My Hero Academia's Traitor Bait-and-Switch Establishes Eerie Connection with Izuku

By Kofi Outlaw

My Hero Academia's manga series just left fans on a big cliffhanger, following the true reveal of the traitor that has been in Class 1-A's midst this whole time! As it turns out, the previous cliffhanger was all smokescreen; Toru Hagakure (aka Invisible Girl) was not actually the double agent working for All For One – and the truth about the actual traitor is one that is shaking Class 1-A to the core. Like so many things Kohei Horikoshi has worked into My Hero Academia's themes, this bait-and-switch traitor reveal is one that will resonate deeply with fans, in how it connects back to Izuku Midoriya! 

(Warning: My Hero Academia SPOILERS Follow!) 

In My Hero Academia Chapter 336 the longtime fan theory that Yuga Aoyama is the traitor in Class 1-A is finally confirmed. However, the truth is somewhat murky, as it turns out that Aoyama has never been a willing servant of All For One. The flamboyant French hero's origin is fully revealed: turns out he was yet another young person born with no quirk of his own. That fact instantly connects Aoyama's story to Izuku Midoriya's own origin as a quirkless boy – and makes many other pieces about the two boys' story together fall into place. 

First, the glaring difference between Aoyama and Deku is that of their parents. Izuku's mother loved him for who he was, and pitied the cruel fate that wouldn't let him be a hero like his idol, All Might; Aoyama's parents chose the cowardice of fearing societies ostracization of their child and instead made a deal to have the devil himself, All For One, transfer the Navel Laser quirk to Aoyama. 

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This newly-revealed connective tissue between Izuku Midoriya and Aoyama Yuga also helps to explain that weird encounter between the two during the Remedial Course Arc (chapters 167-168). Aoyama started stalking Midoriya, leaving him the strange note in cheese "I Know." At the time Deku freaked out thinking Aoyama knew the secret behind his One For All power; as it turned out, Aoyama "knew" the pain of having a self-harming quirk that made one an outsider. That bonding moment came with an origin story about how Navel Laser made other kids tease and ostracize Aoyama – but now that seems like it could've been a misleading "tweak" of reality. 

Clearly, Aoyama's childhood pain was connected to being ostracized as a quirkless kid; it'll be interesting to see if his stomach pains are truly a side-effect of his power or the psychosomatic guilt over how he got them. Either way, it's clear that Kohei Horikoshi has once again worked another theme about the shared experiences of hardship and trauma into the DNA of My Hero Academia's story. All that's left is for Midoriya to pay back Aoyama's guidance to him earlier by "saving" his friend (and his parents) from All For One and showing Aoyama how to stand up and be a true hero. 

Read My Hero Academia's latest chapter free online! 

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