After enthralling readers for over a decade, Kōhei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia has finally concluded with all Class 1A students finally graduating. MHA‘s narrative follows the story of a young boy who symbolizes every characteristic of true heroism despite being born Quirkless.
Surprisingly, Kōhei Horikoshi received tons of criticism as MHA‘s epilogue sparked several debates online for its rushed ending. In the last manga chapter, Horikoshi portrays Deku as a UA teacher, marking the culmination of his journey. Naturally, several fans were left disappointed as their beloved failed to reach the top spot at the Heroes Ranking.
Even after playing a pivotal role in defeating Shigaraki, Midoriya didn’t receive the recognition he deserved as a true hero. Although the epilogue ended up disappointing many fans, Horikoshi expressed a desire to explore untold stories, which could reignite the MHA‘s lost spark with a spin-off.
Kōhei Horikoshi May Have Plans for a My Hero Academia Spin-Off
In My Hero Academia, Kōhei Horikoshi introduced viewers to a young boy named Izuku Midoriya who desired to become the No.1 Hero. From being born as a Quirkless in a Quirk-dominated society, Deku’s journey generated sympathy among a lot of viewers. On top of that, Midoriya later becomes a prominent figure in the story and humanity’s only hope for survival against the strongest villain in MHA history, Shigaraki.
Despite being Quirkless, Deku always portrayed the idea of true heroism through his selfless attitude. Since the beginning, Izuku Midoriya only wanted to follow in his idol’s footsteps and become a symbol of peace. Later, Deku discovers All Might’s secret regarding One For All and becomes a disciple of Japan’s No.1 Hero.
Kōhei Horikoshi showcases Midoriya as the ninth user of One For All. At first, Izuku struggles to control his power at will; however, as the plot moves forward, our protagonist emerges as one of the most feared Heroes in the series. In an interview, Horikoshi shared some insights on his unfished desire to fully explore the backgrounds of the One for All users while creating MHA’s manga. He said:
It’s not quite about not getting the chance, but I have characters and backstories that I created but didn’t include in the story. For instance, I have detailed stories for the previous inheritors of One For All. I intentionally left these out. I know it’s a little off from what the question was asking.
One for All, stockpiles the users’ power while allowing the ability to be inherited or passed on. It originated with Yoichi Shigaraki, the brother of All For One, who was the main antagonist of the story.
After All Might passed on his transferable Quirk to Izuku, our beloved protagonist began mastering the Quirks of One For All’s previous users, enthralling several fans of the series.
Since MHA‘s epilogue received a huge backlash, Horikoshi could bring his untapped ideas to life by narrating the history of all One for All’s previous inheritors, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
Kōhei Horikoshi’s Hidden Narrative Behind the Criticized MHA Epilogue
Despite being a global sensation for over 10 long years, My Hero Academia‘s epilogue is receiving tons of criticism from the fandom. Fans who stuck to Deku’s journey since the start felt betrayed by Horikoshi’s narrative expressing their frustration online by accusing the mangaka of committing to a rushed ending.
However, Horikoshi wanted to highlight true heroism’s potential through Deku’s journey and My Hero Academia’s epilogue serves as a notable example. As Deku fails to accomplish his ambition to become the No. 1 Hero and ends up as a UA teacher, Horikoshi illustrates that not every protagonist gets a perfect ending. The mangaka wanted to showcase the harsh truth about reality, which is that not all dreams come true.
My Hero Academia is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
