Warning: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia’s manga!!Many readers criticized the ending ofMy Hero Academia’s manga. Izuku Midoriya’s final fate as a teacher and losing One for All caused division among fans who expected the outcome teased in My Hero Academia’s chapter 1 of Deku becoming the greatest hero. Yet, a recent statement by its author, Kohei Horikoshi, points out thatMy Hero Academia’s original endingwould have faced even more backlash.
It is natural that manga artists often change their minds over the course of a series, scrapping their initial ideas for how to end their stories. However, a new interview withMy Hero Academia’s authorproves thatthe real ending ofMy Hero Academiais a massive improvementcompared to its original finale.
Deku’s Original Finale in My Hero Academia Was Far Less Satisfying
Deku Was Just Going To End Up Without a Quirk
Inan interview with Horikoshishared at the 2025My Hero AcademiaExhibition and translated by@shibuyasmashon X, when asked about why the ending of the manga changed from Deku becoming the number 1 hero in chapter 1 to everyone becoming the greatest heroes and reaching out to others in chapter 430, the author revealed that it wasn’t what he originally envisioned.
I originally planned for it to end with Deku becoming a teacher and saying, “You can be a hero!” Having used up his powers but looking fully confident… like that. The reason it changed was because this series was no longer a story just about Deku and One For All. In this series, I was exploring, “What does it mean to be the greatest hero?” and the answer this manga came to is that it means “reaching a hand out to others,” so I thought I would put the answer in writing, and that’s how the final monologue of chapter 430 became what it is now. - Kohei Horikoshi.
This highlights that the author initially intended for Deku to just become a teacher while remaining quirkless, but that he would continue to reach out to others, inspiring them to become heroes too. This means thatMy Hero Academia’s author decided later on that Deku would receive a power suit to be able to work as a pro hero.
While just becoming a teacher lines up with Deku’s character, the fact that he would have lost all his powers feels like a bittersweet and lackluster finale after everything he went through. However, since the author chose to give him an alternative and show how Deku works as a pro hero and rises in the rankings, it’s a more satisfying end to the journey for fans.
Deku’s Armored Suit Was a Great Addition to My Hero Academia’s Ending
Deku’s Finale Connects Him With All Might
Despite the criticism,My Hero Academia’s ending stayed true to the series' initial premise, which was that Deku wanted to be a hero like All Might. All Might decided to become a teacher once he couldn’t fight anymore due to his deteriorated body and to choose a vessel for One for All, but found he could still fight using hisArmored Suit in the Final War.
However, Deku didn’t decide to continue being a teacher because he couldn’t work as a pro hero, but he did it out of his desire to help others follow their dreams and avoid misunderstood people becoming villains like Shigaraki did. This means that Dekufollows in All Might’s stepsas a teacher, inspiring the next generation, but continues to work as a pro hero while quirkless.
Overall, the real ending proves to be better than the original finale because it proves that Deku’s talent as a hero beyond One for All was in his own dedication.The finale also deliversMy Hero Academia’s main messageof Deku still aiming to become the greatest hero he can be, reaching out to others in need.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a multimedia franchise that follows a young boy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreams of becoming a hero despite being born without superpowers. These superpowers, known as “Quirks” are found in most people after birth, but Izuku wasn’t so lucky - until a fateful encounter with All Might, Japan’s greatest hero, Izuku inherits his Quirk and enrolls in U.A. High School to learn the true meaning of heroism. Alongside his classmates, each endowed with unique abilities, Izuku faces rigorous training and lethal threats from villainous forces.
