Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #378 of My Hero Academia.
My Hero Academia‘s most controversial relationship has come back with the return of Gentle and La Brava, an odd villain couple that was the subject of much debate after its debut in the manga created by Kohei Horikoshi.
Danjuro Tobita, also known as Gentle Criminal, is a former villain who used his exploits to become an internet celebrity. As a young man, Danjuro wanted to be a hero but failed to qualify to receive training to become a Pro Hero, while trying to rescue a man, ended up actually hurting him. Refusing to accept his fate, Danjuro became obsessed with obtaining fame and carving his name in history, thus becoming the villain Gentle. Danjuro’s videos inspired Manami Aiba, a young woman who was going through a deep depression. She put her impressive computer skills at Gentle’s service as La Brava, presenting herself as his greatest fan and eager to help him achieve his dreams.
Gentle and La Brava were arrested after trying to attack U.A. High School’s Culture Festival, in order to gain more views for their videos. Chapter #378 of My Hero Academia reveals that, while in Mizuku Prison, Gentle truly reformed, and when the other inmates tried to escape (after being liberated by the villain Muscular) he risked his life to stop them. The heroes then gave him a second chance, and Gentle intervenes during the Final War against the villains, using his Quirk to stop U.A. Fortress from falling from the sky, while La Brava uses her hacking skills to stop Skeptic’s cyberattack against U.A. systems.
While it’s good to see Gentle and La Brava reformed and helping the heroes, their relationship has become even more controversial, even compared to things like Himiko Toga’s creepy attraction for Deku. La Brava, in fact, looks very young and childlike (despite being canonically 21), while Gentle has the appearance of an elderly man (despite being 32). If that weren’t enough, their whole dynamic threads into very dangerous waters, with La Brava sometimes impersonating the worst aspects of fandom with her obsessive attraction for Gentle, which made her become a villain for the sake of a man who in turn exploited her for her abilities. Finally, La Brava is openly in love with Gentle, who acknowledges her feelings but has reciprocated in a purely platonic way, and never romantically, at least until now.
The latest chapter of My Hero Academia, however, goes one step further. To help him stop the overpowered and horrific Shigaraki from touching the ground, La Brava uses on Gentle her Quirk, Love, which grants a power boost to the person she loves most, confirming she still has genuine feelings for him. Gentle also says that, while in prison, the only thing that would bring him joy was the thought of being together with La Brava again. It’s now clear that they are both romantically involved with each other which, along with their age difference, their portrayal, and La Brava’s unhealthy obsession for Gentle, makes this the most controversial relationship in My Hero Academia.
The latest chapter of My Hero Academia is available from Viz Media.
