All Might's treatment is still the best part of the My Hero Academia Ending
While My Hero Academia ending received mixed reactions, readers will be hard-pressed to find a final battle as high-stakes as this one. Readers saw All Might make his last stand as the hero with the Iron All Might costume. The Iron All Might costume combines the abilities of various students in UA High School, and he used it for the fight against All For One.
The showdown in My Hero Academia turns the savior complex present throughout the manga on its head. Iron All Might faces All for One with him trying to be the Symbol of Peace, but still saving the day on his own. While this has worked throughout most of the manga, it isn’t enough for a world rife with dangerous quirks.
Here is how My Hero Academia ending was the best for All Might and what it means in the My Hero Academia world. Also, here is how the ending holds up against other mangas out there.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga/anime and reflects the opinions of the writer.
All Might’s savior complex and its role in My Hero Academia ending
My Hero Academia’s beginning shows All Might as the symbol of peace. A title he wants to be viewed as, but there lies the problem. All Might is fixated on saving the world so much that even when he wears the Iron All Might costume, he makes it all about himself.
He wants his light to burn bright and eventually inspire others to do the right thing but wants to hug the spotlight at the same time. Deku also faces the same issue throughout most of the manga. However, in My Hero Academia ending, he allows himself to be helped. And this is a result of his friends' insistence.
All Might’s change begins when he starts living without his quirk, and it becomes solidified when Bakugo saves his life. At that point, he realizes that he doesn’t have to do it alone and that the Symbol of Peace that he fought to become wasn’t solitary. He didn’t have to do it all by himself.
My Hero Academia's ending chapters showed a world where people want to do their all because they saw the heroes doing their all. We see the first years of UA High School follow the steps of their Seniors who fought against All for One and Tomura Shigaraki. They are not doing anything grand and are just helping in their own little way.
All Might goes beyond being just a symbol of hope. His dreams no longer push heroes to believe they can do it on their own, and this is clearer with his successor, Deku, who tries his best to inspire the next generation. In chapter 430, Deku nurtures a young boy who wants to be a hero by telling him that everyone can become a hero. The only requirement is choosing to save someone.
My Hero Academia ending and its effect on storytelling in Shonen
My Hero Academia ending was a departure from normal Shonen manga storytelling. Unlike other manga’s where the protagonist ends up being the strongest, it did the direct opposite. Deku ends the manga without a quirk.
All Might also end up without a quirk, which is not too surprising, as this is a common trope in fiction, whether the previous generation dies or loses their ability. In Naruto, Kakashi lost his Sharingan and Jiraiya died. Jujutsu Kaisen also followed the same path with Gojo Satoru dying.
What makes My Hero Academia ending different is that the hero doesn’t surpass the protagonist at any level. All the power Deku builds up throughout the entire manga becomes null. He is no longer the heir apparent to the symbol of peace. He is without quirk but not without power.
Deku and All Might share the spotlight as heroes. The future shown in My Hero Academia is one where everyone is united. Heroes are taking huge steps to stop hate crimes and no one is struggling to become the number one hero(except Bakugo). It is a world filled with collaboration and peace.
In My Hero Academia Ending, Deku acknowledges everyone around as the greatest heroes. A huge contrast from the beginning where he calls himself the greatest hero. And this is due to how he has truly begun to appreciate everyone around him.
Conclusion
My Hero Academia ending is a reminder that stories that break a storytelling trope can work. Many readers expected a story to put Deku and All Might on top(which the story did) but did so unconventionally. The two characters learn that they do not have to be alone and can rely on others.
Another theme that went unnoticed in My Hero Academia ending was the importance of stories. A League of Villains survivor vows to tell Tomura Shigaraki’s stories and even Deku vows to tell stories about them. In the end, Deku does more than that, he shines a light on everyone and speaks about how they became the greatest heroes.
Despite all the mixed reviews from many manga readers, My Hero Academia still enjoys rave reviews. It is one of the highest-rated manga/anime on MyAnimeList and IMDb.
Also Read:
- My Hero Academia: Every Similarity between Iron Man and All Might as of chapter 386
- Tomura Shigaraki was never meant to be My Hero Academia's final villain
- Move over Deku, My Hero Academia gave All Might the best ending he deserved