If it weren't for how Marvel's iconic hero inspired him.

To commemorate My Hero Academia's final volume, Marvel Comics and Weekly Shonen Jump exchanged art pieces with My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi illustrating a piece featuring Spider-Man with All-Might and Deku. Horikoshi released statements on Marvel Comics' amazing wall-crawler.

I've always wondered what it means to be a hero, especially when I was writing My Hero Academia. At some point, I finally came to the conclusion that what that means is being a strong part of a community, helping a friendly neighborhood, which is why I respect Spider-Man so much.

Horikoshi revealed that his journey as a Marvel fan began with Peter Parker, a hero he still loves today. The manga creator also revealed that it was Spider-Man's strong and dedicated community involvement that helped him understand what it means to be a hero, one of My Hero Academia's central themes.

Spider-Man Helped My Hero Academia's Creator Understand What Being a Hero Means

There's No Character That Embodies Heroism Like Spider-Man

My Hero Academia is a manga series that's set in a world where people having superpowers (or Quirks as they're called) is the norm. The story focuses on Izuku Midoriya, a young Quirkless boy who desperately wants to be a hero and gets the chance of a lifetime after impressing the world's greatest hero, All-Might. After All-Might shares his power with Midoriya, the young man attends a specialized school designed to teach him everything about being a hero. But as dark forces begin to show themselves, Midoriya is forced to look inwards and discover what being a hero really means.

Spider-Man being a source of inspiration for My Hero Academia doesn't come as much of a surprise as Peter Parker has grappled with the same things that Midoriya did throughout the manga. Both of them got their powers young, they want to use their powers for the betterment of the world, and both of them have gone to dark places in their quest. But just like Spider-Man, no matter what came Midoriya's way as the hero Deku, he found an inner strength that was far greater than any superpower and became a figure that other heroes looked up to.

Spider-Man Remains One of the Most Influential Heroes Around

From Invincible to My Hero Academia, Marvel's Hero is the Best

Could Kohei Horikoshi have created My Hero Academia without Spider-Man ever existing? It's possible, as Spider-Man isn't the only hero around. But it's the themes woven into Spider-Man (his dedication, his selflessness, his friendly, neighborhood attitude) are what make him such a relatable and inspirational character. Before My Hero Academia, it was stories like Invincible that took a page out of Spider-Man's book. And now that My Hero Academia is over, it's likely that another creator will similarly be inspired by the iconic Marvel hero.

Good stories are built on the shoulders of other stories. Kohei Horikoshi is the first to it that it’s because of Spider-Man that he was able to see what being a hero meant and apply that to his story. While My Hero Academia is a fantastic story in its own right, Horikoshi recognizes that it’s only that way because he had the best character to inspire him. Thanks to Spider-Man, My Hero Academia was able to tell the story about heroism that it wanted to tell.

Source: Marvel