All Might, the Greatest Superman adaptation to date | Article

Introduction

When we think of the pinnacle of super heroes, there is only one hero that comes to mind. Superman is the world’s icon of what a superhero can be. Someone that can be the best of us and not use the power he has been bestowed to be corrupted. Superman is a hero that is all good. A hero that gives people hope. A hero that is a symbol of peace.

When it comes to adaptations to Superman, it can range from hot to cold. With the general consensus being that Superman in the 21st century cannot be adapted. Superman’s power has been a staple argument that makes him hard to connect with, because Superman is too powerful, we cannot see ourselves in him, which pulls us away from the character. And with the real world being dark and depressing, having Superman live in that world with him also having self doubt makes him feel even more distant. 

But there is one adaptation of Superman that works, because it’s not an adaptation but has the core fundamentals of Superman and uses that to tell a great story. The story about being all good, a story about hope, and a story about being the symbol of peace. This is the story of All Might. 

The Public

What All Might represents to the people of Japan and the heroes who look up to him, is an ideal. An ideology to stand by and fight towards. For the people of Japan, All Might is someone that can save everyone, no matter the day, time or location, they believe that All Might will save them. This trust in him allows the people of Japan a safe sanctuary to live their daily lives. In a world where people have many different quirks and a world where people use their quirks for bad, the mass public go about their day without any fear. It is like what Tomura Shigaraki said in episode 38.That ideal has been sold to them because of what All Might stands for. He is known as the Symbol of Peace, a man that can do anything and beat anyone. 

The Heroes

For the heroes who idolise him and even dislike him, All Might is someone to follow and be like. This is because All Might fights to give everyone around him the courage and belief that he can win. And how he does this is by saving people with a smile. Young heroes want to emulate him  and established heroes want to overtake him by being the best of themselves..

Superman

In essence All Might’s similarity to Superman is only through what these two titan heroes believe in and represent. Superman is the definition of “Hope”, he brings the world courage that they are in safe hands, just like All Might does when he saves with a smile. The big “S” on Superman and the big white smile of All Might are there trademark signs that the mass population can believe in. 

His Weakness

But what separates All Might from Superman is his weakness. To combat the power All might has, he has been given a defect to his power. This weakness is the time limit All Might has to use his power. What this gives All Might is risks and stakes. Compared this to Superman where his only risk is Kryptonite, a rock that is hard to come by. This is important because the fundamental problem with Superman is his power that has no limit. 

Allowing All Might to have a weakness gives us an emotional connection to him. Because there is a chance for him to lose so we route for him to succeed. He’s not all powerful and he’s not a God. If All Might exerts too much power he loses more time to use One For All. This means All Might must take considerations on how to use his power, and not only does that give All Might interesting barriers, it also makes for exciting battles. He has to take consideration of the time length of a battle or whether to go full strength and reveal his true identity. 

His weakness not only makes All Might easier to connect too, it also brings out the struggle of having such power and in turn having such responsibility. In episode 38 Midoriya asks All Might “Do you also have times when you can’t save everyone?” and All Might responds with no because he too is human but ends with a remark that is what a hero wants to always strive towards. All Might says “That’s all the more reason to stand and smile”. His role of being a hero is that he can save people, even when he’s not there. That Symbol of Justice is in the hearts of other heroes, even the villains who fear him, but most importantly, as Grant Torino states, that symbol beats loudly in the hearts of the people.  

Deku’s perspective

What makes All Might interesting is that My Hero Academia does follow the story of All Might but All Might isn’t our focus. Our focus and protagonist is Izuku Midoriya. So why is that important to tell the story of All Might? 

All Might just like Superman is a hero that their presence is bigger than anyone’s and Midoriya is that bridge to balance the daily life of All Might and his heroic life perfectly. Because we see All Might through Deku we see that All Might is vulnerable, and the reason it works better than other Superman adaptations is we are not forced to sympathise with All Might. Instead All Might uses his vulnerability to teach Midoriya, as Superman ponders about his purpose and meaning in the world. All Might uses that negativity to teach the younger heroes to overcome them. Our focus is to see how Midoriya uses those teachings to become the greatest hero of all. And to do that he must understand that even the best heroes have fears that they must overcome. 

All Might teaches Midoriya the great benefit of being a hero to the general public. 

What can Superman adaptations learn from All Might?

What All Might teaches us about when writing a character that is overwhelmingly powerful is to not make him the vocal point but a side character. All Might is important to My Hero Academia but he isn’t the most important. That belongs to Midoriya. All Might is someone that you stride towards, we don't follow him to become stronger, because there isn’t any character development there. But to watch him teach the next generation means that he is developing as a human not a hero. And that makes it more personal. 

Conclusion

In the end, All Might is the best unofficial adaptation of Superman. And what All Might does best is that he follows the basic core fundamental that makes Superman - Superman. Even without his power, All Might still holds his key beliefs and still gives the people of Japan hope. 

All Might just like Superman is a hero of all good, a hero that gives people hope, a hero that is a Symbol of Peace.