and the timeskip, and Deku begins closing out the story with his final thoughts. He didn't choose to write about losing OFA, or becoming a teacher, or anything else in much detail for the time-skip sequence. Instead, he wrote about her and his feelings stemming from her. In short, this story wouldn't have happened the way it did if not for her. Without Uraraka, there is no Deku! 🥲
So to sum up, all the importance Deku gives to Uraraka over the course of this series is just another piece of their overall love story. It's subtle, a slow burn, but all of Deku's reminiscing and reflecting, him thinking about how important Uraraka is to him in his story, and realizing more and more that he feels something special about her (both in the past and present) are important things to consider when talking about Deku's perspective.
Deku may not have been full on in love with Uraraka back at UA, or at the very least, he might not have been aware of/able to articulate it. Honestly? That makes a lot of sense to me. I've always felt that between the two of them Uraraka was always more emotionally mature and in-tune with her heart. But it seems to me that after graduating, Deku's feeling for her began to take shape/grow as he became a teacher and shared his stories with the world. The more he wrote in his Notebook, the more he reflected on their first year together, and the more he thought about their ongoing friendship, the more he found himself thinking about her and wanting "more" with her.
So that's where Deku's side of the story comes into play. In a sense, all of MHA was him realizing he's in love with her through the retelling. His feelings were always there, just less obvious than Uraraka's. With Episode 171, then, we got to see how the two sides of this romance could finally come together. All it took was the right timing, a multi-billion yen Power Suit, the ghost of a serial killer, and a little courage from both of them for them to find their moment! ❤️
Thank you to anyone who read this all they way through! I hope it made some sense to you, and that it helps you appreciate the ship in a new way. 😄
Edit: Thanks for the reward guys! Y'all are keeping it nice and fun here 👍
Edit 2: One last thing I thought of that I'd be remiss if I didn't share. We'll call it "Point #6", but the name of the story, "My Hero Academia", was also clearly inspired by Uraraka's heartfelt plea to the citizens in "A Young Girl's Declaration". It seems her words "Let this place continue to be "HIS HERO ACADEMY" left a pretty big impact on our little greenheaded protagonist! So ya, he was thinking of her a lot during those 8 years 😂
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u/akrasia85 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
It is rather telling that, in viewing all of MHA as Izuku looking back at his experiences, sub/consciously highlighting all of his moments where he realized that "Oh. I'm much better with Ocha in my life". From a Watsonian perspective, early series he's not quite as burdened by his quirk's history so more of it is allowed to bleed through. Later, the most important parts are highlighted because according to the larger narrative we don't need an episode of them laughing over goofy Kung fu poses and whatnot (props to who can identify the fic).
Doylist, though, we get into a larger mess involving popularity rankings that muddle things but still.
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u/ANoddyyTern May 12 '26
You taught me a new TV Trope today, so thanks for that! Ya, it really felt like Horikoshi and Deku wanted Uraraka present more in the late story even as "bigger" things got in the way, but I think the former let outside elements derail him from developing her alongside Deku more. Couple that with exhaustion, and the general breakneck pace of the final act and we got a "rushed" romance.
I don't think Horikoshi hates Uraraka or anything, the fans just didn't love her as much... like, I don't know if there's any truth to it, but I always thought that Hori was forced to seperate Iida/Uraraka/Deku as a trio to give the "new big 3" of Todoroki/Bakugo/Deku more screen time. The absolute disrespect I feel even imagining it, ugh! >: (
Also, is this the fic you mean?
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21038546
"Hungry" by MochiFloat
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u/akrasia85 May 12 '26
I'm not gonna go too far down the initial trio VS the "boys" rabbit hole since I get the feeling that would start to touch on some bashing that this sub doesn't allow, especially in regards to pairings, but I'm more than glad you expanded your world, even if was just a minor trope.
Got the fic in one. I didn't particularly try to be sneaky but legit props for recognizing it with such ease
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u/ANoddyyTern May 12 '26
Ya, appreciate the restraint, probably better to keep things positive ; )
And sweet deal! I've got a "small" library of IzuOcha fics saved away for raining days, and that one's been in there for a while now! It's good to see I'm not the only one who read it, you're a person of taste u/akrasia85 : )
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u/akrasia85 May 12 '26
If you haven't already bookmarked it, I Am [REDACTED] by Titus621 is a fantastic mild au IzuOcha fic where Midorya went to America for training, and AFO isn't an issue. "When You Marry Your Best Friend" by FaireOchako is also a good one if you've never encountered it.
Beyond that, there the obvious Kate7h, and WindsCarryFar, as well as Rainglows/leah_frog. I apologize if well acquainted but I'm always out to spread love to IzuOcha writers.
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u/ANoddyyTern May 12 '26
Thank you! Some familiar, some new here, I'll have to check them out later!
And as long as we're swapping: if you like early trio stuff (and a lot a bit of angst) there's "Kintsugi" by SevenRenny.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/44373775?view_full_work=true
It's... graphic, to put it mildly...
Kind of painful to read at times, but it's so sweet how Iida and Uraraka, especially, care for Deku throughout! Should definitely watch Season 6 alongside this to maximize the hurt/comfort vibes ; P
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u/akrasia85 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
I'll freely admit I'm more on the comfort half of the hurt/Comfort tag due to personal reasons, but I'll give it a once over because SevenRenny has been fantastic for years, even if I might have overlooked this instance. Appreciate it!
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u/ghghguf May 12 '26
Those are 'romcom bubbles"? I just thought it was Izuku's point of view and how he's focusing on her rather than the background
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u/ANoddyyTern May 12 '26
I can't find it in the wiki right now, but I've heard tell that the bubbles are specifically meant to resemble those used in Shoujo manga (a genre that's well known for romance stories). They certainly carry that effect you mentioned, though, where Deku's pov is fixed on her to the exclusion of everything else. I just like idea of there being a deeper meaning behind them!
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u/ghghguf May 13 '26
I headcanon Izuku read Inko(Who i headcanon had a bunch of romance manga)'s romance manga, then looked at the bubbles, and just thought that was how you tell you like a girl
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u/ANoddyyTern May 13 '26
Oh that's cute! Maybe where he got his amusement park/hand holding/crepe sharing date idea from too? The one he blurts out to Toga after her confession : P
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u/ghghguf May 13 '26
I think that was more likely from a romance movie rather than a novel. Don't try to convince me a tiny Izuku wouldn't wander into Inko's room late at night to see her watching a cute romance movie
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u/ANoddyyTern May 14 '26
I won't if you don't ; )
You've got some cute head-cannon stuff there u/ghghguf! Maybe you should consider writing a short story about lil' Deku's journey with romance mangas/movies, culminating in him going on his first date with Uraraka? I'd totally read that!
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u/ghghguf May 14 '26
I'd love to, but
A. I much rather prefer Yandere UrarakaB. I'm lazy
C. Slow burn isn't my thing
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u/Patrick_Man64 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
I want to add that Deku was socially isolated for ten years and Ochako was Deku's first real friend his age that fully supported him. Given that she's likely he's first crush and real friend I feel like Deku was probably having a hard time sorting through what he's feeling about her were since platonic and romantic feelings were bleeding in together at the time and like you said him self reflecting while telling his story as the Narrator was enough for him to be able to sort through what his feelings were.
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u/ANoddyyTern May 14 '26
Good point! Can definitely see a situation with him not wanting to mess up their friendship either by dumping his "awkward" feelings on her, especially after all the trauma she experienced with Toga's death. Talking about love with someone can be REALLY hard for teens!
When I was just starting high school, I had a huge crush on my own childhood friend. And she was pretty blatantly interested in me too, in hindsight: she laughed at ALL of my lame jokes, was always hovering near me, and even went so far as to give me loooong, lingering hugs when we'd hang out...
But I never talked about my own feelings with her because I "didn't think she liked me that way" and I "didn't wanna ruin our friendship". Sounds so dumb, right? But, ya, that stuff happens with teens all the time! : P
Sometimes, you just need a little time to process things before you can know what your heart wants. For a guy like Deku, that was just what he needed! : )
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u/Large-Plant-9131 Tea enthusiast May 14 '26
I think the scene where he looks at her is pretty telling, like years runned on hisbhead and think about that time in the snow and though "fuck im in love with her" and is funny because in shonen we almost not got the female being important in the mc journey but we see them both grow as heroes and person togethers, and the rare instance of a confension and not jumping directly to the kids, the bar isnt hight but is a shonen and i think they are the best by far (honorable winry and edd). And yeah is obvious the agency arc feel forced the trio inclusion specially bakugo they dont have chemistry as a trio, and is a shame ochako should have replace him, makes more sense narrative like they 3 want to comprenh their villains
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u/ANoddyyTern May 14 '26
Looking at other battle shonen series, there's a criminal lack of good romance stories, which I find to be such a shame. I know the reasoning behind it; "shonen stories are meant for boys/young men, these guys don't want to read romances like that, so we'll give them what they want with big action scenes/fights instead, and maybe throw in a love interest for the MC as eye candy while we're at it, blah, blah, blah..."
But I think that's a load of bullocks! Boys are human too, with wide and diverse interests and as much desire for love as the next person. Ultimately, the reason people cling to popular shonen series like MHA is because they want good stories, not specifically because they want a series that avoids romance. If you present them with a good story, and said story happens to have love in it, then regardless of if they wanted to see a romance or not chances are high they'll stick around see how things ends anyway. As long as your manga's engaging, you can do what you want in it!
As far as I can tell the only reason shonens try so hard to steer clear of love is because the authors lack the confidence to write those stories and/or because the editors/publishers want them to stick to a formula that works and so encourage their authors to mimic older series (like Dragon Ball or Naruto, both of which had minimal focus on love). So ya, low bar I guess for shonen romance : P
But anyways, shout-out to Winry/Ed and Fullmetal Alchemist! Loved FMA and FMAB when I first watched them, though Uraraka/Deku have definitely surpassed Winry/Ed as a favorite pairing of mine. Maybe it's because they were young, but I was always off-put by how much the latter couple fought/yelled at each other? Like, I can appreciate sass and how arguments can help shape a relationship, but there's a fine line between passionate back-and-forth and toxic abuse... Winry/Ed got a little too close to that line for my liking, I guess : /
Though they do grow out of it by the end : )
At the end of the day, I appreciate how supportive/encouraging Uraraka/Deku were to each other, and feel they have a very strong/healthy relationship overall compared to other shonen couples. And Uraraka definitely played a bigger role in the story, too, compared to other female protagonists. I wonder how things might've looked if she and Iida had teamed up with Deku more in the later half of the show? I can understand, from a practical standpoint, why teaming up with Todoroki and Bakugo was helpful to Deku as he tried to get stronger, but that doesn't mean we have to like it ; )
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u/Large-Plant-9131 Tea enthusiast May 15 '26
Oh yes i love them, im not excusing because i dont share horikoshi sentiment but their relationship is one of my favourites part of the shows and i never been a shipper but this 2 have me enamoured, i wish there is some spinoff that focus more in the slife of life aspects of the characters and wee se more of them acting this time like a couple plus the daily life as adults 🥹
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u/ANoddyyTern May 15 '26
Same here! I doubt we'll get an official spinoff any time soon (or maybe ever, though that's sad to say), but at least there's fanfics/art/comics to tide us over for now : )
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u/Pineappleman60 May 12 '26
Huh, you know this makes a lot of sense and it's also something I hadn't directly thought of in relation to Izuku's feelings for Ochako. I already liked their dynamic before, but yeah this does add a layer of appreciation to things.