After Boruto, My Hero Academia fans accuse Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse of copying Deku's design

After its release on June 2, 2023, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse has been rumored to feature several concepts taken from anime, with My Hero Academia becoming a popular topic of discussion. The movie is also accused of adapting parallels from the Boruto series with fans from both fandoms debating over the facts behind the accusation.

My Hero Academia, the creation of popular mangaka Kohei Horikoshi, is a popular manga and anime series that has been known to portray several parallels to western comics including the fan-favorite superhero, Spider-Man.

Additionally, it was revealed a few months ago by a marvel leaker that Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse would be featuring Deku (Izuku Midoriya), the main protagonist of the anime.

Fans are thrilled to find these claims to be true as Deku’s parallel has been found in a scene from the movie. The finding has sparked interest and criticism from Marvel fans and My Hero Academia fans alike.

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My Hero Academia's Deku to have made an appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

Miles Morales, like several high-school teenagers, is known to be a fan of anime, especially Kohei Horikoshi’s shonen series. A mint-condition figure of Deku from My Hero Academia is seen in Miles’ room when Gwen comes for a visit in his room, which she casually opens up, thinking it was just a mere toy.

Additionally, it was also revealed that the collectible was actually Piccolo from the Dragon Ball franchise in an early test footage.

The figurine is strikingly similar to Deku’s costume, with the head being an exception. Even the cover of the box is similar to that of My Hero Academia’s titular logo.

There have been several opinionated statements from fans, with some stating that the figure bears zero resemblance to the hero from My Hero Academia. However, others claim the rumor is true and the only reason the collectible seems different is so the makers could guard against copyright issues.

The creator of the series, Kohei Horikoshi, has been outspoken about his admiration of western comics and Spider-Man in particular for quite a while, even stating it has been a source of inspiration for his work.

In fact, he has showcased his interest in the superhero by featuring him in My Hero Academia’s very first chapter in a panel containing a collage of several superhero figures, with one of them unmistakably bearing a resemblance to Spider-Man.

Kohei had also shared his opinion after watching Spider-Man: No Way Home with the words:

"I watched Spider-Man! I never thought my favorite movie of all time would change at my age."

The synopsis of Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse by Sony Pictures reads:

"Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse’s very existence."

It continues:

"But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most. Anyone can wear the mask – it’s how you wear it that makes you a hero."

There has been immense hype surrounding the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. Although not officially, it is surely a delight for Kohei and fans of the anime and marvel comics to find out that Miles Morales, Spider-Man, is an ardent fan of anime and to see Deku, the protagonist of the My Hero Academia series make an appearance in the movie.