“This is the story of how I became a great hero.” This is the iconic line said by Izuku Midoriya, aka Deku, the poster boy of MHA, before he set out on a heroic journey to save people with a smile on his face, just like his idol, All Might. He began his hero studies at U.A. High, a hero academy known for creating some of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen. Deku received the One For All quirk from All Might, and his path to becoming a hero was full of dangers and ordeals that pushed him to be a better hero from day 1.
Well, Deku did defeat the ultimate villain and saved the world at the end of My Hero Academia. But did the MHA series wrap up the story of its main character on a perfect note? As with any ending of a beloved series, MHA also faced both a good reception and backlash from the fandom.
My Hero Academia’s ending is far from perfect, as it felt rushed despite the author’s good ideas and intentions for the conclusion. Having said that, let’s take a look at the positives, negatives, and our final thoughts about how Kohei Horikoshi concluded Deku’s story one by one:
Spoilers Warning:
This article contains spoilers about the MHA ending. Proceed with caution.
Deku Becoming Quirkless Wasn’t a Bad Choice
If you are someone who has watched a lot of shonen anime, then you know that most of the shonen heroes possess an innate potential to become the greatest, and they do so at the end of the series. However, Izuku Midoriya, on the other hand, was a quirkless kid who dreamed of becoming a hero in a world dominated by quirk users. Eventually, he inherited a powerful quirk that enabled him to become the hero he aspired to be, following in the footsteps of his idol.
Deku soon discovered that his quirk encompassed multiple quirks within it and soon mastered all of them. However, Deku was placed in a position where he needed to sacrifice his quirk in order to save humanity. Without any hesitation, Deku sacrificed his quirk and ultimately defeated All For One. So, Deku ended up as a quirkless hero just as he was when he set out on the journey, making his character come full circle in the story.
I, like many other fans, liked the way of Deku becoming quirkless in the end, as MHA did a bold move, the polar opposite of other shonen, where the MCs always become overpowered at the end. In fact, Deku becoming quirkless didn’t affect his character arc or story in any way, as his act of sacrifice solidified his legacy as the greatest hero.
After becoming quirkless, Deku continued to lend a helping hand to people around him, but this time as a teacher. Before you say Deku was not meant to be a teacher. Let me remind you that this was a smart move from Horikoshi, as you recall, Deku was highly knowledgeable about the world of heroes before he knew he could become one. And let’s not forget that the majority of our favorite heroes, including All Might, Eraser Head, and many more, worked as teachers in addition to being heroes. Now, Deku did get another chance at a Pro Hero career and became a hero in the epilogue, and that is where the problem arose.
Horikoshi Missed the Mark on Execution
Earlier, it was hinted that Deku could still retain the One For All quirk’s powers, as Deku still has embers of his OFA quirk. This made fans hope that Deku could continue being a hero with the leftover quirk. However, Horikoshi soon dropped Deku back to square one by revealing that his embers had now faded during a time-skip. We had been waiting for a time skip for years, and when it finally happened, it felt like we had been let down with the way Deku’s story was headed.
Deku, the greatest hero of our time, silently went under the radar after wiping out the evil from the face of the earth. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against Deku becoming a teacher. Instead, I was disappointed by the current reality. Deku should have been rewarded with fame and wealth in the wake of defeating the ultimate evil. Yes, Deku is not someone who was after these, and we didn’t expect him to live like Iron Man of MHA with support suits.
But it ties in with the point where Deku received a new suit (with the help of his friends), which enabled him to become a hero again after eight long years, during which his superhero tale had become a legend. Instead of taking this path, Horikoshi could have simply made Deku reject his wealth and fame, but could have given him the suit much earlier, which would have allowed him to remain a Pro Hero in addition to teaching.
Horikoshi still could have made Deku a symbol of peace and inspiration, motivating the next generation in many other ways, instead of letting his hero stay off the radar and operate quietly. Not to be forgotten, Horikoshi-sensei also refrained from addressing Deku x Ochaco’s relationship status at first. Though he managed to salvage this situation with an additional epilogue chapter, it still felt like he could have bid farewell to Deku as his fans had wanted to see for years.
Final Thoughts: MHA’s Extended Epilogue Bid a Better Farewell to Izuku Midoriya
As you can see here, Horikoshi’s decision to rush the epilogue of his series backfired big time, overshadowing the meaningful ending he was trying to establish. After the original ending in chapter 430, Horikoshi released two additional chapters (431 and 431.5) later on, which softened the blow of the original ending.
Although we were disappointed to see Deku end up in the way back then, Horikoshi’s extended epilogue finally gave us the redemption of Deku we yearned for. Initially, Chapter 431 gave us more insights into Deku’s goals for balancing his life as both a teacher and a Pro Hero after losing his OFA quirk. Then, Bakugo set Deku straight by giving him valuable advice, and finally, Deku’s relationship with Ochaco blossomed in the end.
In addition, the special one-shot chapter (chapter 431.5) featuring Eri finally showcased Izuku, dubbed as the new ‘One For All Hero: Deku’, as he continued his superhero work alongside his friend Bakugo. Within a short period, Deku is confirmed to have reached the No.4 rank on Japan’s Hero Billboard Chart after acquiring his suit.
In the end, Horikoshi listened to the fans and gave Izuku Midoriya his deserved ending in the MHA series, albeit in the extended epilogue chapters. While manga readers like me had to experience the average ending at first and then come across the additional epilogue chapters, the anime-only fans are set to receive a better ending. Fans who were initially critical of the original ending changed their minds after witnessing the extended sequences. And it’s about to get even better as the anime is rumored to adapt the additional chapters.
If only Horikoshi had taken his sweet time with the epilogue and patiently fleshed out the conclusion for every character, the MHA ending could’ve received a better reception from the start. Though I had mixed feelings about the way things ended, the extended ending for Deku eventually won over my heart, and so did it in the anime.
In the end, Deku did become what he promised at the start and was essentially recognized as the All Might of his generation. Though Deku didn’t instantly become the number one hero on Billboard, he is striving hard to inspire the next generations both on the field as a great hero and in schools as a reputable teacher.
That said, what do you think about the ending to Deku’s superhero tale? Are you satisfied with the ending, or do you still think it could have been better? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
