The final chapter of the TV anime series " My Hero Academia ," based on the manga by Kohei Horikoshi that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), is airing on Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV every Saturday at 5:30 pm. The story of heroes and villains that has been broadcast for about nine years is reaching its climax. Miyake Kenta, who has played the "symbol of peace" All Might Kenta Miyake the first season of the TV anime began airing in 2016, says that as he has faced the work and the character, he has continued to ask himself, "What is a hero?" We spoke to him about what went on behind the scenes of the recording of "FINAL SEASON" and his thoughts on the work.
◇ Bakugou's comeback episode: Rather than feeling happy, I feel "I'm sorry..."
The "FINAL SEASON" began with a battle between All For One and "Armored All Might," equipped with a powered suit and support item, Hercules. All Might fought bravely, but found himself in a difficult position when faced with All For One's overwhelming strength. Katsuki Bakugo to his aid. Bakugo saved All Might from his predicament and defeated the evil All For One, a turn of events that became a hot topic among fans. Miyake, who plays All Might, revealed his feelings during the recording of the scene, saying, "When Kacchan came, I really blamed myself."
Miyake said that the scene that "remained in my memory" was the one in the previous season, season 7, where Bakugo was defeated by Tomura Shigaraki and held All Might's card in his hand, saying, "I really wanted his autograph."
"Kacchan's usual tough-mindedness is completely thrown away, and the boy says it blushingly. After seeing that, even though I understand that it was inevitable given the development of the story and his position, I was overcome with a great sense of self-blame for some reason, wondering, 'Why didn't I pay more attention to Kacchan?' I even feel sorry for Okamoto-kun (Nobuhiko Okamoto, who plays Bakugo). He had always looked up to him. But All Might swore to walk alongside his successor, Midoriya, to protect and raise him, and I think that deep down, I myself, as the actor, was too attached to Midoriya. I don't know why, but I felt a great deal of remorse and blamed myself."
Miyake said, "My feelings were completely mixed with All Might," and recalled, "In that scene, Kacchan came to save him, and it was truly the moment when fate twisted. But more than the joy, I felt more like, 'I'm sorry.'"
◇What is a hero? The moment when the answer that had been elusive for a long time finally came
All Might is a "symbol of peace" loved by people all over the world, including Izuku Midoriya(Deku) and Bakugo. Miyake-san revealed his thoughts while playing All Might, saying, "I never found the answer to the question, 'What is a hero?'"
"It's become less and less. Is it a hero's job to protect everyone and protect peace? But when I think about the fact that there are evil heroes like Shigaraki, I end up not knowing. But then I suddenly thought, 'So, what does a hero mean to you, Kenta Miyake?' And the answer that popped into my head was Yamashita Daiki, who plays Deku, and Nobuhiko Okamoto, who plays Bakugo."
Having found the answer, Miyake was cast to play All Might in episode 167, "Izuku Midoriya: Rising," who tells Deku, as he takes on the All Might battle, "Ever since that day, you've been my greatest hero!"
"When I said to young Midoriya, 'You were the greatest hero!', it was the first time I felt that I had truly synchronized my feelings with All Might. After 10 years, I was finally able to empathize with All Might. So, in essence, young Yamashita = young Midoriya, and Kenta Miyake= All Might. I usually act without reading ahead (to the original work), so when I received and saw the script, I cried. I'm a terrible actor, so I go here and there, and sound director Mima (Masafumi) is always steering me, saying, 'Not that way, you know. Go this way.' But somehow I managed to get there, and I was truly relieved, from the bottom of my heart. After I said that line, I felt happy that I had reached the place I was meant to go."
◇ Kenta Miyake's Plus Ultra
Miyake-san has been sincerely facing All Might for about nine years. Finally, we asked him what "Plus Ultra" means to him.
"In the end, even near the climax, I was still able to perform thanks to the help of many people, so to be honest, I don't know how much I've grown or what I've become able to do. However, Yamashita Daiki and Nobuhiko Okamoto always treated me as All Might, the symbol of peace, even on set. Also, Mima-san was steering the ship, and one thing I realized through that was that creating a character isn't something you can do alone. The Japanese word for 'human' is written as 'between people,' right? With Kenta Miyake, Daiki-san and Nobuhiko-san involved, a new image is born, and I was reminded once again that a character is created through such interactions. For me, that's a great lesson."
He says that this benefit comes from playing the same role for a long time.
"I think this is the first time in my career that I've played the same character for 10 years, with the story continuing for that long. It's a real treasure. It's not something that everyone can experience. It's irreplaceable."
The anime series "My Hero Academia" is finally reaching its climax. I can't wait to see the soulful performances of Miyake and the other voice actors until the very end.
