Ho Yay / My Hero Academia

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Ho Yay

Midoriya/Bakugo

Super Kabedon!

• With Shipping Goggles on, you can interpret Bakugo's Inferiority Superiority Complex towards Deku as him having a crush on Deku and being in denial over it. Like this parody scene.
• While under the effects of a Quirk that turns him into a Bishōnen, Bakugo in an assignment rescues Midoriya from Todoroki by carrying him in Bridal Carry and asking if he is ok. He snaps back to his old personality quickly, but Midoriya was certainly not expecting it.
  Bakugo: It's all okay now, little man. Tell me, are you hurt anywhere...
• Recall that Ochaco wondered what Deku would do in a tough situation, and Aoyama interprets this as love. Deku had done the same thing several chapters earlier with Bakugo.
• According to Lisa, the writer of the 3rd ED “Datte Atashi no Hero”, the song’s lyrics are about Izuku’s honest feelings for Bakugo. Several of the lyrics are rather suggestive, roughly translating to “Even if there’s only one lifetime, there are many chances to be together", "You’re the strongest, giving me, with absolutely nothing, meaning in life", "When I look at your eyes, I can run too", and the title, “After all, you are my hero”.
• Deku has a tendency to snap whenever Bakugo is threatened, from the sludge villain incident (“I don’t know why I did what I did…maybe it was the look on [Kacchan’s] face”) to decking All Might to save him to breaking down emotionally when the villains succeed in kidnapping him.
  • As of Chapter 295, Deku has awakened two Quirks within One For All specifically to defend Bakugo. Blackwhip was fully awakened when Monoma insulted Bakugo during their Joint Training Battle, and Danger Sense when All For One called Bakugo's sacrifice "meaningless."
  • The shock on Deku's face when he sees Bakugo took a hit for him morphing into a blank look of utter rage when All For One rubs salt into the wound only compounds this.
• In Chapter 285, Bakugo had his own "At that moment, there were no thoughts in my head. My body just moved on its own." moment where he took a hit for Izuku, mirroring Izuku's feelings and actions when he tried to save Bakugo from the sludge villain.
  • His immediate reaction after waking up only to learn that Izuku is still in a coma is to dash down the hospital hallways shouting "He's dead meat if he thinks he can die on me." and "Deku, why am I awake but you're still sound asleep?" as his classmates try to keep him back.
• When Compress snatches Bakugo, Deku yells out (approximately), “Give him back!”; Compress responds that Bakugo “doesn’t belong to anyone”, and Deku simply repeats the same thing, only with more emphasis.
• Deku is the only person Bakugo has ever cried in front of — twice, in fact, while venting his honest feelings of inferiority (in Episode 8 & Episode 61).
• Deku “feels like he has to tell” Bakugo about the secret of One For All, even though he hasn’t even told his mother yet, and even he can’t explain why.
• Deku has a tendency to compliment Bakugo excessively, gushing over everything Bakugo does, from his determination to his winter costume (“Your sheer amazingness at everything you do was so brilliant to me, it was blinding”).
• It's not all one-sided on Deku’s part, either. Early in the series before Character Development kicked in, one could interpret Bakugo’s constant obsession with knocking Deku down a peg as some sort of bizarre repressed crush. Of course, this isn’t the healthiest example, but it’s still there.
• It should be noted that not every interaction between the two of them growing up was a negative one (not that it excuses Bakugo’s actions, of course.) During the second fight, flashbacks show the two of them opening packs of collectible cards together and being excited when they both get one with All Might on it, with no clear animosity whatsoever.
  • It's also been stated that, despite things eventually turning sour, Bakugo and Deku were friends before Deku turned out to be quirkless, and in a few flashbacks, we can see the two of them playing together. One even has Bakugo kicking a ball to show off to Deku and Deku staring at him in amazement.
• Deku calling Bakugo “Kacchan” can come off this way since most teenage boys don’t usually use the -chan suffix for anyone but lovers (-chan is usually used by children or teenage girls to refer to each other in nonromantic circumstances).
  • Adding onto the point above, the fact that Bakugo never explicitly tells Deku to not call him by such a childish nickname is rather strange, considering how brazen Bakugo typically is. You’d almost think that someone with Bakugo’s pride would be more insulted by it than he seems to be, especially since he was angrier with Sero and Kirishima for saying it instead.
• The anime adds in a scene during their fight with All Might that isn't in the Manga, where Bakugo explosively punches the wall over Deku's head and leans over him — in other words, a "kabedon", a romance manga trope where the guy does exactly that (except without the explosion).
• There are a few similarities between Midoriya and Bakugo and Bakugo’s parents — highlighted in this post. Bakugo is basically a Generation Xerox of his mom Mitsuki; Deku resembles his nervous, spiky-haired dad, Masaru; and an extra has Masaru say of Mitsuki that “I just couldn’t ignore her feelings”, similar to a line Midoriya has about Bakugo during their second fight (check this post to see it).
• My Hero Academia Smash!! has a lot of moments where Midoriya basically stalks Bakugo (a group of them in this post), including an exaggeration of the Battle Trial Arc in "Creepypasta Fan" where he apparently knows Bakugo's pre-bedtime habits; an instance where he talks about following him around in to cafes, and him making a face that has to be censored on seeing Bakugo dressed up in a bee costume.
• Their second fight has Bakugo open up about his feelings of guilt about All Might losing his power, once again demonstrating some vulnerability to Deku, probably with this instance being the biggest turning point in their relationship.
  • Deku also demonstrates how well he knows Bakugo by continuing the fight, understanding that fighting is a language Bakugo would understand.
• After the fight on the roof, Bakugo compliments Deku’s fighting style, albeit in his own terse way. This also marks the point when it’s very clear that Bakugo has moved on a bit more when it comes to his animosity towards Deku.
• The second film is full of moments between them, from Midoriya grabbing an irate Bakugo during a confrontation from behind on the chest to many scenes of intense stares accompanied by clips from their second fight about being "winning to save/saving to win" heroes, to looking after two kids that look remarkably like them, together; to the climax of the film, which involves sharing blood through dramatic hand holding to pass on One for All.
• This video outright describes the two as acting exactly like exes, with Bakugo being distant and not opening up to Deku, but Deku still acknowledging him as someone important in his life and constantly saving and praising him despite his worst traits.
• The end of Dark Deku arc has two notable moments. Bakugo was one of the people who lead the class' rescue plan, and also the first person to find Midoriya. In episode 136, Bakugo delivers a heartfell apology in public, even calling Midoriya "Izuku" again after ten whole years, successfully convince him to return to UA. When Midoriya falls, Bakugo is the one who catches him despite the not-small distance between them.
• After the U.A spy's revealed to be Aoyama, Midoriya offers his hand to the boy. Bakugo is capable of understanding Midoriya's intention despite not talking or looking at his eyes at all. This detail indicates that they know each other to an almost personal degree that they can tell the other's thought by a simple look.
• Chapter 359-362 as a whole.
  • In chapter 359, Shigaraki (controlled by AFO) says the reason why he targets Bakugo is because he's the closest person to Midoriya. Worth noting that neither Shigaraki nor AFO actually witnesses Bakugo's character development, so these two are so important to each other than a villain they're trying to beat can recognize their feelings in a single glance.
  AFO (in Shigaraki's body): The only thing about you that catches my interest is how you're closer to Izuku Midoriya than anyone else.
  • After being insulted and injured by Shigaraki, his attitude switches completely. He becomes strangely calm, mumbles while analyzing Shigaraki's moves and pushes himself up to fight, despite having one of his arm badly damaged. The constant stress he put on himself makes his Quirk evolves, allowing him to be faster with the exchange of continuous pain, similar to how Midoriya fights.
  Bakugo: Battling through the pain. Fighting while trying to spot the enemy's tics and habits. This is basically the path you had to walk, yeah?
  [reaching out] So, Izuku... Can I... still catch up to you?
  • Right before he dies, it's revealed that the All Might card they got when they were children were always kept with him, along with a flashback of said scene. Become more heartwrenching when Midoriya arrives just moments later, and almost goes completely insane after seeing Bakugo's corpse and the bloodied card.
  • This is the fourth time in total that we see Midoriya loses his mind when something happens to Bakugou. The three prior moments are Bakugou's kidnap, Monoma's insult, and Bakugou's Taking the Bullet act. His reactions to everything Bakugou-related are always very extreme, unlike other situations where Bakugou is not involved.
• The two manga cover of volume 29 and 37 both fuel this ship. Volume 29's cover features Bakugo standing in the river where he fell, an unusually calm and pensive expression on his face and an outstretched hand, reaching out to Midoriya's young self. Volume 37 has Midoriya gently cradling an unconscious and bloody Bakugo, with literal blazing rage in his eyes. This cover share great similarities to the infamous scene in The Night Gwen Stacy Died, and thus was mistaken for fanart by many fans, as the intimacy between the two is more than one would expect in a shounen manga. Horikoshi's draft for volume 30's cover resembles the aforementioned volume 37 but with many other characters in the background beside Bakugo and Midoriya.
• In chapter 380, Midoriya drags Shigaraki out of UA floating fortress, saying he "can't afford to fight atop that tomb". A sentence worth raising eyebrows, since the reason why the fortress exists in the first place was to be a specialized battle ground to fight against Shigaraki's Decay. With Midoriya's tendency to go completely berserk when Bakugo is hurt, it's quite easy to think about his reasoning.
• The OST list has three songs that has (mostly indirect) relations to both Midoriya and Bakugo, including "Datte Atashi no Hero", "Shout Baby" and "Bokurano". The first one is confirmed to be Midoriya's thoughts about Bakugo, the second is implied to be a mixture of Midoriya and Bakugo, and the last one is hinted to be Bakugo's feelings. The intimacy in the lyrics didn't escape fan's eyes, either, as multiple people have pointed out the subtext in some of the lines.
• The anime's season 6 has added some notably shippy moments, such as Bakugou reminiscing about the extended hand two different times in episode 122, Midoriya's line changing from "He hurt the people I love" to "He hurt the person I love" while a flashback of Bakugou getting stabbed is shown, Bakugou's first thought after being hospitalized is Midoriya, and Midoriya closing his eyes in Bakugou's arms.
• Chapter 403-409:
  • As All Might is about to be killed by AFO, Midoriya is fighting against Shigaraki, desperately hopes that someone will come save him. Immediately after that, Bakugou emerges from the smokes on the floating U.A fortress. Midoriya turns to look up, time slows down, and they share the most intense Held Gaze moment in the whole series with the tagline "Their feelings become one".
    • The way their expression immediately turns to relief upon seeing each other. The darkness enveloping Midoriya's distraught face just a moment ago all clears away when he finally sees Bakugou is alive. The tears he's been holding in also burst out like rain. Similarly, Bakugou's face is cleared from tiredness when he catches Midoriya's gaze.
    • Bakugou's death takes the light away from Midoriya's eyes and makes him hide his face, and his revival brightens Midoriya's face. In the Dark Deku Arc, it's also Bakugou who brings the light back in Midoriya's void eyes. The effect Bakugou has on Midoriya is indeed fascinating.
  • With only a shared gaze and no word, they start an attack combo with perfect synchronization to save All Might. Midoriya extends a hand to catch Bakugou at the same time as Bakugou propels himself at Midoriya. They spin around, eyes still locked on each other, then Midoriya uses Gearshift to throw Bakugou at All Might with full speed. His eyes never move away from Bakugou, despite Shigaraki, his enemy, is standing right there (albeit being tied up by Blackwhip). Their mutual understanding as well as the amount of trust they have for each other really is unbelievable.
  • In the next two chapters, Bakugou repeatedly refer to Midoriya even when the situation has nothing to do with the boy. Bakugou's line in chapter 405 "I'm the guy who steps in when he cannot handle it on his own!" is a callback to his apology, when he says Midoriya can count on him and the others if he ever encounters a road bump. When AFO mistakes him for Kudou, Bakugou declares his name as "Kacchan Bakugou" ("Kacchan no Bakugou" in Japanese), proudly claims the nickname "Kacchan" Midoriya gave him as his own name in front of the world.
  • Bakugou continues thinking about Midoriya while facing against AFO's ultimate move, internally swearing he would never be an obstacle in Midoriya's way again. His flashback also features the same scene as the one in chapter 285 before his sacrifice, but without his shadows obscuring Midoriya's face. It's also worth mentioning that in five flashback panels, Midoriya is present in three of them. Bakugou's mom and dad only appears in one panel in comparison.
• The fact that numerous theories and Wild Mass Guessing from the Bakudeku shippers have become true is worth raising eyebrows. Fans have pointed out many instances in canon that looks like it came straight out of a fanfic or doujinshi, such as Bakugou calling Midoriya "Izuku", Bakugou apologizing, him being the only person who can see (and stop) Midoriya's tendency to disregard himself.
• It is worth noticing also that despite all his sneers, Bakugou never seems to doubt Midoriya's capabilities to become a hero. He is the only one in their middle school who doesn't laugh at Midoriya for signing up to U.A, instead treats it as something serious. When Midoriya uses OFA to throw the ball in Aizawa's test, Bakugou is absolutely flabbergasted at the Quirk and demands an explanation, which means he actually believed Midoriya entered U.A without a quirk, something even All Might himself didn't believe he could do.
• Kudou reveals that he has watched Midoriya's memories, and the flashback shown is of a young Bakugou, chased after by Midoriya. What does he do after obtaining knowledge about Midoriya's psyche? Teasingly use Bakugou as an example to explain his plan. It worked.
  Kudou: Hmm? A visualization? To get the gist? (smirk) Sure, sure, I've got just the right analogy... When that childhood friend of yours hand you things, how does he do it?

Midoriya/Various

• Midoriya/Todoroki:
  • Midoriya is the person with whom Todoroki is the closest. They develop mutual respect and they seem to have become each other's confidant. During their first battle, All Might wondered if Midoriya might have been trying to save Todoroki (from himself, most likely). All things considered, it looks like Midoriya succeeded.
  • As time goes on, they appear together more often, Midoriya seems to like to chat with Todoroki and invite him to the class' get-together.
  • This post analyzes shows how Midoriya and Todoroki's relationship progressed through the manga and, although it was made by a shipper, so it's biased, they correctly point out that Todoroki's bond with Midoriya is very important to him and that Todoroki developed a soft spot for Midoriya.
  • Their relationship post-Sports Festival is pretty much a Heartwarming Moment every time it gets the spotlight. Especially considering that Midoriya is all but stated to be Todoroki's first friend.
  • At the times that something happens to the class, Midoriya often ends up looking for Todoroki to see if he is okay. It's one of his first instincts.
  • In the second movie, as Todoroki passes out from his own cold snap, he murmurs "Midoriya..." even though Midoriya isn't even there.
  • In Chapter 327, Todoroki stops the rest of 1-A from grilling Midoriya with questions, rightfully assuming he's exhausted after running away from U.A. and battling nonstop against AFO's lackeys.
    • Also, when Midoriya finally conks out on the couch in the common room, Todoroki comes through with a blanket.

• Midoriya/Iida:
  • Iida trying to stop Midoriya from going with Todoroki, Kirishima and Yaoyorozu to rescue Bakugo, the words used and a few of the scenes could be interpreted in many ways if it was taken out of context, particularly when Iida asking if his feelings are getting to Midoriya.
  • The light novel has a particularly sweet scene of Iida covering Midoriya with a blanket after the latter sleeps without it.
  • An interesting parallel is that Uraraka, who does has a crush on Deku, looks up to him in the very same way that Iida does, and speaks about him in a similar manner too.
  • An image in Smash!!◊ has them laying side by side in a koutatsu. With Iida being particularly happy about it.
  • Midoriya and Uraraka both sleep on Iida's shoulders in the Season 3 ED. Though this one verges into Threesome Subtext.
  • Chapter 321 has Iida (the only one who can catch up to Midoriya at the speed he's going) grab Midoriya's hand and tell him that sticking your nose into other peoples' business is what makes a true hero while giving him a tearful grin. This argument seems to move Midoriya even when the rest of the class's hadn't.

• Midoriya/Mirio:
  • Mirio is oddly physical with Midoriya. This is especially noticeable because he doesn't tend to touch Tamaki and Nejire, who are his close friends, yet, a little while after they meet he hangs his arms around Midoriya and pulls him close when they talk to All Might.
  • Mirio makes it clear that of all Class 1-A, Midoriya was definitely the one to grab his attention, enough so that he made sure to check out on Midoriya while they were alone on the back of the dorms and automatically look at him when they entered Class 1-A homeroom.
  • The scenes where Midoriya and Mirio show Eri around the school can be interpreted as two doting fathers with their daughter. In fact, most of the time they interact with her together, it seems like this.

• Midoriya/Amajiki:
  • Amajiki was very attentive to Izuku during Class 1-A's fight against Mirio, when Izuku gathered some of his classmates to form a strategy to counter Mirio.
  • Izuku was surprised when Amajiki wanted to stay behind to fight three of the eight bullets and Amajiki asked Izuku to take care of Mirio because he could act recklessly.
  • During the first episode of Season 5, Amajiki acted as a Villain against Class 1-A and Izuku despite having the opportunity to hit Amajiki and knowing that he was just acting like a villain, refused to hit him and hugged him and asked him to surrender (being the only one who did not try to hurt Amajiki)
  • When Amajiki asked Izuku why he didn't hit him, Izuku replies that he didn't dare hurt him. (The most surprising thing about this is that he is possibly the first time Izuku holds back a fight against another student and the first time he jumps directly to hug an opponent)

• Midoriya/Aoyama:
  • After the events of the internship arc, Aoyama starts acting strangely around Midoriya, from feeding him some of his French cheeses to lurking at his bedroom window at night and leaving vague messages. This led some fans to speculate that this may be a case of Stalker with a Crush on Aoyama's part.

• Midoriya/Shinso:
  • Shinso's declaration of how excited he was to fight Midoriya again in Chapter 212 has undertones of this.
  • If one notices, Midoriya is the only person that makes Shinso smile in his time at U.A.. Most of the time, he looks serious and stoic, but he smiled at Midoriya after their fight both in the Joint Training and the Sports Festival.

• Midoriya/Mineta
  • Mineta started to idolize Izuku during the USJ Arc after they worked together to defeat the villains. During the final exams he thinks about how cool Deku is.
  • In Chapter 321, Mineta sticks to Deku using his balls, and claims that he "fell for" Deku. The word used, horeta, in Japanese is one that's usually reserved for strictly romantic contexts.
    Mineta: I never thought it was your power that made you awesome! I fell for you... when you were scared and sweating buckets... and quaking in your boots! Back when we found a path forward together... The way you were back then!

• Midoriya/Villains:
  • Stain and Shigaraki, while it possibly crosses into No Yay, certainly show to have become fascinated by the boy, with his quirky way of thinking and his heroic attitude. Stain lets himself be caught just to save Midoriya and Shigaraki causes a ruckus and basically holds the mall hostage just to meet him in person.
  • When Shigaraki breaks free from All For One's influence and regains full control of his body, he looks at Deku and then declares himself as "[Deku's] villain", which can easily be interpreted as Foe Romance Subtext.

Bakugo/Kirishima

• Kirishima's interactions with Bakugo can be viewed like this, given his status as the only member of his class genuinely interested in befriending Bakugo. On the flip side, as shown in Chapter 90, Kirishima is the only person who Bakugo is willing to be rescued by, something that Deku is aware of and utilizes in his rescue plan.
  • Worth pointing out that at the start of this arc, Kirishima was declaring that Deku was the one who could save Bakugo ("Your hands can still reach him!"). Cut to several chapters later, and we have Deku saying that it has to be Kirishima who reaches out to Bakugo. Kirishima is even described as the 'key' to rescuing Bakugo, and the chapter itself is titled "Taking His Hand" (going by the Fallen Angels translation). On top of that, Bakugo, perhaps the least cooperative character in the manga, knows exactly what to do the minute he sees Kirishima reaching out to him. No wonder the slash fans went nuts when this chapter came out.
  • Chapter 91 gives us Bakugo's inner monologue saying that "for some reason, my body no longer felt fatigue," accompanied by an image of his and Kirishima's hands reaching out to each other. Remind you of anything?
  • The Ho Yay just keeps piling up between these two. In Chapter 98, Aizawa gives a rather harsh lecture to the class proclaiming that if it wasn't for All Might retiring, he would have expelled most of them for allowing Kirishima, Deku, and the others to save Bakugo by themselves. The next panel focuses on Kirishima's guilt-ridden face and then shifts to one of Bakugo giving him a look. After Aizawa's done talking, Bakugo takes Kaminari into the bushes and forces Kaminari to exceed his Quirk's wattage limit so that he's a babbling moron. While everyone is distracted by Kaminari, Bakugo then goes to Kirishima with a handful of his own money and tells him to take it in a manner very akin to a Tsundere. Kirishima is baffled at first until he realizes the money is to make up for the 49,000 yen night vision goggles he bought in order to rescue Bakugo. In his own way, Bakugo is trying to cheer Kirishima up by giving him back money Kirishima spent earlier for the mission to rescue Bakugo. Bakugo trying to cheer someone up in this way is really unusual.
  • In Chapter 142, when Kirishima got beaten to pulp despite being in Unbreakable Mode that he just made the first thing he recalls was Bakugo's words to him stating that "if he refused to go down, then he must be stupidly strong" in the amidst of battle which shows how important Bakugo's words are to him.
  • In a Halloween spread for My Hero Academia Smash!!, a half-naked Bakugo is dressed as the Big Bad Wolf... while chasing a gleefully "Kyaa!"-ing Little Red Riding Hood Kirishima, skirt and all. Horikoshi re-tweeted this picture.
  • Y'all remember the red dragon Bakugo rides in the second season's fantasy AU second ending? The third volume of the light novel has confirmed that the dragon is Kirishima!!◊ Tumblr user aitaikimochi has kindly provided a translation.
    The dragon listened carefully as soon as he said those words and suddenly morphed into the appearance of a young man. As the others cried out in surprise, there stood before them a young man with red hair who was smiling.
    Kirishima: "Me? I’m half dragon half human! The name’s Eijiro. It’s not going to be a problem if I come along looking like this, right? Anyway, let’s get along!"
    Eijiro, brimming with courage and bright personality, lost against a one-on-one duel to Katsuki and ended up becoming his servant as a result.
  • Also from the light novel, Bakugo and Kirishima's study session also reads like a chaste date to some. When Kirishima struggles in math Bakugo asks him if he even knows how to do multiplication Kirishima yells in the library embarrassing himself. This causes Bakugo to 'let out a genuine laugh.' Kirishima pays for their drinks in the cafe and also defends Bakugo from his middle school friends, saying 'being with him feels really nice.'
  • And now again in Chapter 92 from My Hero Academia Smash!!, Bakugo, while affected by a villain's Quirk that makes him act like a Bishonen from a Shoujo Manga, flirts with Kirishima during a training exercise (Bakugo acting as the hostage and Kirishima as the villain) to which Kirishima flirts back.
    Bakugo: "You can try and tie me up all you want... but you'll never be able to tie down my heart!"
    Kirishima: "Interesting! A challenge to see which of our hearts will submit first!"
  • The movie, Two Heroes, has some fun sprinkles of Ho Yay between them. Not only did Kirishima tag along with Bakugo to I-Island, they even shared a (very flowery decorated) hotel room with one bed and Kirishima was the one who brought Bakugo’s formal wear, which is decorated with roses. Said formal wear also includes a tie, and Bakugo hates wearing ties...but he ends up wearing it anyway.
    • In a battle against two villains, Kirishima saved Bakugo from an attack and gets thrown right into a wall as a result. It’s probably the first time Bakugo seemed actually worried for a classmate. Bakugo even thanks Kirishima for saving him, albeit begrudgingly. Which Kirishima blushes at.
• In Chapter 253, Kirishima praised Deku for being able to control Blackwhip, after which an annoyed Bakugo threw his pointy mask at him. While Bakugo getting annoyed by Deku is the standard at this point, it isn't hard to interpret it as Bakugo being jealous over Kirishima complimenting another guy.
• In the second movie, when Mineta calls out Bakugo for not answering civilians' requests for assistance and Bakugo retorts that someone has to be at the help center in case a villain attacks, Kirishima can be seen resting his head on his arms and looking at Bakugo in a way that can easily be described as lovesick (watch to the end of the clip).

Mirio/Amajiki

• Mirio and Amajiki get a lot of this thanks to being childhood friends and have spent most of their lives together, supporting and being a constant source of inspiration for each other. It helps that Amajiki calls Mirio the Sun and Mirio names Amajiki Suneater, which is really easy to make into an Accidental Innuendo.
  • One detail that can be overlooked is that at the time Mirio gave Amajiki his hero name (one of the most important moments in Amajiki's life), the two were leaving school alone with a bright red sunset behind them that in addition to intimately having a meaning for love and passion, context is commonly used for destined lovers or the romantic outings.
  • In the conversation, Mirio gets uncomfortable when Amajiki starts to flatter him and belittle yourself, so he stops him and before he starts praising him he says ("I can do my best because you're here, Tamaki.") and reveals to him that she sees him as a talented, cool, super fun, and cheerful person with truly amazing power, ending with a ("You're...someone who eats even the sun, Suneater"). Doesn't it seem a bit like and indirect love confession?.
• Mirio and Amajiki refer to each other by their first name instead of their last name without using an honorific, which indicates their level of closeness, trust and respect, something they have not shown themselves to do with other people close to them as Nejire, Sir Nighteye or Fat Gum.
• In most of his appearances, Amajiki is shown to be thinking a lot about Mirio as he constantly mentions her name as a mantra even when others are not listening. Only in his first appearance Amajiki said Mirio more than five times and during his internship with Fat Gum and Kirishima, he compared himself to Mirio and Kirishima and told Kirishima that he was equal to Mirio.
• While they were in front of Class 1-A, Amajiki kept his head glued to the wall and only turned it when he heard Mirio challenge the Class A students to a fight in the gym and during the fight, Amajiki thinks to himself how inexperienced the students are for not recognizing all the hard work Mirio needed to refine and master his Quirk. Amajiki keeps watching Mirio fight and when Nejire comments that Mirio has become very strong, Amajiki replies that Mirio has always been strong since he was child.
• In the anime, most scenes from his childhood show Amajiki blushing when he's near Mirio and also during the ending Shout Baby while Mirio hugs him.
• Mirio warmly opened up to Amajiki during their first interaction, Mirio turning to him and asking if Amajiki had been trying to talk about heroes. Amajiki smiled and in the anime, he blushed as his eyes showed happiness and brightness.
• Mirio was visibly distraught when he learned that Amajiki was shot by a bullet and quickly asked if he was okay.
• When Amajiki had begun to talk about why the heroes would not be able to save Eri, Mirio interfered with Amajiki's ramblings with words of encouragement, reassuring Amajiki and encouraging him.
• Amajiki worries about what Mirio can do since he knows him perfectly and knows that Mirio can act recklessly to save Eri and asks Deku to take care of him.
• Chapter 152 shows that Amajiki can apparently sense when something bad happens to Mirio, like after Shin Nemoto shoots him.
• Amajiki spends the entirety of Chapter 159 holding an unconscious Mirio, even when he's confronting Chronostasis and surrounded by other people who could help. At one point, he even uses a Bridal Carry.
• When Aizawa brought up the subject of Eri's Quirk, Amajiki put his hand on Mirio's shoulder and mentioned that Mirio's powers would possibly return and that his future as a great hero will be real.
• Mirio and Amajiki frequently appear together in color extensions of Manga serialization anniversaries⁚
  • In the color extension of Chapter 146, Amajiki is seen clutching Mirio's hip with one hand and his shoulder with the other with a nervous face.
  • In the color extension of Chapter 235, they are seen together on a terrace with Nejire flying alongside.
  • In the color extension of Chapter 279, a panel of Amajiki is seen behind Mirio.
• In Volume 4 of the Light Novel, Fat Gum asks Amajiki if he has fought Mirio before and Amajiki says they have never fought.
• In Volume 17, there was an illustration of Amajiki trying to get up after feeling that something bad had happened to Mirio.

Yoichi/Kudou

• There's a hefty amount of Fridge Logic about how Yoichi (the first One For All user) figured out he could pass his Quirk to Kudou (the Second), considering the exact mechanism required, and the fact that neither know anything about One For All yet.
• In chapter 310, when Yoichi asks Kudou and Bruce (the Third) to help Midoriya, he calls them "my heroes/hero". He could be referring to both of them, but the dialogue between Kudou and Yoichi seems too personal in comparison. Not to mention, the center of attention is Kudou in both the dialogue and the flashback, when Kudou and Bruce first found Yoichi, so it's possible to assume Yoichi is talking specifically to Kudou here.
  • It's also strange how Kudou has been so adamant on not helping Midoriya, yet he changes his decision so easily with only a few words from Yoichi.
• In the last page of chapter 407, Yoichi and Kudou are shown to be running away from AFO in an elope-like manner. This calls back to their handhold in chapter 310, where Yoichi and Kudou's handhold is stated to be the beginning of it all.
• Chapter 408 begins in a sewer, with Yoichi's body being blown up by AFO. Kudou, a tough, standoffish fighter, who most likely has seen his family and friends died before, tears up at the sight of Yoichi's death, someone he only spent two months with. Later, when Bruce reveals that there's a second meta ability inside him, he looks down at his hand and declares with determination that Yoichi's will now lives inside him. The phrasing of the whole conversation, as well as the fact Kudou has no idea how the ability was transferred, makes the whole thing sounds like an euphemism for pregnancy.
  • The fact that they did not know when and how did the transfer occured, plus the rather short time they spent with each other means it must've been something normal they do, an action involves DNA exchange and a desire to give away a meta ability they didn't even know was possible to pass on. The subtext only gets thicker and thicker.
• AFO's fixation on Kudou is strange, as not even All Might managed to evoke such a strong feeling in him. Kudou's death scene is also different than other previous fights we've seen, in that AFO seems to have deep hatred for the man instead of the usual mocking pity. The only explanation is that AFO despises Kudou for "stealing" Yoichi away from him, in a way like an overprotective brother disliking his brother's lover.
• Despite also participating in the aforementioned events, Bruce's involvement isn't given much attention by both Yoichi and AFO. In the conversation above, Yoichi mentions Third in pair with Kudou at the beginning, but then refers solely to Kudou when it comes to his escape. In Yoichi's death scene, Bruce's reaction is skipped over even though he's clearly witnessing the same emotional scene as Kudou. AFO also doesn't seem to hold a grudge against Bruce, which means Kudou and Yoichi's relationship is on a much more personal level that Bruce has little to compare with.
• After giving orders to other vestiges, Kudou turns to Yoichi, telling him he's leaving Midoriya in Yoichi's hand with a softer demeanor. Yoichi agrees to it with a Teary Smile, calling Kudou "my hero" again.

Others

• Due to a translation of Chapter 126, All Might's dialogue makes it look like that he and Sir Nighteye were actually lovers during the time that the latter was his intern, possibly with a Lover and Beloved sort of relationship which ended in a bad break up, and because of that, it would be awkward for All Might to attempt to get Midoriya an internship with him. Although it has been pointed that it might be a mistranslation, some fans think it would be weird for it to be awkward just because they stopped being co-workers.
  All Might: "We broke up, so it's kinda awkward."
  Present Mic: "Lettin' your feelings get in the way, All Might!"
  • Even the actual reason — that Nighteye was upset about All Might continuing to put himself in danger after his fight with All For One and Nighteye's prediction that All Might would die in six or seven years — can be seen in this light, with Nighteye getting unusually upset because the person he cares about most is in danger.
  • Furthermore, a rumor circulated shortly after the chapter that Horikoshi would have confirmed All Might to be bisexual in a statement. While this has been largely disproven, some people still believe that All Might is bisexual and especially that the statement implied he and Nighteye were indeed romantically involved.
• All Might laments that he can't connect or make a good impression with Aizawa, and Aizawa makes clear he doesn't really has a good relationship with him and doesn't like his flashy style, but hides respect for him. In Smash!!, when Aizawa mentions to Izuku about the feats of All Might and praises his heroics, All Might is listening in hiding and blushes over the praise as if he has a crush on Aizawa.
• Shoji and Tokoyami's relationship started having this from the Traning Trip onwards, particularly, Tokoyami's reaction to Shoji losing a fake arm was to completely lose control over his powers and go into a murderous rampage, in an extreme vein of a Violently Protective Girlfriend.
• Kaminari has quite the fixation on Ojiro's tail (unsurprising as he sits directly behind him in class, and Ojiro often shakes it in the manga when excited), and has been shown playing with it and petting the fur on the tip on multiple occasions. Ojiro never seems to mind.
• Although it's played for laughs, one volume of the Smash!! side comics show a story where Bakugo gets hit by a Quirk that makes him act similar to 80's animes Bishōnen, full-on with an Ambiguously Bi vibe and Large Ham attitude while naming attacks.
  • In the very first comic, he attempts to pin Aizawa against a wall.
    Bakugo: Dawdling before the main event, are you sensei? Let's save chit-chat for after we start lessons, why don't we?
  • All Might puts the class in an exercise where everyone gets a turn at playing Hostage, Villain and Hero in a hostage situation, while as a Hostage to Kirishima's villain, he ties himself down and teases Kirishima to attempt to tie down his heart.
• One of the drama CDs has a villain use his Quirk to stick Bakugo and Todoroki together. He proceeds to take pictures while making them get increasingly close and touchy-feely, much to their embarrassment. He even pushes their heads together to make it look like they're kissing.
  • There's also a sequel where that villain's brother gets revenge on Bakugo and Todoroki by doing the same thing, only this time he makes them freeze on the spot and even starts cutting off their clothes. And it's implied the two criminals have a sister...
  • On the subject of Todoroki and Bakugo, the Remedial Course retake arc has Camie creating a flirty illusion of Shoto to distract one of the girls. Bakugo bursts out laughing and teasingly calls Todoroki "Dreamy boy" several times.
  • In the second movie, as Todoroki is passing out, he whispers "Midoriya...Bakugo" very dramatically.
• While it's subverted later, Twice first meeting with Chisaki makes it look like he has a crush on him. Considering he's an Expy of yours truly, it shouldn't come as a surprise if we learn that copycat is bisexual.
• Twice shows a lot of affection and comradery with Giran during the Meta Liberation Army arc. He feels very indebted to Giran since he introduced him to the League and gave him a place to belong; as such he is the most adamant of the League to save Giran from the MLA. And when he finds Giran, he laments that the MLA removed the fingers of his right hand since it's the one Giran would smoke his cigarettes with, which is a pretty intimate detail to know. Giran for his part seems to have a lot of faith in Twice, telling him in a flashback that if he could get over his trauma he could take over the entire country, laughing in the MLA's face once Twice starts going all out, and apologising for inadvertently revealing valuable information about the League to its enemies when Twice finds him, believing that he failed as a broker.
• Monoma is unusually excited to have Shinso on his team during joint training, says "I like this Guy" with a flirtatious expression and tone after his initial speech about not being there to make friends, lacks a sense of personal space when he's with him, and comments so many times that he likes him that it's easy to interpret that Monoma really has a crush on Shinso (it helps that he doesn't show interest in girls).
  • He delightedly calling Shinso's performance in the first match "marvelous" (even though he was on a team with class A) excited to fight alongside him. In the manga there is a panel it looks like Monoma is literally throwing himself at Shinso, gleeful and arms open wide. And this gets better in the anime where after trying to hug Shinso, he gets just a bit too close to his face in excitement.
  • Before their match begins, Monoma opened up to Shinso about his past, admitting that the two are very similar. His Japanese voice actor thinks that Monoma talked to Shinso because he felt close to his situation, finding this moment really precious. The anime gave us these exchanges◊ of glances◊.
  • It's shown that the two do care a lot for one another during the battle, as they both have apologetic inner monologues, disappointed that they weren't able to help each other out more. Shinso apologizes in his mind to Monoma for retreating instead of saving him when he is cornered and Monoma thinks an apology to Shinso about getting himself caught.
  • When internally apologizing to Shinso after being captured by Ochaco, Monoma used "gomen ne" instead of "gomen" which is a more affectionate way of saying sorry (it is usually used when someone is feeling really guilty about something or to apologize to someone they love a lot).
  • The manga back cover of volume 35 has Monoma casually leaning on Shinso's shoulder and head as the latter sits with a calm expression on his face. But most importantly, the back cover was revealed on July 1, Shinso's birthday.
  • In some dialogues of My Hero Academia: Ultra Impact it seems as if Monoma is asking Shinso out.
  Monoma: How about you take a break? You must've been going all morning... Since we just happened to bump into each other, let's take a short break and try to get to know each other..
• Also in the Joint Training arc, some have noted Kaminari's behavior. While everyone else is saying they're excited to work with him, Kaminari says he 'looks popular with the ladies' in a way that could be seen as flirty. Then there's him outright saying 'I like you, man' in Chapter 196 (as a gesture of admiration), and making a lot of gushing compliments on Shinso's performance after the match.
• A lot of how amazed Hawks is about Endeavor comes off as the former having a Celebrity Crush on the latter. Their lunch together can also come off as rather date-like. Helped by the fact that Hawks has essentially become Endeavor's most prominent Morality Pet.
• In later chapters, Spinner’s motives change from blind obedience to Stain’s will to genuine loyalty to Shigaraki. He’s horrified by AFO taking over Shigaraki’s body, talks about how they bonded over video games, cares for Shigaraki when his new powers cause him immense physical pain, and outright says he’s only sticking around for Shigaraki’s sake.
• In a Chapter 364 flashback to the immediate aftermath of his prison escape, All for One listens to a recording from his Only Friend, Dr. Ujiko, who had predicted his own arrest. In particular, one of Dr. Ujiko's ending statements reads an awful lot like a Love Confession:
  Ujiko: Allow me to speak my mind. Your voice, your eyes, your smile...bring joy to my heart.
• Stain's admiration of All Might seems to very quickly go from simple Hero Worship to a Celebrity Crush. Not only does his entire ideology revolve around All Might, he rejects the League of Villains partly because they want to kill All Might, and reacts incredibly violently to anyone badmouthing the hero. The letter he gives to Yagi is even described as a love note, and it just goes on and on about how great and righteous All Might is.
• Eraserhead/Present Mic is one of the most popuar "background" pairings, due to their status as Childhood Friends from their time at U.A. and the fact that Mic came up with Aizawa's hero name. Their Opposites Attract vibe and Mic's extreme protectiveness of Aizawa (during the USJ attack and when confronting Dr. Garaki over Shirakumo's fate) contribute to the popularity of the ship. Even in fics where romance is not the focus and neither Mic or Aizawa are main characters, they are often offhandedly mentioned to be married.

Les Yay

Jiro/Momo

• Jiro and Momo have quite a bit of this, to the point where many fans are wondering about Jiro's sexuality:
  • During their first fight together, Momo rips off her shirt, exposing her breasts to Jiro, who looks between embarrassed and marveled at the sight.
  • Jiro becomes Momo's closest friend in the class and is the first to attack anybody who is about to hurt her feelings in any way.
  • Jiro has the highest rank in the midterms (7th) out of everyone who studied for the finals with Momo, apart from Ojiro^note While Ojiro was 8th, Sero was 17th, Ashido was 19th and Kaminari was in last place so while she could benefit from Momo's help, she didn't need it nearly as much as the others. That, and the fact that she was the first to ask to study with Momo, after Momo invited Kaminari and Ashido, can be read as her looking for an excuse to hang out with Momo.
  • There are a few scenes/panels where it's just the two of them, such as when everyone went to the mall and Momo asked Jiro to accompany her to the clothing store, which has bubbles in the background typical for lovers being lovey-lovey.
    • The third season's ending has one such paneled scene of the two playfully pushing on each other's backs.
  • In the 4koma spin-off Watashi no Hero Academia during art class when everyone is asked to draw each other's faces, Momo and Jiro both mention that its kind of embarrassing while blushing.
  • Horikoshi posted a sketch on Twitter to celebrate Volume 20 of the manga that has Jiro and Momo walking together in a park.
  • Promo art on a card for the battle arcade game Heroes Battle shows the two posing together in two-piece bikinis. Jiro is shown staring at Momo's chest◊ with a mixed expression.
  • In the light novel, Jiro is particularly concerned about making a good impression on Momo's mother when she comes to the study session at Momo's house.
  • For the Drawing Smash art exhibition in Japan, Horikoshi drew another piece featuring Jiro and Momo with Momo holding Jiro close under her costume's cape while both of them are smiling.

Ochako/Toga

• The first time they met, Toga displays a particular interest on Ochako, as well as Tsuyu and Midoriya. However, she seems to have a more special fixation on Ochako, as seen in how often she talks about or tries to get close to her.
• During the Meta Liberation Arc, Himiko mentions that she wants to become the things that she loves and mentions Ochaco along with Stain and Deku as some of the things she loves. Later on during her fight with Curious, she transforms into Ochaco and evolves her Quirk to the point that she can use Ochaco's gravity powers, which she attributes to her overwhelming love that allows her to evolve.
• In the same arc, Toga lures Ochako into a vacant house. She confesses to Ochako, but the girl doesn't understand it until later on.
  Toga: Ochako-chan is cute so I like you too. I want to be like Ochako-chan. So tell me, Ochako-chan... What would you like to do to me?
• When Ochako gives a speech to the U.A refugees, a memory of Toga's Tearful Smile flashes in her head. Later, she talks about Toga with Midoriya, sharing how she feels about her.
  Ochako: During Gigantomachia's rampage, we faced off against each other. I replied to her with something I believed was right, but it twisted her face into the most sorrowful expression I've seen. [...] I didn't understand what she believed was truly right. Thinking about it now, I don't know anything about Toga Himiko at all.]]
• In the Final War arc, Ochako drags herself along with Toga when she leaves the island.
  Ochako: We still haven't talked about love!
  Toga: How great would it be if we could.
• In the middle of a Twice clones sea, Ochako manages to find the real Toga Himiko based on her tears, while no one else could.
  Ochako: I love seeing people happy. That's why I can't ignore her tears.
• It's revealed that she cannot use anyone else's Quirk beside Twice and Ochako's. Her copy of Twice's "Double" is also imperfect, as she can't clone anything but herself with it. This confirms that Ochako has a special, unique place in Toga's heart.
• From chapter 391, the POV switches to Toga and Ochako's battle. Ochako attempts to soothe Toga down by talking while clinging to her tight. Toga, enraged by this action, stabs Ochako into the stomach. Despite the wound, Ochako continues to talk. She sincerely explains her feelings and thoughts for Toga, which finally sways her into listening. Their dialogue have some rather interesting parts.
  Ochako: When we first met, I was scared because I didn't understand you. How could you smile so genuinely in the middle of a fight?
  Ochako: I already pushed you away once! And I know this isn't your ideal world! I know that, but still!
  Ochako: You should never try to hide your feelings or that face of yours! You've got such a lovely smile that I have to envy!
  Ochako: If you still feel like talking to me even a little bit, then I'll give you my blood for the rest of my life!
  Ochako: I want us to talk about romance, Himiko-chan!
  • Ochako's offer to give Toga blood is quite similar to a proposal in Japanese culture. Normally, when you propose to someone in Japan, you will say something that implies a lifelong time together, such as "I want to eat your breakfast everyday" and "I want to pay taxes with you".
• Similar to how Toga got a Quirk awakening, Ochako's Quirk also evolves, allowing her to levitate things she doesn't personally touches.
• In the next chapter, chapter 394, Toga intends to stab Ochako again, but then she starts crying, talks about herself (including the fact that she falls in love with girls as well as boys) and falls into Ochako's arms instead. They share a Spirited Away-like hug in the middle of the sky, heads so close their noses touch.
  Toga: Do you really think I'm cute?
  Ochako: The cutest in the whole world.
• In chapter 395, Ochako is in critical condition from blood loss and Quirk overuse. Unwilling to let her die, Toga uses Ochako's blood and transforms into her for a blood transfusion as an answer for Ochako's talk earlier.
  Toga: I can't stand the thought of losing you like this. These feelings are genuine, so I'm giving you all of my blood.
  Toga: You could've just captured the villain, Ochako-chan. You could've just killed the deviant. It would've been OK for a hero to do those things. But you were concerned about me, even though you didn't need to be. Even though I stabbed your friends... Even though I stabbed you... You're weird... Ochako-chan.
  Toga: It's painful for me to face, but I'm glad that you reached out to me. This heavy heart of mine feels so much lighter.
  Toga: Thank you for all of this, Ochako-chan. Thank you for making me so happy.
  • Toga's position (on her side, hugging Ochako) is pretty uncomfortable to be in in the middle of a blood transfusion. Despite that, she still chooses to lay on her side just to give Ochako a final hug.
  • Toga's inner monologue at the end of the chapter shows the impact Ochako's words and actions have on her. Noted that this is the first time Toga has used her Quirk not to commit violence but to save a life, all because of Ochako.
  Toga: I wanted to become so many people. I drank blood from the people I envied and the ones I love the most. What if I had found love sooner? A love that makes me want to give blood instead of drinking other people's blood. If I had met someone I could love like that, it would have been so much easier to live in this world. But even so, I'm Himiko Toga and I lived exactly how I wanted to. I have the cutest smile in the world... and I'm a normal girl.
  • The chapter sketch shows Toga and Ochako standing back-to-back with Intertwined Fingers. Toga is smiling brightly, while Ochako is looking at Toga with marvel in her eyes. There are bubble-like things floating around them, just like Love Bubbles.
• Chapter 389's cover art has an illustration of Ochako and Toga in a fight. Toga is clinging to Ochako, hand raised as to stab her, while their face are close enough to touch noses and almost mouths, too. Volume 38's bonus card has Toga sitting on a pile of stabbed dolls. Ochako's is the only doll in the pile that's stabbed twice: in the stomach and in the heart. In chapter 392, Toga stabs Ochako in the stomach and grab Ochako's left chest, corresponding to the card above.
• Horikoshi drew official art (one anime promo and one tankoubon intro) that have Toga clinging on to Ochako suggestively.

Ochaco/Tsuyu

• Tsuyu and Ochaco, who even decide to walk holding hands during the Training Camp Arc, granted, it was for them to not get lost.
  • It's worth noting that high school girls holding hands with close friends is very commonplace in Japan.
  • Ochaco and Tsuyu are also on a mutual First-Name Basis with the affectionate "-chan" honorific, even though Ochaco uses last names on most of her classmates besides Tsuyu and Deku (for example, she calls Yaoyorozu by her last name, with the more respectful "-san" honorific) When Tsuyu was feeling guilty about what she said to the five people who went out to rescue Bakugo, she approached Ochaco off-screen and apparently asked her to tell them she wanted to talk with them, implying that Ochaco may be Tsuyu's best friend in Class 1A.
• In a Drama CD, Tsuyu says Ochaco is "so cute" and makes her flustered, with even a blush.

Others

• Tsuyu and Habuko Mongoose in the Training of the Dead OVA. Just about every interaction between them after Habuko is introduced to Class 1-A involves the two of them holding hands and looking into each other's eyes.
• In the anime, Mina describes Jiro's singing voice as being "husky and sexy".
• Nejire and Ryukyu show to have a rather close relationship. Nejire is very clingy towards Ryukyu, and even runs to hug her at Sir Nighteye's meeting, which her employer is very receptive to, even opening her arms to get her, she also seems to value Nejire's opinion very highly, enough to hire Tsuyu and Uraraka as interns on request.
  • During the fight with Shigaraki in the Paranormal Army War Arc special attention is given to showing that during her Big Damn Heroes moment Nejire saw how injured Ryukyu was and became enraged.
• In the character profile for Yuyu, Nejire's best friend, it says that Yuyu likes cute things and thinks Nejire is "the cutest thing in the galaxy".
• Two nameless civilians in Episode 67 of the anime — a Cat Girl and a girl with rabbit ears — get excited when they see Midoriya and Mirio on patrol. With the way the rabbit girl is holding on to the cat girl's arm and how close they generally seem, it's very likely that they're a couple out on a date.

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