The sheer scale of My Hero Academia's popularity is hard to fathom at times. The anime adaptation has taken off like a rocket and compelled a multitude of people to stay up-to-date with one of the biggest and most breathtaking titles of all time. One need only look at the sheer number of fans all over the world to understand just how much of a phenomenon My Hero Academia really is.
However, one can't really give the anime too much credit — after all, Horikoshi's stellar work on the manga is the catalyst that led to the birth of such a massive series. The manga is full to the brim with some amazing gems that make it an absolutely riveting read. In fact, some people consider it to be superior to the anime, with the following points stated in favor of the manga.
5 The Artwork Is An Absolute Treat
The one thing that readers can boast about when it comes to the manga is Kohei Horikoshi's stellar art style. Each and every panel in the manga absolutely lights up with her bold and enjoyable art style, making each scene feel all the more special. The anime does a great job of replicating this stellar style, but one has to admit that the original is just more beautiful to look at.
From the incredible fights to the jaw-dropping visual treats present in every single panel, the manga is in a class of its own even when compared to other popular shonen manga. Any fan of My Hero Academia should definitely check out this art style to figure out why Horikoshi's manga has become the stuff of legends.
4 Some Of The Fights In The Manga Are Simply Better Than The Anime
For the most part, the anime does a stellar job of adapting the source material, with the fights featured in the manga being especially notable in this regard. However, in Season 4, there are two battles in the anime where ardent manga readers were up-in-arms when it came to some of the more questionable choices that were made in these battles.
Overhaul vs Lemillion was a decent-enough fight, but there's a rather puzzling moment where the music takes center stage and Lemillion's struggle to fight Overhaul post his Quirk being taken away is shown in an unsatisfying slideshow format. After this, Deku and Overhaul's fight also faces a puzzling moment as some truly awe-inspiring animation ends up feeling rather tame due to the music taking precedence over any sound effects.
The manga just had a better feel to both these fights and is easily the best way to understand the flaws of My Hero Academia's fourth season. This puzzling decision is also replicated by Bones in My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, which severely impacts the bombastic nature of the movie's conclusive battle.
3 The Story Is Structured Exactly How The Creator Wanted It To Be
While most anime do tend to adapt the manga faithfully, there are always moments where the anime makes minor changes or adds needless inclusions that end up hampering the pace of the series. Unfortunately, My Hero Academia falls victim to this as well, with a sizeable chunk of the show being mired in flashbacks or changed scenes that can be rather off-putting for a manga reader.
So, people who want the definitive My Hero Academia should definitely opt for the manga. Horikoshi's work is present in its rawest format here and makes for a more authentic experience as players witness each and every scene exactly how the creator of the series intended them to be.
2 The Manga's Scenes Aren't Censored
Censorship is the bane of the anime industry. While most shows have been able to get past this restriction through streaming services and time slot placements — among other such aspects — the prime time slot reserved for popular anime like My Hero Academia means that the show has to adhere to these restrictions and censor some of its more questionable aspects.
This is a fact that irritates most anime fans to no end, since most viewers would ideally want to witness the intended brutality of the scenes featured in My Hero Academia. Thankfully, there's a simple solution to this — fans just need to read the My Hero Academia manga to avoid any issues caused by censorship, making for a genuine and entertaining read that pulls no punches when it comes to the brutality of some of its scenes.
1 The Manga Is Way Ahead Of The Anime
The most obvious benefit of reading My Hero Academia is that readers will be up-to-date with the series without having to worry about spoilers. After all, the internet has made it really hard to avoid any spoilers for any show, and no anime viewer of My Hero Academia would want their viewing experience to be ruined by something as ridiculous as a social media post.
The anime might have its own advantages, but the fact that it lags behind the manga at all times is one of the biggest detractors that take away from the overall experience of watching this show.