My Hero Academia: Kohei Horikoshi Reveals His Own Definition of a Hero

My Hero Academia is now in its final stretch to the manga’s finale, and the creator behind it all has revealed their own definition of who a hero truly is! My Hero Academia first hit the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine back in 2014, and over ten years later it’s about to come to an end. The final chapters of the series are now exploring a special epilogue in which Izuku Midoriya and the others heroes have started picking up the pieces from everything that happened during the war as the series heads into the future. 

My Hero Academia series creator Kohei Horikoshi is ready to put down the pen and end the manga in a couple of more chapters (with the final chapter scheduled for a release this August), and to celebrate the manga’s ending, Horikoshi recently spoke with Viz Media about the successes of its run thus far. When asked about what the creator actually defines as a hero, Horikoshi stated that now he thinks that “anyone can be a hero” including the people who support him closely through his daily life and work.

Who Kohei Horikoshi Defines as a Hero

“That’s a tough question. If I could articulate it clearly, I probably wouldn’t be drawing manga,” Horikoshi began. “So, I’d say, ‘Please read the manga.’ Initially, heroes were those on a different level from me—like [One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda] or fictional characters like Goku from Dragon Ball.” But things changed as the creator aged, which he noted is a change that’s reflected in how My Hero Academia has told its story. 

“But as I entered my 30s, I began to appreciate those people nearby who offer support, which ties into the current story of My Hero Academia,” Horikoshi continued. “My appreciation has been growing toward the people who extend a helping hand or offer encouragement. For example, Imamura-san, my editor, has been a huge supporter. I’ve grown to see these everyday helpers like him as heroes too. So now, I think anyone can be a hero, including those who support me closely.” 

My Hero Academia will be officially bringing the manga to an end with the release of Chapter 430, coming to Shonen Jump in Japan beginning on August 4th. You can find the newest chapters of the series with Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library as they hit in Japan or with Shueisha’s MangaPlus service.