My Hero Academia: Why Was Toru Hagakure a Subject of Controversy?

My Hero Academia has been one of the most popular anime and manga series in recent years. It follows a group of kids learning to become heroes in their world. Each student has their own special power and personality. One of them is Toru Hagakure, also known as Invisible Girl.

Her ability is to make herself invisible. In the state, she's normally only wearing gloves and boots as her outfit. And in 2022, she became involved in a major controversy. A controversy that had little to do with her powers or her story.

The problem began with the leaked cover of My Hero Academia Chapter 368. Fans who saw the image were surprised. It showed Toru Hagakure with almost no clothes on. Her body was slightly outlined with thin strips across her figure, but most of it appeared bare.

This caused immediate backlash online. The main reason for the outrage was her age. Toru is 15 in the story. Many people were of the opinion that this cover image was bad. They felt that it was indecent and objectified Toru.

As it is a shonen anime, My Hero Academia is meant for a younger male audience, so many people were concerned about the kind of message that the cover could send to kids. The debate led to a larger discussion within the My Hero Academia community. Fans debated whether this kind of content belonged in a series made for younger viewers.

What made it worse was that fans had been asking for a proper reveal of Toru’s appearance for a long time. In chapter 337, part of her face was briefly shown when light reflected off her body. Since then, readers have been curious about what she looked like.

Many expected a full reveal to be part of an important scene in the story. Instead, they got a random and highly sexualized image of her.

Some defended the artwork, saying it was just fan service and shouldn’t be taken so seriously. But many others believed it crossed the line, especially given the character’s young age. This kind of disagreement is not new in anime. But because My Hero Academia is so popular, the argument became very loud.

It also raised concerns about how female characters are treated in anime and manga. Toru Hagakure is often used for comic relief in My Hero Academia, and her invisibility has been played for laughs. But this cover made fans question whether she, and other girls in the series, are being written with enough care and respect.

A large percentage of the fans did not really pay attention to the cover image. Chapter 368 of My Hero Academia had some of the best fights in the entire franchise. The fight between Deku and Shigarki was peaking. Fans and Mirio Togata were all shocked to see Midoriya doing what he was doing.

The situation with Chapter 368’s cover became more than just a single moment. It became a sign of a deeper problem that some fans feel exists in anime and manga. How should young characters be portrayed? Where is the line between art and exploitation? And how can creators balance fan interest with responsibility?

My Hero Academia is still a series with powerful themes and a strong fan base. But the Toru Hagakure cover made many readers stop and think. It showed that even in a fictional world of heroes and villains, the choices made by creators can have real effects.

Horikoshi Kohei and My Hero Academia

This wasn’t the first time that the creator, Kohei Horikoshi, had been criticized in that manner. Some fans have pointed out before that female characters in My Hero Academia can sometimes be slightly oversexualized.

But this time, the reaction was more intense. People felt that showing a nearly naked 15-year-old on an official chapter cover was too far. Horikoshi later responded to the backlash. He explained that the image had no connection to the chapter’s events.

He said it was something he had drawn years ago and did not intend to use for official publication. Despite this explanation, many fans were still unhappy. They felt that using this image, even if it was old, showed poor judgment.

Trending

Conclusion

Ultimately, the controversy surrounding Chapter 368 wasn’t just about a single image — it was about the message it conveyed. For many fans, especially in a series aimed at younger audiences, that message crossed a line.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback