With the recent conclusion of My Hero Academia season 2, I thought it'd be fun to revisit the series and go over some of my favorite characters. To be clear, I've only seen the anime, and know nothing of these character's actions in the manga.
This top five will include only the students of class 1-A, and Deku gets the honorable mention of being a Shonen protagonist, and so, the plot of the series is on his side too much to make it a fair contest if he's involved. We know more about him than anyone, and the universe he lives in goes out of its way to make him as awesome as possible.
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| Looking at you, Great Will of the Macrocosm Yeah, she's not in My Hero, but come on, Deku's got plot armor. |
So, with Deku excluded, let's look at the best of class 1-A. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
#5 Ochaco Uraraka AKA Uravity
Uravity has been a principal in the series since episode 3, but it wasn't until the tournament arc that we saw more than the cheerful exterior charm to this character. Not only did she come up with the same plan that Deku was going to suggest, but she improved on it. She turned making things float into a powerhouse attack that could go toe to toe with at-will explosions. Her performance rightfully shocked the audience, and she's only become more of a combat threat since her internship with Gunhead.
#4 Mina Ashido AKA Alien Queen AKA Pinkie
Ashido is the least narratively fleshed-out character on this list, yet we do have some key details about her character, personality, and quirk. She consistently operates from a place of optimism. When things start to look dark her first thought might be mild panic, but she's one of the few characters to avoid outright defeatism and melancholy. Her quirk seems like it could be pretty powerful, and I hope the summer training arc ahead shows us some more of what she's capable of. Also, unlikely as it may be, I think an internship with Best Jeanist and a name change to Acid Wash would be a fun direction to take the character.
#3 Tenya Iida AKA Ingenium
Tenya Iida is not only 1-A'a class rep, but he's the epitome of the "class rep" archetype. Straight-laced, rules oriented, and visually carrying the classic black hair and glasses look that absolutely screams "the responsible one in this show." Kyoya Ootori would be proud. Yet, there's an intensity of character to him that fits the other common archetype to adopt these looks and mannerisms. There is something of the cruel mastermind to his character. The glasses and hair are also reminiscent of the Gendo look. With Tenya, there is a mixture. His law-abiding nature quickly devolves into bitter vengeance at the injury of his brother. Though he regrets this lapse of morals, there's no guarantee that Tenya's darker side won't surface again as the battles intensify and the mathematics of war seek to corrupt the innocent heroism he once aspired to.
#4 Tsuyu Asui AKA Su AKA Froppy
Froppy is just great in a way that few characters can attain to. She's got nearly Ashido's optimism combined with a hearty portion of sass and blunt truth. What's more, she showed a greater capacity for practical heroism in her internship than any other hero. Granted, some had far less opportunity to shine, and some heroes like Best Jeanist and Uwabami, did very little in comparison to the hands-on training provided by Selkie. Even without the drug bust, Selkie expected more of his intern; and Froppy rose to the occasion. Not only did she show herself a capable combatant, but well capable of taking orders and working on a team without letting ego cause problems. To date, almost no one else has shown the ability to follow into battle quite like Froppy.
#1 Shoto Todoroki
Todoroki has, from the start, been one of the most consistently powerful characters on the show. He was admitted to UA on recommendation, which carries some distinction. He also spent season one and a bit of time in season two essentially operating at half power. His back story is dark, and to sum it up briefly, his mother was forced into a marriage intended to create children with powerful quirks, and Todoroki gets his white hair, brown eye, and ice powers from her. His father, Endeavor, is a pro hero who used his status to force the marriage and breed an heir powerful enough to challenge rivals Endeavor couldn't fight on his own. From his father, Todoroki inherited his red hair, blue eye, and fire powers. His arc has been one of accepting himself, and accepting his heritage as his own to do with as he wishes. He has learned to accept his fire powers without accepting the criminal actions of the father he inherited those powers from. Through all of this, he has emerged as a potent and heroic character with the potential to truly be one of the greats as the series goes on.
So, there we have it, my top five favorite members of class 1-A in My Hero Academia. I'll probably do more of these types of articles to cope with the hiatus, however long that turns out to be. If you enjoyed the article, share it with a friend, or check out what I've got on youtube at All Funnies and Games. Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
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