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My Hero Academia is a series with a wide cast of characters, which has often allowed author Kohei Horikoshi to develop many different designs - one of his biggest strengths as an artist. Furthermore, there have been cases where some characters have moved away greatly from what was his original idea in the manga.
In that regard, it has been revealed over the years that three female characters in My Hero Academia were originally meant to be male in the story. This is interesting because Horikoshi has gone on record saying that this was meant to give the cast more balance with more female characters.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia series.
The three female My Hero Academia characters who were originally meant to be male
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My Hero Academia author Kohei Horikoshi explained in the author's notes of the second volume of the manga that two of the female characters in Deku's class, Tsuyu Asui (Froppy) and Toru Hagakure (Invisible Girl), were originally meant to be male. However, the author ultimately made them girls because he felt the class lacked female characters.
It is interesting how this decision could have impacted these two characters. For example, Tsuyu Asui is often a fan favorite, even if she is not very prominent in the plot, going as far as having her own filler episode in the anime's second season. Also, her design is often viewed as endearing to many fans, which perhaps she wouldn't have conveyed as a male.
Hagakure's case is a bit more complex, considering that the running joke in the series is that she can't be seen and happens to be naked. However, Horikoshi has recently received criticism in the manga for finally revealing how she looks, with some people feeling that it was unnecessary because she was an underage naked girl.
The case of Mei Hatsume
Another example of a female character who was originally meant to be male was Mei Hatsume. For those unfamiliar with the character, Mei is part of the Support Class at UA. She made a strong impression on many fans because of her quirky and assertive personality, often trying and coming up with new gadgets no matter the circumstances.
Kohei Horikoshi revealed this during the fourth volume of the My Hero Academia manga, stating that he found the gender switch interesting for the character. And it has to be said that it worked because the combination of Mei's design and her personality made the character all the more endearing to the rest of the fandom.
It is also worth pointing out that characters working on mechanics and gadgets are often associated with the male gender, so making Mei a female was probably a refreshing decision on Horikoshi's part. While she is not a very prominent character, with her making new gloves for Deku being her biggest contribution to the plot, Mei is someone many fans would have loved to see more of.
