After 10 incredible years, the story of My Hero Academia came to an end in chapter 430 of the manga series. During this last entry, fans saw Deku eight years after the Final War Arc working as one of U.A. Academy’s teachers, having abandoned his dreams of becoming a Hero. Losing One For All prevented Izuku from pursuing his goals, at least until his classmates gifted him a one-of-a-kind high-tech battlesuit that is implied to give him part of his abilities back.
While emotive, this ending has a major flaw, as it seems to go against everything the series has been attempting to teach readers from the beginning. One of the most important lessons of the My Hero Academia universe is that anyone can be a hero. Despite this, the protagonist is not given the chance to pursue his dream until his previously lost abilities are given back to him, implying that Quirkless individuals can still not become heroes.
My Hero Academia’s Ending Is Not Consistent With the Story
Deku Could Have Become the First Quirkless Hero
The My Hero Academia story begins with Deku lamenting himself for having been born without a Quirk. Throughout most of his life, the young man grew up hearing people telling him that he could never hope to become a hero due to his lack of power. Despite the hurtful words of everyone around him, Deku was the only one to attempt to rescue Bakugo during the terrifying Sludge Villain incident. This event is what caused the young man’s idol, All Might, to realize that his assertion about Quirkless individuals being powerless was false.
The series later went on to introduce several characters who were able to become heroes, despite their Quirks forcing them to fight virtually without one. Deku’s teacher, Eraserhead, does not have an ability that can be used in combat, as his Erasure power only prevents his opponents from using their special powers. Throughout the series, many heroes without combat-optimized Quirks have been shown. The series makes it explicitly clear throughout its hundreds of chapters that anyone can become a hero by working hard and overcoming their weaknesses.
Yet, despite this lesson being constantly repeated throughout the series, the final chapter goes against it most egregiously. Chapter 430 makes it clear that Izuku still longs to be a hero, as he refuses to answer Aizawa’s questions about missing his time as Deku. While never explicitly stated in the chapter, it is evident that the reason behind his retirement is the lack of a special power. By forcing Deku to become a teacher instead of pursuing a career as a pro-hero, the series utterly ignored the message on which it based its beginning. Deku gave up his dream because he felt unworthy of pursuing it without a special power, which is a disservice to his character growth throughout the series.
Deku Went Back to the Young Man He Was When the Series Began
The Ending Reverted Him to His Chapter One Self
One of the hardest lessons Deku had to learn as the series progressed, was discovering his inherent worth, even without having been born with a Quirk. Chapter 430 is proof of this, as the same chapter has Izuku telling young Dai that he could become a hero, despite others telling the latter that his Quirk was too weak for the job. This emotive moment, which should have been the culmination of the protagonist’s character, is tarnished by presenting Midoriya as someone who gave up on his dreams because he did not have a special ability.
Instead of allowing Deku to become the world’s greatest hero, he reverted to his old self. Chapter 430’s Izuku is not a brave warrior who defeated the Symbol of Evil, he is the same young man who longed to have the chance to become a hero like his friends. The ending of his story feels unsatisfying for many fans of the series, as it does not feel like a proper conclusion to Izuku’s journey. Rather, chapter 430 presents a version of Deku that readers had left behind at the beginning of the series.
Being a Teacher Is No Excuse for Not Allowing Deku To Become a Hero
Izuku Could Have Handled Both Jobs, as Proven by His Teachers
Despite how unfulfilling the revelation of Deku having become a teacher can be for some fans of the series, this is not a bad ending for the young man. Izuku has always been an extremely intelligent young man with a brilliant mind that can analyze a Quirk in seconds. He could have worked in a support role in a Pro Hero Agency, similarly to what Sir Nighteye was doing, or he could have used one of the many high-tech gadgets already present in the series to still play a role, albeit smaller, on the battlefield or in rescuing civilians, without having to wait eight years for his friends to buy him a state-of-the-art suit.
As stated by Deku in chapter 430, educating the next generation of heroes is something that can help him feel as if he is doing his part in protecting Japan. Nonetheless, having a role as an educator is by no means a valid reason for not letting Deku continue his heroic career. Most teachers of U.A. Academy’s hero course are or were active heroes at some point in their careers. Even if Deku had discovered a passion for teaching during his final years of high school, there would be no reason for him not still to attempt to become a hero.
His former homeroom teacher, Aizawa, proves that anyone can handle teaching and being a proactive hero. Due to his status as an underground public servant, Shota was forced to work late at night. While this greatly affected his sleep schedule, as shown throughout the series by his perpetual tiredness, he never once used this as an excuse to abandon his duties as a teacher. Deku could have easily handled being both a teacher and a hero, as he would most likely not have become an underground savior like his mentor.
Despite how controversial Deku’s conclusion may be, there is no doubt about the influence My Hero Academia had on the lives of millions of fans all over the world. The lessons given by Kohei Horikoshi in this amazing manga will never be forgotten. Chapter 430 may not be the perfect finale many expected, but it is still an iconic part of an incredible series that will be dearly missed.
