Deconstructing My Hero Academia—A Superhero Shonen manga that's quirkier than it looks
In fact, about two years ago, I already wanted to write a review of My Hero Academia, but I was too busy to formalize some of my initial thoughts, so I paused. After a long time, as the story's outline becomes more apparent, I revisited some of my past experiences and recent insights, then compiled them into this "late" "midterm review." I didn't expect reorganizing so many thoughts organically would have been such a headache … After months of intermittent composing, I think I have finally handed in a passable answer sheet.
The seven-year itch of My Hero Academia
It's surreal that My Hero Academia (MHA) has passed its 7th anniversary of serialization and officially begun its final act. I believe many people came across this manga because of the word "hero" in its title. As a Shonen manga under the superhero genre, MHA inherits many elements and designs from the American superhero comics, from which superhero comics originated. On the other hand, it retains the classic elements of "friendship," "hard work," and "victory" featured in the kingly-way (王道) Shonen mangas from Weekly Shonen Jump (Jump). Combining these two elements is considered one of the main factors for MHA's popularity.
However, as the story unfolds, the seemingly conventional MHA gradually reveals some unexpected developments, from the powerful supporting character "on par with" the protagonist to controversial character design, from unconventional story perspectives to antagonist-focused chapters that broke the taboo of kingly-way Shonen manga. Some people became more enthralled, while others became discontent. Why has MHA gone from being a "standard good student" to what it is today? In this review, Franky aims to deconstruct and analyze this increasingly complicated hero story (up to chapter 326).
An unorthodox protagonist for a kingly-way Shonen manga
"Friendship, Hard Work, Victory" is the slogan of the kingly-way Shonen manga in Jump[1]. However, there is, in fact, a fourth unwritten rule about this type of manga, and that is "Lineage." The Big Three in the 2000s (One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach), which are the icons of Jump, all prepared a particular lineage for their protagonist's "qualification" as a selling point. As for the "newcomer" mangas in Jump, such as Haikyuu!!, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen, even if they didn't explicitly admit the existence of "lineage," they still hinted at the protagonist's unique external advantage by showing the protagonist's innate powers. On the one hand, the favoritism of the protagonist by giving them special identities or powers can make the battles in the story more interesting. On the other hand, doing so can also make the protagonist's external image a hot topic. Ultimately, this design formula has always been popular in the Shonen manga market.
As much as MHA belongs to the same genre (battle Shonen manga) as the mangas mentioned above, it introduced a seemingly subtle but, in fact, significant difference in the design of the protagonist—Midoriya was not born with but given a power. Not only that, in a world where 80% of the world's population are people with superpowers called "Quirk," he doesn't even fall into the majority, but the minorities who don't have one. Rather than being "extraordinarily special," this is the kind of "inferior special" —a "powerless" existence.
However, it is this "powerless" protagonist who receives a mighty power and walks on the path to becoming "the greatest hero," all accidentally because of his own action. Such a simple shift from "innate power" to "bestowed power" in MHA makes a massive difference in the fundamental logic of a Shonen protagonist's development compared to many other kingly-way mangas: innate power is no longer the necessity to be a protagonist, and enhancing power is also no longer a sufficiency for success.
In fact, this "anomalous" approach to the setting and progression of the protagonist resembles the American superhero comics (SC). Compared to many Japanese battle Shonen manga where the protagonist constantly trains and upgrades their original powers, SC often completes the primary development and exploration of the powers in the first few chapters. The story does not mainly focus on the development of powers but on the associated problems after they are acquired by the protagonist.
How SC uses the acquisition of power as a starting point, rather than the main body or the end goal for a story, gives room for a deeper discussion of the story's theme, especially about "heroes." This is because the essence of a hero is not the possession of great power but the spirit to harness and properly use that power. And this inner spirit does not depend on one's identity, lineage, or external strength. It is true that not everyone can be the strongest hero, but the strongest hero can come from the humblest being in the world.
Of course, this does not mean that MHA will fully copy the formula of SC. For an SC story, due to the event-driven storyline and the changing creative teams, the personality and spirit initially attached to the character gradually become symbols that can live independently of the character, reducing the character to a thematic device only to carry the discussion. Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but Spider-Man is not necessarily Peter Parker. Peter Parker's story may end, but Spider-Man's story will never end. This model does not fit a Japanese manga with a beginning and a definite end.
Therefore, reading MHA, not only does the reader see the development of the protagonist concerning his own characteristics, including personality and ability, as in other Japanese kingly-way Shonen mangas, but they witness the protagonist discover the dilemmas and problems in a society full of Quirks, along with issues and reflections it creates. Sometimes, these problems cannot be solved simply by getting more powerful and defeating villains.
From defeating the villains to resolving the problems
If the theme of a piece of literature rises from the discussion about a problem, then there can be four levels of thought to approach the problem within the story, from the surface level to the most profound level. The first level simplifies the problem (e.g., concretizing it as a simple entity). The second level reflects the complexity of the problem. The third level reveals the correlation between the instances or variants of the problem. Finally, the fourth level exposes the fundamental nature of the problem. As for popular literature, depending on the targeting market or other creative choices, the authors tend to settle on a single level they are more comfortable with to form the framework of expressing their message about the story's theme.
However, MHA connects all these levels of thought through multiple story elements, eventually allowing it to reach a depth of discussion about its theme that would otherwise be difficult to handle for a Shonen manga.
Dazzling light blinds eyes.
All Might, who appeared as early as the first chapter, has defeated one enemy after another with his mighty spirit and strength. He almost single-handedly helped Japan revive from the past chaos and thus became the famous "Symbol of Peace." However, can this simple, brutal embodiment of "justice will prevail" be an everlasting spiritual symbol, or will it inevitably become a breeding ground for more societal problems?
As early as the first crisis in MHA's story, the USJ raid, the author questioned the "righteous violence" represented by All Might through Tomura Shigaraki while he was still just a "man-child," but as All Might said, even Shigaraki had not yet thought through what he said. After All Might's classic "Plus Ultra," we were again impressed by All Might's utmost charisma, and the questioning was thrown away.
But after the triumph, what we got was the sad news that All Might's transformation time had been further shortened. As All Might's condition progressively worsens behind his forced glorious image, the reader sees more problems and darkness beneath the glitz and glamour of Hero Society: from the inflated fame and fortune of Heroes to prejudice and discrimination against Quirk, to the "Quirk marriage" for pursuing strength, and finally to the public indifference under Hero Society.
"In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you." —Green Goblin, Spider-Man (2002). The spirit and action of All Might inspired many, many people, but over time his selflessness and strength have become a resource that the selfish and self-serving part of society continues to rely on and take advantage of, eventually leading to more and more new problems. Personal heroism has always been a theme of many Shonen mangas and superhero stories because it is so direct, simple, and romantic, but MHA gradually dismantles this attractive and alluring naivety in the story's first act.
Finally, after the battle in Kamino, All Might inevitably retired, and the Hero Society lost its "Symbol of Peace" when the successor, Midoriya, was just a kid who had only trained using OFA for a few months. The Pro Heroes began to regain their original motivation, but no one could come close to All Might's strength. Eventually, when the determined full-scale raid turned into a tragic loss, the darkness that had once been in the corner finally enveloped Japan.
In a world without God but only broken people struggling and moving forward.
Directly in the plotline, MHA has already broken through the first level of thought—even the most "powerful" Hero cannot support the whole society alone. With the loss of All Might as a "perfect" symbol of Hero Society, the story's tone starts to change from black and white to more complex and tangled. The story begins with the change of two complex characters, Katsuki Bakugo and Enji Todoroki (Endeavor).
The biggest blemish on Bakugo when he was first introduced to the story was his bullying of Midoriya. The reader got a glimpse of his insecurities about Izuku through the final exam but didn't get to know his innermost thoughts. When All Might retired, Bakugo finally couldn't hide his pain and let out what he had been thinking all along.
Underneath Bakugou's cocky and arrogant behavior is a heart that is so emulative that it has become extremely insecure. This insecure mindset has made him often correlate the external environment change to his personal strength. When he lost to Izuku for the first time in the battle training, he was angry about his incompetence. When All Might retired, he blamed himself for being caught, thinking it was because he was too weak. And most notably, when Midoriya reached out with a helping hand, he mistook that kindness for a threat to his self-esteem and chose to bully Midoriya to repel him.
When Enji made his debut, the reader only learned how selfish and awful a person he seemed through the words of Shoto Todoroki. But when the identity of Dabi was finally revealed, followed by Mrs. Todoroki opening up about the past, the reader finally got the complete picture of the Todoroki family's hellish history.
Once a young man with great ambition and aspirations, Enji also tried to realize his dreams in the most traditional way of an Eastern family—by entrusting his hopes to the next generation, training his son not as a tool but as a proud heir. But cruel fate stroke hard at the equally passionate father and son, and Enji could not face up to his responsibilities as a husband and father because of his cowardice and the anger surrounding him under All Might's halo. His choice of avoidance and violence led directly to his family's tragedy and indirectly to Dabi's birth.
Generally, there are two ways to deal with controversial characters in typical Shonen manga. One is to further magnify the dark side of such characters and push them to the extreme. A typical example of such a method is the protagonist from Death Note, Light Yagami. The other way is using additional content, such as a retrospective narrative, to legitimize some of the characters' seemingly controversial behavior. However, MHA's approach to these two characters does not fall into either category. Neither the internal portrayal of Katsuki Bakugo nor the additional revelation of Enji Todoroki overturns or reverses the nature of their behavior: bullying is still bullying, and domestic violence is still domestic violence. What the reader learns more about is how their "psychological rift" stretched, widened, and eventually broke them and others.
Bakugou's and Enji's remorse and atonement do not absolve them from paying the price for their mistakes in the story. Even though regretting his actions against Izuku, Bakugou still had to desperately witness Izuku's suicidal fight in the all-out war and eventually got injured for him. Even so, as one of the people who worried about Izuku the most, he woke up after the battle and still failed to stop Izuku from leaving everyone behind to team up with the Pro Heroes and continue exploiting himself. The consequences are even worse for Enji. Even though he began to reflect on himself and atone for his sins after All Might's retirement, he was attacked by enemies arranged by Dabi several times, and his family scandal was broadcast nationwide. As Hero Society was falling apart, not only did he have to lead what was left of the Heroes to fight back, but he also had to "deal with" his past "beloved son," the present "Dabi."
Bakugou and Enji, as well as many other "fractured" MHA characters, represent the complexity of psychological problems, personality issues, and family matters; and reflect the seriousness with which the author discusses these problems. To resolve and avoid these problems, it's useless to spur and banish their products but necessary to face the harsh reality and understand their cause; it's not enough to just run from them or brush them off but crucial to fix and engrave them on the heart.
In fact, the most painful but essential part of growing up is often not gaining more power or making higher external achievements. It's about trying to find missing pieces in your mind after it's been broken, even if some parts can't be recovered, or stitching up the bleeding wound in your heart after it's been hurt, even if the residual pain may never disappear.
We all live in a society.
A good story, especially an epic one, must have good world-building. Building a story world can be done by expanding around the design of special abilities for the story or different parties and influences within the story. On the surface, MHA follows both above approaches: from Hero classes based on the "strength" of Quirk to various affiliations and agencies derived from the policy about "Pro Hero," then to the "villain organizations" that stand in opposition to the Heroes.
However, good world-building goes beyond these superficial settings, using them to further extend and enhance the intrinsic characteristics unique to this fictional world. For instance, Cyberpunk[2] is not just about neon signs, misty rain, cyborgs, and gigantic corporations but more about the estrangement between society and individuals, the conflict between control and freedom, and the merging between virtuality and reality under the rapid technological development. Similarly, Space Opera[3] is not only about planet exploration, faster-than-light traveling, and soft science fiction settings but also incorporates the stage of "outer space" into the realm of human activities to tell everlasting dramas and explore endless philosophical questions, etc. MHA's world is not simply the sum of the above settings but evolves around two core elements—a complex society based on "Quirk" and "Hero."
Whether it is Izuku Midoriya, who was once called "Deku" because he is "Quirkless," or Eri, who suffered from the mutation of Quirk, or Overhaul, who sees Quirk as a sickness to eradicate, or Himiko Toga, who became a Villain because her Quirk was constantly denied and suppressed, and Re-Destro, who saw the unrestricted use of Quirk as a fundamental human right … "A Quirkless person is a useless puppet," "a dangerous Quirk is a curse," "a creepy Quirk means a deviant," or maybe "Quirk itself is a disease instead of an individuality" … All these societal problems directly relate to Quirk as much as they indirectly reflect the conflict between the identities of individuals and groups[4] and the social norms and prejudices.
Apart from the intrinsic connection between Quirk and individuality, Quirk as a "superpower" also gives individuals a more significant influence on society. When some people abused this power, others stood up for themselves and were named "Heroes." When these spontaneous, selfless acts of individuals were recognized and supported by the government, a "Hero Society" was born. But in such a society that encourages "Heroes," we also see more problems with "Heroes."
Stain believed that a "Professional Hero (Pro Hero)" without pure dedication is not only unworthy of the title of "Hero" but also causes more harm than benefit to society. Failing to convince others about his ideology, he walked on the path of being a "Hero Killer." Gentle Criminal, who once dreamed of becoming a legendary Hero that would leave a mark on history, eventually settled on becoming an infamous villain due to his "insufficiency" to be a Hero. Nagant, who once was dedicated to serving society, only to find out that her so-called service was merely used to eliminate the "dark side of society" under the direction of the Hero Public Safety Commission to maintain the "superficial glory" established by All Might. The Pro Heroes were often surrounded by zealous pedestrians while patrolling the streets, but a helpless child couldn't get people's help while wandering on the crowded street …
After one incident and another, MHA is gradually exposing the truth of this "superhuman world" —from the value system based on Quirk strength to the mainstream prejudice that silences the minority groups, from the Pro Heroes who are reduced to propaganda machines and government tools, to the hypocritical virtual signaling[5] from ordinary citizens under the Pro Hero policy … These seemingly isolated tragedies and misfortunes are connected by the same two fundamental elements, Quirk and Hero. In this way, author Kohei Horikoshi delivers to the reader the third-level thought from MHA—revealing the connections behind separated phenomena, and through this, the world-building is made more complete and realistic. As these problems are linked together, they gradually outline the core theme of MHA.
Save VS Destroy—What shall happen to this imperfect world?
"People are not born equal." This is the "reality" that MHA has established from the first chapter, and the cause of this "reality" is a "non-ideal" world.
Still, despite being Quirkless, Izuku Midoriya managed to earn his ticket to becoming a Hero through his actions. Although the road that followed was filled with hardships, whether from physical pains or mental blows, Midoriya made his way forward with perseverance and help from fellow companions. Midoriya's experience is unfortunate and fortunate. He has experienced the world's darkness but also has felt a glimmer of light called "hope." So he uses everything he can offer to burn himself as a beacon for more people still in the darkness. He tries to help and save the unfortunate and suffering people he meets as he gradually ponders and realizes the truth of Hero Society after encountering the fallen "villains." No matter the situation he is in, Midoriya's mindset is always about how to help others, save others, and light up more fires of "hope" in the darkness.
Since even a spark of hope can give birth to the greatest Hero, only total darkness can give birth to the ultimate Villain.
And this is how Tomura Shigaraki was born. His origin is not just dark but, in fact, a collection of almost all the tragedies in the story. As a young child, before the manifestation of his Quirk, Tenko Shimura was bullied by his peers but still wanted to be a Hero, just like Midoriya. His father, Kotaro Shimura, hated Heroes as much as Kota did but never met anyone like Midoriya that showed him what a true Hero means. Moreover, Kotaro, like when Enji was lost, took his anger out on Tenko. Although the other family members cared about Tenko, they failed to understand his inner needs, just like Midoriya's mother. As it turned out, Tenko not only had a Quirk but also a Quirk that was so strong and dangerous like Eri's that the day it activated was the day of his ultimate family tragedy. In the end, while wandering the street, Tenko did not feel the warmth of this society oversaturated with Heroes. Instead, what he felt, like the other unfortunate people who eventually were dragged down into the darkness and became "Villains," was his helplessness and society's indifference.
Tenko Shimura's chain of tragedies may seem like a coincidence. However, looking into the initial decision of OFA's seventh wielder Shimura Nana, or comparing it with similar incidents in Hero Society, it's not hard to see that this coincidence to a single person is fundamentally the inevitable result of the faulty Hero Society under Murphy's Law[6]. AFO did nothing more than redirect the "ultimate destruction" this society has done to a child. As a result, the destroyed Tenko Shimura was reborn as Tomura Shigaraki, who is capable of destroying everything.
Suppose the emergence of Midoriya signifies the hope that the slightest spark of Hero Society can still bring salvation. In that case, the existence of Tomura Shigaraki embodies the despair that the various problems of the Hero Society will inevitably lead to destruction. One is the accident out of the impossibility, and the other is the inevitability behind the coincidence. At this point, MHA leads to the fourth level of thought by unveiling the fundamental conflict at the heart of MHA's story—can an imperfect society based on control and confrontation achieve self-redemption, or will it eventually commit self-destruction?
Fundamental questions often look simple but are challenging to solve with a severe solution. If one directly thinks about this abstract question without connecting it to "reality," the answer is often ignorant or arrogant. Therefore, MHA's layer-by-layer analyzing framework is a means to introduce the topic for discussion and a process to help the reader build up their background and awareness on the subject. Thus, the reader can think more thoroughly and comprehensively when facing the ultimate question along with the protagonist.
The Clash Between Will and Reality, A Trio of Trinity
An in-depth discussion of the meaning of "hero" is essential to a good hero story, and MHA's use of story elements through multiple levels serves as a vehicle for more profound thought, allowing for an in-depth discussion of the relationship between "salvation," "destruction," and "heroism." This is undoubtedly a very promising idea for composing the story. Nevertheless, how to combine these story elements and convey them to the reader through a practical narrative is an equally, if not more, critical step for conducting the literature. This step is often one of the key factors in determining whether it can become a masterpiece. MHA's most prominent innovation lies in its unconventional narrative structure.
In typical battle Shonen mangas, the story development only follows the protagonist's point of view (POV). This results in an inefficient and monotonous way of exploring the story world. To keep the plot interesting without making the protagonist merely a tool for showcasing the world, the author often has to choose between reducing the world's size and expanding the story's length. The former tends to weaken the scale and immersion of the story, while the latter causes the characters' mental growth to be extremely slow (or even bounces back and forth) compared to their physical growth. After all, cognitive and personality growth is generally limited to a handful of key stages, unlike fighting moves and powers that can be indefinitely developed and extended closely in response to the plotline of constant combats.
Secondly, this subjective perspective from the protagonist tends to make the story world feel "rigid and laggy" – as if the protagonist has been put in an RPG game: unless the protagonist takes further action, the story world just keeps stagnating. As a result, authors often interrupt the protagonist's quest with external events to bring out the "dynamics" that the world ought to have. Still, this forced approach can end up being very abrupt and feels like a far-fetched solution without very delicate foreshadowing and preparations, which might end up disrupting the pacing of the whole story.
Lastly, this traditional development pattern will also limit the antagonist's portrayal. A good antagonist should not merely be a sandbag for the protagonist's physical growth but also an incentive for the protagonist's mental development and a challenge or complementary part of the story's theme. Particularly realizing the latter requires the antagonist to have the same depth and richness of thought and characterization as the protagonist. Otherwise, the conflict of ideologies will inevitably become subordinate instead of subliming to the physical battle. But if the story always revolves around the protagonist's POV, the ideas from the antagonists often can only unfold in a limited and abrupt way, which is when the antagonist finally encounters the protagonist. The sudden, brief flashbacks and monologues of the antagonist may add a touch of flavor to these villains, but they hardly do anything more than push the plot a little further.
Does this mean there can't be a more well-rounded narrative structure that balances the protagonist's development, the evolution of the story world, and the discussion of the central conflict? Let's look at MHA's solution – an iterative narrative for a trinity of the protagonist, the antagonist, and the environment.
As the narrative of the story changes from the original single POV of the protagonist group to switches between the "positive stance" and "negative stance," the story world presented to the reader is no longer just a facade based on a single viewpoint, but a three-dimensional object with multiple layers and sides. As the experiences of the protagonist and antagonist become correlated reflections of the surrounding environment, their developments become the progression resulting from interactions between individual consciousness and external reality. When two sides meet and interact, their reactions will once again change the world they live in, thus forming a periodical trio of a trinity— constant and iterative interactions and evolutions among the protagonist, the antagonist, and the environment.
In this way, the protagonist is no longer constrained to bind their personal growth to countless encounters and fighting-move inventions just because only they can take on the role of world-building. Meanwhile, the world is no longer a wooden background that is "activated" only when the protagonist takes action or when the author decides to dig out a certain unresolved plot point. The antagonist is also no longer a bait that looks menacing but serves as fuel to the protagonist's physical power-up. This narrative framework breaks the restrictions of these three elements, the protagonist, the antagonist, and the story world from the traditional battle Shonen mangas. Furthermore, regardless of whether each plot arc follows the protagonist, they are still related to the story's theme. As the reader delves into the story, they also delve into the theme.
Although MHA's iterative-trinity narrative framework is designed to break through the constraints of balancing the story elements in traditional Shonen mangas, one can find its contributions to the story as a whole by looking at the features of MHA's story elements. The unstable equilibrium state in which the Hero Society is situated provides the opportunity for individuals to create a massive impact on the system. The complex and three-dimensional characterization allows the characters' growth to be reflected not only on the scale of physical strength but also on the level of thought and mentality. The dynamical world-building facilitates the interactions between the microscopic incidents and the macroscopic social environment. Finally, the setting where the once similar protagonist and antagonist walk on a separate path provides a dual POV narrative option. The multi-layered story elements and the iterative-trinity narrative framework complement each other in a way that fortifies each's strength. Jointly, they form a vibrant, evolving, and genuine "MHA world."
Even with the Quirk of AFO, a Nomu transformation, and an entire army, Tomura Shigaraki could not wake up and immediately achieve his goal of destroying Japan because those who had been inspired and influenced by All Might would not back down despite the absence of the Pillar. On the other hand, even though the Pro Heroes launched a surprise attack on the Paranormal Liberation Front, the unexpected menace of the Villains and citizen's declining faith still put an end to the name of "Hero" that was once considered an emblem of "honorable" and "reliable." Eventually, neither side could bring closure to MHA's story in act II.
The society shaped by us all
After apprehending the narrative framework of MHA, there is now an additional perspective to the thematic issue initially introduced by the "Hero" and "Villain." Ultimately, the world comprises individuals, and complex societal problems stem from a fundamental separation and conflict between those individuals. Midoriya's and Shigaraki's actions are changing the world as the world responds to their will in its own way. Therefore, when MHA comes to the final and third act, the story no longer just centers around Izuku Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki.
Characters who have been neglected or disappeared into the background start reappearing to take an active part in the story. Their actions not only express the determinations coming from various consciousnesses and ideologies in this society for a long time but also reflect that MHA is a symphonic poem about the entirety of "Hero Society" rather than a piece of chamber music revolving around just a few "special characters." This society's fate depends not only on Izuku Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki but also on everyone living in it.
My Hero Academia and The Ship of Theseus
From the setting that abandons the traditions of gifting the protagonist a powerful lineage to the plotline that overthrows the glorified cult of personality; from a well-rounded portrayal of lively yet fractured characters to a complex and interconnected reflection of social commentary; from a progressive thematic discussion to an ever-changing narrative perspective, MHA is like The Ship of Theseus[7] under the genre of the kingly-way Shonen manga. During its ongoing serialization period, it has been gradually replacing the "canonical" parts designed after its predecessors with the new parts it forges afterward.
Of course, in the face of these subtle yet potentially dramatic changes, different "passengers" have shown varied reactions. Some accuse MHA of "changing the formula" of the "authentic kingly-way Shonen manga" that it is supposed to become. Some suggest that these changes make MHA unique and allow it to sail in wider and wilder seas. Some still consider MHA a generic ship under the "kingly-way Shonen manga" flag, even with some replaced parts. Some are only concerned with whether the cabin they live in is still "intact" …
But no matter what MHA is genuinely "built of," its "destination" remains the same—no matter how unexpected the plot may be, it always finds a way to reconnect with the core of what has touched the reader. More preciously, each new connection resonates more strongly with the pages from the past and ultimately leaves a long-lasting echo in the reader's heart.
To me, this resonance is precisely the "Quirk" of My Hero Academia.
The manga panel snapshots used in this article are captured from Viz Media for nonprofit educational purposes only. Please visit the designated official sources to read the manga.
References
[1] Wikipedia: Weekly Shōnen Jump
Deconstructing My Hero Academia—A Superhero Shonen manga that's quirkier than it looks