My Hero Academia is considered one of the new Big Three anime. Since the anime started on July 7, 2014, people have been head over heels for every new season. The reason it is so popular is the genius of Kohei Horikoshi. Apart from being the creator of one of the best anime ever, he is also a huge fan of old-gen anime.
Kohei Horikoshi is such an anime fanboy that he even drew inspiration from one iconic anime character. People often thought that they found similarities with certain characters. When asked about inspiration, the My Hero Academia creator answered Dragon Ball. It is no new information that Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise has motivated several anime creators and helped them draw inspiration from it. Now Kohei Horikoshi falls into that list, too.
Which My Hero Academia Character Was Inspired By Dragon Ball?
During the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con, Kohei Horikoshi mentioned that he drew inspiration from Dragon Ball’s Goku. It helped him design the No. 1 hero, All Might. Now, when people look at them, they can see several similarities. Kohei Horikoshi’s childhood was spent watching Dragon Ball. He adored that show. Dragon Ball is like All Might to his Deku.
Some similarities include the fact that both Goku and All Might are the strongest in their shows; both of them have huge muscles and are powerhouses. All Might’s hair color matches that of Super Saiyan. The most important part is that they both have pure hearts. But still, there is a fine line between inspiration and copying. Just like any other great anime creator, he did not cross the line.
Dragon Ball’s Goku inspired him, but he gave All Might a different personality. All Might’s sense of justice is much higher than Goku’s. Goku’s obsession with fighting the strongest beings is not found in All Might. For instance, Goku let Imperfect Cell transform into Perfect Cell; All Might would have not let that happen as he is a ‘Hero’ and works on saving the planet more than fighting individuals. On one hand, Goku is a protagonist and on the other hand, All Might is more of a mentor to his students.
Dragon Ball Franchise Has Served as Inspiration to Many
When watching My Hero Academia, viewers thought that the character designs are based on Western Culture. It was a surprise to them when they heard All Might was based on Goku. For that, anime enthusiasts are thankful for Dragon Ball to exist. Due to that anime, they could see such amazing characters and plot in My Hero Academia.
Not only Kohei Horikoshi, but many other countless anime drew inspiration from Dragon Ball. A few of them are Naruto, One Piece, Gintama, etc. New writers are also getting motivated by it. Some by plot, some by characters, and some by transformation.
Source: Looper
