Summary
While it makes sense why Deku was made to be the main protagonist ofMy Hero Academia, considering he’s an underdog on a journey to become a hero, it does feel as though other characters could have easily taken the leading role instead if given the opportunity. If someone has a fascinating story to tell and more than enough time to develop, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t end up making a good protagonist and, while there can only be one, it’s always a lot of fun imagining what the story would be like if it revolved around these individuals.
In fact, some of the characters inMy Hero Academiaalready get a big enough focus to where they feel like the main character in certain portions of the plot already, without ever overtaking Deku in terms of overall importance. With that being said, it’s time to reflect on theMy Hero Academiacharacters who have definitely proven worthy of being the main players of the story.
8Aizawa
It Would Be Great To Explore Aizawa’s Time As A Hero In More Depth
In theVigilantesspin-off series, there isa very short arcdedicated to Aizawa during his time at hero school. While this provides fans with a glimpse into his upbringing, especially his self-confidence issues related to his quirk, which he thought was useless for a long time, it would be great to get a fully-fledged story exploring this lazy but passionate teacher in more depth.
A big theme that runs throughoutMy Hero Academiais that any Quirk, no matter how useless it may seem on the surface, can be used to great effect with enough time, practice, and acceptance of the ability. As a result, Aizawa could be used as a character to explore this, considering Erasure is a very strange and pretty unusual ability in comparison to most others.
7Star And Stripe
America’s Top Hero Is Taken Out Of The Story Far Too Soon
Star and Stripe is a rather unusual hero within the series. As the top hero of the United States,Star and Stripe is immensely powerful, being able to literally break the laws of physics by adding and removing properties from anything she touches. However, she unfortunately only sticks around for a single fight, but during her battle with Shigaraki, a flashback showed that Star and Stripe actually had a lot of trouble coming up as the best hero in America, and sometimes even doubted their own worth.
Because this is only seen for a little more than a few seconds, fans know barely anything about Star as a person, which is a shame since there’s clearly a lot to explore here. If Horikoshi had decided to base the series in America rather than Japan, Star and Stripe would have been the perfect protagonist, especially as it would focus on her rise to the top and how tough that journey was for her to embark on.
6Nana Shimura
All Might’s Former Mentor Has Some Fascinating Stories To Tell
Though Nana is technically long gone by the time the main story kicks off, she can at least still communicate with Deku thanks to being a previous user ofOne For All. What is made pretty clear through these conversations is that Nana has had a fascinating background as a hero. As someone who once possessed One For All, Nana made the difficult decision to separate from her family in order to keep them safe from All For One, whom she was hunting down.
Unfortunately, Nana was unable to defeat the evil mastermind and, without even knowing, her family went down a pretty dark path due to her absence, including Shigaraki. If Nana were the protagonist, she would have been the star of a pretty emotional and thought-provoking story, but considering how fun she is as a character overall, it’s simply another reason why she would be such a perfect fit for the main role.
5Shoto Todoroki
Todoroki’s Journey of Accepting His Powers And Family Makes Him A Fascinating Character
When Deku first meets Todoroki near the beginning of the story, it’s clear that his new rival isn’t exactly very comfortable with his ability. To be more specific, Todoroki inherited both his father’s and mother’s fire and ice powers, respectively, but he refuses to use his fire due to having a burning hatred for his abusive father, Endeavor. Though Todoroki gets a lot of attention in the series, having him be the main character would drastically change the overall tone and themes of the plot.
In comparison to Deku, Todoroki’s journey is a lot more centered around acceptance, not just of his own powers, but also of his family and even his dad. Todoroki also starts off as immensely powerful, which would make for a pretty fun story where the protagonist is purposely limiting his power, and needs to learn how to overcome this mental block to become the best hero possible.
4Katsuki Bakugo
From Deku’s point of view, Bakugo is little more than abullywho is constantly trying to pick on and belittle the protagonist anytime he gets a chance. The truth is, though, Bakugo’s true feelings about Deku are a lot more sincere and honest, and if he were at the center of the story it would be interesting to see him start off as a cocky and brash jerk before slowly and gradually becoming a close friend.
Not only that, but having Bakugo play the leading role would provide an opportunity to explore how he comes to assume the responsibilities of a hero. Bakugo doesn’t exactly come across as the most inspirational or heroic guy initially, so it would be great to see how this develops over the course of his own personal journey.
3Hitoshi Shinso
An Underdog Story For A Hero Who Came To Embrace His Quirk
While it is necessary for a person to possess a Quirk in order to become a hero, not everyone is dealt the card they would have liked at birth. If someone is unlucky enough to acquirea Quirk that seems a little villainous or dangerous, such as Shinso with his Brainwash Quirk, it can result in them becoming a bit of an outcast and looked down upon by their classmates.
For Shinso, this meant he needed to work extra hard to make a name for himself. After putting in enough time and practice, though, he is able to use his Brainwash work to help out the heroes in some pretty dire situations, such as during the final war when he was able to control Gigantomachia. Shinso’s story would definitely be one of an underdog who rises through the ranks to reach the very top, and would therefore be similar to Deku’s journey while also being a little different in how it’s presented, alongside the protagonist himself being completely different in his personality.
2Endeavor
Endeavor Honestly Already Feels Like A Protagonist For Much Of The Story
Admittedly, Endeavor can already feel like a protagonist at certain points of the story because of how much Horikoshi loves to focus on him. This certainly isn’t a bad thing, though, considering Endeavor is one of the most complex and well-written characters in the series. While starting off as aneasily hateableabusive father, once Endeavor reaches the number one hero spot, he begins to regret his past sins and wonders whether there’s a way to redeem or at least repent for what he’s done.
Despite being a Pro Hero by the time the main story kicks off, it’s the personal journey Endeavor goes on that would be most interesting for fans to learn more about. Simply put, nobody would have any complaints if Endeavor were the one who took the role of protagonist in the series.
1All Might
A Hero With A Long And Celebrated History Who Is More Than Deserving Of A Protagonist Role
When All Might first appears in the series, it’s clear that he’s no longer in his prime. As someone who has been single-handedly keeping Japan safe and stable for many years, he is pretty much at the end of his limit by the time he meets Deku. However, there are several short flashbacks throughout the series which allow fans to see a few of All Might’s adventures when he was still an active crime fighter, but since the story hones in on Deku, these can only be shown off every now and again.
There aren’t many My Hero Academia fans out there who haven’t dreamed of a solo series that centers entirely around All Might. After all, this could also feature some of All Might’s closest companions, such asNighteye and Nana, which would result in a pretty fun and bubbly cast of characters to follow. Whether Horikoshi will ever go in this direction is unclear for now, but there’s no doubt the immensely popular All Might has more than enough charisma and strength to carry a leading role in his own series.
