Summary
- Moonfish's mysterious disappearance leaves fans with questions about his past and the potential of his Quirk.
- Nezu's enigmatic origins as a Quirk-holding animal add depth to his character without revealing too much.
- Hawks' ambiguity and hidden motives keep fans intrigued, showcasing his popularity in the series.
Midoriya may be more than happy to tell a new friend or classmate everything about himself, but not every character in My Hero Academia is as honest and open as the plucky protagonist. In fact, there have been several individuals, heroes and villains alike, who have become known for always having an aura of mystery surrounding them, making them the common topic of online debates and discussions for many years.
My Hero Academia: 8 Villains Who Made The Biggest Impact On The Story, Ranked
My Hero Academia's world is packed full of dangerous villains, but these have been the ones who have had the biggest impact on the main story.
While the backstory, affiliation, and abilities of most of these characters would eventually be revealed a lot later in the story, some still have plenty of unanswered questions related to them which may never be fully addressed, which ultimately adds to their overall intrigue as a character. When looking back at the entire series of My Hero Academia, these are the characters who did the best job at keeping fans guessing through their mysterious and tight-lipped personas.
8 Moonfish
A Death Row Prisoner With An Incredibly Strong Quirk Ability
- First Appearance: Episode 41
Moonfish is the name of the villain who was previously put on death row because of the severity of his crimes, though he eventually managed to escape and teamed up with the League of Villains in the attack on the Forest Training Camp. His Quirk, Blade Tooth, was a real nightmare for the heroes to deal with due to its ferocious speed and strength, making it seem like he would be a key villain going forward.
In contrast, Moonfish would essentially be removed from the story entirely from then on, despite making a quick cameo in the final war. This has left many unanswered questions, such as what exactly he did to be put on death row in the first place, and his backstory in general of how he came to be a villain. Fans are also left to wonder just how deadly his Quirk could truly be if he were given more time to potentially awaken it by being pushed to his limit.
7 Nezu
Nezu's Mysterious Past Is Barely Ever Brought Up In The Story
- First Appearance: Episode 4
Though it's a very rare occurrence, it is possible for animals to possess Quirks, as is the case with Nezu, the principal of U.A High. What makes Nezu such a fascinating character is how his backstory is never officially shown, but still mentioned here and there in passing conversations. It's known that Nezu was experimented on by humans before he became a principal, but whether this was to give him a Quirk, or to analyze his existing one, is unclear.
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How Nezu managed to rise through the ranks to eventually become U.A's principal is also kept a mystery, though it's clear his high IQ plays a big part in why he earned the prestigious position. Despite making frequent appearances throughout the story, the specific details of Nezu's backstory aren't touched upon much at all any time he appears on-screen.
6 Kurogiri
Barely Anything Was Known About Shigaraki's Spooky Butler For Much Of The Series
- First Appearance: Episode 8
While Kurogiri has saved the League of Villains on several occasions with his Warp Gate, he has always felt like a member who was overshadowed by his loyal comrades, especially since Kurogiri gets apprehended so suddenly while the others grow and develop. What also added to the mystery of this creepy butler was the dark fog covering his face, making it impossible to deduce who it really was hiding behind the cold and eerie exterior.
Not long before the final war between the heroes and villains kicks off, Aizawa and Present Mic discover that, in a sad turn of events, Kurogiri is actually a Nomu who came from the corpse of their childhood friend, Oboro. The events leading up to this horrific transformation would be explored in the Vigilantes series, but for a good while, fans had no idea who Shigaraki's personal assistant was, and how he came to acquire such an immensely strong Quirk.
5 Hawks
Hawks Is An Incredibly Hard Character To Read, Making His Goals And Ambitions Ambigious
- First Appearance: Episode 87
When Hawks first shows up in the story, it's immediately clear that something is a little off about this young and charismatic Pro-Hero. Not long after his debut, Hawks is shown speaking to Dabi, as if to imply he's trying to work with the League in some way. For a while, fans were left scratching their heads at what Hawks' true motives could be, alongside how he ended up as a top 10 Pro-Hero at the young age of 20, considering his backstory isn't revealed until much later.
In reality, Hawks had infiltrated the enemy lines and was relaying information back to Endeavor and the heroes to help them in the inevitable final confrontation, though he ended up getting a lot of blood on his hands as part of the mission. Horikoshi has said before that the reason he thinks Hawks is so popular is because of how difficult he is to read as a character, which is undoubtedly a huge part of his appeal, alongside his flashy design and powerful Quirk.
4 En Tayutai
One For All's Sixth User Isn't A Man Of Many Words
- First Appearance: Episode 131
Out of all the previous users of One For All, En is one who feels especially mysterious, considering he's not given as much of a focus compared to the likes of Nana and Banjo. While it is known that he definitely went up against All For One in an attempt to defeat the evil mastermind for good, and would inevitably be forced to pass One For All to his successor, En's time as a crimefighter is never explored in any great depth.
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Fans also don't get to see all the creative ways En was able to use his Smokescreen Quirk, which no doubt would have been an extremely handy ability to use alongside One For All in the middle of battle. En may not have shown up a lot in the series, but it's fun to imagine the many epic journeys he went on as a previous user of the legendary One For All.
3 Dabi
There Was Clearly More To The Moody And Dangerous Dabi Than Met The Eye
- First Appearance: Episode 31
Dabi is a character who fans were itching to learn more about ever since he first showed up in the story. While Toga and Twice may be on the louder side, Dabi would always prefer to hide in the shadows, but his stitched-together skin and ferocious Blueflame Quirk, which is even more powerful than Endeavor's flames, made it clear that he was hiding something.
Dabi's identity sparked countless theories, though in the end, it would turn out that he was none other than Toya Todoroki, Endeavor's son, who was believed to have been killed in a tragic accident when he was still young while trying to prove himself to his father. Who Dabi really was, and how he came to acquire such a devastating power, was one of the most exciting subplots in the entire series which Horikoshi teased every now and again with small and subtle hints.
2 All For One
All For One's True Intentions Only Become Clear At The Very End Of The Story
- First Appearance: Episode 49
Despite All For One appearing in the Hideout Raid arc, fairly early on in the story, barely anything was revealed about the man himself and his true ambitions for multiple story arcs. While it was clear he was aiming to use Shigaraki as a vessel, and that he could also steal Quirks to give him a significant power boost in battle, why exactly All For One was carrying all of these evil deeds out is kept secret, until the final few chapters of the story.
All For One's complex relationship with his brother, paired with his obsession with becoming a "Demon Lord", prompted him to turn into the corrupt and violent villain he would eventually become. Having such a mysterious main antagonist made it extremely exciting whenever he showed up on screen, giving fans a chance to finally learn even the smallest tidbit of information regarding his shady past.
1 Hisashi Midoriya
Midoriya's Father Is Out There Somewhere, But His Exact Identity Still Isn't Known
- Mentioned In Episode 1
Midoriya's mother, Inko, shows up often in the series, but the protagonist's father is nowhere to be seen. This is despite the fact that author Horikoshi stated quite early on that he would include Midoriya's dad at some point in the story, but as the manga started coming to an end, it soon became apparent he wasn't going to make it in. From the tiny details that have been collected from the first chapter of the manga and external material, Hisashi Midoriya works overseas, and also possesses a Quirk that allows him to breathe fire.
Outside of that, nothing else is known as Midoriya's old man, with some fans even theorizing that he would end up being All For One himself. After all, why would Horikoshi mention Midoriya's father and then leave him absent from the story for so long? Even today, fans are still desperately trying to find even the vaguest clues about the true identity of Hisashi.
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
- Cast
- Daiki Yamashita, Kaito Ishikawa, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yuki Kaji, Ayane Sakura, Kenta Miyake, Aoi Yuki, Junichi Suwabe, Koki Uchiyama, Tarusuke Shingaki, Seiran Kobayashi, Kenjiro Tsuda, Fumiko Orikasa, Hikaru Midorikawa, Romi Park, Tomoyuki Shimura, Kei Shindo, Minori Chihara, Rie Murakawa, Yasuhiro Mamiya, Seiro Ogino, Masaaki Ihara, Takumu Miyazono, Kosuke Takaguchi, Mitsuki Nakamura
- Creator
- Kōhei Horikoshi
- Seasons
- 8
- Production Company
- Bones
- Number of Episodes
- 159
