My Hero Academia and All Might really sell the idea that heroes should be symbols of justice and near-perfect people for that reason. However, like all humans, these Pro Heroes have flaws and, as a result, have made decisions that are controversial and not as morally upright as people would expect of them.

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Had circumstances unfolded differently, these individuals might have succumbed to the darkness within them.

As these heroes navigate through a society that holds them to impossibly high standards, they are forced to make some of these decisions that may or may not have consequences for them, and certainly for the story. Whether driven by personal conviction, societal pressure, the need to protect others, or society itself, these decisions sometimes bring into question the essence of what it truly means to stand tall as a hero.

5 Endeavour’s Abuse Of His Family

Subjected His Family To Abuse Because Of His Obsession

Everyone is aware of Endeavour’s obsession with surpassing All Might, and although motivation like that is needed to reach the top, it becomes excessive and unhealthy in this case. He knew he could not surpass All Might, so he made it his life’s mission to sire an heir who would carry on his legacy and surpass him instead. He married his wife just for her quirk and made Dabi, his first son, just as obsessed with his goals before eventually abandoning him when Shoto was born. This caused Dabi to spiral, and eventually led him down the path of villainy.

Shoto, his new center of attention, was subject to emotional and physical abuse in the name of training, and this would also extend to his mother, Rei, whenever she tried to stand up for him. The Todoroki family has a lot of broken individuals, and their trauma all stems from the fact that Endeavour was deeply envious of All Might.

4 Hawks’ Attack On Twice

Stabbed Twice In The Back When He Least Expected It

Hawks spent some time as an undercover agent on the Paranormal Liberation Front, attempting to gain valuable information needed to bring down the criminal organization. During his time at the Paranormal Liberation Front, he met with various lieutenants, including Dabi, but they were all skeptical about his loyalty to the Shigaraki and All For One.

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Twice was the only one willing to communicate with him while the others kept their distance, and for that reason, they began to get close to one another. However, when Hawks was tasked with making the decision to stop Twice from using his quirk to help out the other villains, he took him out with a dishonorable sneak attack. Considering how wholesome a character Twice was, it left a bittersweet feeling, but it was needed if the heroes were to make progress in their battle against evil.

3 Becoming Pro-Heroes For Selfish Reasons

Casting Doubt On The Genuineity Of Said Heroes

The emergence of quirks all around the world paved the way for people to become professional heroes, as superheroes were needed to stop the rise of supervillains. However, being a pro-hero can also be likened to being a celebrity, as they enjoy wealth and fame that no other job can provide. For that reason, a lot of people train to become Pro Heroes, not primarily because they want to uphold justice and catch criminals, but because of the fame and fat paycheck that comes with it.

This is why Hero Killer Stain was born, as he made it his sole purpose to “purify” the hero space and rid society of those who are not “true heroes." However, this does not mean that the heroes are not genuine, but rather, shows their motivation and implies that they would sometimes have reservations about putting their lives on the line for others.

2 Pro Heroes Allowing Kids To Partake In Large-Scale Wars

Children Should Not Be Subject To Such High Stakes

My Hero Academia is centered around Midoriya Izuku and his friends in their fight against the evil that threatens to destroy their society. However, with the presence of older, more experienced Pro Heroes in the series, deploying teenagers to fight in wars, especially ones orchestrated by the seemingly immortal All For One, is a huge risk.

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Children are meant to be protected, and although they have been constantly targeted by the League of Villains, they are still children who are at risk of buckling under pressure. This also puts them at risk of suffering from traumatizing experiences and other forms of physical and emotional strain that children should not be exposed to.

1 All Might Choose Not To Kill All For One After Initially Defeating Him

An Opportunity To End A Reign Of Tyranny

All For One has been a thorn in the side of all One For All users since the inception of the quirk. He hunted down all the users one by one and killed them in an attempt to claim the quirk, but fortunately, they had each already passed it on before he was able to get to them. The fourth user of One For All spent his life in isolation, trying to strengthen the quirk, so the next user would be much stronger by the time All For One came for him.

When All Might reached his prime, One For All finally became strong enough to compete with the multitude of quirks All For One carried. All Might sustained irreversible damage during their clash, and it would have been a much smarter decision to eliminate the threat of All For One forever at that point, rather than allowing him to be convicted and put on death row, which he eventually escaped from.

My Hero Academia (2016)

Action

Superhero

Studio

Bones

Creator

Kōhei Horikoshi

Number of Episodes

141+

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu

See at Hulu