My Hero Academia Cliffhanger Teases Shoji's Dark Past

There are a lot of things fans can expect from My Hero Academia, and tragic origin stories are high on that list. Time and again, our favorite heroes and villains have broken our hearts with their backstories. Even the most inconspicuous students are carrying trauma on their backs, and now, we have learned the kind of burden Shoji has born this whole time.

If you are caught up with the manga, you will know My Hero Academia chapter 370 set up the sob story this week. The update opens with a misleading page that made everyone look to Spinner. After all, the opening showed a young boy in bandages struggling to survive the scorn of their family and society. But at the end of the chapter, we learn the poor boy is none other than Shoji.

What We Know About Shoji So Far

Of course, fans were not expecting this switch with Shoji, and it isn't hard to see why. After all, the boy has been a quiet member of Class 1-A, and he's never shown signs of PTSD in the story to date. However, past interviews with series creator Kohei Horikoshi teased there was more to Shoji than we knew. Now, it seems the manga's final act is about to lay bare that history.

READ MORE: My Hero Academia Fans Spot Clever Hint About Spinner and His Future | My Hero Academia Finally Unmasks Shoji's Face

From what we can tell so far, Shoji came from a home far away from the city unlike Tokoyami and Kouda. His neighbors did not take kindly to his mutant appearance, and their harassment became physical at some point. In fact, one panel shows adults throwing rocks while others are armed with pitchforks, so you can get the picture. They go so far as tot call Shoji "filthy" and "defiled", so it seems the student knows more about Spinner's pain than anyone else. And yet, chapter 370 makes it clear Shoji believes the only way to better the lives of mutants is by proving prejudice wrong at every turn.

What do you think about the manga's Shoji bombshell? Are you liking My Hero Academia's final act so far? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.