My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia
Cover of the first volume of My Hero Academia, featuring Izuku Midoriya and All Might
僕のヒーローアカデミア (Boku no Hīrō Akademia)
Genre	Superhero, Science fantasy, Action, Comedy-drama
Manga
Written by	Kōhei Horikoshi
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	‹See Tfd› ^NA Viz Media
Demographic	Shōnen
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump[1]
English magazine	‹See Tfd› ^NA Weekly Shonen Jump
Original run	July 7, 2014 – present
Volumes	11
Manga
My Hero Academia Smash!!
Written by	Kohei Horikoshi
Illustrated by	Hirofumi Neda
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	‹See Tfd› ^NA Viz Media
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Shōnen Jump +
English magazine	‹See Tfd› ^NA Weekly Shonen Jump
Original run	November 9, 2015 – present
Anime television series
Directed by	Kenji Nagasaki
Written by	Yōsuke Kuroda
Music by	Yuki Hayashi
Studio	Bones
Licensed by	‹See Tfd› ^AUS Madman Entertainment ^NA Funimation
Network	JNN (MBS)[2]
English network	‹See Tfd› ^SEA Animax Asia[3]
Original run	April 3, 2016 – present
Episodes	13[4]
Game
My Hero Academia: Battle for All
Developer	Dimps
Publisher	Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platform	Nintendo 3DS
Released	‹See Tfd› JP: May 19, 2016
Manga
Vigilante: My Hero Academia Illegals
Written by	Hiyuki Furuhashi
Illustrated by	Betten Court
Published by	Shueisha
Magazine	Shōnen Jump GIGA Shōnen Jump +
Original run	September, 2016 – present

My Hero Academia (僕のヒーローアカデミア Boku no Hīrō Akademia) is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 2014,^[5] and 11 volumes have been collected in tankōbon format. The series has been licensed for English-language release by Viz Media, and began serialization in their weekly digital manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump on February 9, 2015.^[6] The story follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers in a world where they are the norm, but who still dreams of becoming a superhero himself, and is scouted by the world's greatest hero who shares his powers with Izuku after recognizing his value and enrolls him in a high school for heroes in training. The manga was adapted into an anime television series; the first season aired from April 3 to June 26, 2016,^[7] and a second season has been announced.^[8]

Plot

Izuku Midoriya is a regular middle school student in a world where people with superpowers known as "Quirks" (個性 Kosei) are the norm. However, he dreams of one day becoming a Hero (ヒーロー Hīrō), despite being bullied by his classmates for not having a Quirk. After being the only one to try and save his childhood bully, Katsuki, from a Villain (敵（ヴィラン） Viran), All Might, the world's greatest Hero, bestows upon him his own quirk, "One For All". The story follows Izuku's entrance into U.A. High School (雄英高校 Yūei Kōkō), a school that cultivates the next generation of Heroes.

Characters

Main characters

Izuku Midoriya (緑谷 出久 Midoriya Izuku)

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita^[9] (Vomic and Anime) (Japanese); Justin Briner^[10] (English)

Nicknamed Deku (デク) (an alternate spelling of his name and which means "one who can't do anything"), he is a timid but kind boy who is extremely knowledgeable about heroes and dreams to be one himself like his idol, All Might, despite lacking a Quirk due to the trait required to have one being too diluted to be passed on in his family. However, when he steps up to save his childhood acquaintance Katsuki from an evil villain, All Might bestows upon him his Quirk One For All (ワン・フォー・オール Wan Fō Ōru), a Quirk that becomes more powerful the more people it is given to, and results in the user being able to call upon great physical strength. At first, Izuku was only able to use the full power of his strength for specific moments, resulting in him severely damaging whichever part of his body he used. However he has since learned to channel the power throughout his body rather than in short bursts, but currently can only withstand around 10% of it. He eventually managed to perfect its use in his legs, creating a kick-related fighting style unique from All Might's punching style. Despite these limitations, he makes up for it with a keen sense of strategy (having written at least thirteen notebooks on other heroes, including his peers) and an instinctive desire to save people. He initially dislikes his nickname, but starts to like it once Ochako comments that she likes his nickname, as it also means "one who never gives up". Because of this, he instantly decided to use "Deku" as his Hero name, much to his own dismay.

Katsuki Bakugō (爆豪 勝己 Bakugō Katsuki)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto^[11] (Anime), Yūichirō Umehara (Vomic) (Japanese); Clifford Chapin^[10] (English)

Katsuki is one of Izuku's childhood acquaintances and classmates in class 1-A, whom Izuku calls Kacchan (かっちゃん). He possesses the Quirk Explosion (爆破 Bakuha), which allows his palm sweat to become nitroglycerin and explode. He has made fun of Izuku for lacking a Quirk since childhood, despite them initially being close friends, and also the one who gave him his nickname as an insult. It was only after he grew up being praised by people around him for his Quirk and achievements that he became more egotistical and thought that others, particularly Izuku, are below him. He started to bully and became truly hostile to Izuku when his attempts to reach out to Katsuki out of concern are misinterpreted by Katsuki into thinking he was looking down on him as someone in need of saving. In the beginning of the series, he thinks that he is the strongest hero, and dreams of becoming richer and more famous than All Might. He stops picking on Izuku after the latter's attempt to save him from a villain, though he truly starts reflecting on himself only after Izuku defeated him in their battle training and seeing that many students possess greater and better skills than him. However, Katsuki's aggressive and conceited behaviour draws the attention of the League of Villains, who decide to kidnap him in order to convince him to join their ranks, but he is rescued with help from Izuku and some other classmates.

Ochako Uraraka (麗日 お茶子 Uraraka Ochako)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura^[11] (Japanese); Luci Christian^[10] (English)

Ochako, spelled "Ochaco" in the anime, is Izuku's best friend. Her Quirk is Zero Gravity (無重力（ゼログラビティ） Zero Gurabiti), which allows her to make any object she touches with her fingertips float, although she will become nauseous if she uses the ability too much. Aside from Katsuki, she also refers Izuku as "Deku" but unlike the former, she calls him with his nickname out of affection, commenting that "Deku" gives the vibe of never giving up, and eventually switches to Deku-kun (デクくん), a move that prompted him to accept the name. She comes from a family of construction workers, and because there is not much of a market for them, they are poor. Due to this, Ochako aspires to become a hero for money so she can give her parents an easy life, after her father dissuaded her from following their footsteps in order for her to achieve her own goals. Ochako originally meets Izuku prior to U.A.'s entrance exam, after she stops him from falling over when he tripped on his own foot. This caused Izuku to develop a large crush on her (as he had "talked" to a girl), to the point of blushing and stammering every time he is with her. Izuku eventually returns the favor by saving her during the entrance exam, and several other characters later deduce that Ochako returns Izuku's feelings, despite her attempts to deny this. Her Hero name is "Uravity".

Tenya Iida (飯田 天哉 Iida Ten'ya)

Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa^[11] (Japanese); J. Michael Tatum^[10] (English)

The president of class 1-A, a very studious boy who seems serious and scary at first glance, although he is just being honest and strict regarding qualifications to become a hero. During the entrance exam, he repeatedly chastises Izuku for what he perceives as being disrespect. However, after he witnesses Izuku selflessly save Ochako during the exam, he comes to the (false) belief that Izuku deduced the true nature of the exam. Concluding Izuku is better than him, Tenya immediately apologizes for his behavior and befriends him, despite Izuku's repeated attempts to tell him the truth. Tenya eventually becomes the class president after Izuku, who won by vote but was too nervous to hold the position, forfeited it to him. Tenya's Quirk is Engine (エンジン Enjin), which gives him super-speed via jet engines in his legs. He comes from a well-known family, who have been professional heroes for generations. His older brother in particular, Ingenium, inspired him to become a hero that will make his family proud. His Hero name is initially "Tenya", although he renames himself "Ingenium", after being persuaded by his brother to take up his own name after he is crippled by Stain and forced to retire.

Shōto Todoroki (轟 焦凍 Todoroki Shōto)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji^[12] (Japanese); David Matranga^[10] (English)

A student in class 1-A. His Quirk is Fire and Ice (半冷半燃 Hanrei Hannen), which makes the left side of his body control fire and the right side ice. He is considered as the strongest student in the class. He is the son of Endeavor, who was said to be the second top hero after All Might. However, his father only married his mother for her Quirk, in the hopes that he could sire a child who could exceed All Might, leading to an abuse-ridden childhood. Shōto's mother soon became afraid that Shōto would become like his father, leading to her burning his not yet active fire side with scalding water in hopes of making his father uninterested in him. Because she was later institutionalized in a mental hospital for her actions, Shōto intends to become a top hero using only his mother's Quirk instead of his father's as his way to disavow the latter. During his fight with Izuku, Shōto finally started to try accepting his Fire Quirk as his own instead of his father's. Afterward, he decided to overcome his inner struggle by meeting his mother, in the hope that they can get through their past together. His Hero name is "Shōto".

All Might (オールマイト Ōru Maito)

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake,^[9] Tesshō Genda^[9] (Vomic) (Japanese); Christopher R. Sabat^[10] (English)

The world's greatest Hero, All Might's real Quirk is unknown to the public and most people conclude that he has some strength-enhancing Quirk. His real name is later revealed to be Toshinori Yagi (八木俊典 Yagi Toshinori). He passes his quirk on to Izuku after seeing the boy's bravery. He is a teacher at U.A. High School, doing his best to allow Izuku follow in his foot steps. His One For All Quirk enables him to pass on his powers to another, which he plans on doing as five years prior a fight with a Villain left All Might terribly injured to where he can only use his Quirk for three hours a day. This time limit later decreases gradually after passing his Quirk to Izuku, until it depletes completely. The nature of his Quirk is only known by Izuku, the school principal, Recovery Girl, and a select few other Pro Heroes (with Katsuki later finding it out), and must not be revealed at any cost in order not to destroy people's symbol of peace. He is drawn in the style of American comic book superheroes rather than in the Japanese manga style of other characters, though the style changes to a more traditional manga form when he returns to his "true form". After the final confront with his archenemy "All For One", the same Villain who injured him, All Might scones to the point where he can only use his Quirk for a few seconds, and he retires from being a hero, dedicating himself solely to his duties as a teacher and to raise Izuku as his successor.

Class 1-A students

Yūga Aoyama (青山 優雅 Aoyama Yūga)

Voiced by: Kōsuke Kuwano^[12] (Japanese); Joel McDonald^[10] (English)

Yūga is another boy in class 1-A, supposedly born in France. He is always seen smiling and is incredibly vain, often talking about how must luster he has, much to others' chagrin. His Quirk is Navel Laser (ネビルレーザー Nebiru Rēzā), which allows him to fire a laser blast from his belly button, but can't shoot it for longer than a few seconds or his stomach will collapse in on itself. His Hero name is "I can't stop twinkling".

Tsuyu Asui (蛙吹 梅雨 Asui Tsuyu)

Voiced by: Aoi Yūki^[11] (Japanese); Monica Rial^[10] (English)

A girl in class 1-A. Her Quirk Frog (蛙 Kaeru) gives her a frog-like appearance and abilities such as superior swimming, a tongue that can stretch 20 meters, sticking to and climbing vertical walls, superhuman leaping, and numbing venom. She has a type of plain and normative personality, but she is insightful, intelligent, and ready to protect the innocent. She is also sharp, being the first one in the class to notice the similarity between Izuku and All Might's Quirk, which briefly panicked Izuku. Her Hero name is "Froppie".

Momo Yaoyorozu (八百万 百 Yaoyorozu Momo)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue^[11] (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard^[10] (English)

The vice class president of class 1-A, elected with one less vote than Izuku. Her Quirk is Creation (創造 Sōzō), possessing the ability to create any inorganic objects of her choosing as long as she knows their molecular structures. Being incredibly intelligent, she is one of the top students in the class, having entered U.A. through a scholarship, although she has a self-esteem issue due to, in her mind, never being able to prove her own worth. Her Hero name is "Creatie".

Mezō Shōji (障子 目蔵 Shōji Mezō)

Voiced by: Masakazu Nishida^[12] (Japanese); Ian Sinclair^[10] (English)

One of the tallest students in class 1-A. Shoji has four extra, webbed arms growing from his shoulders. His Quirk Arm Replication (複製腕 Fukusei Ude) allows him to grow individual body organs at the tips of these four limbs (he has so far shown to grow eyes, ears, hands, and mouths). His Hero name is "Tentacle".

Eijiro Kirishima (切島 鋭児郎 Kirishima Eijirō)

Voiced by: Toshiki Masuda^[13] (Japanese); Justin Cook^[10] (English)

A student in class 1-A whose Quirk Hardening (硬化 Kōka) allows him to harden his body to become nearly invulnerable. His Hero name is "Red Riot", inspired by another hero, Crimson Riot, whom he admires.

Mina Ashido (芦戸 三奈 Ashido Mina)

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura^[12] (Japanese); Caitlin Glass^[10] (English)

A student in class 1-A with pink hair and lilac skin. Her Quirk is "Acid" (酸 San): being able to excrete an acidic fluid from her body, as well as controlling its corrosive strength and stickiness. She initially chose "Alien Queen" as her Hero name, but later chose "Pinky" after the whole class compared the first choice to the xenomorph.

Tōru Hagakure (葉隠 透 Hagakure Tōru)

Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka^[14] (Japanese); Felecia Angelle^[10] (English)

A student in class 1-A with an unnamed Quirk that makes her invisible. Except while in school, she mostly walks around nude to fully utilize her Quirk, but keeps on a pair of gloves and a pair of boots so people can know she is there. Her Hero name is "Invisible Girl".

Kyōka Jirō (耳郎 響香 Jirō Kyōka)

Voiced by: Kei Shindō^[12] (Japanese); Trina Nishimura^[10] (English)

A girl in class 1-A who has extremely long earlobes due to her Quirk Headphone Jack (イヤホンジャック Iyahon Jakku), which allows her to plug her earlobes into headphone jacks to listen to sounds or to transmit the sound of her own heartbeat capable of reaching explosive levels. Her hero name is "Headphone Jack".

Minoru Mineta (峰田 実 Mineta Minoru)

Voiced by: Ryō Hirohashi^[11] (Japanese); Brina Palencia^[10] (English)

A lecherous student in class 1-A who frequently makes lewd remarks and colored jokes. Mineta possesses "Super Sticky" (もぎもぎ Mogimogi), a Quirk that grows strongly-adhesive and detachable hairballs from his head. Mineta himself is immune to their adhesive effects and able to trampoline on them as they are also extremely elastic. His Hero name is "Grape Juice".

Denki Kaminari (上鳴 電気 Kaminari Denki)

Voiced by: Tasuku Hatanaka^[13] (Japanese); Kyle Phillips^[10] (English)

A student in class 1-A and a playboy whose Quirk Charge (帯電 Taiden) allows him to absorb and emit electricity. While this quirk is powerful in its nature, overuse causes his brain to short circuit, causing him to become temporarily intellectually disabled. His hero name is "Chargezuma".

Fumikage Tokoyami (常闇 踏陰 Tokoyami Fumikage)

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya^[11] (Japanese); Josh Grelle^[10] (English)

A very serious-minded student in 1-A whose head resembles that of a crow's. His Quirk, "Dark Shadow" (黒影（ダークシャドウ） Dāku Shadō), gives him control of a sentient shadow that has a variety of uses, from attacking to defense to support. Within a dark environment, his shadow becomes more powerful but harder to control. Vice versa, if he is in a environment with a lot of light, it becomes easier to control but far weaker. His hero name is "Tsukuyomi".

Mashirao Ojiro (尾白 猿夫 Ojiro Mashirao)

Voiced by: Kosuke Miyoshi^[14] (Japanese); Mike McFarland^[10] (English)

A mild-mannered student whose most defining trait is his Quirk "Tail" (尻尾 Shippo), a strong yet sturdy part of his body which he can combine with martial arts in battle. His hero name is "Tailman".

Hanta Sero (瀬呂 繁太 Sero Hanta)

Voiced by: Kiyotaka Furushima^[14] (Japanese); Christopher Bevins^[10] (English)

Another student in 1-A whose Quirk, "Tape" (テープ Tēpu), allows him to shoot cellophane tape from dispensers in his elbows. His hero name is "Cellophane".

Kōji Kōda (口田 甲司 Kōda Kōji)

An extremely shy student whose body resembles a rock. His Quirk, Creature Voice, allows him to communicate with animals, but unfortunately has intense fear for insects. His hero name is "Anima".

Rikidō Satō (砂藤 力道 Satō Rikidō)

Voiced by: Tōru Nara^[14] (Japanese); Cris George^[10] (English)

A very muscular person with large mouth and black, spiky hair. His Quirk, "Sugar Rush" (シュガードープ Shugā Dōpu) gives him 5 times his normal strength using 10g of sugar, but at the same time his brain functions gradually degrades. His hero name is "Sugarman".

U.A. High School teachers

Nezu (根津 Nezu)

Voiced by: Yasuhiro Takato (Japanese); Jerry Jewell (English)

The principal of U.A. Although he is some kind of animal (either a mouse, dog, or bear), he is one of a few rare non-human animals to develop a Quirk. His Quirk is "High Spec", which allows him to have anthropomorphic abilities and extreme intelligence. He is also aware of All Might's secret, and has hobbies of lecturing and drinking tea.

Shōta Aizawa (相澤 消太 Aizawa Shōta)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe^[15] (Japanese); Alex Organ^[16] (English)

The homeroom teacher for class 1-A. He always seems to look exhausted but hates to waste time. He is a Hero formerly known as Eraser Head (イレイザー・ヘッド Ireizā Heddo) whose Quirk Erasure (抹消 Masshō) is to nullify others' Quirks so long as they remain in his line of sight. If he blinks, his Quirk deactivates, so he often wears goggles to ensure that he need not blink. The goggles also function as a way to prevent enemies from seeing his line of sight when erasing quirks. Continued use of his Quirk gives him dry eye, which makes him unable to use it for some time after (also to his own irritation). As a result of the injuries he received during the first U.A. invasion, he now has a scar under his right eye.

Present Mic (プレゼント・マイク Purezento Maiku)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino^[15] (Japanese); Sonny Strait^[10] (English)

The school's English teacher, whose Quirk "Voice" amplifies his voice. He appears at the entrance ceremony to introduce the new students to the school.

Recovery Girl (リカバリーガール Rikabarī Gāru)

Voiced by: Etsuko Kozakura (Japanese); Juli Erickson^[10] (English)

Real name Chiyo Shuuzenji (修善寺治与 Shūzenji Chiyo). The school's nurse and nursing teacher, who is now a petite old woman. She gives students candy to get better. Her Quirk is a Healing Factor (治癒力の超活性化 Chiyuryoku no Chōkasseika), allowing her to heal others' injuries by kissing them. However, if she becomes too exhausted, it overrides her ability to prevent her own death. Additionally, the quirk can only stimulate one's healing, making her patients exhausted afterwards, sometimes fatally.

Lunch Rush (ランチラッシュ Ranchi Rasshu)

A cook hero who works in the school cafeteria. He is able to produce first class meals for a very low price, and is always seen giving the thumbs up.

No. 13 (13号 Jūsangō)

Voiced by: Inuko Inuyama (Japanese); Morgan Berry^[10] (English)

A space hero who is an expert at disaster relief. His Quirk "Black Hole" (ブラッホール Burakku Hōru) summons a black hole that turns anything it sucks in into dust. He is Ochako's role model hero.

Cementos (セメントス Sementosu)

Voiced by: Kenta Okuma (Japanese); Chris Rager (English)

A hero who resembles a wall. He teaches modern Japanese. His Quirk "Cement" (セメント Semento) allows him to control concrete.

Midnight (ミッドナイト Middonaito)

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese); Elizabeth Maxwell (English)^[17]

A heroine who resembles a dominatrix and is an "R-Rated Hero". She appears as a referee at the sports festival. Her Quirk "Sleeping Incense" (眠り香 Nemurika) allows her to produce a scent that makes people fall asleep, and is more effective on men rather than women.

Ectoplasm (エクトプラズム Ekutopurazumu)

A man whose mouth goes across his face from ear to ear. He also uses a prosthetic leg after having lost it in a fight with a Villain.

Other Heroes

Kamui Woods (シンリンカ:ムイ Shinrinkamui)

Voiced by: Masamichi Kitada (anime)^[18] (Japanese); Aaron Roberts (English)

A Hero who appears in the first chapter who possesses the ability to control tree limbs and is partnered with Mt. Lady. He is rising in popularity in the world, and even has his own Pez dispenser.

Mt. Lady (Mt.レディ Maunto Redi)

Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (anime)^[18] (Japanese); Jamie Marchi (English)

A Heroine whose Quirk Giantism (巨大化 Kyodaika) allows her to grow from her height of 162 centimeters (5 ft 4 in) to 2,062 centimeters (67 ft 8 in), but her fights with Villains often cause a lot of collateral damage and her size prevents her from fighting in closed spaces. She also tends to make provocative poses to attract the media's attention.

Mt. Lady was originally conceived by Kōhei Horikoshi to be the female lead.

Endeavor (エンデヴァー Endevā)

Real name: Enji Todoroki (轟 炎司 Todoroki Enji). A Hero with immense flame powers who is a legend at U.A. High School. His crime stopping record has never been surpassed, but despite that, he is considered only the second among all heroes, the first being All Might. He raised his son, Shōto Todoroki with the sole purpose of making of him a hero to surpass All Might, to the point of choosing to marry Shōto's mother only because of her Quirk, in order to have his child inherit her powers as well. He constantly pushed his son to train to become stronger ever since he was 5 years old and even sent his own wife to a mental hospital after she injured Shōto out of fear of Endeavor's influence, leading Shōto to hate him.

Ingenium (インゲニウム Ingeniumu)

Real name: Tensei Iida (飯田 天晴 Iida Tensei). He is Tenya's older brother. He was attacked by the Hero Killer, Stain, and was permanently crippled from the attack. Knowing his career has ended, he entrusted his Hero title "Ingenium" to his younger brother.

Best Jeanist (ベストジーニスト Besuto Jīnisuto)

Real name: Tsunagu Hakamada (袴田 維 Hakamada Tsunagu). An alumnus of U.A. High School who has the Quirk "Fiber" (繊維 Sen'i), allowing him to control the fibers in others' clothes. Despite the outlandish nature of his Quirk, he is considered the world's third greatest hero, and is Katsuki's work place mentor.

Gran Torino (グラントリノ Guran Torino)

A retired hero who is one of All Might's colleagues and his former homeroom teacher. He was the one who taught All Might to control One For All during the latter's early days, and his training was so intense that All Might fears him to the point he subconsciously tried to forget about him until Torino sent his recommendation for Izuku to help him improve One For All, becoming his work place mentor. His Quirk is "Jet" (ジェット Jetto), allowing him to take in air through the sole of his foot to allow him to jump higher.

Manual (マニュアル Manyuaru)

A "normal hero" who picks Iida for the work experience program.

Vigilantes

Individuals who perform Hero duty without the consent of the authorities, they are the main characters of the spin-off series Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals.

Kouichi Haimawari

A 19 year old young man whose quirk is "Sliding", allowing him to quickly travel through any flat surface as long as he touches it with at least three parts of his body. He has the habit of secretly donning an All Might-themed parka to cover his face and perform ordinary good actions like finding missing objects, helping senior citizens to cross streets or guide lost people across town.

Pop☆Step

A young, masked girl, whose Quirk is "Bounce", allowing her to to jump several meters high. She is a clandestine idol who holds unauthorized concerts on high places, using her Quirk to evade the police.

Knuckle Duster

A strong old man who is investigating the trafficking of a mysterious drug arround town. His tenacity in battle makes others think he possesses a Quirk related to physical prowess, when he actually has no quirk at all.

Villains

The League of Villains

A organization of Villains whose sole purpose is to kill the Symbol of Peace, All Might, and are the main antagonists of the series.

"Sensei"/"All For One"

Voiced by: Akio Ōtsuka^[19] (Japanese); John Swasey (English)^[10]

The true mastermind behind the Villains Alliance, he is a criminal mastermind who used the initial spread of Quirks to create an empire. He was the one who first created "One For All", infusing it into his younger brother, whose Quirk allowed him to share his Quirk with others. He is a sinister man who, due to a prior confrontation with All Might, has a massive scar covering most of his face above his lower lip. His true name is unknown and is only known by his Quirk, All For One (オール・フォー・ワン Ōru Fō Wan), the sister Quirk to "One For All", which allows him to take others' Quirks and transfer them to himself or anyone else he designates. While his transferring of Quirks allowed him to lengthen his lifespan, due to his battle with All Might he lies in a hospital in a critical condition, while he teaches Shigaraki to become his ideal successor, until he reappears to save his pupil from being captured by the heroes, leading to a final confrontation with All Might, which ends with his own defeat and arrest.

Tomura Shigaraki (死柄木弔 Shigaraki Tomura)

Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama^[20] (Japanese); Eric Vale^[10] (English)

The acting leader of the alliance, groomed by All For One to be his successor. He is a demented skinny pale man with disembodied hands on his head, face, and arms. Behind his hand-mask, Shigaraki has a heavily aged and weathered face despite his youth. His behavior is of both a criminal genius and a very arrogant child. His Quirk is "Disintegration". As the name implies anything he touches disintegrates in seconds, but all five of his fingers need to make contact otherwise it doesn't take effect. He doesn't like Stain and believes they'll never get along, despite the Alliance's desire to have him join ranks. He eventually becomes obsessed with Izuku, believing that the two of them are polar opposites and that to truly break Izuku and the society he represents, he must kill All Might. According to All For One, Tomura is a grandson of Shimura Nana, All Might's teacher and one of the previous owners of "One for All".

Kurogiri ( 黒霧, lit. "Black Mist")

Voiced by: Takahiro Fujiwara^[21] (Japanese); Chuck Huber^[10] (English)

Tomura's Right-hand. A shadow-like entity that wears a elegant outfit with metal plates around his collar bone. Despite his gentlemanly manners, he is also sinister. His quirk is "Warp", teleporting others as well as himself to different locations.

Noumu ( 脳無 Nōmu, lit. "Brainless")

A muscular monstrosity, Noumus are regular people who are infused with multiple Quirks by All For One. While the end result is a potential army of superhumans, the multiple Quirks put a strain on the Noumus' sanity and ultimately make them into mindless berserkers.

Vanguard Action Squad

A team made up of ten members who are the new recruits from the Villain Alliance.

Dabi (荼毘)

A young man with multiple stitchings/piercings who lacks manner and has committed several petty crimes that don't stand out. He wonders whether the Villains Alliance follow a cause, but nonetheless joins the group because he desires to fulfill Stain's ideals and motives. He calls himself Dabi (meaning cremation), only revealing his true name when he sees fit.

Himiko Toga (渡我 被身子 Toga Himiko)

A demented young girl that has a warrant out for her as a suspect for multiple death incidents caused by blood loss. She wants to join the Villain-alliance because life is difficult. She is obsessed with blood, admitting that she likes people when they are covered with so much blood. This obsession leads her to get interested in anyone who are heavily injured, such as Stain whom she stated she wants to kill and become after seeing his video, and later Izuku after she saw him heavily injured at the time during the attack at the training camp. This is associated with her Quirk, "Transform" (変身 Henshin), that allows her to assume the appearance of anyone whose blood she ingests.

Other Villains

Stain, The Hero Killer (ヒーロー殺し ステイン Hīrō Goroshi Sutein)

A demonic ninja. Originally an aspiring hero student named Chizome Akaguro (赤黒 血染 Akaguro Chizome), Stain fell into despair after realizing that more students were becoming heroes for money and fame, rather than doing good for the sake of doing good and dropped out to become a street speaker pushing for reform of the Hero system. He eventually became a professional hero killer, sparing only those he considered "true heroes", a list which currently consists solely of All Might and Izuku. After his arrest, Izuku admits that on some level he admires and understands Stain's passion and idealism, but disapproves of his methods. His Quirk is "Bloodcurdle" (凝血 Gyōketsu), the ability to paralyze his opponent by licking their blood from his blade, even from scratches. The weakness to his Quirk is that there are time limit differences based on the blood type of his opponents (Type B is 8 minutes, others are shorter ranging from Types BA, A, and O).

Others

Inko Midoriya (緑谷 インコ Midoriya Inko)

Voiced by: Aya Kawakami (anime) (Japanese); Jessica Cavanagh (English)^[22]

Izuku's mother is proud and somewhat overprotective of her son. When he began attending U.A. High School and had seemed to develop a Quirk all his own, she was ecstatic and made him a Hero's jumpsuit based on a childhood sketch he made in one of his notebooks. Initially supporting her son's dream, Izuku's continuous encounters with Villains that mostly nearly got him killed, caused her to falter and wishes that he doesn't return to U.A. anymore out of concern of his life; however, after All Might personally apologized, she decided to continue supporting Izuku. Her Quirk is the ability to attract small objects.

Hisashi Midoriya (緑谷 久 Midoriya Hisashi)

He's Izuku's father. Not much is known about him, but it is known that he has the quirk Fire Breather (火休み Hi Yasumi), which allows the user to blow fire out of their mouth.

Naomasa Tsukauchi (塚内直正 Tsukauchi Naomasa)

Voiced by: Tokuyoshi Kawashima (Japanese); Alejandro Saab^[10] (English)

Tsukauchi is All Might's client in the police, therefore knowing of his and Izuku's Quirk.

Media

Manga

My Hero Academia is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It began its serialization in the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump in July 2014. As of June 9, 2016 the series been collected into nine tankōbon volumes.^[8] The series is licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media, who published the first volume on August 4, 2015. As the series is published in Japan, it is also released simultaneously in English digitally by Viz Media's Weekly Shounen Jump. As of December 1st, 2016 6 volumes have been released.^[8]

Anime

On October 29, 2015, Anime News Network announced that My Hero Academia would receive an anime adaption produced by Studio Bones.^[23]

With the anime announced, TOHO Group registered domain name "heroaca.com" as the anime website.^[23] The anime is directed by Kenji Nagasaki, written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and feature character designs by Yoshikiko Umakoshi and music composed by Yuki Hayashi.^[24][25] The anime premiered on MBS and other Japan News Network stations in 'Nichigo' timeslot at 5pm on Sundays in Japan. The opening theme is "The Day", performed by Porno Graffitti and the ending theme is "Heroes", performed by Brian the Sun. In March 2016 Funimation Entertainment announced they had licensed the series for streaming services, home and broadcast release as well as obtaining the merchandise rights.^[26] A second season has been announced in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine's 30th issue of 2016.^[8]

Episode list

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"Izuku Midoriya: Origin" "Midoriya Izuku: Orijin" (緑谷出久：オリジン)	April 3, 2016
In a world where most of the population is gifted with special powers known as "Quirks", Izuku Midoriya is a young boy who always dreamed of becoming a hero, despite not having a Quirk himself, until one day he is attacked by a villain and is rescued by no other than All Might, the most famous hero ever and his idol since childhood.
2	"What It Takes to Be a Hero" "Hiro no Jouken" (ヒーローの条件)	April 10, 2016
Izuku discovers that All Might's true form is that of a frail, emaciated man, who suffered a massive injury years ago. All Might tells Izuku that he should give up on being a hero and focus on a more realistic dream. Disheartened, Izuku makes his way home, only to see his classmate and bully Katsuki Bakugō attacked by a villain. With no heroes around able to fight the villain, Izuku, without any thought given, rushes in.
3	"Roaring Muscles" "Unare kin'niku" (うなれ筋肉)	April 17, 2016
All Might tells Izuku of his quirk, "One For All", a special quirk that transfers its strength from person to person. While All Might believes Izuku to be worthy of his quirk, bestowing it to him right away would ruin his untrained body. All Might then designs a ten-month training regimen, to ensure that Izuku can become a vessel that can carry it.
4	"Start Line" "Sutaatorain" (スタートライン)	April 24, 2016
After receiving All Might's Quirk, the time has come for Izuku to attend the exams for the prestigious U.A. High School for heroes in training. However, during the practical exam, Izuku gets himself in a pinch and is about to fail, until one of his fellow examinees finds herself in serious danger and he runs to her rescue.
5	"What I Can Do For Now" "Ima Boku ni Dekiru Koto wo" (今 僕に出来ることを)	May 1, 2016
It's Izuku's first day as a student of U.A. High School. However, his homeroom teacher Shōta Aizawa decides to hold a physical test to evaluate how the students use their Quirks. Mr. Aizawa threatens the worst ranked student with expulsion, and Izuku finds himself in another predicament as he still has not learned to control his Quirk properly.
6	"Rage, You Damned Nerd" "Takere Kusonādo" (猛れクソナード)	May 8, 2016
Now donning their own hero costumes, the students are assigned to a mock battle between teams of two to test their combat abilities. Izuku is paired with Ochako Uraraka, the girl he helped during the entrance exams who also becomes his friend much to his joy. However, also to his dismay, one of his opponents is Bakugō, who always mocked him for his quirklessness, and is now furious at him.
7	"Deku vs. Kacchan" (デクvsかっちゃん)	May 15, 2016
The mock battle continues with Izuku barely holding against Bakugō's devastating attacks, leaving Ochako to face the other opponent Tenya Iida by herself. As the time limit approaches, Izuku seems to have no option but to use his Quirk against Bakugō in an attempt to just defeat him, until he comes up with a better idea.
8	"Bakugō's Starting Line" "Sutāto Rain, Bakugō no." (スタートライン、爆豪の。)	May 22, 2016
After losing against Izuku in the mock battle, Bakugō watches the rest of his classmates in action and realizes that he still has a long way to stand above his peers. After recovering from his injuries, Izuku attempts to cheer him up, to the point of sharing with him parts of his secret. Meanwhile, news that All Might is teaching at U.A. are received by some individuals with contempt.
9	"Yeah, Just Do Your Best, Iida!" "Ii zo Ganbare Iida-kun!" (いいぞガンバレ飯田くん！)	May 29, 2016
Izuku is chosen as the class president, much to his surprise, but he ends up relinquishing the position to Iida when he and his friends find him more suitable for the position. The students are then assigned to another field exercise, but before it begins, a horde of villains suddenly appear before them.
10	"Encounter with the Unknown" "Michi to no Sōgū" (未知との遭遇)	June 5, 2016
The villains use their powers to scatter and ambush the students around in order to attract All Might for a trap. Izuku ends up stranded and surrounded on a boat along with his classmates Tsuyu Asui and Minoru Mineta, but after learning more about their powers, he comes up with a plan to turn the tides literally, while Iida is chosen by the others to break through the enemy trap and call for help.
11	"Game Over" "Gēmu Ōbā" (ゲームオーバー)	June 12, 2016
The students fight for their lives against the Villains while Iida manages to escape with his friends' help. Once knowing that Iida will warn the other teachers who will come to stop them, the Villains' leader Tomura Shigaraki decides to kill Izuku and his friends just to hurt All Might's pride before they leave, when All Might himself appears.
12	"All Might" "Ōrumaito" (オールマイト)	June 19, 2016
Shigaraki unleashes his secret weapon, the multi-quirk monster called "Noumu" against All Might, who finds himself in a pinch, until Izuku and some other students arrive to assist him, but All Might has little time left before he runs out of power to defeat the creature in order to protect the school.
13	"Upon Each of Their Hearts" "Onoono no Mune ni" (各々の胸に)	June 26, 2016
Despite having defeated the Noumu, All Might has no energy left and is defenseless against Shigaraki, but Izuku manages to stall the enemy long enough for the other teachers to arrive and forcing him to retreat. As the leftover Villains are captured and the students are rescued, All Might thanks Izuku for saving his life, but elsewhere, Shigaraki confides with his master, implying that their feud against the Heroes is just beginning.

Video game

A video game based on the anime was announced in November 2015.^[27] The game is developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console, which was released in Japan on May 19, 2016.^[28]

Reception

It is nominated for the 8th Manga Taishō.^[29] Before the anime adaptation's premiere, manga author Masashi Kishimoto praised Kōhei Horikoshi's work, believing it would be a success overseas; Horikoshi, meanwhile, has cited Kishimoto's Naruto series as a primary source of inspiration.^[30]

Volume 1 reached the 7th place on the weekly Oricon manga chart with 71,575 copies sold.^[31] It sold out almost immediately on its first printing.^[32] Volume 2 reached the 6th place, with 167,531 copies^[33] and, by January 18, 2015, had sold 205,179 copies.^[34]

The story has been noted to take inspiration from elements in superhero comics, such as the aesthetics of its characters.^[35]

Alex Osborn of IGN gave the anime series positive marks, saying "The first season of My Hero Academia delivers thirteen episodes of fantastic action, elevated by a heartfelt story that's wrapped around a core cast of memorable and relatable characters." Osborn went on to state that the villains were underdeveloped.^[36]

References

1. "Official Shonen Jump website". Retrieved December 4, 2014.
2. "My Hero Academia Anime to Air in MBS/TBS' 'Nichigo' Timeslot". Anime News Network. January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
3. "Exclusive: Animax Asia Airs Simulcast of My Hero Academia, Twin Star Exorcists". Anime News Network. March 28, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
4. "My Hero Academia Listed With 13 Episodes by French Streaming Site". Anime News Network. March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
5. "Shonen Jump to Launch 4 Manga Series in Next 3 Issues". Anime News Network. June 25, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
6. "Viz's Shonen Jump Adds My Hero Academia". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
7. "My Hero Academia TV Anime Adaptation Confirmed". Anime News Network. October 29, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
8. "My Hero Academia Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. June 23, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
9. "Daiki Yamashita, Kenta Miyake Star in My Hero Academia TV Anime". Anime News Network. November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
10. "My Hero Academia Cast Announcement". Funimation. April 27, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
11. "Marina Inoue, Yoshimasa Hosoya Join My Hero Academia Anime's Cast". Anime News Network. January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
12. "My Hero Academia Casts Eri Kitamura, Kōsuke Kuwano, Kei Shindou, Masakazu Nishida". Anime News Network. March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
13. "My Hero Academia Anime Casts Tasuku Hatanaka, Toshiki Masuda". Anime News Network. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
14. "My Hero Academia Anime Reveals 5 More Character Designs, Corrects Cast Member". Anime News Network. March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
15. "Junichi Suwabe, Hiroyuki Yoshino Join My Hero Academia Anime Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
16. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XsyGoBQ3bPI
17. https://mobile.twitter.com/AboutElizabethM/status/758664840026042368
18. "Take Roll Call". Funimation. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
19. "My Hero Academia Anime's 2nd Season Teased in New Visual, Video". Anime News Network. June 26, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
20. "My Hero Academia Casts Kouki Uchiyama as Tomura Shigaraki". Anime News Network. May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
21. "Takahiro Fujiwara Joins My Hero Academia Anime's Cast as Kurogiri". Anime News Network. May 22, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
22. http://www.funimation.com/shows/my-hero-academia/videos/official/izuku-midoriya-origin?watch=dub
23. "Boku No Hero Academia TV Anime Adaption Announced". OtakuTale. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
24. "My Hero Academia TV Anime's Main Staff Revealed". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
25. "My Hero Academia Anime's 4th Promo Video Previews Animation". Anime News Network. February 28, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
26. "Funimation Licenses My Hero Academia Anime". Anime News Network. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
27. Sato. "My Hero Academia Game Announced For Nintendo 3DS". Siliconera. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
28. "My Hero Academia: Battle for All 3DS Game's Play Videos Preview Characters". Anime News Network. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
29. "8th Manga Taisho Awards Nominates 14 Titles". Anime News Network. January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
30. "Naruto Cheers on My Hero Academia's Deku". Anime News Network. April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
31. "Japanese Comic Ranking, November 3–9". Anime News Network. November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
32. "Up and Coming Manga Sold Out Immediately". December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
33. 週間 コミックランキング 2015年01月19日付. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
34. "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 12–18". Anime News Network. January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
35. ""My Hero Academia" Volume 1 Horikoshi Kohei [daily cartoon guide]". November 19, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
36. Osborn, Alex (June 30, 2016). "My Hero Academia: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 16, 2016.

External links

• Official anime website (Japanese)
• Official page at Weekly Shōnen Jump (Japanese)
• My Hero Academia (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia