There is no doubt that “My Hero Academia” (Boku no Hero Academia) is one of the most important franchises in the manga and anime industry. The story of Deku, a young boy whose hobby is to be the number 1 hero despite having no power to begin with, has caught the viewer’s attention and soon became a worldwide phenomenon that has surpassed the extraordinary figure of 100 million copies in circulation.
As one of the most popular manga in the “Weekly Shonen Jump” magazine and still in publication, fans of this story have been debating about the development of the plot and even pointing out that it could be in “decline”.
My Hero Academia could be in decline according to fans
Undoubtedly, this shonen written and illustrated by Kouhei Horikoshi caused a sensation among fans since its launching, as its story seemed so promising that it would become a success and shortly after it did. This year the manga celebrates ten years of publication and to top it off, we are waiting for its seventh season, something that in recent years is less common to get for a manga.
This of course has given much to talk about over time, but today its popularity has been questioned among fans, as recently in a popular Japanese forum it has been questioned whether My Hero Academia is still a good story according to the development it has had and the point at which the story is, according to the words of the author himself, is close to the end.
Evidently, this is not the first time that the story has been involved in controversy, since with the recent plot arcs of the manga, it seems that many are no longer surprised by what has been repeated, that is, a shocking event that could give a somewhat “dark” and dramatic turn that would bring much to the story and the next chapter “reverse” it in some way, which finally the fans of My Hero Academia have catalogued as being little risky and “afraid of success”.
The popularity has declined as the years have gone by, according to some fans of the franchise, the interest in the story of the boys who aspire to become superheroes has visibly decreased, it a few years ago, between 2018 and 2021, for the superhero genre was giving a huge leap in popularity again, but this has been hindered and this has been shown through various comments.
The superhero theme is one of the most recurrent in action and fantasy stories, exploited by many in various countries and cultures around the world, fans point out that My Hero Academia has inevitably fallen to what they call “superhero fatigue” precisely because of this saturation of the genre. Meanwhile, other fans comment that this is not the case, because if it were the case it would not continue to be liked by the public, and attribute this decline to the disinterest of the anime industry in general.
In spite of all these comments, it would be a mistake not to point out that My Hero Academia is still popular and that sales of the manga have remained steady, as well as its popularity on streaming services. Some of the comments are: “Really the criticisms are about the fact that there is no catharsis. I can’t feel pity or joy for the characters, it’s like they’ve stopped being important. I even laughed when Deku was left without arms, precisely because I knew that somehow he was going to get them back”, “Horikoshi made a tremendous mistake by cancelling the death of his most emblematic character, Bakugo. If he had had the balls to leave him dead, perhaps the work would be more respected.”
Let us know if you think the story of My Hero Academia is weakening.
My Hero Academia presents us with a universe where superpowers, known as “quirks”, are part of everyday life. In this world, approximately 80% of the population has developed special abilities, leading to the emergence of heroes and villains who fight for balance and justice.
The plot centers on Izuku Midoriya, a passionate young man and admirer of heroes, but who, unfortunately, was born without a quirk. Despite this apparent disadvantage, Izuku dreams of becoming a hero and protecting others. His life takes a radical turn when he encounters the legendary hero All Might, possessor of the most powerful quirk of all.