Kohei Horikoshi deliberately limited romance in My Hero Academia because he feared it would overshadow the story’s central themes of heroism and saving others. The manga creator discussed his approach to romantic relationships in the series while addressing the additional Chapter 431, which continued Izuku Midoriya and Ochaco Uraraka’s story after the original ending.
In an interview discussing the chapter, Horikoshi explained that romance could become such a major talking point that readers would focus on it instead of the story’s other elements. He said:
“Since romance is a very strong stimulus, as soon as you include it in the story, that’s all anyone is going to talk about, so I deliberately avoided adding it to the story.”
Although My Hero Academia takes place largely in a school environment, Horikoshi felt that making romance a significant part of the main narrative would conflict with what he wanted to accomplish through the series.
Horikoshi wanted heroism to remain My Hero Academia’s central focus
Horikoshi explained that the manga’s central message revolves around the idea of saving others and being saved. He did not believe conventional romance naturally fit that theme or the larger narrative about how the characters became heroes.
However, the creator also acknowledged that completely ignoring romantic feelings would have been difficult given the school setting. He therefore had to find a balance between acknowledging love and preventing it from becoming a major distraction.
Horikoshi also pointed to Chapter 394, which explored the contrasting views of love held by Ochaco and Himiko Toga. After introducing those ideas, he felt it would be strange not to revisit the subject later.
Rather than incorporating a full romantic storyline into the main plot, he decided to address it in the epilogue. He wanted to portray love as something broader than a conventional romantic relationship.
Chapter 431 finally addressed Deku and Ochaco’s relationship
The additional Chapter 431, titled “More,” was included in the final My Hero Academia Volume 42, released in Japan on December 4, 2024. It revisited the characters eight years after the main story’s conclusion and gave Izuku and Ochaco’s relationship further attention.
In the chapter, Izuku expresses his desire to spend more time with Ochaco, making their mutual feelings clearer. Their relationship had been developed through earlier moments in the manga, particularly Ochaco’s feelings and her conversations with Toga.
The chapter later received an anime adaptation as Episode 170+1, titled “More,” which premiered on May 2, 2026. The official My Hero Academia website confirmed the adaptation of the additional chapter ahead of its broadcast.
Horikoshi’s comments offer a clearer understanding of why romance remained a relatively minor element throughout My Hero Academia. Rather than making romantic relationships central to the narrative, he reserved that development for the epilogue, allowing the main story to concentrate on its heroes, their struggles, and the responsibility of saving others.
