Back with a ‘SMASH! An adjusted adage that appropriately describes the return of a highly popular shōnen series, from a one-week hiatus, following the sudden illness of the series’ mangaka; Kōhei Horikoshi.

Since being initially serialised in Weekly Shōnen Jump on July 7th 2014, “My Hero Academia” was yet to miss a week that wasn’t pre-scheduled due to official holiday magazine breaks; prior to the 14th Issue of this year. However, come that issue, it was with great sadness that an announcement was made which notified readers of the unforeseen hiatus. While it is well understood that mangaka, especially those who oversee series that release on a weekly basis, are not often in the best of health due to long hours and arduous working conditions, this had never seemingly been the case with Horikoshi: until this occasion. Yet in spite of this, only a week later, “My Hero Academia” was back; and boy was it worth the wait.

Following that short break, a month has passed, bringing with it four new chapters (numbered 129 through 132). While these chapters were packed with engaging story telling, engrossing world building and excellent character interaction (like most of Horikoshi’s content), there is one element to the latest chapter in particular; that I believe deserves a primary focus in this discussion.

Chapter 132 of “My Hero Academia”, titled ‘The Plan’, is noteworthy for one reason above all else. For only the second time in the series (with the first time being Chapter 115 – ‘Unleashed’), the protagonist of the series, Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, is nowhere to be found. The focus instead, is primarily placed on the meeting between two villains: Tomura Shigaraki (who was first introduced in Chapter 11) and Overhaul (who debuted in Chapter 115, which as previously mentioned, was the only other chapter that did not include any material pertaining to Deku).

Yet unlike Chapter 115, this newest chapter was not entirely focused on the villains, with some shine given to the exploits of Deku’s classmate: Eijirou “Red Riot” Kirishima, and the start of his work study under the ‘BMI Hero’ Fat Gum, alongside the U.A third-year student (and member of the school’s ‘Big Three’) Tamaki “Suneater” Amajiki. However, even this concise heroic attention was included to serve the purpose of demonstrating an aspect of the titular plan: belonging to Overhaul and his villainous group.

With this in mind, it can be construed that Horikoshi uses these rare villain-centric chapters to good effect. These brave decisions of placing the primary heroic cast to one side briefly, made by the mangaka, allow intriguing characterisation to be given to the villains of the story. Rather than purely defining them through their interactions with the protagonist and his comrades, villain-only conversations are an alternate method of delving into the true nature of these antagonists.

Furthermore, Horikoshi does not stop at simply characterising the villains of “My Hero Academia”. It is clear that Horikoshi values the benefits that well-developed antagonists can contribute to the crafting of an accomplished story, and so he seeks to do this through methods like including the occasional villain-exclusive chapter. But while an intricate personality has been given to a recent, but seemingly important, villain in Overhaul, the attention that Horikoshi has given to long-running antagonist Tomura Shigaraki is of more interest to me.

As early as Chapter 22, Shigaraki was labelled a ‘man-child’ by the police detective Naomasa Tsukauchi and a board of U.A staff members. He was partly attributed with this description due to his childish tendencies, displayed during his group’s invasion of a U.A. facility; the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (or USJ for short). The principal of U.A. High however, Nedzu, went further than this and swiftly made a comparison between Shigaraki and the students of the school. While he appeared to be older than the primary cast of heroes-in-training (approximately in his 20s or 30s), Nedzu theorised that his juvenile demeanour suggested the potential for his growth; if guided by an exceptional mentor, much in the way the teachers of U.A. themselves were aiding the heroic development of their own pupils. And of course, given his ‘High Spec’ quirk (depicting exceedingly high levels of intelligence, in spite of his animal origins) his prediction would appear to be accurate, given the events that have transpired since that point.

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Arguably though, the most interesting facet of Shigaraki’s gradual development over the course of the series so far, is the parallel nature of the progression when placed alongside that of the series’ protagonist; Deku. Both characters have grown a lot since their respective introductions, and important elements of their individual overarching character arcs are certainly comparable. For example, both Deku and Shigaraki were being nurtured by powerful individuals for the vast majority of the series’ first 100 chapters (All Might and All For One respectively), for the sake of raising a successor, until they decisively clashed in Kamino Ward. While the fates of the mentors differed following this fight (with All For One being placed in ‘Tartarus’, a high-security prison, and All Might utilising the remaining dregs of his quirk in order to subdue his nemesis), both of them became restricted in their ability to aid their protégés. While the situation was slightly different, as All Might had access to Deku whilst All For One was imprisoned far away from Shigaraki, All Might’s now permanently frail body limited the way in which he could instruct Deku in his mission to master the use of the quirk he had entrusted to him; ‘One For All’.

Alongside this initial comparison though, is a more recent one that is directly linked to this month’s chapters of “My Hero Academia”. As of Chapter 132, Shigaraki and Overhaul (an ex-member of the Yakuza, and the current leader of the Shie Hassaikai) appear to have come to an agreement over a future alliance: for the sake of achieving their joint objective, of crushing the current ‘hero society’. Horikoshi then cleverly mirrors this currently cooperative relationship on the heroic side of affairs, through the introduction of Mirio “Lemillion” Toogata. Like Amajiki, the third-year conducting a work study alongside Kirishima, Toogata is both a senior at U.A. High and a member of the school’s ‘Big Three’. Also in a similar vein to Amajiki, Toogata worked at the behest of his junior (in this case, Deku) in order to arrange a potential work study for the first-year student, at the same agency with which he himself was involved; that of All Might’s former sidekick, Sir Nighteye.

So much like Shigaraki and Overhaul’s relationship, Deku and Toogata’s interactions are built on a foundation of current cooperation, with a future of competition over a position of inheritance. In Shigaraki and Overhaul’s case, they are sure to compete over the potential position of the next ruler of the underworld, while Deku and Toogata may very well compete for the position of the number one hero, and to ultimately succeed All Might as the next symbol of peace.

Through this level of analysis, it is clear then that the mangaka has purposefully introduced these characters at similar points in time, in order to indicate the ongoing challenges that face both the primary protagonist and antagonist moving forward. We have reached a point in the series where both primary characters have to stand up and prove that they deserve the position that they wish to fill, in the future, and there’s no better method of forcing them to grow than by introducing rivals who hold the same aspirations as their counterparts. To further this hypothesis, a reader needs to look no further than the quirks of the two newer characters. While it is not yet disclosed officially, it would appear that Overhaul’s quirk allows him to burst an enemy’s body like a balloon, through nothing more than physical contact with exposed flesh, while Toogata’s quirk has been given the name of ‘Permeation’. The third-year’s abilities, granted to him through this power, are a fascinating take by Horikoshi on the relatively stock superpower of intangibility, seen in a number of other series (both in the West, and in the East).

In fact, Horikoshi’s ability to reinvent powers that are commonly used in the superhero genre, or to create new and exciting ones, is a intriguing topic that I may want to revisit in a future installment of “Go Beyond”; but that’s beside the point for now.

Looking at these two quirks, side by side, is an interesting premise: as they typify the concept of the individual who can kill with nothing but a touch, and on the opposite side of things, the individual who can’t be touched. This choice of powers for the two new rival characters, introduced to inspire growth in both Deku and Shigaraki, is almost poetic; and is certainly done intentionally by Horikoshi. In addition to this symbolism of similarity between the pair, is the significant impact that both of their action-based introductions had. Whether it be Toogata rapidly defeating 18 members of U.A’s Class 1-A singlehandedly, or Overhaul killing the first named character of the series (Kenji “Magne” Hikiishi) and maiming another (Atsuhiro “Mr. Compress” Sako), they were both intended to leave an impression; and an impression they did indeed leave, on both the characters that witnessed it (including Shigaraki and Deku respectively), and the reader.

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To reiterate, with this analysis of the information presented to us in the past four chapters and beyond, it is clear that Horikoshi is looking to create a well-balanced narrative, in the hope of crafting as masterful a shōnen manga as possible. The topic explored in this piece is testament to that, as it shows Horikoshi isn’t afraid to breakaway from the norm of the genre his story is a part of, in order to maximise the potential of the world he has created with “My Hero Academia”, and the characters that inhabit it. Considering the current arc however, I expect to see even further development with the villains – an exciting prospect – and more progression with the similar character arcs on which the two successors; Deku and Shigaraki, find themselves. If this indeed turns out to be the case, then we, the readers and fans of “My Hero Academia”, are sure to be in for a treat.