My Dress-Up Darling is all about hina dolls and the wonderful world of cosplay, and viewers can explore the realm of cosplay right alongside the shonen-style protagonist, Gojo Wakana, as he learns more about how modern cosplay works. It's an eye-opening experience for a reclusive boy who's more used to dolls, and he's determined to make the most of it.
Gojo Wakana is determined to do his very best for the sake of his personal muse and friend Kitagawa Marin, and he knows that he has a lot of catching up to do. Gojo refuses to do this halfway -- he's pushing himself to go Plus Ultra to impress Marin and learn new skills, and that makes him surprisingly reminiscent of Izuku Midoriya of My Hero Academia fame.
Gojo Wakana & Midoriya Izuku's Playbook In Anime
Gojo and Izuku have many differences between them, but the two boys also have a lot of overlap where their goals, personalities and methods are concerned, and a fan of either character is sure to like the other. While Gojo isn't aiming to become a celebrity or the symbol of peace, he shares Izuku's determination to become something entirely new and redefine himself. Just as Izuku suddenly gained the goal to surpass All Might as the new #1 hero, Gojo Wakana gained the goal of becoming an excellent cosplay maker once he met Marin and decided to support her as a business partner of sorts.
Both boys launched their heroic journeys practically overnight, and it all came without warning. Izuku never thought he'd meet All Might personally, just as Gojo never expected to get validation of his hobbies from a stranger. And yet, those things happened, and it was a defining moment for both boys.
Now Gojo and Izuku have goals, and they are both studious, smart and detail-oriented people who know how much catching up they have to do. Izuku had to train intensely for a whole year just to obtain One For All, let alone practice using it, and the Shizuka-tan cosplay was Gojo's first-ever effort to make a complete cosplay outfit from scratch. These boys are pushing themselves incredibly hard to get their bearings with their new abilities, and that requires a lot of willpower and grit. Anyone else would have grown discouraged and quit, but Gojo pulled all-nighters to make that costume, while Izuku repeatedly broke his bones to learn how to use One For All.
It also helps that Gojo and Izuku are smart and methodical people who pay close attention to every last detail in their respective fields and take endless notes, impressing everyone around them with their studious ways. Izuku has been studying Quirks all his life in that notebook of his, while Gojo amazed Inui with his highly detailed sketches of a new costume. Inui could hardly believe that Gojo was so new to this but already so advanced.
Gojo has little cosplay experience to lean on, so he makes up for it not just with experience making hina doll clothes but also by studying the profession of cosplay and doing what the pros do. He eagerly absorbs new knowledge, such as watching Inui demonstrating the use of cosplay tape to change her eye shape, and he even wants to learn how photographers take high-quality pictures of cosplayers. Knowledge is power, and Izuku and Gojo both know it.
How Gojo & Izuku Relate To Viewers
While Quirks and superheroes are fictional, Izuku's character arc in My Hero Academia is meant to be highly relatable to viewers on a more fundamental level, and the same is true of Gojo Wakana's character arc. These characters aren't just diving into a new career and challenging themselves to catch up -- they are setting an example for viewers to emulate. Gojo and Izuku spread a positive message: that no one is defined by the circumstances of their birth or what other people think of them.
Instead, people like them are defined by their actions and their goals for the future. Gojo and Izuku have personal woes related to their pasts, but these boys are focused on the future, not lingering on what came before. Izuku was mocked and scorned for being born Quirkless, while Gojo was teased for liking dolls and failed to make any friends due to his hobby and career choice. However, both characters moved beyond that.
With hard work, clear goals, a personal friend backing them up and careful note-taking, Gojo and Izuku both prove that anyone can restart their career or life and become who they were meant to be, even if it may seem too late. According to Gojo and Izuku, it's never too late to start a new career or become a great hero -- if the person has the guts to reach out and seize that future.
