The creator of the Manga has said that his primary source of inspiration was Kishimoto's Naruto, and as such you can draw direct parallels between Naruto's characters and characters from this show.
You have a underdog with a pure heart for a protagonist, who has a childhood rival that he always wanted to surpass and has inherited a great amount of power from his idol and is now determined to make his name known throughout the Super-Hero world. What makes the whole series work though is the versatility of the characters' powers and how they function with each other both during and outside of direct combat.
Add to this an excellent soundtrack and superb artwork and you basically have a show that although doesn't really re-invent the genre but successfully takes the best elements of the genre and highlights them splendidly over the course of 13 episodes. I'm currently reading the Manga with great interest, and I would highly recommend people to pick up the Manga as well...because you ain't seen nothin yet.
