Midnight's death integral to My Hero Academia's story, and Class 1-A is why
My Hero Academia has had a few controversial decisions throughout the years in its story, and one of them was the death of the Pro Hero and UA teacher, Midnight, during the events of the first war arc. However, while her death definitely came out of left field, this had necessary consequences for the entirety of Class 1-A moving forward for the next battle.
There is a major criticism in My Hero Academia when it comes to the lack of casualties during its final arcs, and Midnight's death certainly helps to deal with that, but there is more to that. Her passing helps to add more tension to the story. It also pushes Class 1-A, the ones who were not very prominent in the series, to have greater investment in this battle, as evidenced by the likes of Momo Yaoyorozu and Mina Ashido.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.
Explaining why Midnight's death was necessary in My Hero Academia
As mentioned earlier, Midnight was outnumbered and killed by villains during the events of the first arc, which was criticized by the fandom because of how sudden it was and the lack of build-up for that moment. While the criticism is mostly warranted, some people also point out that her death didn't contribute to anything in the story, which is not true since this helps Class 1-A.
While the likes of Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, and Shoto Todoroki had their own battles and individual roles in the final war, Midnight's death helped to give more meaning to the battle for the remaining Class 1-A. This is particularly telling with the likes of Mina Ashido and Momo Yaoyorozu, who had important roles on the other side of the battle.
The bulk of this is seen during the battle with Gigantomachia, with Mina having a noticeable role when dealing with this creature as well as the Pro Hero Mt. Lady, who had a degree of connection with Midnight. Therefore, this moment gave the class a bit more momentum when entering the final battle, which is something that they were perhaps lacking before her death.
The ups and downs of Midnight's death
As mentioned earlier, a major criticism that My Hero Academia has received throughout the years is that the series doesn't have any major casualties. Moreover, while Midnight's death in the first war arc added a degree of stakes, this also felt rushed and came out of nowhere, which is probably a fair criticism regarding author Kohei Horikoshi in this section.
On the other hand, there is an argument to be made that Midnight was removed from the story because of her Quirk's abilities. Her fragrance allows her to sleep most people around her, which is something that could have been extremely useful, especially when it comes to the class' battle with Gigantomachia since a good portion of the final war arc was centered around stopping him.
Final thoughts
The decision of killing Midnight is bound to be discussed in the My Hero Academia fandom for a long time until Horikoshi confirms his motivation to do so. However, her death, contrary to popular belief, did help in pushing Class 1-A and gave them more emotional investment during the final battle.
Related articles:
- Deku's lack of effort in My Hero Academia's ending may be more fitting than fans realize
- My Hero Academia season 7 sticks with a major manga plot hole in final episodes
- My Hero Academia's most-hated arc is more important than fans think
- Most impactful part of Toya's transformation into Dabi in My Hero Academia is what fans didn't see