Summary
- Uraraka leads a quirk counseling initiative for elementary schools, helping society understand more about quirks and how to manage them.
- Despite progress, Ochaco is haunted by Toga’s presence, struggling with lingering guilt.
- Ochaco and Deku’s relationship remains unresolved after years, but she finally is starting to address feelings, with a final “push” from Toga.
My Hero Academia came to a ceremonious end after 430 chapters in Weekly Shonen Jump. In the final chapter, we see class 1-A having graduated and assuming their own post-UA careers, with Deku being granted a new hero suit to once again pursue his hero dream alongside his friends. But this was not the true final chapter of the series, as the final volume, 42, contained one epilogue chapter to finally wrap up the story.
This chapter focuses heavily on Uraraka and shows many different aspects of her post-UA life; how she has responded to her experience with Toga, how she wants to be a hero moving forward, and what Deku means to her. Ultimately, this epilogue chapter 431, should feel like a full-circle moment for longtime fans of Ochaco. But how well does she juggle all of these important aspects of her life?
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Uraraka’s Quirk Counseling Initiative
Ochaco Turns Her Regrets Over Toga Into Change For Society
The most significant personal development we see in the epilogue for Ochaco, is that she is now responsible for a quirk counseling initiative focusing on elementary schools nationwide. It is mentioned in the previous chapter, that with crime rates dropping so drastically, one of the most important issues facing society today is how to manage the quirks of the new generation. We can see that Ochaco has taken her experience with Toga to heart, as she now leads the charge in ensuring that everyone is able to understand their quirks and receive the assistance they need.
You can see from her dialogue how much she has grown from the events during her time at UA. In the epilogue, we see the Big 3 (Mirio, Nejire and Tamaki) coming to help her one day. Uraraka is explaining to them the complexities of the job, and how important it is that they take their time in getting to know the students. She also mentions how they may not be upfront or as visible about their problems at first, and to consider their home situations as well. We can see that if Toga had someone who cared like Ochaco, or if Tenko or any of the League of Villains did, they might have been able to experience a different life.
Uraraka’s Relationship with Toga
Though She is Making Progress, She’s Still Haunted by a “Ghost”
Alongside her progress with her quirk counseling project, we also see that Ochaco is still struggling and “regressing” in some ways. The chapter starts with Toga visiting Ochako in a dream, showing that perhaps Ochaco has not fully healed from her guilt. Later, Tsuyu even asks if Ochaco is still having issues with seeing Toga, showing this was a problem that has been recurring, or at least important enough to mention to her closest friend.
After chapters 429 and 430, fans were concerned that maybe Ochaco’s experience with Toga was not given enough narrative focus when it came to sending off the series. In the epilogue chapter 431, we can see just how impactful her experience was, and how much it lingers with her, as she is still figuring out how to manage the surrounding feelings. There is also the talk of therapy, but it seems that it has not provided the relief she needed either. Ultimately though, as the chapter progresses, we see that she does learn to grow and listen to what “Toga” is trying to tell her, especially when it comes to…
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Uraraka’s Relationship with Deku
Ochaco Still Has Some Feelings Left to Address
A big focus of Ochaco’s character in My Hero Academia is how she juggles her “wants” against her responsibilities. She feels very strongly for Deku, but is afraid of what these feelings will mean for her and Deku’s dreams. She sees him pushing his hardest to become a hero, and being sidetracked by nothing, so, she thinks, how can she not do the same? And even in this final epilogue, we see that this conflict has continued.
Ochaco is shown enjoying her work with quirk counseling, and mentions how she gets to work with her friends all the time, so her work time is still her me time. But as Tsuyu and Toga mention, Ochaco is still denying herself what she really ultimately wants. Almost a decade has passed since Class 1-A left UA, and Ochaco has not grown closer to Deku during that time. They separately mention their schedules and how busy they are, but you can tell that Ochaco and even Deku are still avoiding addressing their feelings for each other. But finally, in this epilogue chapter, something starts to break.
When the class joins up again, the class is finally all together and Deku cannot help but stare and think about talking to Ochaco again. Ochaco, too, can’t help but think about talking to Deku more. And here is where she perhaps begins to accept her feelings around Toga as well. We see Toga metaphorically “pushing” Ochaco to go and chase after her love and happiness, in a way that Ochaco had always previously denied herself. As the chapter ends, we see Deku and Ochaco embrace hands, with the assurance from both of them that they want to talk more. What exactly this means for their relationship isn’t confirmed, but maybe one day, in a side story or in a sequel, fans will be able to see how Deku and Ochako ultimately develop together.
After seeing Uraraka’s journey throughout the 10 years of the manga, this chapter felt like a very heartwarming send-off for the character and the story as a whole. After chapter 430, some fans were still left wanting, feeling that important story beats were left unaddressed, including Ochaco’s feelings around Toga and Deku. While this chapter may have not gone as far as some fans may have wanted, it is clear that Horikoshi felt that Ochaco’s story deserved at least one more mention as well.
My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime where available. You can also read the manga on VIZ’s Shonen Jump app and website. The final volume will receive an English release sometime in 2025.
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