My Hero Academia is known for its intense battles and memorable characters. Since the series debuted in 2016, audiences have been fully immersed in the narrative, cheering on their favorites, feeling every struggle with the cast, and eagerly awaiting the climactic finale that aired on December 13, 2025, nearly ten years later.

While the series had its ups and downs, some elements stand out for the darkness hidden just below the surface. Many fans may be aware of these facts, yet they aren’t widely discussed in depth, despite the fact that they add greater depth to the storyline and character development.

Discrimination Against Quirkless and Mutant Types

Quirks in My Hero Academia are often something to be proud of and admire, however, there are individuals within society who don’t benefit from this framework. The 20% of people who are born without a quirk, like Izuku Midoriya at the start of the series, risk facing bullying from their peers and struggle with the burden of feeling othered.

Similarly, prejudice and discrimination also target those whose quirks visibly alter their bodies, with mutant-type individuals enduring harassment and even outright violence like Shoji had in his past. It was also seen in Season 6 when Deku saved an innocent woman who was targeted simply due to her appearance.

Normalization of Child Soldiers

As the series unfolded and greater threats emerged, Class 1-A played a central role in the battle against All For One and Shigaraki. This was especially evident during the Final War, when the fate of the world rested in the hands of Deku and Bakugo. Bakugo played a major role in holding the line before Deku arrived on the scene.

These are characters who were still in their first year in high school, no older than 16 or 17. Rather than relying on seasoned pros, adults placed immense weight on the shoulders of teenagers, forcing them to act as part of the front line, enduring loss and trauma that students should never have to face.

Heroism Is More of a Business

Since the start of the series, it’s been abundantly clear that hero work was commercialized. While the top priority for heroes was to save and protect, a major aspect of the job was media management, which forced heroes to be performative and compete in popularity polls for official rankings.

Public image was inseparable from hero work, driving a major part of the series’ central conflict, which is most explored through the introduction and ideals of the Hero Killer Stain. While this is an aspect of the series that fans discuss more often, the implications of this broken system run far deeper than what the central narrative explores.

All Might Carried the Weight of the World Alone

All Might served as the Symbol of Peace for years before the start of the main storyline. He was so overwhelmingly powerful that his presence alone anchored society and ushered in an era of peace. However, he carried this heavy burden silently for years, leaving him isolated under society’s crushing expectations.

He hid his weaknesses and forced himself to persevere through injuries, all to keep hope alive for society. Yet while his presence ushered in an era of peace, it also left a weakened hero system unprepared for his retirement. All Might sacrificed more than most would ever know and carried that weight with little to no support.

All Might Initially Turned a Blind Eye to Deku’s Self-Destructive Habits

After passing One For All to Deku, All Might served as his mentor and pushed him to his limits. While All Might never encouraged Deku’s destructive habits, he also did very little to prevent them. Broken bones and severe injuries were not treated with the proper attention, like they should have been, allowing Deku to continue damaging his own body.

All Might’s own reckless history clouded his judgement and his lack of experience as a mentor influenced many oversights. Early in the series, it was seasoned mentors who addressed Deku’s self-destructive habits rather than All Might himself. Despite being warned about Deku’s injuries, All Might failed to immediately correct his student’s behavior.

Deku Was Unhinged From the Beginning

From the start of the series, Deku’s approach to heroism often led him to place himself in the center of dangerous situations, risking injury to protect others. When he did strategize around his limits, he often resorted to intense measures as he had during the Sports Festival in Season 2 when he dug up landmines and detonated them at once.

His pattern of recklessness is seen throughout the series, often leading to physical injury or immense strain. Deku’s approach to heroism may be brave and fearless, but his lack of self-preservation is a cause for concern.

Bakugo Blamed Himself for Everything That Went Wrong Until the Finale

Bakugo’s evolution in the series is one of the most satisfying elements in My Hero Academia. His early arrogance and pride were born from years of praise and his natural intelligence and talent, leading to great pride in himself. When he endured repeated failures, he internalized the consequences, leading to a deep sense of self-blame.

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Throughout the series, he carried the weight and guilt for his perceived shortcomings, holding himself accountable for things that were beyond his control, particularly All Might’s retirement. This self-imposed burden was something he carried throughout the series until the culmination of his arc in the final season.

Quirk Evolution Can Be Terrifying

Quirk evolution or awakening in the series is often seen in moments of extreme stress or life-or-death situations. When this happens, abilities can become unpredictable and deal devastating harm. From Tomura Shigaraki’s Decay growing to citywide destruction to Himiko Toga discovering she can mimic quirks as well as appearances, quirk evolution can change the tide at a moment’s notice.

It can also destabilize the quirk user if they’re unprepared for the change, much like how Deku lost control of Blackwhip when it first manifested. These sudden changes can catch heroes and villains off guard, making every encounter potentially catastrophic and adding a layer of intensity and unpredictability.

Every Nomu Is the Result of Human Experimentation

Nomu are some of My Hero Academia’s most horrific villains as they are monsters who are born from human experimentation. As reanimated corpses, their existence alone is terrifying, however, the implications of how they came to be are even more disturbing.

All For One and Dr. Garaki must have experimented for years before achieving any success, violating countless ethical norms and the nature of humanity itself. Using stolen quirks and corpses, Garaki performed extensive surgical procedures to bring the grotesque creations to life. The Nomu were then used as disposable puppets to terrorize heroes and society.

Villains Achieved Their Goals but Didn’t Enjoy the Outcome

Many of the central villains in the series succeeded and achieved their goals in some form, and yet none of them were able to indulge in the satisfaction. Shigaraki had dismantled hero society and played a massive role in changing society; All For One had temporarily reunited with his younger brother; and Dabi had ended the hero Endeavor.

Similarly, Himiko Toga inspired Uraraka to champion a nationwide quirk counseling program, helping to ensure no one feels outcast as Toga had. However, despite achieving their goals in some form, they all paid a steep cost, turning their achievements into a hollow victory.

Movie(s)

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018), My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission (2021)

First Film

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018)

Cast

Daiki Yamashita, Kenta Miyake, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Ayane Sakura, Yûki Kaji, Aoi Yuki, Kaito Ishikawa, Toshiki Masuda, Marina Inoue, Yoshimasa Hosoya

TV Show(s)

My Hero Academia

Video Game(s)

My Hero Academia: Battle for All, My Hero One’s Justice, My Hero One’s Justice 2

Character(s)

Izuku Midoriya, All Might, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Shoto Todoroki, Tsuyu Asui, Tenya Iida, Eijiro Kirishima, Momo Yaoyorozu, Fumikage Tokoyami