My Hero Academia has teased the future title that Izuku Midoriya will hold, in an epic cliffhanger that is nothing less than a milestone for the series. Izuku has been embracing the full power of One For All on a soul-sapping endless hunt for All For One and Tomura Shigaraki. Deku’s friends from Class 1-A have risen up to stand beside him in the final battle – camaraderie that Izuku is only begrudgingly starting to accept. However, The citizens now living in the fallout shelter that is U.A. High School need serious convincing that Izuku deserves a place with them – and Ochacho Uraraka is happy to plead the case!
Warning: My Hero Academia Chapter 323 SPOILERS Follow!
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Ochacho faces a mob of terrified civilians at U.A.’s gates and gives an epic speech about why Izuku Midoriya needs to be there – even if All For One and Shigaraki are gunning for the young boy:
“Izuku Midoriya has a special power in him!… That power of his, yeah, it’s really special! It’s a power that exists to beat All For One! That’s why they’re after him! That is why he had to leave this place!! He Left and went through who knows what out there… More than anyone he wishes he could fix everything. You’re looking at a guy who could be attacked at any second but continues to move forward anyway… Special powers are one thing!! But there is no such that as a special person!!
…I believe once someone takes that unlike step and carves a path, that single step feels like an impossible journey. The ultimate hero will rise up. One who surpasses even Yagi. Yes, even All Might himself.”
There’s a bit of discrepancy regarding what “greatest hero” means in the context of how Izuku is using it in his narration. After all, All Might was the Symbol of Peace that inspired people to hope; Izuku may just be the hero that inspires people to actually stand up and all act like heroes themselves, joining in the fight against All For One. It fits with the themes of Deku’s character arc, as he has only accessed the full power of OFA due to his ability to inspire everyone around him to stand up like true heroes.
Izuku Midoriya being anointed as the “Ultimate Hero” who is greater than All Might is quite a promotion from the opening of My Hero Academia, in which Izuku’s voiceover narration claims the series is the “Story of how I became the greatest hero.” Of course, Midoriya would be humble in describing himself – to the point that a lot of fans believe the opening narration is actually a setup for the series final line, with ill be something like Midoriya telling the story of “How I became the greatest hero… alongside my friends.” Or something of the like.
