My Hero Academia animator's artwork hints at a better anime ending for Izuku and Ochako

Modified Dec 25, 2024 11:30 GMT

My Hero Academia animator's artwork hints at a better anime ending for Izuku and Ochako

My Hero Academia and the numerous interpersonal relationships between its large cast of characters have been central aspects of the series and its fandom. Although almost none of the anticipated ships or relationships were confirmed or even teased, Izuku and Ochako's relationship received some form of closure in the chapter 431 epilogue's extra pages.

The original and rather unfinished epilogue was delivered in chapter 430, which did not include any interactions between Izuku and Ochako. This omission led to an onslaught of memes and criticism targeting both the author and Izuku Midoriya.

Recently, an animator deeply involved in various My Hero Academia projects shared an artwork depicting Izuku and Ochako spending time together during a white Christmas. While the artwork does not indicate any official decision, its existence has been interpreted by some as a hint at the possibility of this relationship receiving more exposure and content in the anime's final season.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia series.

My Hero Academia's final season might extend Izuku and Ochako's ending scenes

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Jie Shan Yao, popularly known as "Jason" within the English-speaking part of the My Hero Academia fandom, is one of the key animators of the series. He has previously worked on seasons 5, 6, and 7, as well as two of the movies and two OVAs as a key animator.

Recently, he shared an original artwork depicting Izuku and Ochako spending time together. While it has not been confirmed, the artwork appears to be a direct continuation of the setting in chapter 431. The original post has been flagged as sensitive content on twitter but fans have reposted it to a wider audience.

The artwork itself is remarkable enough to capture the fandom's attention. Moreover, a key animator sharing artwork that directly references events from chapter 431 has given fans a ray of hope. Many are now optimistic about the possibility of Izuku and Ochako's relationship being more fleshed out.

Fan reaction to the fanart

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Many fans took to social networking sites to express their delight over the artwork. Some fans even described it as one of the best things to happen during Christmas. Others interpreted the artwork from one of the key animators as a sign that Izuku and Ochako's relationship might receive extra focus in the final season of the series.

"Sh*t is so peak that it made my christmas eve so much better," One fan said.

"They gonna add something after the last panel of 431 when it gets animated 😏 i can feel it," Another fan wrote.

The artwork is currently being regarded as an acknowledgment of chapter 431, which many now consider the original ending atop of chapter 430. Some fans mentioned that the artwork confirms chapter 431 is definitely on the production team's radar.

"Is this the acknowledgement we were waiting for chapter 431 likely to be the ending now 🎉," Another fan said.

"Appreciate this Jason can rest easy knowing that 431 is definitely on the teams mind look forward to seeing it next year 🎉🎉," One fan wrote.

My Hero Academia season 8 will be the final season of the series. While an exact release date has not been confirmed, the release window has been stated to be during Fall 2025.