One of the My Hero Academia ending's biggest Deku mistakes isn't talked about enough, and it has to do with Dai

Modified Sep 03, 2024 09:30 GMT

My Hero Academia ending and a small detail involving Deku and Dai (Image via Bones).

The My Hero Academia ending has received a lot of criticism for a wide variety of reasons, many of them stemming from the way author Kohei Horikoshi has treated his protagonist, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya. There have been several scenes in the final chapter that have been criticized.

The scene where he talks with Dai has recently been dissected on Reddit, revealing some considerable inconsistencies. It is being discussed on the platform that the My Hero Academia ending has Deku telling a kid, Dai, that he can become a hero.

This works in a way as a parallel to the protagonist when he first meets All Might at the beginning of the story. However, it doesn't work when Deku's current context in chapter 430 is analyzed as a hero and the decisions he has made during the eight-year time skip. It is further emphasized by the contrast of All Might's comments at the start of the manga.

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

Explaining why the scene between Deku and Dai in the My Hero Academia ending doesn't work

Deku's ending has been heavily criticized (Image via Bones)

The My Hero Academia ending has an eight-year time skip in the final chapter 430 where one scene features Deku, now a Quirkless UA teacher, talking with a boy named Dai. This kid has doubts about becoming a hero because his Quirk is not very useful. Deku, mirroring his first encounter with All Might at the start of the series, tells him that he can become one.

However, the concept falls flat with the execution of the My Hero Academia ending because Deku loses his Quirk and simply stops being a hero. It happens despite the fact that Deku has enough training and resources to keep contributing, as shown by All Might giving him a special suit during the final chapters of the manga.

It also doesn't work because Izuku initially starts Quirkless and Dai simply has a weak Quirk, which means that their situations are different from the get-go. Then, there is another element that All Might tells the protagonist to not become a hero because he is worried about his safety. It makes sense considering the way the Number One Pro Hero goes about things.

However, Deku doesn't show any concern for Dai's future, nor does he provide any general wisdom on how he could adapt to fight crime as a hero. It is very out of Deku's character since he could be sending an innocent boy to a dangerous profession unprepared.

The issues with Deku's ending

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The My Hero Academia ending has been criticized for several reasons. But the most prominent ones include the way Deku's character is handled after the eight-year time skip.

Author Kohei Horikoshi puts a lot of emphasis on how his protagonist stops being a hero and loses the One For All embers. It feels like a massive contradiction to his message of how anyone could be a hero, as shown during the aforementioned conversation with Dai.

In the My Hero Academia ending, Deku seems to have been forgotten by his UA classmates. He doesn't even have a romantic partner, as shown by how his possible relationship with Ochaco Uraraka has never been confirmed. It feels as if the protagonist doesn't gain anything from saving the world and doesn't seem fulfilled unless he has special powers.

Instead of running with a bittersweet conclusion, Horikoshi shows All Might giving the protagonist a special suit to fight crime. This sequence begs the question of how he gets one in less than a year and Izuku needs eight, especially considering his position as the hero who saved the world from All For One and Tomura Shigaraki.

Final thoughts

The My Hero Academia ending struggles to deliver when it comes to Deku's character and the conversation with Dai is a prime example of said flaws. It doesn't work from a thematic perspective and offers a lot of in-universe inconsistencies.

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Edited by DEEPALI