A never-ending debate in the anime community revolves around determining the best new-gen anime manga series. Due to the vast number of fans, there are many different opinions. However, many viewers believe Kohei Horikoshi’s magnum opus, My Hero Academia, is a good contender for the title. I mean, just look at the story; why wouldn’t they think this way?
One of the most widely known figures in the franchise is the world’s former number-one hero, All Might. However, one question that fans always ponder is: despite All Might’s persona bearing a striking resemblance to that of an American hero and his use of attacks named after American cities such as Detroit Smash, why does he have a Japanese identity?
The question reached Kohei Horikoshi, who addressed it in an interview during San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, explaining that it wouldn’t have felt as relatable to the audience if All Might had been American.
All Might had to be Japanese for the audience to feel satisfied, according to Kohei Horikoshi
The story written by Kohei Horikoshi pivots around Izuku Midoriya and his adventures as he tries to become the emblem of hope in the hero society and become the world’s number one hero. As destiny would have it, he is currently under the wings of All Might, who was formerly the world’s number-one hero.
All Might is a character loved by everyone and doesn’t have many haters; his calm demeanor and courage to stand up against evil have made him a fan favorite. His urge to safeguard his students, even though he is not powerful anymore, makes him one of the most notable characters in My Hero Academia.
One question that fans have been contemplating is the resemblance between All Might and American superheroes. If you take a glance at him, you can see the traits of an American superhero in him, such as his physique and the attacks he uses, which are named after American cities.
At the San Diego Comic-Con, where Kohei Horikoshi made an appearance, Anime News Network got the chance to interview him. During the interview, Horikoshi revealed that if All Might had been portrayed as American, the audience wouldn’t have been satisfied. He said:
It was more of a callback to older Superman – the “ultimate existence”, that’s why he has that kind of character design. But the story’s still set in Japan – I don’t think it would’ve quite hit the mark if All Might had been from overseas.
Kohei Horikoshi made a great choice by keeping All Might Japanese instead of American and it paid off, with fans loving the series and making it widely known.
More on My Hero Academia
If you are a My Hero Academia fan, there are several things to look forward to, one of which is the 7th season of the franchise, which will continue the battles between Deku and Shigraki.
If you assumed that this was it, you are mistaken, as the latest trailer for the fourth My Hero Academia movie, called “You’re Next,” has just been released, and fans are loving it and can’t wait to see their favorite characters back in action.
The epicenter of the plot is something new, as we are getting a very intriguing antagonist who shares a close resemblance to All Might. Many fans have come up with theories about Dark Might, the antagonist of the movie, being All Might.
Like the previous three movies of My Hero Academia, this one is expected to achieve good commercial success due to the widespread popularity of the franchise.
Watch Izuku Midoriya’s adventures as he continues striving to become the world’s number one hero along with his friends on Crunchyroll.
