My Hero Academia just ended one major story arc for the series, as (SPOILERS) Himiko Toga finally met her end, on the battlefield of the Final War between the heroes and League of Villains. Toga was given an epic shonen manga death scene, which reflected back on the span of her lifetime, as well as her rivalry with Ochaco Uraraka. That death scene sequence made it pretty clear: Himiko Toga had one of the best character arcs in My Hero Academia!
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Why Himiko Toga’s Story Arc Is One Of MHA’s Best
My Hero Academia has used a classic “heroes vs. villains” trope for its story of All Might and the current generation of pro heroes battling All For One, his League of Villains army, and all the nefarious forces and factions in between. That said, the deeper thematic arc of Kohei Horikoshi’s manga series has been all about what the meaning of “heroism” is, especially in the context of a generation where cynicism and sadness are so much more en vogue.
In many ways, Himiko Toga was one of the clearest embodiments of My Hero Academia’s theme about heroism vs. cynicism. Toga’s backstory was that of an unusual girl with an unusual quirk power (copying someone’s form by ingesting their blood), which made her a social pariah. Toga’sn”evil” was actually a deep lack of self-esteem from having her expression of “love” (actually becoming the people she adored) seen as monstrous by the world around her. It was, again, a great metaphor for how a cruel world of bullying or social ostracization can really warp a person’s soul.
The end of Toga’s arc saw Uraraka finally touch something in the vampiric killer by giving her what she always lacked, and was secretly seeking: admiration and true connection. A friend. It was a big enough bond that Toga sacrificed her own life by transforming into Uraraka and donating all of her own blood to stop Uraraka from bleeding out. In a sense, she went from being one of the fiercest villains in the series to one of its most selfless heroes – all thanks to a profound act of kindness from a seemingly bitter rival.
The reversal Toga’s character arc is pretty significant in those final moments. While a lot of fans might of been hoping for a battle to the death between Uraraka and Toga, the former actually befriending the latter, and “defeating” her villainy in that way is everything that My Hero Academia has been building toward with its thematic arc – and why characters like All Might, Deku, and Uraraka are at the forefront of the series – characters with sunny-enough optimism to push away the darkness, and the powers to back it up.
My Hero Academia is releasing new manga chapters online.
