of My Hero Academia After the conclusion of the Final War Arc in Chapter 424 on June 3, 2024, the world changed dramatically at the end of the series. In the epilogue, series creator Kohei Horikoshi officially gave us a proper look at the new hero rankings.
It has always been like this, in the world of hero ranking My Hero Academia are moving 8 years after the end of the last war, My Hero Academia Setting up its hero to officially claim the No. 1 hero spot. With the phenomenal growth he's shown, Izuku Midoriya, who only recently gained his new powerful ability after losing One For All, is now on his way to becoming the next All Might.
My Hero Academia is finally setting up Izuku Midoriya to be the number 1 hero of the future
Izuku Midoriya has officially lost the power of One for All My Hero Academia Chapter 423, which was officially released in Shuisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issue #25 on May 20, 2024. In this chapter, he used every bit of his power to defeat Shigaraki in battle to crush the One for All and save Japan. At the same time, Izuku's embrace, which was left behind on his body, burned shortly before he graduated, and thus, Izuku was never able to fully become a pro hero.
It all changed My Hero Academia Chapter 430, which was officially issued on August 5, 2024. In this chapter, Izuku Midoriya officially receives the Hero Armor, which was created using all the data collected from the All Might's battle against All For One, as well as the advances in science over the next 8 years.
This armor enabled Izuku to become a Pro Hero once again, and sure enough, he was seen to jump through the Hero Rankings at a flourishing pace. It was said that, despite not being a Pro Hero, Izuku ranked high in the Hero Rankings. However, soon after he received his Hero Armor, Izuku Midoriya rose to number 4 in Japan's Hero Rankings, surpassing Mount Lady, Shoto Todoroki, and Mirio Togata. Meanwhile, Bakugo is behind Izuku in the number 5 spot.
“No. 4 hero, Deku rockets up the hero charts with unprecedented hype! Feeling inspired, huh? The Great Explosive Murder God Dynamite makes an impressive jump to No. 5.” – Official category announcement for Deku and Bakugou, the My Hero Academia one-shot
Kin Izuku's growth rate confirms his status as a future number 1 hero
As things stand, Izuku Midoriya is still ranked No. 4 hero in Japan, but the setup is clear for him to claim the No. 1 rank. All we have to do is look at his phenomenal growth rate. A one-shot focusing on Eri in My Hero Academia, which was officially released on May 2, 2025 along with the Ultra Edge Fan Book, it was officially confirmed to us that Izuku climbed the rankings at an unprecedented rate. This means his growth as a pro hero is huge. This also suggests that Izuku's Pro Hero Armor is incredibly powerful and has successfully replicated one for all of his abilities. If Izuku is strong enough that he can easily reach No. 4 in a month, then the setup is clear for him to rise further and reach higher ranks.
“I wanted to give you a special gift. The data from my fight against the Forest for All opened up room for crazy possibilities. Technology continues to evolve along with Quirks. Take it to heart, child. This is power you've earned, fair and square.” — All Might gives Deku his new power, My Hero Academia Chap #430
Over the next few months and years, Izuku Midoriya will likely grow even more in terms of power and possibly even upgrade his gear. After all, if his growth rate is so great, it's only a matter of time before he rivals Mirio Togata for the top hero spot. It will also ignite a new rivalry for the No. 1 spot, as Katsuki Bakugo is right behind him in the No. 5 spot. Perhaps, there will be a timeline where these two are competing for the top spot, as My Hero Academia initially intended.
The Izuku Vs Bakugo rivalry is set to heat up in My Hero Academia
Izuku Midoriya vs. Katsuki is central to Bakugou's overarching plot My Hero Academia. These two have come face to face on many occasions but despite that they have remained good friends. That said, without their rivalry and their teamwork, Japan wouldn't be as safe as it is today, and that's a fact.
“Amazing again? I just thought we'd compete as each other's rivals for a while. Somehow. I don't know.” – Bakugou Izuku cries at losing one for all, My Hero Academia Chapter #429
Izuku and Bakugo are central to the overarching plotline and will continue to be the face of whatever project Horikoshi decides to make a comeback. Furthermore, the published new Hero Billboard Rankings confirmed that Izuku and Bakugo will go head-to-head once again. With both growing at an unprecedented rate, they are likely to compete for the top 1 hero position in Japan soon. This exciting rivalry will once again create great excitement among all of us My Hero Academia fans.
Unfortunately, at this time, Kohei Horikoshi has not commented on his return to the franchise. Last we heard from the author, he was working on an entirely new manga for Weekly Shonen Jump and even had his drafts ready. Since then, neither Horikoshi nor any of his editors have provided any major updates from Weekly Shonen Jump. All we can do is wait patiently for an update from the creator.
“Young Midoriya, you became my greatest hero that day when you ran away. But now, you are the one who makes people stand up again. That means you are everyone's greatest hero too. And young Bakugo, it's thanks to you that I got the chance to tell you both of these things. You are also a great hero.” — All Might highlights the importance of Izuku and Bakugo, My Hero Academia Chapter #429
In the meantime, we can all be happy about the fact that the ending of My Hero Academia is incredibly open-ended, and if the author wants to, he can easily go back to it and expand it further. Heroes vs. Villains is a story as old as time, and Kohei Horikoshi could easily give us more material in the future if he wanted to.
All 430 manga chapters of Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia series are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
