Deku could not become a better hero than All Might by My Hero Academia's conclusion, and it's obvious why

Modified Sep 10, 2024 20:32 GMT

My Hero Academia never showed that Deku could have surpassed All Might (Image via Bones).

My Hero Academia ended its manga a few weeks ago and there has been a lot of analysis on different elements of the story, with one of the most prominent being whether Izuku "Deku" Midoriya managed to surpass the greatest, his mentor All Might. The truth of the matter is that he did not accomplish said goals and this is one of the issues a lot of people have with the opening line in the series of him becoming the greatest hero since author Kohei Horikoshi did not deliver on that front.

All Might has always been one of the most popular My Hero Academia characters of all time and his heroics are still felt within the fandom, which is something that is a lot more accepted than Deku's overall characterization. Moreover, while Izuku had a major feat in defeating All For One to end his reign of terror once and for all, there is more to being the greatest hero than just one incredible moment, which is part of the issue.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Explaining why Deku didn't surpass All Might and didn't become the greatest hero in My Hero Academia

All Might and Deku as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

Becoming the greatest hero in this series means being better at it than All Might and there is very little argument to claim Deku has accomplished the said goal. While the sole reason people would put him above his mentor is the fact he defeated All For One, it is a rather superficial argument because being the greatest hero goes beyond winning one battle.

All Might fought against the forces of evil and crime for decades, oftentimes being the last man standing, and did so while inspiring several generations. Younger heroes like Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, and Izuku Midoriya himself were all inspired by All Might, which is something that the protagonist cannot claim, especially considering that his entire run in the business lasted for about a year in the story.

There is an argument to be made that Deku was more willing to accept help from others when fighting All For One but is not like All Might ever rejected help and was seen doing teamwork throughout the series when he was an active hero. As mentioned earlier, there is also the fact that he was the Number One Pro Hero for decades, which means that he saved an endless amount of lives in the process.

More reasons why Deku didn't surpass All Might

All Might and Deku as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha).

There is also the fact that My Hero Academia author Kohei Horikoshi didn't show Deku making any significant changes in society after his battle with Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. He lost One For All and chose to retire to be a teacher, which is a good place to help the next generation but is clear that he lost a lot of prominence after the eight-year time skip.

Moreover, there is also the fact that Deku himself said at the beginning of the story that he became the greatest hero, which is something he wouldn't say out of arrogance or ego because of his personality and respect for All Might. But the truth of the matter is that the story never shows him reaching those peaks, which begs the question of whether Horikoshi abandoned that idea at some point in the series.

Final thoughts

Deku didn't become the greatest hero in My Hero Academia since he couldn't surpass All Might. He didn't have his longevity nor ability to inspire others, with his sole accomplishment was defeating All For One.

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Edited by Bharath S