Everything ‘My Hero Academia’ taught us
We can all point to an anime we grew up with, whether it be “Dragon Ball,” “Naruto,” or “One Piece,” but rarely do you ever find an anime where its characters quite literally grew up with you. At the start of “My Hero Academia,” which first premiered in 2016, its main cast entered UA High School at roughly 15 years old. But in its recently released final episode, eight years have passed since the main story, showing what our once-young heroes are currently up to.
Izuku Midoriya, the show’s main character, balances being a top-ranked hero on top of his teaching job. Meanwhile, Ochaco Uraraka, who was finally established as Midoriya’s likely love interest, practices quirk counseling while operating as a hero.
As someone who was also in high school at the time of the anime’s release—and is now roughly around the same age as them—it hits especially close to home, seeing just how far these characters have come. In a sense, even without the super-powered society and the scheming villains, I’d say we even share similarities in our journeys: the internships, the self-doubt, the sleepless nights, and now, adult life.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say the anime is an accurate representation of real life, but the lessons it imparts can certainly be applied to it.
What you can do right now is all that matters
Over the course of 10 years and 171 episodes, “My Hero Academia” spent this much time building its characters into the fully fleshed heroes they are by the end of its story. But before that? They were simply fledglings, making the most of the skills they currently have.
In particular, Midoriya could not physically use 100 percent of his powers due to the limitations of his body for the majority of the anime. Every time he did, his bones would break, rendering him immobile and taking him out of the fight. He had to learn to dial it back and creatively apply the strength he had to defeat opponents much stronger than him.
Eraser Head, Midoriya’s teacher, can neutralize the powers of anyone he’s looking at. While certainly useful, he still had to develop techniques to actually take his opponents down despite his smaller frame.
Whether in your studies, work, or even in sports, it’s especially easy to compare yourself to others. But rather than sticking to envy, “My Hero Academia” teaches us that by appreciating what we have, and understanding our strengths and weaknesses, we can apply ourselves in ways no one else can to achieve results no one else can exactly do.
We need more people to not just mind their own business
Midoriya is the type of character to rush in and protect a stranger without being prompted to. When asked why he would put himself in such danger, he would simply say that their eyes looked like they were in need of saving.
For far too long, we have been too comfortable with minding our own business. We don’t reach out to others or fight on behalf of others simply because an issue or tragedy doesn’t apply to us.
Just take a look at our own country—the widespread corruption, the flood control scandals, and every other issue grabbing hold of it. Minding our own business is what has allowed these to grow and fester in the first place.
No one is beyond saving
In the face of Midoriya’s aspiration to save everybody, including villains, “My Hero Academia” throws in a foil through Tomura Shigaraki, his arch-nemesis, who is seemingly the very incarnation of evil—in short, hopeless and beyond repair.
His backstory, however, reveals a history of abuse and manipulation that fostered the extreme hatred he held, turning him into the villain he was.
And while he is defeated at the end of the anime, the characters take Shigaraki’s example as a lesson to reach out to others. In particular, Uraraka’s quirk counseling program takes her to schools across the country where she helps children better understand the powers they have.
Why? Because if Shigaraki or any of their other villains had access to this, maybe they wouldn’t have turned out to be villains in the first place. Now that’s very much something that could be applied to our own society.
There’s more to you as a person beyond your own ambitions
In its recently released final episode titled “More,” Shoto Todoroki, one of the show’s main characters, shared that he enrolled in a class to learn to make bowls and chopsticks.
While seemingly coming out of nowhere, he explained that after the dust had settled, he realized just how much he enjoyed eating, and how much more he would enjoy meals using tableware he made. In short, he found parts of himself that he never really noticed before. Call it your usual case of work-life balance, but it’s nice that even heroes find time for themselves.
The final episode of “My Hero Academia” marked the end of a historic run. But just as the show talks about entrusting the future to the next generation, the lessons the anime has shared for the past 10 years and 171 episodes will continue to live on through its many fans.
