My Hero Academia is quickly becoming one of the most popular modern manga and anime series to ever be published by Shonen Jump. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, also known as Deku, a young boy who dreams of becoming the number one superhero in the world.
The series is known most notably for its colorful cast of characters, all of which inhabit a world where roughly 80% of the human population possess some kind of unique ability or “quirk” as they are commonly referred to.
While initially, the series may seem like a typical coming of age story, as Izuku attends U.A. High School, one of Japan’s leading schools for hero training, writer and artist Kohei Horikoshi weaves an intricate narrative about what it means to be a hero, in a world where being a superhero is a position similar to that of a police officer in the real world.
Although Izuku does not present any natural quirk of his own, through a fateful encounter, he inherits the ability “One For All”, a quirk bestowed upon him by his idol, and Japan’s number one hero, All Might.
The ability grants Izuku immense power, first presented as super strength that Izuku can use at the cost of damaging his own body if used too much, with other powers later developing as the story goes on.
Izuku accepts the power granted to him and trains under All Might so that he might one day also inherit the position of number one hero. His journey is fraught with dangers, however, as Izuku encounters the evil League of Villains, a group bent on the destruction of superhuman society.
The League is led by All For One, a mysterious figure who is said to be a lifelong rival of the wielders of One For All, and his protege Tomura Shigaraki, a young man with the quirk to destroy anything he touches, and the inner hatred to do so.
Throughout the series, we gain much insight into almost every aspect of this world, how heroes are licensed and operate with the government, how quirks work and develop, and even how the criminal justice system differs from our own.
Horikoshi also weaves an intricate narrative, detailing and exploiting the flaws in hero society, granting the villains of the story detailed backstories and making them more sympathetic characters than many other superhero genre media.
Who Is Hisashi Midoriya?
One of the main things that has never really been explained, however, is the identity of Izuku Midoriya’s father. A shonen protagonist is frequently distanced from one or both parents, as this gives the protagonist more independence.
After all, what parent would willingly allow their child to put their life at risk or embark on dangerous adventures?
Although there are many intriguing theories about the character, Hisashi Midoriya abandoned his family when Izuku was still a kid in order to pursue a profession overseas, and we are given no further information or explanation about the character.
Inko Midoriya, Deku’s mother, claims that her husband is stationed in another country although Inko refers to Hisashi as her husband, implying that they are still married. As a result, Hisashi’s absence during Izuku’s upbringing has sparked many fan theories and speculation online.
Furthermore, anytime Inko mentions Hisashi, she appears to be in a bad mood. There might be a personal issue inside the family, indicating that his absence is causing or caused by a larger problem that the audience has not been made aware of.
The return of Deku’s father to the series has been announced, and while it is unlikely that he would play no significant part in the series, this page will focus on the character and his possible responsibilities.
The name “Hisashi” is a pun on the Japanese word “hisashiburi,” which means “long time, no see” in English. Because anime characters are known for having names that represent characteristics that characterize their personalities, the name “Hisashi” suggests that Deku would be better off without his father to influence him.
Hisashi’s Quirk permits him to breathe fire, as revealed by Inko to the doctor at the beginning of the series. His Quirk’s strength is unknown, although, his Fire Breath could potentially be rather powerful.
Inko’s ability allows her to float small objects, however, not on a level that would allow her to pursue a career in heroism. The ability to breathe fire has numerous uses, and it’s conceivable that Hisashi’s choice of job line was only influenced by this characteristic.
Is Hisashi Midoriya A Villain?
Despite the fact that many fans have speculated about Deku’s father’s identity and whether or not we’ve seen him before in the series, there is no clear solution to this question.
There were many indications left in the series, leading to a slew of ideas regarding Hisashi Midoriya from fans. One of the most popular theories surrounding this subject is that Deku’s father is a villain.
One question that has persisted in the minds of readers for a long time is whether Deku’s Father is actually All For One? Since they consulted Dr. Tsubasa when Izuku was four years old, Hisashi Midoriya has been missing from Izuku and Inko’s lives for at least eight years.
All For One has the ability to steal and use a wide variety of different quirks, and has been deformed for a prolonged period of time, as a result of his history fighting All Might.
As such, it is conceivable that Deku has actually met his father after being separated for so long, and not even realized.
All For One And Dr. Ujiko
In My Hero Academia, Dr. Kyudai Garaki is a major antagonist, also known as Dr. Daruma Ujiko. He has been one of All For One’s most dedicated servants, caring for his physical form since his first defeat against All Might.
He is also in charge of the Nomus’ creation, Nomus being large creatures mutated from humans to be able to possess multiple quirks.
While it is not known publically in My Hero Academia, Dr. Garaki used his alias to work out in the open, presumably so he could find children with potentially useful quirks for All For One to steal, or use for the creation of Nomus.
The first appearance of Dr. Ujiko is in fact when Izuku Midoriya, along with his mother Inko, find out that Izuku is quirkless.
An X-ray of Izuku’s foot reveals an extra joint in his pinky, demonstrating his oddity as this is considered to be a sign of whether someone will develop a quirk or not. This might imply that he was born without a quirk rather than having it removed.
Quirks, in the end, are all about genetics. As a First-Generation Quirk user, All for One was most likely raised by Quirkless parents. It would have been easier for him to transmit the gene to Izuku than it would have been for a Quirkless child to be produced from two parents with quirks.
In the universe of My Hero Academia, being born quirkless is quite unusual. While it works well as a narrative element, one can’t help but question if the causes aren’t as obvious as the audience assumes.
The issue may become more complicated if a villain is involved who extracts Quirks. All for One could have easily taken his son’s Quirk before it completely manifested, then claimed Izuku was quirkless all along.
Izuku could have possessed a very potent Quirk. All for One, on the other hand, would have understood how a Quirkless child would be regarded and used Izuku’s Quirk to push him to become a villain.
Izuku doesn’t appear to have All Mights’s innate aptitude to use One for All as he had when his mentor was younger. Some could argue that he just acquired the Quirk at the right time, just as it was about to manifest. There might, however, be another explanation.
Once again, it’s all down to genetics. Izuku may have inherited the DNA of One for All’s first two owners: All for One, who originally owned it, and his brother, to whom he gave it. As a result, he may be able to relate to the Quirk in a more meaningful way than a traditional successor.
My Hero Academia’s Star Wars Influences
Some people might be shocked to discover that Kohei Horikoshi is a great Star Wars enthusiast, with several references to the film franchise already having appeared in My Hero Academia.
Several locations in the series have names taken directly from Star Wars, such as Dagobah Municipal Beach Park, Tatooin (Tatooine) Station, and Nabu (Naboo)Junior High.
While these may seem like simple namesakes at first, the influence of Star Wars actually runs a lot deeper than a reader may initially consider.
Tatooine Station marked the beginning of a long-running trend in My Hero Academia of one-off destinations based on Star Wars locations. Normally, these references are only a wink to the audience, but this one has significant narrative weight.
The main character of My Hero Academia, like Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, begins his journey on Tatooine. Tatooine, with the exception of Izuku, is a railway station rather than a lonely desert world.
The fact that My Hero Academia starts with Midoriya arriving at this place suggests that we’ll be following his story and adventures.
Given the number of Star Wars references in the series, it’s no surprise that All Might’s foe, All for One, is clearly modeled after the legendary Darth Vader.
My Hero Academia’s most notable villain has scar tissue covering his face due to a previous confrontation with All Might. He must wear a black helmet with a skull-like design and a life support system when he leaves his concealed hideout.
All for One isn’t the first or last evil to take Darth Vader’s components, and he certainly won’t be the last. This might indicate that, like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, Izuku and All For One will one day reunite as father and son.
