‘My Hero Academia’ Spoilers: How the Manga Hinted at Its Traitor Reveal Before Chapter 336
My Hero Academia introduced the possibility of a traitor at U.A. High during its Hideout Raid Arc, and the anime still hasn’t returned to that particular subplot. However, the latest chapter of the manga finally reveals who was helping the League of Villains from the inside — and it’s a major blow to Deku. In hindsight, manga readers could have picked up on the identity of the U.A. High traitor well before My Hero Academia Chapter 336. Kohei Horikoshi dropped plenty of hints earlier in the story.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia manga Chapter 336.]
The U.A. High traitor confesses in ‘My Hero Academia’ Chapter 336
Chapter 336 of the My Hero Academia manga reveals that Yuga Aoyama was the U.A. High traitor teased so much earlier in the manga. Aoyama led the League of Villains to the school’s training camp, as well as the USJ. He started doing All for One’s bidding after the villain gave him his Quirk — and threatened his family if he didn’t comply.
Aoyama tells Deku all of this in a tearful scene between the two characters, and it’s hard not to feel for the guy. Of course, Deku’s shock didn’t extend to many of the fans reading the interaction. That’s because Horikoshi has dropped enough hints that theories about Aoyama being the traitor had already cropped up.
How the manga hinted at Yuga Aoyama before Chapter 336
Although Deku seems taken aback by the realization that Aoyama is the U.A. High traitor, many readers weren’t. My Hero Academia dropped some major clues pointing toward Aoyama during its earlier manga chapters. And his motive makes perfect sense.
That’s the first way Horikoshi hinted at this reveal: by having Aoyama’s Quirk be incompatible with his body. Those who have read the manga or watched the anime will recall all the times Aoyama’s stomach hurt immediately after using his Navel Laser. Looking back, he probably wasn’t adjusting to his newfound power so easily. Deku had similar problems when he inherited One for All, and Aoyama certainly doesn’t have a mentor to guide him.
In addition to giving Deku’s classmate a motive long before he became suspicious, Horikoshi gave fans some other clues about Aoyama ahead of My Hero Academia Chapter 336. Not only was Deku’s classmate hidden well away from the villains during the Forest Training Camp Arc — because he knew they were coming — but he was completely absent during the USJ Incident.
Aoyama also acts suspiciously during My Hero Academia manga Chapter 167, leaving Deku a message that reads “I KNOW” in cheese. While Horikoshi temporarily brushes his behavior off, the traitor reveal circles back to that. It also makes sense of Deku’s thoughts surrounding the whole thing, especially given that he’s telling the story from the future.
‘My Hero Academia’s manga contains plenty of foreshadowing
Although Horikoshi left red herrings suggesting other characters could be the U.A. High traitor, those reading the My Hero Academia manga could have put two and two together about Aoyama. And it’s not the first time the author has foreshadowed a major reveal like this.
One of the most recent revelations that came with plenty of clues ahead of time is Dabi’s true identity. Not only did Dabi hint that he was Endeavor’s son during early interactions the Number One hero and Shoto, but the manga casually drops the fact that Todoroki had a brother who supposedly passed away.
Clearly, Horikoshi knows what he’s doing leading up to major twists and turns. It makes one wonder what else could be hidden away in the story.
Read the official translation of My Hero Academia Chapter 336 on VIZ.
