My Hero Academia's Underrated Heroes

Key takeaways

• Despite its strategic value and potential for deep storytelling, Neito Monoma's copy quirk is underutilized.
• Tokoyami Fumikage's Dark Shadow Quirk has untapped potential for missions that require stealth and raw power.
• Tenya Iida's engine quirk can bring unique dynamics to rescue missions and high-speed combat if fully utilized.

Anime thrives on an incredible variety of characters, each with their own unique abilities and personalities that bring the stories to life. Heroes with diverse attributes are a staple of the superhero genre, displaying powers that range from the spectacular to the unconventional. These abilities often make characters memorable, drawing fans into their world.

However, not all heroes can get screen time. A lot of interesting characters with a lot of potential are overshadowed by the main protagonists. My Hero Academia No different, if multiple heroes could have made a bigger impact on the story My Hero Academia Decided to go that way.

Nieto monoma: A star shadow

Quirk: Copy

Neato Monoma can copy the quirks of others with physical contact, which is a limitation of his power as he cannot access quirks that depend on resources stored within the person, such as the fat absorption of fat gum. Monoma proved to be one of the most important strategies in strategy My Hero Academia Season 7, copying Kurogiri's Warp Gate to keep the heroes around and constantly copying Eraser Head's Quirk to neutralize powerful villains. Despite the excellent execution of such important tasks, his role remained in the background

Monoma's strategic value is undeniable. Imagine if he was pushed to the front line multiple times, using a variety of quirks to outwit and defeat opponents. His potential for infiltration, support, and combat scenarios make his limited screen time a missed opportunity for deep storytelling.

Tokoyami Fumikage: The Power of Darkness

Quirk: Dark Shadow

Fumikage's Dark Shadow is a versatile quirk with offensive and defensive abilities that increase exponentially in the absence of light. His heroic abilities were demonstrated in battles like the UA Sports Festival and his internship with the Hawks, where he used dark shadows with precision and creativity. However, his moments of glory were sporadic and often sidelined by several prominent characters.

With his relationship with Hawks and the underutilized synergy between his quirks and strategic planning, Fumikage was in a position to contribute more to missions that required stealth and raw power. The contrast between his quirk's weaknesses and strengths in different lighting conditions also provides room for subtle development that remains largely unexplored.

Tenya Iida: The invisible speedster

Quirk: Eng

Tenya Iida's quirk, Engine, allows him to have engines in his legs, giving him impressive speed and agility. Most of the time, speedsters in any superhero story are the game changers and arguably the most broken or overpowered characters, but Iida never gets the spotlight despite being a disciplined and capable leader. His standout moments include his fight against Stan and rescuing civilians in emergency situations, showing that he has abilities as a strategist and fighter.

Remember my name as long as you live! – Tenya Aida

If used to its full potential, the Iida can bring unique dynamics to rescue missions, chases and high-speed combat. The mechanics of his quirk, including removing exhaust pipes to gain temporary performance boosts, deserved more attention in the story due to its complexity.

Eri: Rewind with unlimited potential

Quirk: Rewind

Eri's quirk, Rewind, enables her to return a person or any living thing to a previous state, and with this, the potential applications are endless. She had her powers to pull off the overhaul and heal Mirio Togata, but after that, she didn't do much. Since Ari is a character who is deeply connected to the heroes' actions to take down the villain, her quirk can change the course of many fights.

Arie's understanding and development of control over her quirks can add layers to the story. Imagine the moral dilemmas and strategic decisions involving her powers, such as reversing injuries or incapacitating villains by rendering them vulnerable. His exclusion from major battles leaves a gap in the series' exploration of extraordinary quirks. But it's understandable that she's just a kid, and they don't want to use her quirk after what happened to her.

Hitoshi Shinso: A mind control master in waiting

Quirk: Brainwashing

Hitoshi Shinso can manipulate people by controlling their actions through his voice. Under Eraser Head's extreme training, Shinsō polished his skills and could get targets to perform more complex tasks. Despite how helpful he is in important missions, such as helping to betray the One for All in Season 7, Shinsō rarely appears for any action, which is unfortunate because, while undergoing extensive training and constantly demonstrating his determination to become one. Whenever the protagonist appears on screen, the show often sidelines him, causing him to be absent for the entire season.

From interrogation to crowd control, the sheer versatility of brainwashing makes Shinso one of the most underrated characters. My Hero Academia. With his strategic mindset and ability to render opponents powerless, Shinso combined with his uncanny intelligence and strategy could be a formidable hero on the front lines.

A wide variety of heroes exist My Hero Academia; Many of the quirks and complex histories can be fully fleshed out to give the series much-needed depth and spice. Characters like Neito Monoma, Tokoyami Fumikage, Tenya Iida, Eri, and Hitoshi Shinso epitomize the missed opportunities to emphasize the best side heroes. Their quirks bring many narrative and strategic possibilities that will be able to reshape key fights and arcs.

We as fans can only hope that these underrated characters will be given their due attention in any future adaptation or spin-off, giving them the opportunity to come out of the background and come forward as the heroes they've always wanted to be.