One of the manga industry giants, My Hero Academia, finally bid farewell to the community with the release of chapter 430 on August 5th, 2024. Kohei Horikoshi’s Tale of the Superhero World has been entertaining manga fans for ten years, and the anime still has some miles left to cover. The series released a total of 41 volumes over the years.
While this is an incredible feat, it would not have been possible without the motivation of the manga creator, who has one of the longest-running series in the game, Eiichiro Oda. Oda’s One Piece has been going on for almost 30 years now, and it still has a long way to go with the finale saga just starting recently.
The One Piece mangaka once sat down with Horikoshi and inspired him to continue his story further. He was one of the reasons why My Hero Academia was able to reach the finish line. Not only that, he even inspired Horikoshi to try and beat One Piece as a narrative.
Eiichiro Oda is the Reason Why Kohei Horikoshi Continued My Hero Academia
During a secret conversation between Horikoshi and Oda, which was recorded for the My Hero Academia Vol. Origin and shared by Edomonogatari, Oda decided to give some words of encouragement to the My Hero Academia mangaka. Oda asked Horikoshi to push his story to more than 30 volumes, which was Horikoshi’s original plan.
However, Horikoshi was not confident in himself and stated:
Horikoshi: I don’t know if I can last 10 years. [laughs]
Replying to Horikoshi, Oda stated:
Oda: It’s not about whether you can or can’t. Just keep drawing, and you’ll get there eventually.
Oda’s motivation worked in the favor of My Hero Academia fans as Kohei Horikoshi decided to go with Oda’s advice. He continued the manga forward and added 11 more volumes before finally putting down the baton and moving forward with life.
My Hero Academia vs. One Piece
As their interview went on, Eiichiro Oda’s words had such an impact on the My Hero Academia mangaka that he even challenged Oda’s own masterpiece. However, even the One Piece manga was not ready to go down so easily, as he retaliated with a promise that he wouldn’t lose to Horikoshi.
The two mangakas’ interaction went like this:
Oda: Come on, say it with more confidence.
Horikoshi: …I’ll do my best to surpass One Piece!!
Oda: I won’t lose.
In terms of sheer numbers, One Piece is miles ahead of My Hero Academia, with the former having a total number of 109 volumes, with the story still going on. The series has currently reached one of its most interesting narratives with the Egghead Island arc and soon will move on to the next phase.
For My Hero Academia, the journey might have ended, but fans are still hoping for a sequel series, as there might have been some hints dropped by Horikoshi. However, there is no official confirmation yet.
You can watch both One Piece and My Hero Academia on Crunchyroll.
