Kaina

Guards monitoring Tartarus' deepest layers discuss the monstronsity of their prisoners (5). Amoung these is Kaina (6). Suddenly, Kaina's cell is opened by All For One (14). Outsider, prisoners are escaping and she joines the stampede. Her uniform identies her with a number on her chest: C-46 656698.

She hears a clang at a cell door and pauses (16). She opens it, and Overhaul tumbles out.

The prisoners reach the surface to discover they are trapped, and Shigaraki-AFO offers to free them if they follow him. (17)

Izuku's phone is embedded in the wall by a spike, and out of it comes Nagant's voice: "Hey you, boy in the Green. You're coming with me." Izuku prepares himself for a fight with a villain affiliated with AFO.(13)

Kaina stands atop another building, her right arm in gun for. "Come quietly…" she says (14)

In a flashback, Hawks tells Izuku that AFO will be wanting to take him alive, and that would be near impossible for most of the escaped prisoners… except one who has escaped Tartarus very recently. (1) That prisoner is Kaina -- his former senior colleague, and hunting her down is one of his top priorities. Izuku should run if he sees her.

In the present, Izuku notes that the amunition that held the speaker is made of pink and blue fibres: Definitely Lady Nagant. (2)

"You moved." Says Kaina. The narration reads "A Former hero employted by the Safety Comission… Lady Nagant!! (3)

Kaina shoots at Izuku. With his phone broken, he can't call for help (4), and he thinks he should retreat. Nagant sends a bullet towards him on a curved path, saying "Don't go thinking you've got any options." (5)

Izuku grabs the bullet, but it sends him flying. Kaina says she can see why AFO's got his eyes on him. Izuku remembers an interview Snipe gave where he talks about Lady Nagant.

"Her? She's nuts." (6-7) Snipe explains, Nagant is the best marksperson in Japan. She's better with her skill than he is with his targeting quirk, and she has a range of three kilometers (8). She can make bullets out of her hair and can craft them into any shape. When the two colours of her hair are twisted together like epoxy putty, they harden as strong as any ammo. She can make curving rounds and hollow points (ammunition with hollow tips shatters into fragments upon striking and really hurts). Snipe calls her quirk a sniper rifle in human form. Every ranged fighter is envious of her right arm. As he talks about her, the show shows Kaina in her hero uniform and calls her quirk Rifle. (9)

Izuku notes that Snipe is jealous of Kaina's accuracy. Given her range is three kilometers, he decides dodging for that distance would be unrealistic. Since he can tell where she is, so he'll go for her. (10)

Nagant is impressed with Izuku. "Blocking two of my shots? that's a first."

In a flashback, Kaina is with Overhaul as they escape Tartarus. Overhaul is murmuring about needing to be with the Boss. (11) Kaina tells Overhaul they need to keep hidden and can go to the Boss later. She wonders if she should have ditched him.

AFO appears, calling Kaina the treacherous hero: "What an honour to meet you." he says.(12)

"All For One… there was a time when you were my target," answers Kaina.

AFO instructs Kaina to go after Izuku when he leaves UA. Kaina wants to know why the heck she should do that. (13) Why do the others just have to sow chaos, while she gets a homework assignment? AFO answers that she killed a hero and seeks the downfall of hero society, but that can't happen when Izuku is around. Kaina notes Izuku must cling to phony hopes. Overhaul murmurs about the Boss and AFO asks if he's a friend. Kaina says not, he's got some screws loose and he might be helpful. He's another victim of Hero society. (14)

AFO gives Nagant the quirk Air Walk. In the present, Nagant steps into the air saying she's got a mission to carry out. (15)

A bullet clangs against Izuku's armor, coming from his back as he winds through the buildings, trying to evade Kaina (6). A second bullet hits him in the stomach. (7).

Kaina floats, aims. She fires. (9).

Now that they're closer to each other, Kaina can shoot more easily, Izuku notes (10). He sends smoke billowing out of his body, obscuring his exact position. Kaina notices that Izuku has multiple quirks… and lots of secrets. It seems to annoy her (11).

Kaina stands above the smoke and the building tops, peering through her rifle's scope (14) and shoots at a shape coming out of the smoke, but it's just a decoy. What's he up to, she wonders.

There are sounds coming from all over the smokescreen-covered streets below her (15). Kaina spots Izuku, yelling "You've got some nerve!" but it's another decoy. "Hide in the smoke all you like, you won't get away" she hisses (16).

Izuku catches Kaina's arm. "Too bad I'm not in the smoke!" (17).

Kaina remembers.

Say there was a group plotting acts of terrorism against heroes, or a hero team colluding with a gang of villains while gaining fame and fortune... when yopu have people like that, people capable of shaking the bedrock of our society, law and order won't vut it. They have to disappear along with their crimes. The Safety Commision gave me those classified missions (1). Once upon a time, vigilates played the role of heroes and won the people's trust. In turn, the country made sure they kept doing their part. At the end of the day, trust in heroes is the foundation of a superpowered society. And me? I was a cog set in place to keep that system running nice and smooth. A system with sides to it: a front and a back.

Once, Nagant surprised some conspirators in a brick-walled room. The first of them is dead, slumped their desk in a bloody puddle. Another shreiks. "Wait! No! We haven't done anything yet! We only started talking about--"(2)

Blood flies in tendrils, splattering over Nagant. A system that needed both sides to maintain itself. So I obeyed. I complied. She shot a a man through the forehead. I did my duty Her curving bullets took several headshots at once. And in public, small childred ran after her, screetching "Lady!! We're big fans! Can we shake your hand?" and Kaina looked down, and answered "For you guys? Sure, as a special treat.."(3) But as she reached for them, she could see blood coating her hand and arm, and pulled it back. She remembers the kids smiles. A system so fragile it made my head spin....

I was exhausted. In a large room, Kaina looked over city lights at night. "A phony Sham.." she murmured. The HPSC president stands at a desk and explains her mission. "These two... they've been inciting ordinary civiliants to commit crimes before hunting down those freshly minted criminals and collection the rewards. But now these bad heroes are about to go missing." "Is killing them really necessary?" she asks, getting an askance look in return (4). "Making people believe everything's puppies and rainbows, is that any better than brainwashing?" she continues.

"Nagant, it's all necessary," the man says. "Someone must preseve the hope and faith that the front-facing heroes have built up."

"Preserve, huh? And after that? then what?"

"I'm sure you're quite aware that this isn't a job that you can simply walk away from."

"President," Nagant brings her Rifle quirk to bear, "You're a strong one." (5)

In the present, Izuku is startled. He'd never heard of her killing the president, they claimed she killed a another hero during an argument.

"Yup, even then the Safety Commission had to keep yp the illusion. Internal disputes? Mutiny? No way... that wasn't for the public to know. You really are that ignorant, huh? This superpowered spciety is a guilded daydream seen through rose-coloured glasses, but it's paper thin. A fragile illusion. Say you bring back the status quo. Then what? History will just repeat itself." (6)

Nagant remembers being approached by the then Public Safety president, and his successor as a child. She had been very excited. "The public gets to stargaze at the bright and shiny side, while the dark truth gnaws away at someone else. At least a future ruled by All For One will be a hell of a lot more transparent."(7)

Izuku sends out Blackwhip, and Kaina has to dodge.(8) She's impressed by Izuku's abilit to analyser her movements based on her bullets' trajectories. And he's fast. Izuku says he's definitely learning things aren't black and white (8), which is why he needs to help people. Kaina is... not impressed. "That phony education's done wonders for you," she says, still marvelling at his dodging capacity >, but she's had enough.

"Fine, (9) then how about one more thing to think about?" Kaina aims her gun at Chisaki, who shouts, impatient to get to see his Boss. (10)

In a flashback, Kaina and Chisaki acquire supplies in a clothing store. Chisaki is hunched over himself while Kaina uses Air Walk to select clothes for him. "I know that kid. The one who foiled my plan. He's got a real severe case of hero syndrome." says Overhaul. "Wow," says Kaina. "I was hoping you'd be useful but this is like fate. How about you tag along and ID the target for me?" "On one condition. "Nah, I ain't taking revenge for you. That's your grudge." "Not that! I don't care about that! I lost everything. Only got one thing left…" (1)

Chisaki imagines his Boss holding an umbrella in the rain. "Bring me to my Boss… Bosss… Sorry, Bosss…"

In the present, Kaina aims her gun (2) at Chisaki as he continues to cry hysterically. “I held up my end of the deal! Take me to the boss! Now!!” Kaina doesn’t answer.

Knowing she’s up against Izuku’s speed, She ups her velocity and her gun bulges. It’ll put her at risk of jamming, but she’s up against Izuku. She addresses him, ignoring Chisaki. “Your hero education taught you to hate one thing above all else… (3) No matter who the victim is, if your own screw-up gets them killed, that’ll really keep you up at night!”

With this tough call to make and more thoughts on his mind, this will slow Izuku down enough to finish the (mission)(4).

But it’s not enough. Chisaki doesn’t even seem to see the bullet aiming for him, but with Fa Jin and Blackwhip, Izuku knocks him out of the way. (7)

Not only did Izuku catch up to her shot, but he shifted trajectory before Kaina had even fired–it’s astonishing (8). She retreats. She’ll have to try again (9).

Izuku sneaks behind her and lets rip with Fa Jin, smashing Nagant’s gun arm. (11)

Not a hint of hesitation, Kaina thinks. She starts to fall.

Izuku recognised an enemy for who he was, and still leapt into action like it was the natural thing to do. When was it that platitudes made her want to puke?

“That right arm of yours will make our society a better place,” the president said. (12)

Izuku grabs her arm. “The shot headed for Chisaki was off by a bit. If you really were allied with All For One and his brand of evil, your very first shot would’ve hit my lower body and stopped me cold!” he says, like he’s seeing into her and seeing something good. (13) “You’ve known real darkness, so you gotta know there’s a way to bring back the light. Please! Fight on our side. I can tell you’ve still got the soul of a hero.”

Kaina’s hand slips in Izuku’s, and she smiles. (14) “Izuku Midoriya, you’re the real dea–” her words are stopped by the trap All For One placed in her, and cuts appear across her face.

“The soul is far too fickle, which is why I added a failure clause to your contract,” says AFO (15). An explosion rips her out of his grip (16). “To the very end, you were just a tool to be used. Curse your blessing of a quirk, if you must. Alas, the hapless, woeful Lady Nagant…”

Again, Kaina falls. This time Hawks catches her. “Nagant!! No dying on me now!” (17)

Nagant is falling. Hawks catches her, but his wings are too small to carry her. Izuku's Blackwhip snags them both, but he, too, feels almost too exhausted to pull them up. He realises that AFO must have included a booby trap with the quirk that he gave her, which caused the explosion. She didn't cause the explosion herself (2).

Before Izuku catches them, Hawks calls to Nagant as they fall. "Hey, I'm Hawks!" he says. "All For One must have sweet-talked you into this! I know you're better than this. And now that you've fought that kid, I bet you've realised that it's too early for us to throw in the towel!" (3) "So Please, tell us what you know! Leave us with some hope to hold onto! He used you, but don't let it end with that! You're a hero! You're Lady Nagant!" (4)

Kaina hears Hawks. She thinks he's done horrible things while following orders, and wonders how he still has a light in his eye. She knows their road only reads to chaos and darkness. Hawks' and Deku's hope and determination seem to confuse her, but they touch her and she remembers being young and hopeful (5).

In a flashback, Kaina is a teenager looking out from a cozy desk at the sparkling night sky. In the present, Kaina begins to reveal what she knows: "Within two months, I was supposed to bring the target to a mansion in Haibori Woods." (6)

Blackwhip releases Hawks and Kaina to the ground. Nagant continues. "Not just me, he reached out to some others." Then she addresses Hawks. "Tell me, Mr Replacement. My soul couldn't take it anymore, so how do you still have that look in your eye?" (7)

Hawks thinks about his childhood Endeavor toy. "I wasn't alone in this." he says, and then, shakily, he adds: "And what can I say? I'm a optimistic to a fault."

Endeavor arrives carrying Chisaki, who is upset that Nagant was caught: "No, no, this wasn't the deal. You weren't supposed to get caught," he says to Nagant (8).

Overhaul wails, begging Izuku to take him to his Boss. Izuku asks if he wants to say sorry to Eri (9).

If Overhaul can direct his apologetic energy towards Eri, he'll honour Nagant's deal and take him to his Boss.

Endeavor says Lady Nagant and Chisaki aare in custody, and Nagant needs medical aid. Izuku kneels over her.

Kamui Woods, Mt Lady, Hawks, Endeavor, Best Jeanist and Edgeshot discuss their next move. Edgeshot asks if they’ve heard extracted any more information from Lady Nagant. Hawks says it’s not going to happen; she’s in such bad shape Central Hospital doesn’t know how she’s still alive (2).

Kamui Woods notes that despite her powerful despair, she’s clinging desperately to life. As the conversation continues, Mt. Lady notes that Izuku’s interaction with Nagant has made it clear that the brunt of hunting down the League will be left to him (3).

Kamui Woods, Mt Lady, Hawks, Endeavor, Best Jeanist and Edgeshot discuss their next move. Edgeshot asks if they’ve heard extracted any more information from Lady Nagant. Hawks says it’s not going to happen; she’s in such bad shape Central Hospital doesn’t know how she’s still alive (2).

Kamui Woods notes that despite her powerful despair, she’s clinging desperately to life. As the conversation continues, Mt. Lady notes that Izuku’s interaction with Nagant has made it clear that the brunt of hunting down the League will be left to him (3).

Tsukauchi says they can’t be sure Aoyama isn’t booby-trapped like Nagant (2).

Aizwa makes a reference to Kaina when he says Aoyama is not booby-trapped: AFO used the death of another underling to control him instead.

Izuku recalls his battle with Kaina as he flies towards battle.

AFO calls Hawks Nagant's replacement (11)

When talking with Dabi, AFO mentions his friends are more disposable tools, echoing what he said about Kaina(1).

Tsuakauchi compares Aoyama to Kaina, saying he hasn’t been rigged like Kaina was (11).

Izuku tells Aoyama that he knows a hero (Kaina) who was manipulated by AFO, but even she didn’t sell her won soul: her spirit was crushed (16).

Nagant shoots Shigaraki's hand off. She is covered in bandages (14).

Just prior to the previous chapter, Kaina struggles her way along a hallway in Central Hospital, despite being told this might open her wounds and be fatal. "Tell me where the Enemy is!" she calls.(1)

A nurse refuses her. Kaina explains that Izuku told her to do this, he asked her to fight alongside him. Rock Lock intervenes, saying he'll take full responsibility. He gives her a device that will keep her up to date on important details: UA's location, enemy details and so on. He says their operation depends on their faith in Izuku, (2) so if her heart is set on following him, then he's going to trust her.

On the roof, it's raining and Kaina's injuries begin to open. She thinks she still has one shot left in her. She looks up at the clouded, dreary sky and thinks about how she had been in lost in a darkness without trust or faith until Hawks and Izuku (3) reminded her of the hope she'd had as a child and her reason for being.

She sends a bullet towards Izuku and Shigaraki (6).The bullet takes off Shigaraki's hand (7).

In Shigaraki's mind, AFO is hurt by the bullet. He rages at Kaina, claiming she's acting with undeserved moral superiority. Shigaraki thinks it's funny that AFO wasn't successful in manipulating Kaina (8).

Kaina is on the roof of Central Hospital. She thinks of Rock Lock telling her their mobilization efforts hinge on their faith in Izuku. She raises her head and croaks out his name (2)

Izuku remembers how Kaina evaded Danger Sense (7).

Izuku uses a decoy tactic against Shigaraki, and the Sixth recognises it from his battle with "the sniper" (8).

Rock Lock finds Kaina on the roof of Central Hospital. "Why did I follow after Midoriya?" she asks. "He managed to wrench open my heart. He has this special way of doing it. And there's nothing harder for a villain to bear than that."

Rock Lock agrees somewhat, saying that beating villains is about getting them to lose the will to keep fighting. Izuku's dream is not to punish evil, but something more nuanced. "And that look on his face, when he's up against the wall and rnning himself ragged? (11) It makes you wanna risk it all to back him up (12).