Since there's been a lot of talk of relative heights (well, more over on SB), I decided to make this more-or-less official height chart for easy reference. It's not perfect since it's kinda hard to perfectly measure and line up various characters all with slightly different poses, hair, headwear, etc. But it should be mostly accurate.
Since there's been a lot of talk of relative heights (well, more over on SB), I decided to make this more-or-less official height chart for easy reference. It's not perfect since it's kinda hard to perfectly measure and line up various characters all with slightly different poses, hair, headwear, etc. But it should be mostly accurate.
For Uraraka, they are pieces of support gear, like a more aestheitcally pleasing version of Portal's long-fall boots. They absorb the impact of falls. For Pony... those are her hooves.
Uraraka's were part of the spacesuit theme she was going for, so I imagine at least the general concept was planned. As for Pony, she probably has specialized needs for footwear given she has hooves, although I don't really see how those boots specifically would help.
Ohhh, should have realised. Thats just how large her calves are? The shape of it on her costume made me think she had normal shoes and just big things above them.
Also I'm not sure if this stance should be possible if she had hooves.
Feels that it would put her ankle in the wrong place.
Not... Exactly. I think her shin bones are probably just more fragile than a humans and that's just armor. Alternatively, judging by her civilian clothes, she just likes the style.
Not... Exactly. I think her shin bones are probably just more fragile than a humans and that's just armor. Alternatively, judging by her civilian clothes, she just likes the style.
Given the bigotry we have seen in canon and this fic I'd guess at least part of dressing that way and using it in her costume is it makes her legs more human looking.
I'm pretty sure that it is just her hooves rather than some sort of elaborate costume. The hooves being smaller during the Sports Festival is either a result of puberty or evolving character design, and her being able to crouch weirdly is more likely to just be a case of Horikoshi not realizing hooves don't work that way.
"We have arrived at your destination, meatbag. Be done with your business, I have more important places to be."
Sekijiro Kan grunted in affirmation to the driver-bot, stepping out of the car into the warm August evening. The Tatsuma family residence was a reasonably large house out in the suburbs of Musutafu, surrounded by a sizable yard leading to the forest behind it. An automated camera tracked his movements as he walked up to the front door, a part of the security measures implemented after the USJ attack. Now it almost seemed like a bad joke.
There was a metal plate stamped with the image of a bell next to the door, and Kan pressed his palm against it, a green light running over it. It gave off a chime and began blinking slowly, and after a moment of waiting the large metal door clicked open to reveal a massive figure standing in the doorway.
Kenshin Tatsuma was a towering behemoth of a man, taller than Kan by head and shoulders and wide enough that he'd probably outmass him by half again even if they were of equal height. The effect was only furthered by the thick, gray skin covering his body like leathery plates, and the massive rhinoceros head on top of his broad shoulders, two curved horns rising skywards.
"Vlad King?" He could see the slight widening of the man's eyes as he saw him.
"Mr. Tatsuma." Kan nodded, offering a hand.
Tatuma shook his head slowly before nodding gruffly, taking the proffered hand for a tight shake. "Welcome. We got the message, but we weren't expecting..."
"I understand. But I thought that I should be the one to talk to you."
Tatsuma nodded with something Kan guessed to be respect as he turned aside, gesturing for him to follow. "Please, come in."
The Tatsuma family home might have given off an odd feeling, of something not quite right, if one didn't know the full story. The raised ceilings and wide doorways, the thick, scratched-up mat covering the floor corner to corner, and the odd placement of furniture, leaving a wide space through the middle of each room. The two of them emerged into a living room, the television playing quietly.
"Vlad King?"
Ryutsuki Tatsuma was by normal standards a tall woman, maybe fifteen centimeters shorter than Kan, but anyone would have been made to look small standing next to her husband as she walked into the living room from the adjacent kitchen. Her long, straight white hair came to the middle of her back, shock clear in her red, slit-pupiled eyes as she saw Kan.
"Ah, are you sure you should be-"
"Please, pay it no mind Ms. Tatsuma." He raised a hand. "I was cleared by the hospital."
Well. The hospital might have discharged him, but Shuzenji would likely throw a fit if she knew he was out and about instead of on bed rest.
"I see." She nodded. "I wish that we could have met again under better circumstances."
"So do we all." Kan nodded seriously, before looking around. "Is your- ah."
He could feel the ground vibrating beneath his feet before he heard her, and heard her massive footfalls before she saw her round the corner, a huge horned dragon armored in brilliant white scales, her glowing eyes lighting up as she saw him.
"Vlad King! You're out of the hospital! You're- oh. Oh."
She trailed off as she took in his appearance, her ears slumping miserably.
"You're… hurt."
It was, on an empirical level, a truthful statement.
Much of Kan's exposed skin was covered in angry red scarring from third and fourth-degree burns that not even all the medical expertise modern society could bring to bear could fully heal. His hair was gone as well, even the stems burnt away by Dabi's flames. It had taken heroic effort on the part of the surgical doctors and Recovery Girl to save his right eye, but his left, well, there had been nothing left to save by the time they had gotten to him. Now, only a patch covered the empty socket.
But he was a Hero, and even more so, a teacher. He had a duty to fulfill.
"It is nothing." He smiled up at her reassuringly. "I would endure this and a thousand times more to protect my students."
"...Does it hurt?" She finally asked.
"No." He shook his head. "It doesn't."
It was true. There couldn't be pain if the nerve endings were gone.
"But I'm not here to talk about me. You should have been sent a letter, outlining our proposal...?"
Mr. Tatsuma harrumphed.
"Indeed, we received Principal Nedzu's letter. We'll talk about that soon. But before that-" He turned aside slightly to look at his daughter. "Isn't there something you wanted to show to Vlad King?"
"...Yeah. Alright." Her shoulders slumped, her tail curling around her feet as she shifted her feet around nervously, the floor vibrating beneath her steps. "Yeah."
Kan watched as she leaned back, horns nearly piercing the ceiling, and closed her eyes. Kan could feel the wind on his skin as she drew a deep breath, and then-
His remaining eye widened in alarm as he saw the tell-tale glow that said she was about to breathe fire, his mind running through a hundred and one scenarios ranging from mind control Quirks to Himiko Toga. But none of them quite accounted for what he was seeing.
It was the same warm orange glow as her flames, like the last rays of sunlight left behind by the twilight. But instead of coming from within her chest like a lamp shone through a sheet, the light was suffusing her entire form, armored scales turning into motes of light that swirled around her like embers from a campfire. It grew into a blinding flash, and Kan could feel the breeze of hot wind on his remaining skin, the taste of smoke filling his mouth as his sight slowly returned.
Tall, was the first thing that came to Kan's mind when she saw her.
At a height of one hundred and ninety-four centimeters, it wasn't often that he had to deal with people taller than himself outside of All-Might and Gang Orca, but for the second time in as many minutes he found himself having to crane his neck back, although only slightly this time.
He'd seen pictures from before the incident in her files, of course. Red eyes, pale skin dotted with the occasional freckle around her nose and cheeks, sharp triangular teeth set in a nervous smile, snow-white hair in a messy pixie cut and two small horns poking out the top.
Lanky, caught in that moment of teenage awkwardness where they spurt up half a foot seemingly overnight, leaving them stretched out like stick figures.
Not so much anymore. Like her draconic aspect, Ryuuzaki's human form was broadly built and absolutely packed with muscle mass, nearly a match for Kan himself. A feat and a half for anyone, let alone a teenage girl. The paternal familial resemblance was quite apparent.
"So. Um. Yeah." She replied nervously, a hand scratching the back of her head. "Hi."
"You… figured out how to turn back." Kan replied dumbly, his mind racing with the possibilities and implications of what he'd just witnessed.
"Yeah." Ryuuzaki swallowed slowly, fidgeting in place. Her attire was ill-fitting for her frame, a hoodie with Ryukyu's face plastered on it and a pair of pants probably liberated from her father's wardrobe. "I did."
"How did this happen?"
"I, um-" She fidgeted again, shuffling her feet before starting to sway on unsteady legs, her hands windmilling as she nearly toppled over before Ms. Tatsuma rushed to her daughter's side.
"Careful, Ryuuzaki." She said gently, offering her a steadying hand despite probably being outmassed more than twice over, before turning towards Kan. "This sort of thing tends to happen with our Quirk when you stay transformed for too long." She bit her lip. "Of course, nobody in our family has ever been stuck for quite so long."
"Sorry." Ryuuzaki apologized awkwardly, her face flush with embarrassment. "So, um, at the beginning of summer, Yui and I visited I-Island. You, uh, know what happened there." She explained haltingly, as if still trying to get used to moving her mouth. Which she probably was. "But… what I didn't mention before was… Doctor Shield examined me. He found out that the reason I couldn't transform was that, subconsciously, um, I didn't want to. I was too afraid of being hurt again. And- and my Quirk responded to that."
"...Why didn't you tell anyone?" Kan asked.
"I was… I didn't want to-" Ryuuzaki folded and unfolded her arms, clearly struggling for words. "I was ashamed. Because I felt like… all of the trouble everyone had to go through, the accommodations, the inconvenience. I felt like it was… all my fault."
Wordlessly, Mr. Tatsuma put a massive hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"I see." Kan shook his head, before smiling up at his student. "But even if you shouldn't have had to face your trials alone, I am happy for you. It is good to finally meet you properly."
He stepped forward to offer his hand- only for Ryuuzaki to shy away like a spooked deer, stumbling backwards behind her mother, holding on to her shoulders for dear life.
The scene would have been made comical by their size difference, were it not for the incredibly small and vulnerable look in Ryuuzaki's eyes.
Right. No sudden hands movements towards her.
"My apologies." Kan cleared his throat. "I should not have done that."
Ryuuzaki's face went red enough to start a brushfire as embarrassed realization dawned on her face, and after an instant of hesitation, she darted forward to grab Kan's hand, shaking it tightly.
"Sorry."
"Don't be." He shook his head. "Have you told your classmates about this yet?"
"No." She looked down at her feet. "I met them, at the hospital, but I didn't want to- I wanted to take things… one at a time."
"I understand." Kan rubbed his chin, feeling the scarred tissue beneath his fingertips. "It is going to change a great deal of things in the future."
"Let's talk about it then, the future." Mr. Tatsuma offered, gesturing towards the living room couches. "Why don't we all sit down, it's got to be more comfortable for everyone."
There were three couches arranged in a rough u-shape around the television and a small table in the middle, with Mr. Tatsuma's hulking frame taking up the whole of the middle one as he indicated for Kan to sit on the seat to the left. Ryuuzaki managed to not stumble again as she walked over to sit opposite to Kan, though it clearly took a lot of her concentration to accomplish.
"So." Ms. Tatsuma said as she sat down beside her daughter. "Your letter mentioned moving the students to dormitories when the semester begins again?"
"Indeed, yes. The attack on the Training Camp proved our previous security measures to be inadequate to the task of protecting our students, so we are overhauling our entire approach."
"I agree. UA failed to keep the children in its care safe." Mr. Tatsuma rumbled, leaning forward while Ryuuzaki fidgeted uncomfortably. "What I fail to see is why we should now be giving you more of our trust."
"I understand your concerns." Kan replied with a conciliatory tone. "We have come up short before, but we've learned from our mistakes.
"Like you did after the previous incidents?"
Kan suppressed a sigh. This was going to be difficult.
"Could you…" Ryuuzaki interrupted with a raise of her hand before he could say anything more. "What would... moving to the dorms actually entail?" She questioned, her eyes darting between the three adults. "I mean, before, um, anyone makes any decisions."
"By all means." Mr. Tatsuma exhaled slowly, a bit of tension bleeding away from his shoulders as he leaned backwards in his seat accompanied by a slight creak. "Let's hear it out in full, then."
"Of course." Kan nodded. "Cementoss and a team of construction drones are working hard to build accommodations for UA's student base within the campus premises, where our state of the art surveillance can catch any intrusion, and security units and heroes can rapidly respond to any incidents. Each Class will have its own dormitory, so you would only be living with people you're already familiar with." He nodded towards Ryuuzaki.
"I see." Ms. Tatsuma said as she leaned forward, studying the projection. "How do you intend to handle travel arrangements? Guests, visiting home, going out to the city?"
"Families and friends will, of course, be welcome to visit outside of class hours, as would the students to leave the premises. All we ask for is to be kept notified, especially if we are talking about overnight stays."
"What about… sleeping arrangements?" Ryuuzaki questioned nervously, fingers tapping against her side, eyes darting from side to side. "I, um, I like my classmates, but- but… spending every hour of the day with them…"
Ah. The introvert's nightmare.
"Naturally, you will each have your own room, where you can decompress and have some privacy. With such strong personalities as the Hero Department tends to attract, forcing everyone together around the clock would be counterproductive." Kan leaned forward, retrieving a disc-shaped projector from his pocket and placing it on the living room table. With a flick of the power button it whirred to life, casting a three-dimensional holographic image of a room, various measurements displayed alongside it. "Speaking of your room-"
"What's that?" Ryuuzaki blinked.
"This is an interactive hologram that you can use to make requests to the construction crew regarding your room." Kan demonstrated it's functionality by swiping a hand though the image, stretching it out before returning it to its original proportions. He then pinched his fingers together, bringing up a menu, and added in a bookcase, pushing it to stand by the far wall.
"You won't need it as much as we anticipated, since you can now use a normal-sized room, but you can still use it to make requests on lighting, windows, electrical sockets or any furniture you'd like UA to provide, although you are of course free to bring your own along."
Kan turned the projector off and reached over to hand it to Ryuuzaki, dropping it into her hands.
"You probably shouldn't-" Ms. Tatsuma began, but it was already too late.
It slipped from Ryuuzaki's fingers like a bar of soap, bouncing off the corner of the table and landing on the floor, a large crack running across the lense. Ryuuzaki blushed, darting forward to grab it from the floor-
Crack.
The projector splintered in Ryuuzaki's grip, the lense popping out and the thin metal frame crumpling inwards like a tin can.
"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry-" She cringed back, throwing the ruined electronic on the table and hiding her hands behind her back, looking everywhere but at Kan.
"Calm down. It's only electronics." Kan reassured her, even as he tried to process "What happened?"
"As I was about to say." Ms. Tatsuma cleared her throat. "Ryuuzaki is still not quite used to being human again."
"It, um, it turns out I'm still really strong." She was muttering now, steadfastly looking at her feet as her ears burned red. "Even as a human."
It made sense. Her father was a Rhinoceros-Mutant and her grandfather a Draconid-Mutant. Then, if all of the training she did as a dragon reflected on her other form...
"Leaving our little drake here with the strength of an average grizzly bear and coordination of a week-old kitten." Mr. Tatsuma noted jovially, clapping a hand to his daughter's shoulder. "The repairmen are about to offer us a regular customer discount if this keeps up."
Kan followed his line of sight towards the remote sitting by the television screen, similarly crushed by some great force- and then towards the kitchen, where several of the metal cabinet door handles displayed prominent finger-shaped dents, or were noticeably bent out of shape.
"I'm trying!" Ryuuzaki squeaked, her face red. "I've been practicing since the last time it happened!"
"Mmm-hmm, and that was how many days ago?"
"Yesterday." She squirmed in embarrassment. "It's hard, okay?! You'd think that it would be easy, since I'm used to being even stronger, but no, not really. I don't have any reference for how much things weigh or how much force I need to use, so I usually first underdo and then overdo it." She pouted. "And then things break."
"I see." Kan nodded. "Well, it is no big matter, we make these things in bulk. However, as a matter of priority, you should look into physical therapy as soon as possible."
"We've been trying." Ms. Tatsuma said, a little pointedly. "But it has been only a few days, and finding the right specialist isn't easy. And we need to talk to a lawyer first, about her situation."
"Ah. That is a good plan." Kan agreed. "Ryuuzaki was granted a special exemption from Quirk usage laws due to her special circumstances, but if she can transform again it's likely to be revoked. UA can provide lawyers and therapists if needed, but you should proceed as you best see fit."
"We will." Ms. Tatsuma said. "Now, to return to the topic at hand. You mentioned something about a surveillance system?"
"Yes. It will allow us to detect any intrusion to UA grounds, with multiple redundancies alongside live patrols. Once a threat has been detected, we have multiple layers of quick-response units. You've no doubt seen the training robots we use, at the Sports Festival? They were originally designed for use by the military. We can have a squadron of armed security drones anywhere on the campus in less than twenty seconds, and teachers within a minute. We have also contracted several Musutafu-based Hero Agencies for a rotating standby schedule, meaning we can have Pro-Heroes on the scene within five minutes."
"That all sounds well and good." Mr Tatsuma said. "But a security system is worthless if it has been compromised from within."
"There has yet to be any evidence of a leak within UA, but we are nonetheless working tirelessly to investigate."
"So you don't even know for sure if you have one or not." He huffed, unimpressed. "You say that you are doing everything you can, but you also said that last time. I remain unconvinced."
Kan bowed his head in acquiescence. "While we would prefer all students to reside in UA dormitories, if you are adamantly against the idea we can arrange-"
"You misunderstand me." Mr. Tatsuma interrupted him. "I am not talking about Ryuuzaki moving to the dormitories. I am talking about Ryuuzaki returning to UA at all."
He might as well have dropped a live bomb on the living room table.
Ryuuzaki sprung to her feet in outrage.
"You- you can't do that!"
"I'm sorry, Ryuuzaki. I know it's not what you want." He shook his massive head. "But as your father, it is my responsibility to look after your safety. And UA has demonstrated they cannot be trusted with it."
"You trusted them with Ryuko for three years!" Ryuuzaki retorted, folding her arms angrily.
"Ryuko's class was never attacked by villains, not just once, nor twice, but three different times." He replied calmly. "Ryuko wasn't kidnapped and nearly murdered while on the school's watch."
"And it was dealt with." Ryuuzaki threw back. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"And what about next time?!" He snapped back, the wooden table groaning beneath his hands as he stood up. "Because there will be a next time. Twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. You were kidnapped, taken to an unknown location and beaten to the brink of death. What if next time you don't manage to transform in time?" He questioned, his voice climbing in volume. "What if next time the Heroes don't get lucky? What if you die?!" He thundered and then sighed, taking a step back and pinching his snout before turning to his wife. "Ryutsuki, can't you talk sense to her?"
"Kenshin… I know you only have our daughter's best interests at heart. But she will be sixteen in less than a month. Ryuuzaki… she's always been mature for her age." Her voice hitched slightly. "This is her future we're talking about. She deserves a say in it." She shook her head. "I had some misgivings, but they've been answered. As parents, we have a duty to protect our children, but also to support them. We… have no right to decide their lives for them."
Mr. Tatsuma seemed taken aback, blinking a few times, before turning away.
"I am giving her a say and hearing her out. But the ultimate decision rests with us, her parents."
"Listening to me and then throwing my opinion to the trash pile is not 'giving me a say'." Ryuuzaki scowled. "How is any of this fair?!"
"It isn't." He agreed. "It is not fair. It is not your fault. It is not even UA's fault that they are being targeted by villains. But the fact remains that they are, and that they have demonstrated they can't protect you."
"Mr. Tatsuma." Kan said, raising to his full height, and then executing a perfect ninety-degree angle bow. "We have failed before. But I assure you, I will do everything in my power to protect Ryuuzaki. Even if that means giving my life."
"Please, get up." Mr Tatsuma said, looking bothered. "You do not need to bow to me, Vlad King. You have earned that much, at least. But at the same time, I must ask to speak to you freely."
"Always."
"It is not your dedication to protect your students that I doubt. It is your ability."
"Dad!" Ryuuzaki shouted, outrage written across her face. "You know how hard he fought to protect us!"
"And for that, he has my gratitude and respect." He said as he turned back towards Vlad King. "You have already proven beyond doubt that you would give your life for my daughter. But what comfort would your death bring to me, if the villains simply step over your body to get to her? As they have already done?"
Every word was like a hammer blow to his guts. All the worse because it was the truth. The truth that he'd had to face every waking moment since that night, five days ago.
He'd failed in his duty. He'd given the villains every bit of fight he had in him, and it hadn't been enough. His students had been hurt.
"I do not want to hear how much you are willing to sacrifice for my daughter's sake. I want to hear that she will be protected, no matter what."
But he bore it without complaint, only hanging his head in acknowledgement of Mr. Tatsuma's words.
"Can you tell me that?"
He could.
But it would be a lie.
"No teacher could tell you that and speak the truth. I can tell you that I and everyone in UA will do everything in our power to keep your daughter safe. I can tell you of the measures we've prepared, the resources we've committed. But I cannot give you a guarantee of absolute safety."
"Then I am sorry." Mr. Tatsuma said, shaking his head. "But my decision stands. I will not give my consent for Ryuuzaki to move to the dormitories, or to remain at UA."
"Then what the hell do you expect me to do?!" Ryuuzaki all but shouted, a small crack appearing on the wooden table as she slammed her hands down on it. "Do you think other Hero Schools without UA's resources would be any safer?"
"Language, Ryuuzaki." He replied in a stern tone, staring down his daughter. "Take your hands off the table."
She scowled but complied, sitting down forcefully, her arms folded.
"Good. To answer your question, if other Hero Schools aren't any safer… then maybe you don't need to become a Hero."
"What- what are you talking about?!" Ryuuzaki replied, anger written large across her face. "Of course I need to become a Hero!"
"But why? Why do you need to put yourself through such danger?"
"Because... I want to save people! Because- because I want to help people who are helpless, like I was!" She scowled in frustration, forcing out each word. "So that they don't ever have to feel like I did! Do you- do you even- fucking-"
She snarled in exasperation, throwing up her hands in anger as she sprung up and stomped off. A moment later there was a flash of light and a ripple of warm air, much faster than before, and then there was a huge dragon standing in the middle of the living room again.
"Do you want to know why I was able to transform back to human?" She asked, launching into a rapid-fire barrage of words. "I was afraid of being hurt again, trying to make myself invulnerable to harm. But when I was lying there, beaten by All For One, I realized that it's pointless. There is no true, absolute safety. And you know what else I realized? There was something else I was more afraid of than being hurt. The idea that my fear would allow someone else to be hurt. That if I allowed fear to control me, I would let others go through what I did. I didn't take down one set of walls around me just so you could build another one in its place."
"I… I'm sorry you ever had to feel that way." He spoke, eyes downcast. "But not allowing fear to control you doesn't mean you have to dive head-first into danger. Why does it need to be you? Why do you need to take all of this responsibility on yourself?"
"Because I owe it. Because I want to do something with my life. Because I lived. Because I took someone else's place."
"What do you mean?" Ms. Tatsuma asked, suddenly alarmed.
"I mean… I lived where others would have died. It was… like a miracle." Ryuuzaki replied, wrangling her clawed forelimbs. "When I was shot, I mean. Shouldn't I use the opportunity that I was given, to do good? To help people?"
"There are other ways to help. There are others- others who could become Heroes." Mr. Tatsuma sounded almost like he was pleading. "You're smart, you're motivated, you're capable- you could become anything you set your mind to! You could become a doctor, a teacher, a therapist, a scientist. You don't need to put yourself in harm's way to save people. Why do you need to become a Hero?"
"Because I want to. Because I enjoy it. Because it's what I'm good at." Ryuuzaki shook her head angrily. "I've been blessed with the Quirk, the talent and the opportunity to become a Hero. A Hero who can do good. And I want to take it."
She was pacing restlessly, claws tapping softly against the matted floor.
"The system is flawed. There's people out there who have been screwed over by it, overlooked and passed over, who are rightfully angry at it. How can I tell them that they shouldn't tear the whole thing down and instead work to improve it, if I'm not willing to put in any effort myself? How can I ask them to put aside their grievances, if I'm just sitting on the sidelines doing nothing to help?"
Ryuuzaki stopped her circling, turning around to bring her glowing eyes to look at her father.
"What if everyone thought like that? 'Surely someone else will fix things'? Isn't that what got us here, with everyone thinking All-Might would just make things better, so they didn't need to even try? Maybe I can't fix the whole system all by myself. But I can do what I can. And maybe, if there's others like me, together we can make the world better to live in, for everyone. That's what I want to do. And you want to take that away from me."
Mr. Tatsuma was silent for a long while, closing his eyes, his fingers curling into fists and then opening again. He took a deep breath, before finally nodding his head.
"I… I- fine. Fine. I will allow it. You- this is what you want, isn't it? More than anything. You want to help. You want to change the world. I- I know how- I know that feeling." He turned his head away, unable to meet Ryuuzaki's gaze. "Ryutsuki is right. I can't- I have no right to take that away from you."
There was a moment of silence, and then, a buildup of light and warmth, as Ryuuzaki transformed into human again, staggering on her feet and blinking a few times, before shaking her head and walking over to her father and wrapping him in a tight hug.
"Thank you, dad." She said, leaning into the embrace with all of her body. "Love you."
"I love you too." Mr. Tatsuma said, patting her on the back as they separated. "My little drake."
"I should… leave." Kan coughed into his hand, rising from his seat. "You can send the papers by mail-"
"No!" Ryuuzaki interrupted him, putting her mother down from a quick hug and wheeling towards him. "I haven't even thanked you yet! For everything you've done. At the camp, and before. For me, and for all of us."
"It was my duty as your tea- urk."
Kan was once again interrupted, this time by the unusual sensation of his feet leaving the ground as he was swept into a bone-crushing hug.
Kenshin Tatsuma was a towering behemoth of a man, taller than Kan by head and shoulders and wide enough that he'd probably outmass him by half again even if they were of equal height.
"Leaving our little drake here with the strength of an average grizzly bear and coordination of a week-old kitten." Mr. Tatsuma noted jovially, clapping a hand to his daughter's shoulder. "The repairmen are about to offer us a regular customer discount if this keeps up."
"Because I owe it. Because I want to do something with my life. Because I lived. Because I took someone else's place."
"What do you mean?" Ms. Tatsuma asked, suddenly alarmed.
"I mean… I lived where others would have died. It was… like a miracle." Ryuuzaki replied, wrangling her clawed forelimbs. "When I was shot, I mean. Shouldn't I use the opportunity that I was given, to do good? To help people?"
And how exactly would keeping her out of the hero school keep her safe? She would still be targeted by villains, but without the defenses of the school and it would be illegal for her to use her quirk to defend herself. Taking her out of heroism is the worst possible option for keeping her safe.
And how exactly would keeping her out of the hero school keep her safe? She would still be targeted by villains, but without the defenses of the school and it would be illegal for her to use her quirk to defend herself. Taking her out of heroism is the worst possible option for keeping her safe.
And how exactly would keeping her out of the hero school keep her safe? She would still be targeted by villains, but without the defenses of the school and it would be illegal for her to use her quirk to defend herself. Taking her out of heroism is the worst possible option for keeping her safe.
Immediate self-defence with a Quirk is in fact legal, it's just supposed to be a last resort. If you had the opportunity to flee or not get involved but chose to get stuck in and start blasting you run afoul of vigilante laws.
And how exactly would keeping her out of the hero school keep her safe? She would still be targeted by villains, but without the defenses of the school and it would be illegal for her to use her quirk to defend herself. Taking her out of heroism is the worst possible option for keeping her safe.
It's Blackout being accurate to the source material. The whole authorial gist behind the hero system is a mix of Japanese and American law enforcement/comic book culture, and commentary on them. For many in Japan, the policy of 'one life outweighs the world' is a living memory. The expectation is cooperation and not trying to 'be a hero' at the risk of dying. The idea of some inexperienced rando taking someone's life into their hands is seen, not inaccurately, as completely reckless. And going in to kill someone right out the gate can quickly become heartless brutality.
It's why the Hero Commission dropped their policy using Pro Heroes to kill and even assassinate villains once All Might stabilized the country. The more than a little American philosophy of treating criminals as not having rights was de-legitimizing the authority of the Hero System.
Of course, once All For One came back and got his new body the flaw of the Hero System and the merits of a more 'American gun-culture' approach become increasingly evident: The heroes only stayed by the hero schools where they could concentrate their resources and manpower. If you couldn't relocate inside the radius of their protection, you were on your own against the Paranormal Liberation Front and other criminals.
But nobody has foreseen that Japan is going to fall into a Warlord state.
should have realised. Thats just how large her calves are? The shape of it on her costume made me think she had normal shoes and just big things above them.
