'My Hero Academia' Creator Ushers In New Year With Izuku

The new year is here, and the creator of My Hero Academia is hoping 2019 will serve him and his [...]

By Megan Peters

The new year is here, and the creator of My Hero Academia is hoping 2019 will serve him and his series well. After all, the artist did share a special New Year's Day doodle with fans not long ago, and it features All Might's number one fan.

Oh, and there's a boar. The word is out on whether the creature is just that or happens to be part of an elaborate Quirk.

As you can see below, the new sketch was shared by Weekly Shonen Jump for its 2019 Happy New Year post card collection. Kohei Horikoshi was tasked with drawing a little something to get fans celebrating, so he drew Izuku Midoriya with his new bestie.

The drawing imagines Izuku in a different style than usual, and his chibi looks plenty adorable. With his arms pumping back and forth, the green-haired hero is ready to run, and he is joined on his new race by a boar. The pig's presence is supposed to honor this year's brand-new zodiac. 2019 marks the arrival of the Year of the Pig, so it is only fitting for a boar to nestle its way beside Izuku in this festive sketch.

Of course, Horikoshi has plenty to look forward to in 2019, and fans will glean gifts from his work as always. Not only will the new year see season four of My Hero Academia go live, but the franchise will dip into its first live-action foray. Over in Japan, a stage play based on the manga will go live in a matter of months, and Horikoshi said he was pleasantly surprised to see how his characters translated into the real world.

"I never gave it any thought in regards to how [My Hero Academia's] designs would look like in real life, so when I heard that there was going to be a stage play, I was actually quite worried. However, after seeing the key visual, I was so surprised," the artist revealed.

"This right here is way too cool! I'm super looking forward to this," Horikoshi continued. "For me personally, I'm excited for Tokoyami and Mineta. I hope I can see it soon!"

So, what are you looking forward to with My Hero Academia this year? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

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