The Horikoshi Curse, named after the creator of My Hero Academia, Kohei Horikoshi, was a popular internet rumor to explain why three of his former assistants had their manga series prematurely canceled. Here we’ll explore each series, discuss how Horikoshi’s influence affected them, and speculate on why they were canceled.
Zipman!! By Yusaku Shibata
For those unfamiliar with the Zipman!! manga, it follows Kaname, the muscle; and Koshiro, the genius. These twins are polar opposites but their talents shine forth when they work together. Sadly, Koshiro passes away, leaving Kaname alone to fulfill their dream of making people smile. Shortly after his passing, a giant robot attacks, and Kaname is presented with a chance to be the hero he’s always dreamed of becoming.
Yusaku Shibata took a lot of inspiration from Horikoshi’s style. The character designs and hero-vs-villain story feel plucked straight out of Horikoshi’s playbook. Combined with robot designs that feel nostalgic yet fresh, and Zipman!!, this could have been a great follow up to My Hero Academia. The premise probably felt too similar though. Additionally, the characters in Zipman!! were one-dimensional and didn’t have relatable chemistry. The power system was unique and had potential, but it wasn’t explored very well. After the meteoric success of My Hero Academia, Zipman!! struggled to maintain its audience’s interest and ended with only 17 chapters. Could this have been the Horikoshi Curse at work or just a case of lackluster writing? Since then, Yusaku Shibata has found great success as the head artist for the manga Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, which is still ongoing.
The Hunters Guild: Red Hood By Yuki Kawaguchi
This manga takes place in a world where fairytale creatures like werewolves and witches are very real. They are a constant threat to the average person. Only those from the Hunters Guild are either strong or crazy enough to hunt these monsters but their price is steep. When Velou’s hamlet is on the brink of destruction, he’ll muster the strength and courage needed to kill the werewolves once and for all!
Yuki Kawaguchi, under Horikoshi’s tutelage, adopted a strong visual identity that’s similar to but different enough from My Hero Academia. Like its predecessor, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood has simple but charming characters and the familiar shonen style makes it easier to digest the inclusion of Grimm’s fairy tales. However, the manga was plagued with tired clichés and tropes. The series started strong with good action and a mysterious hook, but then devolved into an initiation trial that is all too commonly seen in shonen. It lost focus of the story it wanted to tell, and eventually readers lost interest. In the end, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood succumbed to a lack of innovation and concluded with 18 chapters. It seems the Horikoshi curse has struck again. Yuki Kawaguchi has continued to publish various one-shots and is currently an assistant on The Elusive Samurai manga.
Dear, Anemone By Rin Matsui
Dear, Anemone embraces the darker side of shonen manga. It begins when special agent Gaku is sent on a mission to the Galapagos Islands to retrieve data from a secret laboratory. He soon discovers it is far from the evolutionary paradise Charles Darwin once discovered. A horrible accident caused the local flora and fauna to evolve into man-eating beasts. With the help of a parasitic flower, Gaku must adapt to his surroundings. In doing so, he’ll learn the true meaning of the phrase “survival of the fittest.”
Rin Matsui may have been Horikoshi’s assistant, but his style evolved far beyond that influence. Instead of chasing My Hero Academia’s idealized shonen aesthetic, Rin Matsui veered into darker territory. With hyper-realistic animal illustrations and visceral body horror, Dear, Anemone could have been a staple of the horror manga genre. Alas, not even this shift in tone could save it from cancellation. The manga suffered from weak characterization and poor pacing. The survival horror premise was quickly abandoned and the characters weren’t developed enough to carry the story. With a rushed climax, it was clear Dear, Anemone did not have enough material to support a weekly schedule and only ran for 17 chapters. Oddly fitting that this manga, with its darker story, fell victim to the Horikoshi Curse. As of this writing, Matsui hasn’t published any more manga, but it’s only a matter of time before he makes a comeback.
Silver Lining of Manga Cancellations
It’s evident that Horikoshi set a very high bar with My Hero Academia. Few have reached its level of success, let alone, any of his past assistants. However, a single canceled series does not make a bad manga artist nor does it provide evidence of a curse. All of the manga discussed here had glaring shortcomings unrelated to Horikoshi’s influence. In the end, they simply failed to resonate with their target audiences. But as the saying goes, “When one door closes, another opens.” Cancellations happen all the time, but that means there’s always another great story waiting to be told.
My Hero Academia, Zipman!!, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood, and Dear Anemone are all available to read through Viz Media. Perhaps a cursed manga is exactly what you need this Halloween season.
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