My Hero Academia: The Main Characters, Ranked From Worst To Best By Character Arc

My Hero Academia is one of the biggest and most popular ongoing shonen anime right now, and anyone who’s seen the show can attest to why this is the case. The series is packed to the brim with brilliant animation, an excellent story, and some of the most memorable characters ever shown in an anime.

The character arcs of these figures play a major role in humanizing them in the eyes of the viewers. That being said, there are some main characters who have more well-written and engaging character arcs, and this list will take a look at each of these characters in descending order of just how compelling their arcs really were.

Updated April 30th, 2021 by Tanner Fox: Following the conclusion of the series’ fourth season and the recent debut of its fifth, some of My Hero Academia‘s most important figures have undergone subtle but significant changes. From Jiro’s bold performance at the UA festival to Endeavor’s heroic battle against one of the most powerful Nomu seen so far, we’ve revised our list to better account for some of the anime’s more recent developments as well as include a few characters who had previously gone unmentioned.

15 Ochaco Uraraka

As a character who was initially conceived to serve as nothing more than Midoriya’s love interest, it’s still nevertheless refreshing to see the struggles that Uraraka faces on her own and the manner in which she accomplishes her goals.

That being said, the fact that her motivations are directly tied to that of the main character certainly takes her down a notch in terms of a self-contained character arc, though her status as an integral part of the series’ overarching narrative makes her impossible to ignore.

14 Rei Todoroki

One of My Hero Academia‘s most tragic characters, Rei Todoroki is the wife of Enji Todoroki, better known as Endeavor, and the mother of Shoto Todoroki. An unwilling pawn in Endeavor’s plans to foster a son that could surpass All Might in power, the hero’s awful treatment of his wife caused her to snap and permanently injure Shoto, an act which landed her in a psychiatric facility.

Shoto shows personal growth by reconciling with his mom, but Rei Todoroki deserves an equal amount of praise. She could have given up on her unfortunate family, but she instead chose to embrace her son once again.

13 Keigo Takami

The audience’s first introduction to Hawks wasn’t a great one, with the No. 2 Hero being quite rude to Endeavor’s face in the eyes of the public and giving a half-baked apology later on when confronted by the fiery hero.

However, as the series progresses, Hawks shows more of a human side that can be quite easy to empathize with. The fact that he acknowledged his own shortcomings yet never uses them as an excuse to be laid-back in his heroic actions is a testament to just how deep and misunderstood a character he really is.

12 Kyoka Jiro

Introduced as a core member of My Hero Academia’s Class 1-A, Kyoka Jiro initially seemed like an oddball pick for a future pro-hero. Though her quirk is useful for reconnaissance, her lack of abilities in combat and aloof persona makes her a tough character to like at first.

That said, the UA School Festival Arc at the end of the anime’s fourth season introduced her to the spotlight both figuratively and literally; she managed to break out of her shell by performing in front of the entire school, and she revealed her reasoning for wanting to become a hero.

11 Tomura Shigaraki

The villain of My Hero Academia might not have the most original motivations around for being evil, but the sheer compelling nature of this character and his behavior make him one of the best parts of the show.

While his character arc might not be all that revolutionary, it fulfills all the bare essentials needed for a supervillain with somewhat understandable intentions.

10 Tamaki Amajiki

Despite being a member of UA’s superpowered trio known as “The Big Three,” Tamaki Amajiki, also known by his hero name of Sun-Eater, is held back by his lack of confidence. When he’s initially introduced, he’s an insecure wreck who can’t even handle insults from the villains he pursues.

However, his friendship with the always-positive Mirio Togata has changed him for the better; though he’s still moody and quick to doubt himself, he’s slowly learned the importance of not letting his friends down.

9 Shota Aizawa

Eraser Head is easily one of the cooler heroes on the show, which makes him a perfect fit to be the head instructor of U.A.’s most promising batch of first-year students. While fans of the anime might think that his character arc is pretty basic in comparison to some of the other people preceding him on this list, those who are up-to-date with everything on the manga understand why this man has shot up in terms of having a compelling character arc.

Major spoilers for the anime and manga series! The fact that one of his closest friends was turned into a Nomu is a fact that would understandably be quite traumatizing for many people, but it’s the manner in which Aizawa powers through this saddening turn of events that escalates him as a character in the eyes of readers.

8 Toshinori Yagi

All Might is easily one of the most likable and admirable characters on the entire show, with his sense of resolve and fortitude being one of the key reasons why he’s such a beloved character.

While it’s true that his character had already been established well beforehand and didn’t really need to be elaborated upon a ton, it’s still nice to see him get his moments during the show. Plus, his miraculous defeat of All For One in season three proved that he was both willing and capable of backing up every word he said regarding his status as the Symbol of Peace.

7 Izuku Midoriya

A loveable protagonist fans can’t help but root for, Izuku Midoriya is currently one of the most beloved main characters in shonen anime. That said, his boundless optimism and relative infallibility make his character arc a bit unbelievable at times.

However, most of what made his growth as a character great occurred in the anime’s inaugural season. He made the transition from hapless, quirkless dork with no hope of living up to his grand dreams to one of U.A.’s most promising heroes-to-be. While that required some questionable plot convenience, it was nonetheless compelling.

6 Mirio Togata

At a glance, Mirio might seem like nothing more than another hero with a personality similar to Midoriya’s. However, with Mirio, Kohei Horikoshi is now trying to answer a question that has plagued most people’s minds—what if a hero tried to protect everyone… but failed?

This is exactly what happened to Mirio during the fight with Endeavor when he was shot by a bullet that ended up taking his Quirk away and rendered him useless from that point onwards. How Mirio will deal with the fact that he’s basically useless when it comes to helping people out is something that fans can’t wait to get the answer to.

5 Kota Izumi

Kota Izumi is only seen for a few episodes during the Forest Training Camp arc in the third season of the anime, but he managed to grow quite a bit as a character in that short span of time.

The son of two pro heroes who were killed in the line of duty, Izumi is bitter and resentful of superhero-centric culture. He initially resents the boundless optimism of hero students like Izuku Midoriya. However, after witnessing the lengths to witch Deku was willing to go to protect him, he changed his tune and gained a new respect and understanding for hero work.

4 Katsuki Bakugo

For the longest time, Bakugo had pretty much grabbed the position of being the worst human being on the planet, with his treatment of Midoriya being nothing short of despicable.

However, as the series progressed, Bakugo—just like most of the characters on the show—turned out to be more than just another trope. The guilt he faced with the idea that All Might lost all his powers because of him and the growing inferiority complex he was forced to address after Midoriya started to become more powerful all culminated in a fight with his frenemy that is considered by many to be one of the best battles on the show.

3 Enji Todoroki

Endeavor was another character who seemed like nothing more than another run-of-the-mill hothead… before the limelight put upon him after being the Number One Hero ended up forcing him to address his demons and take over responsibilities that he had avoided for the longest time.

His amazing fight with the Nomu at the end of the anime’s fourth season is a testament to his growth as a character and the lengths he was finally going to go to justify the fact that he could finally be out of All Might’s shadow once and for all.

2 Eri

Disowned by her mother after accidentally killing her father as a result of her uncontrollable quirk, Eri was raised by the Shie Hassaikai boss and was a central figure in Overhaul’s plot to manufacture bullets that could destroy the quirks of heroes.

However, after a successful raid on the Shie Hassaikai headquarters lead in part by Izuku Midoriya and Mirio Togata, Eri is rescued and now resides in the UA dorms. Initially unable to trust anyone and unable to smile, she quickly warms up to everyone and allows herself to escape her troubled history.

1 Shoto Todoroki

If Endeavor was a compelling character, then his son is even more so. A troubled childhood turned the once-chirpy Todoroki into a cold, emotionless child who just wanted to get stronger on his own terms… before Midoriya finally made him see the light during their battle at the U.A. Sports Festival.

Following this revelation, Todoroki ended up developing immensely as a character, with his familial relations, while still strained, taking a turn for the better.