My Hero Academia Never Addressed Its Most Troublesome Issue and Proves a Failure by Series Finale

Despite how fascinating and enjoyable the world of My Hero Academy Maybe, it still has many flaws that were corrected as the series progressed. From prejudices against individuals with heteromorphic Quirk to discrimination against people because of “villainous” powers, the society created by Kohei Horikoshi draws strong similarities to the real world.

One of the most problematic and horrific issues shown in the series is the idea of ​​quirky weddings. This taboo and frowned upon practice consisted of a wealthy family or individual purchasing a person to make them their spouse, in the hopes that their power could combine to create a powerful child. Not only was this horrible topic ignored by the often corrupt and uncaring Hero Society at large, but it was also completely forgotten by the time the series finale began.

Quirky weddings were never addressed after their introduction

Only Todoroki talked about them, and he barely touched on the subject

One of the most relevant cases of Quirk Marriage was revealed in episode #19 of the series My Hero Academy anime. During the short recess, participants of the Sports Festival were given, Shoto took Midoriya aside to explain that his father was involved in such activity.. His desire to surpass All Might led him to seek out a woman with a Quirk that could complement his own. The chosen candidate was King Himura, who could create and control ice. Endeavor paid the family a large sum to become her husband, practically buying Shoto’s mother. This story draws a parallel with the controversial Japanese practice of arranged marriages (omiai).

Todoroki explained in that same episode that this practice was considered extremely unethical, but nothing was done as the participants were powerful enough to avoid consequences. While not explicitly stated in the series, it is heavily implied that Quirk Marriages are a modern-day form of slavery, with those purchased by wealthy individuals being forced to fulfill their every wish. However, unlike other issues that are addressed at some point in the series, such as Heteromorphic Inequality, this practice is rarely mentioned again.

By the time the Final War arc came to an end, the time to address this practice and make real change in Hero Society had passed. Endeavour, despite regretting his actions, has done nothing to improve the conditions of the people suffering in Quirk Marriages. Shoto also seems to have forgotten the matter, as chapter #430 proves. Seven years after All For One’s defeat, he has become a popular hero, but he has not used his fame to spread awareness about this issue, as Shoji and Koda did with Heteromorph.

Shoto and Endeavor could have been shown trying to end this practice

The series did not have enough time to develop its future

During the release of the final chapters of My Hero Academyone of the main criticisms raised by fans was the feeling that this part of the story seemed rushed. Many topics were not given the importance they needed, such as the mysterious character introduced in chapter 425. The epilogue of the story showed how the world of the series has evolved 7 years later, but did not reveal much about the final fate of each character. In this entry, Izuku explains that Shoto has become one of the most popular heroes in the worldrivaling the top 10.

Not much is known about Endeavour’s fate, as his character lost relevance after the Todoroki family visited an injured and dying Dabi. This lack of information about their careers is what makes it seem like the trauma surrounding Quirk Marriages has been forgotten by them and the world. Chapter 430 gives readers no indication that Shoto is working to end this practice or helping the people trapped in this horrible partnership.

Still, this might not be Todoroki’s fault, as he was barely mentioned during the last entry in the series. The ending didn’t have enough time to give fans a detailed description of what Shoto did during his hero career. By dividing the epilogue into two or more chapters, the Quirk Marriages issue could have been wrapped up properly. Something similar happened with the discrimination suffered against people without special powers, which began to gradually lose importance from the first episodes of the series. Even so, the series did an incredible job of raising awareness of several other issues that affect the real world, such as discrimination or inequality.

Although iconic and considered a beautiful ending to such an incredible series, the My Hero Academy the ending left many threads without a satisfying conclusion. Peculiar marriage is by far one of the worst, as this practice undermines the human rights of those who have been purchased. Despite this, the story created by Horikoshi will forever remain in the hearts of the fans who had the pleasure of reading it.