My Hero Academia creator “regrets” helping anime studio for hilarious reason

Anthony McGlynn
Deku in My Hero Academia: You're Next

My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi has spoken about his relationship with the anime, revealing some support he begrudgingly gives the studio.

Since premiering in 2016, My Hero Academia has become one of the best anime running in the eyes of many. The manga kicked off in 2014, so the anime show has been pretty close to the source material for the story’s duration.

As the My Hero Academia ending looms, Kohei recently talked about his connection to Studio Bones, the outfit that produces the anime version. He tries to help where possible, and winds up regretting it, but not for anything bad.

“I tell the anime staff that I want them to make the anime even more amazing than the manga, but when they succeed I regret it,” he tells Da Vinci magazine. “I try to compete with the anime in a way, doing stuff it can never do, challenging myself to create something powerful in a way that can only be done with manga.”

He goes on to say that this has made his whole process longer and ultimately much more difficult. But one of the great joys of following My Hero Academia comes from having both the manga and anime to check out.

If you enjoy comparing mediums, they complement each other super well. Read any current chapter, and a year or so later you can see how Bones interpreted the scenes and moments.

Likewise, watching the anime gives you an appreciation for what Kohei’s achieved over the course of a decade. There’s a full crew behind the show, whereas he’s on his lonesome, like many mangakas.

2024 has become the year of My Hero Academia. The superhero anime is in the middle of Season 7, we have a new movie coming this summer, My Hero Academia: You’re Next, and the final chapter arrives in August.

It’s going to feel odd without having any new adventures involving Deku to look forward to, but at least Kohei can finally have a long rest. Check out our upcoming anime list for other franchises to watch.