My Hero Academia chapter 374 is one of the most significant chapters in the recent arc since it brings the fight back to AFO and the Pro Heroes while utilizing several loose threads from before to bring about a precarious situation. It also returns Twice’s clones into the fold and draws the Mutant Discrimination subarc to a temporary conclusion.
In the previous chapter, Shoji’s words finally reached the mutant protesters, while Spinner and Present Mic both reached Kurogiri. Spinner attached Nana Shimura’s severed hand to the nomu’s face, which awakened him. However, mangaka Horikoshi’s handling of racism in this chapter was criticized by fans.
My Hero Academia chapter 374 sees Kurogiri’s portal bring Dabi and Twice’s clones to Gunga Mountains to fight Hawks and Endeavor
My Hero Academia chapter 374 is titled Butterfly effect and begins with Shirakumo’s features slowly disappearing as Kurogiri took over.
In Washington, a weatherperson reports that unprecedented output of heat from multiple sources combined with a typhoon has created a gigantic Flammagenitus Cloud (A cloud typically associated with heat sources like volcanic eruptions). If this continues, the weather can affect the United States as well. She wonders if this altercation in Japan will spell doom for the entire superhuman society.
In Kamino, Shoto refuses Iida and Burnin’s request to retreat. Seeing that everyone has pushed well past their limits, Shoto wonders why Dabi can still keep fighting despite both of them being children of the same father.
Meanwhile, Dabi realizes that he cannot defeat Shoto and go in search of Endeavor with his failing body. Right then, Kurogiri's warp gate opens and Skeptic announces that Dabi can go see his father. Despite Shoto’s pleas of staying at Kamino and finishing their fight, Dabi enters the portal.
My Hero Academia chapter 374 shifts its focus onto the Floating fortress of U.A., where Manual urges Monoma to stop since he may lose control over his water due to the strong wind. However, pointing out the heroes who are still hard at work, Monoma refuses to back down.
AFO’s voice narrates that most people are shaped by their childhood experiences. He elaborates that he hid a chip inside Nana Shimura’s hand that Spinner put on Kurogiri. The chip let Kurogiri know what to do even when the nomu wasn’t aware of his surroundings.
Oboro Shirakumo had led a lonely childhood, and as such, he held strong feelings toward his two friends, Aizawa and Yamada. As AFO narrates that, a warp gate portal opens behind Aizawa, Monoma, and Manual, and Present Mic is seen caught up in it.
The focus shifts to Gunga mountains, where AFO is narrating all of this to Hawks and Endeavor. Dabi comes through at that moment, greeting his father and bringing with him two Twice clones.
AFO explains that Toga, in her grief, created these clones in the image of the Sad Man’s Parade after Dabi gave her Twice’s blood. He taunts Hawks that the outcome of this fight might be different from the one between him and Twice during the PLF war. My Hero Academia chapter 374 Ends as a shocked Hawks yells that they have to kill “them” immediately.
Observations
My Hero Academia chapter 374 hints that Shirakumo's childhood was darker than readers had previously assumed. It seems he imprinted on his friends, Aizawa in particular, far harder than anyone thought, so much so that even in a dazed state his first instinct was to reach out to Aizawa and take Present Mic with him. It is unclear if this will play a larger role in the upcoming chapters.
AFO’s plan is to consolidate his forces, indicating that he had anticipated the heroes’ plan to separate the villains and created a contingency accordingly. However, in practice, it seems only Dabi and the clones of Twice have ended up in Gunga, while Shigaraki and Toga continue their fights.
AFO will likely give Shigaraki a free hand so long as his student keeps Deku and OFA away from him. It has previously been suggested that AFO is playing this game with Shigaraki as his king, relegating others to pawns and bishops. Dabi and Toga might be his two knights, making different moves than everyone else.
My Hero Academia chapter 374 further mystifies Toga’s situation. Readers have not been informed about the status on Okuto island since chapter 349. Either Toga has defeated Ochako and is on her way to the Gunga Mountains herself, or she is still fighting and sent the clones ahead to assist Dabi.
Moreover, is unclear if the clones can operate separately from Toga, but considering that she can copy a quirk perfectly, it should function the same way it did with Twice.
My Hero Academia chapter 374 sets up a rematch between Twice and Hawks, as well as one between Dabi and Endeavor. Readers may argue that Dabi returning to Endeavor and leaving Shoto behind negates the latter's most personal developments and turns the former’s character arc into that of a clichéd revenge. However, Horikoshi has repeatedly stated that it was the point of Dabi’s character.
On break
Mangaka Kohei Horikoshi will be taking another break next week, delaying the release of My Hero Academia chapter 375. Horikoshi had also taken a break last week, leading fans to worry about the mangaka’s health. This is fueled by Black Clover’s mangaka Yuki Tabata having taken a two-week break recently to recover from his poor health.