My Hero Academia Originally Had a Much Different Deku Ending Planned

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As a keen observer, I reflect on the conclusion of the captivating manga “My Hero Academia,” which wrapped up last year. The ingenious mind behind this masterpiece, Kōhei Horikoshi, unveiled that his initial concept for Izuku Midoriya’s climactic moments was vastly different from what we eventually witnessed. With the upcoming return of the TV anime later this Fall for its final season on the horizon, more enthusiasts will delve into the concluding chapters published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The ending of Deku, in particular, ignited much discussion among fans as they grappled with the resolution of a story that has captivated us for over a decade.

Attention! This discussion contains significant spoilers about the finale of My Hero Academia! The manga My Hero Academia concluded in Shonen Jump with a glimpse into the future, ten years after the war against All For One and Tomura Shigaraki. By then, Deku had become a teacher, no longer using One For All. However, towards the end of the story, it was revealed that Bakugo and other former students from Class 1-A had combined their resources to gift Deku a suit that would allow him to resume his hero duties again. Interestingly, this ending wasn’t what the series creator Kohei Horikoshi initially intended.

My Hero Academia Creator’s Original Plan for Deku’s Ending

In an interview about the ongoing exhibition of “My Hero Academia” in Japan (as translated by @shibuyasmash on X), series creator Kohei Horikoshi shared some insights. When asked about the shift from Deku’s initial prediction in the first chapter that it would be a story about his rise to become the greatest hero, to the final chapter featuring numerous other great heroes, Horikoshi disclosed that his original concept had Deku ending up as a teacher instead. Despite being powerless following the loss of One For All, Deku was envisioned to find fulfillment in this role.

Initially, Horikoshi envisioned the story concluding with Deku taking up teaching and inspiring his students with “You can be a hero!” However, as the powers were exhausted but confidence remained, this was not the final direction. The change occurred because the series evolved beyond being solely about Deku and One For All, leading Horikoshi to reconsider the ending as he expanded the scope of the story.

What Does This Mean for Deku?

In his continued explanation, Horikoshi’s overarching theme for the series was more evidently portrayed in this revised ending version: “Throughout this series, I’ve been questioning ‘What makes a hero great?’ The answer this story arrived at is that it involves helping others. So, I decided to convey this message explicitly, which transformed the final monologue of Chapter 430 into its current form.” Essentially, instead of Deku passing hope on to the future, the focus shifted more towards collaboration.

After All Might retired following his battle with All For One, fans began noticing that the story shifted from solely focusing on how Deku would compensate for the loss of All Might’s power, to highlighting instead the unity among all heroes in dealing with such a loss. This teamwork continued long after the war and eventually evolved into a future where Deku became both a teacher and the successful pro hero he had always envisioned himself to be.

HT – @shibuyasmash on X

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2025-06-29 20:10