I wanted to talk about this scene a bit, and how significant I find it that Ochako is actually talking about her thoughts and those emotions she’s feeling. Despite being bubbly and friendly, she is quite reserved when it comes to herself and her heavier feelings. She grew up not wanting to burden her parents further, and brought that along as she grew.

Before this, we got her hiding her tears from Deku after the sports festival and then him hearing her crying through the door to her dad. Now she’s boldly stating to Deku what she feels, and what’s burdening her—something that she hasn’t told anyone. And he relates and connects to her, telling something he hasn’t talked to with anyone other than inside One for All. The trust being not just built, but reinforced in this scene is so sound and important to both of them. It feels so quietly profound, and I’m so glad we got this scene.

The first time Deku was able to effectively stand up to Bakugo. By changing the meaning of his derogatory name, she gave him not just more confidence in himself and his goals to become a hero by doing his best, but power over a name that’s been hurting him for years now, to the point that he now claims it as his own and took that power away from his bully. Like he said later in chapter 45:

That change was so much more significant to him than she realized I think until right then. He even compared it to the Copernican Revolution—which is the shift of understanding from a geocentric galaxy to a heliocentric one and a scientific discovery that changed the world—she changed his world so gently, yet so profoundly (And his frequent complement of her is to call her “bright”💕)

One of the main reasons I like this ship (and any other ships that I ship) is because in my time on this earth, I’ve seen what kind of relationships bring true joy, and what kinds don’t. I’ve seen ‘vanilla’ be labeled as a bad thing, or a boring thing. But with genuine, human connection, it’s better to feel loved and secure in a romantic relationship (or any relationship) rather than just passion or drama or spicy or whatnot. Feeling passion is good, but it’s only one aspect of a romance that really isn’t the most important part of that connection. The drama of tension and clashing of wills without complete emotional fidelity brings insecurity in a relationship that should be your most secure place. A healthy relationship is of cooperation and selflessness, where you seek to bring joy to one another, and it can give a safe place away from anxiety and fear, etc. I know it has for me.

This is the kind of potential I see for izuocha. They genuinely care for one another. They admire each other, and are lifted up by one another. They both genuinely enjoy each other’s presence, and bring happiness to each others’ days. I’ve seen accusations of them not having much development, but I think that’s a misunderstanding of how a genuine, joyful, healthy relationship works. They don’t need to have passion or lustful longing to show romantic progression. What’s been developed between these two is trust and friendship and connection. There is attraction there, yes, but that is secondary to those more tangible aspects. They make each other happy and safe, and that is what makes real relationships last for decades.