My Hero Academia: Scariest Character Designs

Summary

• Nomu’s giant exposed brain with eyes is a chilling visual that sticks with fans long after they’ve seen it.
• Gang Orca’s humanoid orca design is terrifying to gaze at.
• Toga’s sinister smile and eerie design invoke fear in the reader or viewer since there’s no telling what she’s truly thinking.

While the wonderful world and compelling characters of My Hero Academia are what played the biggest part in surging it into mainstream popularity, another crucial factor is the designs. Author Kohei Hirokoshi is undoubtedly one of the best in the business when it comes to creating fun and vibrant appearances for his characters, but he’s also clearly got a knack for conjuring up some designs which are a little more eerie and terrifying as a way to emphasize a character’s underlying powers or evil ambitions.

While this obviously applies mostly to the villains seen in the series, there have even been a few heroes who manage to look just as scary due to their intimidating appearance, even though they might not intend to. With the My Hero series now finished and a ton of characters being introduced throughout its runtime, it’s time to reflect on those who are the most spine-chilling from a purely visual standpoint.

8

Nomu

A Hulking Behemoth That Looks Like A Science Experiment Gone Horribly Wrong

• First Appearance: Episode 8

Though there have technically been multiple Nomus throughout the series, the very first one who appears in the U.S.J arc would be especially creepy when it came to its design. The most notable aspect of Nomu is the giant exposed brain that contains an eye plugged into each side of it, making for a pretty disturbing visual right off the bat.

What also ramps up the intensity of Nomu’s design is his size, being roughly twice as large as All Might, who is already considered a giant by human standards. His gigantic muscles and formidable frame, paired with those crazy eyes that never lose sight of his next victim, make Nomu a rather chilling villain to look at.

7

Gang Orca

The Humanoid Killer Whale Looks As Terrifying As It Sounds

• First Appearance: Episode 57

Despite being a Pro Hero whose job is to protect society from those who wish to destroy it, Gang Orca could easily be mistaken for a villain at first glance considering his intimidating appearance. As his name implies, Gang Orca is essentially a humanoid killer whale who retains the head of the animal, while the rest of his body is more in line with a regular human, resulting in a slighty weird and quite eerie design which looks especially sinister whenever Orca gets angry.

Orca will expose his razor-sharp teeth when pushed to his limit, and his pupils will often turn into spirals as he gazes upon his prey, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. There are many animalistic humanoid characters introduced throughout the My Hero story, but while most are made to look cute and innocent, the same cannot be said for Gang Orca.

6

Juzo Honenuki

Despite Being A Promising Hero, Juzo’s Design Is Pure Nightmare Fuel

• First Appearance: Episode 15

Many fans have compared Juzo’s facial design to that of Eren’s Attack Titan from the Attack on Titan series, and while they certainly look similar, it also emphasizes just how spine-chilling Juzo’s appearance truly is. Though Juzo’s body isn’t all that unordinary when in his regular academy uniform, unfortunately for him, it’s his facial features which make this guy so nightmarish from a visual standpoint.

While his eyes are always shown to be wide open with single black pupils peering into the souls of his enemies, he also possesses fang-like teeth which are permanently exposed for everyone to see. In truth, Juzo is nowhere near as terrifying as his design might suggest, but it’s certainly still an effective tool for scaring off any weak villains he comes across.

5

Himiko Toga

Toga’s Spine-Chilling Facial Expressions Make It Hard To Guess What’s Going On In Her Twisted Mind

• First Appearance: Episode 26

Very rarely is Toga, a dangerous member of the League of Villains, ever seen without a sinister smile splashed across her face. In many ways, Toga’s design feels like Horikoshi created a normal schoolgirl, and tried to find subtle ways to make her look as chilling and sinister as possible, creating a character who effortlessly freaks characters out from her appearance alone.

It’s a design which always makes it seem like there’s something a little off with Toga, rather than making her look like a full-blown evil mastermind, which is why it ends up being so scary, especially when she begins smiling with glee after stumbling upon a potential new ‘friend’.

4

Tomura Shigaraki

The Creepy Hands Cover Shigaraki’s Body, Paired With His Emotionless Expressions, Make Him A Sinister Fellow To Look At

• First Appearance: Episode 8

While Shigaraki does take on a few different appearances over the course of the story, his debut design, which would see him covering his face and much of his body with severed hands, is undoubtedly his most iconic and creepy to look at. All that can be seen from Shigaraki’s face in this design is a single eye which either appears emotionless, or with a sadistic look when he has his sights on his latest victim.

On the odd occasions Shigaraki does decide to remove his mask during the early arcs, the menacing smile that covers his face, such as when he approaches Deku in the mall, makes him even more of a sinister sight. The fact Shigaraki can appear so terrifying, without being a physical powerhouse, is a testament to Horikoshi’s masterful character designs that he can invoke such an emotion from readers while still making him look fairly weak as a hand-to-hand combatant.

3

Stain

The Sadistic Hero Killer Possesses An Eerie Appearance That Invokes Fear In The Eyes Of Anyone Who Dares Cross His Path

• First Appearance: Episode 30

Stain’s unorganized and messy appearance is emblematic of his role in society. He’s far from a hero, and while he could be considered a villain, he doesn’t see himself this way personally, considering he’s only trying to kill heroes who are ‘undeserving’ of the title. Therefore, while he may have some aspects similar to heroes, such as his mask, he also is strapped from head-to-toe with an array of swords and blades, alongside having long red and white rags blowing from behind him.

Pair all of this with his devilish eyes, which are often seen glowing in the darkness, and it results in a terrifying design which does an excellent job at emphasizing just how dangerous this guy really is. Stain would take on a slightly more casual look later on in the series, but when he was sporting his ‘hero killer’ appearance, there was always an aura of intensity surrounding him.

2

Deku (Vigilante)

Deku’s Horrific Vigilante Design Would Be A Stark Contrast To His Traditionally Vibrant Costumes

• First Appearance: Episode 132

Late in the story of My Hero Academia, Midoriya decides to leave the academy and his friends behind, becoming a kind of ‘vigilante’ who takes on a much more stoic persona, and also an entirely new look. This is a design which manages to look so absurdly powerful that it’s scary, with black bolts of lightning shooting around Deku as he wears a rag-tag costume which looks like something a villain would throw; certainly not befitting of a hero.

His mask, which once looked fun and innocent, is now torn and shredded, with his eyes turning a bright green as they peak out from his darkened mask. Nobody could have ever expected Midoriya would ever look this terrifying in the series, considering he’s the main protagonist and a real good guy at heart, but once again, Horikoshi blew fans away with this unexpected appearance, which manages to look both badass, and incredibly freaky.

1

Moonfish

An Unnerving Design Which Looks Like Something Ripped Straight Out Of A Horror Manga

• First Appearance: Episode 41

Though Moonfish doesn’t get quite as much screen time as some of the other villains, he certainly still made an impression on fans due to his frankly bizarre and quite disturbing design. Since Moonfish is an escaped death-row inmate, his entire body is constricted by what looks like a pitch-black straight jacket, with only his mouth being exposed.

However, Moonfish can never be seen smiling or even having a grin on his face, as in stark contrast, his mouth always makes it look like he’s in extreme pain due to the hooks that have been dug into it, which only adds to the scare factor of this maniacal villain. Even when Moonfish stands still, he can be extremely haunting to look at, but it’s when he tries to squirm around in his suit, and when he unleashes his tentacles from his mouth, that he becomes pure nightmare fuel.