Not Created Equal - Elitism in My Hero Academia 

You've articulated your points, but the term 'elitism' doesn't really fit in how you are using it. A meritocratic system might be closer to it, or those based from the leadership of 'experts'.

-good looks -does not show their face in most videos Makes sense to me.

You made it

While I agree with most of the points, I think it's worth pointing out the things that was skipped: that the system of MHA's world fails at creating it's ideal, and that failure is kind of central to it's larger thematic conflicts between the LOV and society as a whole, and also in smaller ways like with Shinso. He could be an excellent hero but the "objective" measures of ability used to select the top hero candidates carry with them the inherent biases of the ones that created them. It's pointed out that the UA entrance exam for the hero course is heavily stacked towards heavy combat type quirks, but makes no accountance for the fact there are multiple ways to fight a battle beyond just smashing things. Shinso's ability is DEVASTATING against any human villain target, but that is impossible to illustrate in UA's exam, hell, it's implied that Aizawa had a similar problem during his school days. We can assume that this type of thing isn't limited to heroism or even UA, it's a filtering system that is built into most facets of this world, and means that people who could leaders of theirs fields of interest are selected out of them because the ones doing the selection lack the vision to recognize their potential and how things can be done differently. MHA's world is built around the idea that there is a role for everyone, yes, but that role is not by any means the role that they could or would be best at, it is the role that the world will allow them to fill.

The editing at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1186">19:46</a> implies that the kids ability to pull his eyes out of their sockets is not his inherent quirk but something he learned. Well done kid, you worked hard and extended your skillset, i am so proud of you.

I generally agree with you, but find it worth highlighting how poorly many real elitist systems, and indeed MHA, fail to properly evaluate what makes people good at a thing. The classic MHA example is rejecting a person with the power to instantly subdue many villains without conflict in Hitoshi Shinso. Often people at the top overvalue people who do well in a way they know how to measure, and fail to value those who don’t.

"Turning ignorance into a sin makes people unwilling to seek help for fear of being perceived as dumb." Can I have that engraved on my wall please that's a great line.

To be fair, the society of My Hero Academia is, despite all its flashiness, a dark dystopian world. Because of Quirks, scientific advancement has crawled to a halt (they said it so, that humanity would have invented space travel by that point if Quirks didn't appear). Also, some people are then MUCH above the rest of humanity in term of individual power, which is unheard of in human history. You can argue all you want that the My Hero Academia is meritocratic and elitist like a real one, but in reality no one has such overwhelming advantages over the others. In our society, a naturally strong person would get their butt kicked by an expert martial artist. The so called "geniuses" still need countless hours of study to perform well, and usually hard work and tutoring can actually make someone as effective (if not more) than a naturally gifted person. Meanwhile in the world of My Hero Academia some people can topple skyscrapers with a sneeze from birth. Hard work is just 10% (and I'm being generous) of what defines success in the world of heroes, as someone who has a weaker quirk simply cannot compete with someone who has a strong one. The "Hero" job in itself is just a show, a palliative to prevent people from realizing that some individuals can destroy the whole society if they wish to.

So... TLDR: "Self-improve and find your niche instead of striving for unattainable goals." Honestly, kinda inspiring. At my workplace, a law firm, I perform a menial task: disassembling files and scanning them onto a computer. That's almost all I do most weekdays with only small alterations here and there. I'm not a big-brain lawyer or busy-bee assistant; I'm the cleanup guy with the repetitive task. My coworkers do not envy me, stating how they would go mad under those circumstances. Meanwhile, I'm content - it's a low-stress position on a foundation of consistency that gives me plenty of mind space for thinking. In a niche others dread, I find comfort and excel.

So your saying UA is a super prestigious trade school ??

“This being a contradiction Of Thomas Jefferson- _The slave owner._ “ I subscribed literally because of that lol.

This is quite good but I think you left out an extremely important thing, the economic component. The reality is that not all roles/jobs have the same economic reward and that effects peoples decisions, often leading them to pursue careers that they hate/ are not suited for because they will get more compensation from it. Just because a person might be suited for a certain job/role doesn't mean that role is going to be rewarding or profitable and that is true even in an super power society. People are going to go for what most benefits themselves first and then worry about 'the best use of there abilities' second because at the end of the day people are more worried about surviving and living comfortable lives than any philosophical good they could do. It doesn't matter how important that role is, if it doesn't provide the level of compensation people want , or need to live, then the job falls to people whom have no other alternative to said job.

A Code Geass video as a counterpoint to this video could be nice. Not only does Emperor Charles use the phrase "All men are not created equal" as well, but the show takes the meaning in a different direction, referring to those with power ruling freely over those without. Framing it as a comparison could also give it the requisite HeroAca tie-in :p

“Mineta’s a better best girl than you!” -Explanation Point, 2019

I agree with the fundamentals of your analysis, but for real world application I feel like it's necessary to really emphasize that this competitive mentality only works if society is structured to be fundamentally cooperative. If living in society is framed as a competition, and losing in that competition results in not having the resources to live a decent life, then helping or teaching others becomes counter-productive, since it wastes time and resources, that could have been spent on improving yourself, on improving the abilities of your potential rivals to out-compete you. If maximizing your own place on the totem pole is the primary objective, then keeping others down is often more effective than raising yourself up. So yes, we should absolutely have competition for luxury, or status, or positions of authority, but we must ensure that we are not competing against each other for the fulfillment of basic needs, because that turns society into a zero-sum game, that incentivizes sabotage over upliftment, and turns constructive good-natured competition into cut-throat, socially destructive competition.

One of my favorite lines to combat "Life is Unfair" is that "Just because Life isn't Fair doesn't mean you have to be". It is a line I carry heavily because it is meant to shatter the idea that just because life isn't fair, you can at least be a decent person, helping when you can without being an idiot and throwing your own life out the window. But knowing your limits is one of the most important things because if you know your limits, you can either grow to pass those limits or strengthen what hasn't reached its limit yet, when it comes to the teaching system of most schools, it can be considered a fact that it isn't the best, filled with flaws in the attempt to teach its students lots of things that honestly aren't necessary. Elementary School should teach the most necessary of how to read, write, 1+1, and why NOT to be a butt hole while middle school should go into the little more advanced forms of necessary learning like history, basics of science, HEAVILY WHY NOT TO BE A BUTT HOLE, and maybe anything else that should be learned for day to day life (Maybe some basics of computer since that is a staple of everyday life currently), Highschool should be where we teach them more adult stuff like how to do taxes (which i personally think should be the state problem), maybe some schools teach students how to drive, but the main goal should be helping students figure out what they are and aren't good at, help them learn what they can do for a living so they have freaking options instead of saying "Good luck". Colleges should focus on teaching specific fields. I honestly feel like the continuous comparison between colleges honestly shows how schools are more aiming for fame and money rather than helping people learn, and considering that Hero Academy is based off of current school systems, it would almost be safe to say that SOME colleges and SOME of the professors teaching in those colleges aren't staying in their lane, and I am not trying to be rude when I say that, I am saying that personal thoughts and feelings affect what you are teaching and students will take your own personal opinions like fact, making so many lies be considered "Part of life" when it is an option. (It is the slave effect of not teaching them that they CAN be free to do what they want almost on purpose so their wants are made a reality)

There are two ways I like to watch an Explanation Point video: 1. Listen to Mr Point's calming voice as he dives through his carefully written script filled with every kind of tool a writer needs to master their craft, and ponder the meanings and significance of what the video discusses. 2. pWeTty EDitS WEHooooAAA~!!!

“There isn’t one singular way to be useful, but there is *only* one way to be useless: the refusal to better yourself or move forward.”

I absolutely love how you Worm in parahumans references. You should be awarded. It's so well pact in.

>endbringer attacks Someone's been reading Worm

I was not expecting endbringers to be brought up

"...power-hungry villains and natural disasters and Endbringer attacks..." Dangit Expo, every single video you remind me why I _love_ you. The one-two punch of that particular natural disaster followed by the frigging Worm reference was... _just_ perfect.

Created equal doesn't mean created the same. Rather, it refers to what society owes individuals by default. This is clarified by the followup line "...that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The fork you present is a false dichotomy, one used within individualism to imply those with power should be given more power, and those without should remain without, even unto the removal of access to fulfillment of basic needs.

The funny thing about All Might's teaching style is that is actually one of the better possible ones. It heavily emphasizes problem solving and active recall, the most important skill, and the most effective study style respectively. By giving the students self directed tasks he teaches them to solve problems on their own and avoid the trap of learned helplessness, and subsequently by having the students explain what the lesson was all along he encourages active recall thus better encoding the lesson in their memories. Now there are certainly flaws in his style, for example Momo almost ALWAYS is the one to explain the lesson, meaning that not all of the students are getting the best learning experience, and he has a tendency to leave the students almost completely directionless, which could easily kill any motivation on their part. However, other than those kinda minor issues he might actually be a better teacher than Aizawa.

Anime RU-vidr spends 24 minutes talking about how we really do live in a society

By comparison, Mob Psycho actually makes kind of the exact opposite point. As best boy Reigan Arataka repeatedly points out, everyone is born with a different talent for everything and being talented in something makes you no better or worse than the next person. What matters is being a well-rounded, mature person, not the degree to which you perfect your one talent.

A counterexample would be people that aren't _good_ at what they _love_ to do. We all know that football player in high school that loved the game, put their all into playing and playing exceptionally, but their inherent talent wasn't all that great. They can practice thousands of hours and give it their very best, but they're just not good at it. In fact, that's a better interpretation of Deku in an elitist society, in my opinion. What he wants to do and what he's good at were in conflict until All Might gave him a quirk, and therefore it's not that crazy of an idea to think that Deku wouldn't have been very happy in another career, even if he was good at it. The biggest issue with this societal structure is that people want to do things they aren't good at all the time. While we tend to gravitate towards things we're talented at, we also are limited by the resources of our upbringing. What is talent to begin with? Why are you good at the things you're good at? HeroAca handily side steps it by making heroism something to do with delineated quirks, but even in HeroAca, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu and Iida were always going to start out better because they're from pro hero families and therefore had access to training, equipment, and handed down experience that most others don't. It's not nature _vs_ nurture, it's always been nature _and_ nurture. Not to mention the big gap of leaving out support items. With the kind of gadgets that exist, I'm _very_ surprised that a hero a la Batman or Iron Man isn't around. Nothing about HeroAca's world makes it clear that Deku couldn't have become a hero, just not via his super cool superpower. This society also assumes that more than one skill at a high proficiency isn't possible, nor desirable to have. I don't mean tangentially either. It's possible to be really good at math and also be a great artist. Typically people will put more time into what they like, so the skills may not develop evenly, but that's not always true. I mean, look at some of those Renaissance dudes that were inventing shit and painting historically revered masterpieces and composing music and learning like three or four languages, etc. As a modern example, look at Lin Manuel Miranda or kpop stars that can do a shit ton of different things at high levels. My last point is more to do with the source material, but it's interesting that so many philosophies like this exclude the Jack of All Trades because they're so integral to society. Being able to pick up almost any skill to an average or maybe slightly above average proficiency is so incredibly useful, and it brings an entirely different perspective to the table. Imagine Deku as the Jack of All Trades hero that maybe can't fight the most dangerous of villains, but he can also help out police, is a trained paramedic or EMT, can sort agency logistics, maybe is good at dealing with politicians or private companies. A hero that does some of this, some of that. ...Fuck dude good video. Now I'm gonna go write some fanfiction lmaooo.

That's why vigilante is a good addition to mha world. It shows us the normal heroes dealing with ur everyday street villain and how those who arent gifted or lucky like midorya still can perform heroic deed through little action like picking up trash, helping others in their daily live, or provide assitance when u saw a hero on duties. Also we get to see aizawa when he is still an active hero.

Did my man here really reference Worm? Mr Point is a man of intelligence AND refined taste

The biggest issue with the type of meritocratic society described here is that it presupposes that A) Said society is a natural system B) That this system is perfectly balanced to accommodate all individuals and their skills. Both assumptions are wrong and i feel these are issues that are not tackled in the show: There is some odd double standard set where people must find "their skill" as some sort of predestined fate and at the same time adapt to what society wants from them. In real life we might be born with the potential to develop great skills, but grow up in an environment that does not care for that skill in particular. Some skills might fall out of favor; this is particular daunting in old age when people is out of time to learn and hone new skills to adapt in order to survive in society. The mere act of survival is not addressed at all in this example: There is people out there that hone their skills to stay alive and can't even think of succeeding in a social hierarchy. All of this issues are exacerbated when you notice that meritocratic societies in real life are both imperfect and artificial: All human societies and systems are the result of centuries of social engineering and the way we measure merits is not set in stone, it changes through the course of history along with moral and material values; In a society that has no crime a Hero would not be able to sustain itself just by preventing disasters; Then the world would look like that show "the boys" where the value of heros is enhanced by publicity and a *perception of status* And the demand for their skills would be created artificially.

Who else did the biggest double take when Endbringers were mentioned?

After the Endbringer reference, I want nothing more than to hear you do an analysis of Worm. I feel kinda like Abridged Kayaba right now. "You get my references?!"

“All men are not created equal” So you better hope you get the best power from the best hero ever or you’ll never succeed

"If you're not cut out for a job, then don't do it. Find something else to do." [Shows an image of the *_F¤CKMOTHERING LEVIATHAN_* ] Imma be honest with you Point, I don't think there's _anyone_ in BNHA that could do _shit_ against Levi.

"Aizawa has as much compassion as a republican bear trap" Oh my gosh, this line is GOLD great job haha

There's also the fact how Bakugou finally recognized his mistakes in the past, and even explicitly stated how he was a bully towards Izuku due to the fact that he was insecure with himself, but his pride and ego had covered it up and made it seem like he was angry at Izuku for 'looking down on him'

Terms to consider: Meritocracy and/or Meritorious. I think your attempt to recontextualize the term 'elitist' is difficult to impossible due to the significant negative conotation the word has accumulated. (Edited from contagion)

I think a lot more of the disparity in real life is economic. Labeling kids “bad at something” isn’t wise, I was labeled “bad at math, good at reading” or whatever in highschool, and not pushed in math. That stereotype was somewhat accurate; however, when I got to college I pushed myself and now I have two bachelors in chemical engineering and chemistry, with a minor in math. I’m working on getting a graduate degree too. In a society with hard cutoffs like quirks this works, in the real world it doesn’t. We can change economics, you can’t change quirks. We should avoid labeling young people “an artist” or calling then a “dancer” or a “chemist” these are learned skill sets. It’s about what you enjoy and if you have curiosity. Also, I wouldn’t call MHA an “elitist society” it’s a *meritocratic* elitist society. Elitism is always bad, but if it’s based on merit and skill, then that’s different. Overall I don’t think this video was well thought out. Other ones have been, but I can’t get behind the mislabeling here.

...and now I kinda want a Worm video

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="400">6:40</a> Hey a "Worm" reference.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="400">6:40</a> "endbringer attacks" I see you're a man of culture as well.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="397">6:37</a> That WORM reference!!! 🤯🤯🤯

EP: Endbringer attacks Me: [Spit takes] Did somebody just out himself as a Parahumans fan!? BROTHER!!!

there is a good counter point to this video showing that my hero academia's society doesn't reward those with talent and that is the character of gentle. when he's introduced he is capable of taking on 5 pro hero's at once and he give's midoriya his toughest fight yet he could have been a great hero but the sad thing is he did want to be a hero but he couldn't pass certain exam's required to be one. and it seem's rather then help him out and show him how to study better or something they just told him to give up. and then there's twice who because he got into an accident but the police deem'd him responsible even though it was the other guy's fault. and ended up with a criminal record. and he got fired from his job because of that and later went insane and turned to villainy. His quirk double is the most useful in the series so no this society doesn't reward those with the best quirk's or with the most talent just those who got lucky.

The Chemist example is the big problem with the argument. A painter could help them come up with clearer models to use in teaching, combining design with the knowledge of chemistry they would get out of the class so it's a good and clear representation. "Sails on the waters they know" is *stagnation*. I understand you will create different classes for different levels of knowledge, but you go farther and into their merit of even taking the class unless you are predisposed towards chemistry, saying they shouldn't "drown" by doing something new.

More Worm references hell yeah

The issue with this form of ideals is that its proven both in the my hero academia and the real world not to work. It fails to take into account that although natural abilities and proficiencies do exist very rarely unless you unfortunately suffer a severe disability are these unable to be overcome, an example is i have a terrible sense of rhythm right now and i know friends who were rather gifted at instruments but the reason i cant play the piano as well as they can is because i put no effort into overcoming what would in the end have been a rather small hill in the grand scheme of things. On top of that the idea of trying to structure societal classes based of this is mental, it either relies on the fact that as children we are fully capable of dividing ourselves into our preferred career paths based on our skills or that some larger authority should dictate such a thing. We see quirks in My Hero Academia that would have been unbelievably fantastic for heroes but would have had a nightmare facing any of the exams to enter an academy like UA. Similarly heroes like Mirio is able to competently defend himself against Overhaul for a considerable period of time both with and without his quirk, on top of that the original practicalities of his quirk disadvantaged him heavily in his path towards becoming a hero. One of the biggest things about Mirio is that his quirk is not naturally fantastic but rather his ability to become a hero stems almost entirely from his training so much so that he fights competently without his quirk. The problem with the mantra not everyone is created equal is no one truly thinks everyone is 100% equal in ability but rather the natural skills you show are secondary to the experience you choose to accumulate, everyone deserves an equal access to the opportunities present because to dismiss someone for the rest of their life based either on their current skill or their natural abilities is ridiculous in all but the most extreme examples. It lowers the quality of skill all around and relies on an outside authority to determine. In My Hero Academia this idea is taken to the extreme but even then we still see its failings. The Gentle Criminal is able to competently and effectively take down multiple heroes and has mastered abilities that would have greatly enabled his pursuit as a hero but due to what was his skill at the time he has been unable to ever pursue such a career regardless of any later improvements. The assumption that skill levels are static would completely fail. There is no honest assessment of ability here but rather a reliance on natural advantage to the dismissal of all else, training is second in My Hero Academia and it is to its detriment, for every one person who gets in the way there is many who could be overwhelmingly beneficial but dont. Tomura himself comments on this when he points out at the mall that there are so many people here that could effectively stop him regardless of his power level but they wont.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="400">6:40</a> is that a worm reference i see? thank you

We have *A S C E N D E D*

"Not being the best cannot be a source of shame in any elitist society that expects to function" My new favorite line

The thing about Aizawa's "the world is not fair" argument is that he refutes it in the very next sentence when he says "a hero's job is to COMBAT that unfairness." That's right, Hangover Man-- COMBAT unfairness, not ENFORCE it. You're about to expel someone who literally risked their LIVES passing your entrance exam, based on how they THROW A BALL. So which are YOU doing?

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="400">6:40</a> Worm is an anime confirmed.

Do a video about the weird trend in anime and manga regarding ranks and having tiers of people. I find it weird that there are literal ranking systems in series like MHA and OPM and even Fairy Tail, but in western media Superman isn't graded and given a big star for being #1,we just sort of know he is. I'd love to learn more about why the Japanese do things that way.

i’ve been ready for this one for a while!!! love all these analyses :)

Somewhere in the world of My Hero Academia there’s still some half-starved person in Taiwan making All-Might action figures eighteen hours a day for peanuts. Somewhere there’s still a kid who had the ability and the drive to be a tremendous hero, but couldn’t go to hero academy because their mother has a chronic illness that no health insurance company would represent, and needs to work three jobs to support her. Somewhere there is still some spoiled child of an oil baron who is destined to own at least three yachts, run a multi-national conglomerate, and die comfortably of natural causes while who-knows-how-many people are fighting for their right to live with a roof over their head. All because they just so happened to be shot from a pair of testicles that are worth a quarter of a billion dollars. It’s still a hierarchy. It’s still made with the intention of pitting people against each other. It’s still unjust and wrong even by its own standards. Because, as usual, it isn’t a matter of talent, it’s a matter of opportunity. It isn’t an issue of scarcity, it’s an issue of distribution.

Wait, something is not right. In <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="296">4:56</a> you say it is bad to put three people with different skillsets into chemistry class in which only one is better than the others is going to be slowed down by those who arent that good is a bad idea, and in <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="855">14:15</a>, the others come to Momo for help because they don't understand the written test as good as she does, Why should it be different for the dancer and the painter? They could also ask for help from others who understand chemistry better. Or was the second example just to show how it could be done better? Because if not, then that looks like some kind of double standart in which Momo only helps the others because they are also studens in the hero academi, while in the other where the chemist, painter and dancer shouldn't get the same help to pass in chemistry class and in the end the school. I mean, shouldn't it that way anyway where those who are weaker in a certain topic get the help from classmates who help them succed in class and everyone learned a little bit more? Like if the chemist is bad at drawing but needs to flash out his exhibit for some school fair so he could ask the painter to help him and in exchange he helps the painter with chemistry. Or the next school dance is coming, and the chemist wants to be prepared to dance with his girlfriend/boyfriend? Who better to ask than the dancer. Sure, the world can be mean. But it should not be used to be an excuse to say others shouldn't help others simply because they have other skillsets and can never be changed. Because, what is going to happen with the studens Eraser Head just kicked out? Who is to say that some of them become villians because they don't get any other support and the HA was their only way for a better future than they come from originaly? That for excample isn't really looked into in the original show. At least not that I am aware of.

Is that a worm reference?

Endbringers? Is Worm anime now?

US schooling system: take three different courses in math and a bunch of other things that have nothing to do with your major before you transfer. ONE ETERNITY LATER Me an art major: God I suck at math, I'm so glad I wasted my time trying to pass these classes.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="954">15:54</a> ah yes my favorite character, _run fast man_

This was really inspiring for me. Why should I feel shame at not being good at things? I am naturally good at some things and bad at others. Yet I feel so bad about not being the best that I completely shut down and perform poorly, and continue to feel bad about doing poorly, even when that won't help at all. Just because I fail at the job that pays the rent, doesn't mean that I am a bad person. I will be able to do what I am good at for a living soon. I cant expect to have that level of ability in places where I don't.

What a great video dude, keep up awesome work. Also congrats on your Crunchyroll sponsorship!😂

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="402">6:42</a> you mentioned worm. i love you now

the big problem with MHA's meritocratic society is the same as our allegedly meritocratic society - capital. if citizens need an income to survive, and different roles come with different wages, then people aren't actually encouraged to pursue less glamorous yet necessary talents, nor are they encouraged to act in the interest of the collective. the show itself even touches on this

I'm pretty sure you mixed up Elitism with Meritocracy.

ALL OF THE WORM REFFERANCES MORE PLZ

I’m so happy to see a worm reference. Yeee

The elitism in BNHA is very real and very canon. The idea that as long as you have a quirk, you are automatically better than people without them. Having a quirk is what people think makes them elite and this is seen in Deku being bullied by EVERYONE around him. And I feel like people put too much emphasis that Bakugou bullied him rather than recognizing that EVERYONE around Deku bullied him. Of course Bakugou bullying Deku is a main part of Bakugou's arc and Deku's beginning, but when talking about Deku being treated before he got OFA, we HAVE to discuss about how the society around him treats quirkless people. People talk about Bakugou bullying Deku so much, I think they forgot that Deku was bullied by ALL the people around him. No one ever stood up for him and everyone made fun of him. They all degraded him, laughed at him, and dehumanized him. All of this treatment just because he is quirkless. this shows the power balance between those with quirks and those without quirks.

never really thought about it this way before, but it is kind of inspiring, I won't go into detail but recognizing my own skills or lack there of in certain areas is something I really need to seriously assess here in college and this gives me the ideal to not be ashamed if I need to not do a path I am simply unskilled at or maybe actually work hard to make myself passable at it, and that both ideals or choices are equally valid and I should do what is best in the long run for not just myself but others. Who says spending all my spare time on anime and RU-vid was useless.

Just to add my voice to the wave: This feels less like a complete statement and more like building up a narrative before pointing out its flaws in a Part Two video, except that its conclusion is conclusive enough to make it clear that no such conclusion is coming. The flaws in this meritocratic system you describe are not only obvious, but often addressed in MHA-in fact, some are the core of entire arcs.

I got goosebumps watching this because you’ve summarized the main lesson of my latest self-discovery journey. It’s always good to see your videos in my subscription feed

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1104">18:24</a> - <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1109">18:29</a> "Everything would be fine." Well, if Izuku didn't get OFA then we would enter a darkest timeline of sorts (without him becoming a villain), let me explain. (Warning: Manga spoilers) For starters, Uraraka would get some form of trauma from a robot almost crushing her which would negativly affect her work in the field. Bakugo would continue to be an elitist asshole, probably only seeing Todoroki as a threat until he learns that he is holding back. Tsuyu and Mineta would probably not get out of their predicerment in the USJ without some major injuries from the villains or Shigaraki. Momo would be class president (I know that isn't bad but I wanted to give you something nice before shit hits the fan). Tenya would either be killed or servely crippled by Stain, leading to the Ingenium name dying. During the Summer Camp raid, Muscular would of taken Kota as a hostage and then killed the Pussycats (or at least Mandaly and possibly Tiger) while the villains have an easier time capturing Bakugo (only losing Mustard and Moonfish at most). The raid could go horribly with Bakugo staying to fight, being pulled out by Gran Torino or another hero as a best case scenario or being recaptured by Shigaraki or All For One, but All Might would defeat All For One still finding him unable to continue as the number one hero (or dying, depending on how you prefer things to play out). You can argue the above could of not happened and things go as canon (minus Izuku somehow) but now we get into the real darkest timeline worthy moment, the Shie Hissaki raid fails horribly. While everything up to Mirio vs Overhaul goes the same, Mirio will still lose his quirk (and if he has OFA, then thats gone forever) and then he will be killed along with Sir Nighteye as Overhaul and Chronostasis leave with Eri and begin their quirk destroying bullets production. (Manga spoilers) Overhual soon comes into conflict or agreement with the Quirk Liberation Army that Shigaraki soons takes over and he gains access to the bullets. Shigaraki gets his powerup and has his war, using his new powers and supply of the bullets to easily kill off the heroes and take over. Overhual also continues his plan and supplies his bullets to groups who are against Shigaraki, starting off a new war. As for Izuku, probably killed in the crossfire of that war along with many civilians.

"In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the bootmaker."

Didn't expect Endbringers from Worm being mentioned here

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="690">11:30</a> I'm going to have to disagree here with your reading of the society My Hero Academia is set in. Heroes in the show do seem to be treated as a different class of people. In one of the scenes at the middle school, the teacher tells the students he is going to have them fill out aptitude tests to determine what sorts of careers they would be good at.. or he *would*, he says, tossing aside the test book, if every student didn't already know they wanted to be a hero (a line delivered with a smile.) This shows that even the teacher does not value other professions, and does not see the merit in trying to guide the students towards other pursuits. All Might praising police officers is an outlier, not the standard, in the world of My Hero Academia. I'm just not sure Hero Aca has the ideal society you depict it as having.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1274">21:14</a> the pause that tells you to get out while you still can

His enthusiasm about Crunchyroll is so precious and pure~♡

TLDW: idea here is old meritocracy but now its even more fantastic.

Part of the issue with that kind of ideal in the real world is that as not everyone is created equal, some people largely lack a thing they're particularly good at or the chance to develop their skills. Or they do not find fulfillment in that particular thing and would rather focus more on things they like doing. In general, it seems to focus a lot on insisting every individual be, well, productive, which sounds reasonable but becomes quite toxic when applied as a blanket requirement.

I feel this this topic and conversation as a whole is extremely misplaced for MHA to the point that it feels you're really grasping at straws. Keyword "misplaced" as this would be a lot more aptly appropriate to associate this with Hunter x Hunter. Although im surprised you didnt talk about the implied discrimination with the mutants. While MHA may initially introduce us to these themes, they practically never go beyond that and explore its concepts. It's quick abandonment turns itself into a hypocrisy but at least its not anywhere close to Naruto levels of hypocrisy. Midoriya, who wanted to become a hero so desperately, never once trained or thought how to apply his skillsets in the hero society prior to All Might's gift. In MHA we were even introduced to occupations that can directly help Heroes like developing gadgets and equipment. However not once did he explore the possibilities despite having no quirks. Thus his goal and plea into becoming a Hero in his situation becomes childish and reckless with no concern to anything but the title. Needlessly putting himself and potentially others at danger is awarded with being gifted one of the strongest quirks in history. Throwing away the idea of trying your best to achieve something unless all uncertainty is abolished.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="287">4:47</a> Took me a while to realize that you're roasting the living shit out of schools

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="404">6:44</a> I love that he compared sonic boom: rise of lyric to a natural disaster

I love your humor, script and editing style. Your videos are so engaging!!

While this may be good description of what the society is, I don't think the show is saying that's a good thing. After all, it frames Deku's charge at the sludge monster as a really good thing he decided to do.

The big thing I was thinking during this video and was surprised you didn't show, was how MHA completely demonstrates the flaws of this system and what it does to people, mostly with the villains. Almost all of the villains suffer from this society in some form or another. Examples like Toga that had to deal with Quirk Counseling which screwed up her in many different ways or Gentle who had to go through a system the disabled him becoming a hero and never telling him the real reason why, or most importantly Shigaraki who suffered from being denied access from the start because of his own conditions. This society is wrong in many ways and MHA makes no effort to hide it inperfections.

YOU are the BEST!!! seriously!! I'm so glad I found you and your channel!!!

"Good looks, good looks, and good looks" _citation needed_

I LOVE YOUR VIDS SO PLEASE BE HAPPY FOREVER

The mc started as a underdog which became a chosen one through inheriting a power beyond other characters.

"Bakago tried and now everything is on fire." 😂😂 Made me laugh so hard.

the phrase "all men are created equal" does not refer to the circumstances they are born in, but to their rights, being life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and the right that all of these rights must be based on, the right of self ownership. Thomas Jefferson didn't necessarily live by his words, but the words are true, and the meaning still stands. In mha we see that in a society where people have different abilities and strengths, one's abilities determine what they can do with them selves, but whether or not they acknowledge that the right of self ownership belongs to all people is what makes them a good or bad person. skill, talent, ability, etc. will all vary greatly from person to person, and while everyone can be a hero, not everyone can go toe to toe with super-villains and natural disasters. yes, some people are unfortunate and don't find a place they excel, but the rain will fall where it wants to, and a society were the people who have the ability to excel at holding umbrellas are encouraged to do so helps reduce the impact, and is far better than a society of blunted swiss army knives. the mistake that is easy to make is to equate strengths and weaknesses with personal worth and what rights an individual has. in mha, Endeavor lives by the idea that might makes right, which leads him not only to walk all over the rights of others, but to despise himself, as being weaker than all might causes him to consider himself as having inferior worth and rights as a person. my point is, no matter how good your system is, it is individual morality that will cause a society to succeed or fail. a system of society is not a system of morality, and the most dangerous thing a society can do is pretend that it is.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="400">6:40</a> Woohoo!!! Worm Reference!!!!

As my homeroom teacher always said: "if you're good at something, you would be insane to not try to pursue it. Trying to do something else would be like swimming upstream. Sure, you could do it, but it would be a hell of a lot harder than swimming downstream and doing what you're good at."

Loved the video!! So happy you got your sponsorship code, you really deserve it!!!

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="401">6:41</a> oh my God you read Worm. :D

Yeah it’s a fine system until people start artificially oppressing the potential of certain demographics, then act as its a natural occurrence. Talented quirk users who don’t even get the chance to dream of schools like UA because their schools were systemically underfunded and couldn’t prepare them in even most basics of areas. We know that with hard work even seemly weak or self-harming quirks can be powerful, but the opposite is also true without refinement amazing quirks can be useless but without the right environment people can’t be expected know how to improve There’s a clear class dived not by quirk but by income, even if it was a talented ancestor to started the economic raise for the family later descendent whether talented or not gained an advantage not based on their own talents but their access to resources that could help them succeed. Ida, Momo, Todoroki, Bakugou, Aoyama, Jirou are all well off to filthy rich, they all made into the top class of the top school in the country, the richest two didn’t even have to take the exams getting in on recommendations.

"All men are created equal" refers to the fact that everyone is supposed to play by the same rules. There will be nepotism and variances in talents that vary the starting and finish lines, sure, but those are merely advantages or disadvantages that can be used/mitigated either well or poorly. It isn't actually a form of "cheating" because everyone is playing by the same rules. (ideally, corruption notwithstanding. It's an ongoing problem that our species is aware of, we're working on it, we hope.)

There was a Worm reference!!! Instantly subscribed to this man of culture.

I really liked this video! It was really cool and I loved hearing your thoughts about the world of Hero Aca! I think its world-building has soooo much potential, and the way you laid it out was simply delicious. I'm new to the channel, but I just wanted to say I like what you do Mr. Point, you have both my attention and my interest!

Great Video, but I do want to dispute the claim that it is kinda absolute in the Hero Aca society that you are stuck in your means and can not go beyond them with a character brought up in this Video, Mirio Togata. Mirio Togata does not have a quirk that is inheritly suited for Hero work at all, it is really complicated, takes a ton of focus to do correctly and if Mirio mistimes anything about his Quirk then he may be literally ripped in two, but as we see in the series, through extremely hard work and determination, seeing a facet within his quirk that he could refine and master he has become the best prospect for Number One after All Might retires. If everything was really set in stone from the outset, Mirio would never have been able to achive what he has. I personally think that this shows that it is possible to go beyond your set in means in the Elitist Society, but in order to do so you have to be extremely focused and commited in what you want to do. Be able to look at things from a different perspective and practically torture yourself with training and focus in order to reach the goal that is supposed to be impossible. Thus making it so that anyone who is able to break the sociatal chains have to be the best of the best, and the most commited in the world to doing that job right.