Family is a big deal in My Hero Academia, and characters like Shoto Todoroki and even Tomura Shigaraki are painfully aware of that fact. A character’s whole life may be shaped not just by their Quirk but also by who their parents are — or aren’t. Protagonist Izuku Midoriya had the benefit of a caring single mother growing up, but fans are determined to figure out who his father might be.
Earlier in My Hero Academia, some truly wild fan theories explored the topic of Izuku’s absent parent, with some fans even wondering if All For One was Izuku’s true father. Another incorrect but more sensible theory once claimed that All Might was Izuku’s father, and some MHA lore tidbits actually supported that theory.
When All Might Could Have Been Dad Might
By now, My Hero Academia fans know for a fact that Izuku’s absent father is a man named Hisashi Midoriya, who has a fire-breathing Quirk. However, earlier in the series, MHA fans sometimes wondered if All Might, aka Toshinori Yagi, was Izuku’s long-lost father. For example, All Might showed Izuku a great deal of paternal care and support, both during Izuku’s OFA training and after it, which inspired fans to dub him Dad Might. After Katsuki Bakugo’s capture and rescue, All Might even visited the Midoriya household in his skinny form to apologize to Inko for allowing UA students to come to harm, which prompted fans to ship All Might with Inko. In fans’ minds, it may have been personal for All Might, with Inko being, in theory, the mother of All Might’s son.
During the UA sports festival, Shoto Todoroki had a tense conversation with Izuku as a rival and sincerely asked if Izuku was secretly All Might’s love child — an idea that Izuku quickly denied. Still, that was another hint suggesting that “Dad Might” could be literal, and MHA didn’t stop there. Of all people, All Might chose Izuku to be his successor as the symbol of peace and the bearer of One For All, and that may have been more than plot armor or protagonist powers at work.
All Might had stronger options, such as Mirio Togata, and it seemed almost inexplicable that All Might would choose the brave but weak Izuku as his heir. If “Dad Might” was literal, then All Might may have chosen Izuku as a personal favor and perhaps granted him OFA as an apology for not being there when Izuku was growing up. For Dad Might, passing on One For All would have been a fitting way for father and son to finally come together as a family.
Why Anime Fans Give Protagonists New Parents
Even if Izuku is a lovable and vulnerable shonen protagonist, it may seem odd for My Hero Academia fans to work so hard to give him a father, even suggesting that All For One is in his family tree along with All Might. This could be an expression of heartfelt pity from the fans, who all sympathize with Izuku for growing up Quirkless and without a personal role model to emulate. Izuku admired All Might from afar and was close to his mother Inko, which was certainly a plus, but many societal norms still expect a boy to have a father figure to inspire him and set a good example. Izuku’s childhood could have been worse, but even so, having no father around left a hole that sympathetic MHA fans were quick to fill with fan theories, no matter how wild those theories might have been.
Izuku is a likable and relatable person, so of course fans wanted to support him and comfort him in an intimate and meaningful way, such as by giving him his long-lost father back. Minor, unimportant or unlikable anime characters don’t get that kind of support, but proper heroes like Izuku Midoriya do, and fans’ enthusiasm for giving him his father back reflects well on the character. This also flatters All Might, with fans approving of him for being the first paternal figure in Izuku’s life.
Thus, My Hero Academia fans “promoted” All Might to Dad Might to show that no matter what MHA canon says, All Might and Izuku deserve to be father and son and, along with Inko, be a whole and happy family. Even if All Might isn’t truly Izuku’s father and might not be a parent at all, All Might is a shonen anime father at heart, and for My Hero Academia fans who love him and Izuku, that is enough.
