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Based on Kohei Horikoshi’s manga, the anime series My Hero Academia took the world by storm when it premiered. It still is one of the most popular series in the anime community. My Hero Academia is a world where people have superpowers called “Quirks.” In this world, the protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, is a quirkless boy who aims to be the No. 1 hero.
Character design plays a pivotal role in bringing a story to life. A well-designed character captivates the audience and creates a lasting impression. Even if they make a short appearance on screen, they will be memorable for their striking and distinctive features.
While the series is renowned for its captivating character, not all designs hit the mark. Some designs usually lack the uniqueness that sets them apart from the rest. Naturally, they tend to be overlooked and soon forgotten by the audience.
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Despite the overall creative brilliance of the show, it’s not unusual to come across one or two of such characters throughout the storyline. Here are 10 of the dullest character designs of the My Hero Academia series, ranked from least to most boring.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinion.
Mineta and 9 other most boring character designs in My Hero Academia
10) Slidin Go
The former pro hero Tatsuyuki Tokoname, aka Slidin Go, is a member of the modern Meta Liberation Army and later the Paranormal Liberation Front. Appearance-wise, Tatsuyuki has a tall and sturdy build with defined muscles and a round head with a protruding, wide, and square jaw.
The top of his head and eyes are covered with a black mask, and his purple bodysuit comes with an emerald-green scarf and gloves. Even as a minor character in the series, his design is rather forgettable due to a lack of uniqueness. The overall look is that of a typical hero without any fresh appeal.
9) Sugar Rush
Rikido Sato is one of the classmates of the main character, Deku, in Class 1-A of UA High. His hero name, as well as his quirk, is Sugar Rush. Sato is one of those 1-A students who gets the least screen time, probably for good reason.
Lacking any distinct elements in his design, Sato appears uninteresting and bland. He has a broad, muscular figure, spiky dark brown hair, and prominent lips. His hero attire is a yellow bodysuit that leaves only his lips and a portion of his hair visible, as those two are the only notable features of the character.
8. Cementoss
Cementoss is the hero name of Ken Ishiyama, a Pro Hero and a teacher of Modern Literature at the UA High School. Cementoss appears to be a block of cement in a humanoid form, with a gray ponytail and eyes that seem nearly shut. The rest of his body is made up of block-like shapes as well.
The design of his hero costume is a simple sleeveless dark maroon suit with some yellow stripes paired with matching maroon shorts. For a pro hero and UA teacher who often makes an on-screen appearance, the cement block design seems dull. He has a fairly useful quirk; it's a pity since he could've been made into an interesting character.
7. Wash
Susugu Mitarai, the No. 8 Pro Hero of My Hero Academia franchise, also goes by his hero name, Wash. He generally doesn’t appear much throughout the series and only starts getting some screen time during and after the Paranormal Liberation War Arc.
To speak of his appearance, he is essentially a laundry machine with arms and legs, with the lid open and a pair of eyes popping out. A character that resembles an everyday house appliance lacks distinctiveness. He gives the impression of someone cosplaying as a washing machine. To be fair, it’s somewhat funny that such a plain and boring design was chosen for one of the top 10 heroes.
6. Magne
Kenji Hikiishi, who also goes by her villain name Magne, was a former member of the League of Villains, one of the major villain organizations in My Hero Academia. Owing to her unremarkable character design, some viewers might not even remember her debut in the Forest Training Camp Arc of My Hero Academia season 3.
Unlike Magne’s associates in The League, who all come with a uniqueness, she appeared to be a relatively ordinary-looking villain - a transgender woman with a wide, masculine physique, reddish-brown short hair, and notably big lips. Her outfit wasn’t anything exceptional either, making her one of the plain-looking villains in My Hero Academia.
5. Skeptic
Tomoyasu Chikazoku, also known to the My Hero Academia community as Skeptic, is a leading member of the modern Meta Liberation Army. He later becomes one of the nine lieutenants of the Paranormal Liberation Front.
Skeptic's description fits a stereotypical hacker-villain's appearance - a rather tall and skinny figure, long hair with bangs in the front covering his eyes, and clad in an all-black suit. However, that is what makes his design dull, as it lacks any striking features that could help him stand out amongst all of My Hero Academia villains.
4. Koji Koda
This student of UA High’s Class 1-A makes his way to this list thanks to his indistinctive appearance. While Koda, aka Petting Hero: Anima, is a quiet and gentle-natured young man, his design lacks the uniqueness fans would expect in a hero.
Koda has an uneven triangular-shaped head and square jaw and a tall and robust physique. His basic-appearing hero costume lacks the flair seen in most of his peers. The unimpressive appearance puts him amongst the blandest-looking characters in My Hero Academia.
3. Fat Gum
BMI Hero: Fat Gum is the current No. 58 Pro Hero in the My Hero Academia universe. With a round-looking physique that consists of multiple layers of fat, Fat Gum, aka Taishiro Toyomitsu, appears as a humanoid balloon.
His yellow hoodie jacket doesn’t do his appearance much favor, making his whole upper body seem like a giant, round blob. While his design might not be the most forgettable, it doesn’t look all that compelling either. Regardless, his design makes sense functionally following the way his quirk works.
2. Daruma Ujiko
Nomu are one of the major antagonists in My Hero Academia, and the person responsible for creating them is Kyudai Garaki, aka Daruma Ujiko. Pretending to be just a regular doctor working at the Jaku General Hospital, Garaki is actually a close associate of the big bad main boss of the series, All for One.
Garaki has the appearance of a short, stout elderly man with a bald head and a big, bushy mustache. He is typically seen in a lab coat and a peculiar set of goggles. Despite being the right-hand man of the strongest antagonist in the whole series, Ujiko doesn’t ooze much of a villainy aura. All things considered, his design portrays him as nothing more than a regular portly old man, blending him into the crowd of forgettable characters.
1. Minoru Mineta
Among all the students of class 1-A in UA High, Mineta probably has the most peculiar appearance. Mineta has a negative reputation in the My Hero Academia fanbase, and his appearance doesn’t help him either. He is of relatively short stature, with big round eyes that appear somewhat dull, and his purple hair is made up of four large ball-shaped clumps.
The design of his purple hero costume with yellow gloves, shoes, and scarf is also pretty simplistic. His white pants stick out so much from his waist that they look like a sphere cut in half, while his yellow gloves resemble cleaning gloves used in kitchens. It's difficult to take an aspiring pro hero seriously with such a laughable character design. The overall appearance of his design is comical and visually unappealing.
In conclusion
For a series with such a wide range of characters, making all the designs look cool can be difficult. Some of their bland appearances might be caused by their quirks and how that might've modified their physique.
It could also have been intentional on Mangaka Kohei Horikoshi’s end to make the focus characters shine brighter. Whether that’s the case or not, having to look at some plain-looking characters that get a large amount of screen time could be tiresome for the audience. While these characters seem bland in terms of appearance, they still play significant roles in the unfolding of the story.
