Did You Catch This Plus Ultra Detail About 'My Hero Academia'?
My Hero Academia has all sorts of layers for fans to peel back, but that doesn’t mean they are [...]
My Hero Academia has all sorts of layers for fans to peel back, but that doesn't mean they are all easy to catch. Some of the series' best references are found in its details, and it seems a super-secret one might have been spotted.
So, if you have been curious about the origins of Plus Ultra, a translator may have unearthed its creation.
Over on Twitter, Caleb Cook starting blowing minds when the translator revealed one of his My Hero Academia shower thoughts.
"The motto "Plus Ultra" is Horikoshi's self-insert because the "koshi" kanji in his name is 越, = "go beyond," Cook wrote.
"His full last name is 堀越, or moat-overcomer. Like some sort of siege warfare master. Or, dig-crosser, like how Power Loader would stage a prison break."
Continuing, the translator broke down a few more kanji tidbits for fans.
"2 kanji options for the verb koeru (go beyond, overcome) : 越 or 超. 越 is for points in time or space, moving *forward* (ex: getting past a difficult period in your life, or a mountain range). 超 concerns degree or amount, moving *upward* (ex: over capacity, transcendence)," he wrote.
"On that note, that second option, 超, is also basically the "super-" prefix. 超大国: superpower/superstate. 超常現象: supernatural phenomenon. 超音速: supersonic speed. 超人: superhuman/ubermensch."
Of course, there is no official confirmation on whether this worldplay does detail the true origin behind My Hero Academia's famous catchphrase. However, Cook provides some pretty convincing kanji evidence for the argument. At the very least, the coincidence backing this translation only proves Horikoshi was meant to think up 'Plus Ultra' and spearhead it in a truly super series known around the world.
So, what do you make of this explanation? Do you think Horikoshi came up with the phrase this way? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi and has been running in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has super powers, even though he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he's eventually scouted by the world's best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes. The series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release since 2015.
