My Hero Academiaboasts some impressive superheroes, with incredible powers and the courage to use them for the betterment of society. One can’t help but wonder, though: which of these characters is the absolute strongest?
WhileMy Hero Academiadoes have its own hero rankings, these are mostly calculated using incident resolution data and popularity, and aren’t a great indication of who’s actually the strongest. Strong heroes do tend to rank rather well, impressing the public with their exploits, but there are also many characters with strong Quirks who aren’t even in the rankings, such as student heroes. In order to rank these heroes by strength, their various feats over the course of the manga are being considered, as well as just what their Quirks are capable of.
7Shoto Todoroki Hits Above His Weight Class
First Appearance: My Hero Academia, Episode #5, “What I Can Do For Now”
Shoto Todoroki is a student in Class 1-Awho got into UA High School on recommendation, bypassing the difficult selection process. Shoto’s Quirk, Half-cold Half-hot, is one of the strongest Quirks seen in the series, allowing him to use both ice and fire with different halves of his body. Shoto is able to circulate the cool and hot energy throughout his body, which he can channel into an ultimate move known as Phosphor. He’s been shown to be able to create massive walls of ice out of nothing, as well as produce flames even hotter than his father Endeavor’s.
Despite only being a student, Shoto has been involved in countless major incidents, such as the Hero Killer Stain battle, and has performed admirably every time. During the Paranormal Liberation War, Shoto was invaluable, helping to protect Deku, Bakugo, and his father after they suffered major injuries at the hands of Shigaraki. In the Final War, Shoto was entrusted with defeating his brother, Dabi, as only his ice power could hope to counter his brother’s intense flames. The battle was a particularly destructive one, and Shoto wound up having to chase Dabi as he fled the battlefield to attack their father.
6Best Jeanist Knows How to Use His Quirk to the Fullest
First Appearance: My Hero Academia, Episode #27, “Bizarre! Gran Torino Appears”
Best Jeanist is the #3 Pro Hero for most of the story ofMy Hero Academia,ranked just behind Endeavor and Hawks.Best Jeanist’s Quirk, Fiber Master, allows him to control fibers of any sort, from the fibers in clothing to the twisted wires in metal cables.He can use this to immobilize opponents through their clothing, rendering them helpless to fight back. While the Quirk itself isn’t too strong, Best Jeanist makes it into a powerful weapon due to how well he knows its abilities and limitations. Best Jeanist is also always prepared, often bringing materials with him to work with.
Best Jeanist rose to #3 largely due to his popularity and skill with his Quirk. He’s well trusted by the public at large, and even managed to win Bakugo’s respect.Best Jeanist’s presence in the Paranormal Liberation War was absolutely critical; still recovering from a prior injury, he showed up late to the battlefield, but managed to turn the tide dramatically by himself. He was even able to restrain Gigantomachia using steel cables, and nearly had the entire League tied up. While the villains still escaped, Best Jeanist managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
5Hawks Can Do Many Things at Once
First Appearance: My Hero Academia, Episode #87, “Japanese Hero Billboard Chart”
Hawks is the #2 ranked hero for most of the story, and a close collaborator with Endeavor.His Quirk, Fierce Wings, allows him not only to fly, but to command each feather in his wings individually, allowing him to rescue hundreds of people at once, or attack a villain from all sides simultaneously.Hawks is even able to use his feathers to carry other heroes or increase their speed, making him supremely valuable from a tactical perspective. Hawks also uses two large feathers as sword-like blades, which he’s extremely adept with, allowing him to fight in close combat very effectively.
Hawks is a master of multitasking as a result of his Quirk, able to do numerous things at once. He does suffer a major loss when fighting Dabi during the Paranormal Liberation War, who torches a majority of his feathers, and they don’t grow back quickly. This leaves him severely weakened, but even in this state,Hawks was able to be quite a problemfor All for One during the Final War. Hawks fights bravely down to his last feathers, stalling the villain for quite some time and forcing him to pull out his trump card: the Rewind drug.
4Endeavor Made it to #1 Through Hard Work and Strength
First Appearance: My Hero Academia, Episode #17, “Strategy, Strategy, Strategy”
Endeavor was the #2 hero for a very long time, and finally became #1 after All Might’s retirement. He wasn’t thrilled with the circumstances that led to him becoming #1, however, and soon realized that being the top hero comes with a lot of added responsibility.His Quirk, Hellflame, allows him to generate massive amounts of fire on command, to the point where he can incinerate opponents if he so feels like it.Endeavor worked hard to train his Quirk, but became soobsessed with surpassing All Mightthat he began to focus on having a child who could do it.
Endeavor has a huge number of ultimate moves, such as his Prominence Burn or Flashfire Fist, which enable him to inflict massive damage on foes. Endeavor fought the Hood Nomu almost singlehandedly, eventually incinerating it with a massive burst of fire. During the Paranormal Liberation War, Endeavor took the lead in fighting, at least until Dabi revealed his true identity. In the Final War arc, Endeavor was given the task of holding off All for One alongside Hawks, and kept fighting even after losing a hand, revealing his monumental dedication.
3Star and Stripe is America’s Best
First Appearance: My Hero Academia, Episode #138, “No Man is an Island”
Star and Stripe is the #1 hero in the US at the time ofMy Hero Academia. An ardent admirer of All Might, who once saved her as a child while he was in America, Star modeled herself after him.Her Quirk, New Order, allows her to impose just about any two rules she can imagine, forcing opponents to play by her rules. One of these rules is frequently used to give her super strength akin to All Might’s, allowing her to deliver devastating punches. The Quirk’s only real limit is her imagination, though: she’s even able to impose rules on other people that could kill them.
Star and Stripe’s role in the story was small, but significant. She made the decision to head to Japan and help All Might of her own accord, acting against orders. On the way, she encountered Shigaraki/All for One, who engaged her in a monumental battle in the air. Star showed off what her Quirk can do, creating a giant version of herself out of air and using that to redirect a satellite-launched energy beam. While Shigaraki ultimately managed to hit her with his Decay, leading to her death, Star kept fighting even afterward, by ordering her Quirk to rebel against others, dealing devastating damage to Shigaraki.
2All Might is a World Famous Hero For a Reason
First Appearance: My Hero Academia, Episode #1, “Izuku Midoriya: Origin”
All Might was Japan’s #1 hero for well over a decade, and remains one of the most beloved and respected heroes even after his retirement.All Might wielded the Quirk One for All, which stockpiles power and allows him to deliver physical attacks with such incredible force that he can actually change the weather locally. While he can’t fly, All Might is strong enough to jump from city to city, and moves at astonishing speeds, allowing him to resolve incidents in mere seconds. All Might keeps himself insanely busy tending to incidents, often having little time to sleep or rest.
All Might’s full power has been on display throughout the series on many occasions. When challenged by a Nomu meant to specifically kill him, All Might managed to overpower it through force of will, sending it flying into the stratosphere. While trying to rescue a kidnapped Bakugo, All Might came face-to-face with his nemesis, All for One, and had an absolutely brutal battle, where he used the last of his strength to defeat the villain, forcing his retirement. However, All Might wasn’t done being a hero yet, and in the Final War, he donned a suit of power armor to become Armored All Might, challenging All for One yet again.
1Deku’s Multiple Quirks Make Him the Strongest Hero
Deku is a student at UA who was originally born Quirkless. He met All Might and had the One for All Quirk passed down to him, which was exceptionally difficult at first. Deku would break his bones whenever he tried to use the power, even after substantial training, and had to initially limit himself to using a small percentage of the available power. However, as Deku gained mastery over the Quirk, he began to be able to use One for All at or near 100% without damaging himself. Deku also began exhibiting other Quirks, which turned out to be from his predecessors.
Through One for All, Deku has access to the Quirks Blackwhip, Float, Smokescreen, Gearshift, Fa Jin, and Danger Sense, as well as the super strength All Might had.These give him tremendous versatility in battle, and many of these Quirks can be stacked to deal incredible damage to single targets, as seen withhis battle against Shigaraki in the Final War. Deku has faced off with numerous strong villains as well, such as Overhaul and Muscular, and even when he sustains massive damage, he manages to emerge victorious.
Due to having All Might’s strength with several other abilities on top, it’s no secret that end-of-series Deku is the strongest character inMy Hero Academia.
