Deku still couldn't match up to All Might, and he probably can't before My Hero Academia ends

Modified Jul 29, 2024 22:30 GMT

My Hero Academia has probably struggled to show that Deku surpassed All Might (Image via Bones).

My Hero Academia is nearing its conclusion in the manga with one chapter left as of this writing, and there is an overall feeling that Izuku "Deku" Midoriya couldn't surpass his mentor, All Might. And considering how the story is going to end with just one chapter, it seems that he is not going to be able to surpass him.

All Might mentored Deku from the start of the My Hero Academia manga, and one influenced the other greatly. However, there is a general perception that the latter didn't reach the heights of the former. This is a fascinating analysis because it shows the different perspectives of the fandom and what constitutes a better hero to each reader of this story.

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

Deku might not have surpassed All Might in the My Hero Academia manga

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There is a strong argument to be made that Deku never reached the peaks of All Might's from a narrative perspective and also from a matter of feats in the series. While is true that Deku, during his final battle with Tomura Shigaraki, was probably stronger than his mentor, author Kohei Horikoshi never made a great work of depicting it as such.

In terms of writing, All Might has always been one of the most compelling characters in the series, and one most viewers and readers tend to gravitate toward. His natural charisma and unshakable values, coupled with legendary moments such as his battle with All For One in Kamino, made him a strong fan favorite and arguably the most popular character in the series.

Furthermore, All Might's role as the Symbol of Hope, putting everything on the line to protect others, was a very compelling and emotional journey to witness. Even after losing One For All, he still kept going to the end, which is a narrative journey that perhaps a lot of readers found more appealing than what Deku went through, although that is entirely subjective.

The arguments against this perception

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

While it is fair to say that Deku never had the same level of impact on the My Hero Academia audience as All Might, there is also an argument to be made that Horikoshi never aimed for that to be the case. This has been shown time and time again in the story, with the author depicting All Might's need to shoulder the responsibility of hero society on his own as a flaw rather than a virtue.

Deku is meant to represent a new version of a hero society where people can rely on each other to create a better world, and that was shown in the final battle against All For One, where several heroes came to the protagonist's aid. It is certainly a different approach to heroism than what All Might does and is something that is going to divide opinions within the fandom.

Final thoughts

It is fair to say that All Might was a more compelling character than Deku to many people in the My Hero Academia fandom. It is also true that they have different approaches to heroism. In that regard, preferences are entirely subjective, and people can form their own opinions.

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Edited by Gayatri Chivukula