One ofMy Hero Academia’s biggest themes is the idea that the hero society which has emerged in the wake of Quirks is a system that’s inherently flawed. As it turns out, that deep sickness was on display from the very first chapter, although it would be easy to miss the hints in the generally upbeat tone.
InMy Hero Academia, “Hero Society"is the term used to refer to the way the world works now that superheroes and villains are a part of everyday life. It involves the system of relying upon heroes to resolve nearly every problem that crops up, be it petty crime, large-scale villainy, or even just a cat stuck in a tree. There’s a degree of hero worship built into Hero Society as well, with the heroes held up as exemplars of good and righteousness, even when they’re heavily flawed figures like Endeavor. This system has some major problems with it, however, and with a dose of retrospection, it’s apparent in the first chapter.
Hero Society Was Broken From the Beginning
The Worship of and Reliance Upon Heroes is Immediately Obvious
In the very first chapter/episode ofMy Hero Academia, Deku witnesses a villain attack, as heroes battle against this evildoer. However, the heroes aren’t just battling against the villain;they’re surrounded by a huge crowd of people, filming the confrontation on their phones and excitedly watching, seemingly ignorant of the danger that they’re in. Even Deku joins this crowd to watch, eagerly rattling off facts about the heroes involved. Mt. Lady makes her debut appearance, modeling for the crowd and eager to have her picture taken after taking the villain down.
This is made to seem like the norm, with other heroes like Death Arms acting as a barricade to help keep the crowd from interfering in the battle. The same thing happens again later in the first chapter, whenBakugo is captured by the Sludge Villain. While the heroes are very worried for Bakugo’s safety, they can’t do much to act due to the circumstances. However, the crowd is all smiles, especially as rumors that All Might may appear start to spread. There’s a palpable excitement, even a giddiness, at the thought of seeing the top hero, without any regard for the dangerous situation or Bakugo’s life.
My Hero Academia’s Ending Proves Bakugo Had Best Character Arc With a Subtle Call Back
Bakugo’s final appearance in the My Hero Academia manga mirror’s his dramatic fallout with Deku, proving how much he grew as a person.
While the chapter is pretty upbeat and doesn’t draw much attention to this, looking back on the first chapter withthe knowledge of the criticisms of Hero Society yet to comemakes the situation look particularly dark. The civilians are so dependent upon and confident in the heroes that they see this as some kind of show or game, not like a life-threatening situation. Had the Sludge Villain gained control of Bakugo’s body, he could’ve killed dozens of civilians before escaping. Only Deku thinks to act to save Bakugo.
My Hero Academia’s Civilians Needed a Reality Check
The Civilians' Antics in the Face of Danger Are a Sign of the Problem
It’s immediately clear that the civilians see heroes and villains as some larger-than-life conflict, and don’t consider it a real problem. One citizen even takes the time to call and complain to his boss that he’ll be late to work due to the villain attack, as if it’s little more than a traffic accident.They’re overly confident that the heroes will be able to resolve the situation safely, and put themselves in danger without a second thought due to that fact.Deku may be an extreme case of fanboyism of heroes, but it’s clear from these incidents in chapter one that he’s far from the only one.
Initially, these incidents read as if these kinds of things are mundane, but there’s no acknowledgment of the risk that a villain attack represents. In fact, what it proves is how disconnected from the realities of a villain’s threat the average person has become. It’s no wonder that whenthe League of Villains begins to strike with big, mostly successful attacks, people are shocked; they never really considered that villains could actually cause real, lasting damage to the world that they live in. The heroes will clean it up, just like they clean up everything else, so there’s no need for the average civilian to worry.
It also explains why the civilians turn on heroes so quickly once the League begins striking back heavily. Their complacency with heroes handling everything ignores that heroes are human, too, and humans can make mistakes. When the heroes fail to handle a situation for the first time, the civilians are knocked out of their complacency, and soon faith in the system completely crumbles. Hero Society inMy Hero Academiawas fragile from the very first chapter, and it’s a masterful demonstration of building a theme subtly.
