Summary
All Might’s backstory in My Hero Academia is refreshing compared to most anime heroes, as he had a happy childhood and his transformation into a hero was just by chance. All Might stands out because he has never had to hide his identity to protect his loved ones, unlike most American heroes in Marvel and DC comics. While Deku is the main character of My Hero Academia, All Might’s unique background and origins would make him a better main character.
Warning: Spoilers for chapter #403 of My Hero AcademiaMy Hero Academy is proving once again that All Might can make a better protagonist than Izuku Midoriya aka Deku. A recent chapter saw All Might’s origin story subvert a popular DC/Marvel superhero narrative, and now the latest installment is using All Might’s past to subvert it. The origin of every hero in American comics, Japanese comics and more.
In My Hero Academia chapter #403 by Kohei Horikoshi, All Might summarizes his earliest memories as almost too gentle and peaceful. He then went on to recount the moment he had One For All when he happened to look back and notice something important. A few chapters ago, All Might recalls trying to convince his future mentor Nana to turn him into a hero by saying he no longer had a family to protect.
All Might’s backstory will make him a unique hero
Both together and separately, each of these flashbacks offers fresh insight into how most stories portray heroes. Most of the main characters have tragic circumstances or desire something so deeply that they are motivated to achieve the impossible. Deku falls into the latter group, wanting to become a hero like All Might but his dream is shattered when he is one of the few people who does not possess special powers. After a while, these origins blend together. However, this latest chapter shows that this is not the case for All Might as he considers the moment his life changed forever to be a pure coincidence, implying that he was not actively looking for seek change. All Might even recalls having the happiest childhood.
This, when combined with the fact that All Might never has to hide his identity to protect his loved ones makes All Might a completely unique protagonist. Of course, this second move only applies to main Marvel/DC characters as Japanese comics rarely explore this story. In fact, the only notable family to suffer at the hands of All For One in My Hero Academia (Aoyama) did not succumb to their fate because All For One somehow learned that the Shining Hero : Can’t Stop Twinkling is Yuga. Yuga’s family has just fallen into All For One’s orbit. That said, it’s important to realize that My Hero Academia is clearly influenced by American superhero comics, and by casting All Might as the main character, it would further position the series as an homage to DC and Marvel.
Can Bakugo become the better protagonist of all possible?
This isn’t to say that Deku is a terrible hero or that Bakugo can’t be the true hero of My Hero Academia. All Might just has a more unique background and origin story than most heroes, including Deku and even Bakugo. In fact, no one wants to watch a movie starring a tsundere like Bakugo. They are better as supporting characters. That said, it shouldn’t be seen as a coincidence that this latest chapter is about the end of one era and the beginning of another. If the new era with Deku and Bakugo is just starting at the end My Hero Academy then that means the rest of the series chronicled the end of the All Might era, giving the impression that the series was about him, the real (and better) protagonist.
My Hero Academy chapter #403 is available on Viz.com.