My Hero Academia has gone through almost everyone’s backstory in Class 1-A by now, but Shoji was one of those odd gaps for so long. Tentacole’s history was a mystery to everyone, and netizens have been eager to learn about his past since creator Kohei Horikoshi promised big things were coming for the hero. And at last, My Hero Academia has outed everything we wanted to know about Shoji… even if it does hurt to hear.
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As promised, the manga put forth Shoji’s backstory this week in chapter 371 after setting up the tale last week. The series felt it was time to share things as Shoji stood against Spinner and his army of wronged mutants during All For One’s war. The gang is determined to take Kurogiri back even if it costs lives at a local hospital. And when the gang tells Shoji he had an easy life for a mutant, well – they are swiftly corrected.
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What Happened to Shoji?
As the manga explains, Shoji had anything but an easy life when he was a kid. Unlike Tokoyami and Koda, the boy grew up in a country village that was rife with prejudice. As such, his heteromorphic looks put everyone on edge, and he was an abused outcast for much of his life.
“My parents didn’t have arms like mine. We lived in an awful town. They all came out in force for a blood cleansing when I touched someone,” Shoji revealed. He went on to admit his costume includes a mask to cover the scars he received from the abuse because he doesn’t want anyone to mistake him for a mutant out for revenge.
“It’s not like I’m unaware of the widespread ‘Heroes who look like Villains’ rankings and stuff like that. I wouldn’t want pipe to tiptop around the issue for my sake. But my scares and heteromorph form are bound to make people wonder,” he shares. “I wear the mask since I wouldn’t want anyone thinking I’m out for revenge.”
Clearly, Shoji has been through hell in back despite being so young. Now, the mutant is determined to stop those of his kind from letting vengeance cloud their minds. Spinner’s tirade may provide immediate satisfaction, but Shoji knows the pushback will only deepen society’s mistrust. And though the gang’s anger is warranted, our hero wants to find a way to uplift mutant kind without hurting others.
What do you think about the manga’s latest backstory? Did you ever expect this kind of origin story from Shoji? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
