My Hero Academia is one of the most well-known new-gen anime, with a good storyline, unique characters, well-written plot twists, and powerful characters. One of the strongest characters in the series is All Might, who used to be the world’s number-one hero. One glance at the character shows that comics inspire him. In an interview, manga creator Kohei Horikoshi confirmed and revealed the inspiration for All Might.
Kohei Horikoshi being a comic fan is a well-known news; he has taken inspiration for one of the most popular characters in his story from a superhero, and in an interview with Anime News Network, Horikoshi revealed that All Might’s creation was inspired by the DC comics character Superman.
Kohei Horikoshi took inspiration for All Might from Superman
My Hero Academia’s plot revolves around Izuku Midoriya, a child born without any powers in a society where everything depends upon your power, known as a quirk. Despite being powerless, he tries to help people, which catches the eye of All Might, and he takes him under his supervision and trains him.
My Hero Academia has a lot of characters, and comics have inspired some of them. Kohei Horikoshi likes to read comics and enjoys them a lot, and therefore, it is not a surprise that All Might, one of the significant characters of the story is based upon legendary character Superman.
In an interview with Anime News Network, My Hero Academia manga creator Kohei Horikoshi said :
It was more of a callback to older Superman – the “ultimate existence”, that’s why he has that kind of character design. But the story’s still set in Japan – I don’t think it would’ve quite hit the mark if All Might had been from overseas.
The inspiration can be seen as All Might’s most potent attack is named United States of Smash, and the character also has a similar build and other characteristics referenced from Superman.
Influence of Comics on Kohei Horikoshi
Kohei Horikoshi loves to read comics and has been a fan of them since childhood. According to Anime News Network, when asked about more, he revealed that he went to the premiere of The Amazing Spiderman 2 while dressed as Spiderman.
He also said:
A lot of people took pictures of me, it was kind of embarrassing
He also purchased a life-sized bust of Spiderman villain carnage from sideshow collectibles, which was also a costly purchase.
Kohei Horikoshi loves comics, particularly anything related to Spiderman. The manga is still ongoing, and the anime aired its sixth season, with the seventh already announced.
Source: Anime News Network
