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My Hero Academiacame to its end this year and while the ending was questionable, there’s a lot to fondly reminisce about. The story was the perfect mix of optimism, heroism, and evil. It explored the darkness harbored by the world and how far determination can take you. However, determination as a concept wasn’t explored linearly, and Dark Deku was the best example of it!
It was an unexpected twist in the story that defied the expectations fans had from Deku, albeit in a good way. It explored the incompetence of those who were supposed to look after the young aspiring heroes, while also highlighting the relationship dynamics between the characters. As great as the Dark Deku arc was, there were points where it seemed like a rip-off of another character.
The Dark Shift in Deku’s Character
Deku was an extremely hard-working individual with a sense of righteousness to him. With One for All, he was bestowed with one of the strongest quirks and he tried his best to honor it. Even after rigorous training and sustaining heavy damage, he continued to be grateful for his powers, as it gave him an opportunity to be a hero. He valued his friends and always made sure that he could be someone everyone feels comfortable relying on.
After observing the effects of the Paranormal Liberation War and how his being a target ended up jeopardizing the lives of his loved ones, he found himself consumed by darkness. It would be wrong to call his turmoil darkness as it was a heavy burden for him. He wanted to ensure that nobody ever got hurt because of him again.
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Distancing himself from the others seemed like the best choice to make it happen. He decided to fight everything on his own, abandoning everyone that mattered to him. He grew more ruthless and narrow-minded. This transformation he underwent is similar to Gon’s character arc inthe Chimera Ant ArcfromHunter x Hunter.
Is Dark Deku a Rip-off of Gon fromHunter x Hunter?
During the Chimera Ant Arc, Gon strayed from the path of righteousness. He went from someone who cherished his loved ones and cared about not inflicting unnecessary harm on anyone to being a callous and belligerent individual. That happened for a brief duration but it was chilling to see Gon like that. It’s true that parts of Dark Deku instantly take us back to Gon who was full of rage, however, there are some key differences.
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Gon’s anger stemmed from the inability to save a loved one, and it was focused on destruction. In those moments he didn’t care about anyone or anything as long as he could seek revenge on those who had wronged him. Whereas Deku’s feelings were rooted in a desire to keep everyone safe. It wasn’t anger that he was feeling but a need to do it all by himself. He wanted to shoulder the weight of the world alone.
While It can be assumed that the idea of Dark Deku might have been ripped off fromHunter x Hunter, many Shonen characters experience such dark moments. The ways in which they overcome it distinguish their journeys. And in that respect,Kohei Horikoshibrought Dark Deku arc to a close in an oddly satisfying manner.
Those who were deserted by Deku held on to him tightly. They chose to remind him that his powers weren’t a burden and that sometimes he could also rely on others. It was a heartwarming conclusion to the Dark Deku arc. So we could say that even if it was a rip-off, Horikoshi nailed it!
BothMy Hero AcademiaandHunter x Hunterare available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :926
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
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DekuHunter x HunterKohei HorikoshiMy Hero Academia
