My Hero Academia fandom unhappy with Deku being in Fortnite, and with good reason

It was confirmed on Saturday that the My Hero Academia franchise would be making its way into Fortnite in the upcoming season 4 chapter 1 premiere for the video game. Speculation began when a trailer for the upcoming season seemingly featured an All Might-style pickaxe passing through the frame.

The confirmation came after several reputable leakers within the Fortnite community conveyed via promotional art that the My Hero Academia copyright was in place for the upcoming season. This was then followed by an official announcement from Fortnite, featuring series protagonist Izuku Midoriya in the game using his iconic “Smash” attacks.

While some fans are extremely excited to see Izuku Midoriya come to the title, others seem upset or angry that Izuku will be in the game first as opposed to other anime characters.

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My Hero Academia fans flabbergasted that Deku is in Fortnite at all, but especially over other series and characters

The latest

As touched on above, many My Hero Academia fans are shockingly expressing discontent with the latest announcement of Deku’s arrival in the game. While one would expect the series’ fans to be excited at the prospect of playing its protagonist, many seem disappointed that Deku is the next anime-based arrival to the smash-hit battle royale.

While this anime collaboration is the latest for Fortnite, it’s hardly the first. Both the Naruto and Dragon Ball franchises saw collaborations with the smash-hit video game take place, with both also being wildly successful. Most of this “success” is grounded in revenue generated via character skins, accessories, battle passes, and more, which are centered around the series and sold to players.

The collaborations also helped raise awareness among Fortnite players about anime series like Naruto and Dragon Ball, and vice versa. With the historic and mutually beneficial success of these anime collaborations, it is unsurprising that My Hero Academia took this opportunity as one of the biggest new-gen anime and manga currently available.

Unfortunately, the reaction from fans is not as predictable or welcoming as it has been for the previous two anime franchise collaborations. This is understandable since Naruto and Dragon Ball are some of the most universal household names in the anime and manga industry. For starters, many Fortnite players seem somewhat confused about the series overall and who Deku is.

YouTube streamer and Twitter user @SLOplays posted a video of Deku in-game to their account, sharing their confused excitement about Deku’s arrival in the game. However, many Fortnite players replied to the post and have been asking questions about who Deku is, what anime he comes from, and whether the series is worth watching or not.

Conversely, those My Hero Academia fans who have interacted with the post are mostly complaining about Deku’s arrival before other, equally or more iconic characters. It’s inarguable that My Hero Academia is an incredibly popular series both in general and amongst the new-gen. However, it’s fair to say that the collaboration might not be as successful as one with Bleach, One Piece, or the possibly recently-concluded JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure adaptation.

In any case, a diverse sharing of opinions has begun in the comments section of @SLOplays’ tweet. Fans of both franchises seem to be at war among themselves, arguing with each other about the merits of Deku coming to the game and the potential opportunity cost of the collaboration.

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Be sure to keep up with all My Hero Academia anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2022 progresses.