It has been a couple of months since Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia decided to draw curtains on the manga series that has been published on Weekly Shonen Jump for a decade. Though the fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the ending, the mangaka moved on with the reaction following his magnum opus’ conclusion.
Nevertheless, speculation has risen, and it is believed that Horikoshi-Sensei might have taken inspiration from a Marvel comic character, who might be the real inspiration behind the powers of Tomura Shigaraki and his Decay Quirk. Despite no official confirmation from the manga artist, once the fans learn about the mutant of the same name, they might say otherwise.
Decay, the character from the X-Men universe, had similar powers, and fans feel that many of the characters might be inspired by other popular titles as the antagonist had a striking resemblance with the mutant.
Kohei Horikoshi Might Have Drawn Inspiration From an X-Men Character For His Antagonist
Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia series is filled with interesting and gripping characters that have kept the fans hooked on the show. From an immersive world full of superheroes to epic battles that will compel you to read the next chapter of the manga, the series had it all.
The selling point of the show was its main villain, who stood out a little more than the others; it’s none other than Tomura Shigaraki. Right off the bat, the antagonist got the attention of the fans, and his tragic backstory added to his actions as a villain.
The heir for All for One not only featured a fascinating character design but also the most dangerous Quirk in all of the Shonen series. However, it looks like Shigaraki was heavily inspired by a Marvel character, where both not only shared similar powers but also a similar backstory.
A YouTube Short by a channel (@nerdakcomics) stated how Kevin Ford had the most “broken power of all time.” Like our antagonist, the character panicked when he manifested his powers, and in an accident, he killed his father as he “accidentally” touched him.
The mutant developed the ability to “disintegrate organic matter by touch,” but it was not mere touch that made it so dangerous, because it compelled Ford to use it. The character is overwhelmed when he unintentionally hurts one of his classmates; guilt consumes him and forces him to live isolated from society and in Mutant Town.
Until he met the former Black Queen of Hellfire Club, who made him accept his true form, making him a dealer of death. Now, if we put Shigaraki’s background next to that of Kevin Ford, we will have an uncanny similarity.
Both panicked initially, then both hurt someone close to them, making them feel guilty about their powers. Lastly, and most importantly, both met someone who turned them into killing machines.
Although the mangaka has never acknowledged it, fans are led to believe it by the striking resemblance. However, he did acknowledge that he was influenced by Akira Toriyama to create one of his most well-known characters in the series.
Akira Toriyama’s Unique SSJ Trait Inspired Kohei Horikoshi’s Famous Hero
There is no doubt that many well-known mangakas have drawn inspiration from Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, and Kohei Horikoshi is among those who were greatly influenced by Son-Goku’s SSJ transformation. To pay homage to the veteran mangaka, he decided to make his #1 superhero have the same trait.
Toshinori Yagi, popularly known by his superhero name All Might, possessed a chiseled physique as his Quirk, One For All, made him exceptionally tall and gave him bulging muscles. Horikoshi-Sensei explained in an old interview via Reddit, where he got candid on how he enjoyed reading Dragon Ball as a kid. He said,
A manga that I enjoy is definitely Dragon Ball, and when I was young I always kept reading Dragon Ball. I kept reading the same volume. I think it was the place a little bit before the android, Cell, started the Cell Games? I don’t know why, but I kept rereading this volume.
The manga artist further explained that Toriyama-Sensei’s work instilled the notion, which made him believe as a kid, that “strong characters are packed with muscles.” He added,
My impression that strong characters are packed with muscles is probably because of Dragon Ball’s influence. I really like the body shape of Goku when he goes Super Saiyan, which might be where All Might’s concept came from.
Indeed, greatness inspires greatness. However, the show’s popularity took a major hit because Horikoshi-Sensei did not foresee these 5 reasons that made the fans forever walk away from the show.
My Hero Academia can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
