Does My Hero Academia Contain a Star Wars Mandalorian Reference?

My Hero Academia fans know that series creator Kohei Horikoshi is a major Star Wars fan, and now they're wondering if he just didn't sneak a big reference to The Mandalorian into the manga. My Hero Academia chapter 296 surveys the aftermath of the big war between pro heroes and the League of Villains, and what the battle has done to the heroes and villains that fought it - as well as the normal citizens that were caught in the crossfire. After several urban cities were devastated by Tomura Shigaraki and Gigantomachi, it takes every hero on-hand to clear the rumble - including one that looks a lot like The Mandaloriani's Din Djarin!

My Hero Academia manga chapter 296 SPOILERS Follow!

PS5/ Hmm could also be Mando, given Horikoshi's fondness for Star Wars and the current zeitgeist.
But the buster cannon and chunky feet are very Mega Man-ish, and MMX has been referenced by name in MHA, even.

...Djarin-Vile love child. pic.twitter.com/Yhj5S8naWR

— Caleb Cook (@CDCubed) January 3, 2021

As you can see, that helmet looks a whole lot like a reference to The Mandalorian - or "Mando" as he's affectionately referred to. Of course, other fans on the chat thread have pointed out that this mysterious pro hero looks a lot like a mash-up between The Mandalorian and Mega Man - with the latter being another character that Horikoshi is known to be a fan of. "Mega Man X" was actually mentioned directly in chapter 48 of My Hero Academia's manga.

My Hero Academia is filled with Easter eggs like this, they aren't in any way game-changing to the plot of the story, but they sure are fun. It makes fans appreciate the level of detail in the manga's chapters and all the work that Horikoshi and co. puts into them. It also makes fans love Horikoshi on a personal level, for his clear love of geek culture and its various iconic franchises. Character odes to Marvel, DC, Star Wars, other anime - and all the sci-fi/fantasy in-between - can be found throughout My Hero Academia and its Vigilantes spinoff.

Thanks to the War Arc, My Hero Academia is now short quite a few pro heroes. It's a dark time in the series, but also one of imminent opportunity, as new pro heroes will have to step up to fill the void. Who knows how many fun odes to other franchises Horikoshi can fit into an entirely new slate of hero characters?

My Hero Academia releases new manga chapters weekly FREE Online. Season 5 of the anime is in the works.