My Hero Academia’s Kohei Horikoshi once revealed how he got inspiration for creating quirks that are totally unique and unlike any superpower.

SUMMARY

One of the main reasons why My Hero Academia is so successful are the quirks within the story.
These quirks are totally unique and unlike any other superpower seen within the genre.
Kohei Horikoshi once revealed how he came up with the ideas for the unique quirks.

Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia might be one of the very few stories that perfectly justify the superhero fiction genre. The uniqueness of the narrative established within the realm of school students dealing with dangerous villains while learning how to be a superhero sets it apart from every other superhero story that fans have seen.

My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi | Credit: Bones Inc.

However, that’s not the only thing that makes My Hero Academia unique. Another aspect of the story that helps the My Hero Academia plot is that it does not have the traditional superpowers that almost every story has. Horikoshi made sure that most of the powers within the series were unique and non-stereotypical, which is why they were named quirks.

The manga creator was once asked about how he came up with the idea of creating abilities that are different from the traditional superpowers. He pointed out that he got inspiration from his surroundings and decided to embed them within his story, which in turn created one of the best manga series of all time.

My Hero Academia’s quirks are different from superpowers

In the world of My Hero Academia, quirks are abilities that are superhuman in nature and are unique to each user. They are the next stage of human evolution and are generally manifested during childhood. Almost every character within the story can get access to a unique quirk, but there are a few characters who do not develop their quirks at all.

These quirks are not only unique in terms of the individual but also as abilities. While there are some general powers that are quite common in the superhero genre, there are other quirks that have never been seen before. From One For All to Best Jeanist’s cloth manipulation, these quirks are very different from the stereotypical superpowers seen in classic American stories.

The Manifestation of Quirks in My Hero Academia | Credit: Bones Inc.

It has the essence of a manga storyline and probably contributed majorly to the success of My Hero Academia as a narrative. This was one of the main reasons why Kohei Horikoshi was able to keep a superhero story about children relevant for so long within the industry.

Kohei Horikoshi reveals his inspiration behind quirks

During the San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, Horikoshi was interviewed by Anime News Network about the success of My Hero Academia and the uniqueness of the story from the outfits to the quirks. The mangaka was then asked about what prompted him to come up with superpowers that were unlike anything in American comics.

Class 1-A of U.A. High School in My Hero Academia | Credit: Bones Inc.

Horikoshi stated:

It’s momentum. I have these light bulb moments – I don’t spend hours and hours thinking about it. I just get inspired. So for example I’ll be at the convenience store, and I’ll see a roll of clear tape and I’ll think “hmm, maybe there’s a face in here somewhere”. And it’ll just happen that way.

The My Hero Academia manga creator pointed out that he does not really think about making them different. He usually has these light bulb moments in his daily life where he sees something and imagines it as a character for the series.

He also pointed out that while there were characters that he had already planned, most of them came to him while he was creating the story. Evidently, it all piled up into an enticing narrative that became My Hero Academia.