My Hero Academia doesn't show Shoto and Ochako's post-war fates yet, and Horikoshi has a reason

Modified Jun 01, 2024 05:56 GMT

My Hero Academia doesn't show Shoto and Ochako's post-war fates yet, and Horikoshi has a reason (Image via BONES)

Earlier this week, My Hero Academia fans saw details of chapter 424 of author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga series leaked by X/Twitter user and reputable series leaker, @RukasuMHA (Rukasu). Readers were particularly anxious for information on this upcoming issue, as it would give them an idea of exactly how much time was left in the series following All For One’s defeat.

As suspected, the latest My Hero Academia leaks suggest that there’s not much time left at all, with chapter 424 focusing on All Might, Katsuki Bakugo, and Izuku “Deku” Midoriya. Likewise, the issue seemingly has some noticeable absences based on the leaked information, specifically when it comes to Shoto Todoroki and Ochako Uraraka.

While some My Hero Academia fans are upset with this lack of focus on the two in chapter 424, it’s likely a bit too early to ridicule Horikoshi for this “mistake.” Likewise, in reality, Horikoshi is almost certainly saving focus for the pair in a later chapter, choosing to give them a spotlight rather than asking them to share the stage with the aforementioned trio.

My Hero Academia fans just a little too early to critique Horikoshi for ignoring Uraraka and Todoroki

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This is, in reality, a smart move from the My Hero Academia mangaka, as fans likely would’ve been more upset if Todoroki and Uraraka had been shoehorned into chapter 424’s events. This is due to the fact that they would’ve had minimal appearances and dialogue since this issue was meant to focus on arguably the series’ central trio of Bakugo, Deku, and All Might.

Likewise, this also allows Horikoshi to give each of these incredibly important side characters their own full-fledged focus, similar to what the trio got in chapter 424. This will also likely be done via flashbacks, which highlight what happened in the brief time-skip which chapter 424 established in its opening pages.

In turn, My Hero Academia fans can expect to get the Uraraka and Himiko Toga conclusion they want, with the pair likely to have one final conversation with each other before the series ends. A dedicated focus to this conversation will also let it be fully fleshed out, again by the nature of Horikoshi not needing to cram it in or account for other, more significant plotline resolutions.

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The same can be said for Shoto, who should end up getting a brief flashback showing him and the rest of the Todoroki family speaking with and making up with Toya, assuming he survived. This question will also inherently be answered by the Shoto-centric flashback whenever it comes, which is all but a certainty.

However, there is the off-chance that Horikoshi botches the conclusion and doesn’t give these characters the conclusion they deserve. While that doesn’t seem to be the case based on his leaked comments and chapter 424’s events, it’s nevertheless a possibility. This is especially true for Uraraka, who is technically a side character, whereas Shoto is the series’ tritagonist and should likewise get a fully fleshed-out conclusion to his story.

That being said, this is all speculative as of this article’s writing, with chapter 424 having yet to be officially released by Shueisha. Likewise, some changes to the official release from what the series’ spoiler process claimed could also recontextualize what to expect from coming issues. As a result, fans are best served by being as patient as they can be and trusting that Horikoshi will stick to the landing when it comes to his manga’s conclusion.