My Hero Academia and the Decaying Body

CW: major spoilers for the BNHA manga

The world surrounding superhero media is based in duality: good versus evil, saving the world versus destroying it, “good motives” versus “bad motives” etc. As repetitive as the stories can be, they do make for fantastic creations of narrative foils. Typically the hero(es) and villain(s) have similar ideas of what their end goal is for themselves and the world they live in, but their motivations and methods are incredibly different based on how they interact with society.

One of the more popular pieces of superhero storytelling, outside of the powerhouses of Marvel and DC, is My Hero Academia: a story of young heroes to-be learning how to use their Quirks (superpowers) to eventually become the next generation of pro-heroes. Obviously since you can’t have superheroes without villains, the “primary antagonists” the League of Villains/Paranormal Liberation Front (same org, different name) regularly show up to throw both the pro-heroes and students off their game in order to step closer to the end goal of destroying hero society. The defining factor of the LOV as a whole is their Quirks: compared to those of the heroes, every member of the LOV has a Quirk deemed “unsavory” or “too destructive” and thus not suitable for hero work. Now, considering the sheer amount of destruction heroes usually do in any superhero work — in MHA specifically the Kamino Ward arc and the most recent Paranormal Liberation War arc — it’s hypocritical to label the villains as more destructive. But in the world of My Hero Academia, it’s less about the damage itself and more what the damage looks like.

A key component of Quirk Lore is that every Quirk has a negative side effect. If a Quirk gets overused, isn’t honed completely, or is just a repercussion of its manifestation there is always a negative kickback. However, depending on the Quirk itself and its user, the way the side effect is perceived varies wildly. If a hero’s power causes bodily harm or excessive damage it’s seen as a badge of honor, a mark of how dedicated they are to their job and the citizens they protect. Consequently, a villainous quirk yielding the same effects has society perceiving them as disgusting; it makes them further outcast than they already are. Throughout its seven year run, creator Kohei Horikoshi has provided a laundry list of parallels documenting the societal polarity on bodily sacrifice versus bodily decay.

1. All Might/Izuku Midoriya & Tomura Shigaraki

I’m lumping All Might and Deku into one because they literally have the same Quirk meaning the same side effects. “One For All” is an extremely powerful, compounding Quirk passed from one user to another by the consumption of the previous user’s DNA. It works better if passed to a user that was previously quirkless because the negative effects aren’t compounded on top of a previous Quirk. Quirkless in the world of My Hero Academia is a status not quite as reviled as villainy, but considered a genetic flaw (since every intro to a new season hammers that 80% of the world has a quirk) Their status in hero society is akin to a disabled person in ours thus subjecting quirkless individuals to ire and bullying. Both All Might and Deku started as quirkless civilians desperate to beat the odds and become heroes one day and achieved their dreams once getting “One for All”: All Might being the uncontested number 1 hero for like 20+ years and Deku sitting comfortably near the top of class 1-A despite only having his Quirk for about a year (at this point in the manga) Their end goal is to be the best hero — not in terms of power or status, but in terms of protecting all civilians no matter what the cost is to their own mental and physical health. The downfall to “One for All” is the enormous toll it puts on the body especially on newer users. People that read or watch MHA love to poke fun of Deku for crying, but the kid used to break a bone every time he Detroit Smashes so it’s understandable. Arguably the best example of My Hero Academia glorifying bodily sacrifice is All Might’s final battle as a pro hero in the Kamino Ward arc. At the climax of his battle with the series’ big bad All for One, his dwindling power — started from a large wound from a previous battle with AFO, catalyzed by his transfer of “One for All to Deku “— finally gives out and his body gives out in front of the villains, heroes, and civilians watching the fight play out. While he still gets enough damage in to lead to AFO’s capture, his weakness has been revealed live to thousands of people. He’s forced to step down as the number one hero, but his resignation is seen as the result of a noble sacrifice rather than a moral failing. He’s not seen as weak but a paragon of a true hero.

On the other end is Tomura Shigaraki: protégé of All for One, leader of the Paranormal Liberation Front, and narrative foil to Deku. His Quirk “Decay” is just as destructive as “One For All” can be, just in a less desirable manner. The ability to destroy matter with five fingers is less of an asset to hero society than the power of a controlled punch or stomp. His destructive power was amplified further in the My Villain Academia arc when he began preparation to inherit the consciousness and power of All For One who can take away and reassign Quirks. Even before his Quirk manifested, Shigaraki was exposed to abuse from his father which compounded more after his Quirk showed up at a really inopportune time (RIP Mon-chan) After he accidentally kills his family with “Decay” (bar his abusive father which was an intentional murder) and is taken in by All For One, his appearance changes dramatically: most notable is his hair turns white and his skin condition is exacerbated. The first comment both the UA students and new recruits for the League of Villains make is how disgusting he looks, though the fact he wore the severed hands of his family on him probably didn’t help. After taking in the consciousness of AFO and the Paranormal Liberation War, his body changes dramatically again; this time he gets jacked as hell, has one hole in the center of his hands, and accidentally decays part of his body. His body and his surroundings are falling apart as the result of his power, but it’s seen as a failure rather than a success. His Quirk is perceived as a detriment to hero society, therefore his body breaking is seen as a result of his moral failing.

2. Miruko/Spinner

This is way more tenuous but hear me out. A big component of what makes a hero is marketability: that’s why the gross quirks and tragic backstories get pushed to the side. Both Miruko and Spinner have animal quirks and zero backstory so all the readers have to go on is their personalities and their powers. Miruko is “the Rabbit Hero” and is known for her bold personality and aggressive fighting style. Her Quirk is marketable both because it’s powerful and bunnies are a universally beloved animal making her an easy shoe-in for the number 5 hero spot. Additionally, her rabbit Quirk doesn’t completely alter her appearance: she just has the ears and the tail, the rest of her is unmistakably human. In contrast, Spinner is one of the lieutenants for the Paranormal Liberation Front and one of the original members of the League of Villains. His Quirk “Gecko” completely alters his appearance making him look more like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle than a man. We haven’t seen his Quirk used to it’s full potential yet, but the traits of a lizard/gecko are arguably less appealing than those of a rabbit. While Spinner’s full backstory, including why he views hero society as corrupt, it’s not a bold assumption to guess he’s been pegged as villainous (more likely off-putting) because of his appearance. This societal shunning may have led him to adopting the Hero Killer Stain’s ideology of hero society’s inherent corruptness and turning him to the “villain” side.

3. Endeavor/Dabi

Like father like son. Enji Todoroki, hero name Endeavor, is the “current” number 1 hero (in quotes because at this point he’s disgraced beyond comprehension) and the patriarch of the Todoroki family. His Quirk “Hellflame” produces powerful flames which, obviously, have the capability for major destruction. He rose to the near top of the hero rankings based off his power and dedication though constantly fell short of number 1 because of his horrid disposition. He sat at number 2 for 20+ years stewing in contempt, but the public at least saw him as someone to be respected. The consequence of “Hellflame” is overuse leads to Endeavor’s internal body temperature rising and his power dwindles. Though his body becoming temporarily damaged from his power is a hinderance to him, it’s not used against him because side effects from fighting evil are okay to civilians. It also doesn’t visibly damage his body making him stay a commodity. However because of this perceived hinderance, Enji sought to create an heir with the goal of removing the downside of his power and to surpass the long-standing number one. He marries Rei, a woman with a strong ice Quirk, and gets started on making his ideal spawn.

The first attempt was Touya who possessed a fire Quirk stronger than Enji’s but had much worse internal regulation because his body was more suited to his mother’s tolerance for extreme cold. Each time he uses his Quirk he gets burn scars on his body, if he overuses it he cooks his internal organs. Enji deems his son a failure, stops training him, and basically shoves him aside to work on training his youngest son Shoto who is a perfect split of his parents’ Quirks. After a last-ditch attempt to prove his worth to his father, Touya severely burns himself and presumably “dies” only to rise from the ashes as Dabi. Dabi’s “Cremation” becomes villainous after his rebirth because its destructive potential is now for the detriment of hero society. His motives turned from regaining his father’s love and admiration to tearing down his near-spotless reputation. This is at the continued detriment of his own body; Dabi regularly pushes his Quirk past its limits and progressively becomes more scars than skin from his debut to when he was last seen in the manga. His burns aren’t war wounds like if he successfully became a hero, but marks of incompetence: a punishment well-deserved. His father saw him as a failure, his colleagues (Shigaraki) called him disgusting on the first encounter, and hero society sees him as a monster. Even though his Quirk is similar enough to that of his heroic father, he’s seen as a societal deviant.

The disparity between heroes and villains in My Hero Academia almost works as a parallel to real-life ableism for the series. If you’re hurt in the line of duty, it’s a success because it’s not “your fault” and it’s “for the good of the people” but if you’re deemed broken from birth then you deserve ridicule. Heroes risking bodily harm and death is fine because it’s considered a public service and any wreckage they cause is justified. The Kamino Ward, Pro-Hero, and beginning of the Paranormal Liberation War arcs prove that civilians are okay with major destruction as a result of the pro’s Quirks. Meanwhile villains are treated as rejects and gross and anyone with an inherently “villainous” quirk (see: UA student Shinsou and his Quirk “Brainwash”) is pegged as less-than. If a Quirk is seen as less-commodifiable then it’s automatically worthless. Everything depends on a person’s status and pre-existing potential and the marketability of their Quirk. Any of the original League of Villains have powerful Quirks that could easily be used for heroic deeds but were rejected usually because of the toll they take on their body or their less-than commodifiable descriptions. Hero society posits that a “bad” Quirk is a moral failing rather than a result of the genetic lottery and whatever detriment their power causes is just comeuppance. It’s a hypocritical view of what divides the good from the bad, especially in terms of bodily harm and physical damage, yet it continued to persist.