WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia #321 “From Class A To One For All” by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
My Hero Academia may have just taken a bold step forward with LGBTQ representation in its latest chapter. Minoru Mineta, Class 1-A’s resident pervert, confessed what could only be interpreted as romantic feelings for Deku in Chapter #321. Given Mineta’s shady past harassing his female classmates, this reveal comes as quite a shocker, but is he actually bisexual?
Mineta’s confession comes right in the middle of Class 1-A’s battle to bring Deku back to the U.A. Even after similar heartfelt revelations from a few of his classmates, Deku remains adamant in his decision to face All For One alone. In Chapter #321, with some help from Tsuyu, Mineta attaches himself to Deku’s back with a string of his pop-off balls. And while trailing behind his airborne classmate, Mineta attempts to talk some sense into Deku.
Deku’s explanation for abandoning his classmates in the My Hero Academia manga is that the current fight is between One For All and All For One only. Upon hearing this, Mineta seeks to remind him that he's much more than his gifted Quirk. He reveals to Deku that he has never thought it was One For All that made him special. Rather, he first “fell for” Deku during the USJ villain attack.
During their first brush with villains, Deku pushed through his fears to bravely fight back, inspiring Mineta to do the same back then. That was the beginning of Mineta’s admiration for Deku and their friendship. Mineta’s words clearly affect Deku in the latest chapter, but his conviction remains unshaken. Instead, he pushes his classmate away with Blackwhip.
Mineta’s confession has sent My Hero Academia fans into a frenzy online. The character has previously only shown interest in women so his sudden declaration to Deku is more than a little surprising. Quite a number of fans are celebrating the long-overdue introduction of an LGBTQ member of Class 1-A while others bemoan the fact that it had to be Mineta. However, whichever side you may belong to, the festivities or discontent might be a little premature.
While Mineta’s words certainly hint at a romantic subtext, the context is anything but. All other members of Class 1-A have shared stories of how Deku has impacted their journeys towards becoming heroes. Mineta’s speech fits that theme, too. A love confession also seems very out of place for their situation, especially from Mineta, of all people, and given his history. Only further details from future chapters of My Hero Academia can fully confirm whether Mineta is canonically bisexual or if his “confession” was just him being his usual melodramatic self. Mineta’s sexuality being confirmed, however, would be a pretty interesting development for his character.
