The Inspiration Behind My Hero Academia's All Might Makes Too Much Sense
All Might (Christopher Sabat/Kenta Miyake) is like a force of nature in "My Hero Academia." The cheerful tough guy with a heart of gold, All Might serves as the strongest hero in the anime series for the first three seasons. Based on the manga of the same name, "My Hero Academia" takes place in a world where 80% of humans suddenly begin to develop superpowers.
A few decades later, the series catches up with Izuku Midoriya (Justin Briner/Daiki Yamashita), a boy born without powers in whom All Might takes a particular interest. Inspired by his core values and selfless nature, All Might decides to bequeath his powers to Midoriya. However, it turns out that a superhero's job isn't always all it's cracked up to be.
The characters of "My Hero Academia" were first drawn and written by the manga creator, Kohei Horikoshi. For obvious reasons, fans often wonder who inspired Horikoshi to create the fan-favorite character of All Might. Was it a superhero who Horikoshi himself idolized or perhaps even some real-life figure who had significantly impacted him?
All Might is based on Goku from Dragon Ball
As it turns out, questions like these aren't far off from the truth. There was a heroic character who had a major impact on Kohei Horikoshi as a young man. As it turns out, the inspiration for All Might was none other than Goku (Masako Nozawa) from "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball Z."
While speaking at a panel for "My Hero Academia" at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, Kohei Horikoshi was asked about the origin behind All Might. He replied, "I based him on Goku from Dragon Ball" (via Anime News Network). Horikoshi likely means "Dragon Ball Z" or, more broadly, the franchise as a whole, as Goku is only a boy for much of the original "Dragon Ball" series. The dorky, goofy, often aloof, yet heroic version of Goku doesn't show up until the second series.
Of course, this revelation makes a lot of sense when you look closely at the two characters. Both have unbelievable power that often causes other heroes to look weak or useless by comparison. They also share a level of kindness and consideration that makes them rare heroes when compared to the protagonists of more edgy anime fare like "Berserk" or "Goblin Slayer." Further still, they both pass their torch of hope and glory onto younger generations part of the way through their stories, making valiant sacrifices for the greater good of all of humanity.