The 13 Most Powerful Characters On My Hero Academia, Ranked

The 13 Most Powerful Characters On My Hero Academia, Ranked

Brimming with altruistic heroes and nefarious villains, the world of My Hero Academia is even more action-packed than the Marvel and DC universes that loosely inspired it. With eighty percent of the global population supposedly possessing some kind of power, superheroes and supervillains are almost a-dime-a-dozen.

RELATED: My Hero Academia’s Best Characters, Ranked By Bravery

Of course, characters like All Might and All For One easily stand out from the rest, but there are plenty of up-and-coming Quirk users eager to usurp their places in society. Including Izuku Midoriya, Tomura Shigaraki, and plenty of other U.A. students and members of the League of Villains, these are My Hero Academia’s most powerful persons.

Updated on March 25th, 2022 by Tanner Fox: With the sixth season of the My Hero Academia anime set to debut in the fall of 2022, interest in the series isn’t likely to diminish any time soon. With the staying power of other shonen heavy-hitters like One Piece or Naruto, there’s quite a lot to like about My Hero Academia, and most of its appeal comes from its diverse cast of powerful characters.

With All Might stepping down as the Symbol of Peace in season three, there’s a power vacuum in Japan that still hasn’t been filled, though a handful of characters seem to be uniquely poised to fill it.

13 Eraserhead

Eraserhead from the My Hero Academia anime series.

While Eraserhead may be a powerful hero in his own right, it’s not necessarily his quirk that makes him so powerful. Having the ability to shut down the quirk of any opponent sounds helpful, but he can only keep that up for brief moments. Izuku is quick to point out that Eraserhead’s quirk is best suited to taking on villains one-on-one or while fighting from the shadows.

It is Eraserhead’s commitment to training and becoming better than what his quirk can offer that makes him a truly fantastic hero. Perhaps his perseverance and intelligence are his most valuable assets instead of his useful but limited quirk.

12 Thirteen

The pro hero Thriteen from the My Hero Academia anime series.

Having the power to create a vortex that can absorb anything and turn it into dust may seem like a pretty amazing ability, and, while it certainly has its uses—like when it comes to saving the lives of people trapped in debris after some sort of natural disaster—there are definitely some drawbacks.

It appears as though Thirteen needs a special suit to control and contain the power held within the suit. Plus, it seems like Thriteen’s vortex could turn into a serious hazard for her allies in some circumstances. Still, a valuable asset to do-gooders, Thirteen seems to have earned her place among Japan’s hero elite.

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11 Tomura Shigiraki

Tomura Shigaraki from the My Hero Academia anime series.

While being able to turn any one of your enemies into dust with a simple touch of all five fingers may seem like a powerful quirk, it’s also quite flawed. This quirk can only be utilized in very close quarters, and it appears that Shigiraki doesn’t have much control over the quirk—at least initially—which would understandably make living a normal life difficult.

Shigaraki’s character is fleshed out quite a bit during his battle against Re-Destro in Season 5, and his terrifying power makes his role as a villain feel as if it were inevitable. Plus, the heir apparent to All For One’s throne, Shigaraki is well connected and extremely dangerous.

10 Bakugo

Katsuki Bakugo from the My Hero Academia anime series.

While Bakugo has always been one to boast about how powerful and naturally gifted he is, once he begins attending U.A., his world opens up quite a bit. His quirk allows him to secrete nitroglycerin from his hands and ignite it on command. Bakugo’s fiery temper betrays his incredible discipline and undeniable skill as an up-and-coming hero.

RELATED: 5 Times Bakugo Was My Hero Academia’s Best Hero (& 5 Times It Was Midoriya)

Though hot-headed and jealous, he’s eager to keep up with his classmate and lifetime rival Izuku Midoriya. Part of Bakugo’s power comes from the confidence he has built up from childhood, and, while that may be enough to get him to U.A., he’ll have to learn to control his temper and further hone his skill to remain as one of My Hero Academia’s most powerful characters.

9 Shoto Todoroki

Shoto Todoroki from the My Hero Academia anime series.

Much like Bakugo, Todoroki has had a strange relationship with his power from a young age. While Bakugo began to view his power as a pedestal that would lift up him to star status like his hero, All Might, Todoroki learned to view his powers as more of a burden that linked him to his estranged father.

For most of his young life, Todoroki has struggled to unite with the part of his power that connects to Endeavor. However, in the second season, Izuku helped Todoroki begin to move past that inner conflict and understand that his powers are his own. While he remains a bit too pensive, he’s undeniably one of the strongest U.A. students.

8 Kurogiri

Kurogiri, Present Mic, and Eraserhead in the Tartarus prison in My Hero Academia.

While the My Hero Academia storyline abounds with tragic villains, few antagonists experienced as much agony as Kurogiri. First introduced as a close compatriot of All For One and Tomura Shigaraki, it’s later revealed that he was once a friend of Eraserhead who had been transformed into a Nomu-like beast.

Though his backstory may be upsetting, he’s an almost-invaluable asset to the League of Villains. Able to teleport his allies to and from their hideout and break them into otherwise secure areas, he helps to facilitate many of the group’s operations.

7 Overhaul

Overhaul from the My Hero Academia anime series.

The primary antagonist of the first half of My Hero Academia’s fourth season, Kai Chisaki, better known as Overhaul, becomes the leader of the Shie Hassaikai and plans to rid the world of quirks by manufacturing bullets imbued with Eri’s powers of reversal.

RELATED: 10 Anime Characters More Powerful Than My Hero Academia’s All For One

Though he comes across as relatively unimposing, when angered or threatened, Overhaul is capable of going to extreme lengths to maintain and protect his operation. Welding a terrifying body-morphing ability and seemingly able to kill with the mere brush of a hand, Kai Chisaki is easily one of the most intimidating villains in the My Hero Academia anime.

6 Eri

Eri from the My Hero Academia anime series.

When in the care of Kai Chisaki, Eri was put through countless abuses as the villain used her incredible powers to further his plot for domination. She was almost saved by Izuku Midoriya and Mirio Togata early on in Season 4, though her recapture only came after a hard-fought battle at the Shie Hassaiki hideout.

Later brought to live with and rehabilitated by the students of U.A.’s Class 1-A, Eri possesses the power to return a person’s body to a previous state. With it, she was able to instantly heal Deku as he pushed One For All far beyond the normal limits, but it could also potentially be used to rewind a person out of existence.

5 Gigantomachia

The villain Gigantomachia from the anime series My Hero Academia.

Though eventually defeated and imprisoned, Gigantomachia was perhaps All For One’s strongest and most loyal acolyte. A gargantuan beast possessing multiple quirks, the villain’s incredible strength and remarkable endurance made him a terrifying force for the forces of evil.

Able to defeat Tomura Shigaraki and the League of Villains in battle, few could stand in Gigantomachia’s path and live to tell the tale. In fact, he even managed to kill Pro Hero Majestic, and his only downfall stems from his simpleminded devotion to his master.

4 Hawks

Pro Hero Hawks from the My Hero Academia anime series.

The current number-two pro hero in the My Hero Academia anime, Hawks incredible skill and intelligence are at odds with his devil-may-care persona. His quirk, Fierce Wings, allows him to fly and launch razor-sharp feathers at his enemies, though it has its limits.

Hawks’ place in the anime is a bit convoluted; at first thought to be a traitor, Hawks is eventually revealed to be a triple-agent of sorts, masquerading as a hero while serving as an informant for the bad guys… while actually serving as an informant for the heroes. While his true allegiances aren’t totally clear, his abilities in battle are comparable to none.

3 Endeavor

A close-up of Endeavor, a hero from the My Hero Academia anime series.

The de-facto number-one hero following All Might’s retirement, Endeavor wields Hellflame, a powerful quirk that allows him to launch large blasts of fire from his body. Endeavor spent years in All Might’s shadow, and his resentment was such that he selectively bred and raised his children so that they might one day overtake the Symbol of Peace.

While Endeavor’s pride was his greatest weakness, he begins to make amends with his family in the series’ fifth season. Though he’s made plenty of mistakes in the past, Endeavor’s incredible power and potential as a hero is unmistakable.

2 All Might

The hero All Might from the My Hero Academia anime.

All For One stood nearly unopposed when he first rose to power, but he engendered a fatal flaw when he chose to force upon his meek brother a quirk. His brother was then able to pass this ability on, beginning a lineage of One For All users who dutifully opposed All For One.

Though Izuku Midoriya is the current holder of the power, he has yet to live up to the reputation of his mentor, All Might. The Symbol of Peace able to restore order in a world of chaos, All Might fought All For One to the near-death twice, something no other hero could manage.

1 All For One

All For One, the primary antagonist of the My Hero Academia anime series.

Undoubtedly the most powerful antagonist in the series, and overall the strongest character in My Hero Academia, All For One has the ability to steal the quirks of others and transfer them to either himself or to other people. A walking stockpile of stolen power, All For One has lived for a millennium and still reigns as one of the most dangerous men on the planet.

Though he operates from the shadows, he’s a major part of the League of Villains and the Paranormal Liberation Front, and he’s likely the only villain capable of taking All Might on in a one-on-one confrontation.

NEXT: 10 Best Arcs In The My Hero Academia Anime

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About The Author

Danny Hernandez
(97 Articles Published)

I am a freelance writer and an amateur human being. Stories and Storytelling have been my passions for as long as I can remember, whether it’s the stories written about superheroes, villains, or just people living in this world doing incredible and meaningful things. Stories are what interest me and writing has always been how I express that.

On the freelance side of things, I tend to focus on entertainment, geek culture, vegan living, and Los Angeles culture. I follow my interests and let my passions guide my voice. My writing is likely to reflect my curiosity at any given point, which can mean anything from an article on why the MCU needs Dr. Doom far more than the Fantastic 4 or something on what it’s like to be a millennial who’s aged out of the foster care system. I use writing as an avenue–an excuse to explore aspects of life and the world that I wouldn’t normally be able to.
I’m just a nerd hoarding knowledge hoping to share what I’ve learned and be heard.

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