With its fresh, slightly satirical take on a world full of heroes, My Hero Academia has taken the world of anime by storm in recent years. My Hero Academia's world might seem light and breezy at first glance, but it can get surprisingly bloody, with kill counts galore.
In My Hero Academia, heroes aren't selfless saints. Superheroism has been commercialized, and many heroes are in it more for fame and glory than they are to help people. Truly selfless heroes are rare, and often never get to the higher rankings. Thankfully, the writers have never become too jaded, and have given fans true heroes to root for over the years.
My Hero Academia: 6 Oldest Characters, Ranked
These My Hero Academia characters might be a little older than the students, but they haven't let it slow them down one bit.
10 Chiyo Shuzenji (Recovery Girl)
More Than A School Nurse
According to Recovery Girl's profile in Volume 8 of the manga, she's been working at U.A. for over forty years. That would mean she's been there for most, if not all, of her adult life. That's a long time to be what amounts to the school nurse. With her small stature and elderly appearance, it would be easy to underestimate Recovery Girl.
My Hero Academia: 10 Characters With The Highest Stamina
These My Hero Academia characters have been portrayed as having lasting endurance in battle and related physical activities.
Recovery Girl's quirk, Heal, is incredibly powerful. It's easy to imagine how a more selfish person could have used it to make money. Rather than working at U.A. healing children, Recovery Girl could have made herself a fortune by renting out her gift to the rich and famous. Instead, she has spent her life helping others, and is loved and respected by everyone at U.A.
9 Nemuri Kayama (Midnight)
Made The Ultimate Sacrifice
For most of My Hero Academia's run, Midnight would have been a strange choice for the most selfless hero. She's a self-confessed sadist who enjoys her fame. As one of My Hero Academia's most charismatic characters, she derives pleasure from showing off her beauty and sex appeal. Very little about Midnight, from her personality to character design, comes across as selfless.
It's only in Season 6 that fans get to see Midnight's selfless side. Tasked with leading a group of students against Gigantomachia, Midnight gives it her all to keep the students safe while trying to slow the giant villain down. In a bloody, drawn-out confrontation, the hero sacrifices herself. Tragically, her sacrifice did little to slow Gigantomachia down, and it could be argued that her selflessness was all for naught. In her final moments, Midnight proved she was a true hero.
8 Uraraka Ochako (Uravity)
Puts Her Friends First
Ocachako is one of the best female characters in My Hero Academia. At first, it seemed she was destined to be little more than a love interest for Deku, but she's grown into so much more. U.A. is a competitive place, but Ochako always puts her friends first, even if it will hurt her own academic or hero career.
An inherently selfless person, she worries constantly about her friends, especially Deku. While many students dream of a hero career full of fame and fortune, Ochako gravitates more towards a career in rescue, which is much less glamorous. Still, Ochako hasn't had many chances to make major sacrifices compared to other characters, leaving her a bit lower on the list.
7 Jin Bubaigawara (Twice)
A Villain And A Friend
Twice is one of the most tragic characters in My Hero Academia. A social outcast, he only became a villain because he yearned for a place where he felt he belonged. If he hadn't been driven crazy by his quirk, he could have made a great hero.
7 Unluckiest My Hero Academia Characters
Unfortunately, luck did not smile on these individuals in My Hero Academia.
While Twice was technically a villain, he never showed any villainous tendencies. He cared deeply about his friends, and would have done anything to protect them. In the end, betrayed by Hawks, that's what he did: he sacrificed himself to protect the League from the heroes. While his fate was tragic, he died happy, knowing his sacrifice might save his friends.
6 Shota Aizawa (Eraser Head)
The Best Teacher
Eraser Head tries his best to come across as stern, aloof, and apathetic, but he's not fooling anyone. He gave up a lucrative career as a professional hero so he could teach the next generation of heroes. He might be hard on them, but he cares for them deeply.
Eraser Head has proven his selflessness time and time again. Not only has he chosen a career as a teacher, but over the course of the anime, he's risked his life multiple times and sustained serious injuries while trying to protect his students. This selflessness has come at great cost, with Shota losing an eye during the Paranormal Liberation War, greatly affecting his powers. Plenty of heroes in My Hero Academia have made grand sacrifices, but Eraser Head's greatest act was far more personal. When Eri was left without anyone to care for her, he became her foster father and guardian without complaint.
5 Mirio Togata (Lemillion)
Selfless Without Regret
Mirio is perhaps the most selfless of all of UA's students. As a member of the Big Three and one of the most promising young heroes in Japan, Mirio was set to have it all. He was even supposed to inherit One for All.
My Hero Academia: 7 Tallest Characters In The Series, Ranked
These heroes and villains from My Hero Academia can immediately strike fear into their opponents just from their size alone.
But like a truly selfless hero, he lost it all while protecting both Deku and Eri from Overhaul and his quirk-destroying bullets. Rather than hold it against Deku or wallow in self-pity, Mirio continued to embrace Deku as a friend and refused to give up. During the Paranormal Liberation War, it was revealed that Mirio's quirk had been restored, and his selflessness towards his friends had been rewarded.
4 Keigo Takami (Hawks)
Sacrifices Everything, Even His Soul
One of the reasons My Hero Academia has been so successful is its cast of well-written, complex characters. Of them all, Hawks is one of the best-written. Ranked as the number two hero, Hawks has dedicated his life to overcoming his tragic history and earning his title.
At first, it might seem Hawks only cares about being a high-ranked hero, but Season 6 revealed that to be false. Hawks helps fake the murder of Best Jeanist so he could infiltrate the League of Villains, sacrificing his reputation in the process. He's then forced to get his hands dirty, killing Twice in cold blood in an attempt to protect his cover. Hawks understands that sometimes heroes have to do unheroic things, no matter the cost. For Hawks, the cost was a heap of guilt.
3 Nana Shimura
Gave Up Her Son
Nana Shimura is a former wielder of One For All, and was one of the people responsible for molding All Might into the great hero he would become. Like other characters with more than one quirk, she was immensely powerful. But unlike some of them, she chose to dedicate her life to doing the right thing.
Nana rates high on this list because she made not one, but two, massive sacrifices during her career as a hero. Both of these came at great personal cost. She sacrificed herself during her fated battle against All For One, passing One For All to Toshinori in her final moments rather than trying to continue the fight. Second, she gave up her role as a loving mother to be a hero. Nana put her son, Kotaro, into foster care, believing that she couldn't keep him safe and be a hero at the same time. While she believed she was doing the right thing for everyone, this set off a chain of events that led to Shigaraki's fall into villainy.
2 Toshinori Yagi (All Might)
The Symbol Of Peace
In his prime, there were characters who could beat All Might. All Might spent his quirkless youth working hard, trying to prove inheriting One For All. Once he had, he devoted himself to becoming the Ultimate Symbol of Peace.
My Hero Academia: Every Character Stronger Than Izuku Midoriya, Ranked
Izuku Midoriya is among the strongest characters in My Hero Academia, but there are some who still manage to outclass him.
All Might is a selfless character who only cares about being a hero. After being wounded and realizing he could no longer wield his quirk effectively, he gave it up, handing it over to Deku. Since then, All Might has dedicated his life to training Deku, making sure he's ready for his fight against All For One. All Might cares deeply about everyone he meets, and has spent his entire life serving the greater good.
1 Izuku Midoriya (Deku)
Selfless To A Fault
Midoriya is living proof that a hero can be too selfless. During his training at U.A., Deku constantly pushed himself past his limits, often resulting in serious injury. When his friend's lives are on the line, he'll risk everything to protect them. His most recent actions have shown that there are few lines he won't cross to do the right thing.
The problem with Midoriya is that he fails to consider how his selflessness affects others. He might be My Hero Academia's most selfless hero, but he's also selfishly heroic. When he becomes "Dark Deku," it's left to his loved ones to track him down and bring him in. By selflessly running around fighting villains and saving people, he risks All For One finding him and taking One For All.
My Hero Academia (2016)
- Release Date
- April 3, 2016
- Main Genre
- Anime
- Seasons
- 7
- Studio
- Bones
- Creator
- Kōhei Horikoshi