When a shonen anime like My Hero Academia crams in a huge cast of characters, there won't be enough room for everybody to get a strong arc, or even a worthwhile ending. On the plus side, cast members like Ochaco Uraraka, Himiko Toga, Shoto Todoroki, and Deku himself had emotionally resonant and satisfying endgames. They have come a long way and had sendoffs that meant everything for them. The anime also has plenty of cast members who just faded away and had weak endgames to their arcs.
Such a thing is inevitable, and fans don't mind if minor characters like Mustard and X-Less had less than stellar endings. But it's a problem when more popular and substantial characters don't get the endings they deserve, which makes things feel like a total loose end. A well-deserved ending doesn't even have to be a happy or positive one, either -- it just has to be substantial and firmly close the book on the character's arc. Whether these characters deserved a "happily ever after" or not, they are still owed better endings than the My Hero Academia anime gave them.
Overhaul's Ending Was Weak and Forgettable For Such a Cool Villain
Overhaul Faded Into Obscurity as a Fallen Villain With No Arms
Overhaul the villain is a good example of someone who deserves not a happier ending, but a stronger one. No My Hero Academia fan wants Overhaul to be redeemed or get an ending where he rides off into the sunset, since an abuser like him doesn't deserve that. Instead, what Overhaul needed was a more impactful and even thought-provoking ending where he reflects on his life experiences. He was raised in the Yakuza lifestyle, reached the summit of the criminal underworld, then lost almost everything.
My Hero Academia: 8 Most Useful Rescue Quirks
Saving people in My Hero Academia becomes so much easier with these useful rescue quirks.
Overhaul's losses were hefty, from losing his criminal empire to losing his arms and his Quirk factor along with them. He shouted in agony when Tomura rotted his arms away, but otherwise, Overhaul's on-screen reaction to his defeat was limited. Fans want to peer into his ghastly mind to see what's going on, be it seething resentment, self-doubt, or a futile desire for redemption or happiness in this new era of his life. An ideal ending would have depicted Overhaul with a "what have I done?" Moment of self-reflection, realizing that his misfortunes happened because he embraced the mobster life.
Magne Had No Time For Personal Closure Before Her Abrupt Murder
Overhaul Cut Magne's Arc Quite Short
Some My Hero Academia cast members were killed before the narrative could fully expand on who they are and where they came from. Members of the League of Villains were often treated this way, and that was fine in the case of Muscular, Moonfish, Mustard, and even Mr. Compress. However, Magne was a different story as a villain who had a complex narrative of self-identity and acceptance. Heteromorphs like Spinner and Mezo Shoji struggled with societal acceptance, and in a different way, so did Magne.
Magne wasn't a heteromorph, but she was a trans woman who needed a way to feel good about who and what she was. My Hero Academia did give Magne a brief flashback touching on this topic as she talked it over with a friend who understood her, but otherwise, the anime did little with this character. Magne didn't need to survive the story intact, but she did need a bit more time to flesh out her arc as a misunderstood villain before facing her final defeat. As things stand now, Magne's ending is an example of "bury your gays," and the character needed more than that.
Tensei Iida Recovered From His Wounds But Never Resumed His Career
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is Making Up For Tensei's Unfair Fate
Tensei Iida was treated well in the prequel anime series My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, where he wowed anime fans with his speed and teamwork during his golden age as a popular pro hero. Tensei was at the top of his game as the original Ingenium, and he certainly impressed Koichi Haimawari the vigilante hero. Such a narrative did strengthen Tensei's character arc as a whole, but it couldn't change the character's iffy ending in the main anime.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
Tensei's ending was a rough one, with him being little more than a jobber for the hero killer Stain. Fortunately for the Iida family, Tensei survived and made the most of his unwanted retirement, yet it still feels underwhelming. Tensei failed so Tenya's own success could shine that much brighter, but a zero-sum game like that may not satisfy My Hero Academia fans. The anime didn't have to preserve Tensei's hero career, but it ought to have done a bit more than reduce Tensei to a cameo character. For example, Tensei could have used his words and personal example to motivate Tenya and the rest of class 1-A with his own take on the "talk jutsu" trope.
Re-Destro Became Obsolete as the Former Leader of the Meta Liberation Army
Re-Destro Handed Over the Reins of Power to Tomura
It's not a problem for villains like Re-Destro to lose their first and only major battle, but it's still a shame that Re-Destro didn't do more after that. Re-Destro was ushered on-screen in the My Villain Academia Arc as a rival to Tomura Shigaraki, being the mighty and influential leader of the Meta Liberation Army. The MLA was a huge organization with many Quirks under its command, and Re-Destro led the pack with his impressive Stress Quirk. Re-Destro and his allies fought well against Tomura's own team, but after that, Re-Destro dropped the ball.
My Hero Academia: 6 Weak Quirks That Would Be OP If Awakened
These weak quirks would have been OP if they were awakened in My Hero Academia.
The narrative suggested that Re-Destro graciously shared leadership of the Paranormal Liberation Front with Tomura, but in reality, Tomura was running the show. Re-Destro did far too little as the co-commander of that legion of villains, and he certainly didn't get enough screen time to fight anyone else. My Hero Academia didn't even give Re-Destro a moment of introspection, self-doubt, or anger as his villainous empire fell apart. Instead, Re-Destro was quietly pushed out of the story, and that's pretty underwhelming. He was supposed to be Tomura's worthwhile counterpart and a menace to society, not a jobber.
Midnight Died a Brave Death But Deserved More Screen Time First
Midnight's Personal Arc Didn't Go Anywhere
The R-rated pro hero Midnight did get a decent amount of screen time in My Hero Academia's anime and interacted with plenty of cast members, from Shota Aizawa to Minoru Mineta to Mina Ashido. She even took part in a simulated robbery for a training exercise, a role she enjoyed. Thus, My Hero Academia almost did Midnight justice, but not quite. Her character arc was defined almost entirely by her playful antics, but there wasn't enough substance to round things out.
It was fun seeing Midnight serve as the referee in the UA sports festival and fight to the death against the Paranormal Liberation Front, yet her arc needed more in between those events. Midnight needed a chance to expand on her most meaningful relationships, including her self-image, to make her more than eye candy who goofed off. The My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime helped with its flashbacks of Midnight's student days, but the main anime should have done most of the heavy lifting.
Edgeshot Gave Up Everything to Save Bakugo's Life at the Last Minute
The Ninja Hero Didn't Do Enough Fighting Before His Sacrifice
The ninja-themed pro hero Edgeshot is an example of someone who gets exactly one chance to show off in battle before getting written out. Edgeshot got just enough screen time to demonstrate his fighting style as an elite hero who can take down Nomu and other threats by folding his body into threads, but the anime should have done more with him. Even when the pro heroes were at their most desperate and needed all hands on deck, Edgeshot was nowhere to be seen.
Edgeshot's finale was a strange and possibly controversial one, with him somehow turning his Foldabody Quirk into a life-saving tool to rescue Katsuki Bakugo. On one hand, it's fun to see Quirks being used in creative and resourceful ways, which flatters My Hero Academia's combat system. Still, that was an odd use for the Foldabody Quirk, and it's a shame to see a top-rated ninja hero get written out as Bakugo's last-minute plot armor. It's possible Edgeshot may recover and resume his heroics one day, but that leaves too much to the imagination. What's more, My Hero Academia didn't give Edgeshot enough dialogue or flashbacks to flesh out his arc as that arc drew to a close.
My Hero Academia
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
Cast
-
Daiki YamashitaIzuku Midoriya (voice) -
Kaito IshikawaManga Fukidashi (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
- Studio
- Bones
- Based On
- Manga
- Number of Episodes
- 159
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.85 (Season 1)
