Eiichiro Oda is one of the most seasoned mangaka whose work One Piece has brought several accolades and recognition to the author. From holding the Guinness World Record to becoming one of the highest-paid mangakas, he set a benchmark in Shonen anime with his work.
However, the manga industry has its fair share of competition and obstacles. While benchmarks are made to create competency, they also are a symbol of mutual respect. This was evident especially when Oda sensei commented on Kohei Horikoshi’s excellence as a superhero Shonen manga artist.
Eiichiro Oda’s influence on Kohei Horikoshi’s manga
Kohei Horikoshi is known for his iconic manga My Hero Academia which carved its niche in the superhero genre of Shonen mangas. With its superior visuals coupled with intricate storytelling, Horikoshi-san’s work impacted many viewers and achieved a milestone with its estimated sales of 100 million copies in April 2024.
Furthermore, he reached another milestone when his idol Eiichiro Oda acknowledged him. In a special talk with My Hero Academia author that was later published in My Hero Academia Origin (2018), Oda san revealed his thoughts on Horikoshi’s work and his rising popularity. He quoted:
He’s the next big superhero artist… During one of my daughter’s school field trips, they riled up the kids by playing a song from the My Hero Academia anime on the bus. When she came home, she asked me in a worried tone, ‘Daddy, is your manga gonna be okay?‘
Horikoshi san’s work draws inspiration from several American comics as well as Oda himself. He even credited the mangaka for being the source of encouragement that led him to pursue a career as a manga artist.
Apart from citing the One Piece author as his inspiration, Horikoshi used several references from the manga which can be seen in his work. Similar to devil fruits, the quirks are classified into 3 kinds along with some quirks giving the user special powers.
However, there’s more to the storytelling aspect of My Hero Academia especially when it comes to drawing inspiration from American comics.
A blend of American influence with Japanese flair
My Hero Academia takes its inspiration from One Piece as well as several iconic American comic artists. From Jack Kirby‘s Captain America to Stan Lee‘s Spiderman, the author added his unique twist to the storytelling by blending American influences with Japanese flair.
From All Might to Deku, several characters in the manga have been inspired by popular Western comics including Star Wars, Batman, Spider-Man, and Captain America. Be it costumes or the origin of powers, Horikoshi san reflected the Western influences perfectly in the storyline.
There are several similarities between My Hero Academia and the Spider-man series, including the origin of the protagonist’s power. Similar to Peter Parker, Deku receives his power from a source. Additionally, his becoming Quirkless is similar to the moment when Peter lost his power in the series.
To add to that, Horikoshi san paid his homage to Spider-Man author Stan Lee through this poster that was shared by @Future_Vantas on Reddit.
[Homage] Love the homage to Ultimate Spider-Man in My Hero Academia
byu/Future_Vantas incomicbooks
From being an avid comic book readers as well as a manga reader, to writing his iconic superhero Shonen Manga, Kohei Horikoshi has bagged several accolades and praise as a promising and upcoming manga artist.
My Hero Academia is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and can be read on Viz Media
