My Hero Academia subtly confirmed a big problem with Hero Society that a sequel needs to explore

Chapter #430 of My Hero Academy the manga gave fans one last opportunity to see the characters they’ve come to love over the course of a decade. During this memorable entry, the protagonists’ futures were revealed, giving readers a more in-depth look at how their society evolved after the Final War arc.

However, the series’ epilogue contains a detail that implies that Hero Society has not yet truly changed. When Aizawa shows Deku a video of Bakugo swearing at a reporter, the teacher states that Katsuki will likely fall in the rankings. His comment confirms that being a hero is still seen by many as a popularity contest, a belief that has brought many problems to the world in the past.

Hero Ranks Have Caused More Harm Than Good in the Past

From Endeavor’s Abuse to Society’s Conformity, Rankings Were a Horrible Idea

Throughout the My Hero Academy story, the creator, Kohei Horikoshi, portrayed the many flaws rooted in a society based on powerful Quirks. Discrimination, lack of equal opportunities and corruption were an everyday occurrence for the citizens of Japan, who had become complacent in their way of life. As long as they had popular and powerful heroes to protect them and ensure that their lives remained peaceful, they were willing to turn a blind eye to the many problems that plagued their lives.

Many of these issues were caused by hero ratingsa system that has turned this once noble profession into a popularity contest. By assigning peace warriors a position based on their performance and how people viewed them, many individuals made it their life’s mission to get to the top. Endeavor, for example, who spent most of his life as the number two hero, became obsessed with the idea of ​​surpassing All Might and becoming the one praised by the people of the world. His desire to reach the number one position caused pain and suffering to his entire family.

Despite how horrible and unforgivable Endeavor’s actions were, they still weren’t the worst that resulted from the transformation of heroes into celebrities. One of All Might’s biggest mistakes during his time as number one was positioning himself on the pedestal of the Symbol of Peace. In doing so, he conditioned the people of not just Japan, but the entire world, to the idea that the most powerful heroes would always be there to protect them. Barring a few exceptions, other heroes have become complacent, focusing more on growing in popularity than improving themselves for combat.

The Hero Society needs to overcome its past mistakes

Having hero ranks proves that the world still needs to change

During the tragic and deadly arc of the Final War of My Hero Academy franchise, the many problems that plagued the world of the series began to resurface. While many villains joined this conflict with the intention of causing as much harm as possible, there were many others who truly believed their actions would create a better world. Characters like Toga and Spinner fought to the end to raise awareness of the horrible treatment they received since childhood.

One of the main reasons Deku tried so hard to save Tenko was to prove to the world that many of the villains who joined All For One’s side did so because it was their only option. Izuku went so far as to state in chapter #412 that he would not rest until all problems were resolved. Hero Society should change for the better after the battle against All For Onegetting rid of the customs and norms that facilitated the Symbol of Evil’s rise to power.

However, reinstating the ratings in chapter #430 does a complete disservice to the sacrifice of Deku and his allies. Many children will still want to follow in Izuku’s footsteps in hopes of becoming famous, forgetting what the true essence of being a hero should be. This has already happened in the past and is bound to happen again if popularity is still taken into account to establish the ranking.

Being a hero shouldn’t be a popularity contest

Deku proved that fame and fortune shouldn’t matter

One argument that can be made about the importance of civilians knowing who the best heroes are is that it gives them a sense of security. By learning that there are people looking out for them, they can live their lives without fear of being confronted by a villain. By itself, this idea shouldn’t be considered a problem, as it would simply help other heroes know who they should inspire. Still, chapter 430 makes it clear that your performance during patrol is not the only factor taken into consideration in ranking.

Bakugo is considered one of Japan’s best heroes, suggesting he is an effective asset when dealing with threats. Even so, Aizawa tells Deku that Your popularity among citizens will affect your rankingdespite being one of the best at his job. Heroes should not be seen as celebrities or hailed as such, as this has been confirmed to have caused many problems in the past. The series’ final chapter suggested none of the problems caused by classification had been addressed in the seven years after the Final War.

This and other neglected topics could be covered in a sequencewhich explores more deeply how society changed after All For One’s defeat. My Hero Academy world is one that has been constantly evolving since the series began. The final chapter reveals that the world has changed for the better on certain topics. Discrimination against heteromorphs and individuals with villainous quirks has indeed been addressed. Seeing how these new policies affected the world would be an incredible premise for a sequel.