What would it take to make the great All-Might shake in his boots? An evil super-villain? An all-consuming demon? No, none of those – just a man so old he’s shriveled to about a third the size of his former self.
Episode 27 of Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia) finds Midoriya starting his internship with the only man that would accept him, the senile (?) former teacher for All-Might, Gran Torino. He’s the kind of old master we’re used to in many shounen series – funny but wise. And among the wisdom he throws forth at Deku is to explain to him that the young hero-in-training needs to perfect his craft, and demonstrate to him that he lacks perspective.
I have trouble with perspective, too. I’m like a horse with blinders – I so value my parents’ teachings, my Korean-American culture, my religious beliefs, and so forth that I’d rather charge straight ahead and possibly be wrong than to challenge any of these pieces that mean so much to me. Deku is similar. He loves All-Might so much that he’s never stopped to question how he might need to train in a different manner from his hero since he’s such a different person.
The idea of perspective has hit me over and over through the years. For instance, I feel like I’m in a relatively unique position right now in regards to politics. I grew up in a very conservative household, but primarily because of my faith, have grown to really love much about the liberal perspective, although I also continue to deeply understand the conflicts and values within conservative political culture in a way that most liberals I’ve spoken to don’t. I have compassion both ways (when I’m at my best) in a day where there’s little grace shown from either side.
But it’s not just in politics – it’s in every aspect of my culture where I’ve learned perspective and the need for more of it. As I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve realized that one way to define Christian growth is the shedding of your culture and putting on of Christ. And the more and more of Christ in me, the more and more I can see others for how they really are, and me for who I really am. I’m pretty self-centered and, like I said, prone to staying within myself, but when I’m seeing like Christ, I’m humbled enough to love people with a gracious, sincere, kind sort of love.
Deku, with his new perspective, is learning to leap buildings in a single bound. I’ll never do that, but maybe I’ll do something equally miraculous – go from an immensely self-centered man to one who genuinely cares about others more than himself. And that would be a sight to see.
Boku no Hero Academia is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
