My Hero Academia Creator Would Have Quit Manga If the Series Failed

Kohei Horikoshi bet everything on the success of My Hero Academia.

By Megan Peters

My Hero Academia may be done, but the manga's legacy is just getting started. Creator Kohei Horikoshi spent a decade building the world that Deku fought so hard to save. From his first day at U.A. High School to his return as a pro, fans were glad to stand by Deku the whole time. There is no denying the series' sheer popularity, but it seems Horikoshi was willing to give up on art entirely if the series had failed to launch.

Recently, Horikoshi unpacked his history with My Hero Academia and the manga industry at large in an interview with ComicBook. It was there the artist said he planned to give up manga entirely if the franchise hadn't thrived.

"I don't want to sound self-pitying, so I don't want to say too much, but when my second serialization was canceled, I thought, 'I'll never be able to draw manga again.' I drew My Hero Academia thinking that if this didn't work out, I would quit drawing manga. That is why I have drawn My Hero Academia with the intention of making it a story, which will encourage people who had mistakes in the past or had their hearts broken will want to try again," Horikoshi explained.

"The story ended up in that direction based on my experiences, but I'm sure everyone's been through a situation they regret. It could be that my theme was relatable for many readers, but I was really developing the story based on my feelings without forcing anything, so I wasn't deliberately choosing to depict the characters' flaws either."

Clearly, the story of My Hero Academia was influenced by a lot of factors, and a major inspiration was Horikoshi's own life. From his successes to his failures, the artist found ways to incorperate his experiences into the manga. That message most definitely resonated with fans as My Hero Academia is on a high. With more than 100 million copies circulating, the superhero manga is one of the industry's top-selling series to date. And after a decade of work, Horikoshi has more than earned a peaceful retirement.

Want to catch up on My Hero Academia? You can find the manga on Viz Media and read it from start to finish. So if you want to check out more info on the series, you can find its official synopsis below:

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"Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life – a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That's right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered 'quirk', Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that's not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world's most prestigious hero academies."

What do you think about this My Hero Academia confession? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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