Himiko Toga has acquired a huge fanbase within the My Hero Academia community thanks to her sassy attitude, sexy character design, and intriguing bloodthirsty Quirk. Even though her powers seem perfect for a villainess, Himiko's origin story could have set her up for failure due to the toxic relationship the young girl had with her parents, which ultimately lead her straight into Shigaraki's arms.
If handled differently, could Himiko's future have followed a more heroic path; or, considering her deranged sadistic side, is a Himiko Redemption Arc even possible?
Himiko's Harrowing History
Episode 109 of My Hero Academia (aka Season 5, episode 21) delves into this blonde bombshell's backstory, where once again the audience is granted the opportunity to sympathize with a vicious villain. While young Himiko was often described as a sweet-natured girl, once her Quirk was discovered, opinions, unfortunately, changed drastically.
Her horrified parents could only see evil intentions in their (arguably) innocent daughter, so they demanded that she reject and suppress her Quirk at all costs and ensure to always behave as a respectable lady. Their method, however, did not produce the desired results and essentially acted as a catalyst for her villainous journey.
Being forced to live a lie her whole life, Himiko's hemophilia accumulated to exploding point, and one of her classmates became the girl's first human victim, with little discretion applied to the attack. Publically outed as a "creepy demon child," Himiko subsequently went into hiding while her parents were left to deal with the aftermath.
In an attempt to stifle further humiliation, her guardians openly disowned their daughter, taking no responsibility for their (unsupportive and toxic) role in the matter and summing everything up as a gruesome genetic defect. Abandoned and alone, Himiko found solace in the first people to truly accept her for who she is and eagerly became a member of the League of Villains.
The Parent Trap
While anyone would likely freak out if they found their little girl using a dead bird's corpse as a Capri Sun alternative, there are arguably much better ways that Himiko's parents could have handled the situation. After the initial shock wore off, her caretakers could have made a greater effort to understand their daughter's powers instead of just sweeping them under the rug. Himiko's hemophilia is more than likely a direct side-effect of her Quirk, which craves blood for its activation, and is not necessarily a psychopathic personality defect (even if that ultimately became the end result.)
With an attitude overflowing with intrigue rather than fear and disgust, Himiko's parents could have nurtured her by instilling a deep understanding of morals and ethics in the young girl. Ostracizing her for the sake of personal comfort was a selfish decision on her guardians' part, but if they all worked together instead, a productive application of her Quirk could have surely been discovered. Himiko may not have strayed to the dark side if she felt loved, supported, and accepted by her family.
If people have learned anything from the teen fiction vampire-obsessed tropes, it's that one can responsibly consume blood without causing a great deal of damage in the process. Himiko just needs to take a leaf out of Stefan Salvatore's book (or any blood-sucking protagonist of her choice) and learn some self-restraint and more charming (and less creepy) mannerisms. Consequently, she too could have her very own feeder familiar who would happily donate to Himiko's cause.
Himiko the Heroine
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Since Himiko's Awakening, her Quirk has essentially become an amped-up version of Neito Monoma's, and although he may not be the most likable character around, he still qualifies as a Hero. People don't give Monoma much grief about his copycat Quirk (it's his narcissistically grating characteristics that amass haters.) If Himiko was fortunate enough to also form part of this group, her Quirk could be extremely advantageous to Deku and his friends. It could be arranged that select Heroes could gift a sample of their ichor to Himiko, giving her a ranged selection of faces and Quirks to choose from (without all the blood-soaked drama!)
If used defensively: having two identical Heroes running around would likely confuse the enemy, especially if they were targeting a specific individual, like in Bakugo's case in the Forest Training Camp Arc. If she were to take Hawks' place as an undercover agent, for example, Himiko's skinwalking capabilities would have helped to uncover more imperative information at a faster pace (so long as she obtained the DNA of some vital members of the Paranormal Liberation Front first.) If Himiko were a Hero, she would also probably always have a vial of Recovery Girl's blood on hand, ready to heal any injured parties on the battlefield (which the old lady can obviously no longer navigate through.)
If used offensively: Fans have already seen how efficient Himiko's Quirk can be in combat, and the same could be said if she was a Hero. Keeping a handly selection of her allies Quirks (Deku's excluded) will allow this vixen to adapt to each situation, without forcing any unnecessary bloodshed to obtain a boost. Obviously collecting samples from the villains would also be beneficial. However, if she had a more principled personality, Himiko would be unlikely to adopt, say Shigaraki's lethal Quirk (due to the technicalities of her powers, which will only work if she is genuinely interested in an individual and their capabilities.) Considering that Heroes aren't allowed to kill, Himiko would have to be careful about whose DNA she injects, to avoid any unfortunate accidents.
Nature vs. Nurture
Due to the nature of Himiko's Quirk, it may have been impossible for her to follow a positive path in life, regardless of her parents' lack of guidance. Several mental health issues are believed to be connected to human blood consumption, including Schizophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder, while Renfield's syndrome (aka clinical vampirism) is a recognized condition that Himiko clearly suffers from, and is essentially rooted in cannibalistic tendencies. Anyone who has watched Silence of the Lambs is well aware of the mental health repercussions of human consumption, and while blood may be significantly less "toxic" than flesh, it still has its negative side effects.
If Himiko spent many years drinking blood, her mental health issues would likely be unavoidable. Nevertheless, psychiatric disabilities do not automatically equate to wickedness, and being diagnosed with DID or Schizophrenia does include a one-way ticket to the Looney-bin. With proper support and therapy, even a mentally ill Himiko could hopefully keep herself on the right track, as long as her heart is in it (and partnering up with her beloved Deku on a regular basis would surely be a crucial motivating factor!)
Season 6 of My Hero Academia is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.