Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia put a ton of focus on powerful Heroes throughout its run, and among them all, the one who reigned supreme at the top for the longest time was none other than All Might, Japan’s Symbol of Peace, who held the power of One For All.
All Might was incredibly powerful during his prime, but eventually, he ended up hitting his limits. In the fallout of his battle against All For One, which eventually led to Kamino, his powers eventually ran out completely. In the age that followed, we have seen the rise and fall of many powerful Heroes, but none have truly been able to embody the same spirit and strength as All Might. Now, in the modern era, set 8 years after the conclusion of the Final War of My Hero Academia, Kohei Horikoshi has practically set up the new All Might for us through the former protagonist Izuku Midoriya, who has now gained newfound abilities that push him to the top of the Heroes of the world.
Kohei Horikoshi Brings Back One For All With Science And Technology in MHA’s Last Release
The primary source of All Might’s strength in the world of My Hero Academia was the One For All quirk. This Quirk was given to him by his mentor, Nana Shimura, before her death, and he eventually ended up passing it on to Izuku Midoriya, who became the 9th and final user of this powerful quirk. While All Might was able to make full use of One For All’s power, Izuku was not even able to bring out half of it fully due to his young body and the lack of time he had to develop it and make it worthy of wielding it. That said, Izuku was able to mitigate this lack of power using vestige abilities, with which he could not only emulate All Might’s 100% but even go beyond that.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it all. But as long as I can inspire others, then I’d say this is still the tale of how we became great Heroes. All of us, for all time…this is actually the tale of how we’ll keep reaching out to help at all times” — Izuku Midoriya becomes a teacher, My Hero Academia Chapter #430
By the end of the Final War arc of My Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya had far surpassed All Might in terms of power output, and with his abilities, he was even able to fight against the likes of Shigaraki Tomura and All For One, defeating them both in the process. Unfortunately, this final battle meant that Izuku’s own One For All powers were sacrificed forever. This is precisely why, at the end of the series, Izuku Midoriya was left quirkless, and this was confirmed to us in chapter 430 of My Hero Academia, which was published in the final volume of the series on December 4, 2024.
However, in the very same chapter, Izuku’s next power-up was confirmed to us in the form of hero armor. While this hero armor wasn’t expanded upon properly, we got a look at it in My Hero Academia episode 170, episode 171, and more recently, in the OVA titled I Am a Hero Too on August 2, 2026.
“I wanted to give you a special gift. The data from my fight against All For One opened up room for crazy possibilities. Technology has continued to evolve alongside Quirks. Take this to heart, kid. This too is a power you’ve earned, fair and square.” — All Might gives Deku his Armor, My Hero Academia Chapter #430
Kohei Horikoshi, the author of the series, directly commented on the powers of this hero armor and confirmed to us that it replicates the abilities of One For All and mimics the Vestige powers as well. It also allows Izuku to combine various Vestige abilities to give rise to new powers, just as he did with the One For All. With all these new powers, Izuku Midoriya has officially become Japan’s new All Might once again, despite losing access to One For All forever.
Izuku Midoriya Stands As Japan’s New All Might
In the new era of My Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya is resurgent as a Hero 8 years after losing his Quirk. He now acts as a teacher at UA but also does his duty as a Pro Hero of Japan. In fact, in the most recent hero billboard chart that was published on August 2, 2026, with the release of the OVA titled I Am a Hero Too, it was confirmed that Izuku Midoriya climbed up to the rank of Number 4 in Japan. This is quite stunning, especially when taking into consideration the fact that he did so in a matter of months.
“The Number 4 Hero, Deku, rocketed up the Hero Charts with unprecedented hype! Feeling inspired, huh? The Great Explosive Murder God Dynamite is making an impressive leap to No. 5.” — Official Hero Rank Announcement for Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia One-Shot
This means that the power that Izuku’s hero armor allows him to put out is comparable to that of One For All, and that, in a couple more months, he will go on to challenge Mirio Togata for the top spots. All things considered, Izuku Midoriya is easily Japan’s strongest new Hero, and his strength will only continue to grow with time, especially as All Might confirmed in episode 170 of My Hero Academia on December 13, 2025, that technology is going to continue to grow at a rapid pace.
Question: How does the armor that Deku received from Class A function?
Horikoshi: It tries to mimic various OFA abilities; for example, it has cable extensions that function like his ability, Black Whip. It also serves as a prototype where he can try to combine various abilities.
— Kohei Horikoshi explains Deku’s new armor, Ultra Age
Why Deku Will Surpass Mirio Togata Soon
Currently, Mirio Togata stands as Japan’s Number One Hero. His powers with the Permeation Quirk are not to be underestimated, but at the end of the day, Mirio can’t keep evolving with time and has already reached his prime as a Hero. On the flip side, Izuku Midoriya will continue to grow. With time, technology will evolve drastically, and if 8 years allowed him to become as strong as he is currently, the next decade will take him to a completely different level altogether. Meanwhile, Mirio will still be in his prime, or he will start to degrade as a Hero.
Izuku Midoriya’s reliance on hero armor and science and technology means that in the next decade or two, his strength will continue to grow and reach a level where even Mirio Togata cannot compete with him. In other words, Izuku Midoriya’s rise to Japan’s new Number One and the next All Might is practically confirmed. This is also something that fans of the series wanted to see right from the get-go, because he is undoubtedly a character who deserves it after all the hardships he went through in the original series.
Unfortunately, My Hero Academia doesn’t have any planned continuation as things stand, but the series is holding a massive announcement on December 19, 2026, at Jump Festa 2027, where it is part of the Super Stage Red event. With big announcements coming, My Hero Academia may potentially receive a continuation of some sort, be it short or long, and we are eagerly waiting to see if that does happen. All things considered, fans all over the world would love to see more content from Kohei Horikoshi showcasing how Izuku Midoriya goes on to surpass Mirio in the future.
All chapters of My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.