Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia is one of this decade’s biggest shonen success stories and one of the most impressive anime about superheroes. My Hero Academia has entered its endgame and it’s remarkable to look at how far these characters have come from their humble origins. A significant hurdle that’s faced by many battle shonen series is the concept of “power creep,” where individuals suddenly receive convenient upgrades to better service the storytelling.
Audiences want to see their favorite characters improve and grow stronger, but not if this boost feels artificial. My Hero Academia has been careful on the subject of power creep and the series’ huge cast helps in this regard. However, not even My Hero Academia is impervious to the problems of power creep.
10 Flect Turn
My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission spreads the wealth between Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki, all of whom are needed in the ongoing showdown with Flect Turn. Flect Turn has a radical mission to erase Quirks from society, but his own Reflect Quirk is extremely dangerous.
Flect Turn’s Quirk allows him to reflect any Quirk that’s launched at him, but he can also hold onto these attacks and release them at an unexpected moment. Flect Turn’s power could take out the strongest heroes and villains in the right context and so it comes across as a little convenient that Flect Turn is introduced and discarded by the end of the movie.
9 Gentle Criminal
Izuku Midoriya has his hands full with Overhaul through the bulk of My Hero Academia's fourth season. However, the year concludes with a shorter feud against Gentle Criminal and his partner, La Brava.
Gentle Criminal is a controversial character in the fandom and while his Elasticity Quirk is useful, it's not the reason that he's able to hold his own against Deku. La Brava's Love Quirk amplifies the power of her paramour, which provides a valid yet frustrating excuse for why Gentle Criminal is such a threat, despite his inexperience.
8 Lady Nagant
Kaina Tsutsumi, otherwise known as Lady Nagant, is a fascinating case study in loyalty and corruption. The former Pro Hero finds herself abandoned by Pro Hero Society after she makes a fatal error on the job, only to be co-opted by All For One as a villainous assassin. Lady Nagant is one of several allies that All For One unleashes following the riot at Tartarus.
It feels a little manipulative to have Lady Nagant come out of nowhere and be an expert marksman thanks to her Rifle Quirk. She's immediately a major threat and Deku must appeal to her empathy and sense of reason rather than a purely physical defeat.
7 Fumikage Tokoyami
Fumikage Tokoyami is one of Class 1-A’s most distinct students and an inspirational case in owning one’s insecurities. Tokoyami has reservations over his unconventional appearance and the use of his Dark Shadow Quirk. Tokoyami becomes an expert in long-range battle, especially in darker environments where his Quirk can thrive.
Tokoyami is able to surpass these limitations and he even develops a completely separate close-range attack style, Black Abyss, where he turns Dark Shadow into protective exoskeleton-like armor. Tokoyami understands the importance of training and hard work, but his extreme improvements still feel sudden.
6 Mirio Togata
A lot of responsibility falls on Mirio Togata’s shoulders as one of the members of My Hero Academia’s Big 3. Togata is introduced as a wunderkind alternative to Midoriya who was actually under consideration to receive All Might’s One For All Quirk. Togata’s Permeation Quirk is incredibly versatile and the character’s selfless heroism results in him taking a Quirk-Erasing Bullet and temporarily losing his power.
Togata comes to terms with being Quirk-less, but Eri’s Rewind Quirk helps him eventually regain his skill. Togata’s surprise return to battle makes for an extremely uplifting moment, but it’s also somewhat suspect that in this short time he’s able to improve upon his base power.
5 Hitoshi Shinso
U.A. High is a highly respected superhero training school and certain students like Hitoshi Shinso work hard to simply gain access to this prestigious institution. Shota Aizawa takes Shinso under his wing, yet he's still a character who's mostly remained in the shadows.
Shinso is treated like one of the biggest threats during U.A. High's Joint Training competition and it's somewhat jarring to see how advanced his Brainwashing Quirk has become. This exponential growth continues and Shinso and his powers are crucial during the takedown of All For One.
4 Dabi
My Hero Academia truly takes its time before it reveals the secret behind the villainous Dabi and the intricate nature of his plan to take down Endeavor and Shoto Todoroki. Dabi's blue flames represent peak heat and they make for a rewarding counterpoint to Endeavor and Shoto's fire-based Quirks.
Dabi's strength is already quite unruly when My Hero Academia reveals that he also can trigger ice-based abilities. This similarity with Shoto feels unearned and an easy way to prolong Dabi's fight with the Todoroki family.
3 Katsuki Bakugo
Katsuki Bakugo's Explosion Quirk is true to his hot-headed nature and it takes him a while to master the basics, as well as his own emotions. Bakugo struggles to meet his peers at U.A. High, only to become one of his class' strongest students. Bakugo painfully trains to improve the foundation of his Quirk.
Bakugo's classmates mock his heightened hero alias, Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, but this rebranding coincides with Bakugo's power boost and feels emblematic of this higher tier of power. It's quite touching when Midoriya temporarily shares One For All with Bakugo, but it's debatable if Bakugo is truly worthy of this coveted Quirk.
2 Izuku Midoriya
Shonen anime protagonists are the characters who are the most prone to power creep. Izuku Midoriya’s growing comfort with One For All makes for a thrilling and believable character arc. Once Midoriya continues to tap into the One For All hive mind and communicate with past vestiges, he begins to gain access to their respective Quirks.
Midoriya becomes a Swiss army knife of Quirks and it seems like he has a power for every situation at hand. These new moves are initially thrilling, but they’re more trouble than they’re worth. It makes it even more incredulous that Midoriya begins as a Quirk-less individual and ends with seven unique powers.
1 Tomura Shigaraki
Tomura Shigaraki has been a prominent villain ever since My Hero Academia’s inaugural season. Shigaraki’s Decay Quirk powers have always been incredibly destructive and capable of rendering the strongest individuals into dust. The heights of Shigaraki’s Decay Quirk become so extravagant that he can level entire cities simply through contact. That being said, Dr. Garaki’s genetic modifications on Shigaraki essentially turn him into a conduit for All For One.
This also means that Shigaraki now has a collection of Quirks at his disposal, much like Midoriya. Shigaraki was already enough of a challenge without giving him more abilities. It comes across as a frantic attempt to match Midoriya’s upgrades.