Welcome Back, Koichi! [My Hero Academia 424]

Koichi Haimawari signals the the beginning of the end for My Hero Academia.

Yes, Koichi’s only in ONE panel and a small ONE at that, but he’s there. Wow! Just look at that costume! Horikoshi draws him so darn good. Koichi’s eye shield looks different, a definite improvement. Overall, his hero costume looks better like this, with the hoodie on, as opposed to Deku’s hero costume looking better with the hoodie/mask off. I-I just can’t get over how amazing he looks in that ONE panel. Eek! I’m so hap hap happy!

Consequences. We’re starting to see that starting with Deku, All Might, and Bakugo. All Might will survive but we don’t know if he’ll be able to move on his own without assistance such as with a cane or wheelchair. Bakugo’s whole body was wrecked, including his heart, lungs, and arm. I wonder if his arm rehabilitation will yield fruitful results or will he need special equipment to fully utilize his quirk on his right arm? Also, Bakugo’s heart really has me worried. It’d be interesting if he gets an artificial heart. From what Doctor Yoshi said, I don’t see him going back to U.A. for at least a month, and that’s me being generous.

Staying with Bakugo, I really liked that moment between him and Deku. Him crying for Deku and himself was a nice moment. For better, or worse, it really hit him that things won’t ever be like it was. Their relationship will change, but I truly think it’ll be for the better.

Deku. All he has is an ember of One For All. I don’t think he can continue being a hero with just that. At least, not the same kind of hero. We’re getting Gadget Deku, Y’all! Most of One For All’s supplement quirks can be adapted into tech. A whip weapon? Smokescreen pellets? Sure. Danger Sense and the others? Maybe not, but an advanced tech suit is all Deku needs for some kind of super strength. Hell, Captain Celebrity’s hero office can sponsor him! Basically, Deku will continue being a hero in someway. He won’t be the Superman of MHA, but he can easily become the Batman of the series.

“The fight might be over, but until we lead the way to a bright future… we’ve got to go further beyond.”

The meaning I got from that is society has to change. Most of the League of Villains members exist because they fell through society’s cracks. That has to change somehow. I’m not sure how Horikoshi will address it, or whether he’ll succeed. But, I’ll give him points for trying.

Plus, I just want more stories set in this universe. Academia. Vigilantes. I don’t want it to end there. I have a feeling Horikoshi is done with making stories in this world on a weekly basis, but I’d love for him to come back to this universe one day as a story consultant or plotter. Something similar to how Dragon Ball’s creator helped create Dragon Ball Super but didn’t draw the series.

This was an incredible chapter! And all it took was ONE small panel. Okay. Koichi, plus All Might surviving put the chapter over the top. I really had All Might pegged to die at some point. Props to Horikoshi for going against the Dead Mentor Trope. *sniff* …Sorry for crying. But I’m just so happy to see Koichi in the main series! Thank you, Horikoshi! Best part is we’ll see him in the anime too one day. Wahhhh! Koichi!!!! Gᵢᵥₑ ₘₑ ₘₒᵣₑ, ₕₒᵣᵢₖₒₛₕᵢ! ₐ fᵤₗₗ bₒdy ₚₐₙₑₗ. ₖₒᵢcₕᵢ ₐₙd Dₑₖᵤ ᵢₙₜₑᵣₐcₜᵢₙg. ₖₒᵢcₕᵢ ₐₙd ₚₒₚ ₛₜₑₚ ₜₒgₑₜₕₑᵣ. ᵢ’ₘ bₑggᵢₙg yₒᵤ! ₚₗₑₑₑₑₛₑ!

Update: Technically, Koichi is also in the adjacent panel in the background sitting on a beam. Hey, I’ll take it!