After My Hero Academia mangaka Kohei Horikoshi faced unfounded criticism from a series of recent outrage mobs due to their perception of a character’s name to be an intentional reference to Imperial Japanese war crimes in World War II, fans of the superhero series have taken to Twitter to show their support to the author using the hashtag #WeSupportYouHorikoshi.
Not only did Horikoshi face an outrage mob for the name of one of his characters, but outraged fans also took offense to some characters in the series sharing birthdays with historical German and Japanese World War II leaders.
Fans tired of the constant attempts to find something to demonize Horikoshi over began to use the hashtag #WeSupportYouHorikoshi to fight back against the outrage mobs. Fans using this hashtag provided a massive outpouring of encouragement and thanks to Horikoshi for his work on My Hero Academia, showing that a majority of fans were not bloodthirsty content critics:
I don’t care what your politics are or what country you’re from. Please let this man know how much he is supported and how grateful we are for him. We can respect other people’s opinions and still push back against the outrage mob. #SupportHorikoshi #WeSupportYouHorikoshi
— Michelle 🐟 (@Chat_Mort) February 11, 2020
Thank you for creating one of the greatest stories of good and evil and showing us that nomatter how dark things may get there is always a way to win. Plus Ultra #WeSupportYouHorikoshi pic.twitter.com/A7hXxv5G7x
— Justin (@Marka_Ragnos_) February 13, 2020
Just got caught up with the MHA drama and some of you fans are petty and need to Fuck off. Horikoshi-sensei I believe in your Series and writing. STAY STRONG SENSEI. #WeSupportYouHorikoshi pic.twitter.com/kPsuXIYw57
— TF (@TylerSFoster) February 13, 2020
Just to let you know, there are some fans out there that appreciate & support your work. We know you’re a good person at heart, & you don’t deserve this type of harassment from no one. Keep doing what you do best, I love MHA & my friends & family do too. #WeSupportYouHorikoshi pic.twitter.com/OSAdblkgGg
— Giovanni Brooks (@Giovanni_Brooks) February 13, 2020
#WeSupportYouHorikoshi MHA “fans” need to chill. Your oversensitivity was funny at first, but now it’s getting annoying.
The man might quit because y’all got upset over a character sharing a birthday with a dictator? Then I guess you need to cancel these characters too. pic.twitter.com/ZySrQkI3CW
— 『 Daitomodachi』 (@daitomodachi6) February 13, 2020
YouTuber Hero Hei also documented a number of other fans who supported Kohei Horikoshi following the multiple outrage mobs.
While some fans in the hashtag made reference to Horikoshi possibly quitting due to the drama, this is only a rumor sparked by a video from anime YouTuber Chibi Reviews. In the video, Chibi Reviews speculates that, based on Horikoshi’s recent social media silence, the recent outrage could be leading the mangaka to end the series.
For almost two weeks Horikoshi has been silent since his apology. Its scary to think he might be feeling everyone is against him. With the drama getting worse day by day… So I make this video to inform, but to support Horikoshi. #WeSupportYouHorikoshihttps://t.co/nl6kwhSZkL
— Chibi Reviews (@ChibiReviews) February 13, 2020
Are you supporting Kohei Horikoshi after he was lambasted by these outrage mobs?