A more Westernized take on mutants and superhumans.
Western and Japanese media have different views on mutants and superhumans due to the differences in historical events that the countries witnessed and their cultural specifics. One of the points of contact, however, is the entertainment industry, and My Hero Academia can be viewed as this weird bridge between two cultures.
Horikoshi Kohei, the author of the manga, stated back in 2018 that he took great inspiration from American comics, mainly X-Men and Spider-Man. Those familiar with these comic books, especially the X-Men ones, may think that the world depicted in My Hero Academia resembles the dream that Magneto always had: the world where mutants would be the majority and that would accommodate their needs and specifics, while regular humans would stay, well, on the outskirts of social life. Sure thing, Magneto wanted a world where the abilities could be used freely, while in My Hero Academia there are still some government-imposed regulations, but something tells us that eventually in the case of winning Magneto would also establish some rules.
While the X-Men explore the society from the mutants' point of view, with mutants being in the minority, My Hero Academia delves into it from the point of view of quirkless Deku, with mutants being in the majority — 80% of people are born with quirks. This contrast makes My Hero Academia unique, albeit Deku's quirklessness is not very long-lasting, but its effect is felt throughout the whole story.
Both universes focus quite heavily on the societal issues that come with this divide between those who have powers and those who don't, especially for the battle shounen manga or, respectively, action comic book. There's a whole Chapter 370 where mutants, those whose quirks make them look different from humans, attack a group of heroes tasked with protecting a hospital because society doesn't accept them. Big cities are seemingly more tolerant and accommodating towards heteromorphs whose quirks make them look different from humans, but away from them the society still doesn't accept them. This allegory also exists in the X-Men comics and explores the discrimination and prejudice faced by those who appear to be different from those who are not.
And that is not the only social commentary that goes through the story. Who is allowed to wield such huge power? Who is allowed to decide how the world works? Why are some quirks instantly labeled as bad, and that forces people into a life of crime? What's the purpose of heroes in a world where almost everyone is a hero?
Hopefully, some of these questions will be resolved in the manga in the near future.
A more Westernized take on mutants and superhumans.
Western and Japanese media have different views on mutants and superhumans due to the differences in historical events that the countries witnessed and their cultural specifics. One of the points of contact, however, is the entertainment industry, and My Hero Academia can be viewed as this weird bridge between two cultures.
Horikoshi Kohei, the author of the manga, stated back in 2018 that he took great inspiration from American comics, mainly X-Men and Spider-Man. Those familiar with these comic books, especially the X-Men ones, may think that the world depicted in My Hero Academia resembles the dream that Magneto always had: the world where mutants would be the majority and that would accommodate their needs and specifics, while regular humans would stay, well, on the outskirts of social life. Sure thing, Magneto wanted a world where the abilities could be used freely, while in My Hero Academia there are still some government-imposed regulations, but something tells us that eventually in the case of winning Magneto would also establish some rules.
While the X-Men explore the society from the mutants' point of view, with mutants being in the minority, My Hero Academia delves into it from the point of view of quirkless Deku, with mutants being in the majority — 80% of people are born with quirks. This contrast makes My Hero Academia unique, albeit Deku's quirklessness is not very long-lasting, but its effect is felt throughout the whole story.
Both universes focus quite heavily on the societal issues that come with this divide between those who have powers and those who don't, especially for the battle shounen manga or, respectively, action comic book. There's a whole Chapter 370 where mutants, those whose quirks make them look different from humans, attack a group of heroes tasked with protecting a hospital because society doesn't accept them. Big cities are seemingly more tolerant and accommodating towards heteromorphs whose quirks make them look different from humans, but away from them the society still doesn't accept them. This allegory also exists in the X-Men comics and explores the discrimination and prejudice faced by those who appear to be different from those who are not.
And that is not the only social commentary that goes through the story. Who is allowed to wield such huge power? Who is allowed to decide how the world works? Why are some quirks instantly labeled as bad, and that forces people into a life of crime? What's the purpose of heroes in a world where almost everyone is a hero?
Hopefully, some of these questions will be resolved in the manga in the near future.
