The role of queers in personal identity

Key things

• Jokes shape personal identity and self-worth, define a character's life trajectory and sense of belonging.
• How quirks are perceived by society determines whether an individual is labeled a hero or a villain.
• Living in a super-powered society means enormous social pressure and expectations for quirk holders.

In the world My Hero Academiaquirks are superhuman abilities that individuals are born with. These abilities often manifest as early as four years of age and are known to affect more than 80% of the population. Since these abilities emerge when an individual is in the early stages of development, it is not uncommon for them to build their personality on their quirks and make certain important decisions to accommodate their quirks.

Jokes are extremely important in this world and to be born without quirks is devastating. Fans can see how upset Izuku Midoriya and his mother were when the doctor told them that Midoriya would grow up without him. What humor does for an individual is profound, as it defines their self-perception, social interactions, and career path. No joke, Midoriya knew he wouldn't fit in and could never be a hero, no matter how hard he dreamed of it. The presence or absence of quirks determines much of a character's life trajectory and often creates expectations that shape how they fit into society.

Jokes And Personal Identity

Perception of self

Personal identity is how a person defines and understands himself. It includes aspects such as personality, values, beliefs and the roles they take in life. It is how someone sees themselves as unique and makes them feel as an individual, separate from others. Characters in My Hero Academia they often associate their sense of self-worth with their jokes. An example is Midoriya, who was born with traits indicating that he might not show jokes. Midoriya felt inadequate and worthless because he was part of the minority who were born without an eccentricity and therefore could not be a hero.

Midoriya's encounter with All Might and his acquisition of the One For All changes his perspective, giving him a sense of purpose and belonging. Blessed with a special quirk, Midoriya's self-esteem increases as he now sees himself as someone capable of being a hero.

Yuga Aoyama was also born without eccentricity. This event caused him and his parents to find unconventional ways to gain eccentricity, such as reaching out to All For One, the biggest villain in their world, who gave him a belly button, but at a cost. Being born without an eccentricity in a world where most are born with an eccentricity made his parents worry about the discrimination he would face for something that was not his fault. Personally, Yuga struggles to fit in and sees himself as lesser and unworthy, just like Midoriya. Even with the eccentric, he still struggles with insecurity because he knows the lengths he's gone to and the price he pays for eccentricity.

Self acceptance

Humor is something over which individuals have minimal control. Different people display different quirks, some stronger, stronger and more versatile than others. This causes individuals to see themselves less because they do not display a cooler looking or stronger eccentricity. Eijiro Kirishima had trouble accepting his quirk as he felt it was inferior compared to others such as Todoroki's half-hot half-cold or Bakugo's explosive wit. Over time, Kirishima learns to embrace his hardening ability and discovers that there is more to heroism than flashy abilities; He can also thank his teacher Shota Aizawa for that. He learns that it is really about the resilience and spirit of the individual. Learning this made him accept himself, which gave him a sense of belonging among his peers.

Jokes and social roles

How Quirk mounts fit into this

While some individuals use their wit for good, others use it for bad. This is why there are villains and heroes in this world. Society expects individuals who use their quirks for good to protect their city and even the world from villains and also not oppress a minority who happen to be quirky.

Heroes are celebrated for using their quirks to protect society, while those who abuse or reject societal norms, such as Tomura Shigaraki, the League of Villians, Dabi, and others, are labeled as villains. The difference between a hero and a villain often depends not only on the eccentricity itself, but on how society perceives and reacts to the individual. Society, for example, sees Stain as a villain. Stain is also no hero, but his role can be considered heroic to some and villainous to others. Stain takes it upon himself to wipe out any hero who isn't pure, has ulterior motives for being a hero, and is after fame and money. A true hero should not care about the benefits of the role, but should only care about saving lives and enforcing justice.

According to Stain, only All Might can be considered a true hero and the rest are only there for selfish reasons. Regardless of Stain's motives and beliefs, society sees him as a villain because he goes around killing people.

All Might is a perfect example of what society expects from quirk holders, essentially heroes. All Might served and protected Japan so well that he was honored as a symbol of peace and ranked as Japan's number one hero. Rain, come sunshine; as long as the villains are terrorizing the citizens or the citizens are in danger, All Might will show up. Even after sustaining serious injuries, he did not want to resign from his position due to societal expectations.

Discrimination and bias

In a world like this, discrimination and prejudice are inevitable. Enji showed a bias towards Todoroki than his other children because he had the same quirks. His bias drove his eldest son, Toya Todoroki, to the dark side as Toya became the villain Dabi most fans are painfully familiar with.

Those born with destructive eccentricities or who are considered “monstrous” by societal standards. For example, Spinner from League of Villains conforms to society's villain standards thanks to his mutant freak, Gecko. Spinner has lizard-like features and faces discrimination because of it. Spinner and others like him have been marginalized by society, facing prejudice or rejection. This reinforces a rigid social structure where eccentricities act as the primary determinant of one's place in the world, either enabling individuals to rise to prominence or limiting their potential roles.

Society pressure and expectations

What is expected of quirk holders

With great powers comes great responsibility, and although these individuals did not strive for the powers they were born with, they are burdened with the responsibility of having such powers. Characters with strong quirks often face enormous social pressure to become heroes and live up to expectations. All Might's quirk, One For All, places him in the position of Symbol of Peace, placing the weight of society's safety on his shoulders.

Despite the huge hole in his chest, All Might didn't want to retire as a hero because society expected him to protect him, and he basically kept the villains in their place because most of them feared him. He eventually had to retire as he lost all the embers of One For All, demoting him to a quirky individual and a shadow of his former, muscular self.

Society is also the cause of villains. Individuals have minimal control over the quirks they end up with, but there are some quirks that seem good and others that seem bad. Bakugo's explosion joke is seen as a brilliant joke by society and assumes that Bakugo has a tendency to be a villain. There are other characters who have been judged this way, unlike Bakugo who stayed true to his heroism; these other characters are not so much. Characters such as Spinner, Dabi, Twice, and Himiko Toga became villains in response to how their antics alienated them from societal norms.

Eventually

Living in a superpowered society puts a lot of pressure, expectations and self-acceptance on individuals. Being eccentric in this world means that an individual must be either a hero or a villain, nothing in between. Only quirky individuals have a say in what they want to be, but they certainly cannot be heroes. Jokes are more than just superhuman abilities that these individuals are born with. It determines their destinies, shapes their interactions with others, and most importantly, shapes how an individual perceives themselves.

My Hero Academia is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.