Chapter #430 of the My Hero Academia manga gave fans a last opportunity to see the characters that they grew to love over a decade. During this memorable entry, the futures of the protagonists were revealed, giving readers a more in-depth view of how their society evolved after the Final War arc.
Yet, the epilogue of the series contains a detail that implies Hero Society has yet to truly change. When Aizawa shows Deku a video of Bakugo cussing at a reporter, the teacher states that Katsuki will likely go down in the rankings. His comment confirms that being a hero is still seen by many as a popularity contest, a belief that brought the world many issues in the past.
Hero Rankings Have Caused More Harm Than Good in The Past
From Endeavor’s Abuse to Society’s Compliance, The Rankings Were a Horrible Idea
Throughout the My Hero Academia story, the creator, Kohei Horikoshi, depicted the many flaws ingrained in a society based around powerful Quirks. Discrimination, lack of equal opportunities, and corruption were an everyday occurrence for the citizens of Japan, who had grown complacent in their way of life. As long as they had popular and mighty heroes to protect them and ensure their lives would remain peaceful, they were willing to turn a blind eye to the many issues that plagued their lives.
Many of these problems were caused by the Hero Rankings, a system that turned this once noble profession into a popularity contest. By assigning the warriors of peace a position based on their performance and how people perceived them, many individuals made it their life mission to reach the top. Endeavor, for example, who spent most of his life as the number two hero, became obsessed with the idea of surpassing All Might and becoming the one praised by the people of the world. His desire to reach the number one position caused pain and suffering to his entire family.
Despite how horrible and unforgivable Endeavor's actions were, they were still not the worst that came from turning heroes into celebrities. One of All Might’s biggest mistakes during his time as the number one was to position himself upon the pedestal of the Symbol of Peace. By doing so, he conditioned the people of not only Japan but the entire world to the idea that the most powerful heroes would always be there to protect them. Excluding few exceptions, other heroes became complacent, focusing more on growing in popularity than bettering themselves for combat.
Hero Society Needs to Outgrow Its Past Mistakes
Having Hero Rankings Proves the World Still Needs to Change
During the tragic and deadly Final War arc of the My Hero Academia franchise, the many issues that plagued the world of the series began resurfacing. While many villains joined this conflict with the intent of causing as much harm as possible, there were many others who truly believed that their actions would create a better world. Characters like Toga and Spinner fought until the bitter end to bring awareness to the horrible treatment they received since childhood.
One of the main reasons why Deku tried so hard to save Tenko was to prove to the world that many of the villains who joined All For One’s side did so because it was their only option. Izuku went as far as to state in chapter #412 that he would not rest until every issue was resolved. Hero Society was supposed to change for the better after the battle against All For One, getting rid of the customs and norms that facilitated the Symbol of Evil from rising to power.
Nevertheless, reinstating the rankings in chapter #430 is a complete disservice to the sacrifice of Deku and his allies. Many children will still want to follow in Izuku’s footsteps in hopes of becoming famous, forgetting what the true essence of being a hero should be. This has already occurred in the past, and it is destined to be repeated if popularity is still being taken into account to establish the ranking.
Being A Hero Should Not Be a Popularity Contest
Deku Proved That Fame and Fortune Should Not Matter
An argument that can be made as to why it is important for civilians to know who the best heroes are is that this brings them a sense of safety. By learning that there are individuals out there looking out for them, they can live their lives without the fear of being confronted by a villain. By itself, this idea should not be considered a problem, as it would simply help other heroes know who they should look up to as an inspiration. Still, chapter #430 makes it clear that their performance while on patrol is not the only factor taken into consideration when ranking them.
Bakugo is addressed as one of the best heroes in Japan, hinting at him being an effective asset when dealing with threats. Even then, Aizawa tells Deku that his popularity among citizens will affect his rankings, despite being one of the best at his job. Heroes should not be seen as celebrities nor hailed as such, as this has already been confirmed to cause many issues in the past. The final chapter of the series did not hint at any of the problems caused by the ranking having been addressed in the seven years after the Final War.
This and other neglected topics could be addressed in a sequel, one that explores more in-depth how society changed after All For One was defeated. The My Hero Academia world is one that has been in constant evolution from the beginning of the series. The final chapter does reveal that the world did change for the better on certain topics. Discrimination against Heteromorphs and individuals with Villainous Quirks were indeed addressed. Seeing how these new policies affected the world would be an amazing premise for a sequel series.
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
Release Date April 3, 2016
Seasons 7
Franchise My Hero Academia
Production Company Bones
English (US) ·