10 Reasons My Hero Academia Is Your Next Manga Obsession

The Story
My Hero Academia is a superhero story with a twist—lots of twists, actually. Almost everyone in the manga has some sort of superpower, but most of the superpowers are really weird, and some don’t seem particularly useful. Into this world comes Izuki Midoriya, known as Deku to his classmates, who is sort of a superhero otaku: He has no superpowers himself, but he obsessively studies the world of superheroes and knows everything about them. Also, like all good shonen heroes, he has a lot of heart. When the greatest superhero in the world notices him and bestows his own superpower on him, Deku’s life changes, and he manages to get into UA, the elite superhero academy. After that, the manga becomes one big playground for the imagination of manga-ka Kohei Horikoshi, who is obviously having a lot of fun coming up with oddball superpowers for the students and ever-stranger villains for them to do battle against.

The Quirks
Superpowers in the world of My Hero Academia are called “quirks,” and they are indeed pretty quirky. Some are straightforward, such as super strength, while others are limited: One character can make an object float, but only if she is touching it; another can shoot a laser from his navel, but only for a few seconds. And some quirks are just weird, such as the ability to shoot cellophane tape from one’s arms or grow super-sticky, detachable hairballs. The combination of outlandish abilities and strict limitations means the characters often have to team up and use their quirks in creative and complementary ways to defeat a villain.

The Hero
In a world where almost everyone has a superpower, Deku is one of the unlucky few born without one. But this is a Shonen Jump story, so he initially compensates for his quirk-less status by trying really hard—in this case, that means he studies all the superheroes, their powers, and their strategies, to the point where he has internalized everything. This is one situation where making a good effort isn’t enough, though—either you have a quirk or you don’t, and Deku doesn’t. That means he won’t be able to get into UA and he won’t be able to be a superhero himself—until the fateful day when he crosses paths with All Might.

All Might
All Might is the number one superhero in the world, and you can see why just by looking at him: He’s massive, muscular without looking ridiculously overgrown, handsome in a chiseled sort of way, and gifted with a beatific smile. When he’s out of the limelight, though, the muscles disappear, the smile shrivels to a skeletal grin, and even his hair gets scraggly. A serious injury, coupled with years of fighting, has sapped his strength, and he can only take on his superhero form for a limited time each day. Nonetheless, he struggles to keep up his facade because as the symbol of peace for the world, he can’t let it falter until Deku is ready to assume the mantle. It’s fun to watch All Might go from muscleman to weakling and back again, and he’s also an interesting character—someone who understands the dark side of being a superhero, but hides it behind his gleaming smile.

The Struggle
Deku’s new superpower comes with a catch: It’s too strong for him, so he has to throttle it back and learn to moderate it—like grasping an egg without breaking it, All Might tells him. Unlike other shonen manga heroes, who push themselves hard to develop their abilities, whatever they may be (ninja tactics, volleyball, cooking), Deku struggles to contain and control his superpower—to dial it down to the point where he can use it without destroying his body. This means that he spends much of his time trying to achieve a delicate balance, rather than simply pushing himself ahead.

The School
Deku and his classmates attend UA, a high school for superheroes in training. Their education consists mainly of being put into superhero-type situations, and sometimes they spiral out of control, as when villains invade their rescue training. Like all good school stories, UA has its oddball teachers, class rivalries, and extracurricular activities, from student government to the annual sports festival.

The Villains
If you think the superheroes in My Hero Academia are bonkers, wait till you see the villains! One is a swirl of dark mist, while another seems to be made mostly of hands. (While most artists have a tough time drawing hands, Horikoshi seems to enjoy it, and he even throws in a little hand-creature at the start of each volume.) The villains are after All Might, but they have to get through the students of UA first—and the students prove to be more formidable than they figured.

The Battles
If you like action, this is the manga for you. It’s very battle-heavy, with the students of UA constantly fighting outsiders and each other. There are occasional one-on-one grudge matches, but the most interesting fights are those in which students team up and use their odd powers in complementary ways. Deku, of course, is the most fun to follow, as he has to avoid using his superpower until the critical moment and instead relies on his skills and quick thinking most of the time, resulting in some McGyver-esque tactics like deliberately jumping on land mines to propel himself into the air and across a field of opponents.

The Rival
Like so many shonen manga heroes, Deku has a rival: Katsugi Bakugo, who has bullied Deku since they were children. Bakugo has a pretty awesome quirk—he secretes an explosive liquid in the palms of his hands—and he was top dog in his middle school class, and expected to get into UA all along—but he didn’t expect Deku to get in as well. When Deku’s abilities manifest, Bakugo is furious, thinking Deku has been hiding his quirk since childhood. While this sort of rivalry is often presented as the main thrust of shonen manga, goading the hero on to try harder and achieve greater success, the characters in My Hero Academia see it as more of a flaw that will hold Bakugo back. And although it does get plenty of panel time, it is by no means the only conflict in the story—Horikoshi has much more up his sleeve than a standard victim-beats-the-bully story.

The Friendships
In fact, one of the things that makes My Hero Academia such a good read is the profusion of side characters and their stories. Horikoshi’s imagination isn’t limited to cooking up weird superpowers for his characters; he also gives them real personalities and sets up all sorts of little side plots and relationships. Many of these play off standard shonen tropes, such as the haughty high achiever with glasses, the talented teen who resents his father, and the cute, sweet girl, but Horikoshi often winks at the audience, letting on that he knows they are tropes and stretching their personalities a bit outside the usual boundaries.
My Hero Academia is also a big hit in Japan, with 10 million copies sold, and it won first place in its category in the Sugoi Awards this year. With its familiar-yet-different story of superheroes with odd powers, it’s not surprising that it’s gaining popularity with English-language readers as well. When’s volume 11 out?
Catch up on My Hero Academia now!