Deku's lack of effort in My Hero Academia's ending may be more fitting than fans realize

Modified Feb 22, 2025 02:30 GMT

My Hero Academia's ending was originally poorly received but the new chapter 431, which was added in the last volume of the manga, definitely improved a lot of people's perception. However, there is a divisive topic, which is Izuku "Deku" Midoriya's decision to stop being a professional hero after he lost the final embers of One For All.

Some criticized My Hero Academia author Kohei Horikoshi for depicting Izuku in this light, but his lack of effort to continue being a hero might be fitting given his character. After all, Deku didn't truly work to become a hero before meeting All Might and that was because he didn't see a reason for it, given the status of the world around him.

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

Explaining why Deku's lack of effort in the My Hero Academia ending makes sense

Izuku as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

Many fans criticized Kohei Horikoshi for turning Izuku Midoriya into a UA teacher when he lost the One For All embers, which has been debated to this day. While chapter 431 improved several elements that have been criticized in the original ending, Deku simply giving up and not trying to be a hero was viewed as a disappointment, but it does make sense when considering his characterization.

When he started in the series, Izuku wanted to be a hero but never worked for it because of low self-esteem and not having support from anyone else given his Quirkless status. His mother, Inko Midoriya, wanted the best for him but knew that heroes needed a Quirk to do so, and Katsuki Bakugo actively bullied him for being Quirkless, making the protagonist's confidence plummet consistently.

It is All Might who makes the difference, not just because he gave him One For All, but also because he gave Izuku the confidence that he could be a hero. While Deku has grown more mature and confident at the end of the series, the story never truly says that someone can be a hero without a Quirk, which connects to an issue that has plagued the franchise for years now.

The idea of Deku being a Quirkless hero

Izuku using One For All as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

The idea of Deku being a Quirkless hero has been a hot and controversial topic among My Hero Academia fans and viewers alike for years, even going as far as having some people claim that Kohei Horikoshi should have made him a Batman-esque hero in the series. However, regardless of opinions on this topic, it is worth pointing out that Horikoshi always established that being Quirkless was a major problem in becoming a hero.

Throughout the story, heroes always have Quirks and use them for their jobs regularly, making Izuku's case all the more notorious. Moreover, there is also the fact that while All Might and he got mechanical suits for combat at the end of the story, those require extreme amounts of money, which is something that the protagonist certainly wouldn't have had earlier in the series.

Final thoughts

While the concept of Deku not pursuing the role of a hero after losing his powers might irk some My Hero Academia, it does make sense given his characterization and what the series has established. Moreover, it fits with the theme of heroes being able to help others in many different ways.

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Edited by Bharath S