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Heroes always win in the world ofMy Hero Academia, and the way this is demonstrated is exactly what made its ending quite iconic for fans. After all, Izuku Midoriya makes the perfect sacrifice to save the world, and the rest of the Pro Heroes manage to defeat other members of the League of Villains hell-bent on causing chaos throughout the land. This is especially the case with the hyped final fight between All Might, Katsuki Bakugo, and All For One - as the latter wants nothing but to destroy the world as the ultimate supervillain.
As the many epilogues of the series have shown, all is well and good in the world with Izuku and his classmates always ready to save civilians from villainous threats. However, while the shot of Izuku and the new batch of Pro Heroes indeed spark inspiration to the eyes of readers, there’s still something about the ending of the series that feels a bit of a letdown.
Deku Becomes An Inspiration To Others
What Better Way To Touch The Lives Of Future Heroes And Reform Potential Villains?
In the series epilogue, Deku is seenmaking his way to a Class 1-A reunionas a teacher at U.A. High. Having given up the last embers of One For All to defeat Shigaraki, Deku becomes Quirkless at the end of the story. Fans might feel Izuku being left with nothing considering his sacrifice as an insult to the character, but fans should also remember that selfless sacrifice is one of Deku’s greatest traits - that a majority of the biggest threats in the series were defeated thanks to Deku going beyond his limits for the sake of saving others, even if he doesn’t receive a reward in return.
In the epilogue, a teacher Deku boosts the confidence of a nervous middle-schooler Dai, as the former tells Dai it doesn’t matter what Quirk he has when he’s already prepared to give a helping hand to others. This is reflective of Izuku’s evaluation by his peers and teachers - that his presence inspires them to do better and be better heroes. Isn’t being a teacher the best way to do this to youngsters all the time?
That Armor Epilogue
Deku Is Called Back Into The Line Of Duty With A New Suit
Interestingly enough, Deku’s ending doesn’t stop at being a teacher. As it turns out, Bakugo and their classmates all pitched in to commission a specially-made suit for Izuku. Following the vein ofArmored All Might’s destroyed suit of armor, Deku is given a new suit that seemingly replicates either One For All’s abilities or Deku’s Shoot Style - allowing the teacher to return to the line of duty as a hero once again.
Not only that, but Deku even bags his leading lady Ochaco - although it helps to note that they only began dating at the very end of the epilogue, with the spirit of Himiko Toga within Ochaco’s blood urging her to follow-through. This paved the way for a stellar final shot in the epilogue where Deku joins his adult peers after being called forth as heroes. What a satisfying way to end Deku’s arc, right? Well, not necessarily.
Discontent On The Teaching End
It’s As If Deku Will Not Be Fulfilled As A Quirkless Teacher
If anything, Deku getting the girl and even his dream of being a hero seem like a fair way of “rewarding” the character for his efforts, right? However, these might be more of a disservice to his character arc than anything else. After all, this ending implies there’s no way Deku should “settle” tobecome a teacher. And while it’s true that Deku can do his heroics during or after his shifts, this still implies Deku cannot become “just” a teacher and “just” Quirkless, period.
Being a teacher and looking after the next generation of heroes isn’t a punishment for Deku. Somber as it is, this is a poetically appropriate ending for the character. Theoretically, Deku ending as a teacher can make for the best retirement of One For All as a coveted power, all the while Deku ensures the next generation of heroes (and his own peers) are challenged to preserve All Might’s legacy of peace. Izuku remaining as a Pro Hero is an awkward continuation of his heroics, as Mirio is technically the World’s #1 Hero - so what place does Izuku have left in terms of character development?
His Story Was That Of The World’s Greatest Hero
A Case Of Grammatical Foreshadowing
Fans who feel dissatisfied about Deku’s ending need to remember Izuku’s own introduction to the series, thatMy Hero Academiais the story of how he became the World’s Greatest Hero. The epilogue reveals this is a red herring, as Izuku did say that the story was how he became the greatest hero - not thetophero in terms of rankings, andbecamein the context of past tense.
It’s the latter statement that fans need to focus on. IfMy Hero Academiaended up becoming Deku’s way of retelling his story, then Izuku already spoiled the ending: in defeating Shigaraki and saving the world, hedoesbecome the World’s Greatest Hero. And by losing his Quirk in the end, it makes sense to usebecamein his introductory sentence. Nitpickers might state this is just a case of a mistranslation or the dub affecting how people remember the statement, but one thing remains for certain:My Hero Academiais still Deku’s journey. And the rather bittersweet tone in his introduction would have been the best “first clue” into his sacrifice.
A Poetic Finish To One For All’s Legacy
Deku Could Have Left The Scene In The Best Way
Izukuleaving the Pro Hero sceneby becoming a teacher in the sidelines isn’t “lessening” to some degree, as this leaves him with a legacy similar to that of Edward Elric inFullmetal Alchemist- he did give up his alchemy to save his brother, and Izuku had to give up his Quirk to save the world. One For All did become one with all. Deku training new aspirants to become the World’s Greatest Hero in the same way he has is an excellent way of finishing his character arc - with Deku ending up Quirkless with a renewed purpose.
However, this poetic finish also extends to the people left with the challenge of continuing All Might’s legacy. Among heroes Deku encountered, only two fit the bill:
The Balance In The Force Conjecture
Deku Reconciles Good And Evil, Much Like Its Star Wars Inspiration
It’s no trivia thatMy Hero Academiatook a lot of cues fromStar Warswhen it comes to its character design and plot hooks, which makes it reasonable for fans to speculate that Deku was inspired by Luke Skywalker - green motif aside, he’s a seemingly-ordinary (Quirkless but brave) child plucked from nowhere by a renowned teacher (All Might) and molded into the world’s savior. Deku’s whole schtick of helping restore balance by defeating a great evil (Shigaraki’s Darth Vader and his teacher All For One’s Palpatine) seems inspired by the acclaimed sci-fi series.
Considering how Luke ends up being a teacher in theStar Warssequel trilogy, it makes sense for Deku to follow in the footsteps of his potential inspiration. Deku also gives up his tool to do great good (One For All) to stop great evil, which is a poetic way to finish the story in a similar vein asStar Wars.
