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My Hero Academia Creator Kohei Horikoshi Gives Studio Tour Ahead of Series Finale
Kohei Horikoshi took the chance to show off his new office where he both creates the world of UA Academy while simultaneously celebrating the beloved superhero shonen series.
My Hero Academia, a popular manga series, will end on August 3rd. Kohei Horikoshi, creator of the series, has been working on the story of Izuku Midoriya and Class 1-A, who are working together to hold Hero Society together and create a brighter future. Horikoshi recently showed off his new office, where he created the world of UA Academy.
This summer is a significant period for Class 1-A, as the manga's final chapter is set to debut. The anime's seventh season is still in the works, while the shonen franchise's fourth film, My Hero Academia: You're Next, will focus on the fight against Dark Might. Despite its end, the series has had a significant impact on the anime world, potentially cornering the market in superhero shonen.
Kohei Horikoshi shares peek at studio ahead of My Hero Academia's finale
My Hero Academia, a manga series by Shueisha, began in July 2014 and has since collected 425 chapters in 40 volumes. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, a young boy with a Quirk, who dreams of becoming a hero. All Might, the world's greatest hero, bestows his Quirk to Midoriya and helps him enroll in U.A. High School for superhero training. The manga's popularity has led to an anime series, multiple movies, and video games. The anime series is currently in its seventh season, and the franchise's fourth anime film, My Hero Academia: You're Next, is set to debut in Japan in August and release in the U.S. in October.
Horikoshi has hinted at his plans after My Hero Academia ends, possibly introducing a new genre in horror, as he himself stated in a quote from the artist. Horikoshi stated, "I want to try drawing a horror manga, but just a little."
Kohei Horikoshi shares a message for fans ahead of manga's ending
With the fan-favorite series, My Hero Academia, coming to an end, creator Kohei Horikoshi was asked to give a message to fans and chose to tease the upcoming finale. Horikoshi said, "We’re in the final stretch of the manga serialization. There aren’t many chapters left, but I want to ensure that the readers feel it’s worth sticking with to the end. Your tough but warm support keeps me going, so please continue reading!"
Viz Media interviewed Horikoshi to discuss the series' history and inspirations. With the series' ending imminent, Horikoshi was asked if there were any characters or stories he wanted to explore further but didn't have the opportunity. He said, "It’s not quite about not getting the chance, but I have characters and backstories that I created but didn’t include in the story. For instance, I have detailed stories for the previous inheritors of One For All. I intentionally left these out. I know it’s a little off from what the question was asking."
The writer and illustrator went on to say that he has no desire to draw these backstories. He explained, "Rather than drawing out all the well-thought-out backgrounds and episodes, I wanted to hint at those elements instead. For instance, in Terminator 2, John Connor becomes a leader in the future, and Schwarzenegger’s character is sent from that future world. But there aren’t many depictions of the future itself. Because the future isn’t depicted in detail, the viewers’ imaginations expand, and I thought that was really great. So, I wanted to create something like Terminator 2. I might have strayed a bit from the original question, though."
A mangaka from Aichi Prefecture, Kohei Horikoshi is a graduate of the Nagoya University of Arts. He was a former assistant for Yasuki Tanaka, creator and author of the manga series Hitomi no Catoblepas and Kagijin.
Horikoshi's favorite manga series include Naruto, One Piece, Akira, Tekkonkinkreet, and Boys on the Run. In a farewell bid upon the conclusion of the former, Horikoshi referred to it as the greatest shonen manga ever, as Naruto made up his childhood and was one of the primary inspirations behind My Hero Academia. In turn, upon the release of the My Hero Academia anime, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto congratulated Horikoshi in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump.
Horikoshi also drew a few movie-style posters for Star Wars and the MCU. In 2017, he drew a manga-style poster for Star Wars: The Last Jedi to promote that particular movie, and it must have been a joy for him to draw. Similarly, Horikoshi drew a colored My Hero Academia poster directly based on a movie poster for 2018's The Avengers: Infinity War.
ALSO READ: My Hero Academia Season 7 Highlights Bakugo's Awakened Quirk Evolution
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