Deku x Ochako shippers rejoice canonization as Horikoshi teases a heartfelt handshake moment between Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka.

SUMMARY

Deku and Ochako’s handshake in the extra pages sparks shipping debates.
Many fans interpret Horikoshi’s setting to have romantic undertones.
The series might have ended, but the shipping debate is far from over.

Kohei Horikoshi’s masterpiece My Hero Academia’s final volume had bonus content that has ignited passionate debates among fans. The few added pages that are meant to tie up all the loose ends show Deku and Ochako in a heartwarming scene that has been taken as a canon recognition of their relationship.

Deku and Uraraka Bump Fists | Credit: Studio Bones

The bonus pages capture a moment that’s been widely interpreted as a romantic hint. Although the content is just a handshake, their seemingly innocent personalities make the handshake turn into something more. Many Deku x Ochako fans are strongly defending the scene as a canon recognition.

Is this an unimportant detail? Or is it something that Horikoshi left purposefully to bring the story to a full circle? We do not know, but even for the diehard shippers, taking a handshake to be a romantic moment is a bit farfetched.

The Scene That Sparked Debate

The artwork that has gone viral shows Deku and Ochako clasping hands in a way that could be perceived as casual and friendly. It is a very common method of affirming camaraderie in shonen anime. Where the normal fan sees nothing special, others see it as deeply meaningful.

Deku and Uraraka in My Hero Academia | Credit: Studio Bones

The ambiguity might be intended on the part of the author as it gives hope to the ones that ship Deku and Ochako and doesn’t hurt other shippers from having thoughts about the open ending. This is not something that is new and has come to be a characteristic of Horikoshi’s storytelling. The bonus chapters were meant to clear things up, not to confuse.

And once again, the author has left the fandom abuzz. Tweets like the one above humorously downplay the moment, looking at it from the standpoint of a neutral observer, while others like “The Deku x Bakugo shippers and Ochako x Toga shippers aren’t going to like this one” highlight the impact of this seemingly simple scene.

Meanwhile, many users expressed confusion, asking, “This is only a handshake or not? I didn’t get it.” Overall, it seems like Horikoshi is giving fans the ending they wanted.

DekuxOcha Shippers Are ‘Floating on Crumbs’

Deku | Credit: Studio Bones

the best volume yet Deku x Ochako shippers have taken this bonus scene of   to be the guidance they had always been waiting for. Due to the innocent and children-friendly style of My Hero Academia’s story, it is not surprising that Horikoshi left the ending open-ended when it came to romance.

Whether the handshake may be romantic or platonic, Deku and Ochako’s bond remains one of the series’ most developed as well as discussed dynamics in My Hero Academia. Maybe this is the perfect way to end things—not too direct on all the answers, and just enough to keep us talking.