How My Hero Academia Embaces Shonen Cliches

My Hero Academia is one of the decade's biggest anime, but some of its success comes from typical shonen tropes.

Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia is one of this decade’s most popular anime and an inspiration to modern shonen series. My Hero Academia came around at the perfect time when superhero stories were at an all-time high and it’s able to combine these staples with shonen genre stereotypes.

My Hero Academia follows Izuku “Deku” Midoriya during his moving struggles to become Japan’s No 1 Pro Hero. There is endless subversion, creativity, and unique characters on display in My Hero Academia. That being said, a key factor in its success is its ability to lovingly embrace shonen clichés and turn them into highlights instead of disadvantages.

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This article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia's manga.

Many shonen series find success by taking ordinary underdog characters who gradually become their world’s greatest hero. Shonen anime need to experience a sense of growth and development, which is impossible if a protagonist is already incredibly strong. This transformation can feel even grander when the main character isn’t just ordinary, but below average.

My Hero Academia is set in a world where superpowered Quirks are the norm and experienced by 80% of the population. Midoriya idolizes heroes and strives to be the best, which is even more inspirational since he begins as one of the rare people who are Quirk-less.

A friendly rivalry can become one of a shonen anime’s most rewarding dynamics, like in the case of Dragon Ball Z’s Goku and Vegeta or Naruto’s Naruto and Sasuke. My Hero Academia telegraphs early on that Midoriya’s childhood included a lot of bullying from Katsuki Bakugo.

Midoriya and Bakugo’s matriculation at U.A. High initially feeds on this existing tension, but the two go on to become best friends who would do anything for the other. Midoriya and Bakugo only grow as strong as they do because they collectively inspire the other. It’s My Hero Academia’s most nuanced and satisfying friendship.

There are many ways to handle romance in battle shonen series. My Hero Academia never turns these matters of the heart into its driving force, but there are still many tender relationships that are built upon archetypes. One of the first friends that Midoriya makes at U.A. High is Ochaco Uraraka, a sweet girl who immediately develops a crush on him.

My Hero Academia never fully pulls the trigger on Deku and Uraraka’s relationship. Instead, the anime leans into the cliché of unrequited love where one of the two is completely oblivious of the other’s crush. Uraraka’s love for Deku grows more obvious over time, especially during the character’s dark soul-searching in Season 6.

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The Todoroki family are subjected to constant tragedies and it takes seasons for Shoto to even acknowledge his father, Endeavor, and use the fire side of his Quirk. Endeavor caused his family a lot of pain during his pursuit for perfection and one of his children, Toya Todoroki, is missing from the picture.

There's constant speculation over Toya's identity and the truth is truly devastating for everyone involved. It's not uncommon for shonen anime to randomly introduce missing siblings and new family members, but My Hero Academia does it with painful poignancy.

Shonen anime thrive upon constant combat and this can be effectively featured when the primary antagonist insulates himself through a team of formidable foes that must first be defeated. My Hero Academia refines this concept several times over and even temporarily focuses exclusively on the villains.

A seismic play for power occurs between the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army. When the dust settles, it’s Shigaraki who is in charge of this evil collective, but there are still many high-ranking officers that the heroes must first eliminate before success is possible.

Sacrifice and loss are tragic inevitabilities in most shonen anime and any series that avoids such subject matter isn’t being true to their circumstances. Death is rare in My Hero Academia, but it’s effectively used to really hammer in the stakes and unite conflicting characters.

Mentors can become easy casualties in shonen anime after they’ve fulfilled their purposes and educated their pupils. My Hero Academia turns to such rote storytelling tactics with Sir Nighteye and Nana Shimura, while other teachers like Gran Torino and All Might get quite close to opening death’s door. These losses are cliché in their construction, but they’re still properly powerful.

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One of the shonen genre’s biggest grievances is “power creep,” which is in reference to fluctuating power levels where characters conveniently rise to the occasion rather than putting in the hard work. Midoriya is constantly fighting to be the best hero possible, but his power level skyrockets in significant ways that feel like a remedy to Shigaraki’s growing collection of Quirks.

Deku has reached the point where he now has seven unique Quirks at his disposal, which includes the likes of Blackwhip, Smokescreen, and Float. It’s genuinely enjoyable to watch Deku independently master these skills and brilliantly synthesize them together so that he’s always prepared for whatever evil strikes.

Betrayal is a powerful and unfortunately all-too-common event in shonen anime. My Hero Academia spends seasons establishing the heroic and villainous factions that make up this world. The Pro Heroes Association begins to fear that one of their own is a traitor who’s siphoning off information to the Paranormal Liberation Front.

My Hero Academia keeps this mystery in a play for a long time and even entertains the idea that there may not be a mole among the heroes after all. This traitorous reveal carries a lot of weight and shows the audience that nobody should be fully trusted.

Shonen anime highlight how there’s often a fine line between heroics and villainy, which protagonists can blur to great effect. It’s challenging to genuinely make the audience believe that a shonen hero has defected or gone to the dark side.

My Hero Academia explores this idea with its “Dark Deku” story arc where Midoriya quits U.A. High and becomes a lone wolf to better protect his loved ones from any unnecessary fallout. U.A. High’s entire student body brings Midoriya back to his senses. It’s an important turning point for Deku as he gets ready for greater danger.

A popular trend in many types of anime, but particularly shonen series, is the clunky decision to send everyone away to the beach. Gratuitous visits to the beach or hot springs become obvious fan service opportunities and My Hero Academia is no different in this regard.

My Hero Academia does focus on its female heroes during its beach escapades, but it still allows these characters to show off their skills and save the day. These beach episodes are embarrassing in concept, but they turn into valuable celebrations of the anime’s female cast.

Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, who lives in the cultural mosaic that is Brooklyn, New York. Daniel’s work can be read on ScreenRant, Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, and across the Internet. Daniel recently completed work on a noir anthology graphic novel titled, "Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Noir: A Rag of Bizarre Noir and Hard Boiled Tales" and he’s currently toiling away on his first novel. Daniel's extra musings can be found @DanielKurlansky on Twitter.