REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia,’ Volume 23

My Hero Academia Vol 23, which is published by VIZ Media, is from mangaka Kohei Horikoshi and lettered by John Hunt. Even though this volume was released in February 2020, I wanted to start reviewing the manga series because of how the story has been progressing. In My Hero Academia Vol 23, we see the conclusion of the battle training between Class A and Class B. The results will determine whether Shinshio earns a spot in the hero class. Also, Midorya enters a fugue state and meets a former user of One For All. Meanwhile, the Meta Liberation Army starts to put their plans into motion against the League of Villains.

I’m always excited when a certain aspect of One For All is either introduced or expanded on. At first, the quirk seemed very overpowered, but it quickly became so much more than that. The fact that Midorya the first user of the quirk to be able to talk to its predecessors is already incredible. My Hero Academia Vol 23 expands on this more in ways I did not expect.

I would’ve expected that One For All would be a difficult quirk to write new things about, but clearly, that isn’t the case. Given the revelations made in association to One For All, I’m excited to see new ways that the quirk is changed.

I’m continuously surprised by the levels of teamwork shown by both Class A and Class B. Of course both classes would need to use teamwork given the nature of the exercise they’re taking part in, but they take it to another level. Both teams played to their advantages and weaknesses of one another, making their match quite thrilling to read. Regardless of the end results, both teams displayed that they work well with others. They’ll surely be able to work with others in real-world situations if needed.

The introduction of the Meta Liberation Army is one of the main reasons why I decided to continue reading the manga series rather than waiting for the tv episodes to drop. I have no real issue with waiting but the way that this new organization was introduced made me glad I read ahead. Even though they were just introduced, I can tell that they’ll be a formidable force. What makes the Meta Liberation Army more unique is that I can’t necessarily tell whether they’re supporting heroes or want to distance themselves from them. It’s clear that they’re after the League of Villains, but I can’t see how far they’d be willing to go to accomplish their goal.

I’ve been continuously impressed by Horikoshi’s artwork throughout the whole series. Every character’s quirk somehow coincides with their physical looks and costume design. The battles are incredibly drawn while also simple to follow throughout the pages. The scene where Midorya is talking to one of the previous One For All users was uniquely drawn. Everything but Midorya and the other hero is in black. It puts the emphasis on the two characters while also giving off an ominous tone.

Overall, from the closing moments of the class training battles to the introduction of a new organization, this volume does an incredible job of carrying the story forward. I can’t predict where the story goes from here, but there will certainly be various intense moments and battles. Although the volume has been out for a few weeks, it will give new and current users enough time to catch up given the state of the world right now.

My Hero Academia Volume 23 is available for purchase now wherever manga are sold and through the VIZ Media website.