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Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia has captivated audiences with its exhilarating action sequences, engaging characters, and a compelling storyline. The new manga chapter leaks show that the three My Hero Academia films are now officially deemed canon to the storyline.
This news has generated excitement among fans of both the anime and manga series, as it confirms that the events of the films now contribute to the overall franchise. Previously, there was a debate about whether the movies were considered to be non-canon or filler.
Despite the mangaka's confirmation of their canonicity, some fans have continued to consider them to be non-canon or filler.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.
How My Hero Academia movies may impact the manga storyline
The first film, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, released in 2018, follows Izuku Midoriya as he accompanies All Might to I-Island to visit an old friend. However, the island is attacked by villains, and Deku finds himself caught up in a sinister plan to hack the security system at the world's leading hero item exhibition, I-Expo.
The second film, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, released in 2019, follows the young heroes of Class 1-A as they visit Nabu Island, but things quickly take a dark turn when they are attacked by a villain. Deku and the rest of Class 1-A must band together and fight to save the group of islanders.
The most recent film, My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, which came out in 2021, follows Deku and his classmates as they race against time to stop a terrorist organization from wiping out the entire superhuman society and threatening to destroy the world.
Two Heroes takes place between the Final Exams and the Forest Training Camp story arcs of the manga, Heroes Rising takes place after the Meta Liberation Army Arc, and World Heroes' Mission takes place during the Endeavor Agency Arc.
However, as is the case with most anime films, some fans of the series believe them to be non-canon because they are not featured in the manga. But chapter 384 of the manga reportedly features a captivating move to reintroduce non-canon movie characters into the final arc, as per the spoilers.
Thus, fans will get to see Melissa Shield, the Rody siblings, Mahoro, Katsuma, and other global heroes. According to Horikoshi, the films have always been canon. Yet, the actual events of the movies have almost no bearing whatsoever on the main plot.
At most, as with the most recent chapter, fans will see characters from the movies achieve canonical status, but their backstories will not appear. The fact is, and YouTuber Oceaniz makes a strong case for it, that the events in the movie are so outlandish and stupid that they would contradict the events in the manga.
He mentions how, in the first film, Deku almost destroys his body by attempting to use One For All at full power, but in the very next week, he also combats Muscle Man, which is a bit excessive.
Then there is the case of Bakugo obtaining One For All and then One For All declaring that only Deku is entitled to possess the Quirk. This contradicts what fans have known about One For All in the manga, which is that One For All's potency renders it lethal to pass it on to anyone who already has a Quirk.
Furthermore, there is the issue of redundancy, as many of the movies' plot mirrors or foreshadows actual manga arcs, implying that they were ideas that the mangaka was experimenting with before incorporating them into the manga. Thus, it creates an issue of repetitiveness.
Final thoughts
While canonicity can lend depth to a plot, it can also limit the creative freedom of the writers and directors of the films. Furthermore, incorporating events from the movies into the main storyline can cause problems with continuity and consistency.
As a result, making the films canon to the manga is a double-edged sword. While there is little that can be done about the movies that have already been released, moving forward, as long as the creators approach the movies with diligence and consideration, they can be a great addition to the My Hero Academia universe.
