Western fans' disappointment with Deku's career in My Hero Academia chapter 430 may stem from a key cultural difference

Modified Aug 08, 2024 12:26 GMT

Western fans' disappointment with Deku's career in My Hero Academia chapter 430 may stem from a key cultural difference (Image via BONES)

In the days since My Hero Academia chapter 430’s release, there has been a significant amount of debate and division in the series’ fandom with respect to Deku’s ultimate fate. This applies to both his true ultimate fate at the issue’s end, as well as what fans see him having done with his life since losing One For All in the buildup to the issue’s conclusion.

Whereas some are extremely happy with how My Hero Academia chapter 430 handled both aspects of Deku’s fate, there are others who seemingly have major issues with one or both. Intriguingly, it seems that Western fans are the ones with the biggest issues, especially as it relates to Deku choosing to become a teacher after losing One For All.

More specifically, fans are confused as to why Deku would be content with teaching, as My Hero Academia chapter 430 makes crystal clear, when he could’ve reasonably pursued Pro Heroism. Where this disconnect in Western versus Eastern audiences stems from is how highly regarded the profession of teaching is held in Japan and other Eastern cultures.

Debate over Deku’s teaching career in My Hero Academia chapter 430 boils down to cultural disconnect and differences

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To provide further context to this assessment of the fallout from My Hero Academia chapter 430’s events, a 2018 study from the Varkey Foundation is especially helpful. The Varkey Foundation is a not-for-profit offshoot of the Global Education Management Systems company, also known as GEMS Education. Founded in 2010, the group works with a variety of major organizations with the goal of improving education globally.

Their 2018 study found that teachers in Asia are generally more respected than teachers in the West or Latin America based on a survey of over 40 thousand people in 35 countries. The most exemplary of these findings to the survey’s overall point is the fact that China held teachers in the highest regard, with Taiwan socially placing them on the same level as doctors. Indonesia also ranked in the top five for the 2018 survey’s index rankings.

Further supporting the data found in the survey is the portrayal of teachers in Japanese media, especially anime and manga. Those who guide the next generation are very often held in high regard, and shown to be widely respected by students and peers alike. With this in mind, it makes sense that series author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi would choose to make Deku a teacher in My Hero Academia chapter 430.

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Moreover, this also fits into the series’ theme that anyone can be a hero by doing something as simple as holding out a hand. Obviously, teaching and guiding the next generation of Pro Heroes would also qualify as something heroic in the frame of the series’ definition of the word. The series’ epilogue further supports this, with All Might even speaking with Hawks about expanding the Pro Hero rankings to include heroic figures who aren’t true Pro Heroes.

While there are still problems with My Hero Academia chapter 430 as a conclusion to the series, these can be separated from the strife surrounding Deku’s choice to become a teacher. At the very least, the choice makes sense culturally and thematically, as well as narratively considering Deku’s values and the lessons he learned from his time with the One For All Quirk. While the disconnect is unavoidable, this doesn’t change the fact that the choice is a logical one.