The following contains significant spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 375, "Chaotic Confusion" by Horikoshi Kohei, Caleb Cook, and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
One of the most well-liked and frequently misunderstood female students in Class 1-A of My Hero Academia is Uraraka Ochaco. In her most recent appearance, Ochaco seemed to be pleading with Toga to postpone her plans so that they could finally talk about romance while she was being carried away by a Warp Gate.
Although it was a strange request to make in the midst of a full-fledged conflict, it was significant enough to cause Toga to pause for the first time since their fight started. The two girls' conversation about romance in Chapter 375 had the following meaning.
History of Himiko Toga and Uraraka Ochaco in My Hero Academia
Due to Toga's Transform Quirk, she is unable to function in normal society. Since her Quirk was awakened, she has been able to use the Quirks of those she has transformed into, but only if she loves them. Her ability to change her shape only works on those whose blood she has ingested. Her quirk also causes her to be fascinated by blood and creates an odd connection between it and the people she loves.
In Toga's mind, the distinction between wanting to be like them and wanting to be them is blurred by their capacity to transform into other people. Toga is simply too dangerous to be around most people because the transformations she undergoes require blood to be triggered. It's interesting to note that her feelings are always real, regardless of how manufactured or unrealistic they may appear to be.
During the Wild Wild Pussycats Training Camp Invasion, Ochaco and Toga first met. For some reason, Toga fell in love with her right away, declaring that they were identical. She emphasized their odor, which only Toga could detect, and correctly inferred that Ochaco was trying to cover up her feelings for one of her classmates. When the latter was unable to dispute this, Toga was delighted to be proven correct and inquired as to whether talking about their crushes wasn't amusing.
However, Ochaco was not Toga's only new "friend" during the invasion. Toga managed to catch a glimpse of Deku, all bloodied and beaten from his battle with Muscular, before she left that night. He exactly fit her description of looking beat up and smelling like blood, so he became the object of an extremely one-sided crush. Toga's obsession with Deku was fueled further when he discovered that Ochaco felt the same way about her. It was more "proof" that the two girls were inherently the same.
The Meaning of Ochaco's "Chat About Romance" Line
Toga witnessed the traumatic sight of her best friend Twice dying at the hands of a Pro Hero during My Hero Academia's Paranormal Liberation War. Toga was affiliated with the League of Villains at this point because they allowed her to fully express her destructive impulses without judgment. She didn't identify with or fully comprehend the label of "villain," and she was perplexed when she witnessed a hero who was supposed to protect people murder her best friend. Toga began to wonder if Ochaco saw her as a villain as well because she had grown to respect the young heroine in her own strange way.
Toga's concerns were not entirely allayed by Ochaco's response. She didn't realize at the time how upset Toga was and put saving lives before answering the villain's questions. Toga was rudely rejected by her, and she warned the villain that if she carried on as she was, she would have no choice but to put an end to her. Toga left that conversation feeling let down because she had thought they could confide in each other about love since they both liked the same boy. Toga thought to herself as she left that conversation that she had thought they could.
Ochaco realized too late how negatively her response had affected Toga, but she hasn't had the chance to correct her error in My Hero Academia until now. Before fleeing the Okutu Island battlefield, Ochaco invited her to talk about romance once more, knowing Toga would understand the true meaning behind her request. She didn't intend for them to stop in the middle of the war to talk about their crushes; she wanted an opportunity to reassure Toga that even she deserved protection from the heroes. In any case, words are out of the question right now. Toga has already fully embraced her role as a villain and is on the hunt for vengeance for her deceased friend.
