My Hero Academia finally clarifies the true status of Deku's OFA, and credit goes to Viz

Modified May 20, 2024 23:30 GMT

My Hero Academia and how the Viz translation helped understand Deku's current status (Image via Bones and Shueisha)

My Hero Academia chapter 423 recently showed how Deku and his friends defeated All For One, but the recent Viz translation has confirmed that the protagonist still has some embers of the One For All Quirk. The Viz English translations have been criticized throughout the years by anime and manga fans for often not representing what was said in the original Japanese version, so it is worth pointing out that this is a step in the right direction.

The recent Viz translation confirms that Deku still has some elements of the One For All Quirk in the final pages of My Hero Academia chapter 423, thus clarifying a significant doubt that most of the fandom had. Author Kohei Horikoshi struggled to confirm whether One For All had been fully eradicated, so this translation helps a bit in understanding what actually happened.

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

Explaining how the Viz translation clarified that Deku still has One For All in My Hero Academia chapter 423

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The most recent Viz English translation of chapter 423 fully confirms that Deku still has some embers of the One For All Quirk. This is further emphasized in the final version of the last page of the chapter, showcasing the protagonist up in the air with lightning covering him, which is a direct sign of him still using One For All at this stage of the series.

Viz Media, the company in charge of delivering the official English translation of manga series, has often been criticized by fans for giving poor translations of the chapters, whether it's this series or others. Some issues include misinterpreting the source material or outright saying something very different from what the Japanese version delivers.

However, this example has proven to be positive as it confirms that Deku still has One For All and doesn't change anything from the original Japanese version. In that regard, this is a good case of staying true to the source material and doing a very professional job as translators.

What could happen in the coming chapters?

Shigaraki and Deku in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

Chapter 423 has basically ended the final battle of My Hero Academia, with Deku receiving the help of friends, comrades, and people like Tomura Shigaraki in the vestige world to defeat All For One. The most recent chapter showed the protagonist victorious up in the sky, which suggests that the evil overlord has been vanquished and that the main conflict of the series has ended.

Therefore, the upcoming chapters are very likely to serve as the epilogue of the series, addressing the conclusion of Deku's journey alongside the likes of Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Shoto Todoroki, All Might, and a few more. The next few chapters are also likely to deal with the aftermath of several villains since there is no confirmation of the state of Himiko Toga and Dabi, for example.

Final thoughts

The recent Viz translation of My Hero Academia chapter 423 showed that Deku still has One For All, albeit just a few embers, much like All Might at the beginning of the series. This is one of the few examples where the quality of the official English translations of manga has managed to do a better job.

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