One Piece creator’s tribute to My Hero Academia ending brings out a funny detail

Modified Aug 11, 2024 20:57 GMT

My Hero Academia ending brings out a funny detail of One Piece (Image via Bones and Toei Animation). — My Hero Academia ending brings out a funny detail of One Piece (Image via Bones and Toei Animation)

The My Hero Academia ending has sparked numerous reactions and messages, particularly one from One Piece author Eiichiro Oda. Oda drew an illustration of Smoker based on what author Kohei Horikoshi submitted as fan art for a contest 22 years ago. It was certainly a touching moment between two prominent mangaka, but it also brought up a funny detail involving Oda's career.

Now that the My Hero Academia ending has arrived, Horikoshi, who initially drew the Smoker fan art, has grown up, become a successful mangaka, and finished the manga, while Oda's One Piece continues. This situation has become a fun joke within the anime community, displaying multiple series that come and go while Oda's manga still continues. This Smoker fan art is the best example of that notion.

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

My Hero Academia ending and Smoker fan art by Kohei Horikoshi bring out the realization that Eiichiro Oda is yet to conclude One Piece

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After My Hero Academia ending in chapter 430, One Piece author Eiichiro published an illustration of Smoker, one of his characters, which turned out to be based on fan art submitted by Kohei Horikoshi 22 years ago. This gesture from one of the industry's biggest legends is certainly touching, but it also brings out a very fun detail.

Horikoshi submitted the fan art, grew up, became a professional mangaka, created a successful series, and reached the My Hero Academia ending before Oda did with One Piece. This is particularly funny considering that this notorious manga has 1122 released chapters, as of writing, and the ending is nowhere near close.

Furthermore, the My Hero Academia ending shows that Oda continues to be the sole constant of the manga industry once authors come and go with their own series. It is a testament to the mangaka's dedication and commitment to his manga, which is the highest-selling property of all time in this medium.

The aftermath of the My Hero Academia ending

Deku lost his powers in the ending (Image via Bones).

The My Hero Academia ending was fairly divisive to a lot of people, mainly when it comes to the events of the final chapter. An eight-year time-skip shows the main character, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, losing his powers and working as a UA teacher for the younger generations, with All Might ultimately giving him a special suit to be a hero after so long.

The ending divided a lot of fans because the idea of Deku being forgotten by his friends for so long and having a somewhat regular job was underwhelming. Furthermore, giving him a special suit at the eleventh hour, especially one that All Might got in less than a year in the main storyline, seems rather forced and unnatural.

It is fair to say that the story might need some time for people to digest the ending, although there is also a chance that might not happen.

Final thoughts

The My Hero Academia ending had a lot of strong reactions, but the tribute made by Eiichiro Oda is certainly one of the most notorious. Furthermore, it shows that while this popular series has ended, One Piece still has a long way to go.

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Edited by Shubham Soni