22 My Hero Academia Main Characters Ranked From Worst to Best by Character Arc

I love My Hero Academia (I mean, who does not). The manga is currently at the amazing part, and studio Bones also did a wonderful job to adapt those panels into brilliant animated sequences. I already wrote some My Hero Academia related articles to prove my love for this anime. 

Note: This was edited by Cody Perez, not originally written by Cody. This post may not necessarily reflect the views of Cody Perez.

And here we are, into my other article to tell you all the greatness of My Hero Academia. Because today I am going to discuss about 22 My Hero Academia main characters ranked from worst to best by character arc. You may wonder why the hell there are so many main characters. Well, the answer is rather simple: Class A. 

Midoriya Izuku may be the real main character, but the fact that Horikoshi Kohei is able to emphasize each of the Class A students' personalities is astonishing for me. And if I want to, I can include other characters here because they are all their own main characters, but of course I cannot do that. 

And if you look carefully, there are only 20 students in Class A. Who might be the other 2? Well, it is a surprise (I kind of like surprises lol). So yeah, just read it until the end and you will find out eventually. And you may like it. Probably. Hopefully. 

So without further ado, let us start by our number 22:

My Hero Academia Main Characters Ranked From Worst to Best by Character Arc

22. Hagakure Tooru

I know the fact that I have said how cute Tooru is as a character, but when it comes to character arcs, we barely have seen anything that emphasizes her as a whole. There is even a big plot hole for her, like how the hell did she manage to pass the exam (well this also applies for some other characters though). 

But you know, they said that next season will be something massive. Perhaps this would be the chance for Tooru to have her own character arc, or at least where she can eventually become the main cast rather than the side character. We all can dream. 

21. Satou Rikidou

My Hero Academia's another character who has not shown to be the main cast in a certain arc. And even worse than Tooru, Rikidou had one arc that actually showed a rather worse side of him, which was back when he alongside Kirishima failed to pass the exam against Cementoss. 

The reason why I put her one rank above Tooru is because I know that Rikidou will presumably stay as a side character. Or rather, doomed to be one (that is my personal opinion though). But hey, I could be wrong. So again, we will see what happens to him in the upcoming seasons. Maybe Horikoshi has something in his mind. 

20. Kouda Kouji

Despite showing immense character development (one of the best, in my personal observation), Kouji still has not had his own character arc. Well there is one occasion when he shone, back when he brutally defeated Present Mic with bugs. 

You can say what you want, but that moment was pretty epic for a character like Kouji. But put that aside, we are still waiting for the day that Kouji will show his true strength and personality as a hero. And I am actually getting tired of saying this, but hey, we still got next seasons. We are all waiting, Horikoshi-sensei. We are all always waiting. 

19. Ojiro Mashirao

Mashirao's character is so bland, that I am rather confused on what to say about him (and I am not joking here). Forgive me for saying this, Mashirao fans, but since the beginning of the series, the gag of Mashirao being “normal” is starting to become real. 

There is honestly no moment for him where he truly shines as a character. He did ask Izuku for help to defeat Hitoshi and his brainwashing power. But really, that is all. He even got caught in the training between Class A and Class B. Hopefully his blandness will be spiced up by the creator of the series. 

18. Aoyama Yuuga

If it is not because of his eccentric personality, I would not probably put Yuuga here. The most defining moment of his was of course when he put that cheese on Izuku's balcony. I still remember how the internet went crazy and think he was some sort of a villain because of it (and I did think the same).

But it turns out that he was just trying to become Izuku's friend. That is all, nothing should be worried about. And there is also that one moment where he kind of saved Class-A, but that one event from season 5 was something that would never be forgotten.

17. Mineta Minoru

Despite having quite a lot of background appearances from the beginning to the last season, the only time Minoru got his real spotlight was when he single handedly took Midnight by himself. I even need to admit that it was quite a badass moment for him, and showed his intelligence. 

But the rest is actually the same with Aoyama. The reason (and quite an important reason) I put him above the rest is honestly because his perverted personality stands out the most. Like it is so apparent that you cannot ignore it. And for some people, it is really annoying and they start to hate him for that. 

16. Shouji Mezou

Even compared to some of the previous characters, Mezou has less screen time than them. And when it comes to personality, Mezou also does not have something unique that can set him apart from others. Heck he rarely even talks. 

But you know, for me Mezou is one of the most underrated characters in the series (of course that was my opinion). He did get a spotlight when he alongside Shouto and Izuku tried to save Katsuki. And also that filler when Momo, Kyouka, Tsuyu and him fought that intellectual girl in the hero provision exam. But yeah, we need to see more of Mezou. 

15. Ashido Mina

Another unfortunate case of a character who has a bright personality and also not actually a bad hero, but still somehow lacks character arcs. We did see Mina almost always appear in almost every arc, yet none of it is actually her character arc. 

Starting from the tournament arc, and then exam arc, training camp arc, hero provision arc, and the school festival arc (it is not every arc where she appears but I think it is sufficient as samples). But as I said, still no Mina character arc. Or at least the arc where she takes the spotlight. Well, only time will tell if she will actually get one. 

14. Sero Hanta

Hanta's case is really similar to Mina. So similar in fact that I am pretty confused about what to talk about him. Perhaps we can start by how amazing and chill Hanta is as a character without discarding the fact of his brilliance as a hero. Sadly the times when he got the spotlight made him look kind of lame. 

Like for example when he was obliterated by Shouto and when he fell asleep and got his a** saved by Minoru. There is a moment where Izuku, Ochako and him face a lot of students to pass the hero provision exam, but I doubt that can be included as his highlight. 

13. Kaminari Denki

If we want to set aside our discussion about character arc here, then I think I could put Denki quite up there because when he appears, we can almost always expect that idiotic “Yay” catchphrase of him. Sadly that would not really do for this list. 

I can however tell you an event where Denki actually shines, and that was when he fought that meaty guy from Shiketsu High to save Eijirou and Katsuki. He looked awesome back then. However, I still believe that people will remember him as a “Yay” guy or a walking charger. At least until he eventually got his own character arc. 

12. Tokoyami Fumikage

At this point, we are starting to have characters who have their own kind of “sort of” story arc. Not necessarily a big one, but it is still really good. And when it comes to Fumikage, the moment where he remembered his past during his time at Hawks' agency back in the 5th season, I know something was up. 

And I think that was the moment where Fumikage's true fighting style as a hero was almost completed. I do not think it is done yet, but I believe he will have something bigger in the next upcoming seasons. Especially knowing that he is among fans favorites. 

11. Asui Tsuyu

As far as I remember, this green haired frog still has not an arc where she is actually the main cast. Well there was one when she went to Selkie (that seal hero guy) to have an internship. But that was a filler, if you are unaware of that fact. 

However, that was actually a good filler, and it is canon that she worked there. It was just never shown how exactly the internship went. And aside from that, Tsuyu has been an amazing side character who always shows how useful she is whenever she gets the chance. It is always nice seeing Tsuyu on screen. 

10. Aizawa Shouta

I bet you are surprised to see him here (do not be shy, just admit it). Well since he is the homeroom teacher of Class A, I thought he can be considered as one of the main characters. And boy he did an amazing pseudo character arc back when the League of Villain infiltrated UA Academy. 

I talked about this before, but it was worth mentioning that Erasure has proven himself as a Tsundere who deeply cares about his students despite his cold demeanor. Oh, and also let us not forget that tear jerking moment between Erasure, Present Mic, and their old friend Shirakumo. That tiny arc was also brilliant. 

9. Jirou Kyouka

There is only one thing to talk about Kyouka (well not really but you get the point). That UA school festival arc was that time when she could show her true charm as someone who is really good at music. It was like that arc was to make solely for her. 

Of course it was not, but that was the point. It looks like it. But anyway, Kyouka still has other moments where she kind of played a big role like during the exam arc or anytime she needed to search for enemies whatever the occasion was. But definitely not as big as that particular arc. 

8. Yaoyorozu Momo

(Finally we got to talk about Momo again) For me, Momo has 3 occasions where she shines brightly. Yes, quite a lot is it not? Those moments were her rebirth at the exam arc, that time when she followed Izuku, Tenya, Eijirou, and Shouto to save Katsuki, showing her heroism, and lastly at the mock battle against Class B. 

Even though she lost, she has shown how great her leadership was. Of course you may argue that there are more arcs where Momo actually did great stuff. But in my opinion, those 3 were the ones that stand out the most compared to other arcs. 

7. Kirishima Eijirou

The manliest man in Class A had perhaps one of the most emotional battles in the series when he brawled against Rappa. I am sure that a lot of fans will tell you that it was the defining moment of the manly Kirishima Eijirou. 

Sure he was the one who initiated the rescue of Katsuki and did other stuff (and a lot of it, in fact). But in that fight vs Rappa with the help of Fatgum, we got a lot of information about Eijirou as a character. And that is how you know how good a story is if you learn something about a certain character. 

6. Iida Tenya

Tenya is a prime example (well as usual, in my humble opinion) on how the best of us can turn into the “dark side”. We all know him as a goody two shoes who always does his best to become a hero, but after that incident revolving around his brother and Hero Killer Stein, he got blinded and only wished for revenge. 

Luckily he got a good realization from Shouto and Izuku. That character arc was really amazing. And the rest of Tenya's screen time is… Well it is good, but for me it is not that character defining as this arc. But again, still good. 

5. Uraraka Ochako

Behind that cute bubbly smile, Ochako has a determination to help her parents' financial status (welp something that is pretty known among fans). Ochako got involved in a lot of major arcs, like the Chisaki arc, Katsuki kidnapping arc, and so on. 

While she did great jobs and accomplished a lot of things in those arcs, for me however, her brightest spotlight would be when she fought Katsuki in the tournament arc. That fight alone has erased our stigma of Ochako as your basic cutesy bubbly character, showing that she is more than just that. I do believe that she will go far in this series. 

4. Todoroki Shouto

Up until this point, we all can agree that these 4 characters are all the most defining casts in the series. Normally I would say this is my only opinion, but this time I do not need to say it because what I said is a fact. I mean, Todoroki is almost always involved in a lot of arcs, and he almost always played an important role as the main powerhouse. 

You can say which arc and I can tell you his contributions. However, his personal arc, his battle against Izuku in the tournament arc, still cannot be topped by another arc (and this time I will say that this is my opinion). 

3. Bakugou Katsuki

And now if we talk about Katsuki, his involvement in literally almost every arc cannot be left out. Granted that he is the main rival of the main character besides Shouto, but not even Shouto alone has an arc that is specifically dedicated for him. 

When Katsuki was kidnapped by The League of Villains, it sparked another arc, being the Kamino arc, and also the fact that Class A got a dormitory for themselves. And it ended up with one of the most emotional arcs, when Katsuki released his own sadness and sorrow to fight Izuku. His character development is the best by far, and fans will agree with this statement. 

2. Toshinori Yagi 

While All Might himself is not always involved in a certain arc, his appearances always make me excited. Nowadays it is because I can see a wholesome conversation between him and basically other characters. But back then, it was because I knew I could see an amazing battle. 

All Might did give us some of the best fights in the series, one against Nomu and the other one against All for One. That battle is not necessarily his character arc, since perhaps he has gone through it years ago at his prime. But boy was it a defining one. The impact of those battles were so big that they also affected some of the stuff we currently see in later seasons. 

1. Midoriya Izuku

I mean, are you guys surprised seeing him on the top of the list? He is the main character, of course he would be ranked as the number one for this list. Every single thing that happened in the series was for the purpose of Izuku's development. Even something that is seemingly unrelated like the villain arcs will be directed back to him. 

Remember when Tomura recruited new members like Dabi and Toga? They were a massive pain in the butt and caused him a major loss after they failed to rescue Katsuki. So I would not take any complaint by saying it should be another character blablabla nope. It should be Izuku.