The biggest hits in television and film history are My Hero Academia and Naruto. Each theme lends itself to exploration; the story of a young boy with a mysteriously missing father, who strives to determine the best through courage and determination while villains work in the shadows and his peers and neighbours suspect him from the start. It’s time to go beyond that and believe, looking at the components of each anime and determining what’s best based on their overall content. Find our My Hero Academia Alarm Clocks and My Hero Academia Puzzles in our online shop along with our collections of clothing featuring your favourite heroes.
10) MY HERO ACADEMIA: Secondary characters
(As with the characters in My Hero Academia, the supporting characters are much more defined than Naruto.) If Naruto can offer depth to certain characters like Kakashi or Sasuke, it’s only because they are immediately surrounded by the hero.
Similarly, Deku tends to be too unpredictable at times. On the other hand, My Hero Academia sees new characters grow and shine in an extraordinary way. Endeavour is a good example of this in the fourth season finale, where Shoto becomes a symbol of peace and deserves his pride.
9) NARUTO: The Decor
My Hero Academia may offer intriguing new concepts and an interesting vision of a society where almost everyone is born with a superhuman ability, but it is nothing compared to Naruto’s combination of Japanese folklore and artistic license.
While fans of Taijutsu, Genjutsu and Ninjutsu are interesting, the ideas of Taijutsu, Genjutsu and Ninjutsu are much more versatile. It allows the characters to surprise the audience in another way in a gimmicky world and helps build their identity by going beyond a single power. In addition, the five great nations offer a wider range of settings than the urban environments presented in My Hero Academia.
8) MY HERO ACADEMIA: Cohesion
Naruto’s long runtime may allow him to expand his universe and control more, though this is to his detriment. Episodes are either filler or flashbacks (sometimes insultingly recent), leading to clashes and extending arcs far beyond their acceptance.
On the other hand, My Hero Academia has coherent stories, long enough to be interesting but not so long as to be unappealing. nEach season contains about two concepts, with the next arc covering the first.
7) NARUTO: Morality
My Hero Academia, on the other hand, while having more developed characters, does not have a strong moral foundation like Naruto. The only lessons are that anyone can be a hero (as demonstrated by Deku) and forgiveness (as seen with Todoroki and Endeavour). They may imply that they advocate fighting as with Kirishima, although this is far too common an aspect to consider.
Naruto, the hero of the series, decompresses his messages and takes them even further. The importance of hard work in the face of natural genius, of never giving up on your friends even if they may cause you pain, and that the thirst for revenge may never be quenched are given special attention.
6) MY HERO ACADEMIA: Fighting
Naruto’s battle scenes have a problem with the anime as a whole in general; they’ve gotten away from their plot. What should be an interesting battle for five to ten minutes turns into superfluous dialogue and unnecessary flashbacks, which detracts from the clarity of the story.
My Hero Academia’s combat is succinct and deliberate. It rarely blows up the plot to deceive its audience, and the inserted dialogue is short and important. In addition, many of the characters were given the opportunity to express their talents while the majority of Naruto’s combat was focused around himself or Sasuke.
5) NARUTO: Rivality
Sasuke’s actions became more inexcusable later in the series, but his story reveals a good reason for his bitterness. His brother murdered their family and people before his eyes, creating an unending desire to become the greatest and defeat him. When Sasuke is outclassed by Naruto, he often disagrees with him because it makes him feel inadequate.
BakuGo has no historical tragedy or compelling motive to become the strongest, unless one can rely on the influence of All Might powers, like almost all heroes of his age. His natural abilities have given him a rude and obnoxious character towards Midoriya since their childhood, which even he inexplicably tolerated.
4) MY HERO ACADEMIA: Relatability
My Hero Academia has an inherent advantage over Naruto because of its contemporary setting. However, to completely outdo it is insufficient; where it excels is in the way it portrays its most powerful characters.
Even though All Might is as powerful as he is, he still manages to overcome his toughest fights with the help of reinforcements (such as the League of Villains raid in the Kamino arc). Both Naruto and Sasuke are essentially gods who can protect entire armies and are untouchable by fighters like Kakashi. This makes it less enjoyable to imagine yourself in their world, especially as an ordinary shinobi.
3) NARUTO: Villains
Naruto avenges his villains, whose tragic stories he frequently uses to convey messages that reflect reality. Nagato’s lesson, for example, is that pain only begets pain and that equal suffering can bring others together, or Obito’s message that it’s better to face reality than to live a useful hypocrisy.
My Hero Academia tried to capture this depth and sometimes succeeds, but only against minor opponents (like Overhaul, Stain and Gentle Criminal). Shigaraki is a pain in the ass, and All For One is “the self-proclaimed symbol of evil”, a title few real antagonists could reasonably claim.
2) MY HERO ACADEMIA: Protagonist
Naruto may be the ideal hero standard, but that’s precisely why he fails. He is so optimistic and dogmatic that he is more like a concept than a real person, and his desire to turn around and forgive his enemies rarely backfires, which is simply unrealistic.
Midoriya is considerably more level-headed, making difficult decisions in adverse circumstances and rarely taking the ‘easy way out’. He was willing to give up his classmates for the Sports Festival and knew that Overhaul could not be bought.
1) CONCLUSION: My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia, like Naruto before it, attempts to tell the story of what its predecessor tried to achieve but better. Midoriya is a more practical protagonist than his predecessors; he is both in concept and in technique. He is not the son of the president or the herald of an ancient power. His strength was given to him by his heart and built by his determination.
Also, focusing on the supporting cast (even at the expense of the main protagonist) keeps the story moving and makes the conversations between Izuku and the rest of the world more rewarding. Find our My Hero Academia Beach Towels and My Hero Academia Cosplays For Men in our online shop along with our collections of clothing featuring your favourite heroes.
