Nomus are Horikoshi's greatest misstep in My Hero Academia, and it's obvious why

Modified Dec 30, 2024 07:30 GMT

Horikoshi may have slipped up with the Nomus (Image via Studio Bones)

My Hero Academia's Nomus, the grotesque, superpowered monsters, stand as one of Kohei Horikoshi's boldest concepts. On the same plane, they are also arguably his greatest misstep. Designed as bringers of chaos, these bio-engineered beings were depicted as terrifying extensions of the League of Villains' power.

Given their enhanced Quirks and eerie forms, the prospect of Nomus being pivotal threats, challenging both heroes and societal norms, was promising. However, as the story developed, their potential as narrative devices dwindled. Rather than becoming nuanced antagonists, they evolved into faceless obstacles, often seen deployed to escalate battles without adding depth to the story.

They seemed to lack individuality, and the minimal exploration of their tragic origins was unable to leverage the emotional weight their existence could have carried. Unlike Kurogiri, who was surrounded by a complex dilemma due to their creation, the overall portrayal of Nomus fell flat.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the sole opinion of the author.

My Hero Academia: Horikoshi may have slipped up with the Nomus

All Might vs Nomu (Image via Studio Bones)

In My Hero Academia, Nomu, or Artifical Humans, were deceased individuals whose bodies Doctor Kyudai Garaki had heavily modified. He enabled them to possess multiple Quirks, reanimating them to behave like mindless super-soldiers for the League of Villains. All For One (AFO) played a major role in giving them Quirks, and without him, Garaki managed to do so artificially.

Initially, Nomus were depicted as overwhelming threats who seemed to be near unbeatable. Immense strength coupled with speedy regeneration and a number of Quirks made them terrifying foes. However, their value in the overall narrative decreased as the series rolled on. For instance, the Super Regeneration Upper Tier Nomu pushed All Might considerably before disappearing completely.

Next, the High End Nomu that fought Endeavor wowed fans with its incredible battle ability. Many feel it was a noteworthy fight and restored what Nomus can actually do. But again, beyond that point, Nomus began to appear and perform inconsistently. In My Hero Academia season 6, they were beaten relatively easily by Heroes who weren't even shown appropriately.

What if?

Now, acknowledging the premise of season 7, they were practically non-existent. To reiterate, Nomus might have been a misstep by Horikoshi, but it is yet fixable. Once again, given that the protagonists develop and grow stronger, Nomus could have been used differently to make the setting a little more intense and possibly increase the existing high stakes.

AFO could have rerouted his plans and used the remaining High Ends to hold off Deku as Tomura Shigaraki's Quirk Transfer was happening. This way, AFO would appear even more cunning, and Deku wouldn't need to hold back One For All (OFA) against them, leading to a breathtaking battle. Moreover, it would establish him as the strongest, as previous top Heroes struggled against these Nomus.

Further, the hype build-up for Deku taking on Shigaraki would have been unreal. It would quite literally be the battle of the strongest—Shigaraki easily bests the Pro Heroes to cement himself as the main antagonist, and elsewhere, Deku, having unlocked the full extent of his Quirk, faces the villain as the upcoming and new strongest Hero.

Final Thoughts

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There are a lot of "should haves" and "could haves" in topics like these, and My Hero Academia is no exception. The decisions taken were likely due to what Horikoshi felt was most appropriate in the moment. Needless to say, it led to one of the most successful series, which will live on for ages to come as a top-rated and must-read/watch.

Even so, had things turned out differently (as stated above), the situation might have been in the Heroes' favor. To begin with, High Ends were defeated as they had no leader, i.e., they were plainly destroying on instinct, hence making them easier to beat. Next, given how Endeavor and Mirko damaged the Nomus, Deku would have had a more devastating impact on them with OFA's power.