Summary
Warning: Contains spoilers for My Hero Academia chapter #430.Romance was never a major focus ofMy Hero Academia, but it was always present to some degree. Throughout its ten-year run, the series found time to developIzuku and Ochaco’srelationship as a budding romance and seemed to set up smaller pairings like Kirishima and Ashido or Kaminari and Jiro, and for better or worse, those pairings and others were a persistent topic of discussion among fans for years.
My Hero Academiaended in early August 2024, and the way it handled its romantic subplots, both the explicit and implicit ones, was certainly surprising. One pairing does seem to have become an official couple, but to many people’s surprise,the only romanceMy Hero Academia’s final chapter made official wasn’t any of the major romances of the story, and it ended with every other one left unresolved.
There are probably some reasons behind that, and it might not be as cut-and-dry as it appears, but it’s hardly how anyone would have expected the series to end, regardless.
Gentle & La Brava Are My Hero Academia’s Only Official Couple
The Only Pairing My Hero Academia Followed Through On
Ever since their debut in the Culture Festival arc, Gentle and La Brava’s relationship had been framed as romantic thanks to La Brava’s explicit affection for Gentle and the amount of care Gentle expressed for her, in kind. The two of them were always all but stated to be a couple, and sure enough,Gentle and La Brava’s cameo in the final chapter ofMy Hero Academiashowed them sporting a pair of wedding rings, meaning they got married sometime after the final arc, most likely during the eight-year timeskip in the final chapter.
My Hero Academia’s finale indisputably established Gentle and La Brava as a couple, and surprisingly, they were the only ones to get that treatment. Even after all the buildup of various romances over the years, especially Izuku and Ochaco’s,My Hero Academiaended without confirming the status of any relationship beyond Gentle and La Brava’s, whether it be that anyone got married or if they were simply dating as young adults. It was a surprising decision for ashonenmanga, and whether it was for the best will be a major topic of debate for years to come.
My Hero Academia Might Have Secretly Confirmed Izuku & Ochaco Are A Couple
Two Details Give Fans of This Romance Hope
While Gentle and La Brava are the only couple explicitly confirmed inMy Hero Academia’s final chapter, the series might have subtly confirmedIzuku and Ochaco’s relationship. At the beginning of the final chapter,Ochaco can be seen wearing Izuku’s scarfin a montage of scenes, and as an adult, Ochaco’s costume features a respirator that looks very similar to Izuku’s. Those moments all suggest an incredible degree of intimacy between them, and because of that, it’s easy to see Izuku and Ochaco as a couple, even ifMy Hero Academiadoesn’t officially say so.
The biggest support for Izuku and Ochaco becoming a couple comes from the penultimate chapter of the series. As Ochaco broke down from the guilt she felt over Himikos death, Izuku comforted her and reassured her that she had always been his hero, and with the shots of Izuku and Ochaco being close both in that chapter and the finale,My Hero Academiachapter #429might have been the moment Izuku and Ochaco became an official couple. A more official confirmation of that would have been ideal, but regardless, it’s hard to see their relationship as anything other than romantic.
Why My Hero Academia Left So Many Romances Unresolved
It’s certainly disappointing thatMy Hero Academiadidn’t confirm any major romantic relationships, but at the same time, it’s easy to understand why. Even though romance is rarely the focus ofshonenanime and manga, people often get so invested in it that not seeing their favorite ship become canon sparks incredible vitriol from fans for years after the fact.NarutoandBleachwere both infamous in that regard to the point that people allegedly sent their creators death threats, soKohei Horikoshi might not have confirmed any major pairings inMy Hero Academiato avoid harassment from the fanbase.
Sadly, even the lack of confirmation hasn’t been without its share of backlash. Even before the final chapter officially dropped,My Hero Academiafans reacted extremely negatively to the series not resolving any major relationship plotlines, and while it’s not to the same level as other popular franchises, it’s unlikely to die down anytime soon.
At the very least, any criticisms of howMy Hero Academiahandled its romantic subplots outside of Gentle and La Brava’s haven’t completely overshadowed the more important commentary on the ending, both positive and negative, and that hopefully won’t change in the years to come.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a multimedia franchise that follows a young boy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreams of becoming a hero despite being born without superpowers. These superpowers, known as “Quirks” are found in most people after birth, but Izuku wasn’t so lucky - until a fateful encounter with All Might, Japan’s greatest hero, Izuku inherits his Quirk and enrolls in U.A. High School to learn the true meaning of heroism. Alongside his classmates, each endowed with unique abilities, Izuku faces rigorous training and lethal threats from villainous forces.
