On a Reddit forum dedicated to the analysis of anime culture, a heated debate recently broke out about the series' bad reputation.My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia)” among certain sectors of the fandom. A user asked the question: «Could you explain, in a civil and objective manner, why My Hero Academia has such a bad reputation? Honestly, I'm curious». This generated a massive response, with diverse and controversial opinions that tried to unravel the reason behind this phenomenon.

My Hero Academia
©Shueisha

The user explained that, despite having watched a lot of anime, he found that he really enjoyed the series, especially during the final arc. He highlighted the quality of the animation and commented that, in his opinion, the series had a good balance between fast and slow pace, which maintained interest throughout the episodes. Furthermore, although he initially did not sympathize with the protagonist, the development of the main character had gained him over time, appreciating his growth and evolution. Another point he highlighted was the social subtext of the story, which he considers an interesting commentary on society, something that, according to him, adds value to the narrative.

However, despite his admiration for the series, The user mentioned that he receives uncomfortable looks when he confesses that he is a My Hero Academia fanwhich led him to wonder the origin of this negative perception among the community. The answers to this question were diverse and addressed various aspects of anime and its fandom. Some users pointed out that part of the bad reputation could come from the perception that the fandom is excessively passionate, which in some cases has led to undesirable behavior on social networks.

In the midst of this debate, some highlighted that the story structure and character development may not be to everyone's taste, leading to harsh judgments towards certain arcs or narrative decisions.

  • «It's not a perfect series by any means, but it's in the top 5 for popularity of this decade. Popularity on Reddit or in anime/manga circles doesn't mean popularity in the real world (who uses WRONG?). My Hero Academia is a mainstream series, it crossed the threshold into the “real world” a long time ago, like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto and JJK, so it can clearly be criticized, but its low popularity in otaku circles does not reflect reality».
  • «It's not like that. What you are seeing is a vocal minority. The show is incredibly popular, so much so that there was a You're Next trailer before my Transformers One screening on opening night».
  • «I like it, but it has obvious flaws that it is fair to acknowledge. It introduces a multitude of characters, but either fails to develop them or uses them briefly and then discards them. Its conclusion feels extremely rushed. Deku goes from barely getting a superpower to becoming the greatest champion in the world in MAYBE a year, and in the second half when he just receives and masters like 8 new powers, it feels very unearned to the viewer».
  • «I'm someone who thinks it has ups and downs in terms of quality, but like anything popular or mainstream, people exaggerate the flaws and belittle those who enjoy it just to feel cutting edge and superior.».
  • «I loved seasons 1-3 and 6-7 of MHA. The low points for me in the series were mainly due to the drop in average animation quality in S4 and S5 and the very slow pacing at the beginning of S5. I know that manga readers have been complaining for a long time, but I don't really identify with their criticism, especially since I prefer to marathon several volumes instead of reading weekly.».
  • «When people talk about really hating her, I usually hear them referring to the fandom, either from fans who turned against her because she was going in directions they didn't like, or from others who can't stand shippers within the fandom. The story itself is okay, it has its ups and downs, but overall I still enjoy it, even the ending, although I feel like we're seeing more “controversial endings” lately. What I hear from some people about endings in general is that they tend to focus on what they wanted to happen and have missed clues that have been hinting at the direction for a while (MHA and AOT in particular). That's life, we're here for the author's ride, and some people seem to forget that. It's not our story, it's someone else's, and I'm not saying anyone should be happy with that story, but it's not something that can be labeled “wrong” when it's what the author wanted to tell. Obviously there are legitimate criticisms about some plot points, the quality of the writing, etc., but it's not what I usually see that bothers people so much».
  • «They are the fans, and only a small portion of those fans. Yes, some of them are terrible, but I can say the same about any fandom».
  • «I don't think it has a bad reputation (nor a very good one either). I think it's like any other popular series that's everywhere: it just has a reputation. Ordinary people (in Japan and in otaku circles) know about her. People with reviews are either fans who still follow her or ex-fans who left her after following her for quite some time. People who never liked the concept probably never stayed in the first place».
  • «My main complaints with the show, as someone who is still a fan and will watch it again, can be summed up as follows: Horikoshi wasted a lot of time writing TYPES of characters and wanting to show you new things or subvert what you've never seen before with different TYPES of characters… Which means that an entire story went by without actually writing characters within this story. Secondary characters do not support the entire narrative. The main characters do not talk to each other. And the villains don't fully reflect the world building of the story because it wants them to be as cruel as possible, but it doesn't show that the world was that cruel to them.».
  • «I think the story just lost steam in some arcs. Also, Deku is a somewhat disappointing protagonist».
  • «MHA is really popular. The more popular something is, the more eyes will focus on it. The more eyes, the more likely people are to find it and not like it. And what you're seeing is the vocal minority that doesn't like something popular.».
  • «Most people despise fandom (which is justified sometimes). I love the show too, and I was confused about its popularity when I came to this sub, but it's mainly the fandom that gives the show a bad name».
  • «It has been one of the most popular shonen of the last decade. I think your reputation is fine».
  • «The Overhaul and Gentle Criminal arcs were not well received, as the former had animation problems and the latter was a bit disconnected from the main story. The current arc is amazing, though.».
  • «I'd say it's not the anime that's bad, it's mainly the fanbase that's horrible. Not the regular fans, but the extreme fans that really make it less enjoyable».
  • «Mainly it's the fandom, the romantic couples and stuff… But actually, it's a very good series!».
  • «The most boring shonen protagonist and a season usually has one good arc and one boring one. The show isn't bad, but it pales in comparison to JJK, Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, etc.».
  • «Because 2% of the fanbase is super cringe, which most people say means everyone is cringe».
  • «The reason for the bad reputation, from what I've seen, is not so much the series itself but the fanbase».
  • «I watched the first 4 seasons, but after that I didn't feel like I wanted to continue. It just fell out for me. It's neither great nor bad, it's just okay.».

Fountain: reddit

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