My Hero Academia: Why is Momo Yaoyorozu's costume so revealing? Explained

My Hero Academia author Kohei Horikoshi is known for a lot of things, but his qualities as an artist are one of the biggest reasons. He is a mangaka capable of coming up with a lot of great designs, such as All Might, Endeavor, Tomura Shigaraki, Katsuki Bakugo, Dabi, and many more. However, there have been less successful and more criticized character designs, such as the one of Momo Yaoyorozu.

Now, there is nothing wrong with Momo in terms of her look in My Hero Academia, but the controversy is more about her hero costume, which has been a topic of discussion for many years. And while opinions have been divisive, there is no denying that her having such a revealing costume is a weird choice for a character in her age group, especially considering her personality.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia series.

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Explaining why Momo Yaoyorozu's costume is so revealing in My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia as a fandom has had a lot of controversies over the years, but one of the most divisive has been the one about the costume Momo uses. While fanservice has always been a very prominent thing in anime, there is no denying that there have been moments where it has been awkward with teenagers. It was especially with female characters, often being sexualized, which is the case with Momo.

Yaoyorozu is a teenager, so wearing a very revealing hero outfit makes for a very awkward feeling among the people reading or watching the series, especially considering her personality and backstory. Momo is a girl who comes from a rich background, is fairly conservative in her attitude and personality, and is not someone who people would associate with this kind of attire.

Furthermore, while she has the Quirk of creating things that come out of her body, the way it has been shown in the series highlights that she does not need the revealing outfit.

Most of the time, the objects come out of her arms and back, so there is no need to have a revealing top or a short skirt. So, the very obvious reason she wears that costume is due to fanservice, and while sexy characters are welcomed, her being a teenager and not fitting her personality is not a good fit for this design.

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The role of Momo in the series

Momo creating a canon (Image via Bones).

Perhaps one of the most valid criticisms that My Hero Academia has received recently was how its supporting cast was cast aside and left underdeveloped, with characters like Momo as prime examples. While there are some exceptions, like All Might and Endeavor, the truth of the matter is that most characters did not have a decent amount of growth.

Momo is a very good example of this, starting as a girl with imposter syndrome and with a lot of insecurities about her virtues as a hero but slowly losing prominence in the plot. It is quite telling that she was once part of the main group that went to Kamino to rescue Katsuki Bakugo from the League of Villains, and later on, she lost a lot of relevance in the story.

These decisions by Horikoshi have been particularly shown in the final arc, with many characters feeling like they did not have a proper journey and sense of growth. Momo was touted to be a leader and a strategist but had few chances to prove her mettle, which was disappointing.

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Final thoughts

Simply put, the reason why the costume Momo uses in My Hero Academia is mostly down to fanservice, which has resulted in a lot of criticism from the fandom. This has been a major topic of discussion regarding the series due to her being a teenager.