Highlights
- My Hero Academia has introduced over 110 Pro Heroes, but many have been forgotten, like Backdraft and Airjet.
- Some Pro Heroes, like Slugger and The Fly, had unique costumes and quirks but never got much screen time.
- Even important Pro Heroes like Eel Boy and Mr. Brave can be overshadowed by main villains and go unnoticed.
Keeping true to the series’ title, the world of My Hero Academia is chock-full of powerful Pro Heroes who fight to save the world and protect the innocent. And there’s a large variety of them: from the Symbol of Peace himself, All Might, to unknown heroes who work in the shadows, like Eraserhead.
My Hero Academia: 9 Villains Who Have Killed The Most Heroes
The heroes of My Hero Academia don’t go down easily, but these villains can match them in skill — and come out tragically victorious.
My Hero Academia has introduced over 110 different Pro Heroes, all of them with their own names, costumes and quirks. So it makes sense that a good number of them have sadly been forgotten, by both the fans and by other characters within the story. These are some of the most intriguing Pro Heroes that have been left behind in the public memory.
10 Backdraft
A Fire Fighting Hero Who Appeared In The First Chapter
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 1) Anime (Episode 1)
In Chapter 1 of My Hero Academia, protagonist Izuku Midoriya gets to witness several heroes doing their job, like Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady, Death Arms and Backdraft. All of them would eventually become important figures that kept reappearing in the manga & anime over and over, but Backdraft was the only exception.
Despite being one of the very first Pro Heroes introduced in the series, Backdraft has been relegated to background appearances and cameos throughout the rest of the story. And it’s a shame, because both his water-based quirk and his firefighter-inspired costume were quite unique and looked awesome.
9 Airjet
He Was Only Used To Expand The Lore
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 1) Anime (Episode 17)
My Hero Academia’s world has so many heroes, that it’s inevitable that some of them are only used as props to expand its rich lore, and not much more. This is what happened to the Buster Hero: Airjet, who was also seen fighting a giant villain in the first chapter of the series.
After his introduction, Airjet had a few occasional cameos in the main series, and in spin-offs like Vigilantes and Team-Up Missions. But his most memorable appearance was when Deku brought him up to Mei Hatsume, when they were talking about professional heroes who use Jet Packs and other similar gadgets. On a positive note, at least Deku mentioned that he liked him.
8 Slugger
Another Background Hero Who Could’ve Been More Important
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 1) Anime (Episode 2)
During the infamous Sludge Villain incident of the first chapter, one of the most interesting Pro Heroes who could be seen in the crowd trying to help was Slugger, who claimed he couldn’t do much because of how fluid the villain was, so he and the others were waiting for a hero who could assist them. At least he showed his frustration, which was a sign of how much he was willing to save Katsuki Bakugo.
And that’s all. After his initial appearance, Slugger never appeared again in the entire series. This is especially unfortunate because audiences never got to see him in action and, considering the baseball theme present in his name and costume, he had the potential to be a truly fun character.
7 The Fly
He Had A Unique Theme, But He Didn’t Do Much
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 51) Anime (Episode 29)
One of the most fascinating elements of My Hero Academia is the different themes that the Pro Heroes pick for their identities, regardless of their quirks or personalities. So the hero known as The Fly, who wears a really interesting costume, had the potential to be someone special, but left a lot to be desired.
The Fly was briefly seen trying to fight the Nomus that Tomura Shigaraki released in Hosu City, but their strength and numbers were too much for him, forcing him to wait for Endeavor to arrive and save the day. While this is a reasonable role for such a minor character, the wing-like appendages in his arms left fans wondering what The Fly’s quirk and fighting style could be.
6 Eel Boy
He Was Killed By A Main Villain Yet Nobody Remembers Him
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 259) Anime (Episode 114)
Eel Boy was one of the most interesting Pro Heroes of the series, because he had a very creative design and quirk. With the curious ability to generate two eel-like appendages from his hands, he was an important player in the raid on the villain’s lair during the Paranormal Liberation War.
My Hero Academia: 8 Villains Who Could Be Rehabilitated
There’s still time for the following My Hero Academia villains to be rehabilitated before the series concludes.
But most people tend to forget that Eel Boy was one of the tragic casualties of said war, as he was stabbed in the back by one of Twice’s clones when the hero was trying to apprehend his friends, Toga and Mr. Compress. It’s most likely that Eel Boy was completely forgotten because his death was overshadowed by Twice’s own death a few moments later.
5 Kesagiri Man
A Weird But Efficient Hero Who Could Do More
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 134) Anime (Episode 69)
The Shie Hassaikai Arc is yet another instance of a crucial arc that introduced many Pro Heroes who were promptly forgotten later. One of the most bizarre ones in this group was Kesagiri Man, who, with his strange costume and enhanced speed, managed to take out a bunch of Yakuza members while the more important characters entered their base to try and rescue Eri.
Despite having an admittedly cool outfit and showing that he was proficient at taking down bad guys, Kesagiri Man barely appeared in the series again. Like many other heroes, he had a few brief cameos during the Paranormal Liberation War, where he could be seen fighting Nomus, and he was not seen much after that.
4 Mr. Brave
He Has A Unique Quirk, But He Was Barely Seen Again
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 135) Anime (Episode 69)
Another one of the pro heroes who was part of the raid on the Yakuza hideout during the aforementioned Shie Hassaikai Arc was the individual known as Mr. Brave. He stood out among the crowd, mostly thanks to his flashy hero costume and his bizarre yet efficient quirk, Hair-Raiser.
Hair-Raiser lets Mr. Brave harden his own hair and use it as a tool for combat, and he was seen creating a sword with his hair that could swiftly defeat his opponents. While this is a fascinating quirk, its user was also relegated to background appearances during his introductory arc and later in the Paranormal Liberation War.
3 Master Driller
Another Insignificant Hero Death
- First Appearance: Anime (Episode 126)
In order to raise the stakes of the Paranormal Liberation War – but to also prevent any popular characters from dying – series creator Kohei Horikoshi took the decision to kill off some of the more unimportant heroes. And Master Driller was sadly one of them, a minor character who was introduced and died in the same arc.
Despite having a solid design that is reminiscent of a robot, Master Driller could not do much against the powerful Near High-End Nomus. And while his death was surprisingly violent, he at least got to save Burnin before his demise. Unfortunately, his sacrifice was so forgotten that he’s not even remembered as one of the many casualties of the war.
2 His Purple Highness
One Of Aizawa’s Mentors Should’ve Appeared More
- First Appearance: Vigilantes Manga (Chapter 61)
Introduced in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, His Purple Highness (Real name: Tenma Nakaoji) is a captivating hero. Not only does he look exactly like the musician Prince, but he also trained some really important characters, like Shota Aizawa and Oboro Shirakumo, when they were temporarily working in his agency.
My Hero Academia: 16 Saddest Deaths In The Series, Ranked
Out of all the characters who have died in My Hero Academia, these deaths are arguably the saddest in the series.
With his extravagant design and sheer strength, His Purple Highness showed off how efficient of a hero he was. But sadly, after Oboro was tragically killed during a mission, this Pro Hero was never seen again, and it’s currently unknown if he’s still active or if he’s even alive. He was Aizawa’s mentor, so the sudden disappearance of His Purple Highness was a missed opportunity for the rest of the series.
1 Yoroi Musha
A Pro Hero Who Quit Before He Could Show His Abilities
- First Appearance: Manga (Chapter 184), Anime (Episode 87)
After All Might’s retirement, the individual known as Yoroi Musha was bestowed with the title of #9 Pro Hero of Japan. With his amazing samurai design and imposing presence, fans quickly began speculating about what his quirk could be and how efficient he was in battle.
But sadly, Yoroi Musha didn’t do much in the rest of the series. After he interned some students from Class 1-A, he suddenly retired because of the backlash caused by the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War. But he never revealed his quirk nor showed much of his battle abilities, leaving a lot of fans very disappointed (both in the series and in the real world).
