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Clichés have become an inextricable element of shonen anime, from exaggerated power scaling to filler episodes, but there exist several tropes that apply to anime characters as well. Given My Hero Academia‘s vast cast, it seems inevitable that there would be at least some characters whose behaviors and backstories have been done to death in the genre.
That said, clichés aren’t necessarily negative aspects in a given narrative, as they can help establish the bedrock of the story without wasting too much time fleshing out minute character differences.
Manga Spoilers Below
10 Mirai Sasaki Is A Typical, Gruff, Hard-To-Please Shonen Character
Mirai Sasaki initially refuses to formally acknowledge Deku as One For All’s deserving successor, partly because of his fractious relationship with All Might, but mostly because he believes Mirio Togata to be the better choice. Sir Nighteye is one of those typical gruff shonen characters who aren’t easily pleased.
Mirai is firmly entrenched in his own visions of the future, much like Yamamoto Genryuusai from Bleach and Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, at least until the protagonist shatters them.
9 Kai Chisaki Is The Classic One-Dimensional Anime Villain
Kai Chisaki is the classic one-dimensional villain: incredible power and strategy but sorely lacking in moral justification. He enthusiastically tortures his adopted daughter to manifest his dream of a Quirkless world and callously disregards her suffering even after he is defeated.
Overhaul’s ego is incomprehensibly massive, but his inability to sync up his abilities and expectations leads to his downfall. Characters like Death Note‘s Light Yagami and Yu Yu Hakusho‘s Younger Toguro fall under the same umbrella.
8 Enji Todoroki’s Single-Minded Ambition Is Impossible To Achieve
Similar to Bleach‘s Suì-Fēng, Enji Todoroki wants nothing more than to bridge the impassable gulf between himself and his superior. However, both Yoruichi Shihoin and All Might consistently prove to their would-be dethroners that there is no possible way for them to catch up, regardless of how hard they may struggle.
Enji discards everything he loves in the process of achieving his goals but fortunately returns to being a half-decent father after coming to terms with his transgressions.
7 Cathleen Bate Is Built Entirely From Exaggerated American Stereotypes
Cathleen Bate is the only female character to be among the strongest heroes in the series. Although she’s unfortunately killed off, her impact on the final outcome of the story is quite significant.
Interestingly, Cathleen Bate doesn’t subscribe to standard shonen clichés, but the same cannot be said for the American stereotypes surrounding her character. Her hero name is Star and Stripe, her costume alludes to the U.S. flag, and she arrives in Japan standing atop a fighter jet.
6 Sorahiko Torino Pretends To Be A Stereotypical Feeble Old Man
Gran Torino pretends to be My Hero Academia‘s resident feeble old man, acting as if he can’t remember Deku’s name even though his mind remains as sharp as ever.
This particular caricature is one of shonen anime’s oldest clichés, seen in characters such as Master Roshi from Dragon Ball and Zeno Zoldyck from Hunter x Hunter. Gran Torino’s mask of senility is dispensed with when the Nomu attacks begin. There’s no looking back after this point.
5 Nemuri Kayama Is Yet Another Victim Of Shonen Fanservice
Nemuri Kayama’s provocative behavior is camouflaged as whimsical, but the truth is that she’s yet another victim of shonen fan service. She claims that her students’ innocence is an attractive feature, and she gets unjustifiably furious when her age is brought up in conversation.
Kayama sacrifices her life during the Paranormal Liberation arc, but her death barely makes a dent in the story. Her fate is comparable to that of Unohana Retsu’s from Bleach, who perishes after helping Zaraki Kenpachi achieve his true power.
4 All For One’s Personality Is Copy-Pasted From Other Shonen Villains
To call All For One’s antagonism over the top would be a huge understatement. The man lives and breathes pure evil. In fact, he is so self-centered that it’s nearly impossible for him to relate to anyone else’s problems, quite like Father from Brotherhood and Muzan from Demon Slayer.
Despite many of his personality traits being copy-pasted from shonen villains who have come before him, All For One is bathed in an aura of mystery and intrigue, making him one of the more interesting characters in My Hero Academia.
3 Tenya Ida Exhibits A Nerdy Love For Discipline And Authority
Tenya Ida is the poster-boy for discipline, often going to extreme lengths to enforce U.A.’s school guidelines on his peers. His nerdy love for authority is reflected in characters as diverse as Azazel Amero from Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun! and Bleach‘s Uryu Ishida.
Tenya displays nearly all the tropes associated with his character category, but that doesn’t mean he’s not charming. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – Tenya is beloved by every member of Class 1-A.
2 Chizome Akaguro’s Philosophies Include A Few Strands Of Anti-Heroism
Stain’s brand of villainy incorporates a few strands of anti-heroism, explaining why he’s a fan-favorite character. His ideological principles may be warped and meaningless, but what matters is that they are indestructible to the point of transforming him into a public idol within the My Hero Academia universe.
Dorohedoro‘s Caiman and Berserk‘s Guts follow the same clichéd line of thinking as Stain, even if their personalities are drastically different from each other.
1 Katsuki Bakugo’s Aggressive Delinquency Is Befitting Of A Shonen Protagonist
Bakugo’s aggressive, delinquent nature is befitting of a shonen protagonist like Yusuke Urameshi in Yu Yu Hakusho, Ryuko Matoi in Kill la Kill, and most of the JoJos in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures.
However, Bakugo’s ego and temper meld into a combustible cocktail that threatens to explode at any given point, destroying everyone in his path, driving him away from the path of heroism. In this regard, he’s more akin to characters like Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan and Inosuke Hashibira from Demon Slayer.
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