Summary
My Hero Academiais an excellent example ofthe phenomenon of realism in superhero stories.The superhero genre is immensely popular and one that I have always loved, ever since middle school. I still have fond memories of seeing Marvel and DC movies on opening night with my friends. One aspect of superhero stories that has always intrigued me is how these tales manage to blend fantastical and larger-than-life heroes and villains withrealistic real-world themesand experiences.
A lot of superhero stories focus on characters born with incredible powers that are anything but average. These stories are still entertaining and engaging but often follow similar formats, following characters who were born with powers already.
Although they do face occasional setbacks, they are, for the most part, mighty beyond human comprehension and the story centers around their successes and heroic deeds. Since they have had powers since birth, they don’t have to work quite as hard to learn to wield them.My Hero Academiadoes not follow this format,telling a different kind of superhero story entirely.
My Hero AcademiaIs Unlike the Typical Superhero Story
The Story Feels More Relatable and Human Because of Its Integration of Realism Into the Narrative
My Hero Academiatells the tale of Izuku Midoriya, who was born powerless. He inherited powers from another hero, but still struggled to learn to use them. Even once he figured out how to utilize his Quirk,he still consistently faced setbacks.Deku’s story follows his tumultuous journey as he fights to become a hero he can be proud of, but he never reaches a point in the story where he’s suddenly perfect. His journey is a constant battle against challenges and tough villains. This relatability is what madeMy Hero Academiastand out to me among hundreds of other superhero stories.
Deku indeed inherited a Quirk from All Might, finally obtaining the powers he desperately hoped for his entire life. However, he did not completely change once One For All was in his possession, and this is what makes his character so inspiring to me. Deep down,Deku has always been the same goodhearted and hardworking individual,with or without his superpowers. He would still be just as heroic without One For All because this special talent is not where he derives his heroic qualities from. They come from his personality and who he is, making him more understandable and less outlandishly superhuman.
“Crawl Desperately” - My Hero Academia’s Creator Made Deku Such a Unique Hero With One Twist
In this 2019 interview, Kohei Horikoshi, creator of My Hero Academia, reveals Deku’s greatest quality that has allowed him to achieve his goals.
The Series' Focus on the Universal Human Experience Grounds It in the Real World
The Candid and Honest Portrayal of Deku’s Struggles Helped Me Connect With Him
Deku is the most realistic superhero I’ve ever witnessed, and the difficulties he faces truly humanize him. In other pop culture superhero stories, the heroes indeed struggle, but I have never seen characters' challenges highlighted as candidly and honestly as they are inMy Hero Academia.Even after receiving his Quirk, Deku got physically injured and sent to the nurse’s office,bullied by other characters like Bakugo, threatened by villains like Shigaraki and the League of Villains, and faced other various struggles. I developed a better understanding of who Deku is and his personality traits by watching him grapple with these issues.
Deku is not the only relatable hero though. Everyone in the series, even All Might, the strongest hero and Symbol of Peace, displays candid moments of struggle. This made it easy for me to connect with the characters personally, as well as rooting the story somewhat in the real world, although it does have supernatural elements. Other characters get very hurt, deal with relationship struggles, and feel insecure, among other problems.My Hero Academiais truly unique and refreshing because, although it is an otherworldly and fantastical tale, at its core,it’s rooted in the universal human experience too.
My Hero AcademiaFollows a Similar Formula to the Original Marvel Stories
By Adding Aspects of Real Life to a Fantastic World, Viewers Are Able To Connect To the Story
From Ida watching his brother, Ingenium, become partially paralyzed by the Hero Killer, Stain, to All Might facing the end of his hero career due to the gradual weakening of his body,My Hero Academianever shies away fromcovering the more uncomfortable parts of life in its narrative.As a viewer, heart-racing action and fight scenes can be exciting, but the majority of the story development for me happens in these other moments, where we get to see the characters' most vulnerable and emotional experiences, that often reflect common real-world issues.
My Hero Academia,more than any other superhero story I’ve ever seen, does a fantastic job of blending slice-of-life elements with more fantastical and tense action sequences. Some recent superhero stories seem to be one fight scene after another, relying too heavily on physical clashes. However, the original recipe for the success of Marvel Comics was to place a heavy focus on realism, giving their characters human struggles for the audience to relate with: “superheroes with super problems” (a pull-quote present on the back covers of 1960s Marvel paperbacks).My Hero Academiagoes back to these roots with the type of stories: I’ve always gravitated towards:fantastical enough to be entertaining, but with enough realism to connect with.
Character Is More Important Than Superpowers in My Hero Academia
Being a Hardworking, Courageous Person Is Framed as What Really Matters, Making the Series Inspiring to Me
The series featuresa number of emotional scenes, includingBakugo finally apologizing to Dekufor his past cruel behavior, Ochaco motivating her classmates with inspiring and peppy speeches, and All Might training Deku while offering him wise instructions that will aid him in becoming a true hero. These often tear-jerking moments surprisingly sometimes hit harder for me and remain more memorable than even the most daring and thrilling battle sequences. I think these events resonate with me and other fans so heavily because they pull back the curtain and prove that theseheroes are people just like us, with the same emotions.
Though they are superhuman, I am able to see myself in the characters because of the series' focus on seamlessly blending realism with otherworldly elements. The protagonist, Deku, is an inspiring testament to the fact that anything can be accomplished through hard work and persistence. His inherent human traits impact his hero journey even more than his Quirk itself, and I have carried his crucial lessons into my life thanks to the series. InMy Hero Academia,Quirks are a useful tool, butthe strength of one’s character is even more important, making this the most unique and beautiful superhero story.
My Hero Academia
Cast
Anime series My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers in a world where most have them. Despite his lack of abilities, he enrolls in a prestigious hero academy, striving to learn the true essence of heroism and fulfill his dream of becoming a hero.
