My Hero Academia Can’t End With Deku Being Quirkless

My Hero Academia is gearing up for the grand finale of the manga as the final battle reaches its climax, but the series really can’t end with Deku no longer having a quirk to fight! My Hero Academia set out to prove from the very beginning that anyone could be a hero. It’s something Izuku Midoriya has had to learn the hard way as he learned that he had no quirk of his own and had no chance of becoming a pro hero. That was until his idol, All Might, revealed that he would be able to pass on his power and make him a great hero too. 

A year and some change later, Deku and the rest of the heroes still alive are now in the final fight against All For One. Deku’s given everything he’s had to face off against this villain, and this includes sacrificing One For All’s power. While he’s still got some lingering power left, when this fight is over he’ll likely go back to being quirkless. While this serves as a great thematic ending for this story in particular, it still feels like it will end on a sour note as this is still only the first year of Deku in U.A. Academy. 

My Hero Academia: Why Deku Shouldn’t Be Powerless

My Hero Academia has done its best to convey that just because Deku doesn’t have power, he’s not any less of a hero. Seeing him fight has inspired the public around him, and thus there’s a good chance that this is the fight that will ultimately reveal how he becomes the number one hero he teased himself as at the beginning of the series. But it’s just too bittersweet of an ending given how much Deku has sacrificed to this point. The rest of his classmates will go on to have heroic careers, and he’ll be stuck watching them all from the sidelines. 

It’s something that feels like an underserving ending for Deku. He’s just suffered so much to get to this point that if he can’t enjoy a proper heroic future after this, then it’ll feel like he’s been fighting for nothing. What’s the point of sacrificing yourself for a future you can’t participate in? Sure, it’ll feel backwards to somehow allow Deku to have some power within him after this all ends…but that’s kind of okay. 

Deku’s given so much, and it’ll be a way to reward him after everything he’s been through. This is only one fight in the grand scheme of his life, and he deserves a bit of happiness. Even a little bit of strength would be enough. Don’t just let him be quirkless as a full circle thematic ending. It’s okay to be selfish here for someone who’s been so selfless.