Shonen Jump’s popular spoof fantasy series, Mashle: Magic and Musclesit is a clear parallelism with the seinen series of satire One-Punch Man, as both series feature a strong protagonist who punches his way through a world of monsters and supernatural beings. However, in the later chapters of Mashle the thing goes further.
From the start, non-magical protagonist Mash Burndead has been an outcast due to his lack of magic and the telltale lines on his face, and he soon encounters even more magic-based discrimination at Easton’s Academy of Magic. All of this makes the world of Mash eerily similar to that of My Hero Academia., where the Quirks have given rise to all kinds of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice throughout the world.
When Mashle and My Hero Academia tackle the social hierarchies of inborn traits
Much of the plot of Mashle It stems from Mash’s quest to earn enough gold coins to become a divine seer, fighting many bizarre battles against rival Easton students along the way. On the other hand, the theme of social hierarchies and prejudices appears in practically all the volumes, especially in the newly released volume 4. In this world, almost all people are born with magic, but not to the same degree.
My Hero Academia: 10 Times They Preyed On Kindness
My Hero Academia: 10 Things That Make No Sense About The My Villain Academia Arc
Some people are naturally born with stronger and better magic than others, and these top wizards will have more lines on their faces to prove it. Ordinary wizards have one line, notables have two, and truly exceptional ones have three. In Easton and the world at large, the most talented wizards are given preferential treatment and tend to have the most influence and popularity. Mash, as a non-magical weirdo, would practically be treated like a rabid animal were it not for the false line that has been drawn on her face to disguise her true nature.
The prejudices do not stop there. Even Easton’s gifted characters such as Abyss Razor face intolerance, as Abyss was born with the dreaded Devil’s Eye, something he cannot control. This magical “Quirk” was repulsive to Abyss’s parents, who treated him like a prisoner and even tried to kill him. Once again, people are mistreated simply for being born gifted or ungifted, and increasingly, Mash must confront these brutally unfair norms and perceptions and fight against a system that thinks she was born unworthy.
In this way, Mashle echoes the themes of My Hero Academia about Quirks and society in general, awkwardly but essential. Mash isn’t just like Saitama, he’s also like the Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, but without the benefit of One For All and All Might as mentors.
Mashle and My Hero Academia comments on the real world
So much Mashle What My Hero Academia they touch on very real themes of intolerance, social hierarchy, and extreme pressure to succeed, especially in the context of Japan itself, but these themes can be applied anywhere. Some anime and manga series are well known for commenting or criticizing the pressure of Japanese society for individual success and the tendency to conformism, a harsh system in which a mistake can mean expulsion and face many consequences. Also, discrimination and strict social hierarchies enter the scene, and things can get even more complicated.
My Hero Academia addresses this issue with its Quirk-based combat system, where characters like villains Flect Turn and Spinner are shunned for simply being born the way they are, and some people suffer from low self-esteem or bullying for having weak or boring Quirks. Instead, Bakugo Katsuki was born with a great Quirk and sees it as a reason to despise everyone else around him. And, as Gentle Criminal demonstrated, the hero system is incredibly demanding and strict, punishing those who don’t make it heavily, often resulting in outcast criminals like himself. No wonder the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army want to bring society down.
The approach ofMashle it’s drier and more humor-based, and the series doesn’t necessarily make any sweeping statements about society with its magic-based social hierarchy. However, it’s quite telling that even a series as silly as “One Punch Harry Potter” finds room to explore these relevant and bleak themes so openly, and may be a reflection of the world the creator lives in. Even in the silliest fantasy manga, society is still important.