If You Feel the My Hero Academia Manga Is Off Right Now, You’re Right

If you are keeping up with the My Hero Academia manga, then you know the series is ready to drive home a new arc. The villains are out to play in 2022, and right now, fans seem optimistic enough about the shift. There is a fair bit of hesitancy from fans on the move, and honestly, it is hard to fault them given the manga’s last year. The story has hit a roadblock, so you aren’t alone if you feel like the series has been… off. 

The whole situation unfolded on social media after fans began pointing out some recent redundancies in the manga. It didn’t take long for the My Hero Academia fandom to get involved, and they were quick to point out the story’s thorny side. While the manga is working its way out of the problem, My Hero Academia spent much of 2021 in a holding pattern that never forwarded the story in any real way.

To put things simply, the manga got ahead of itself in 2021. From its first chapter forward, creator Kohei Horikoshi crafted a solid superhero story with pacing to match. There were peaks and valleys with plot-driven and character-centered arcs. And of course, the villains got their share of action intermingled with our heroes. This was the case up until the manga pushed on with its Raid arc, and well – things fell apart shortly thereafter.

The epic arc pushed forward with a faster pace than any the manga worked with before then. My Hero Academia took the saga as a chance to answer tons of burning questions, and its finality felt more like a series finale than anything else. It lowered many of the stakes fans had built up in the years since Horikoshi’s manga began, and 2021 was the year the manga needed to bring in new challenges. But sadly, that didn’t happen. While the introductions of Lady Nagant and Star and Stripe were fun, they added little to the series. This doesn’t even touch upon Shigaraki’s do-or-die power transfer that keeps getting delayed.

To some degree, fans have wondered how altered Horikoshi’s original vision for My Hero Academia has changed since the Raid arc. The story and its lackluster follow-up seem completely unlike the artist. The manga’s failure to build tension in this past year has fans even more concerned, and their worry hasn’t gone away. My Hero Academia is still moving at a fast pace, and the only thing that could redeem the story with fans is time. The manga needs more time to drum up stakes… but only time will tell if the manga heeds the advice. And if it doesn’t catch on, well – there is no telling whether My Hero Academia‘s end will justify its means.

What do you think about the manga’s quality over these last few months? How would you like to see My Hero Academia shift in 2022? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.