Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia chapter 429
Summary
My Hero Academia’s penultimate chapter finally gave fans a long-awaited heart-to-heart betweenDeku and Uraraka, but the chapter had a focus besides confirming romance between the two. While some fans may have preferred a traditional confession scene, the scene that fans got is actually a perfect fit thematically, calling back to another important moment between the two.
Chapter 429 sees Deku seeking out Uraraka and finding her crying atop the cliff where they had their chat before the final war began. Uraraka is upset over Toga’s death, still believing it to be her fault.Deku tries to convince Urarakato open up to him about how she’s feeling, and she finally lets it all out. Deku is able to relate to her pain at “failing” to save Toga, pointing out that he felt similarly towards the young boy once known as Tenko Shimura.
Of course, that’s about when the rest of Class 2-A arrives, crushing any fan hopes of an actual confession of romantic feelings for one another.
Deku and Uraraka’s Scene Mirrors Their Prior Relationship
Deku is There for Uraraka For Once
Deku’s words here are accompanied by a variety of flashback panels to times when Uraraka was there to support him so many times over the course of the series. It was Uraraka herself who came up with the “Hero’s Hero” idea, wanting to be there to help heroes who are themselves struggling. In Deku’s Dark Hero period, it took quite a bit of convincing to allow her (or anyone else) to help him, but eventually Deku had to accept that he couldn’t do everything for everyone alone. It was thanks in no small part to Uraraka that he had this realization, and finally began to open up to his friends about how he was feeling.
However, all this time, Uraraka has been doing exactly what Deku was doing during that period–internalizing her feelings and hiding them, making them her own burden to bear. Even as she insisted on Deku opening up, there were already things that Uraraka was keeping locked inside. If Uraraka wants to be the one to save a hero in need, then who is there to save her when she’s in need? Deku answers that question indirectly, saying that they must go “above and beyond to reach out, even when nobody’s asking.” That applies to Uraraka herself, too; she may not have been asking for help, but she needed it anyway.
After Uraraka helped Deku throughout the whole series, Deku finally acknowledges all that she’s done for him, and that it’s about time that he repays that favor. While the scene may not be traditionally romantic, it clearly holds a lot of meaning for their relationship, with the two now fully supporting one another even without asking.Deku acknowledging Urarakaas his “hero” may be even more powerful than any kind of love confession could’ve been, as it speaks to the very nature of their relationship. Now,My Hero Academia’s favorite pairing can be each other’s heroes, and they’ll both be stronger for it.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a multimedia franchise that follows a young boy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreams of becoming a hero despite being born without superpowers. These superpowers, known as “Quirks” are found in most people after birth, but Izuku wasn’t so lucky - until a fateful encounter with All Might, Japan’s greatest hero, Izuku inherits his Quirk and enrolls in U.A. High School to learn the true meaning of heroism. Alongside his classmates, each endowed with unique abilities, Izuku faces rigorous training and lethal threats from villainous forces.
