A wide misconception surrounding the shōnen genre is that it’s all action and adventure with very little substance, but as a coming-of-age story meant to resonate with an audience, there lies a surprising amount of range for series like My Hero Academia. Although centered on heroes and their place in society, Horikoshi Kohei also focuses on the connections between people.
Between depicting a fierce rivalry, a mentor and a student, and the budding feelings amongst adolescents, My Hero Academia spans many connections that have grown, clashed, and blossomed. One of the many that had originally had fans left in limbo was finally confirmed in the series’ epilogue.
Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Ururaka: A Long-Standing History of Friendship and Support
From the very beginning, when Izuku Midoriya tripped his way onto the school grounds, his chance encounter with Ochako Ururaka hinted at a potential romance between the two main leads. And although My Hero Academia never directly highlighted their relationship as romantic, it was a highly anticipated dynamic that only continued to flourish through each story arc.
Izuku and Ochako are just one of the amazing dynamics that are explored through My Hero Academia, beginning as strangers who just wanted to help each other through their school entrance exam, to friends who bolstered each other to get stronger through the many competitions and unexpected run-ins with villains. They served as a healthy dynamic of school camaraderie.
At one point, before just getting their hero licenses, Izuku begins to double down on training, and Ochako is teased about her friendship with him, ultimately realizing that her feelings of admiration could be something more. But as these thoughts and emotions begin to hinder her ability on the battlefield, she locks them away to focus on the upcoming conflicts.
For fans who were invested in their development, this would begin a trial of patience and endurance as the shōnen genre focused on the main conflict at hand, the development of the characters’ abilities in preparation for the final battle. It wasn’t until chapter #394 during Ochako’s clash with Himiko Toga that this topic would rise again.
Ochako and Toga would reach an understanding through the confirmation of their feelings of love between a girl who has always been surrounded by it and one who was always seeking the validation of love. Yet Ochako’s confession was clear and resounded amongst fans who now only thought to wait for these feelings to reach Deku, but tragedy struck first.
Toga’s passing proved to land much harder on Ochako’s psyche than many would realize, and the only one who could relate to her the most was Izuku, who also faced the same dilemma when facing Shigaraki. Audiences would have expected that this moment between the two of them, bonding over a traumatic experience, would have led to them finally confessing.
But Horikoshi took a much more nuanced route, allowing the characters to feel their emotions and reaffirm their support system in light of all of the events that had happened. The author would even go so far as not to readdress it until the two were well on their way into adulthood.
Horikoshi Officially Confirms My Hero Academia’s Most Discussed Romance In Series’ Epilogue
My Hero Academia would start wrapping up the conclusion in its final chapters with an epilogue following the familiar faces fans have grown used to seeing over a course of several years, now as matured adults. In a celebration of Todoroki’s rise in the hero rankings, the class of 1-A would come together to reminisce and catch up.
Chapter #431 would specifically draw upon Izuku and Ochako, who catch up with one another after the party’s conclusion. By mostly focusing on Ochako’s state of mind and her unraveling feelings regarding Toga’s passing, all of her buried emotions for Izuku come bubbling back to the surface as the two reconnect and promise to do so more in the future.
Although nothing is explicitly said in that moment, there’s an understanding that Izuku and Ochako would either go on to date or see more of each other in the future. Unlike other shōnen titles, fans don’t see an outright confession or wedding, or future family; instead, the story closes and allows the audience to interpret the ending however they’d like.
Did My Hero Academia Take The Easy Road?
Despite having concluded in December 2024, Ochako and Izuku’s confession scene would go on to stoke many flames in My Hero Academia’s fanbase, whether it was because they didn’t want to see the relationship confirmed or didn’t believe it was good enough. Shōnen titles typically aren’t very great when tackling romance, since their objective is to tell a coming-of-age story.
Horikoshi’s delivery on that final chapter, however, did carry the same motivations that have been present throughout the series. He didn’t allow for the romance to overshadow the other messages he wanted to convey. The chapter didn’t conclude with ringing bells and jubilee, but a soft, tender moment between two people who have been through it all.
My Hero Academia didn’t build its narrative around a ‘Will they, won’t they?’ but would time and time again reaffirm people’s bonds with one another, whether they were between heroes, civilians, or villains. Ochako and Izuku were just one of those bonds that touched on the last display of love conveyed throughout his series, a romantic type of love.
Did Horikoshi take the easy road when it came to confirming Ochako and Izuku? Yes. But only because the potential for a romantic conclusion had already been set up from the get-go through the two’s first interaction at the school gate. Their development would foster each other’s dreams until they would one day reach their goals of becoming heroes.
Chapter #431 wasn’t merely rehashing the interaction Ochako and Izuku shared in chapter #429; it was the pair meeting once again on equal grounds with a similar mindset as two individuals who know who they are now and what they want to achieve next. It is a mature and realistic setting that gave My Hero Academia a gentle, hopeful conclusion.
My Hero Academia
- Release Date
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April 2, 2016
- Network
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TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
- Directors
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Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano
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Daiki Yamashita
Izuku Midoriya (voice)
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Kaito Ishikawa
Manga Fukidashi (voice)
