Which characters excel in this superpowered series?
Kohei Horikoshi’s esteemed manga series started its circulation back in 2014. Its international audience continues to grow as aided by a lively anime adaptation and developing character roster. The stars have palpable personalities that give meaning behind the shonen spectacle. Here, I have listed ten of the best characters from the world of My Hero Academia.
10. Endeavor
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This guy is the anime embodiment of the toxic culture pervasive in Hollywood. His fans praise him for acts of heroism like defeating the undead Hood. When All Might retired from his post, Endeavor was promoted to the number one hero title across Japan.
Underneath the garb of goodwill, he is a brutal man. His older children were deemed failures for their genetic weaknesses. The golden child, Shoto, held a grudge against him in later years. To strengthen his endurance, Endeavor would beat on Shoto to the point of vomiting.
Endeavor responds to his family’s destruction by striving to make amends for his cruel actions. His sons still resent him. Fuyumi, his daughter, takes on the responsibility of piecing her family together by arranging family dinners and mediating between Endeavor and her brothers.
9. Momo Yaoyorozu
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Momo attends U.A. in training to become a hero. Her title, “Creati”, comes from her ability to create objects out of her body fat. She was initiated into the school based on her parents’ letter of recommendation.
In the first season, she impressed her students with her analysis of the training between Deku and Ochaco vs. Bakugo and Iida. Her faults were shown when facing Tokoyami. She relies on her logic during fights as if she was slowly reading a book.
This flaw made her vulnerable to Dark Shadow’s attacks and led to her defeat. Shoto’s faith in her leadership prompted her to devise a strategy against Aizawa for the final exams. She created a white cloth that entrapped her teacher when heated with Shoto’s flames.
8. Hawks
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Hawks is the twenty-two-year-old Pro Hero. He broke the record for the most accomplished hero in his age range. His goal isn’t personal. He just wants to create a world where his colleagues can have time to kill.
Tokoyami, a U.A. student, trained under Hawks for an internship. Tokoyami ran across city blocks to catch up with his mentor but couldn’t match his flying speed. To push him ahead, Hawks taught him how to use his quirk to fly similarly.
Hawks’ greatest mission was his service as a spy in the Paranormal Liberation Front. He played his role as a soldier so well that even microchips implanted in his wings couldn’t detect his emotional hesitation.
7. Toga
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For Toga, bloodlust takes on a different meaning. Her intention is not to kill her victims. But she wants to bond with them by intaking their blood.
As a child, she would suck on the blood of birds she grew fond of. Her parents were ashamed of their daughter’s inclinations. To appease her family, she masked her yearnings beneath a mask of prestige and achievement.
Her inability to suppress her cravings caused her to run from home and join the League of Villains. She dreams of a new society built on the rubble of the old. One where she can celebrate her version of normal.
6. La Brava
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In middle school, La Brava had her heart shattered by her sweetheart. She lived without purpose in front of a computer screen. The thought of suicide was prevalent in her hopelessness.
The videos made by Gentle Criminal inspired her to take action. She tracked him down using her computer skills and was recruited as a sidekick. Her life is now devoted to recording for Gentle as he commits “gentle” crimes against unjust systems.
Recording isn’t her only form of support. Her quirk, Love, gives her the ability to strengthen those she loves. Its power grows as deep as her love for the recipient. Like the one she shares with Gentle, it gave him strength so intense that he nearly broke Deku.
5. Gentle Criminal
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Danjuro Tobita was a young man dreaming of becoming a famous hero. Being rejected from hero agencies, a lawsuit created by interfering in a Pro Hero’s mission, and isolation from his family caused by the loss in money created by legal action drove him over to villainy. His persona is Gentle Criminal.
His motive is to establish himself in history and ease his fear of being forgotten. His crimes, like robbing a convenience store at knifepoint, aren’t for the sake of selfish gain. But they are reckless acts with the intent of avenging injustices.
His efforts to stop Deku failed when they fought outside the campus of U.A. High School. In police custody, he expressed his failures by comparing his situation to bitter tea. La Brava was treated as an asset for her hacking skills.
4. Shigaraki
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Before the age of four, Tenko Shimura lived in an abusive household. His father, Kotaro, brutalized his body for his dreams of being a hero. Kotaro’s mother gave him over to the foster care system so that he would grow safely apart from the hero world. He interpreted her actions as abandonment and resented all heroes for what she did.
Shimura’s powers started to manifest amidst the trauma. He can cause matter to decay with the touch of five of his fingers. Unfortunately, his awakening caused the death of his entire family. All that remained were pools of their flesh and blood.
Wandering the streets without a helping hand, he was taken in by All For One. A new name, Tomura Shigaraki, was bestowed upon him. The name is derived from the Japanese word meaning “mourning the dead”.
3. Shoto
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He is Endeavor’s golden child and magnum opus. With his right side, he can generate massive shards of ice that rival skyscrapers. On his left, he emits fire close to the melting point of iron.
Once a distant figure in his class, he saw his father as an evil to be rejected by using his right side only when in battle. Deku helped him to accept his powers as his own. He has since become friends with Deku, Ida, and Bakugo.
He and his father still have a difficult relationship. Endeavor is willing to set aside the past and become a better father. Shoto resents his cruelty but uses his hero experience to further his agenda.
2. Dabi
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Toya is better known as Endeavor’s first failure. His hair was originally a bright red but turned white over time. His fires were stronger than his father’s but they burned his skin. His weakness was what isolated his father from him.
In an attempt to win his father’s approval, he experimented with his powers on a far-off hill. He determined that his emotions strengthen the heat of his fire. When his father raged at his disobedience, he faked his death and lived life as Dabi.
He will do anything he can to destroy his father’s legacy and expose him to the public.
1. Deku
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Inheriting the power of One for All, Deku attends U.A. to progress toward becoming the number one hero. To the inhabitants of Japan, his appearance is ordinary. That being said, people walk around with dog heads in that universe.
His immense power used to bruise his limbs when activated. Under the guidance of Gran Torino, he learned how to balance his power across his body. From there, he has increased his overall power in increments during intense battles against people like Bakugo, Overhaul, Class 1-B, and Shigaraki.
Beyond the power at his disposal, he is unreal in his resourcefulness. Having a poor grasp of his powers, he used landmines to propel his body while riding a metal sheet in a marathon. He has learned to use his Blackwhips as recoil buffers against his excess power.
