My Hero Academia: Our No.1 Hero Comic
Words by Liam Horgan.
*Warning: This article discusses spoilers for My Hero Academia*
“Whether you win or lose, looking back and learning from your experience is a part of life.” – All Might
Superman. Batman. Spider-man. We’re all very familiar with these names. The last decade or so has been defined by the boom in Superhero properties. From Marvel to DC and every other comic group in between, we’re no strangers to Superhero media. Looking back at the last decade, Marvel dominated mainstream media with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Between them, the Snyder cut and various other properties, it’s safe to say Superheroes are in and they’re not going anywhere soon. However, despite the pop culture dominance that was the Avengers franchise, a number of these projects have been hit and miss. The DC extended universe was half-dead on arrival. Despite the highlights of Days of Future Past and Into the Spider-Verse, Fox and Sony have rarely fared any better. That's just with regards to on-screen properties. When it comes to comic books, it’s an entirely different kettle of fish.
While onscreen projects like the MCU have flourished, Comic books themselves are lagging behind. Unlike the relatively fresh-faced MCU, Marvel comics have a near 82-year history. For longtime comic fans this means nothing, but it does newer fans wanting to read the source material are left with a daunting fare. In recent years, both DC and Marvel have published a wealth of crossover events which dominate a large portion of their comics for a number of months. These events have varied in quality and at times have been perplexing (to say the least).
However, there is one piece of Superhero media which I believe has evolved into the best Superhero story we’ve seen in a long time. No, I’m not referencing the popular kids show Paw Patrol (for the record if I was I’d still be right). No, I'm referring to Japanese mangaka Kōhei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia. First published in 2014 in Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine, the hugely popular manga has since sold over 50 million volumes worldwide and won a Harvey award. It has also spawned two spin-offs, an anime series, a video game series, a film series, and even a musical (yes, you read that right).
The popular anime is now in it’s 5th season.
If you’ve not heard of My Hero Academia the basic premise follows Izuku Midoriya, a young boy born without superpowers (known as Quirks) in a world where they are the norm. Despite that, he still dreams of one day being a hero himself. He soon meets All Might, Japan's greatest hero, who chooses Midoriya as his successor, sharing his Quirk and aiding his enrollment in the number one school for heroes in training.
My Hero Academia covers various aspects of superhero stories we’ve encountered before, however its strength lies in how it takes the core concepts of a superhero story and solidifies them into something truly engaging. It’s clear from Horikoshi’s work that he admires Western superhero comics, but more importantly, he understands what makes them work. Generally, DC’s roster of heroes are depicted as all powerful beings with god-like power who grapple with the notion of being human; in contrast, Marvel’s stories tend to focus on everyday people who have to deal with powers beyond their initial control. My Hero Academia blends these two aspects seamlessly to outstanding effect. In a world where everyone has some power, Horikoshi shows from the get-go that those with power must learn to control and use it for the greater good.
An example of MHA manga covers paying homage to other comics.
Like DC and Marvel, what really sells My Hero Academia is the story's colourful cast of characters. Their various stories and the trials they face help to inform and build the world Horikoshi has created. Like all great stories, Midoriya is a true hero. As All Might tells the young boy “Most of the top heroes show signs of greatness even as children, many of them claim that their bodies simply moved before they could think”. At first an underdog, Midoriya shows that when faced with true evil, he never falters. He saves those that need saving, even if it means putting himself in harm’s way. Midoriya is not a perfect hero and that’s what makes him great. Unlike Superman for example, Midoriya’s weakness is not something physical which can be used against him, but rather his weakness is his power. As Peter Parker will tell you “with great power comes great responsibility”, in Midoriya this line is solidified. If Midoriya pushes his power too far, he ends up physically hurting not only himself and also, sometimes others. For him, learning to control his immense new power is his ultimate journey. In contrast, he is surrounded by allies who already have masterful control of their own powers (specifically his rivals Todoroki and Bakugou). The gap between them is immeasurable, yet Midoriya strives forward. In many ways, unlike his classmates, Midoriya must learn what it means to be a hero, on top of learning about his new power. Until he gained his power, Midoriya never stood a chance at becoming a hero. In gaining his power, he must learn what it truly takes to become a pro.
Midoriya’s Quirk (known as One for All), does not make him invincible, it has a weakness which seems logical. This is a core aspect of how Horikoshi deals with the powers of his character. Within the realms of his story, each Quirk has a logical mechanic In turn, each Quirk has an equally logical weakness (the one exception to this rule is the No.8 hero Wash, he’s just a washing machine, seriously). For example, Midoriya’s rival Katsuki Bakugou has a powerful Quirk; Explosion. His Quirk allows him to secrete a nitroglycerin-like sweat from the palms of his hands and ignite it on command. However, over-use of his quirk leads to an ache in his forearms. Additionally, during Winter, he naturally sweats less, reducing the capabilities of his power. The inner-mechanics of Quirks allows for a grounded approach to powers, avoiding loose concepts like getting it from a space stone?
It’s not just comic books that Horikoshi is inspired by. It’s clear that Horikoshi is also a fan of Star Wars. In many ways Star Wars is the narrative key for My Hero Academia. The broad strokes of Greorge Lucas’ film can be seen in Horikoshi’s work more than anything else. Midoriya is a clear parallel to the naive Luke Skywalker, his mentor All Might is Obi-Wan, in turn, All Might’s teacher is compared to Yoda in the mangaka’s notes. Even Midoriya’s nemesis Shigaraki has a shadowy Master more powerful than his servant (à la Ian McDiarmid).
今週のジャンプでスターウォーズのポスター描かせていただきました！最後のジェダイいよいよ今週です！楽しみ！ pic.twitter.com/A0IHPt6DLU
— 堀越耕平 (@horikoshiko) December 12, 2017
Horikoshi’s official promotion for The Last Jedi.
In many ways, the success of Midoriya’s story lies in the way that Horikoshi utilises "the hero's journey". Broadly speaking, "the hero’s journey" is a narrative tool used to tell a story. It consists of three parts; The departure - where the hero leaves his home behind, the initiation - where the hero learns to navigate his new world and the return - the hero returns home. My Hero Academia is littered with this "hero’s journey". Broadly speaking, each arc follows this structure and more importantly, the overall story follows this structure.
Every prominent character goes through a version of this arc in Horikoshi’s story. For example, Midoriya’s mentor, All Might. He starts the story by joining UA Highschool as a new teacher, leaving behind his daily heroic lifestyle (the departure). He then has to balance training his successor, Midoriya, with being a teacher for the entire student body (the initiation). Finally he loses the majority of his power fighting his nemesis, returning to UA a different person (the return). However, this cleverly sets up All Might’s next arc; learning to live without his power. Thus All Might enters the cycle once again, starting with the departure (i.e. losing his powers). The cyclical nature of the hero's journey means that in My Hero Academia, Horikoshi has been able to tell tale after tale with his characters, continuously building on the foundations he’s already laid down. Innovatively, Horikoshi doesn’t just apply the hero’s journey to his heroes but also his villains. Prime-antagonist Shigaraki also follows the hero’s journey from departure to return and like Midoriya and his allies, this continuously happens to Shigaraki. Essentially, like their Quirks, the characters of ‘My Hero Academia’ are forever evolving and moving forward.
All Might throughout his cycle.
Due to the very nature of the story structure, there are real stakes present in Horikoshi’s work. Like the MCU, Horikoshi tells a linear narrative, however, each arc affects the next. Currently the manga is dealing with a huge change in hero society and in Midoriya’s story. By effectively making sure that every action has a consequence, Horikoshi avoids the pitfalls of some of the earlier entries in the MCU. For example, Thor: The Dark World , which features a full-scale alien invasion that doesn’t affect the overall MCU at all, despite the Avengers being set up to combat large-scale threats. The cause and effect nature of the plot means we see growth in our characters and in our world. It’s a key plot device that helps to develop the world of My Hero Academia while still keeping the overall story engaging. When All-Might steps down as the "Number 1 Hero", a Billboard-style ranking of Japan's top working superheroes, there are real repercussions in the story. His replacement, the hero Endeavour, is left dealing with a power vacuum and various pressures from society, underlying a sense of causality which often is amiss in other superhero stories.
Ultimately it's the idea of cause and effect that truly sets My Hero Academia apart from other superhero stories. There’s no big reset, no new writers taking over, it’s just Midoriya’s tale and the various paths he takes along the way. My Hero Academia certainly deserves it’s popularity and acclaim. While Horikoshi’s story is still ongoing, so far, it’s yet to buckle under its own weight. It's an engaging tale, featuring equally rich characters with enjoyable action, twists and individual character moments, all brought to life by Horikoshi’s beautiful art. As a superhero fan, it’s certainly refreshing to read something that understands the nature of a hero and uses it to tell a riveting tale with real stakes. I implore you to check out the manga, if you haven’t already.
‘My Hero Academia’ is available to buy or rent digital on the Shōnen Jump App. Physical copies are available from various online book and manga stores.
