Boku no Hero Academia

[NeoCybercoin]

Heroes are supposed to help and rescue people. These kids don't know what a hero means. I figure most see it as a way to get rich and famous. Do you have to tell them they can get points for helping people? That's what a hero should do regardless but I am not sure these kids understand that. So being a hero is more like a super powered celebrity. Yes, if they told them, then they would have helped others because in the end it would help them gain points. But can you really call yourself a hero if you expect a reward?

[Buffalobiian]

@Neo: You're totally not supposed to let them know.

I don't do agree that being selfless (and there are degrees of selflessness, it's not an absolute attribute) is something a hero should have, and is arguably the hardest thing to find in a person. It's not the only attribute however, and isn't really a per-requisite either in the strictest sense.

[Kraco]

Heroes are supposed to help and rescue people. These kids don't know what a hero means. I figure most see it as a way to get rich and famous. Do you have to tell them they can get points for helping people? That's what a hero should do regardless but I am not sure these kids understand that. So being a hero is more like a super powered celebrity. Yes, if they told them, then they would have helped others because in the end it would help them gain points. But can you really call yourself a hero if you expect a reward?

Isn't it work for them? You can't expect the numerous villains to use their super powers to gain profit, yet the good guys to be pure volunteers who risk their lives for free to fight the bad guys. It would also be exceptionally strange for there to be numerous academies training heroes if there were no rewards involved. Most people wouldn't want to go through it. They would just use their powers to their own benefit, amusement, and to protect those important to them, not strangers. A hero has to eat as well. Preferably also live somewhere decent, not under a boat.

[shinta|hikari]

@Buff - Just wanted to clarify, but did you want to say that you do agree that selflessness is something a hero should have? You wrote don't agree, and your last post kinda confused me.

I do agree that it isn't a prerequisite, just like righteousness is in no way a prerequisite to becoming a cop. Being a hero is a job in this story, and a lucrative one. However, innate heroism goes a long way into keeping the quality of work within the industry itself. Without it, "heroes" are just people prone to abusing their power, and given a license (money and fame too) to do so. That's why it got so many points from the secret judges in the exam. I actually am fine with that judging criteria.

My only issue was is why these hero candidates didn't realize something so simple. If you're not as dumbly heroic as Izuku, you better be smart enough to be useful as a hero. They were neither. I'm not even asking them to be selfless. Just don't let a fellow human being get squished by a giant robot. What do any of them lose by doing so? A few seconds? Some of them, glasses guy included, got so many points that saving one or two people wouldn't even matter to their future. Despite that, they were so focused on points they forgot the point of becoming a hero.

[Kraco]

Despite that, they were so focused on points they forgot the point of becoming a hero.

It's the most elite hero academy. There will be exceptions, like Nice Person immediately demonstrated, but most going there, according to manga/anime traditions, would be elitists who are used to looking down on others and only think of themselves. Even when they would save someone, they would be thinking it's their duty as a superior, more fortunate person to save the weak, less fortunate commoners. You don't need to look further than Izuku's childhood acquaintance to see what sort of people are foremost going to that school. The whole class at their old school also shared that attitude: They thought it ridiculous Izuku would try to get in, but natural the douche, arrogant Kacchan would.

[shinta|hikari]

I get that. I just find it hilarious, and not in a good way.

[Munsu]

I'm surprised this small scene has generated so much discussion.

Not complaining, just amusing to see.

[shinta|hikari]

And civil non-aggressive discussion. That's pretty new in recent GW. I'm very happy about that.

[Buffalobiian]

Thanks for the correction Shinta. I meant that I believe (to a degree) selflessness is a quality that heroes should have.

I think of it as a tradeoff. Lots of resource go into making a Hero, and it'd really be a waste of resources for each of them to die saving someone crossing a road, for example. They need to know when to self-sacrifice and when not to, to be an effective hero. Of course, most would see this form of discrimination as being very not-hero-like.

[Edort4]

If you dont act like a hero then is just "injustice: gods among us". Any classic hero would trade their lives to save 1 person. Anyways in that examen they got points from both attacking and rescuing so I guess they also value the "efectiveness" of neutralizing the threat. I would guess they asume that heroes could fill different roles. Ones that do the hitting and ones that focus on reducing the effects of the conflict. It would be nice to see a bunch of sapper heroes to for rebuilding purposes. All very professional army squad like.

[Kraco]

How many villains are there at loose? I assume a lot. If lots of people have super powers, then lots of people will turn rotten, even more so than in RL because a super power would give them a feeling they won't get caught. Thus there's certainly a big market for heroes who are willing to fight villains, within reason (that is, fight battles they have a decent chance of winning), but who necessarily aren't heroes like in fiction who would without a second thought throw away their own life to save a stranger. They would just be like police officers with paranormal powers instead of a 9mm. Not all cops would jump between a bullet and a bystander or in front of a truck in a desperate attempt to push a civilian to safety.

If only utterly selfless, perfectly virtuous people would be accepted as heroes and the rest would be treated as lawless vigilantes, there would be very few heroes to keep an eye on villains who would be even more numerous.

What's going on in this show is pretty realistic in my opinion. Also keeping in mind there must be plenty of heroes who aren't really fit for combat. Hard to say how many would be attending this elite academy, though, especially considering that entrance exam.

[shinta|hikari]

The only unrealistic thing I found is how these candidates didn't realize they are being tested for how they behave as well, and not just the results.

But that's a minor gripe. It has to happen to separate Izuku from the rest, and this story isn't really about intelligent characters from the get go. I just prefer characters in the story to behave more smartly than they usually do.

[Edort4]

But he wasnt the only one that got a nice bunch of rescue points (even though he seems to be the most points earner one) so I guess that even if they didnt know that they were being tested for that it was somewhat natural for some of them. The difference is that MC is the only one that went totally out of "his way" to rescue while others did minor helping, like the laser guy, wich actually is the reason that he passed. If robot p1 would have hurted him on forced him to auto-destroy himself to survive and get 1 point he wouldnt had passed.

So yeah. Penis laser boy made this anime possible.

[Munsu]

The only unrealistic thing I found is how these candidates didn't realize they are being tested for how they behave as well, and not just the results.

But that's a minor gripe. It has to happen to separate Izuku from the rest, and this story isn't really about intelligent characters from the get go. I just prefer characters in the story to behave more smartly than they usually do.

Meh, guys really over-thinking this.

It's like if you go to take a calligraphy school entrance exam, they tell you you have to answer True or False questions to grade you, and you don't realize that the way you write your name and your answers will also figure into your grade.

This whole "should've known" is nebulous at best.

Any other instance they could've gotten zero points for their heroics, and rationalize it as "as a Hero, you also have to learn to follow rules and direction".

So once again, meh on this.

I do agree with the general assessment of what you would've preferred to see though. As in maybe a candidate here and there might've wondered about other potential aspects besides point that they be judged on, but as a general observation as a given? Yeah, overthinking it a bit.

[shinta|hikari]

It isn't really a criticism as opposed to a "it could've been better" comment.

Like I said from the get go, I'm jaded with generic shounen (which generally requires not overthinking) and give points when they take it (the twisting of tropes, subversion of cliches, execution, style) one step further. That's one step I would've appreciated (among others).

Trick exams are age old in shounen, so having at least some people realize it and break out of the mold a little makes the series feel less generic.

[Munsu]

Trick exams are age old in shounen, so having at least some people realize it and break out of the mold a little makes the series feel less generic.

Yep, I agree with some of that. That said, someone figuring out the trick exam to make that character standout as special is also age old in shounen, and quite generic.

[shinta|hikari]

That's why I was hoping for everyone to figure it out, as I mentioned in my first post. Now that would've been a nice subversion to the trope.

[Munsu]

That's why I was hoping for everyone to figure it out, as I mentioned in my first post. Now that would've been a nice subversion to the trope.

Yeah, that would've been cool too see.

[Kraco]

Uhhuh... What is there to figure out? Like I said many posts ago, there's no way this wouldn't be public knowledge. It's the most prestigious hero academy. How on Earth would none if these people try to prepare at all before going to the entrance exam? The most obvious part would be to read about the basics of the exam. What happened here equals to taking the entrance exam of a regular university faculty without checking out which books you are supposed to study and merely reading some random books or trusting that maybe by sheer luck your high school covered the stuff. Not to mention this is Japan and people go to those cram schools.

There's no figuring out anything. This plot was purely artificial, and, like Shinta said, it's 100% generic shounen.

[shinta|hikari]

Do they reveal the criteria to the applicants? Maybe Izuku is special because he is a cheat character who got taught and given imba power by the most powerful character in their world, who also happens to be his examiner and a VIP teacher at the school.

It's also possible the applicants aren't allowed to speak about it even if they do find out. Maybe the school only explains the criteria to those who passed and then asks them to keep quiet about it for the future of the test lol.