Minor Characters Who Made A Big Impact

Summary

• Minor characters in My Hero Academia play pivotal roles in the story’s progression.
• Mei, Kurogiri, and others step up, showing the impact of characters beyond the main heroes.
• Unexpected character actions influence major events, showcasing the depth of the series.

My Hero Academia is renowned for its character variety. While many of the heroes begin to fade into the background a little as the story goes on, that doesn’t mean they remain out of the action completely. Now and then, a character who seemed unimportant will end up drastically changing the course of the story. Sometimes it’s due to their powerful Quirk. Other times, it’s through their underlying dedication and passion to the cause — whether that be for the sake of justice or evil.

While Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugo, and several other key characters take up much of the spotlight, it’s always a treat to watch a side character step up to the plate. These are shining examples of My Hero Academia characters who, despite playing a smaller role in most of the arcs, ended up changing the course of the story through their actions.

This list will contain spoilers for the story of My Hero Academia, including the end of the manga.

8

Mei Hatsume

Quick Thinking Prevented Shigaraki From Destroying Cities

• First Appearance: Episode 15

Mei doesn’t get much screen time in My Hero Academia, but when she does show up, she’s usually in the middle of fixing up a new suit or gizmo for Midoriya to use in his next mission. When the final war kicks off, and everyone begins participating in the war effort, fans wondered how Mei would contribute to the resistance — or if she would at all, considering she’s not much of a fighter.

She ended up hatching an ambitious plan that would save countless lives. By creating a floating arena which could be used to trap Shigaraki and keep him elevated in the sky, Mei ensured the villain couldn’t obliterate an entire city with a single touch. Though Shigaraki does eventually get thrown out of the arena by Midoriya, Mei’s quick thinking and engineering skills still proved extremely useful in limiting his power.

7

Kurogiri

The Mysterious Villain Becomes An Invaluable Asset For The Heroes

• First Appearance: Episode 8

Kurogiri felt like he was removed from the series after he was apprehended by the heroes early on in the story. As a result, while Shigaraki, Dabi, and the other members of the League were able to grow and mature over the course of the story, Kurogiri only received small mentions here and there.

Later down the road, Kurogiri becomes much more relevant when Aizawa begins trying to force information out of him. This eventually leads the heroes to the hospital where Dr. Garaki was hiding. Kurogiri’s portals would also become useful for executing the heroes’ divide and conquer strategy in the final war against Shigaraki and All For One.

6

Gentle

Makes A Grand Return And Saves A Bunch Of Lives

• First Appearance: Episode 176

Gentle Criminal and his companion La Brava showed up to take on Midoriya during the School Festival. Despite having great backstories and being fun characters, it seemed as though the duo were a one-time act. Compared to the League of Villains, who remained a major focus for most of the story, Gentle didn’t come across as important to the wider plot. That is, until he shows up during the final war.

As the U.A. floating fortress is about to crash into the ground, which would have killed all the students and heroes aboard, Gentle appears and uses his Elasticity Quirk to soften the landing. As a villain, he seemed like little more than a minor bump in the road, but he eventually became a hero in his own right.

5

Hitsohi Shinso

Brainwash Quirk Becomes Incredibly Useful

• First Appearance: Episode 15

Back during the U.A. Sports Festival, it felt like Shinzo’s purpose was to showcase the guilt of having a Quirk that might be seen as villainous for those who wanted to be heroes. After that arc, Shinso doesn’t appear again until the Joint Training arc, where he again only plays a small role in helping Midoriya train after he unleashes Blackwhip for the first time.

In the battle against All For One and Shigaraki, though, Shinso stepped out of the shadows to become a true team player, and he saves the heroes’ backsides on more than a few occasions. The biggest example is how he was able to brainwash Gigantomachia, who was making quick work of the heroes due to his immense power and strength. Shinso was able to restrain it long enough for it to turn on its own master, All For One.

4

Skeptic

Used His Tech Skills To Help Engineer The Collapse Of Hero Society

• First Appearance: Episode 108

Because Skeptic was often overshadowed by the real leader of the Meta Liberation Army, Re-Destro, this lackey came across as just another goon whom the heroes would presumably deal with sooner or later. To the surprise of many fans, though, Skeptic manages to evade capture for much of the series, long enough for him to set up a national broadcast for Dabi’s Dance. This event single-handedly destroyed the population’s trust in hero society.

As Dabi talks about the abusive upbringing he faced at the hands of his father, Endeavor, alongside the fact that heroes such as Hawks were more than happy to murder in cold blood, Skeptic was streaming the whole thing for the world to see and react to. He may have seemed like little more than an irritating thug at first, but Skeptic’s impact on the story cannot be understated.

3

Lady Nagant

Ensured Shigaraki Couldn’t End The War Too Soon

• First Appearance: Episode 133

Lady Nagant is a hero-turned-villain who first debuts during the Dark Hero arc. Despite putting up an admirable fight against Midoriya, he eventually takes her out and seemingly locks her away for good. Considering she was apprehended so fast, and came into the story at a time when All For One and Shigaraki had become the main focus, Nagant seemed like a minor character in the grand scheme of things.

However, amidst all the chaos going on due to the war, Nagant is able to escape prison and heads to the battlefield fast enough to fire a rifle bullet at Shigaraki’s hand, moments before he was about to touch the ground of the floating arena. The war would have ended right there and then if this side character hadn’t taken action when Shigaraki was ready to obliterate everything in sight.

2

Edgeshot

A Forgettable Pro Hero Saves Bakugo’s Life

• First Appearance: Episode 46

When it comes to the Pro-Heroes of U.A., it’s mostly All Might, Endeavor, and Hawks who hog most of the spotlight. Edgeshot becomes something of an afterthought not long after he’s introduced. Though he has a cool design and does partake in a few fights here and there, he seems rather ordinary compared to his peers. But when Bakugo has his heart torn to pieces, Edgeshot decides to use his Zenith technique to bring the aspiring hero back to life.

While this left a lasting effect on Edgeshot’s body, being able to revive Bakugo proved to be crucial in the war effort. He went on to defeat All For One not long after that, as well as saving All Might from certain death. There’s no doubt the war would have gotten even uglier had Edgeshot not swooped in when he did.

1

Yuga Aoyama

A Student Who’d Been Hiding A Dark Secret

• First Appearance: Episode 4

It can be hard to stand out as a member of a class filled with fun, vibrant, and exuberant characters. Though Yuga did manage to feel unique thanks to his cheeky personality and odd Quirk ability, fans weren’t given much of a reason to focus on him, considering he was just one of several students who were introduced all at the same time.

This is why it comes as such a shock when it’s revealed, not long before the final war kicks off, that Yuga had been conspiring with All For One all along. The mastermind was also responsible for giving Yuga his Quirk. Yuga only did this because All For One was blackmailing him, and clearly felt mentally troubled by the whole ordeal. However, this does still mean he was responsible for leading the villains to Midoriya and the other heroes at numerous points throughout the story, making him far more important than anyone could have anticipated.