The following is an edited article from this one for May Manga Madness. 

Day 15: My Hero Academia by Kōhei Horikoshi

My Hero Academia made it’s rounds and continues to grow strong thanks to last year’s first season of the anime adaptation.  Academia, written and drawn by Kōhei Horikoshi, did something to me that I have only experienced once before in a shonen title, and that was having the main character immediately grab my attention. I become obsessed with anime and manga characters by nature and it was no different with Izuku and All Might, the series mains.

Izuku and All Might have these incredibly-relatable, intense and will-driven personalities. Izuku wants nothing more than to be a hero so he can help and save his fellow man. He admires heroes immensely and wants to be just like them, not caring about becoming famous despite the competition for popularity. When he finds out he has no powers, otherwise known as ‘Quirks’ in this universe, he doesn’t just say, “I’m going to be a hero no matter what.” He cries and cries about it constantly, and becomes depressed as he is bullied by someone with powers he considers a friend.

All Might is the world’s greatest superhero and the embodiment of the classic American hero; think Superman or Captain America. Despite this, he can actually only use his powers for three hours a day after his body became permanently damaged from a fight in the past. Yet, he still fights on and always saves the day.

Academia is full of diverse and fun characters, each with their own backstories and traits. The many differences and upbringings we have is what make us human, and Kohei does exactly that with his characters. From our main hero who started with no powers, no father and a loving mother to a fellow classmate with powerful abilities who went through physical, emotional and psychological abuse from both parents throughout his young life, he makes sure we as the readers understands where these characters came from without dragging them on and on unlike some shonen titles.

Kohei’s unique art style is transferred wonderfully into animation thanks to the studio Bones. The series constantly show off the hero, villain and student’s abilities all while immersing the reader and viewers in the lives of these characters. The beginning of the story is incredibly emotional, and at times I found myself tearing up along with Izuku.