10 My Hero Academia characters who will always be iconic despite the ending

My Hero Academia characters can be quite varied and that has been part of its appeal throughout its ten-year run in the anime and manga community. Some of these characters become staples of the series, with the fandom and community loving them and their journeys. Some of these characters include All Might, Katsuki Bakugo, Dabi, and many more.

In that regard, there is no denying that the series had an ending that was poorly received and several My Hero Academia characters were harmed because of it. Despite that, the manga has some memorable characters, who will be considered iconic and synonymous with the series. This list will look at some of the most iconic and remarkable characters.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

10 My Hero Academia characters who are iconic despite the poorly-received ending

1) Tomura Shigaraki

Shigaraki remains one of the most iconic My Hero Academia characters (Image via Bones).

There is no denying that Tomura Shigaraki has been one of the compelling My Hero Academia characters because of the way he was constructed and grew as a villain throughout the story. Usually, villains start as the strongest in the series and already have plenty of experience and knowledge. However, it was a compelling watch since it was something that Tomura had to learn and wasn't introduced in the series with it.

Moreover, Shigaraki serves as the antithesis to the values of the protagonist, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya. The former wants to be a hero to the villains and cause absolute destruction, while his counterpart wants to save everybody. His friendship with Spinner shows how Tomura becomes friends with the League of the Villains members and finds motivation for them.

His conclusion was divisive and fans didn't like how All For One caused the entirety of his origin. However, he managed to remain one of the faces of the My Hero Academia characters. Fans consider him the finest villain in the entire series, only highlighting his popularity among fans.

2) All For One

The main villain and one of the most iconic My Hero Academia characters (Image via Bones).

It is difficult to claim that All For One isn't one of the most iconic My Hero Academia characters when considering that the vast majority of events happen because of him. All For One molded a lot of characters and had a role in their misfortune, such as All Might or Tomura Shigaraki, and serves as a symbol of everything evil.

While is true that some people felt that his character went too far and should have died earlier, there is no denying that he has become one of the faces of the franchise. This is shown as he is often cited as the major villain of the series when compared to other franchises, thus highlighting how influential and important he is.

3) All Might

All Might is one of the most beloved My Hero Academia characters (Image via Bones).

It is common knowledge that All Might is one of the most celebrated My Hero Academia characters and one of the best-written. He serves as the symbol of the series, even above the protagonist, Deku. Additionally, All Might manages to set the standard of what a hero is in this universe, establishing himself as a major bastion of heroism and kindness.

His struggles and mistakes are other elements that make him very compelling, as he has to deal with his failures and also learn to become a good mentor for the next generation. He also has some of the best moments of the entire series, such as his now-iconic battle with All For One in Kamino and the legendary United States of Smash moment.

It is telling that All Might having a more reduced role in the second part of the story was a divisive opinion within the fandom because it shows how important he is to the author Kohei Horikoshi. However, regardless of the outcome of his character, All Might is always one of the first things people think of when talking about this series.

4) Katsuki Bakugo

There is no denying that Bakugo is one of the most popular My Hero Academia characters (Image via Bones).

It is common knowledge that Katsuki Bakugo is one of the most popular My Hero Academia characters and this has spread throughout the years. Bakugo is one of the most-known characters in the entire series. His role as deuteragonist has always been compared to the likes of Dragon Ball's Vegeta, Naruto's Sasuke Uchiha, and many more.

His character arc was also one of the most prominent aspects of the series since is connected to the protagonist, Deku, and a lot of people have praised this direction for him. While he retains some of that rash and arrogant nature, Bakugo goes from being a violent and disrespectful bully to a more well-adjusted individual to the point he apologizes to Izuku during the final third of the series.

Other aspects have made him quite popular, such as his design and his powers, which are quite visually impressive. All of this has resulted in him being one of the faces of the franchise and usually the first one in the character polls.

5) Shoto Todoroki

One of the most beloved My Hero Academia characters (Image via Bones).

Shoto Todoroki has one of the most heartfelt backstories as far as My Hero Academia characters because they are somewhat connected to reality. He grew up in an abusive household where his father put a lot of pressure on him to become a hero and his mother caused him a scar on his eye that has become synonymous with his character.

While he is certainly more stoic and subdued than other characters on this list, Shoto's progression focuses on becoming more well-adjusted and sociable while also embracing having friends beyond his family. Instead of being a cold and distant person who only wants to be a hero, the version of Shoto who ends the story feels like a more complete person, which is something that a lot of people praise.

As far as My Hero Academia characters go, Shoto Todoroki is one of the most beloved in the franchise and also one of the most iconic, a direct result of his look as well. In that regard, his arc is strongly connected to two more characters on this list.

6) Dabi

Dabi has one of the most intense fandoms in the series (Image via Bones).

The My Hero Academia fandom is known for being extremely passionate about some characters and Dabi is a very good example of that. He was already a fan-favorite before his backstory was revealed but his origins as a Todoroki really raised him to the top in terms of popularity, to the point that a lot of fans are still justifying his actions throughout the story.

Dabi was born Toya Todoroki and was slowly going insane as a child because his fire Quirk was burning him and Endeavor, his father, didn't want to risk his safety. However, as things unfold, he grows up to become a villain and wants to ruin the entirety of his family, which is something that a lot of people feel is warranted because of the pressure his father put on him.

In many ways, Dabi is designed to be a dark reflection of Shoto since the former didn't move on from the same trauma that the latter had. Moreover, his character design is one of the most iconic among My Hero Academia characters and his conflict with Endeavor was one of the most celebrated in the entire series.

7) Izuku "Deku" Midoriya

Deku is one of the most iconic My Hero Academia characters (Image via Bones).

As far as My Hero Academia characters go, the series ending affected Izuku the most. A lot of fans have been very vocal that his conclusion as a Quirkless teacher at UA, not having a lot of friends, and all of a sudden getting a mechanical suit to be a hero after eight years was rushed, poorly conceived, and hurting his characterization.

However, while there are a lot of valid arguments to justify those opinions, it is also true that Deku is one of the most iconic My Hero Academia characters because of his role as the protagonist. He is one of the faces of the franchise and people are always going to associate his character with the series, so it makes a lot of sense that he is going to remain iconic to some degree.

8) Endeavor

One of the best-developed My Hero Academia characters (Image via Bones).

There are a lot of My Hero Academia characters who go through arcs of redemption and there is a strong argument to be made that Endeavor had the best development. That is because he starts as an abusive parent who seems not to care for the damage he causes to people around to achieve his goals and grows into a much better person.

The most interesting thing is that, unlike other My Hero Academia characters, Endeavor constantly has to deal with the consequences of his actions. Shoto doesn't fully trust him, hero society doubts him, and Dabi revealed as Toya Todoroki, dedicates his existence to ruining his life as revenge for what he did to him.

It is a compelling narrative and Endeavor has become one of the flagship My Hero Academia characters, both for his mistakes as a family fan and his redemption. It is also widely regarded as one of the best-written character arcs in the story.

9) Himiko Toga

Toga has become quite popular with the My Hero Academia fandom (Image via Bones).

Part of the appeal of the League of Villains as a team and individual characters is the fact they were somewhat decent people who descended into villainy because of the decisions they made and the struggles they went through. While the Heroes and villains' actions influenced Dabi and Tomura Shigaraki, Himiko Toga makes her one of the most interesting My Hero Academia characters.

Toga was judged as a kid because of how her Quirk made her drink blood from people, which led to her parents and friends shunning her away. She embraced the fact that she was a monster, which is something the people around her told her, and joined the League of Villains, leading to interesting clashes with Deku and Ochaco Uraraka.

A lot of people had a lot of empathy for Toga and found her quite endearing because of her somewhat goofy personality. Her dynamics with characters such as Twice and Uraraka were also quite praised by the fandom, adding an element of tragedy to her conclusion in the final arc.

10. Shota Aizawa

Aizawa is beloved by the fandom (Image via Bones).

There are My Hero Academia characters who have become iconic because of their designs, cool factor, and simply because they were very easy to like. Shota Aizawa is a combination of all of these reasons and is probably one of the most well-liked characters in the entire franchise.

One of the biggest reasons is how Aizawa was the teacher of Deku's class at UA and constantly showed a lot of care and attention to them. Moreover, while his Quirk didn't make him stronger in any shape or form, he still managed to compete as a fighter thanks to his abilities and intellect, which is a rarity in the series.

Furthermore, he is also liked because of his design and cool, stoic personality, giving him a very strong fandom. These might be perceived as simple reasons but sometimes characters can be loved because of their simplicity.

Final thoughts

These My Hero Academia characters are going to remain iconic and beloved because of their powers, relevance in the story, and, overall, the way they were written throughout the story. Despite the ending having a lot of issues and deserves valid criticism, these characters serve as examples of what the franchise achieved at its best.

Related articles

Edited by Madhur Dave