The eagerly awaited ending to “My Hero Academia” drew diverse emotions from its readers. Although staying true to the main subject of heroism not necessarily requiring superpowers, the ending has been such a letdown for way too many.
After a final intense battle, Deku loses his powers. While in its own right a poetic encapsulation of the idea that being a hero has to do with more than Quirks, what happens subsequently feels somewhat like an anticlimax. Deku, who all his life wanted to be the greatest hero, gives up being a superhero to take up some humdrum job like any other ordinary citizen. This sort of transition from a lifelong goal feels highly anticlimactic and disappointing.
Through it all, the series was Deku overcoming insurmountable odds, and he proved that even without inherent powers, he too can become a hero. His tenacity and spirit gave a lot of inspiration to many fans. And then the final chapters suddenly take a sharp turn. Losing powers is definitely one of the bigger plot twists, but just giving up on becoming a superhero altogether is very jarring. It feels so contradicting to his relentless determination that we have seen since the beginning.
At the very last moment, Deku gets a suit that can make him a superhero again this whole addendum feels too little, too late. it can’t compensate for the gut-wrenching emotional impact of seeing Deku give up on his dreams. It’s a superficial fix to a deeper narrative issue. Fans had been looking forward to something more empowering on his part; something wherein he would find another way to be a hero despite his loss. However, the armor just feels totally like an afterthought rather than moving the storyline meaningfully.
Add further disservice, and his friends all seem to move on in life and careers while Deku himself gets left behind. Bakugo, Todoroki, and Uraraka follow their ambitions, find success in their work, and grow in their paths. Contrastingly, the abandonment and isolation of Deku are all the more apparent at the ending scenes. Witnessing a character who was always based on being at the core of a caring group end up in such an isolating, unsatisfactory condition is really depressing.
Summary
While “My Hero Academia”‘s finale was trying to underline that heroism truly comes from inside the person, generally it leaves fans yearning for something a bit more fulfilling for the conclusion of Deku’s journey. To be applauded is how the series stuck with its original theme—precisely, being a hero doesn’t require superpowers. However, it went wrong in the final chapters. Deku’s sudden decision to leave the hero world, and his friends moving on without him, makes for an ending that feels more dishonor to his legacy as a character rather than fitting.
