My Hero Academia Officially Sets Up New Number 1 Hero In Japan
My Hero Academia's world shifted dramatically at the end of the series, following the conclusion of the Final War arc in Chapter 424 on June 3, 2024. In the epilogue, Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of the series, officially gave us a proper look at the new Hero rankings.
As has always been the case, the Hero rankings in the world of My Hero Academia are shifting. 8 years after the conclusion of the Final War, My Hero Academia is officially setting up its protagonist to claim the No. 1 Hero spot. With the unprecedented growth that he has shown, Izuku Midoriya, who has only just acquired his new powerful ability following the loss of One For All, is now on track to become the next All Might.
My Hero Academia Is Finally Setting Izuku Midoriya To Become Future Number 1 Hero
Izuku Midoriya officially lost the power of One For All in My Hero Academia Chapter 423, which was officially released on May 20, 2024, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #25. In this chapter, he utilized every bit of his power to crush All For One and defeat Shigaraki in battle to save Japan. At the same time, Izuku's embers, which were left behind in his body, burned out sometime before he graduated, and as such, Izuku was never able to fully become a Pro Hero.
All this changed in My Hero Academia Chapter 430, which was officially released on August 5, 2024. In this chapter, Izuku Midoriya officially received a Hero Armor, which was created using all the data collected from All Might's battle against All For One, as well as the advancements that science showed in the 8 years that followed.
This armor was able to make Izuku a Pro Hero once again, and sure enough, he was seen jumping through Hero Rankings at a blistering pace. It was stated that, despite not being a Pro Hero, Izuku featured high up in the Hero rankings regardless. But, immediately after he acquired his Hero Armor, Izuku Midoriya shot up to Number 4 in the Hero Ranking in Japan, behind only Mt. Lady, Shoto Todoroki, and Mirio Togata. Meanwhile, Bakugo ranks right behind Izuku in the Number 5 spot.
"The Number 4 Hero, Deku, rocketed up the Hero Charts with unprecedented hype! Feeling inspired, huh? The Great Explosive Murder God Dynamite is making an impressive leap to No. 5." — Official Rank Announcement for Deku and Bakugo, My Hero Academia One-Shot
Why Izuku's Growth Rate Confirms Future No. 1 Hero Position
As things stand, Izuku Midoriya still holds on to the Number 4 Hero rank in Japan, but the setup is clear for him to claim the Number 1 rank. All we need to do is take a look at his unprecedented growth rate. In the My Hero Academia one-shot focused on Eri, which was officially released with the Ultra Age Fan Book on May 2, 2025, it was officially confirmed to us that Izuku had jumped up the rankings at an unprecedented rate. This means that his growth as a Pro Hero is absolutely immense. What it also suggests is that Izuku's Pro Hero armor is incredibly powerful and has successfully replicated all of his One For All abilities. If Izuku is so strong that he can easily reach Number 4 in a matter of months, then the setup is clear for him to grow even further and reach higher ranks.
"I wanted to give you a special gift. The data from my fight against All For One opened up room for crazy possibilities. Technology has continued to evolve alongside Quirks. Take this to heart, kid. This too is a power you've earned, fair and square." — All Might gives Deku his new power, My Hero Academia Chapter #430
In the next few months and years, Izuku Midoriya is highly likely to grow even further in terms of power and possibly even enhance his gear even more. In any case, if his growth rate is this tremendous, it is only a matter of time before he rivals the likes of Mirio Togata for the position of top Hero. This will also ignite a new rivalry for the Number 1 spot, as Katsuki Bakugo is right behind him in the Number 5 spot. Perhaps, there will be a timeline where these two are competing for the top spot, just as was intended at the beginning of My Hero Academia.
Izuku Vs Bakugo Rivalry Is Set To Heat Up In My Hero Academia
Izuku Midoriya vs. Katsuki Bakugo is central to the overarching plotline of My Hero Academia. The two have even come face-to-face on many occasions, but despite that, they remain good friends. That said, without their rivalry and their teamwork, Japan would not be as safe as it is today, and that is a fact.
“Quirkless again? I just thought we would be competing against each other as rivals for a while longer. Somehow. I don't know.” — Bakugo cries over Izuku's loss of One For All, My Hero Academia Chapter #429
Izuku and Bakugo are central to the overarching plotline and will continue to be the face of whatever project comes along the way later down the line, if Horikoshi ever decides to make a comeback. Furthermore, the new Hero Billboard Rankings that were published confirmed that Izuku and Bakugo are going head-to-head once again. With both growing at an unprecedented rate, it is likely that they will clash over the position of the Top 1 Hero in Japan soon enough. This exciting rivalry is once again going to ignite great excitement among all of us My Hero Academia fans.
Unfortunately, at the moment, Kohei Horikoshi hasn't made any comment about returning to the franchise. The last we knew of the author, he was working on a completely new manga for Weekly Shonen Jump and had his drafts ready as well. Since then, no major update has been provided by either Horikoshi or any of his editors from Weekly Shonen Jump. All we can do is wait patiently for an update from the creator.
“Young Midoriya, that day when you ran off, you became my greatest Hero. But now, you're someone who makes people stand again. That means you're the greatest Hero to everyone else too. And young Bakugo, it's thanks to you that I got this opportunity to tell both of you all of this. You are the greatest Hero too.” — All Might highlights Izuku and Bakugo’s importance, My Hero Academia Chapter #429
In the meantime, we can all be glad about the fact that My Hero Academia's ending is incredibly open-ended, and if the author ever wants to, he can easily return to it and expand it even further. Heroes vs. Villains is a tale as old as time, and Kohei Horikoshi can easily give us way more content in the future if he wanted to.
All 430 manga chapters of Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia series are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
My Hero Academia
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2026-00-00
- Studio
- Bones
- Creator
- Kōhei Horikoshi
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
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