Why the My Hero Academia anime doesn't need to fix the series' ending, explained

The My Hero Academia anime, which recently aired its 15th episode of the ongoing 7th season, has gained critical acclaim from fans worldwide. Fans who were delighted to see the Final War arc of the manga receive a faithful adaptation of the anime.

On the other hand, the My Hero Academia manga, which wrapped up in August 2024, was criticized by a majority of the fanbase on social media. Not everyone was satisfied with how the mangaka, Kohei Horikoshi, ended the anime and Deku's character arc. This dissatisfaction has led fans to turn their attention to the ongoing anime series, which would still have a season's worth of source material left to adapt after season 7's conclusion.

As a result, fans expressed their desire for the My Hero Academia anime to "fix" the manga show's original ending. While it's not entirely impossible that the anime might make some slight changes to the ending, fans should take a step back and reconsider their wish since the manga's ending isn't as flawed as people make it.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed in this article belong to the author. Reader's discretion is advised.

Why the My Hero Academia anime is better off not "fixing" the manga's ending

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The ongoing 7th season of the My Hero Academia anime has exceeded all expectations. Fans worldwide praised Studio Bones for remaining faithful to the manga's Final War arc and bringing the highly anticipated final battles to life in a remarkable fashion.

On the other hand, the finale of the My Hero Academia manga was under fire until recently by a vast majority of fans. They expressed their dissatisfaction upon witnessing Kohei Horikoshi's conclusion to the series.

Given that My Hero Academia is one of, if not the most popular, anime series of the new generation, expectations for the series' conclusion were at an all-time high. As such, it can be argued that most fans thought the anime would deliver an ending that would satisfy everyone—an almost impossible feat.

Deku as seen in the My Hero Academia anime (image via Bones)

Some of the fans' biggest complaints about the My Hero Academia ending include the finale's overall rushed pacing and the resolution of Deku's character arc. Not only did he completely lose his One For All Quirk, but he was revealed to be working as a full-time teacher instead of being a hero in the future. However, there was no confirmation that Deku had ever gotten together with his main romantic interest, Ochako Uraraka.

What's worse, the epilogue revealed that after graduating from U.A. High and becoming professional heroes, Deku's former classmates couldn't find the time to keep in touch with him. After defeating two of the biggest villains the world had ever seen, Deku was left behind and forgotten by his friends. This part did not sit well with the fans.

As such, many fans resorted to mercilessly ridiculing Deku's character and Horikoshi's writing capabilities on social media. They claimed that despite being one of the world's most influential and popular Shonen series today, My Hero Academia's ending was arguably among the "worst-written conclusions" to a series in the history of the animanga industry.

Many fans want the My Hero Academia anime to change the manga's ending (image via Bones)

Fans have expressed their desire for the My Hero Academia anime to potentially improve or "fix" the manga's ending. They have argued that it's not uncommon for animation studios to add original content to an anime.

For example, during the final fight between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha in the Naruto: Shippuden anime, Studio Pierrot improved the pacing of the monumental showdown and added more dialogue between the two characters, which ended up being a massive improvement from how the final fight was handled in the manga.

Another example could be MAPPA Studios amending the Attack on Titan finale. The addition of dialogues to the final conversation between Eren Yeager and Armin Artlert and the inclusion of an extended epilogue scene helped the story tie into what the narration had been building up.

Typically, whenever an animation studio alters the ending of a manga adaptation in an anime, the changes are usually minor. Most changes include improving the pacing in specific scenes and including more dialogue between characters to enhance clarity. It's rare for a studio to take a completely different route and change a manga's ending against the mangaka's wishes, although there have been a few exceptions to this.

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Looking back on the My Hero Academia ending, there is certainly no need to "fix" anything. While the anime would undoubtedlyinly benefit from minor changes like improving the pacing of the last few chapters and fleshing out the resolution of some characters' arcs to a certain extent, there is no reason for Studio Bones to go out of their way and change anything major.

The vast majority of the fanbase may not like how Deku's character arc was concluded in the series. However, some people pointed out that Deku becoming a teacher after becoming Quirkless and losing contact with his high school friends is extremely common in real life.

If anything, Horikoshi's choice to give the main character of his series a realistic ending is certainly a bold approach. While it may not be something that people would like to see in a Shonen fantasy series, fans should remember that a mangaka has the right to end their series however they see fit. They shouldn't have to alter their vision just to satisfy every single fan of their series, which is an impossible task.