Summary
- Deku's dad remains a continual series mystery, sparking fan speculation about his role and potential revelations in My Hero Academia.
- Hisashi Midoriya's absence follows a common anime trope of the unseen parental figure in shōnen-style shows.
- The hidden nature of Deku's dad serves to maintain Deku's independent protagonist nature and allow the author room for potential plot twists.
The following contains minor spoilers for the My Hero Academia manga.
Perhaps one of the biggest, still unexplored areas of My Hero Academia is the mystery behind Deku’s dad. Fans have still not even seen his face and know very little about him beyond what has been mentioned offhandedly.
Although barely present in the narrative, Deku’s dad has garnered wide speculation from fans about his potential role in the future because of how little people know about him. Is it possible there will be some shocking revelation about Deku’s dad someday, or is the explanation for his mysterious nature in My Hero Academia something more banal?
My Hero Academia: Was All for One the First Known Quirk User?
All for One's backstory casts some doubt on the official origin of quirks in the My Hero Academia universe.
Following a Trope
It’s Unclear How Much the Mystery is Supposed to Matter
While we know very little about Deku’s dad in My Hero Academia, there are a few established facts about him. We know that he is named Hisashi Midoriya, which contains a hint about his character and role in the story. His name is likely a reference to a Japanese phrase, “hisashiburi” (久しぶり). This is a greeting someone uses when talking with someone they have not met in a long time. As part of the extras published along with My Hero Academia Volume 11, the explanation given for Hisashi’s absence in the story is that he is working overseas, presumably to support the family.
“ Her husband is working overseas, so she's raised Izuku alone, for the most part. She's not very plucky, and she tends to be reserved. The concern and guilt she felt regarding Izuku led her to put on some weight.” -Inko Midoriya’s profile in the Volume 11 extra content.
This trope of the absent father is common in certain anime. Pokémon protagonist Ash Ketchum’s dad is also similarly absent throughout the series, similar to Midoriya. We know he is a trainer like Ash, but besides passing references, we don’t know much else about him. This leaves open the possibility in the watchers' minds throughout the series that he could be a character we have already met, or his identity reveal will change the story in some way.
In the final episode of Pokémon Season 25, Ash has a chance to meet with his father, but just narrowly misses him before he leaves. Rather than being a huge mystery to be revealed, this trope of the unseen father or parent often just serves to establish a young protagonist’s independent nature. We rarely see the parents of plucky shōnen-style anime protagonists, since the arc of their characters is learning how to overcome difficult situations on their own. If there were a much stronger parental figure protecting them, it would limit the young protagonist's agency in the story.
It’s also useful to leave information about a protagonist's parents and origins vague in the beginning, since it gives the author more to work with if they decide to bring them into the story later. This approach was taken in the Naruto series, where the protagonist Naruto’s father was revealed to actually be the Fourth Hokage. If an anime protagonist actually has a prestigious lineage, it might detract from the appeal of their initial underdog struggle, which is often what makes a shōnen show appealing in the beginning.
Why Deku's Approach To Saving Villains Continues To Split The My Hero Academia Fandom
Is Deku's decision to save villains a true act of heroism, or a dangerous refusal to accept that some people choose to stay broken?
The Possibilities for Hisashi
What We Know About Dekus’ Dad
Beyond his name and the reason for his absence, the audience knows very little else about Hisashi. We are told at the beginning of the series that he has a fire-breathing quirk as a way to make it seem unlucky for Izuku that he has two quirk parents but is quirkless himself. Although the main story is wrapping up, the world of My Hero Academia is still seemingly being filled with new content. Series author Kohei Horikoshi seems to be still putting out supplemental content and one-shots to flesh out what happens to the characters after the conclusion of the final war arc.
It’s very possible that in the future, despite following the hidden father trope, Hisashi could have a shocking revelation about him. Fans have created wild speculations about Deku’s father secretly being All for One, or that something about Hisashi's quirk will reveal itself now that Deku has officially lost the quirk that All Might gave him: One for All. Regardless of the reason behind it, Hisashi Midoriya continues to drive fan speculation as the series wraps up, as he is one of the largest still unsolved mysteries in the series.
My Hero Academia can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
- Directors
- Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano
Cast
-
Daiki YamashitaIzuku Midoriya (voice) -
Kaito IshikawaManga Fukidashi (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 8
- Studio
- Bones
- Franchise
- My Hero Academia
- Characters By
- Kohei Horikoshi
- Japanese Title
- Boku no Hero Academia
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Kōhei Horikoshi
- Distributor
- FUNimation Entertainment
- Main Characters
- Tsuyu Asui, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, All Might
- Production Company
- Bones
- Story By
- Kōhei Horikoshi, Yōsuke Kuroda
- Number of Episodes
- 159
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.85 (Season 1)
