The heroes of My Hero Academia lead glamorous but dangerous lives. Wielding incredibly powerful quirks they keep the world safe, something that often comes at great personal cost. As the anime's villains have become increasingly deadly, fans have seen more and more heroes fall.

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As Midoriya learned towards the end of the Dark Deku arc, sometimes being a hero means knowing when to give up and rely on others. The heroes below have led long, impressive careers, but for various reasons, it might be time for them to step down and focus on teaching the next generation.

1 Shota Aizawa - Eraser Head

Focus On Teaching

Eraser Head's quirk, Erasure, is very useful when it comes to dealing with powerful villains. Despite having decided to focus on teaching, in recent seasons, he's increasingly been called upon to use his quirk in battle.

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At just 31 years old, Shota should have a good few years of heroics left, but it's arguably time for him to retire. His ability to use his quirk was reduced after his eyes were hurt fighting the Nobu, something made even worse after he lost his right eye. Coupled with the other extensive injuries he's received, Shota is at risk of becoming more of a hindrance than a help. He's one of My Hero Academia's best teachers. Let him go back to doing that.

2 Best Jeanist - Tsunagu Hakamada

Injured Fighting All For One

Despite having one of My Hero Academia's strangest quirks, Best Jeanist has worked his way up the ranks to be a top-ranked hero. He proved just how powerful he can be during his battle with All For One, during which he almost gave as good as he got.

However, he was also severely injured during that fight. He's shown good progress in his recovery, but he's likely not at his peak any longer. Given his potentially weakened state and the loss of reputation he suffered from faking his death, maybe he should retire. He's already been shown to be an excellent mentor. A career in teaching or hero management could be in his future.

3 Chiyo Shuzenji - Recovery Girl

Getting Old

Recovery Girl's exact age has never been revealed, but it has been confirmed that she's been a hero for at least forty years. As one of My Hero Academia's most selfless characters, she's arguably earned the right to retire in peace. She might not see much frontline action, but using her quirk does seem to take it out of her.

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Recovery Girl's quirk, Heal, has its limitations. It can't heal truly catastrophic injuries and uses up the patients' life force to work, often leaving them feeling weak. In recent seasons, the casualties have piled up, and Recovery Girl has struggled to keep up. Maybe it's time she retired as a hero and started training up her replacement. Without one, if anything happened to Recovery Girl, the heroes would be in serious trouble.

4 Keigo Takami - Hawks

Pushed To His Limits

Despite being just 23 years old, Hawks has already risen to the very top of the hero ranking, but it's come at great cost. Even before becoming an undercover agent and pretending to join the villains, he was overworked. The events of the Paranormal Liberation War left him both physically and mentally exhausted.

His killing of Twice was one of My Hero Academia's saddest deaths and left Hawks traumatized and plagued by guilt. The ensuing battles against Dabi left him covered in severe burns and pretty much destroyed his wings. Hawks has succeeded in proving he's a hero and needs to take a break. His sharp intellect and strategic mind mean he could retire from being a pro-hero but still contribute to hero society behind the scenes. Unless he can make a full recovery, Hawks should hang up his goggles.

5 Enji Todoroki - Endeavor

No Longer On Top

Endeavor is a great example of why you should always quit while you're ahead. All his career, all he wanted was to surpass All Might in one of My Hero Academia's best rivalries and become the number one hero. He ultimately succeeded, but it cost him everything.

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Endeavor put his career ahead of his family, driving his wife crazy, pushing away his children, and turning Dabi into a monster in the process. After Dabi's big reveal, Endeavor's reputation is left in tatters, and Endeavor himself is plagued by guilt. At 46 years old, Endeavor probably doesn't have many years left at peak performance. With his pro career in tatters, once All For One is finally defeated, Endeavor should retire so he can finally focus on his family.

6 Sorahiko Torino - Gran Torino

At Retirement Age

Gran Torino is one of the few heroes fans have seen in My Hero Academia actually live to retirement age. After All For One, he's the oldest character in My Hero Academia and a life of heroics has taken its toll. Physically, extended use of his quirk has taken Gran Torino from an impressive 200cm+ (6'7"+) height to a more diminutive 120cm (3'11").

Mentally, he's seen his close friend Nana sacrifice herself, and All Might, whom he mentored, was almost killed. Midoriya coming along and the rise of the villains dragged Gran Torino out of retirement, and it's time he retired again. He can either spend his retirement mentoring from the sidelines or sipping piña coladas on a beach. If he keeps throwing himself into danger, at his age, his luck is going to run out.

7 Toshinori Yagi - All Might

Time To Step Aside

As the ultimate Symbol of Peace, there's never been a greater hero than All Might. He had an illustrious career that only ended when he was severely injured by All For One and was forced to give up One For All. Despite having handed the reigns over to Midoriya, Toshinori still occasionally transforms into One For All, putting himself in great danger due to his weakened state.

Throughout Season 6, Toshinori repeatedly risked his life looking for and trying to help Midoriya, who had stopped listening to him. The sad truth is, like other weakened heroes, All Might risks becoming a liability if he insists on continuing to put himself in harm's way. Now that Midoriya has better access to the other former One For All wielders, All Might could retire comfortably, knowing he's done his duty. Since that isn't his style, he could at least take a backseat and focus on mentoring. It's evident that Toshinori's days as a fighter should be well and truly over.

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