My Hero Academia Handles Deku’s Romance Better Than Most
All good things must come to an end at some point, and so it is with My Hero Academia. This beloved manga ran for 10 years and is now completely over by the time you read this. I really enjoyed the way My Hero Academia ending, especially in the case of Deku and his romantic status.
I should warn you in advance that this will contain full spoilers for the ending of My Hero Academia. If you’re reading this article right after it was published, the anime hasn’t even caught up to the end of the manga yet. So if you’ve only watched the anime or haven’t caught up with the manga, now’s the time to go back.
Still here? Great! I’m proud of the series’ author Kohei Horikoshi. Horikoshi has avoided the pitfalls and awkwardness of other similar shonen series in terms of romance. Not only is Deku’s odd state an incredibly fulfilling ending for the main character, but he also sticks with himself in his final relationship.
Even though Ochaco confessed in chapter 429, Deku doesn’t seem to end up with her after the eight year time skip in the final chapter. In fact, it’s implied that he doesn’t have much to do with any of his Class 1-A classmates in the future. I actually like it this way, since Deku and Ochaco don’t seem like an attractive couple.
This is a common problem with a lot of similar shonen manga and anime. Series like Demon Slayer, Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Inuyashaand others feel the need to end with the main character falling in love with someone. Some of these series work well, but others feel forced and out of place. My Hero Academia It would definitely fall into the latter category if Deku were to fall for Ochaco.
Sure, I admire Ochaco’s obvious feelings for Deku throughout the series. However, there’s been almost no indication from Deku’s side that any feelings are reciprocated. Honestly, Deku’s relationship with Ochaco is almost no different than his relationship with the adorable but evil Himiko Toga. Overall, it makes more sense that there’s no clear winner in this love triangle.
Deku is so focused on saving the world that romance seems to be the last thing on his mind. Even after the time skip, he is more focused on raising the next generation of heroes. His character is a lone wolf in some ways, always keeping his friends close but at a reasonable distance.
There’s hardly any character that makes much sense to end up with him from what we’ve seen in the series, so I’m grateful Horikoshi stuck to this conclusion. Aside from Ochaco, while I love Toga, she has some terrible actions. So pairing her with Deku doesn’t make much sense either.
Mei Hatsume is a bit more in line with Deku’s personality than the other two girls, but she’s a bit more of a backstory. So I feel like neither choice fits the series. Ultimately, I appreciate Deku’s seemingly single relationship.
This result shows that a great manga and anime like this doesn’t have to end with romance. This shows that the series is about saving the world, not who ends up with who. I hope more shonen action series take this from My Hero Academia by revolves around romance. In a way, it’s like having your cake and eating it too. Fans can still pair characters up for fun without losing sight of what’s really important in the series. And, honestly, I think I like it better this way.
The My Hero Academia Manga available to read from start to finish Viz Media And Manga More. Anime version available on Crunchyroll.
