I'm interested to know your opinion about this https://www.tumblr.com/sad-outsider/745487303531692032/while-everyone-is-wondering-how-two-babies-could?source=share
it is an interesting question, how did AFO become such a skilled manipulator if he grew up feral on the streets? here's my thoughts:
so I don't think from the beginning AFO was all that interested in other humans. we're told that those who didn't give him anything he viewed with distrust and disdain, and the two times we see him coming across some people as a child it's just him killing them. maybe he watched them warily when they passed by, but ultimately he didn't engage with any of them to talk directly (as far as we know). BUT it's been pointed out by others that they had a radio with them as is shown with the circle below
well it does looks like a radio to me and it would make sense that was one of their connections to the outside world (though they wouldn't understand a lot of what was being talked about) and to me it makes sense if a radio was later how afo found out about what the glowing baby was up to. so he was at the very least a little interested in hearing what the others were doing, perhaps to analyze any potential threats and maybe he was a tiny bit curious deep down about the society that rejects them, but evidently AFO wasn't interested in trying to make direct contact with them or try to involve himself in their society and none of them bothered with him either.
that is until he read that one comic book. see the thing afo admired about the villain was how people feared and revered him and so he decided he wanted that for himself. after a lifetime of being ignored by people who passed by him on the street he wanted to become something they feared so they'll follow him and never have their eyes off him. and in order to become that he needed power. he already has an extremely powerful quirk, but he needs to obtain loyal followers to help him enact his will of becoming the ultimate evil who rules over everything. I'm sure AFO realized that in order to make his dream become a reality he was going to need to use other people and I think that's when he decided to begin studying the way other humans act to get a better sense in how to get them to do what he wants.
and I would say he did this by studying various media he came across at first. whether it's looking through books or magazines (remember twins were barely learning how to read when they were small and by the time afo declares his dream they look more like teenagers so I think afo was able to read better by this time), and later maybe he found tvs where he can watch shows that were airing and see the news. so through that he studied the culture, what is deemed acceptable and unacceptable, how to present himself in a way to get others to respect him. overall he would be far more interested in the world that he had no interest in before as he sees there are things he could take for himself there and get people to give him things. I also think after he's done going through media he would've stalked some people to see how they live and act, there are some things you can't learn through media so afo would want to learn more through observing those he comes across.
I like to headcanon that he would see one person passing him by on the street then stalk them for the whole day until they fell asleep. then the next day he would choose a different person who passes by him and stalks them for the rest of the day and does that until he feels like he's learned enough. then later on he would engage in small talk with people he sees to get a better feel of interacting with others and see what they respond well to and what they don't. the more he learns about the nature of people the more he learns how to use their emotions against them and predict their reactions to certain actions.
side note I would also like to point out that afo presents himself more masculine and wears business professional attire all the time. this is important to note because afo grew up without gender socialization, which tells me he saw how business men are typically seen by society as people to be respected and hardworking. so he chooses presents himself as someone who gives off the vibe that he's someone powerful and should be taken seriously by wearing the suit and tie. trying to manipulate people isn't just something you do with words, but also with the way you present yourself to others. you want to carefully craft an image of yourself that makes others view you as what you want them to view you as so you can gain their trust easier which is what I think afo did there.
I think once he feels confident enough though he would begin practicing his manipulation skills on others.
now look here:
afo intervenes with these group of people fighting in the streets and brings peace. I feel like he would do this often, bring order among the chaos he comes across and presents a choice. "if you feel powerless and scared then join me and I'll give you everything you want and more, or don't and remain as you are. all I really want to do is help you out :)"and many did choose to join! look at all those people around afo, those are probably all the people who chose to follow him.
I think afo would've seen how badly metas were treated by society and saw how desperate people were for order and someone to turn to. people can be manipulated more easily if they're scared and looking for anyone to help them, and afo would've seen this as a great way to begin building his empire by preying on the desperate. he crafted this image of himself that not only embodies power but also generosity. he took quirks away from the unworthy and gave them to those who wanted power. makes people think things like look how good he is to those who please him! he presented himself as a savior to the people, and manipulated them by taking advantage of their own vulnerability.
all he really had to do was lend a sympathetic ear and show them hey I was an outcast like you to appear relatable and demonstrate the power he had to those are were scared and felt like they couldn't protect themselves. they saw him as a personal savior who seemed to genuinely care about their plights. of course afo doesn't care about the plights of his fellow meta humans, he just wants to use them for his own purposes then tosses them out once he's done (as yoichi points out). but he seemed so genuine in his words that many fell for it which allowed him to manipulate them further. and so many became so entranced by him that they began to attack his enemies in his name without him ordering them to do so.
of course I don't think afo was always a successful manipulator in the beginning, maybe there was a social custom he overlooked and it made him look bad in someones eyes. maybe he said the wrong thing and it made someone distrust him more. there would be a lot of trial and error on his part when trying to learn to manipulate, but as he interacts with people more and learns from his past mistakes he would get much better until he becomes the excellent manipulator he is today.
and to me afo would have multiple personas he puts on when interacting with different people. two people could meet him but comes out with very different impressions about who he is as a person. he hides his true nature (which is said to feel unsettling to be around) so they would trust him more. I think he would enjoy this game really, stringing people along and making them feel he cares so they can give him what he wants. as I said before no one gave him anything as a child so he feels he has to take it for himself, and manipulation would be one of those tools he uses to get what he wants so he would take time to develop that skill through the things I've said before.
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Ride 736: The night of the training camp
Pag 1
2: Who is it? Someone is there....
3: …. rain
At the training camp.....
4: An umbrella....
Pag 2
1: Yo, Onoda
3: …. Te
…. ah..... Te
Pag 3
1: Teshima-san!!
Have you been well?
It's been a while, we haven't seen each other since my graduation
Pag 4
1: Waa- Teshi- Teshima-san! Di you come here on puropose to see ho-how things are going!?
Have you- have you been woll too, Teshima-san!?
Yeah, as usual – woll? (haha)
2: So-sorry this is so sudden and I'm so surprised! Co-come in!!
You do seem very surprised
3: You can put your shoes here, and your umbrealla here
Yeah, I know. I've had the training camp here for three years, too, after all
4: Ahh... but, it started to rain so suddenly
Good thing I had a spare umbrella in the car
5: Sorry I came here so suddenly
Pag 5
1: I thought you guys would have “prepared” if I had contacted you beforehand
2: Training camp is busy, you can't waste even one minute of these four days. I know how busy you are
When a senpai comes in the middle of that, it makes you waste too much time
3: … Teshima-san
4: Bu.... but, it's not a waste
Uhm- ah- we really owe you so much, Teshima-san!
5: And alos, at last year's Inter High.... uhm
6: I think we could win thanks to you, Teshima-san!!
Pag 6
1: Thank you
When you say it with such earnest eyes, I'm happy to think you really mean it
2: No no, I mean, it's true!! On the mountain during the first day... and of course the mountain stage on the third day...
Ahh, I did win that
Yeah well, it's beacause of that....
3: Ah- uhm, dammit I forgot to offer you some tea.... is the tea from the vending machine okay?
Ehi ehi, it's okay. You choose
Huh!?
4: I came all the way here, let me be your senpai
Pag 7
2: Teshima.... san
3: Than-
4: yo-
Waa- Onoda!!
5: My- my bad
So- sorry, this kind of things....
You're really not good at them... I forgot....
Pag 8
1: I see, so Danchiku.... and Sugimoto, too....
2: Yes
3: Well, you have no choice but to watch over them
Yes
6: That's what I intend to do!!
Pag 9
1: You got the “face of a third year”, Onoda
You change like that, when others count on you as a “third year”, your face....
2: Taking good care of the others isn't the only role of a third year
Sometimes, turning them down, or turning your back to them is also important
Just like Makishima-san once did
3: with you
6: Even so, you chased Makishima-san's back and admired him
Pag 10
1: Kohai watch their senpai's back and grow!!
2: If you slack off, they slack off
3: If you work hard, they imitate you
Pag 11
1: If you smile, they smile
2: Who's that guy, teh
He's talking with senpai.... here in the back
How can I know!!
But, he's smirking and has long hair, he's suspicious
4: Earlier, you said that last year's Inter High was thanks to me- what about this year's Inter High?
Thanks to whom will they work hard this year?
6: You
Pag 12
1: This time, it's your turn to become the object of their admiration
Pag 13
1: Onoda
3: That's what brings Sohoku together!!
4: That guy his Onoda-san!!
Do you think we should go there and help him, teh!?
No, wait, now he's stroking his neck!?
5: Honestly, choosing the members is hard
You trouble yourself, pace around, and still you'll have no answer
Ah-
6: But the important thing isn't how it was decided but “who you decided”
Pag 14
1: If you find the answer to “who” after worrying about it a lot, everyone will accept it and move forward
2: …. Teshima-san....
3: Uhm... how did you know that that's what I was worrying about....
I'm the former captain, am I not? Also, it's written on your face
Ah-
4: He wants to strangle him ike that!? That guy with shaggy hair!!
Ahh- this is bad, teh, we have to protect Back-gate-slope-san!!
5: Let's go!! Don't hesitate, Rokudai!!
Yeah, teh....!!
6: Eh!?
Huh?
Pag 15
2: Huh!?
Senpai, let's get away
3: Who are you!? Back-gate-slope-sa.... What do you want to do to Onoda-san!!
Pag 16
5: In the confusion I called him by his real name, “Onoda-san”, teh!! Sorry!!
6: Unathorized people shouldn't be able to enter, it's reserved!!
Right!! Shaggy-hair!!
Rokudai-kun!? Kinaka-kun!?
7: N-no, you two got it wrong-
8: Onoda....
Pag 17
1: You're really protecting your team members with all your strength
2: Eh-
3: Since you're protecting them, they're protecting you, too
4: What's your name
Yessir, my name is Rokudai Renta- no wait, that's not right!!
5: Huh
6: Since I'm protecting them.... with all my strength.....!!
Pag 18
2: Rokudai, if
Huh!? What
If you clear this training camp and get chosen as a member for the Inter High
Huh!?
3: Protect Onoda like this with all your strength
Pag 19
1: Huh
…. yes
2: Idiot, Rokudai, don't let your guard down just because of those sweet words!!
Ah!! That's right, teh!!
I'll introduce you: this is Teshima Junta-san
You have some goos first years!
He graduated last year and is now an university student, but
3: He's the former Sohoku captain
4: Cap....
I was nominated captain by Teshima-san
5: ta....in?
Pag 20
1: We- we- we're so sorry!!
It's nothing
2: We did that, teh....!!
To- to such an important senpai!!
3: Ah.... uh... thank you for your work!! What brings such an important senpai like you here?
He came to encourage us
4: Ah also, I brought
6: some new pedals for Onoda!!
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Just really like Groovy Gumlet
Other than the fact his name is that and he's cute with an outie, he just cares a lot and is actually very personable and isn't so prideful to not admit when he needs help
In the EX Novel 4, he got angry with the knights because he thought they killed Balleroy, and wasn't afraid to admit Balleroy was one of his friends. He, along the lines of this, goes "F*** you, you're worried for your friend? How do you think I feel when you killed one of mine?!"
He befriended Moguro after accidentally thinking he was an inanimate hunk of metal, and doesn't mind his mechanical way of talk ("Groovy, run, outmatched." for example, to say they should run, and he probably won't misunderstand it)
In arc 8, when he's cornered and about to die from not eating or drinking anything for days, one of his worries is if any of his subordinates survived. He hoped it'd be the case. And this was in the middle of being surrounded by a bunch of zombies, so it lagged his reaction
"At the very least, it'd be nice if some of his subordinates survived." Or something along those lines
And right before that, he thought of his second-in-command. I was thinking that Groovy feels lonely without anyone, fending for himself like this. Even if his circumstances suck, it'd be better if he had someone on his side
Plus, he's a hyena demihuman. Hyenas are extremely social animals, and have complex hierarchies, so him being a general with his own army is just perfect for him
He's not afraid of stating his opinions of people, like when he said Balleroy was a bit flashy and too friendly, but still a good guy
And he goes to Chisha for help in dealing with Cecilus, just to complain and scream on his couch
And he's an optimist! He hopes Chisha can control Cecilus, he hopes he and Moguro can handle Reinhard if they get some help, the entire time he's being chased, he's hoping for other things like a breather and food.. that sounds more like desperation, but it's also narrated as a
"small breather would be somewhat helpful.
Having faith in that, he ran, ran, and ran――"
He's clinging to nice little things, even as he's being chased, because wouldn't that be nice to have?
When he smelled living people, he really ran in shouting and hoping for their help to fend off the zombies together too. But before he did, he was afraid of dragging them into his problems, because even in his pushed-to-the-brink state, he didn't want to endanger anyone.
He didn't think of using them as a diversion or anything. He's actually really nice.
If the life he smelled could fight, he'd hope for assistance, and if not, maybe he could get something in his system with the smallest reprieve. He didn't think that the people would be dangerous to him, or attack him immediately; which they did.
And when he just got two drunkards, he got angry because why are they doing this? Why are they the only ones alive now, and they're like this? But angry as he was, and exhausted, he still only passed out when in the company of others. Maybe it was from the long strain, or he finally relaxed even a little bit to be around others (even if those "others" contemplated killing him)
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