My Hero Academia Nods to Toga's Real-World Origins in Latest Chapter
You may not have expected it, but Toga has become one of the biggest characters in the My Hero Academia fandom. Despite her wicked ways, the character has a loyal fanbase, and manga readers have been reintroduced to the villain as of late. If you are caught up with series, then you know Toga has fallen even deeper into madness, and her latest appearance makes some surprising nods to her real-world roots.
The reference was made clear over on Twitter thanks to users like filifusilli who made it clear. For those who don't know, Kimiko Toga was crafted very carefully by Kohei Horikoshi back in the day. When he did his first drafts of the villain, she was given hair resembling the Red Spider Lilly, and this flower holds a curious history in Japan.
#MHA341
— Fili (@filifusilli) January 23, 2022
Toga’s hair is based on red spider lilies + theyre mostly planted on graves so its a popular belief that theyre red cuz they sucked the blood of the buried dead ppl which is identical to toga’s quirk, so imo shes not necessarily gonna dye but she represents death itself pic.twitter.com/iBVefkp0WL
If you look for the flower overseas, the Red Spider Lilly is often seen planted in graveyards, so a wife's tale began that said its red hue came from the blood of corpses buried below the lillies. The flowers' outer petals are also often likened to ghosts given their swaying motions and scattered positions. So because of these tales, the Red Spider Lilly is often known colloquially in Japan as the Dead Person Flower, the Hell Flower, and even the Abandoned Child Flower. Some of these white flowers are even called Ghost Flowers, and all of these spooky names suit Toga.
After all, the latest chapter of My Hero Academia sees the girl slinking around like a ghost, and she promises to drink the blood of one of her late friends. This all aligns with the Spider Lilly, and Dabi takes things a step further. After all, an omen in Japan says that any home containing these flowers will catch fire, and Dabi sets Toga's childhood home ablaze. If that isn't direct enough for you, nothing could be. So if you happen to have any of these lillies at your place, you may want to swap them out ASAP.
What do you think about Toga's real-life inspiration here? Is this one of your favorite tidbits from My Hero Academia...? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.