Why was Midnight killed off in My Hero Academia? Author Kohei Horikoshi's motivations, explored

One of the most common criticisms levied against author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi’s original My Hero Academia manga series is its general lack of circumstances and stakes. No matter how dire the situation, the heroes within always seem to have a way of escaping with everyone alive, save for a few notable exceptions.

One such exception to which My Hero Academia fans responded positively was the death of Pro Hero Sir Nighteye, also known as Mirai Sasaki, during the events of the Shie Hassaikai arc. While some were still disappointed in the decision to kill the character off, even those disappointed by the move understood its significance and purpose.

However, another death within My Hero Academia’s story so far that fans were much more confused about was that of Pro Hro Midnight, also known as Nemuri Kayama. With how sudden her death was, many fans found themselves confused about why she was killed off, questioning what Horikoshi’s motivations for killing her off were.

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Overly critical My Hero Academia fans may have been the catalyst for Horikoshi’s killing off of Pro Hero Midnight

Why Midnight was killed off, explored

One of the main reasons why Horikoshi may have decided to kill Midnight off stems from the context of exactly when she was killed off in the My Hero Academia manga. This was, of course, during the Paranormal Liberation War arc, which saw the Paranormal Liberation Front and Pro Hero Society do battle with each other in the hopes of crushing the other side.

Likewise, the battle was a long, gruesome, and costly one, only further made so by the appearance of Gigantomachia during the battle’s events. This also created the situation in which Midnight died, sacrificing herself by fighting some villains in order to buy time for Creati (Momo Yaoyorozu) and other student Heroes to stop Gigantomachia.

In essence, she died in an effort to pass the torch of responsibility onto the next generation of Pro Heroes, which is one of the core themes of My Hero Academia’s story. Simultaneously, having her sacrifice herself to pass the torch on proves that the series’ events do have lethal consequences, which further signifies the aforementioned theme’s importance.

This blend of motivating factors was likely the main reason why Horikoshi chose to kill Midnight off in this moment above anything else. Likewise, it’s not unfair to argue that those readers of the series who were overly critical of its lack of stakes served as a catalyst to this development. While speculative, it certainly makes sense, all things considered.

Horikoshi may have also had additional motivations that, while also based on criticisms of My Hero Academia, are different from those appraisals levied above. As a character, Midnight was relatively controversial (especially in markets outside of Japan) for how overtly suggestive her powers, character design, and demeanor were.

While it’s a stretch to argue that Horikoshi killed her off solely to appease critics of her character in international markets, it’s likely that these detractors played a role in the final decision. In any case, all of the above likely combined to force Horikoshi’s hand in killing off a recognizable and relatively beloved character at an integral juncture in the series’ development.

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