The Japanese portal Myjitsu shared an article analyzing the role of female characters in Kohei Horikoshi 's manga , Boku no Hero Academia ( My Hero Academia ). According to the article, there seems to be a consensus among fans of the franchise that the author relegates the female characters to a very minor role , where they don't even participate in the main battles or play "women's roles." .
« Among the readers of Weekly Shonen Jump there has been a question for some time, why the manga of "Boku no Hero Academia" did not become a success of the size of "Kimetsu no Yaiba" or "Jujutsu Kaisen" ? Among the comments of the fans there seems to be a joint opinion, and it could be due to the handling that the author Kohei Horikoshi gives to the female characters ».
« Within the current story of this work, a group of heroes including Izuku Midoriya are practically in the final battle against the enemy army. From there a battle between Ochako Uraraka and Himiko Toga broke out, which captured the attention of viewers ».
« However, the biggest possibility finally came true: the author handled this as a sentimental battle instead of a real battle, with an unsatisfying conclusion . This is probably because it was a fight between girls, and the author seems not to take this type of encounter seriously ».
« This is a problem inherent in the worldview of “Boku no Hero Academia”. The hero model represented in the manga is All Might, muscular and whose motto is to help the weak. He is the product of a male-dominated society, and the female characters play a modest role. The only high-level professional heroine to play an active role is Mirko, and even she has been largely left out in the development of this latest story arc ."
« Even more striking is the treatment of Class 1-A in the final battle. Other than Deku, only male characters such as Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki play prominent roles, while most of the female characters are supporting members and are overshadowed. In the words of the fans, it seems that the author's vision is that “the battlefield is only for men” ».
« Of course, there are exceptions to this rule in the play. Star and Stripe, a female character who reigns as America's #1 hero, is not treated like a stereotypical girl. Instead, she carries a "mother's love" and tries to save the world through self-sacrifice. Emphasis is also placed on All Might's mentor, Nana Shimura, not because of her strength as her character, but because of her role as a "good mother." In other words, in the same work, the heroines are portrayed as teenagers or mothers, no matter how far they go ».
« Symmetrical to such a world view is “Jujutsu Kaisen”, by Gege Akutami, also a Weekly Shonen Jump manga. In this manga, the character Maki Zenin is destined to destroy the male-dominated traditions of his old family. The deuteragonist, Nobara Kugisaki, became a sorceress because she longed for the outside world. Both characters show a fighting stance against the system that casts them in the role of “women”, and in a positive sense, their character images “are not like shonen manga” » .
« It is possible that the immense acceptance of “Jujutsu Kaisen” is due to the fact that female characters are accommodated within the story. Will “Boku no Hero Academia” reach its conclusion this year without delving into any real development of the female characters? ».
Sauce: Myjitsu
