Discover Top Posts Tagged with #mha chapter 431

The OVA animation for Chapter 431 was officially announced at Jump Fiesta 2026, but here's why I'm not worried about Chapter 431 being animated as a bkdk/dkbk shipper (and why you shouldn't be either [happy]) Post below ↓↓↓

This is a rough translation of Horikoshi's message at Jump Fiesta. I've provided screenshots so feel free to translate yourself:

"Watching it through to the finale, I realized once again what a truly blessed manga this was.

There were, of course, those who loved 'Hiroaka' (My Hero Academia) and got involved with great enthusiasm. But I also think there were definitely many people who didn’t particularly like the series or anything, but were involved simply because it was their job.

Thanks to the work that every single one of you completed one by one, this massive entity called 'Hiroaka' was built up and was able to reach its conclusion. Realizing that has left me feeling somewhat sentimental.

That is precisely why knowing I'll get to see Deku and the others moving and talking again in the future makes me purely happy.

I am looking forward to seeing the 'back seat where a person sinks' in animated form! Seriously, why did I choose that back seat design?

And so, 'Hiroaka' will still continue on. I will be waiting excitedly right alongside all of you!

Please make sure to stay warm and take care of your health!"

— Kohei Horikoshi

Now, if we analyze Horikoshi's message at Jump Fiesta as well as his posts after Chapter 430 was published (August 5th, 2024) and the final episode of Season 8 aired (December 13th, 2025), we see three very important key words/phrases:

1. Finale

2. Conclusion

3. The End

All of these are very important to take note of because Horikoshi is making it extremely clear that his intended ending was Chapter 430, or in this case, Season 8 Episode 11. Everything that airs beyond is not intended to tie in directly with the main canon story whatsoever.

Chapter 431 is, and has always been, nothing more than bonus material (hence the adaptation of an OVA, rather than including it as the final episode in a typical 12-13 episode season).

Chapter 430 is thematically and canonically the conclusion of the manga’s main story or the “final chapter” essentially. It is the ending of the main story, but not the end of My Hero Academia as a franchise.

Horikoshi often separates the story’s ending from the franchise’s continuation. When he says “HiroAka will continue,” he’s acknowledging that the anime (which could have extra adaptations, OVAs, or future projects) and the universe itself to include spinoffs, bonus stories, original content, etc. will “continue to move and talk” metaphorically through adaptations and ongoing love for the work.

This means Horikoshi can realistically call Chapter 430 the end and still say the anime "continues on" if Chapter 431 is adapted because to him, Chapter 430 = the official story conclusion and Chapter 431 = Bonus (therefore not part of the “final conclusion” he’s referencing)

Even when directly questioned about a romantic connection for Izuku in Chapter 431, Horikoshi says to "use your own imagination," which still never confirms a canon ship for Izuku and intentionally so. Horikoshi has never wanted to confirm a romantic connection for Izuku (he 100% easily could if he really wanted to) because Izuku's and MHA's importance goes beyond that of a romantic connection.

He says that rather than depicting romance, he wanted to include love in a broader sense of his theme of "to save and be saved" and always reaching out a helping hand. Not to include romance for the sake of including romance.

Therefore, even if the show itself ends up confirming a certain couple "canon" with this upcoming OVA, it is not canon to the main story. It never has been. Horikoshi has always very explicitly stated that romance was never the point of MHA even though fans demanded it once Chapter 430 was released.

Even past the point of romance itself, there are many mischaracterizations and retrogrades in Chapter 431 that completely rewind all the progress/purpose made for certain characters and their arcs throughout the entire story. The characters at many points don't even feel like themselves. This further adds to the point of this chapter being taken separately from the main story arc.

Horikoshi has also stated specifically for Chapter 431 in another post that he "turns off the cameras and frees the characters from their dramas." This proves further that what happens beyond Chapter 430 is detached from the main story itself. The cameras are turned off, and the story is no longer filming or being recorded to the main ending. The main finale has already been wrapped up.

"And that's a wrap."

(P.S. No matter what happens, I will always continue to ship bkdk/dkbk no matter what! No animation or "confirmed couple" following the main story can change that 😊 They will live on forever and ever because we have one of the most creative, dedicated, talented, positive, beautiful fanbases I've ever seen! Long live bkdk/dkbk! 🧡💚).

It's not about the ship.

A majority of us BKDKs never believed the ship would become canon. That was never really on the table.

What it is about, is 10 years of character and relationship development completely nuked for the establishment of a different relationship that had faded into the background at best for a lot of that time.

Izuku and Katsuki are important to one another. There's zero denying that. Katsuki died for Izuku. All of his scars come from protecting Izuku in one way or another. Katsuki was devastated when he learned of OFA's loss. He worked for eight years to make sure Izuku could live out his dream.

Izuku has looked up to Katsuki since they were children. He lost the plot multiple times when Katsuki was insulted or in trouble. Shigraki himself said Katsuki was closer to Izuku than anyone else.

And all of that development brought us zero discussions about what they've been through. No talk about the impact of Katsuki's death. No talk of Katsuki's apology. No talk about Izuku's feelings about the demise of his dream. Instead, we got Izuku rejecting the idea of being partners with Katsuki, something his character for the entirety of the series would have undoubtedly loved.

Yes, people can grow apart. But show me that. Give me background on why. Give me something, anything that would explain why the Izuku at the end of the epilogue is in diametric contrast to the Izuku we saw at the end of chapter 430.

These two characters mean so much to me. I don't see myself in their story, but the love (whether platonic or otherwise) and care that they show for each other speaks to me so deeply. Katsuki's growth as a person and Izuku's acceptance of and willingness to forgive Katsuki no matter what speaks to me so deeply, and to see that thrown away stings.

It's not about the ship. It was never really about the ship.

#bnha #bkdk #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #my hero academia #mha finale #bnha spoilers #mha chapter 431 #izuku midoriya #katsuki bakugou #and don’t even get me started on the lack of development for female characters in this manga #but that’s a rant for another time