The apparent black and white morality of My Hero Academiathe superhero world didn't last long. Although the villains and criminals never have the right to harm people or cause destruction, their views on Quirk-based society always have a grain of truth. A handful of the most memorable and morally ambiguous antagonists in the My Hero Academia had deep insights to share about all that was wrong with Pro Hero Society.
Often these villains never even meant to be bad at all, but the flaws or oversights of the pro-hero community ensured that these people fell into the abyss of crime and villainy anyway. More than a villain is a product of the half-baked system applied by the pro heroes, which means that the pro heroes often paradoxically create their own worst enemies while hypocritically claiming to always fight on the side of good.
Stain could not accept Pro Hero's popularity contests
Quirk: Bloodcurdle
The dreaded hero killer Stain was one of several examples in My Hero Academia as a villain who had the right idea coupled with unacceptable execution. Fans aren't too keen on forgiving Stain because he killed so many pro heroes that way, and he even attacked Tensei Iida, a good pro hero by most standards. But Stain had a fair point about the shaky foundations of the pro-hero community.
As the main anime suggested and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes spinoff confirmed, the pro-hero industry had its origins in popularity contests and perceptions of vigilantes feeling a little more heroic than the rest. It was all about image and personality, not beliefs, and Stain was dismayed at the system that focused on such superficial things. Stain defined heroes as anyone who helped other people out of the goodness of their heart, a definition that went beyond pro-hero licenses or criminal records.
Gentle Criminal Protested Society's strict, unforgiving norms
Property: Elasticity
Gentle Criminal, originally the student Danjuro Tobita, was right that society was a little too strict about who could be a hero and who should be shamed and rejected as a wash. What's strange though is that Gentle Criminal kept failing student hero tests even though he has a better quirk than some Class 1-B or even Class 1-A students at UA.
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It's possible that Gentle Criminal has himself to blame at least in part for his failure to graduate as a pro hero, but then again, maybe the system was too demanding to begin with. There must be some standards to ensure that pro heroes are capable crime fighters, but the strict system allows many talents to be washed out as well. Such a story may resonate most with Japanese audiences, who indeed live in a demanding society that harshly punishes failure.
Lady Nagant didn't like being an assassin hero
Quirk: Rifle
Lady Nagant is the only character in the My Hero Academia to go from hero to villain and back again, and while fans clearly remember how she was redeemed, Lady Nagant's origins may be half-forgotten by now. Deku's idealism brought Lady Nagant back from villainy, but what drove her to villainy to begin with was the pro-hero system itself.
As a long-range Quirk user, Lady Nagant was ideal for sniping any target under orders, including other heroes, should the need arise. Lady Nagant could not endure any more cold-blooded orders to target villains or corrupt heroes, so she violently resisted this cruel system. Lady Nagant was wrong to execute the chairman of the Public Safety Commission, but she had a fair point about the brutality of what she was being asked to do.
All for one was inevitable as a serial villain
Quirk: All for one
Supervillain All For One is not right about society in the sense of pointing out hypocritical flaws in the pro-hero system, nor is he right about the necessity of his actions. Instead, the symbol of evil was always correct inevitability by someone like him. The advent of Quirks only gave a new form and new tools to existing human behaviors, including the desire to dominate.
With so many people born with supernatural powers, naturally someone with the right talent and willpower would fight their way to the top and win this strange new Quirk game. That's why All For One liked superhero comics – not to support the heroes, but to resonate with the self-styled demon kings. For every Superman there is a Lex Luthor, and for every Professor X there must also be a Magneto. Wisely yet cruelly, All For One knew that Quirk society would definitely produce a top dog who would take advantage of the Quirk's chaos, and he made sure to fulfill his own prophecy.
Dabi knew how twisted some heroes were in their private lives
Quirk: Blueflame
Pro heroes are expected to be outstanding people as well as physical defenders of peace and justice, but not all heroes tick that box. The likes of All Might and the Hawks certainly mean well, with the Hawks even hoping for a violence-free future where heroes aren't even needed anymore. Then there's Endeavor, the controversial hero who arranged a Quirk marriage to produce an heir.
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Endeavor didn't get what he wanted with his firstborn, Toya, burdening the boy with a quirk and expectations he couldn't handle. It's true Endeavor tried to dissuade Toya from chasing his destiny after a point, the damage was done, because Toya couldn't escape being his father's son. Dabi thus told the whole world about the inhuman and shameful things the Endeavor hero did, and it had the desired result of so many people revolting against the Hero Society in earnest.
Himiko Toga has only ever wanted love and acceptance
Quirk: Transform
Eventually, the villain Himiko Toga was much more than the shape-shifter and saboteur of the League of Villains. Her real arc was about the pain of rejection, first by her parents and then by society as a whole. She couldn't help but be born with a blood-based Quirk, but everyone shamed her as a troubled and even disgusting child. Himiko didn't understand why everyone was acting this way – no child could.
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In her teenage years, Himiko's emotional strain reached breaking point, and she went berserk as a yandere-style villain with an ever-increasing thirst for blood. Like many of her new friends in the League of Villains, Himiko was not justified in what she did, but she is justified in her criticism of hero society. Himiko's case is an example of why pro heroes Ochaco and Tsuyu are helping people everywhere with Quirk Therapy, so no child has to grow up feeling like a freak or an outcast because of their quirks.
Spinner was branded a bastard by an intolerant society
Quirk: Gecko
Like his friends Himiko and Dabi, Spinner joined the League of Villains because society at large did not accept him. He had nowhere else to go but his hikikomori bedroom, and after a while, bitter seclusion wasn't good enough for Spinner. He had to come out and do something to vent his anger and advocate his position as a heteromorph.
Spinner is indeed a criminal who must answer for his many crimes, of course, but simply imprisoning him is not the answer, and Deku knows it. Spinner's voice still needs to be heard when he speaks for all heteromorphs who are cruelly labeled as freaks or outcasts. Fortunately, the community also has good-hearted heteromorphs like Mezo Shoji and Koji Koda to make sure the conversation is constructive, not just a way to vent anger.
My Hero Academia
- Release date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
- Directors
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Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Nayokada, Takuro Nayokada, Morikawa, Takanori Yano
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Daiki Yamashita
Izuku Midoriya (voice)
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Kaito Ishikawa
Manga Fukidashi (voice)
