My Hero Academia is a superhero series that started up in Weekly Shonen Jump. It is centered on a boy named Midoriya Izuku, who goes to a school that is meant to train the superheroes of the future. However, the series is also focused to a great extent on the world’s mightiest superhero All Might, who is the one who made Izuku’s dream possible in the first place. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about My Hero Academia:
1. Centered on Superpowers Called Quirks
The setting is centered on the concept of superpowers called Quirks. In short, about 80 percent of the population in My Hero Academia possess such a superpower, which has had a huge impact on their societies. Some people have Quirks from birth, but most people will see their Quirks manifest before the age of four.
2. The Exact Cause of Quirks Is Unknown
In-setting, no one knows the exact cause of Quirks, which started showing up out of nowhere. There is speculation that it was caused by a virus carried by mice, but so far, that remains nothing more than speculation. Regardless, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that the appearance of Quirks resulted in a fair amount of chaos because there was a sudden surge of super-powered criminals.
3. Quirks Seem to Be Genetic
Quicks seem to be genetic in nature. For example, a child with a Quirk will tend to have either one of their parents’ Quirks or a fusion of both of their parents’ Quirks. However, there are cases of children with a wholly unrelated Quirk, which can be rather reminiscent of mutations.
4. The Genetic Nature of Quirks Has Resulted in So-Called Quirk Marriages
Unfortunately, the genetic nature of Quirks has resulted in what the series calls “Quirk marriages,” meaning marriages in which the partners were chosen for the purpose of enhancing the Quirks that will be passed on to the next generation. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in some serious family issues, which are explored through a side character named Todoroki Shoto.
5. The Quirkless Are Looked Down Upon
Speaking of which, the Quirkless have it rough in the My Hero Academia setting. Generally speaking, the evidence suggests that they are either pitied or seen as being worthless, neither of which are particularly pleasant for the person on the receiving end.
6. The Protagonist Is Quirkless But Manages to Get a Quirk
The protagonist Izuku was bullied throughout childhood because of his Quirkless-ness. However, the events of the series see him gaining a rather unusual Quirk called One For All from a superhero named All Might, who chooses him to inherit the Quirk because of a moment of bravery. This is the same way that All Might received One For All, meaning that he was once Quirkless as well.
7. One For All Is Meant to Stop All For One
Inheriting One For All means inheriting the responsibility of stopping a man named All For One, who possessed a Quirk that let him steal Quirks and then plant them in other people. One For All was created when All For One planted a Quirk for stockpiling power in his brother, who possessed a Quirk that could be transferred to others. The brother was too weak to stop All For One, which is why he passed it on in hopes that a successor would be able to succeed where he had failed.
8. Adaptations Are Not Perfect
Quirk users tend to be adapted for their Quirk use. Unfortunately, this isn’t perfect, which is why some people have Quirks that they can’t control well on their own. As for the Quirkless, well, suffice to say that they are even more lacking in such adaptations, meaning that learning to master their Quirks can come with serious challenges. For proof, consider how Izuku can’t use the full power of One For All without inflicting serious injuries on himself.
9. Public Use of Quirks Is Prohibited
In-setting, the use of Quirks in public is prohibited save under certain circumstances, which makes some sense because some Quirks are effectively lethal weapons. With that said, self-defense is explicitly permitted. Likewise, there is leeway on how the law is enforced, which is why it is explicitly stated that no one would bother enforcing it against something innocuous like a Quirk user using telekinesis to pick up something that had been dropped.
10. Some Heroes Are Paid by the Government
My Hero Academia has strict rules about what heroes are and are not permitted to do. Moreover, some heroes are outright paid for their labor by the government, which is interesting because it suggests a very different mind-set from a lot of western superhero media that often have very cynical attitudes about whether governments can be trusted or not.
