My Hero Academia: Ochaco's emotional outburst in chapter 428 all but confirms Toga's status

Modified Jul 19, 2024 23:30 GMT

My Hero Academia chapter 428 probably confirmed Toga's status (Image via Bones)

Toga's status in My Hero Academia was in doubt since the end of the final war arc, and chapter 428 confirmed her whereabouts through Ochaco Uraraka's outburst. Considering both characters' connection in the final battle, Ochaco's reaction in the most recent chapter revealed that Toga had probably died.

It would make sense when considering that My Hero Academia has put a lot of emphasis on redemption and trying to understand other people's points of view, thus making Toga's status and Ochaco's reaction all the more tragic in the series. Much like Deku with Tomura Shigaraki, Ochaco had a rival she couldn't save, thus probably having her live the rest of her hero career with that event in the back of her mind.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Explaining why Toga's status in My Hero Academia was confirmed in chapter 428

Expand Tweet

Chapter 428 of the manga was recently leaked this week and showed Ochaco Uraraka remembering her battle with Himiko Toga, ending with her emotional outburst and crying. This confirms Toga's status in My Hero Academia, showing Ochaco looking back at this encounter with sadness and pain.

Therefore, this means that Toga died when she gave Ochaco blood to survive after their battle. It would make sense that she died due to blood loss and would also justify Uraraka's reaction because it means that she couldn't save her. Her death meant her survival, perhaps giving her a degree of survivor's guilt, although this last part is mere speculation at the moment.

Author Kohei Horikoshi constantly focuses the story on redemption but also shows characters who aren't capable of going down that path. Both Tomura Shigaraki and Himiko Toga, mirrored through Deku and Uraraka, respectively, weren't saved and died on their own terms, thus leaving the two main characters with regrets of being unable to save them.

The relationship between Toga and Uraraka

Uraraka and Toga as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

Regardless of Toga's status after the events of My Hero Academia chapter 428, it is interesting to look back at her character dynamics with Ochaco Uraraka and what that meant for them. They were positioned as reflections of each other for most of the story and had several encounters, reaching a climax of sorts during the final war arc.

This is something Horikoshi did for several characters, such as mirroring Deku's growth as a hero with Shigaraki's development as a villain or using Dabi, the lost Todoroki sibling, as a darker, evil version of the path his brother Shoto could have taken. Eventually, these storylines find a conclusion in the final battle, and the epilogue addresses the aftermath.

Uraraka, in the latter portion of the series, emphasizes trying to save people, including heroes consumed by their own duties. In that regard, Toga represents a person she couldn't reach until her final moments, which is something that chapter 428 has addressed as she grieves because a person died trying to save her.

Final thoughts

The recently leaked chapter 428 puts a lot of focus on Uraraka and confirms Toga's status after so many months when she didn't make a physical appearance in the story. Therefore, it seems fairly certain that Toga has died, which is why Uraraka had such an emotional outburst.

Related articles

Edited by Toshali Kritika