My Hero Academia fans don't realize how deep Overhaul's character is

Modified Nov 28, 2024 14:30 GMT

My Hero Academia has a great villain in Overhaul (Image via Bones).

My Hero Academia has several memorable characters, but when it comes to the villains, usually Tomura Shigaraki, All For One, Himiko Toga, and Dabi often get most of the spotlight. However, there is one who deserves a lot more recognition and is a lot more complex than given credit, and that person is Kai Chisaki, also known as Overhaul.

The young leader of the Yakuza proved to be a massive ordeal for Deku and the other heroes in My Hero Academia, as his writing was both excellent and underrated. He served as a great parallel to All For One and Shigaraki, added another variable to the impact Quirks made in society, and proved to be a highly effective villain because of his actions.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series and reflects the author's opinions.

Explaining what makes Overhaul such a great character in My Hero Academia

Overhaul, as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

One major reason Overhaul works as a villain and an overall character is that he presents how the villain market changed due to Quirks. The Yakuza were pushed to the side because of supervillains. But Overhaul, through intelligence and a loyal army of men, managed to compete with them to bring back better times for his organization. This was out of contempt toward Quirks and to thank the former leader who took him as his surrogate son.

He also helps as a parallel to All For One because they both want to bring back an era before the heroes' existence. He is also similar to Tomura Shigaraki since they both want to reach the top of the villain hierarchy. Much like Mirio Togata with Izuku "Deku" Midoriya in this arc, Overhaul is introduced as a superior leader to Shigaraki, to the point they have Quirks with similar functions, which allows the latter to grow as well.

Overhaul also represented the idea of experimenting with Quirks, using Eri as a biological weapon to devise a tool to erase and manipulate these powers. His market of special-made drugs in the black market showed another side of the My Hero Academia universe, which is always welcomed.

Overhaul is an underrated villain (Image via Bones).

Overhaul also provided something often lacking in My Hero Academia: the element of consequences and stakes. He managed to take the life of Sir Nighteye, which was a rarity in the series. Also, he erased Mirio Togata's Quirk for a long portion of the story, ultimately having Eri give it back, although it didn't impact the story much.

Another underrated aspect of his character is his Quirk, which allows him to take something, whether an object or a person, destroy it, and reshape it as he sees fit. He does this to great and terrifying effects, such as torturing Eri or merging himself with one of his men to fight Deku at the end of the arc.

Much like All For One, Overhaul shares an obsession with Quirks, although the former wants absolute power over them while the latter thinks of them as a disease. But they understand the mechanics of these abilities and how they have defined society.

Final thoughts

Overhaul is not only one of the most underrated villains in My Hero Academia but also one of the most underrated in Battle Shonen. His time was short-lived but effective, coupled with strong characterization and a thematic weight within the plot.

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Edited by Shreya Das