'I Wanted To Create Something Like Terminator 2': Horikoshi Explains Why He Left Out Certain Important Backstories In MHA

In a recent interview with Viz Media, Kohei Horikoshi revealed that he had detailed backstories of several characters in My Hero Academia manga that he chose to not include.

While discussing this, he admitted to having fully developed backstories for the previous inheritors of One For All, which he revealed to have intentionally left out.

“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.

Horikoshi’s inspiration for this creative choice comes from the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, where the future from which the characters originate is hinted at but not fully depicted.

The author aimed to replicate this approach in My Hero Academia, allowing readers to fill in the gaps with their imaginations.

“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…

When asked if he might explore these untold stories in the future, Horikoshi firmly declined.

My Hero Academia started serializing in Shueisha’s shonen manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014, with its chapters collected in 40 tankobon volumes as of April 2024. 

The series is set to end after a ten-year run on Aug 5, 2024.

The series has numerous spin-off manga, including My Hero Academia: Smash!!, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

It has also been adapted into an anime television series by Bones. The first season aired in Japan from April to June 2016, followed by a second season from April to September 2017, then a third season from April to September 2018, a fourth season from October 2019 to April 2020, a fifth season from March to September 2021, a sixth season from October 2022 to March 2023, and a seventh season which premiered in May 2024.

It has also received three animated films, titled My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, and My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission, and nine original video animations (OVAs).

A fourth animated film, titled My Hero Academia: You’re Next, is set to be released in August 2024.

Source: Viz Media