This list will contain spoilers up to the end of My Hero Academia season 7!
Summary
Becoming a hero in the world ofMy Hero Academiais far from an easy task, hence why most of the students seen in the series will have mentors to help them along their journey. Not only can these figures assist up-and-coming heroes in recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of their abilities, but they must also try to teach them about the responsibilities that come with being a hero and how it takes a lot more than just raw power to be a protector of society.
Still, so that these mentors have any kind of influence on their trainees, they themselves need to prove they have what it takes to guide the next generation. In other words, if they aren’t already strong, nobody’s going to listen to them, so it’s a good thing that these importantMy Hero Academiamentors listed below are already more than powerful enough to take down any enemies who stand in their way.
8Aizawa
Aizawa’s Quirk Allows Him To Incapacitate Villains In Mere Seconds
Admittedly, Aizawa doesn’t exactly come across as a very fun or reliable teacher when he first appears in the series to teachClass 1-A. However, it’s not long before the students realize that, although this guy loves snoozing in his sleeping bag during his free time, when he’s forced to get his hands dirty, he can inflict plenty of damage with his rather unique fighting style.
While Aizawa is able to disable a villain’s Quirk with the use of his Erasure, he also tends to use the long bandages wrapped around his body as a way to incapacitate his enemies, as shown during the extremely intense U.S.J. story arc. Aizawa would also become a personal mentor to Shinso later on in the story, who he teaches how to use his Quirk to become more of a support-based hero, just like himself.
7Knuckleduster
Knuckleduster May Be A Little Reckless, But He Knows How To Get The Job Done
Most characters throughout the series who are Quirkless are often presented as being fairly weak and fragile, but that certainly isn’t the case for Knuckleduster. This courageous vigilante may not be much of an elegant fighter, but he is still more than capable of taking down dangerous villains with a deadly barrage of hard-hitting punches. Knuckleduster acts as the mentor to Koichi throughout theVigilantesseries, where he gradually teaches him what it means to be a vigilante and why they are considered so different from the typical heroes.
While Knuckleduster didn’t initially make a great first impression on Koichi, this all changed once the rough-around-the-edges vigilante demonstrated just how strong he truly is, especially when he was able to punch Stendahl so hard that he disfigured his entire face. He may not possess anyabsurdly powerful Quirk abilitieslike the heroes, but that doesn’t stop Knuckleduster from still being an absolute powerhouse.
6Gran Torino
Torino Taught Deku Some Valuable Lessons Early In The Story
Once Deku starts to familiarize himself with his newfoundOne For All quirk, All Might decides to send him over to his former mentor, Gran Torino, to help teach him the many ways he can utilize this explosive power in battle. Though Torino is clearly way past his prime in the main series, in all honesty, age really hasn’t slowed this legendary hero down one bit.
Thanks to Gran Torino’s Jet Quirk, the old geezer is able to shoot air from the bottom of his soles to move faster than the eye can see. As both Deku and Kurogiri experience firsthand, this allows Torino to intercept his enemies before they even see him coming, and while he’s clearly not all that durable given his age, Torino can still pack quite a punch when on the front lines.
5Nana Shimura
All Might’s Former Mentor Was Incredibly Strong Back In Her Prime
Many of theformer inheritors of One For Allare each strong in their own right, but one who is often presented as one of the most powerful of the bunch is Nana. While her Float Quirk may not be able to inflict direct damage on its own, Nana will often use this to get a clear view of her opponent before slamming them into the ground with their impressive physical power. Of course, a lot of this power was granted by One For All, which Nana was seemingly able to handle pretty well when she first acquired it all those years ago.
It can be hard to believe these days, but there was one time when All Might was little more than a scrawny Quirkless kid who was taken in by Nana, who decided to become his mentor. Though she may not be alive by the time the main series kicks off, in the small glimpses that have been seen throughout the series, Nana is one of the most powerful heroes and mentors to have ever lived.
4Hawks
Hawks Teaches Tokoyami How To Eliminate Villains From The Skies
Though Hawks is a hero who tends to prefer riding solo, he would eventually be tasked with taking up a mentor role after he was assigned to take Tokoyami under his Wing. During their time together, Hawks made clear why he had become such a feared hero in the eyes of the villainous underworld, and it was because of his frankly insane speed and power.
Thanks to his Fierce Wings Quirk, Hawks could soar through the sky at a rapid pace while manipulating his feathers, which he can fire at the enemy like sharp daggers. What also makes Hawks such a formidable foe to take on is how merciless he is, especially compared to most of the other heroes. As was shown whenhe killed Twice in cold blood, Hawks has no qualms about slicing a villain to pieces if he deems it necessary, making him all the more dangerous as a result. Tokoyami would come to learn a lot from Hawks, and would garner so much respect for him that he even puts his life on the line to save his mentor during the Final War.
3Endeavor
The Students Can Only Watch In Awe Whenever Endeavor Starts To Heat Up
Despite not exactly being the most sociable character in the series, Endeavor actually leads one of the biggest hero agencies in all of Japan. As a result, there are thousands of aspiring heroes who have been able to learn from the legendary professional himself, including Deku, Bakugo, and even his own son, Shoto. Of course, the reason so many people are eager to join his agency is because Endeavor is one of the strongest heroes to have ever lived, taking the number one Pro Hero spot for a good bulk of the series.
While Endeavor is more than capable of tearing apart enemies with his own bare hands, he prefers to use his Hellflame abilities to scorch the villains from either a safe distance or up close if they get on his bad side. His ultimate ability,Prominence Burn, is powerful enough to flatten an entire city if Endeavor decides to go all out. It’s also remarkable just how much punishment Endeavor can endure without giving up, such as when he was pummeled almost to death by Hood, only to get up moments later to score the Victory.
2All For One
The Evil Mastermind Tried To Continue His Legacy Through Shigaraki
At first, it seems as though Shigaraki would be the one to assume the role of main villain in the series, that is, until All For One makes his grand introduction. Upon entering the story in theHideout Raid arc, All For One effortlessly wipes out an entire group of Pro Heroes without even breaking a sweat, before then engaging in a chaotic fight with All Might, whom he manages to push to the limit of his power.
As someone who is able to possess numerous Quirks at once, All For One is an incredibly unpredictable fighter who can dish out a staggering amount of damage with his cocktail of abilities. When he is not mercilessly killing heroes, All For One acts as a mentor to the League of Villains, but more specifically, to Shigaraki, whom he had hoped would one day become the perfect protégé. The relationship between the teacher and student has been pretty shaky over the course of the story, but All For One’s absurd power ensures that those who follow him always stay in line.
1All Might
Deku Learns What It Truly Means To Be A Hero From The Legendary All Might
Technically, being a teacher at UA means All Might is considered a mentor for all the students, but it’s really Deku whom he spends the most time guiding along his journey to become a hero. Upon seeing how desperate Deku was to help people in their time of need, All Might decided that it was time to pass on One For All to a new protégé who just so happened to be the protagonist of the series.
Of course, this is a real privilege for the young and naive student, considering All Might is without a doubt the strongest hero in the entire series. In his prime, there was barely anyone in the world who could even stand a chance of taking down All Might, considering each of his punches was strong enough to shoot even the biggest of villains into the stratosphere. Additionally, he’s alsolightning-fastand insanely durable to the point where not even a barrage of attacks from his arch-nemesis, All For One, was enough to keep him down for good. Deku would learn a lot from All Might, including what responsibilities come with being a hero, but also how much power can be generated when utilizing the true potential of One For All.
My Hero Academia
Cast
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the “One-For-All” quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
