Kohei Horikoshi’s last few chapters of My Hero Academia kept fans on the edge of their seats. At one point, defeating Shigaraki seemed impossible, that is until he showed a tiny crack that the heroes exploited to the best of their abilities.
Deku’s only chance was to let Shigaraki absorb One For All along with all of the vestiges, so that he could be attacked from within. In the process, Deku ended up going back to his humble, quirkless roots. Fast forward to eight years later and suddenly, All Might has a surprise for him.
Kohei Horikoshi Returns Deku to Being a Hero Again in My Hero Academia
In order to defeat Shigaraki, Deku had to sacrifice his arms as well as One For All. While his arms grew back, his powers never returned. In the finale of My Hero Academia, Deku is shown as just a normal guy who lives in the shadow of his former hero self. It is almost too depressing, and despite his coming to terms with his condition, it left fans hungry for more.
The lord and savior, All Might, made a dramatic entrance and crushed the ‘The End’ message to reveal that Deku is not done yet. His unannounced visit was accompanied by a big suitcase, which turned out to be the equivalent of a treasure chest to Deku.
All Might then explains that the data obtained from the battle eight years ago had opened up some amazing possibilities. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds in the years subsequent to the battle, and the age of relative peace must have led to more prosperity in other fields.
While the box remains unopened, fans still get an inkling of what might be inside it. Turns out that the tech was a joint venture funded by the former classmates of Deku. It is their attempt at returning Deku to normalcy after he lost his acquired quirk.
Will Deku Become a Hero Again?
Deku has acquired new battle gear, and his body still functions enough to get used to it. He still carries scars from his last fight, but given his tenacity, he is bound to improve. The boy had learned how to use One For All despite his fragile build and went through deathly training every day. There is no reason why he cannot get used to a new technology.
Will this be the advent of a new Iron-Man-esque Deku? Kohei Horikoshi has left it to the imagination of fans. But one thing is for sure: Deku will work hard till he can grasp the mechanism of the technology and use it to save plenty more lives.
All Might hinted that the equipment will keep gathering more info from Deku, which means that it will get further upgrades and improve even more. Deku has always been a hero, with or without powers, due to his tendency to think of others first. The new technology will only help him pursue his dreams once again. Who knows, maybe Deku will be the first #1 Quirkless Hero in the near future.
You can read My Hero Academia on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.