5 My Hero Academia ending fan theories Horikoshi should've made canon (& 5 he was right to ignore)

The My Hero Academia ending has been quite divisive to a lot of people, to the point that it was considered something that hurt the entire series as a whole. There were several directions that the story could have taken, which is something that the vast majority of the fandom considered through multiple theories. Some of them should have been canon while others, not so much.

There is no denying that the My Hero Academia ending is going to have a controversial legacy in the coming years, and some of these theories show that things could have been better or worse, depending on the directions that author Kohei Horikoshi could have taken. Whether it is some characters dying, Deku ending with or without powers, or developing some established lore, these theories are quite interesting to look back on.

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

5 My Hero Academia ending theories that Horikoshi should have made canon

1. All Might's death

All Might should have died (Image via Bones)

The series established several suggestions of All Might dying, to the point that his survival seemed like the actual subversion of expectations. A character of All Might's caliber deserved a much better conclusion in the My Hero Academia ending.

The general perception of the fandom is that the legendary Number One Hero should have died against All For One in the Kamino arc, but the saddest part is that he got another chance in the final war. While the use of the mechanical suit was divisive among the fans, this gave the character a chance to face his arch-nemesis once again and prove that a Quirkless person could still be a hero.

Moreover, it would have been a proper conclusion for All Might if he gave his life in one final moment to save people and definitively defeat All For One, especially considering that the physical body of this villain was defeated by a version of Katsuki Bakugo, who just came back to life and had no connection to All For One.

2. Deku having a One For All successor

Deku should have had a successor (Image via Shueisha)

A key theme that was established throughout the story, even in the My Hero Academia ending, is the idea of generational change. This can be seen quite clearly in the relationship between All Might and Deku, which is not only that of a master and student but also a father-son dynamic that was quite obvious.

In that regard, it would have been interesting to have Deku continue as a One For All user, master it even further, and become the greatest hero of all time while preparing a successor. The idea of him being Quirkless and giving up on heroism for eight years has been reviled by the fandom, and this is a direction that could have been a lot more well-received.

From a commercial perspective, this could have set up a potential sequel in the case that Horikoshi would have liked to return to the series. On the other hand, if a sequel never took place, it would have been satisfying to see Deku fulfill his dream and help another Quirkless kid live his own life.

3. Major changes in hero society

Hero society should have changed a lot more (Image via Bones)

A major theme that the series was trying to explore was how people were judged by society and how that could lead to a lot of negative situations. The series, particularly the My Hero Academia ending, establishes that hero society is deeply flawed and some changes need to be made, but that is something that the story doesn't explore during its conclusion.

There were several theories of how the final battle was going to find a way to eliminate Quirks forever, that Deku and his friends were going to change the system, and things of a similar ilk. However, the eight-year time skip shows that there is still a ranking system and heroes operate as they always did, including doing commercials and selling merchandise.

While characters like Mezo Shoji and Ochaco Uraraka were shown doing programs to help people who were having problems with their Quirks, it was shown way too late and in an abstract manner. It was a pivotal topic in the series and Horikoshi didn't give it the conclusion it deserved during the My Hero Academia ending.

4. The Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory

Dr. Garaki came up with the Quirk Singularity Theory (Image via Bones)

Regarding the My Hero Academia ending, Dr. Garaki established an interesting piece of lore which was the Quirk Singularity Theory. The general idea of this theory is that the Quirks are getting stronger in each new generation since more users are having kids together and their DNAs lead to stronger powers, as evidenced by the example of Shoto Todoroki.

It is a theory that makes sense when considering that Quirk users are only growing in number, but the My Hero Academia ending never truly explores that concept. It is a shame because it was a unique concept for the conclusion of the story and wasn't really addressed, to the point that its role in the manga has to be questioned to some degree.

5. Deku getting Shigaraki's Decay

It could have been a great ending for their journeys (Image via Shueisha)

Deku and Shigaraki's journeys always mirrored one another, and the My Hero Academia ending was trying to capitalize on that. There was a theory in that regard, stating that the protagonist was going to lose One For All while fighting the villain and, through some events, was going to end up with his Decay Quirk by the end of the story.

The general idea of this theory is that Tomura's younger self, Tenko Shimura, wanted to be a hero and his Decay led to the destruction of his family. Realizing that he couldn't save the villain and understanding that circumstances made him that way, Deku was going to carry on his hero career with this Quirk as a way to give Tenko the life he never had.

It is almost certain that this My Hero Academia ending would have been divisive to some degree but would have allowed Deku to continue his dream of being a hero and would have allowed Shigaraki to die as a villain, which is exactly what he always wanted.

5 My Hero Academia ending theories that Horikoshi was right to ignore

1. All For One being Deku's father

One of the worst theories for the My Hero Academia ending (Image via Bones and Shueisha)

This is perhaps one of the most notorious theories in the series, and one that a lot of people were expecting in the My Hero Academia ending. The genesis of this theory was the direct result of Deku's father, Hisashi, never showing up in the story despite still being married to his mother, and Garaki being the same doctor who told the protagonist that he was Quirkless when he was a kid.

There was also the theory that, just like with Tomura Shigaraki, All For One was coming up with a lot of possible successors and bodies to use if his current one gave in. Thankfully, this didn't happen since it would have made the universe of the series seem even smaller and would have been too convenient that one of All For One's experiments became the next One For All user and All Might's successor.

2. Deku dying at the end of the story

One of those elements that could have ruined the My Hero Academia ending even more (Image via Bones)

One of the biggest issues with the My Hero Academia ending is that Deku didn't get a satisfying conclusion as he lost his Quirks, gave up his hero role for eight years, and was mostly ignored by his former classmates. Therefore, it would have been even worse for his character to die at the end of the story.

Some people would have preferred for the My Hero Academia ending to be Izuku dying in a heroic manner to defeat Shigaraki or All For One. However, Deku always prioritized the safety of others over his own since the beginning of the story and earned a happy ending, especially considering the series' positive message throughout the years.

3. Tomura Shigaraki getting a redemption arc

One of the most feared My Hero Academia ending theories (Image via Bones)

Looking back at the weekly publications of the My Hero Academia ending, especially during the war arc, there was a general fear that Tomura Shigaraki was not only going to survive but was also going to get redemption. This is because Izuku spent most of their final battle appealing to Tomura's humanity and reaching out to his "inner child", which is something that rubbed fans the wrong way.

Shigaraki's origin story is tragic and wasn't responsible for what happened with the Shimura family, especially considering All For One's influence. However, he still was responsible for the deaths of a lot of innocent people, the destruction of multiple cities, and wanting to cause even more chaos if he had gotten his way in the final battle.

If Horikoshi had taken this decision in the My Hero Academia ending, it would have damaged Deku's character even further by trying to redeem a genocidal maniac, and would have affected Shigaraki's rise as an evil overlord. His canon conclusion, while affected by the All For One twist, at least made him go down on his own terms, which is fitting when considering his journey in the manga.

4. Deku giving his Quirks to his classmates

Another one of those feared My Hero Academia ending theories (Image via Shueisha)

A major element of the My Hero Academia ending was that Deku didn't save the world on his own but rather with the help of his friends and classmates. While this is a positive message and fits with the overarching themes of the story, it is good news that Horikoshi didn't choose to give the classmates a portion of the One For All Quirk.

When considering that Deku needed two years of training to master these abilities, it would have been a bizarre choice to see these characters use this legendary Quirk all of a sudden. Furthermore, One For All was an element that connected Deku with All Might, the former users, All For One, and Tomura Shigaraki, making the conflict very personal between them.

The My Hero Academia ending had several issues and the way the class was handled during the eight-year time skip, and this would have only added salt to the wound. It would have also needed a lot of plot conveniences, so fans should be thankful that Horikoshi didn't take this direction.

5. Deku having a Quirk all along

A controversial case among My Hero Academia ending theories (Image via Bones)

One of the cornerstones of the series was Deku starting Quirkless and being bullied because of it. His relationship with Katsuki Bakugo and perspective of the world— two key elements of his characterization early on— were defined by him not having a Quirk so him having one all along would have been terrible for the protagonist, especially considering the context.

This theory was that, during the final battle of the My Hero Academia ending, Izuku was going to lose One For All in this confrontation and that was the moment when he was going to unlock the Quirk he received from his parents. It is fair to say that Kohei Horikoshi already established something with late bloomers in this arc since Dabi unlocked his ice Quirk while fighting the Todoroki family.

It is easy to see that this would have been a deus ex machina, especially considering that Deku has been at death's door several times throughout the story, which could have been pivotal to unlocking his own Quirk. Moreover, it wouldn't have made sense since the former One For All users in the vestige world already stated that he was Quirkless, so they probably would have felt one if he had it.

Final thoughts

The My Hero Academia ending is probably going to go down as the most controversial element of the series for the foreseeable future. However, some of these theories show different ways the story could have been better or worse, although that is up to each fan's interpretation of this.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay