Japanese superheroism in My Hero Academia

Abstract

Over the last two decades we have witnessed the exponential growth in the popularity and consumption of Japanese manga at a global scale. Millions of people have become enthralled by the diverse narratives that this medium provides. From tales of lonely swordsmen, teenagers piloting giant robots, and stories of culinary martial arts, manga has proven itself a pivotal Japanese cultural export that offers no shortage of entertainment. Among the recently famous of the many manga exports is Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia (MHA), the story of an average high school teenager who gains an extraordinary power that allows him to become a great hero. Since it began its publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine, My Hero Academia has become a phenomenon for both superhero comic and manga nerds around the world; and with good reason. My Hero Academia explores the American tradition of the superhero from a Japanese perspective. Indeed, by discussing this manga through the lens of superhero comic book studies I would argue that My Hero Academia, while grounding itself in the tropes and conventions of the American superhero genre, also displays subtle cultural differences throughout its representation of the superhero. By doing so, I hope to contribute to the growing interest in Japanese manga and anime as a medium worthy of academic study.