Horikoshi is rushing My Hero Academia's end in all the wrong ways, and chapter 421 shows how

Modified Apr 27, 2024 18:00 GMT

Izuku Midoriya as seen in My Hero Academia (image source Studio Bones)

My Hero Academia chapter 421 proved to be one of the most monumental chapters of the manga till date, as it saw even more heroes and Class 1-A students arriving on the battlefield to join the final fight against All For One. As such, the final war arc of the manga is officially in its final phase, as the climax of the battle approaches with each passing chapter.

However, the latest chapter hinted that the mangaka, Kohei Horikoshi, may be rushing the climax of the final fight in all the wrong ways, potentially ruining the series' perfect ending that fans have been looking forward to.

Kohei Horikoshi rushing the series ending seems likely after My Hero Academia chapter 421

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My Hero Academia chapter 421 saw a drastic change in the final fight between All For One and Deku, as majority of the latter's friends and allies joined him to put an end to the Demon Lord once and for all.

As more and more students and Pro Heroes came pouring out of the portals and joined the battlefield against All For One, the scenario of the final fight had a striking resemblance to the climax of the popular Marvel movie, Avengers: Endgame, where hundreds and thousands of heroes faced off against Thanos and his gigantic army.

With each passing chapter of the My Hero Academia manga, it seems like Kohei Horikoshi is building towards a similar final battle between the Hero society and All For One. Every single Hero introduced in the story so far are now stepping forward to join the final battle and help Deku put an end to All For One's long reign of terror.

Deku and Class 1-A as seen in My Hero Academia (image via Bones)

While seeing All For One face off against the entire Hero Society may provide an extremely memorable and epic moment, it is important to note that it deprives other deserving characters of the opportunity to shine.

In it's core, My Hero Academia is a story about how Deku and his friends from U.A. High became the greatest heroes in history. As the final battle nears it's end, it has become apparent to every reader that Deku and his friends will be the ones to deliver the final blow to TomurAFO and end his tyranny for good.

In chapter 421 of the manga, the rest of Deku's friends from U.A. High showed up on the battlefield to fight alongside him. As such, fans were looking forward to seeing the U.A. High students rise to the challenge and cement themselves as the next generation of heroes by putting in a collective effort to defeat All For One. However, the battlefield was instead flooded with other irrelevant and already established heroes.

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While it's a fair argument that all hands are needed on deck to put an end to a calamity like All For One, it certainly takes away from the grandeur of the newer generation of heroes being the ones to defeat the main antagonist of the series. Furthermore, the chapter also set up what will likely be the final blow on TomurAFO from Deku and his One For All embers.

Although this approach may certainly provide Horikoshi with the Avengers: Endgame moment he may be looking for, there's definitely a way for him to do just that without making any sacrifices from a narrative standpoint. If Horikoshi takes his time to build towards and deliver the perfect climax for his magnum opus, the series would certainly have a much better ending than the one it might heading towards.

Instead of rushing things and setting up the ending of the epic final battle of the series, Horikoshi should take his time and direct the spotlight on Deku and his friends working together to defeat All For One.

By shifting the focus from the other irrelevant characters and redirecting it to the newer generation of heroes, who would combine their strength to put an end to the Demon Lord, Horikoshi might be able to deliver a perfect ending for his masterpiece.