Things are heating up in the My Hero Academia fandom, and it has a traitor to thank for the boost. The manga got fans buzzing when it hinted at the identity of one unexpected backstabber. And, if one translation is on-point, then the series dropped a subtle message about its traitor last week.
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So, obviously, spoilers below!
In the latest chapter of My Hero Academia, everyone had their eyes fixed on Yuuga Aoyama. The character did well to convince fans of his traitor status back in chapter 167, but the manga tried to knock fans off his track shortly afterwards.
MHA translation trivia ch168:
— Caleb Cook (@CDCubed) January 29, 2018
Aoyama’s engraving reads, “Il faut se méfier de l’eau qui dort.”
Literally, “beware the water that sleeps.”
Less literally, “still waters run deep,” “it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for,” “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” etc. @shonenjump
When My Hero Academia made its return, Aoyama seemed no more creepy than usual. The boy was up to his antics as usual and even soiled his pants after he used his Quirk for too long. The kid exhausted himself engraving a message into a stone with his laser navel, but Kohei Horikoshi did not translate the boy’s message in an author’s note.
So, one fan took it upon themselves to translate the telling note for fans.
The message, which was written in French, was hard to read but translators got through the mess. It reads “Il faut se méfier de l’eau qui dort” which literally translates to “Beware the water that sleeps.”
In context, the phrase is a familiar one to French speakers. It has a similar meaning to “Still waters run deep” or a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Essentially, the quote implies that people must watch out for even the most docile things as their hidden depths may hide a dangerous secret. If that doesn’t hint at Aoyama’s true leanings, then what could?
Of course, fans are waiting to get official confirmation about Aoyama before throwing the kid to the wolves. His foreboding message may be a double-fake, but fans think it is awfully suspicious of Horikoshi to include the quote without giving any translation. So, for now, readers will have to wait and see if Aoyama’s message is meant to foreshadowing his unexpected turn against Class A-1 and Izuku.
Do you think Aoyama is really a traitor in hiding? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
