My Hero Academia Fandom Reacts to the Doctor's New Name

My Hero Academia fans have been through a lot in the last few weeks. A couple of chapters ago, fans were reintroduced to the doctor who helped bring All For One into power. The old man is set on helping out Shigaraki these days, but Pro Heroes have caught on. That is when the doctor's real identity was finally shared, but his name was met with international controversy. And after a short wait, the man seems to be going by a new name.

Not long ago, Viz Media updated its digital copy of chapter 259, and it was there fans saw the new name. The edit took away the name Maruta and gave the doctor the name Kyudai Garaki.

Over on Twitter, the official translator for My Hero Academia broke down the meaning behind this new name. The doctor's last identity offended fans given its ties to Japanese war crimes done during World War II. Even though creator Kohei Horikoshi stressed the connection wasn't done on purpose, My Hero Academia promptly changed the name after outcry was shared.

This name? It is not nearly as controversial as Caleb Cook puts it.

"Kyudai (球大) = ball + big (in same spirit as "round + fat")," Cook translated. "Garaki (殻木) = husk + tree (end of Shigaraki, instead of the start. Also, the "wooden" element is preserved through "tree")"

Basically, the name refers to the doctor as a fat round tree, but other fans have looked deeper into the name. Some online are connecting the name Kyudai to Kyushuu University which once performed human experiments on captured U.S. soldiers. However, given the ties of Shigaraki's name, it seems the fandom has mostly given approval to the name as you can see in the slides below:

What do you make of this new name? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has powers, even though he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he's eventually scouted by the world's best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes.

Good Old Days

Who else remembers when the MHA fan base was hella small and we were all just sticking together, that used to be super chill

— ᶻᵉᵏᵉ (@avacaso) February 10, 2020

Oh No

It's cool how Kohei Horikoshi can change the name without changing the intented meaning behind it.

— Touyue (@Tou_Yue) February 10, 2020

Ride Along

BNHA kids: Trying to cancel Horikoshi for the 1000th time over fake woke sh-t

Me on my way to buy the latest MHA volume :

— Alan 🦁 (@RealisticSK) February 10, 2020

The Choice Is Yours

I promise you no one hates the mangaka of their favorite series more than "BNHA stans." You MF's are so GOT DAMN annoying. I usually ignore it cus it ain't that deep but every week y'all crying bout some shit that nobody give a f-ck about. SHUT UP. DAMN. KEEP READING OR DON'T.

— 💮~Lotus~💮 (@LotusAsakura) February 10, 2020

Support! Support!

If you are a My Hero Academia or BNHA fan and you #SupportHorikoshi please follow me and I will follow back.

The way that he is treated by his “fans” is sickening and it’s gonna be my new agenda to support him and the hard work he does.

— 🔥 ❸ (@GEAR4ZACHMAN) February 11, 2020

Muscle Up

Horikoshi every month MHA goes through controversy :

— EAST 🕐 (@sokyo97) February 11, 2020

Ouch

That’s it, it’s official the My Hero Academia fan base is the worst fan base in the entire anime community. Yes I’m saying that and I’m a MHA fan!

Honestly I’m sick to death of these insecure, sensitive snowflakes does everything offend you in this show?!

— A-KiwiOtaku (@TheKiwiOtaku) February 11, 2020

Call and Response

mha fans looking for things to slander horikoshi for

— gray (@grayonthmoon) February 10, 2020