Everyone criticized Kohei Horikoshi for My Hero Academia’s ending. The fans are disappointed with how he ended Deku’s journey as the greatest Pro-Hero ever. While the mangaka is yet to release any official statement regarding the ending, it looks like he is happy with the ending. Even if he is satisfied with the ending, there is a particular thing that he regrets.
He believes there was another character who could have performed as a protagonist better than Deku. Mirio Togata’s character introduction was one of the best introductions, yet the mangaka felt it was too short-lived. Moreover, he was not explored to his full extent.
Mirio Togata Could Have Been Explored More
Kohei Horikoshi regretted not giving Mirio Togata his moment of glory. During an interview with Tite Kubo, the Bleach creator revealed Mirio Togata to be his favorite character. The scene where he protects Eri from Overhaul wins over Kubo sensei’s heart. But Horikoshi was bitter about the character since he could not explore him to his most potent self. Mirio was destined to be the number one Pro-Hero, but certain conditions restricted him.
Kohei Horikoshi said,
“Yup. Furthermore, his debut scene ended before I had a chance to show his emotional range, which meant he was reduced to being a plot device. At that point, I felt so sorry for Mirio that I vowed to have him deliver a strong impact on the readers. If I could make them think, “Wouldn’t this guy make a great protagonist?” then victory would be mine. That motivated me to draw.“
During the battle with Overhaul, a quirkless Mirio managed to keep Eri safe from the antagonist until the Pro-Heroes arrived at the scene. His elite mentality and hunger to be a hero made him want to rescue others, even at the cost of his life. He had every quality to be a protagonist but was reduced to a side character. Moreover, as the mangaka said, he failed to showcase the character’s emotional range, which further reduced his importance.
Mirio Togata Is My Hero Academia’s Very Own Might Guy
Might Guy is a taijutsu specialist and one of the strongest shinobi in the Naruto franchise. Even after failing multiple times, he did not let his inability to perform ninjutsu weaken him. He developed himself into a fine shinobi and almost killed Madara Uchiha. Like Might Guy, Mirio Togata worked hard to reach his goals. His quirk, Permeation, allows him to go through objects.
Even though it is not a powerful quirk compared to One for All, Explosion, Half-Cold Half-Hot, etc., Mirio practiced using it to the point where it could be used to its utmost potential. He was a part of the Big 3 of UA and singlehandedly took down Deku’s class in an exhibition match. Mirio Togata is the perfect example of ‘Rome was not built in one day.’
Kohei Horikoshi might have failed to explore, but he fulfilled the character’s destiny of becoming the number one Pro-Hero. My Hero Academia’s final chapter featured an eight-year time skip. After that time skip, Mirio Togata was revealed to be the number one Pro-Hero. After multiple hardships, Lemillion has finally achieved his dreams and became an inspiration to millions.
My Hero Academia can be streamed on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available on Viz Media.
