I Am Here (
Summary[]
A kid learned that his Quirk was a freak variant, unrelated to anyone else in his family. Everybody else suddenly stopped being nice to him, to the point of tying him up and locking him in the basement. He was so scared he cried and started screaming, so they sewed his mouth shut. Years later they told him the country was doomed, left him some food and snacks, and disappeared. After a while, a big crash cut an opening into the basement, and he was able to be free outside. The sunlight was painful and scary, as he wondered what he did wrong and why he had to feel sad, and when he comes across several Heroes and civilians around, wondered why everyone else was smiling so much.
On the hill outside of Troy, Ochaco thinks about how she always loved seeing people smile, and that's why she set out to be a hero. She remembers Himiko's last words about how she could've done the right thing like a hero, but went above and beyond to spare a thought to her. She begins to break down and tear up, believing she got to live at the cost of Himiko's life, and that it's her fault, just as Izuku appears calling out to her. She immediately tries to cover her face, asking why he's here, which he responds that he expected she would be here since it's the spot they had their heart-to-heart, so he leaped over with One For All.
She tries to rub her face, telling him she was heading home for now, but Izuku stated he had a feeling she would be here. She says she doesn't feel like being seen right now, but Izuku insists that he wants her to show him what she's going through, because she's always been this way. He reminds her back during the U.A. Entrance Exam when they first met, when she gave him some of her points, and when she gave him the inspiration for the name "Deku", that all along without fail she prioritizes others over herself. He continues that everytime she has been saving him every step of the way, and that she is his hero. He holds her hand and tells her he can't keep taking that strength of hers for granted, telling her holding a hand can be enough to soothe the pain.
Tears rolling down her face, Ochaco cries that it's her fault Himiko died, saying that if only she didn't get stabbed, and if only her head wasn't filled with pointless thoughts, since her Quirk let her share blood with others, believing it didn't have to end that way and they could've found another way. She wishes she could've figured her out sooner, wondering if things would've gone differently if they were kids. Izuku responds that he understands, since it's the same thing that's been weighing on him about Tomura, he was told he couldn't tackle the battle the same way as others, with All For One even calling it a thorny path he was walking. Even despite it all, he knows that if they keep going above and beyond to reach out, even when nobody's asking, it'll make a difference.
Just then, the rest of Class A appear looking for Ochaco, with Tsuyu jumping in crying that she was waiting for her to open up and can say whatever's on her mind to her. Izuku looks at his hand, feeling the embers of One For All, causing Katsuki to ask how he's doing. This causes the other students to freak out, realizing what this means and jump at Izuku, all the while Shota watches them and smiles. Izuku thinks about how he completed One For All, the amalgamation of power woven together by courage and heroism. Later, Class B celebrate outside U.A. with Neito getting a bust of dedication, and Class A do their goodbye party for Yuga, with Eri singing with Kyoka.
Elsewhere, All Might and Hawks are discussing broadening the scope of the Hero Billboard Chart JP, wanting to use it to honor more than just the Pro Heroes that played a part in the Final War, giving props to "heroes" in the original sense, beyond those employed. All Might asks if he wants to lean away from the popularity aspect all together, which Hawks says makes sense, if you only see the cons of the system and not the pros, with him thinking about an update that doesn't completely toss out everything, because since even the "greatest" can only handle so much, and they wanna save more people, the saviors have to be more than just the Pros, in the hopes of cultivating even more Heroes.
The kid wanders out into the streets, looking at all the smiling people, wondering why it's just him that had to suffer, and begins to unleash his Quirk from his hands when suddenly, the grandma who initially turned Tenko away appears to grab the kid's hand. She thinks about how she still wonders if a hero came to help the boy she turned away that day, and that it still keeps her up at night. At the same time, Hawks talks about how that day, Izuku demonstrated to society the need to support each other, teaching them that sitting down and doing nothing isn't an option. This is proven to have truly taken effect as the grandma assures the distraught kid that he'll be fine, because she's here to help, causing him to cry tears of relief. Ochaco and Izuku see this interaction and smile, as Hawks believes Heroes will now finally have time to kill.
Chapter Notes[]
- Himiko is confirmed to have died after giving up her blood to save Ochaco.
- Izuku comforts Ochaco, telling her to release her feelings, while also calling her his hero.
- The rest of Class A arrive to also cheer her up, and learn about Izuku's remaining embers of One For All.
- All Might and Hawks discuss a change-up to the Hero Billboard Chart to address more than just the Pros that took part to help.
- The mysterious person is revealed to be a boy who was locked away by his family for inheriting a variant Quirk.
- After emerging and feeling distraught, he is saved by the same old woman who initially ignored Tenko when he needed help.
Characters In Order of Appearance[]
- Koki Terumoto
- Ochaco Uraraka
- Himiko Toga (Vision/Ghost)
- Izuku Midoriya
- Spinner (Flashback)
- All For One (Flashback)
- Fumikage Tokoyami
- Hitoshi Shinso
- Mashirao Ojiro
- Rikido Sato
- Denki Kaminari
- Momo Yaoyorozu
- Eijiro Kirishima
- Tsuyu Asui
- Katsuki Bakugo
- Minoru Mineta
- Koji Koda
- Shota Aizawa
- Mina Ashido
- Tenya Ida
- Shoto Todoroki
- Kyoka Jiro
- Class B
- Neito Monoma
- Eri
- Yuga Aoyama
- Hanta Sero
- Toru Hagakure
- Mezo Shoji
- All Might
- Hawks
- Tomura Shigaraki (Flashback)
Appearances[]
Author's Comment[]
| “ | It’s the tenth anniversary of My Hero, thanks to all of you! There’s only a little more left, so please stick around till the end!! | ” |
Trivia[]
- Koki's name wasn't given in the chapter, with it instead being revealed in an extra page of Volume 42.
[]
| Epilogue Arc | |
|---|---|
| Chapters | 425 • 426 • 427 • 428 • 429 • 430 • 431 • 431.5 |
| Volumes | 42 |
| Episodes | 168 • 169 • 170 |