Warning! Spoilers ahead for My Hero Academia chapter 336!
Mangaka Kohei Horikoshi could possibly attempt the insurmountable task of tying up the alarming number of loose ends in My Hero Academia's current and final arc by emulating the highly ambitious palace invasion during Hunter x Hunter's Chimera Ant arc. Jujutsu Kaisen recently gave its own spin to the same hyper-focused style in its Shibuya Incident Arc but not as a means to clean up a disastrous mess of the mangaka's own making.
In Hunter x Hunter, the infamous invasion of the Chimera Ants' palace takes up dozens of chapters but very little time actually transpire during the entire epic event. This is possible through the employment of various tactics such as elongating split-second decisions in the minds of characters so readers can more thoroughly appreciate how much information heroes must process before executing a choice, especially when it's the right one. The fact that there are multiple teams participating in the invasion multiplies the duration of their assault considerably. The intricacy is then further explored by how Hunter x Hunter seamlessly connects the events of every team, showcasing how one minuscule decision can have a huge impact.
My Hero Academia may attempt this same type of tactic to help resolve the alarmingly high number of scenarios that need to be addressed in bloodshed before the last arc concludes. In addition to Deku and All For One's final confrontation, Shoto Todoroki and his father Endeavor are destined to trade blows with their long-lost family member Toya aka Dabi after his overly publicized unmasking to the world. Himiko Toga undoubtedly has a vendetta that she would like to enact against Ochaco Uraraka for hurting her unnecessarily after she confessed her true feelings to the hero. The fact that Himiko and Ochaco are connected by Deku could serve as an opportunity for mangaka Horikoshi to replicate the highly effective domino effect employed by Hunter x Hunter to somehow drag Deku into their battle even though he would most likely still be contending with All For One.
Other battles that readers expect to see unfold include the showcasing of U.A. High's impressive new defensive upgrades discussed but not shown in an earlier chapter. Also, the fan-favorite Lady Nagant might try to redeem herself further after her defection back to hero society by fighting against All For One herself, which further increases the need for My Hero Academia to emulate Hunter x Hunter's palace invasion. Luckily, Jujutsu Kaisen's recent employment of this style of storytelling proves that it can be replicated successfully and to critical acclaim.
The only problem, however, is that mangaka Horikoshi continues to introduce new conflicts that demand resolution when the more pressing issues have yet to be addressed. This not only pushes aside what readers actually want to see resolved but threatens to get them diluted to accommodate the ever-shrinking well of available time at Horikoshi's disposal. There's also the caveat of these new conflicts getting dismissed too early. This wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing except when they are actually good additions like Star and Stripe's sudden appearance and equally as instantaneous departure, which begs the question, "Why does this have to be the final arc?" Of course, mangaka Horikoshi might just want to move on to something new, which is fine, but then why further complicate ending a beloved series when it only serves to negatively affect the end product? Not even Hunter x Hunter's superb storytelling can save My Hero Academia so long as Horikoshi continues down this detrimental path.
