My Hero Academia Characters Who Suffered The Most

My Hero Academia may be one of the more jovial shonen anime around, but that doesn’t mean that its characters haven’t witnessed their fair share of sadness in this title. Countless fans can’t help but feel for these heroes and villains, many of whom have endured a ton of stressful situations in life.

In some instances, these moments harden a hero’s resolve to ensure that peace is maintained in the world. Meanwhile, the villains can find their erroneous beliefs justified by the trials they underwent in the past, making their hatred for heroes understandable to an extent.

Shoto Todoroki

The Abuse He Faced At The Hands Of His Father Was Horrible

• Debut: “What I Can Do for Now” (Episode 5)

From the moment Todoroki debuted, it was clear that he hid one half of his powers and only focused on using his ice abilities. A motivating talk by Midoriya made him realize that his hatred for his father didn’t justify him not giving it all as a future Pro Hero.

Eventually, fans learn about the events that shaped Todoroki as a person, with his father’s relentless pressure and abuse getting to both him and his mother. The fact that she was so traumatized after seeing his flames that she burned his face with hot water in a panic is a testament to just how traumatized the entire family was by Endeavor’s actions.

Shota Aizawa

Seeing His Friend Turned Into A Nomu Was Hard To Digest

• Debut: “What I Can Do for Now” (Episode 5)

At a glance, Aizawa just seems like the run-of-the-mill effortlessly cool sensei who can put no foot wrong. However, as the series progresses, fans get to see another side of his character.

Both he and Present Mic were close friends with Oboro Shirakumo, a dear friend who lost his life to a villain. To make matters worse, his corpse was recovered and turned into a Nomu, further traumatizing his two closest friends when they uncover this heinous truth.

Dabi

His Need To Earn His Father’s Approval Ended Up Being Deadly For Him

• Debut: “The Aftermath of Hero Killer: Stain” (Episode 31)

Before he became Dabi, Endeavor’s child was known as Toya Todoroki. He always strove to perform at his best and lost himself in his goal to make his father proud, even though his body couldn’t handle the intensity of his flames.

This culminated in a horrid moment where he lost control of his powers, with everyone wondering how he’d been burned to a crisp. He then joined the League of Villains and used his patented blue flame to great effect against the heroes he started to hate, all because of his father’s abuse.

Himiko Toga

Could’ve Gone Down A Different Path In Life Had Her Parents Not Demonized Her

• Debut: “The Aftermath of Hero Killer: Stain” (Episode 31)

A Quirk that involves drinking blood is bound to raise conflicted feelings in a child, but Himiko should’ve been guided by supportive parents who’d love and care for her despite her oddities. Instead, she was constantly derided and forced to adopt a sense of normalcy by her parents, who had already painted her as a villain in their eyes.

With the support of family and friends, Himiko could’ve processed her feelings and learned how to use her Quirk for good. Instead, after the pressure of being normal broke her, she committed an attack on a classmate that turned her into a fugitive, with her parents wasting no time in disowning her in front of the media by calling her a demon.

Tomura Shigaraki

A Harrowing Backstory Makes It Easy To Sympathize With This Horrible Villain

• Debut: “Bakugo’s Start Line” (Episode 8)

Shigaraki’s backstory is one of the most tragic ones in My Hero Academia history. He was unlucky enough to be born to a father who hated heroes and abused his children whenever they glorified their actions.

By the time he saw the light, it was too late. Shigaraki didn’t understand how his powers worked and accidentally caused his family to Decay, traumatizing him as he accepted himself to be a villain and killed his father before eventually coming under All for One’s wing.

Twice

The Split Personality Disorder He Suffered Because Of His Quirk Made Life Very Challenging For Him

• Debut: “Drive It Home, Iron Fist!!!” (Episode 43)

The idea of a person with cloning powers having mental problems stemming from a sense of dissociative identity is an interesting angle to explore. This is why Twice was unable to form more than one clone, not wanting to split apart and lose his sense of self in the process.

This ordeal caused him no end of problems, resulting in him being in a constant battle with his mind. Thankfully, seeing Himiko on the brink of death helped him overcome these anxieties, with his Quirk becoming more potent and impressive than ever before.

Yuga Aoyama

The Pressure Of Having To Deal With All Might Threatening His Family Must’ve Been A Huge Burden

• Debut: “Start Line” (Episode 4)

At a glance, Yuga may seem like a goofy student whose nausea-inducing powers are more trouble than they’re worth. However, over time, fans come to realize the tough time he’s going through.

With his family being blackmailed by All for One, Yuga had no choice but to operate as the U.A. Traitor, causing him no end of grief. Eventually, he manages to use his position as an informant to try and trick All for One, which is a moment he reached after his friends refused to give up on him.

Izuku Midoriya

Lived A Quirkless Life Despite His Dreams And Exploded His Body With One For All Many Times

• Debut: “Izuku Midoriya: Origin” (Episode 1)

Midoriya has faced a ton of strife in his journey to be a Pro Hero. After dreaming of being a hero as strong as All Might, his hopes were dashed when it was revealed that he was Quirkless.

Even after a stroke of luck led to him becoming All Might’s successor, he still had to face his fair share of obstacles in order to live up to his favorite hero’s legacy. The Quirk blasted his body to smithereens multiple times and caused unbelievable levels of pain, something that he didn’t manage to control until way later in the series’ run.