Looking back, the My Hero Academia anime has done fairly well with its main character, Izuku Midoriya/Deku. Though formulaic in many ways, Deku won over shonen fans as a hardworking, kind-hearted kid who knew what it felt like to be different. Deku was the right one to gain One For All and fight for a world of peace and equality when Quirks threatened to tear society apart. Yet some anime MCs are even better, much to their credit.
Some anime MCs are even better than Deku because they do something similar, but in a more compelling or memorable way. That includes good-hearted shonen leads who fight for justice, antiheroes with serious depth, or even drama protagonists who have some cool twists to their design. All of these characters show that while Deku is pretty neat, anime MCs can still do more.
10 Anime MCs Better Than Ichigo Kurosaki
Ichigo is a great protagonist, but these anime MCs are just better.
Ichigo Kurosaki is a Swordsman With a Wounded Heart and Punk Attitude
Ichigo Didn't Even Need School to Master His Powers
It's easy to compare shonen action leads, since they usually come out of the same mold as teenagers with supernatural powers. Deku does this well, but Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach does it even better in the long run. Personality-wise, Ichigo has more texture than Deku does, with Ichigo being a naturally kind person who hardened his heart after his mother's death. Ichigo's punk attitude was a defensive mechanism, one that he gradually scaled back to show his true self once again.
Ichigo also wowed anime fans with his stellar growth as a Soul Reaper, and he didn't even need a school like UA to pull it off. Ichigo's constant need for training may mirror Deku's own, but the similarities end there. Ichigo beats Deku in this arena because mastering his powers meant facing his inner Hollow and even asking himself some tough questions about why he fights. The shocking truth of Ichigo's Quincy heritage also helped flesh out Masaki's character while also explaining the origins of the first Zangetsu spirit.
Aqua Hoshino is Hiding Dire Secrets as a Man in a Teenage Boy's Body
Aqua's Thirst For Revenge Might Be the End of Him
Some non-action anime MCs can compete with the likes of Deku, such as Aqua Hoshino in Oshi no Ko. Aqua can't throw a punch, but he can immerse himself in a fascinating tale of revenge, rebirth, loss, and painful lies. Aqua and his twin sister Ruby are emblematic of Oshi no Ko's memorable themes of the entertainment industry's lies and crimes with its young talent. Aqua lost his mother to that industry, and he might lose himself as well, interestingly enough.
Aqua always steals the show in Oshi no Ko as a deceptively smart and driven teenage boy who is actually Dr. Gorou Amamiya reborn as Ai Hoshino's son. Aqua deftly juggles his risky revenge scheme, his weird romance with Akane Kurokawa, his burgeoning entertainment career, and even some humor in one fantastic character arc. Deku has fought against impossible odds before, but at least he's got a Quirk, while Aqua has nothing but his brains and a desperate need to see his mother avenged.
Monkey D. Luffy Has Become Symbolic of Freedom For People Around the World
Real-Life Protests Follow Luffy's Example
Monkey D. Luffy of One Piece fame is another action star who manages to beat Deku at his own game. Both are wonderful shonen leads who inspire fans to go Plus Ultra or face the horizon with enthusiasm, but Luffy does it even better. Like Deku, Luffy gained a supernatural power one day, then trained hard to make the most of it and save the day. The difference is that Luffy is largely self-taught and has overcome even greater odds than Deku has.
Luffy invented his Gears, a fine example of his hands-on grit and cleverness at play, and now he's inspiring everyone as the incarnation of Nika via Gear 5. Luffy and his crew are so awe-inspiring that they and their Jolly Roger have become symbols of real-life protests against oppression and inequality. As much as Deku wants to be a symbol of peace, not even he has pulled off such an astonishing feat.
Thorfinn Karlsefni Faced His Self-Inflicted Inner Demons at Ketil's Farm
Thorfinn Had to Lose Everything Before Finding His Way
Not unlike Aqua Hoshino from Oshi no Ko, Thorfinn Karlsefni from the historic anime series Vinland Saga is cooler than Deku because his arc is so painfully personal. Deku may have dealt with self-doubt and loss before, but such hard-hitting themes are the core of Thorfinn's character, not just one element of it. It was devastating to see the grieving, angry Thorfinn lose his chance at revenge, only to end up a slave on a farm with no hope.
8 Anime MCs Better Than Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto Uzumaki is an amazing MC, but these characters could be considered even better.
Or rather, no hope that Thorfinn could see at first, because it wasn't all over just yet. Incredibly, Thorfinn found a way to overcome his inner demons and finally absorb Askeladd's lessons about the meaning of life, and it meant everything. That made Thorfinn far more inspiring than Deku thanks to Vinland Saga's robust writing, and it's all more grounded and realistic, too.
Edward Elric Learned a Grim Lesson About an Alchemist's Hubris
Ed and His Brother Are Making Up For the Mistakes of the Past
Some anime heroes focus a little less on power scaling and more on the personal aspect of power and fighting. Deku was the opposite, emphasizing Quirk power and training while the personal side was a bonus. In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, it's entirely personal for Edward Elric. He and his brother Alphonse lost too much in their hubris, referring to the time they thought they could cheat nature's laws by reviving their mother. That plot twist alone made Edward one of anime's finest MCs.
From there, Edward feels a tad formulaic but also refreshingly inventive as a shonen protagonist. He's all about science, alchemy, martial arts, and clever tricks rather than something like the Kamehameha or Detroit Smash, and it always looks good. Edward is also charmingly flawed as a free-spirited, hot-headed wanderer who will save Amestris on his own terms.
Denji is a Wonderfully Deconstructive Shonen Lead Who Dreams Small
Denji's Constant Suffering Feels More Realistic Than Deku's Own Struggles
Denji, just like Edward Elric and Thorfinn, proves how a strong personal angle means much more than reckless power scaling to make an anime MC worthwhile. Chainsaw Man does up the ante over time with stronger assassins and devils, and Denji keeps fighting harder to defeat them, but that's not the main point. The heart of Denji's character is how he will always be a lost, vulnerable youth who can't fill that void in his heart.
Denji is sympathetic and realistic as a miserable teen who just wants basic comforts such as shelter, food, and love to feel like his life is worth living. It's far humbler than anything Deku does in My Hero Academia, and that actually works in Denji's favor. It also reinforces the fresh novelty of Denji's subversive character, with him fighting so desperately for so little. Any anime fan who feels down on their luck or lost in life will relate much more to Denji than they will to Deku.
My Hero Academia
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
Cast
-
Daiki YamashitaIzuku Midoriya (voice) -
Kaito IshikawaManga Fukidashi (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
- Studio
- Bones
- Franchise
- My Hero Academia
- Production Company
- Bones
- Number of Episodes
- 159
