My Hero Academia

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My Hero Academia [[File: |250px|center|]] "This is the story of how I became the greatest hero..." - Izuku "Deku" Midoriya Genre: Adventure Fantasy Superhero Action Comedy Drama Published: July 7, 2014 - Present Author(s): Kōhei Horikoshi

My Hero Academia (Japanese: 僕のヒーローアカデミア, Hepburn: Boku no Hīrō Akademia) is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. The series has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected into 30 tankōbon volumes as of April 2021. The series has also inspired numerous spin-off manga, such as My Hero Academia Smash!!, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes and My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, as well as a successful anime adaptation by Bones.

The manga won the 2019 Harvey Award for "Best Manga". As of April 2021, the manga has over 50 million copies in circulation worldwide. The manga has received an overwhelming positive response from both critics and audiences, and is considered to be one of the best manga series of the 2010s.

Plot

The series focuses on Izuku Midoriya, a young boy who dreams of becoming a Pro-Hero despite being bullied by his violent childhood friend Katsuki Bakugo for lacking a Quirk. Both youths idolize Japan's greatest hero, All Might, with Izuku being one of the very few people who knows about a debilitating injury All Might has been concealing from the public eye to keep up morale. All Might also reveals the nature of his Quirk, "One For All", and passes it down to Izuku after seeing the youth's determination in the face of danger. As Izuku begins his path to becoming a hero by attending U.A. High School alongside Bakugo and the friends they make in Class 1-A, All Might's arch-nemesis All For One trains his apprentice Tomura Shigaraki so they can destroy the current "hero society" and bring a new "age of villains" upon Japan.

Why It's Plus Ultra

1. A very interesting premise where 80% of the world's population is made up of people with superpowers.
2. The art is pretty good, especially for the panels and color pages.
3. Likable heroes such as Izuku, Bakugo (post-character development), Ochako Uraraka, Tenya Iida, Shoto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu.
4. Amazing villains such as Tomura Shigaraki, All For One, Toya "Dabi" Todoroki, Himiko Toga, Chizome "Stain" Akaguro, Kai "Overhaul" Chisaki, Gentle Criminal, La Brava, Re-Destro and Lady Nagant.
   • All For One manages to be one of the evilest villains in all of Shōnen Jump, rivalling the likes of Freeza, Dio Brando, Donquixote Doflamingo and Sosuke Aizen in terms of sheer ruthlessness and moral bankruptcy.
5. It spawned an amazing anime adaptation, as well as a couple of spin-off mangas and light novels.
6. Amazing and well-written arcs such as the U.A. Sports Festival, Vs. Hero Killer, Hideout Raid Arc, Meta Liberation Army, Endeavor Agency, Paranormal Liberation War, and Dark Hero arcs.
7. Memorable quotes, such as:
   • "You looked like... you needed saving!"
   • "Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!"
   • "There's no need to fear... for I am here!"
   • "Now... it's your turn."
   • "Yes, you can become a hero."
8. Amazing character development, especially from Bakugo and Endeavor:
   • Bakugo goes from telling Izuku to go kill himself to putting himself in harm's way to save him from a potentially lethal attack.
   • Endeavor goes from being a rude, abusive asshole to trying to not only become a better hero, but a better person as well.
9. Great emotional moments such as Izuku saving Kota Izumi from Muscular, Sir Nighteye's final speech and the death of Jin "Twice" Bubaigawara.

Bad Qualities

1. Some characters are unlikable, such as Minoru Mineta and Kotaro Shimura, as well as Bakugou (pre-character development) and Endeavor (prior to their character development).
2. Some arcs are mediocre to some fans, such as the Provisional Hero License Exam, Shie Hassaikai, U.A. School Festival and Joint Training arcs.

Trivia

• My Hero Academia is the 630th work to be published in Weekly Shōnen Jump.
  • My Hero Academia was also on the cover of the last issue of Jump Next.
• Prior to making My Hero Academia, Kōhei Horikoshi made two series in Weekly Shōnen Jump, Oumagadoki Zoo and Barrage, both of which were cancelled due to poor rankings in Jump. Horikoshi has since admitted that he thought the same thing would happen with My Hero Academia.
• Horikoshi's self-professed favorite and inspirational manga series include Naruto, One Piece, Akira, The Promised Neverland, Tekkonkinkreet and Boys on the Run. Horikoshi is also an avid fan of American superhero comic books, particularly Marvel Comics.
• In 2023, it had a crossover with Fortnite.

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