10 My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending

There are many My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending because of the rushed nature of the epilogue. While most fans of the series were on board with an epilogue to give most arcs and characters a proper sendoff, there is no denying that author Kohei Horikoshi might have rushed some of these elements, thus giving unsatisfying conclusions.

Furthermore, there were creative decisions that didn't help certain My Hero Academia characters, with a lot of fans being openly displeased by the way the protagonist, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, was treated. Therefore, here are, in no particular, ten My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending and the reasons why they should have gotten a much more satisfying conclusion.

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 deserved a better ending and why

1) Katsuki Bakugo

Bakugo is certainly one of those My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending (Image via Bones).

A lot of fans appreciate Katsuki Bakugo's change and, for the most part, there is an argument to be made that he got a satisfying conclusion. He became a better person and hero, managed to continue with his career in the business, and was even one of the biggest contributors to getting Deku a suit to fight crime once again after the eight-year time skip.

However, when considering that characters like Ochaco Uraraka and Shoto Todoroki got entire chapters to close their arcs, it is fair to say that Bakugo is one of those My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending. He should have gotten a chapter to conclude his development and give his friendship with Deku a proper conclusion.

Considering how his entire character is connected to Deku and the degree of popularity he has in the My Hero Academia fandom, it was a strange decision by Kohei Horikoshi to not give him a chapter focused on him.

2) Himiko Toga

Toga was one of the My Hero Academia characters with the most divisive conclusion (Image via Bones).

Very few My Hero Academia characters had more divisive conclusions than Himiko Toga and that is understandable. However, this case is more notorious because of the way that it was executed and how there was such a long time without the story fully confirming if she was alive or dead.

Toga was last seen alive in the manga in the final war arc when she gave Ochaco Uraraka her blood so the latter could survive after their battle. In a series where characters can lose limbs and continue to live, such as Mirko or even Bakugo who kickstarted his heart thanks to a drop of sweat, Toga's death feels rather strange and convenient.

Furthermore, the fact the story never fully confirmed it until the epilogue robbed audiences of mourning the character in a proper manner. There is also the fact that her final moments with Uraraka, which were apparently recorded for the world to see and create more empathy toward her, were actually not taped because the cameras were off, as stated in the epilogue.

3) All Might

All Might deserved a chapter dedicated to him and his legacy (Image via Bones).

When it comes to My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending, All Might be one of the most notorious examples. He was a major driving force for the plot during the first portion of the story and is also a very prominent fan favorite, thus making it all the more bizarre that he didn't get a chapter focused on his own journey.

Horikoshi didn't give Toshinori a moment to mourn the absolute loss of One For All and his teacher Nana Shimura or realize that his mission of destroying All For One finally took place. While the final moment with Deku in the manga is tender, as it ends the story with the two characters who started it, there is no denying that All Might deserved a bit more love and attention in the epilogue.

4) Izuku "Deku" Midoriya

Deku's conclusion has been widely criticized (Image via Bones).

There is no denying that Izuku might be the first person most think of when it comes to My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending. Most of the criticism toward the series' conclusion has been aimed at the way Horikoshi handled his protagonist and there are a lot of valid claims regarding how Deku was mishandled.

The fact that Deku stopped being a hero and became a teacher once the One For All embers died out makes no sense when considering that characters like Shota Aizawa and Stain are regular humans who can fight. Their Quirks don't make them physically superior to normal people and Deku, after years of training his body, could have been able to at least contribute as a hero.

Furthermore, the idea of him getting a suit at the end of the story was extremely divisive. When considering that All Might got a special suit to fight in less than a year, it makes very little sense that Deku took eight to get one. It also undermines his role as a teacher, basically stating that the protagonist wasn't happy with guiding the next generation and had to become a hero once more.

5) Mr. Compress

Mr. Compress didn't go down with the League of Villains (Image via Bones).

Part of the appeal of the League of Villains is that they were My Hero Academia characters who were the antagonists but also had their own journeys and connections. This group seemed like they were good friends with one another and were going through thick and thin together, thus making Mr. Compress' conclusion feel all the more frustrating.

Mr. Compress took one for the team and sacrificed himself in the first war arc to buy Tomura Shigaraki and the rest of the League some time, which led to him being caught and sent to prison. He is seen in prison during the remainder of the story and doesn't contribute to the final war arc, being almost a footnote in the epilogue, and his family heritage is never given any semblance of relevance.

6) Hisashi Midoriya

Deku's father was never addressed in the story (Image via Bones).

It can be argued that Hisashi Midoriya barely qualifies among the candidates for My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending because he simply didn't appear in the story. However, his sole existence is a plothole in the manga and begs the question of why author Kohei Horikoshi didn't give Deku's father any kind of attention.

Horikoshi stated that Hisashi is still married to Inko, Izuku's mother, and is providing for his family as he is working abroad. The issue is that the story never shows Hisashi, never has him talking with his family at any given time, and there isn't any reaction from this character when it comes to his son finally getting a Quirk and getting notoriety across Japan.

It is a very weird situation that makes him one of the most bizarre My Hero Academia characters. There were a lot of theories regarding who he could be, with some even saying that it could be All For One, but Horikoshi never gave this plot point a conclusion.

7) Tenya Iida

Iida is one of those My Hero Academia characters who deserved better (Image via Bones).

It has been mentioned time and time again that Tenya Iida is one of the most wasted My Hero Academia characters in the series. He was initially introduced as one of Izuku's first friends and was a major support for him but the story quickly abandons him after his peak during the Stain arc.

He did have a great moment helping Izuku during his Vigilante era and also supported Shoto Todoroki during his battle with Dabi in the final war arc but his own journey didn't come to a conclusion. Tenya probably didn't need a chapter focused on him but at least a couple of pages for his family legacy as Ingenium and his friendship with Deku were addressed.

8) Mirio Togata

Mirio's ending was disappointing (Image via Bones).

The idea of Mirio getting his Quirk back has always been one of the most controversial when it comes to My Hero Academia characters. His sacrifice to save Eri during the Overhaul arc was one of the most memorable moments in the series and added stakes and consequences to a manga that was always in dire need of that.

However, Mirio did get his Quirk back and didn't contribute much to the story with his return. He is one of the My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending because it was revealed in the time-skip that he became the best hero in the world and the story doesn't show it.

Sir Nighteye had predicted with his Quirk before his death that Mirio would reach this position and that was a pleasant surprise for one of the most popular My Hero Academia characters. However, the story never shows how he got there nor gives him a page in this position, which would have been welcomed.

9) Yuga Aoyama

Aoyama could have benefited from some extra development (Image via Bones).

There is no denying that Aoyama's journey throughout the story might have been one of the most effective among My Hero Academia characters. The traitor subplot had been brewing for quite some time and the idea that All For One had manipulated him and his parents was one that a lot of fans got on board with.

Aoyama eventually sided with the heroes and helped in the final battle, with him later leaving UA as a way to pay for his crimes. He was later shown in the final page of the manga with the rest of the heroes, thus proving that he became one. It would have been interesting to see how he reached that position, although there are other My Hero Academia characters who certainly had it worse.

10) Stain (his death is never addressed)

Stain as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

When it comes to My Hero Academia characters, particularly the antagonists, Stain has a very unique place. He commits a lot of murders because of what he deems to be a corrupt hero society and believes that only people such as All Might and Deku are real dogooders, which is why his morality can have him as an antagonist or as a support for the good guys when depending on the situation.

In that regard, Stain was pivotal in reigniting All Might's spirit when he was at his lowest and also supported him against All For One, dying in the process. However, his death was never addressed and there is very little mention of the character before the manga's conclusion.

It is a shame because Stain is not only one of those My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending but also a very significant antagonist. He introduced the concept of a hero society being corrupted and needing change, so it would have been interesting to see how his legacy carried on after so many years, thus feeling like a wasted opportunity by Kohei Horikoshi.

Final thoughts

There is no denying that there are other My Hero Academia characters who deserved a better ending but these are some of the most prominent throughout the story. Furthermore, it also shows the underlying frustration that a lot of fans had with the conclusion of the manga and how Horikoshi could (and perhaps should) have explored before ending the series.

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Edited by Tiasha