The Symbol of Peace as a Myth: Deconstructing the Existential Problem in One-Punch Man and My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia and One-Punch Man are popular manga series that have amassed a global fanbase. This paper, uses a poststructuralist reading to draw parallels between Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus and Japanese superhero manga, examining how these works deal with the existential question about the meaning of life. It observes that the superhero myth functions with the help of several signs that construct a superhero’s identity and that these identity markers define their take on the existential problem. Furthermore, the paperexamines the role played by the crowd—the in-text audience of the myth—in the process of mythologization, where they serve as a medium between the superheroes and the actual reader.