All of the people from the outside world that I’ve talked to anime say that all anime look alike with similar tropes.

One could make this argument about any from of entertainment: sitcoms, western films, kids shows. It’s only until you become really engrossed in a specific form of media or entertainment that you start to catch onto the tropes as well as the small differences between each work.

However, sometimes the differences between works can be lost on someone if they don’t slow down and think about them. Anime, even for all its limitless boundaries provided by the animation medium, seems to follow similar patterns. Today, I’ll be talking about something that I haven’t seen brought up very often, but I think it’s worth noting.

Two of the most popular shows that are currently airing, Shogugeki no Soma (Food Wars), and Boku No Hero Academia (My Hero Academia) share many similarities that seem to have been overlooked by fans. I could be wrong, and I’m interested to know what everyone else thinks on this subject, but here are the striking similarities I’ve found between Shogugeki No Soma and Boku No Hero Academia.

Setting

The most obvious similarity between the two shows is the setting. Both shows primarily take place in school. This isn’t anything special on its own; it’s actually just par for the course. So many anime series try to relate to their demographics, which is primarily children and young adults. It doesn’t hurt that school is where people experience the most growth and meet different types of people. This gives the writers of the shows a lot to work with.

So while these two shows both being set in a school isn’t anything atypical, what is interesting is the fact that both schools are the most elite, cutthroat institutions only for the best of the best. U. A. is considered the #1 ranked hero academy in Japan. Similarly, Totsuki is an illustrious international cooking academy well known in the culinary industry. Both U. A. and Totsuki have rigorous entrance exams that the protagonist must overcome to be accepted.

Story

Both works involve the young male protagonist embarking on his journey to be the best at a specific task. Both of these characters nail their entrance exams and are accepted into their respective elite institutions. The reason both shows do this is to create an avenue of escapism for the audience. It allows the target audience to live vicariously through the main character. They can escape their current situation of stress and studying for their own entrance exams and instead root for the protagonists as they overcome their obstacles.

Another way the creators try to make shows focused on cooking and superpowers relatable by having the main character be at odds with everyone else. In Yukihira Soma’s case everybody hates him because he’s one cocky chef. He’s also put at odds with everyone around him, often having to duel people when he has less ingredients or is less knowledgeable about the specific theme for a cook-off. In young Deku’s case, he’s immediately put at odds against his peers because he is quirkless in a world where a large majority of the population has quirks. He’s powerless and must be clever to overcome his handicap. Even when he inherits One for All from All Might, he is still unable to fully use it. Everyone can relate to an uphill battle which is what makes the characters in the show strong yet relatable.

Both shows also feature an idol or role model that the hero strives to become like. For Yukihira Soma, it’s his father. Soma will stop at nothing until his cooking skills surpass the man who has never lost to him. Deku aspires to be like All Might. He grows up on the dream of someday becoming like him, watching videos of him non-stop. Both All Might and Joichiro are like father figures, influencing Deku and Yukihira from an early age and setting the example of perfection for the young heros to chase after.

At a normal university or school the students typically work together to further advance themselves in education. This simply won’t do for anime, however, as the writers need conflict between the students to make the show interesting and spur on character development. This is done by pitting the students against each other. In My Hero Academia, the U. A. sports festival is held where the students fight against each other, showcasing their quirks and skills. They also have a combat tournament to determine the best in the class. In Shogugeki no Soma, students often challenge each other in Shogugekis or cook-offs where they both prepare meals and try to win the hearts of the judges. They also have a cook-off tournament to determine the best in the class.

After the big tournament in both shows, both the students at Totsuki and the students at U. A. take a break and go find internships. Both Deku and Yukihira find important mentors that help them make significant progress. Similarly, all of the other students find internships and experience personal growth as well.

As the stories start to progress, the students find themselves fighting a common enemy. The students at Totsuki find themselves battling student chefs from the evil organization known as Central, while the students at U. A. find themselves battling villains with quirks from the evil organization known as The League of Villains.

Characters

Something that I personally find very fun about the shows is the large cast of different characters featured in them. Both shows juggle a very large cast of characters by assigning the majority of them a single personality trait associated with their specialty, their quirk in Boku No Hero’s case, or their expertise in a food, in Shokugeki No Soma’s case. By boiling down many of the characters to single personality traits, the shows are able to further develop characters that have a more important role in the story while keeping the other more unimportant characters distinguishable and unique with their individuals specialties.

Something that stood out to me is how strikingly similar the two main supporting characters that constantly compete with the main character are between the two shows. In Shogugeki No Soma, Ryo, Hiyama and Yukihira all compete for the top spot at Totsuki. They all end up as the top three competitors during the tournament. Ryo has an explosive personality and attacks with knives andrage when he cooks. He yells constantly and when he’s not yelling, he’s murmuring really aggressive thoughts. Hiyama has a tragic backstory, he shows a lot of character, and ultimately he becomes the champion of the tournament. In Boku No Hero Academia, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya all compete to be the top hero at U. A. and all end up as the top three competitors in the U. A. tournament. Bakugo has an explosive personality and attacks with explosions and rage when he fights. He yells constantly and when he’s not yelling he’s being a jerk to Midoriya. Todoroki has a tragic backstory related to his upbringing as well. He shows character and resilience and is ultimately the most powerful hero at U. A.

Conclusion

One thing I forgot to mention that is the most important difference between the shows is the fact that the main characters are nothing alike. Yukihira Soma is an extremely talented and cocky chef, trained from a young age who wins with a sly smile. Deku, on the other hand, constantly takes a beating, he has to train extremely hard in order to keep par with the rest of his students but ultimately it is his character that carries him far. The importance of this difference cannot be overstated, as it is essentially what makes the shows different. The shows focus on the main character and the situations he’s put in, how he reacts, the choices he makes, and how he grows. This is what makes the show interesting.

Don’t think that I don’t like these two shows because in fact I love these two anime very dearly and they’ve gotten me through some really tough times. I always just think it’s interesting to notice the tropes, as well as the similarities between different works and ponder as to why the creators of both works made such similar choices. Like how every anime elects to include fanservice. Stay classy anime.