Earlier this year, Kohei Horikoshi’s iconic superhero manga series,My Hero Academia, finally reached its conclusion. However,its final chapter was extremely controversial among fans, especially because it seemingly left a lot of important questions completely unanswered. After its ten-year run, this was quite disappointing for a lot of longtime readers.
Fortunately for them, however, this story was apparently not over yet. Volume 42 ofMy Hero Academiarecently came out in Japan, and it included a full extra chapter within it:Chapter 431. This is basically an epilogue to the story that effectively answers some of the ending’s most burning questions in a satisfying way, and these are some of the most prominent examples.
1How Did Mirio Become The #1 Pro Hero?
His Comedic Antics Resonated A Lot With The Public, Especially Kids
Back in Chapter 430, Izuku Midoriya mentioned that his good friend,Mirio Togata,had become the new #1 Pro Hero on the Japanese Hero Billboard Chart. And that’s all fans knew at the time since there was no clarification on how this happened and what exactly the public thinks of Mirio now. Horikoshi didn’t even show readers what he looks like now, eight years after the final battle.
But Chapter 431 rectified all of this by actually revealing Mirio’s brand-new design, and he looks cooler and funnier than ever. His full alias now is “Comedian Hero: Lemillion” and it seems he’s extremely popular, especially with kids, due to his funny antics and over-the-top personality. This not only makes a lot of sense, since Mirio’s public persona is reminiscent of All Might, but it’s also a fitting conclusion for his entire character arc.
2Did All Might Sign Bakugo’s Trading Card?
Yes, Bakugo Finally Got His Idol’s Signature
When he almost died during the Final War Arc,Katsuki Bakugomet a vestige of All Might, to whom he revealed that he had always wanted to ask the real All Might to sign a trading card he had been holding ever since he was little.This was an endearing scene that proved Bakugo admired the Symbol of Peace as much as Deku didbut, sadly, the series ended before it was confirmed if he could get that signature or not.
In a brief scene from Chapter 431 that may go unnoticed by most readers, Deku catches a glimpse of the All Might trading card when he’s inside Bakugo’s car. Not only did Toshinori sign it, but Bakugo also laminated it and kept it beside him at all times, to which Deku reacted by smiling. It’s a small moment, but it helps close off Bakugo’s story in a more satisfying way. Weirdly enough, this is the only appearance or mention of All Might in all of Chapter 431.
3Did Deku Quit His Job As A Teacher?
No, He Can Be Both A Hero And A Teacher At The Same Time
Chapter 430 ended with the reveal that Deku’s former classmates funded the creation of a brand-newarmored suitso he could be a hero once again. This was an exciting and captivating moment that closed off the chapter (and the entire series) but it also left some fans with a bad taste in their mouths: Did he really ditch his new job as a teacher in U.A. High School after spending an entire chapter talking about how much he loved it?
But this isn’t necessarily the case because, as it has been shown constantly throughout the series, Pro Heroes in theMy Hero Academiaworld can fight crime and work as educators at the same time,with Shota Aizawa being the most prominent example. In Chapter 431, Izuku confirms that not only has he kept his job after receiving the suit, but that he actually loves it so much that he confirms he would have become a teacher even if he had never lost One For All in the first place.
4What Are The Hero Rankings Of The Rest Of Class 1-A?
Most Of Deku’s Friends Are Ranked Quite High On The Hero Billboard Chart
In Chapter 430, Deku briefly mentionedthe positions that his friends are currently holding in theJapanese Hero Billboard Chartsand confirmed that Bakugo, Todoroki, Shoji, Mirio, Honenuki, and Monoma are among the highest-rated heroes. While this was a fascinating revelation, many fans were inevitably left wondering about what happened to everyone else and where exactly in the ranking they were positioned after the time skip.
All Class 1-A reunites in Chapter 431, and Horikoshi took it as an opportunity to show readers the precise rankings of every single one of its members. Some of the most notorious ones include: Kaminari, who’s ranked #44, Sero, who’s ranked #36, Yayaorozu, who’s ranked #19, Tokoyami, who’s ranked #17 and Mineta, who’s at the very bottom of the list at #108. Curiously enough, some characters, like Aoyama, Koda, or Sato, are not even in the ranking because they still work as sidekicks in other heroes’ agencies.
5What Happened To The Shiketsu High School Students?
They Graduated And They’re Also Ranked On The Hero Billboard Chart
U.A. High School is not the only important hero school in Japan, with one of the most notorious examples being one of its rival institutions,Shiketsu High School. Some of the most powerful and lovable characters in the series attended this academy, like Inasa Yoarashi, Camie Utsushimi, and Seiji Shishikura. But, sadly,the series ended without confirmation that they had graduated or if they were currently working as Pro Heroesafter the time skip.
So it’s Chapter 431 to the rescue once again because, when the current rankings of the Hero Billboard Chart are shown, readers finally get to see what happened to the relevant Shiketsu students, and it’s admittedly quite satisfying: Shishikura and Yoarashi are currently ranked #41 and #16 respectively, while Camie now works at her former school.
6Can Deku Actually Use His New Suit To Fight Crime?
Yes, And He Can Even Keep Up With All Of His Friends
As impressive as Deku’s new suit was, Chapter 430 concluded with a brief shot of all Class 1-A working together, so fans never got to actually see it in action. This lack of clarity left some of them wondering if he could actually fight villains and work as aPro Herowith this suit, or if it was just for show, and it was going to leave him far behind his friends and colleagues.
After their brief reunion in Chapter 431, Class 1-A receives the news of a criminal causing damage with his quirk, so they all immediately jump to action to stop him. In a beautifully illustrated scene, readers see thatDeku’s armored suit is so amazing that he can easily keep up with all of his powerful hero friendswhile they race to the scene of the incident, and he even matched Iida and Bakugo’s speed in the process. And while nobody ended up fighting the criminal, in just one scene, Horikoshi proved that Deku can still be an effective hero with his new suit, so fans should have nothing to worry about.
7Did Kaminari And Jirou End Up Together?
Sadly, No, But This May Change Very Soon
Like most action shōnen manga,My Hero Academiafans have become obsessed with hypothetical romantic pairings between characters and, as a result, a fair share of them were extremely disappointed when Chapter 430 didn’t reveal which characters are officially dating now. The pairing betweenDenki KaminariandKyoka Jirouwas one of the most popular in the entire series, and many eagle-eyed readers even noticed that their hero agencies were placed right next to each other after the time skip: an interesting revelation that made them theorize that these two heroes may have ended up together.
To their surprise and disappointment, Chapter 431 explicitly confirms that Kaminari and Jirou are not currently romantically involved. But this is not the end of the line for fans who want to see them together, because they do mention that they like that their buildings are so close since it reminds them of when they sat next to each other during class. So, who knows?Maybe this new development will reignite Kaminari and Jiro’s relationship, and they may actually end up together in the near future. And even if they don’t, at least it is nice to finally have some confirmation.
8Did Deku And Uraraka End Up Together?
Yes, They Just Needed A Bit More Time
The romantic pairing betweenIzuku MidoriyaandOchacho Urarakais arguably the most popular in all ofMy Hero Academia, even more so than Kaminari and Jiro’s. A huge part of both characters' development throughout the story was focused on the romantic feelings they had for each other, which led to many fans feeling very disappointed when Chapter 430 didn’t even confirm if they had confessed or if they had ended up together. This was especially egregious because Chapter 429 seemed to imply that something was going to happen between them.
Horikoshi must have been completely aware of this controversy because this unsolved plot thread is practically the main conflict of the extra chapter. Readers get to see that Uraraka has also been extremely busy as a Pro Hero and as a Quirk counselor, so she never had time to reconnect with Deku, especially after he received his new suit. Fortunately, after Uraraka reunites with Himiko Toga in her dreams (and Deku has a brief but important conversation with Bakugo), both of them realize that they shouldn’t always be thinking of helping others and that they deserve to live however they want. As a result of this development,Chapter 431 ends with an adorable scene of Deku and Uraraka reunitingthat has left most fans satisfied.
