My Hero Academia boasts a plethora of characters with unique quirks and abilities, be it students, teachers, heroes, or villains. But mangaka Kohei Horikoshi does not simply leave them with interesting powers, but he invests in giving them complex personalities.
The teachers of the My Hero Academia universe are especially popular for this reason both on and off-screen, with their cool quirks and supportive attitude garnering them the respect of their students. But some teachers are inevitably more popular than others, even within the UA Academy itself. In this regard, here is a list of the UA faculty based on how likable they appear to be in the anime.
This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia anime.
UA Academy teachers who are the most popular among their students in My Hero Academia anime
10) Ectoplasm
Ectoplasm, the Mathematics teacher, is easily one of the strongest in the UA faculty. He believes in pushing his students beyond their comfort zone, which was reflected during the first term final exams in the My Hero Academia anime, where he acted as the opponent to Tokoyami Fumikage and Asui Tsuyu. His strict and unrelenting personality, coupled with his mysterious “villain-like” hero costume, makes him somewhat unapproachable but highly respected.
9) Snipe
Snipe is the teacher in charge of third-year students at UA Academy. This leads to him not having as many interactions with junior students in the My Hero Academia series. But he certainly plays a greater role in the background during staff discussions regarding the most effective course of training hero students to fight villains.
He also disapproved of the Hero Public Safety Commission, as it effectively endangered the lives of heroes-in-training who were too young to fight against the threat posed by the Paranormal Liberation Front. Snipe was revealed to have a shy side to his personality, which was seen when he accidentally touched Hagakure Toru’s chest during a fight and began apologizing profusely.
8) Cementoss
Ishiyama Ken, better known by his hero name Cementoss, teaches Modern Literature at UA Academy. He is usually a serious and incredibly perceptive individual. This was evident during the Sports Festival arc of My Hero Academia when he quickly assessed the damage Midoriya had taken and tried to stop his and Todoroki’s fight.
His pleasant personality does not hinder his teaching ability, as he swiftly immobilized Kirishima Eijiro and Sato Rikido during the first term final exam by analyzing their weaknesses. Cementoss is generally very well-liked by UA students.
7) Thirteen
Kurose Anan or Space Hero: Thirteen is yet another teacher who is popular among the students. Rather than being combat-focused, Thirteen is passionate about using her quirk for rescue missions. She is well-mannered and wise, but also determined to protect her peers and students. During the U.S.J. Incident towards the beginning of My Hero Academia, she used her quirk to buy time and hold off Kurogiri to allow the students to escape, sustaining heavy damage in the process.
6) Power Loader
Maijima Higari, better known as Power Loader, manages the Support Course Development Studio at UA. Most costume modifications and gadgets that students require are shown to originate in his lab, which is often seen as the natural habitat of the eccentric Hatsumi Mei.
Power Loader’s personality in My Hero Academia is most obvious through his interactions with Hatsumi, who he often yells at for blowing up his lab, but encourages her to keep experimenting regardless. Despite being fairly introverted, Power Loaded is popular among both Hero and Support-course students.
5) Vlad King
Kan Sekijiro, or Blood Hero: Vlad King, is the homeroom teacher of class 1-B. He has an exuberant personality that can come across as slightly annoying at times. He is very encouraging and heavily biased towards his own students, which was presented as a running gag during the 1-A vs. 1-B Joint Training arc of My Hero Academia.
Vlad King is also very protective of his students, refusing to let them fight against the League of Villains during the Forest Training Camp arc in My Hero Academia season 3 and shielding them against clone Dabi’s attack. He is very approachable and is loved by students, easily one of the most popular teachers on this list.
4) Midnight
Kayama Nemuri, better known by her hero-name R-Rated Hero: Midnight, is another UA teacher who is very popular both on and off-screen. Her personality is generally flirtatious and carefree, although she has an unexpectedly serious persona, which makes her position as a Modern Hero Art History teacher quite fitting.
Midnight’s character design lends itself well to fanservice, and her personality matches this aesthetic. Despite her apparent frivolity, Midnight cares deeply for her students and is both intelligent and logical, making her an obvious favorite among students.
3) Present Mic
Yamada Hizashi or Present Mic, teaches English at UA Academy. Like Vlad King, Present Mic has a larger-than-life presence, but he is primarily portrayed as a very loud person. His personality is similar to that of a radio announcer with an innate desire to entertain. He is the polar opposite of Eraserhead and, ironically, is his best friend.
He is also very active and his extroverted nature makes him approachable for most students. Moreover, Present Mic is very intelligent, being the first to suspect a spy's presence within UA.
2) Eraserhead
Aizawa Shota, or Eraserhead, is unanimously respected and loved by the students of UA Academy. Aizawa’s sloppy appearance and reclusive nature might lend itself to unpopularity, but he repeatedly proves himself to be capable, sincere, and protective of his students. His teaching methods come across as harsh and intolerant, but his students realize how he uses deception as a tool for effective training.
Aizawa comes across as strict and unyielding, but in reality, has a soft spot for his students. His popularity is further boosted by his raw, precise opinions, which he rarely sugarcoats, and his sense of responsibility towards the welfare of his students. This is also reflected in how he automatically adapts to the role of Eri’s guardian and parent, not just a keeper who keeps her power in check.
1) All Might
It is no surprise that Toshinori Yagi, or All Might, is immensely popular among the students of UA Academy. The former Symbol of Peace is shown to be an inspiration to hero students, especially the major characters of My Hero Academia, Midoriya, Bakugou, and Todoroki.
He initially maintained a flamboyant persona in the My Hero Academia series to boost morale and act as a pillar of strength, but in his weakened form, Toshinori reveals himself to have a more subdued personality. Regardless, he is very encouraging and tries his best to help his students, despite not having any teaching experience prior to joining UA Academy.
This list of popular teachers and mentors of My Hero Academia is far from being comprehensive. Retired teachers like Gran Torino, and Work Studies mentors like Best Jeanist, Hawks, Fat Gum, and Sir Knighteye are equally popular among fans and characters of the series. With the upcoming season 6, My Hero Academia fans will surely see more of these characters.