Endeavor, And 6 Other Heroes With Great Character Arcs

It’s not uncommon to hear fans say that Endeavor is the best written character in My Hero Academia, and while that’s probably true, he’s not the only hero who has gone through an emotional and compelling character arc. While My Hero Academia may be very well known for its vibrant character designs and epic action scenes, the writing is also top-notch, and while not every hero or villain gets enough time to really grow and mature over the course of the story, there have still been others who feel like entirely different people after everything they’ve been through.

It’s always going to be a real treat for fans to watch a character slowly learn the responsibilities that come with being a hero throughout their journey, though this adventure is often a lot more rigorous and challenging than they would have initially expected. With all that being said, below are the heroes in My Hero Academia whose character arcs, just like Endeavor’s, are impactful, memorable, and intriguing to follow.

Nighteye

Nighteye’s View On Midoriya Drastically Changes After Seeing Him In Action

• Quirk: Foresight
• First Appearance: Episode 75

Nighteye doesn’t exactly get along with Midoriya all that well when he first meets him in the story. The reason is that Nighteye, who was the former sidekick of All Might, wanted the Pro Hero to pass his Quirk down to Mirio, who he believed was experienced enough to handle its overwhelming power. Therefore, when he saw that the Quirk had actually been gifted to Midoriya, he just couldn’t agree with the decision, causing him to ridicule the protagonist and belittle him during their first meeting.

However, his pessimistic outlook began to change during the Overhaul arc, when he was able to witness just how far Midoriya was willing to go to protect those in need with his own eyes. Though he didn’t stick around in the story for too long, Nighteye does still go through his own personal development, which sees his view on not only Midoriya, but also Hero Society in general, begin to change after everything he’s witnessed.

Ochaco Uraraka

Uraraka Learns How To Keep Her Emotions In Check As A Hero

• Quirk: Zero Gravity
• First Appearance: Episode 3

Uraraka’s development is a lot more subtle than many of the other main heroes, but she does still go through some pretty big changes over the course of the story. It’s not long after meeting Midoriya for the very first time that Uraraka starts to develop a crush on him, but once the students are thrust into their rigorous exams, she decides the best way to remain focused is to dedicate all her effort and attention to becoming a great hero, rather than trying to chase Midoriya.

As a result of this, she would also start feeling a lot more comfortable around Midoriya, no longer being too timid and shy to talk to him. A prime example of this is when she gave a grand speech to the group of civilians who are lambasting Midoriya during the Dark Hero arc. It’s also impressive just how much Uaraka has actually matured throughout the story, as while she may have been a bit of a crybaby at the beginning, after experiencing so much death and destruction in the Final War, she becomes a hardened hero who suddenly finds herself carrying a lot of emotional weight.

Katsuki Bakugo

Bakugo Shaved Off His Selfish Nature To Become A Reliable Hero

• Quirk: Explosion
• First Appearance: Episode 1

At the core of Bakugo’s character development is the notion that it takes a lot more than just brute strength to become a real hero. After all, while Bakugo’s Explosion Quirk is one of the deadliest in the series when it comes to its offensive capabilities, the student himself was just far too hot-headed and selfish to really be seen as a reliable hero. His selfish nature, however, does start to peel off as he goes through each of the exams, as while he was initially reluctant to rescue any civilians who got in his way, he slowly recognizes the importance of helping others as time goes on.

This is why the moment when Bakugo decides to jump in to rescue Jiro and his other teammates in the Joint Training arc is such an important scene, as it demonstrates, for the first time ever, that Bakugo was willing to put others over himself. This happens once again in the Final War, where Bakugo truly looks like a Pro Hero with how far he’s willing to go to save others. Bakugo already had all the power he needed from the beginning to become a hero, but it took him a little while before he was able to realize that he also needed to be considerate and selfless to be seen as a true beacon of hope to those around him.

Shoto Todoroki

Todoroki Embraces His Powers As His Own, Not A Lingering Remnant From His Father

• Quirk: Half-Cold Half-Hot
• First Appearance: Episode 3

Though Todoroki was born with an immensely powerful Quirk that most heroes would love to get their hands on, it’s not exactly something that he’s very proud of, and there’s a reason why. Todoroki was born to Endeavor, a Pro Hero who was desperately trying to find a new protégé that could overtake his rival All Might. As a result, Todoroki was pushed to his absolute limits to get stronger, which encouraged him to develop a burning hatred for his abusive father, to the point where he even refuses to use the fire side of his Quirk due to it being inherited from Endeavor.

In his early fight with Modoriya though, Todoroki begins to view his Quirk as his own, and even admits for the first time that he does honestly want to become a hero. His development doesn’t end there though, as Todoroki must then try and find a way to reconcile with his own father, which proves to be far from an easy task. He must also accept the fact that his own brother Toya, now known as Dabi, has turned into a murderous villain, which is certainly no position that anyone would want to be in considering how emotional it would be.

Izuku Midoriya

From Quirkless Coward To Japan’s Greatest Hero

• Quirk: One For All / Vestiges Quirks
• First Appearance: Episode 1

Considering Midoriya is the main protagonist of the series, it makes sense that he would embark on a lengthy character arc which sees him change over time. The truth is though, it’s honestly kind of staggering just how far the once naive and Quirkless student has truly come since the early episodes. At the beginning of the story, all Midoriya wanted to do was have the chance to become a hero, something which seemed more or less impossible considering he didn’t have a Quirk of his own.

After he was granted One For All by All Might, his journey to becoming a fully-fledged hero finally kicked off. While he may have been entirely focused on utilizing his overwhelming power for the first few arcs, Midoriya would then begin to learn what it truly means to be a hero, including the importance of uncovering why someone traveled down the path of villainy in the first place to try and help them. After acquiring multiple Quirks from the previous One For All users, Midoriya eventually becomes an unstoppable powerhouse who looks, acts, and feels a lot different from the plucky protagonist who appeared at the beginning.

All Might

Japan’s Former Top Hero Must Learn How To Re-Adjust To Normal Life

• Quirk: One For All (Previously)
• First Appearance: Episode 1

Though All Might probably would have enjoyed remaining as Japan’s number one hero for as long as possible, it soon became clear to him that his time in the spotlight was quickly coming to a close due to his injuries. As a result, while he may have started off the story as the strongest hero in the world, after his fateful duel with All For One, All Might loses the last remaining embers of his power, turning him into just another regular civilian.

There’s actually a lot of focus placed on All Might for a good portion of the series to showcase his struggles with fitting back into society. While he continues to act as a loyal mentor to Modoriya, it’s evident that All Might also wants to get back into the fight himself, even though doing so without a Quirk is dangerous to say the least. Thankfully, a satisfying payoff to this compelling character arc comes near the end of the Final War, where All Might is able to use his Support Gear to give him one last shot of taking down All For One, proving that he really doesn’t need a Quirk at all to be considered a great hero.

Endeavor

Endeavor’s Journey Towards Repentance Is A Fascinating Arc That Takes All Kinds Of Turns

• Quirk: Hellflame
• First Appearance: Episode 17

Since it’s established very early on in the story that Endeavor is a pretty terrible father to his children, it would have been easy for Horikoshi to just label him as a villainous Pro Hero who fans are always meant to hate. In stark contrast though, the author instead decided to dig deep into Endeavors’ personal journey, especially after he finally reaches the position of the number one hero. After achieving this lofty goal, Endeavor’s attention turns to his family, who he is desperate to try and make amends with, despite the heinous sins he committed against them when he was still chasing his dream.

Just when it feels like the fiery Pro Hero is beginning to restore his relationship with Shoto, he then learns that Dabi is another one of his children who he believed had died when he was still young; with his past literally popping up out of nowhere to haunt him once again. All of this has resulted in a fascinating journey where a man, who was justifiably hated by everyone, slowly started to become a fan favorite because of how much work he had put in to try and make things right. Of course, considering Endeavor’s heinous actions against his own family, it can still be hard to fully forgive him, but the fact Horikoshi was able to bring any kind of sympathy to Endeavor shows just how effective and impactful his development has truly been to many My Hero Academia fans.

My Hero Academia

Release Date

April 2, 2016

Network

TBS, MBS, Nippon TV

Directors

Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano

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  Daiki Yamashita

  Izuku Midoriya (voice)

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  Kaito Ishikawa

  Manga Fukidashi (voice)