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My Hero Academia is one of the most successful Shonen franchises to come out in the last decade. And as fans would know, the manga finished serialization two years ago in 2024. While the manga had a great run, did you know the story behind its origin?
My Hero Academia manga first started serialization in 2014. However, this was not the first time the manga creator Kohei Horikoshi released a “My Hero” manga. Had it not been for the one-shot the mangaka released more than half a decade ago, fans may have never witnessed the chronicle of Izuku Midoriya as the “Greatest Hero.”
My Hero Academia Mangaka Wanted to Create a Luffy-Like Protagonist
As revealed by Kohei Horikoshi during his special interview with Kagurabachi creator Takeru Hokazono, when he was a child, he was a huge Dragon Ball fan. He would often spend his time drawing Goku and his original Super Saiyans. However, as he grew up, he started admiring Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece.
When he first began planning My Hero Academia, his second work Barrage, had just finished serialization. Up until then, he admired Luffy a lot and wished to create a character like him as his protagonist. However, after two of his works ended, he realized that he did not have a Luffy in him. So, instead, Kohei Horikoshi decided to create a protagonist that he could draw easily.
My Hero Academia’s Roots Lie in Kohei Horikoshi’s One-Shot Manga
With Kohei Horikoshi wanting to create an easy to draw protagonist, he went back to a one-shot manga he released in 2008 called “My Hero.” According to Horikoshi, the protagonist from the one-shot suited his personality. Hence, he based Izuku Midoriya on the character.
After that, it took the manga creator about a year from the initial concept to complete the first chapter. He created several different versions of the opening storyboard. As the character’s characteristics weren’t fully decided, it was quite a struggle. Fortunately, Horikoshi had created All Might’s character early on. Hence, despite the fact that Deku and others were yet to be fully developed, he had a feeling that he would be able to make it work.
Rightfully so, the manga’s 10-year-long serialization proved that the manga creator’s intuition was right. The manga not only published 42 compiled volumes, but also has over 100 million copies in circulation worldwide.
Also Read: Kagurabachi Creator Reveals His Big Three Manga
Source: Kohei Horikoshi and Takeru Hokazono Interview
Gokul is an anime journalist with nearly five years of experience in the editorial industry. He currently also writes for ScreenRant and has previously written for Sportskeeda and OtakuKart. He loves watching anime and reading manga, and is a massive Black Clover and Haikyuu!! fan.
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