Horikoshi's reasoning for Toga's death in My Hero Academia does justify it

My Hero Academia: Ultra Age: The Final Fan Book has recently been the talk of the town on social media since it features author Kohei Horikoshi providing major insights regarding several creative decisions he made in the manga. One of the most notorious was an interview with his editor, Imamura, where they revealed that Himiko Toga was going to survive but was killed so she could pay for her crimes, which was the right call.

Toga has a lot of vocal support in the My Hero Academia, and some people feel that her traumatic childhood warranted her a different resolution, but the issue is that it doesn't justify the crimes and murders she committed throughout the story. Furthermore, her final act while alive, saving Ochaco Uraraka, was her first moment of true kindness in the series, thus giving her a fitting conclusion.

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

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Explaining why Horikoshi killing off Himiko Toga in My Hero Academia was the right decision

As mentioned earlier, the fan book reveals that Horikoshi and his editor, Imamura, originally planned for Himiko Toga to survive her final battle with Ochaco Uraraka and spend her life either in prison or running away from justice.

However, the author, in his own words, had a change of mind and decided to kill her, with Imamura supporting his decision, which was ultimately the right one.

While it is true that Toga suffered a lot of bullying and prejudice because of her Quirk as a child, her character wasn't structured to be saved but rather to work as a cautionary tale.

She, much like the rest of the League of Villains, is someone who was broken by people who didn't understand those whose Quirks didn't fit with societal norms and ended up becoming greater monsters than their tormentors.

Some fans have mentioned how the likes of Endeavor and Overhaul did awful things and are still alive, but the former made tremendous efforts to change and make amends, while the latter lost his arms and is in prison with severe mental problems.

Furthermore, the likes of Spinner and Mr. Compress have also spent the rest of their lives in prison, which is not something that would have pleased Toga's fans, either.

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More details about this

Toga and Uraraka as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

An element that a lot of people fail to remember regarding My Hero Academia is that most villains ended up either dead or in prison as a result of their actions.

Even characters such as Lady Nagant, Endeavor, or Yuga Aoyama had to deal with their respective sets of consequences, which is something that shows that a traumatic past or bad experiences don't justify bad actions.

Toga, while initially innocent in her childhood and not guilty of the abuse she received, eventually became a murderer who never showed any remorse for her actions.

Moreover, her only selfless action is the one that caused her death, which was giving her blood to save Uraraka, which was an act of love that fits quite well with what her journey in Horikoshi's story was, thus making her conclusion a lot more satisfying.

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Final thoughts

Kohei Horikoshi made the right decision in My Hero Academia by killing Himiko Toga since it provided consequences for her actions and a fitting conclusion for her character arc in the manga.

Furthermore, it shows that a traumatic past doesn't justify causing greater damage to the world, and Toga took the lives of innocent people without ever showing regret or attempts to change.

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