Deku's final Pro Hero Ranking in My Hero Academia still doesn't justify him losing One For All

The new My Hero Academia fan book, Ultra Age: The Final Fan Book, revealed that Izuku "Deku" Midoriya reached fourth place in the Pro Hero Rankings when he returned to the field. While this news made much of the fandom quite happy, there is an underlying feeling that it doesn't compensate for the fact that he lost the One For All Quirk.

My Hero Academia author Kohei Horikoshi made the rather controversial decision to have his protagonist lose his powers during the final battle against the likes of Tomura Shigaraki and All For One, which continues to divide the community. In that regard, the element of his ranking is something that is not going to make up for that decision to a lot of fans, which is probably going to live on for a long time.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga/anime and reflects the writer's opinions.

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Explaining why Deku's Pro Hero Ranking doesn't compensate for him losing One For All in My Hero Academia

Deku losing his powers is still divisive in the community (Image via Bones)

During the events of the final arc, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya sacrifices One For All as a way to defeat Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. The epilogue features an eight-year time skip, revealing that his friends paid for the creation of a suit so he could return to being a hero. The recent fan book highlights that his comeback as the legendary hero who saved the world has him in fourth place, something that didn't appease a lot of fans.

There is a growing feeling in the community that Deku didn't have to lose One For All and that author Kohei Horikoshi should have allowed him to live his dream of being a powerful hero, much like All Might before him. Furthermore, the element of the suit he gained makes it feel that he could still be a hero, so it is a very similar conclusion but with a few extra steps.

It is a rather peculiar ending for Deku's character, whose entire arc was centered around becoming a hero, but the element of the time skip doesn't help, either. It makes the purpose of the suit feel a bit more bizarre when considering that it took so long for its construction, adding to the frustration of the fandom regarding the entire situation.

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The conclusion of the series

An illustration Horikoshi made of Class 1-A (Image via Shueisha)

All in all, Deku's conclusion is the most divisive part of the My Hero Academia ending, especially considering how many fans wanted him to be the hero he was always meant to be. A lot of fans feel that he was undermined and didn't get the reward for all of his amazing heroics throughout the story, to the point that he hurt himself greatly for the sake of others.

While the idea of his friends helping him with a new suit, especially coming from the likes of All Might, Ochaco Uraraka, and Katsuki Bakugo, is very endearing, it feels forced instead of just fully embracing that he is no longer going to be a hero. It seems, for lack of a better term, Horikoshi's way of having his cake and eating it too.

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Final thoughts

Deku losing One For All and getting a suit instead is bound to be a very divisive topic in the My Hero Academia community for a long time, and the Pro Hero Ranking is not going to make much of a difference. However, it is going to be interesting to see how this decision ages in the coming years.

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