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Since the world of My Hero Academia is populated with countless pro heroes, then there must be just as many villains, and they come in all types. They vary not just in their Quirks and costumes, but also their humanity, which means on a personal level, fans will like some villains more than others. There’s a whole gradient of evil in My Hero Academia, with the likes of All For One and Muscular being unforgivable monsters, while others are much easier to appreciate.
Even if the milder villains have committed crimes and fought the heroes, it’s not always easy for anime fans to dislike them for that. Some of them seemed pretty bad at first, but over time, My Hero Academia fans saw their more sympathetic or even their noble side, and that made them easier to like. Or at least, fans could make peace with those villains and not dislike them as antagonists.
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10
Stain the Hero Killer Kind of Had a Point
Debut Episode: “Fight On, Ida”
While Stain, The Hero Killer does have a lot to answer for after murdering so many pro heroes, fans don’t exactly hate him. It was a good thing that Stain was defeated and captured, yet he still had a vaguely heroic side that made his return a welcome thing later on. Stain truly believed in the idea of All Might as the symbol of peace, and he saw the same in Deku.
That helped redeem Stain’s character somewhat, and what is more, he was not entirely wrong. While killing pro heroes cannot be justified, the fact remains that the pro hero industry really was mired in vanity and the shallow pursuit of glory and money, meaning Stain had a wise perspective with an extreme solution in mind. That, combined with Stain’s sheer coolness, makes him tough to dislike.
9
Mr. Compress Was Never That Bad as a Villain
Debut Episode: “Roaring Upheaval”
Mr. Compress is one of several villains in My Hero Academia who is difficult to dislike simply because he never did anything truly terrible. His single worst act was to help kidnap Katsuki Bakugo in the forest training camp, but at least Bakugo was not hurt. Mr. Compress also fought in the battle for Jaku Hospital in Season 6, mostly to fend off the pro heroes attacking Gigantomachia.
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Mr. Compress is also fun to watch thanks to his showmanship and theatrical attitude, and he has a remarkable lack of malice as a longtime villain. He even has an intriguing goal, wishing to emulate his great-great-grandfather, who had a Robin Hood career as a thief by stealing from rich pro heroes and giving that money to the common people.
8
Twice Was Just a Troubled Man Who Needed Help
Debut Episode: “Drive it Home, Iron Fist!!!”
In many ways, Twice is the best villain in My Hero Academia, and it helps that he was never terribly evil about it, either. He has a heartbreaking background as a civilian whose Quirk caused mental distress, since he struggled to retain his individuality. He couldn’t be sure if he was truly real when he had copies of himself in the room, and no one could help him with those mental health woes.
Twice joined the League of Villains not to destroy society, but to find people who could accept and understand him, which is what he always needed. Most of all, he had Himiko Toga to support him, forming a strong friendship that any viewer can sympathize with. Twice fought for friends, not for the sake of bloodshed, and it’s difficult to dislike his character for that.
7
Lady Nagant Redeemed Herself as a Sniper Hero
Debut Episode: “Tartarus”
When the villains assaulted the Tartarus prison to free all the villains detained inside, it wasn’t just familiar League of Villains characters who emerged, but a ne face as well, a woman known as Lady Nagant. Interestingly, that villain was a former hero, but she grew disillusioned and ended up on the wrong side of the law. Upon being freed, Lady Nagant became All For One’s pawn.
Lady Nagant fought the Dark Deku version of Izuku in urban combat in an impressive battle, but when Lady Nagant lost, she didn’t just fail her mission — she almost died. Cruelly, All For One had snuck an explosive Quirk into her to kill her and tie up that loose end, just in case Lady Nagant failed. Now, she is determined to use her sniper Quirk to fight for good, turning on her former allies as a hero once again.
6
Gentle Criminal Limited Himself to Mild Crimes for Attention
Debut Episode: “School Festival”
True to his nickname, the villain Gentle Criminal was a merciful antagonist who never intended to do any serious harm to anyone, setting him apart from the likes of Muscular, Overhaul, and Tomura Shigaraki. Gentle Criminal sought not vengeance or destruction, but simply attention and fame as a criminal whose antics could be found all over YouTube.
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Gentle Criminal isn’t exactly detestable for such mild antics, and what is more, he has a heartfelt backstory that shows how unforgiving hero society can be. In his younger days, Gentle wanted to become a hero but washed out of the system, and he felt lost and even worthless. Now he’s compensating with his attention-seeking antics, which isn’t terribly noble of him but is also far from evil.
5
La Brava Was a Lonely Girl Who Needed a Friend
Debut Episode: “School Festival”
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La Brava was introduced as the lovestruck sidekick of Gentle Criminal, and overall, she’s even more innocent than he is. In her school days, La Brava was rejected by her classmates, which brought he to tears and pushed her to become a shut-in. La Brava desperately wanted someone to love and accept her, and when she saw Gentle Criminal’s videos online, she saw her chance.
La Brava approached Gentle Criminal, who promptly accepted her as his sidekick, forming an immediate friendship between them. La Brava is complicit in Gentle Criminal’s illegal activities by enabling them and spreading footage of them online, but aside from that, her hands are fairly clean. La Brava’s conscience is even cleaner now that she’s using her hacking skills to help the heroes fight back against the Paranormal Liberation Front’s own tech experts, such as Skeptic.
4
Yuga Aoyama Found Himself Forced Into the Role of Villain
Debut Episode: “Start Line”
Only on a technical level is Deku’s classmate Yuga Aoyama a villain, but he did do some villainous deeds and even called himself a villain. However, no one could hate Yuga for what he did, partly because he was forced into that position against his will. He was born Quirkless, only for his parents to strike a deal with All For One, giving Yuga a Quirk in exchange for their service.
Yuga was pressured into allowing Tomura’s team of villains into USJ, making him the traitor whom Present Mic was looking for. Yuga felt terrible about that and all his other misdeeds, and his recent tears proved his innate goodness. He never wanted to hurt anyone and was consumed by guilt, which was why Deku and the others forgave him and welcomed him as an ally in the final fight against the villains.
3
Gigantomachia Simply Did What He Was Told
Debut Episode: “The Aftermath of Hero Killer: Stain”
While there isn’t a whole lot to love about the enormous villain Gigantomachia, there also isn’t that much to dislike about him, either. Gigantomachia is more like a tool than a character, an oversized brute who is utterly loyal to masters like All For One and more recently, Tomura Shigaraki. Gigantomachia is a dutiful villain who does what he’s asked, and has no real motives beyond that.
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That makes Gigantomachia oddly “neutral” among the villains, compared to sympathetic figures like Twice and cruel ones like Overhaul. Gigantomachia isn’t innocent, but he also lacks serious malice or personal ambitions, so he’s not that bad on a personal level. He is also fascinating to watch, serving as a battering ram, warrior, and mode of transport for his allies.
2
Kurogiri Was All That Remained of Aizawa’s and Present Mic’s Friend
Debut Episode: “Bakugo’s Start Line”
The misty villain Kurogiri was a total enigma at first, a near-faceless villain who served his fellows by opening gateways for them. He wasn’t that malicious compared to other League members, and he was even a peacekeeper at times. When Stain the hero killer showed up, Kurogiri averted bloodshed by forcing everyone’s arms into harmless directions with his Warp Gate Quirk.
Kurogiri hasn’t done much that’s too terrible since then, aside from using his Quirk to transport away the kidnapped Katsuki Bakugo. Most importantly, Kurogiri is all that remains of Oboro Shirakumo, Shota Aizawa’s and Present Mic’s old friend and classmate. That make Kurogiri more likable as a fallen hero who just might regain his former self to do good once again.
1
Himiko Toga Needed Someone to Love Her For Who She Was
Debut Episode: “The Aftermath of Hero Killer: Stain”
The playful villain Himiko Toga has always been at least somewhat likable, and not just because of her cute schoolgirl persona. Himiko is a sympathetic being thanks to her heartbreaking backstory, in which she faced constant rejection thanks to her blood-based Quirk. Himiko couldn’t understand why everyone, even her parents, were repulsed by her. Himiko’s heart ached from a constant lack of validation, leading to her breaking point.
Himiko refused to mask herself and her Quirk from society any longer, freeing herself as her authentic self. She still must answer for her many crimes, but at least fans can understand where Himiko Toga is coming from. Best of all, Himiko repaid Ochaco Uraraka’s recent kindness by giving the other girl a blood transfusion, giving up her own life as thanks for Ochaco acknowledging Himiko’s beautiful smile.
My Hero Academia
Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies.
- Release Date
-
April 3, 2016
- Cast
-
Aoi Yuki
, Ayane Sakura
, Christopher R. Sabat
, Yûki Kaji
, Nobuhiko Okamoto
, Luci Christian
, David Matranga
, Justin Briner
, Kenta Miyake
, Clifford Chapin
, Daiki Yamashita - Rating
-
- Seasons
-
7
- Studio
-
Bones
- Franchise
-
My Hero Academia
- Characters By
-
Kohei Horikoshi
- Creator
-
Kōhei Horikoshi
- Distributor
-
FUNimation Entertainment
- Main Characters
-
Tsuyu Asui, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, All Might
- Production Company
-
Bones
- Story By
-
Kōhei Horikoshi, Yōsuke Kuroda
- Number of Episodes
-
159
- Japanese Title
-
Boku no Hero Academia
- Based On
-
Manga
- MyAnimeList Score
-
7.85 (Season 1)
