Iida, not Deku, was done dirtiest by Horikoshi in My Hero Academia

Modified Feb 12, 2025 08:30 GMT

My Hero Academia wasted Tenya Iida's character (Image via Bones)

My Hero Academia has a wide cast of characters, and this often leads to some of them getting sidelined or not being properly developed, with perhaps the most prominent case in this series being Tenya Iida. While some fans have criticized the way that the protagonist, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, was handled to a degree, it doesn't compare to the way Iida's role was handled in the manga.

Most My Hero Academia fans know that Iida started as one of Izuku's first friends in the series, and had a rather big role to play in the story— even going as far as being the main driving force of the Stain arc. However, the more the manga progressed, the more reduced Iida's role became, to the point that his conclusion in the series was a footnote in the grand scheme of things.

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

Explaining the rise and fall of Tenya Iida's character in My Hero Academia

Iida was initially one of the main characters in the series (Image via Bones)

It is perhaps surprising to look back at the early days of the series and realize that Tenya Iida was technically the first male friend the protagonist, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, ever made in the story.

He was also introduced as a major player in the story, with his peak being the Stain arc where he was key in the conflict with the titular villain, and author Kohei Horikoshi managed to flesh out his motivation to become the hero Ingenium.

However, once that arc comes to an end, Iida's role is reduced greatly, and mostly stays in the background as a secondary character, helping Izuku from time to time. He helps in the rescue of Katsuki Bakugo and helps Deku return to the academy during the latter's vigilante days, but he didn't have a prominent role in the grand scheme of things.

He was also overthrown in the series by the likes of Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki as the protagonist's closest friends, and Iida never gets another subplot. This is quite notorious when compared to Ochaco Uraraka, who was also one of Deku's first friends in the series, and had her own subplot with Himiko Toga, which is a different case to Tenya.

The missed potential of Iida

Tenya Iida as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

The world of My Hero Academia presents a future where being a hero has become a profession, and this is evident in Iida's case where the mantel of Ingenium has been passed from generation to generation.

His brother Tensei, who was hospitalized by Stain and had to stop hero work, was a positive example of succession in the story, which is something that the story never treated before or since from a family perspective.

There are the subplots of Deku and All Might with One For All and Shoto Todoroki's family dynamics with Endeavor and Dabi, but neither are connected with the concept of sharing a mantel and both storylines have a much more complex undertone.

Iida's story could show the positive side of heroism and the expectations that come with taking the name of an established figure in society.

Final thoughts

While some characters have been undermined in My Hero Academia, the reality is that Tenya Iida might be the one who was wasted the most. Moreover, his case is even sadder when considering his initial role as a member of the main cast.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay