私 が 来た! I AM HERE… to talk about the life lesson of My Hero Academia.
Amidst the current trend of isekai this and isekai that, My Hero Academia (MHA) being a superhero anime is a surprising refreshing story with a typically cliched concept. Usually you think of superheroes and superpowers in comics, like Marvel & DC, or in Hollywood movies, especially now that the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) is so prevalent.
The difference here is that MHA is set in a society where almost everyone has a superpower, or Quirk, and thus the ones who have strong Quirks end up becoming professional superheroes (aka their version of police). However, with power, comes great responsibility, and some people just don’t know how to handle responsibility. So of course there are people who use their powers for bad. Let’s be real – we’d probably have a ton of “villains” if our current day society had Quirks, whether out of greed, anger, revenge, or just pure evil. I will preface, I can be somewhat of a cynic…
But let me just say MY HERO ACADEMIA IS SO GOOD. SO INSPIRING. It warms even my grinch heart and makes me want to save the world and be a hero. Even though the manga is amazing in it’s own way, the anime adds so much color with such a badass fitting soundtrack (the same composer as the Haikyuu anime). I get chills rewatching certain parts of the anime.
Narwhals are Real Creatures
The story follows Izuku Midoriya, (who goes by Deku), one of the rare few who was born without a Quirk, which likely was a large factor in why he turned out so kind-hearted, humble, and determined. It’s the whole hard work vs. talent debate—80% of the time I would choose the hard worker over the talented one. Once in a while you have someone who’s naturally gifted, humble, empathetic, AND hard working. That’s called a narwhal — they’re so unnatural seeming and uncommonly found that people forget they’re real. And that’s what makes Deku such a great MC.
The whole anime starts off with the world’s greatest hero, All Might, a symbol of peace for society, and Deku’s biggest inspiration, passing on his powers to Deku. So now you’ve got a narwhal that has the ethic and now also the strongest superpower in existence. Throughout the series, All Might continuously mentions how Deku, a quirkless kid, inspired him to take action when he was at a low point. All Might is Deku’s hero, but Deku also became All Might’s greatest hero and gave him purpose to keep living. This challenges everything we think about what it means to be heroic.
Deku had nothing, except an unshakeable desire to help others, even at the cost of his own safety. He would leap to action despite the cost and the lack of power, but that’s exactly what inspired All Might. Deku didn’t save the world in that moment. He saved one person. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.
The Life Lesson
In real life, we don’t have Quirks. We can’t shoot fire from our hands or punch with the force of a cannon. But My Hero Academia teaches us that you don’t need superpowers to be special. You don’t need a cape to be a hero. It’s not the having of superpowers that automatically makes one special—it’s what one does with those powers. What’s needed is the courage to show up for someone, especially when it matters most.
Heroism is a Choice
If you have all of the power to solve something but don’t do anything about it, you’re not a hero. Police killing innocent people instead of catching bad guys isn’t exactly heroic. Being heroic is:
- choosing kindness when it’s easier to walk away
- speaking up when silence feels safer
- supporting someone without expecting anything in return
- noticing hurt and asking if someone’s okay
If you read the life lesson of passive suicidal ideation, people are always surprised when a seemingly happy person takes their own life. Often the happiest seeming people hold the darkest secrets. As someone who’s come from a place like that, I’d like to think that because we understand true darkness, we also understand true happiness and sacrifice. Ignorance truly can be bliss. But who helps the people who are always watching out or sacrificing for others? Who helps the people who don’t want to be a burden and are so good at hiding everything that they’re dealing with?
Ochaco Uraraka (best girl in MHA) has an ongoing theme of being the one who helps the hero. In the end, while Deku is out saving the world for everyone, Ochaco ends up being Deku’s hero – the one who understands best what he’s dealing with. And this cycle continues, proving that…
You don’t need anything special to be a hero.
Sometimes you just need to be be observant and hold out a helping hand.
One of the tropes in slice of life manga and anime that I like the most is when someone popular notices and befriends the quiet, shy nobody in class. It doesn’t even have to be the popular kid. Why? It’s because they’re embodied as just a regular hero for doing nothing but making a friend. Who cares what society says, or what’s trendy or not.
Long ago, I befriended someone in high school, back when I was that quiet, shy nobody in class. She was popular and funny and we were in completely different worlds. When I think back on it, that one friendship was probably the biggest factor to me coming out of my shell and finding my true self. She was a hero to me at the time. It wasn’t out of pity or anything. I’d like to think she just looked a little deeper and saw me for who I was.
She was just making a friend. That friendship ended up meaning a lot to me though. Even if we didn’t end up staying in touch, it also says a lot about the importance of temporary connections.
My point being, you don’t have to go out of your way or do anything special to change someone’s life. And you don’t have to be some crazy special or prestigious or talented person to be another’s hero. A fan could be an idol’s hero. A student could be a teacher’s hero. A child could be a parent’s hero. We all know kids say the most brutally honest things, yet they never do it out of malicious intent, so you can’t truly get mad at them. Many times honesty to a fault is the much needed reality slap we all need.
Be yourself. Be a kind person. You (yes, you) could be the next All Might. And that sounds like an All Right life to me.
