My Hero Academia: Why is Mina Ashido's skin pink? Explained

My Hero Academia has explored a lot of different topics regarding society, and one that has been explored, albeit too late in the manga, is the element of how people with Quirks that change their bodies are treated. This was explored through the character of Spinner in the final War arc, but most fans agree that its inclusion felt forced this late in the game, although it did remind people that a lot of heroes and villains have very unique appearances, such as Mina Ashido.

Mina is a bit of a fan favorite in the My Hero Academia series because of her cheerful and extroverted personality, her funny moments, her connection with Kirishima, and the fact that her poison Quirk is quite interesting to see in action. However, another element that makes her stand out is her pink skin and black eyes, which is why a lot of fans wonder why she looks that way.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia series.

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Explaining why Mina Ashido has pink skin in the My Hero Academia series

The My Hero Academia series showed earlier in the manga, through Shoto Todoroki’s discussion with Deku in the Sports Festival arc, that people in that world can inherit traits from their parents’ Quirks, which is why Endeavor wanted Shoto to begin with. This is shown time and time again across the story, with characters not only having similar Quirks to the ones their parents had but also some key physical features.

In that regard, Mina Ashido’s pink skin is probably due to one of her parents having that same color, although it is worth pointing out that they have never been shown in the story. That is probably one of the most stand out elements of her character and one that makes her quite different from the rest of Deku’s class, despite the fact that element has never been properly mentioned or discussed beyond her wanting to be called “Alien Queen” as a hero, ultimately choosing “Pinky” instead.

Of course, there are a lot of other characters whose Quirks and genetics have led to them having a lot of unique physical features, which is something that author Kohei Horikoshi wanted to explore with the character of Spinner, a member of the League of Villains, during the events of the final War arc, but a lot of fans have felt that came way too late into the story to make the impact that the mangaka probably wanted to convey.

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Mina and the role of Deku’s class

Mina, when she joined UA (Image via Bones).

There is a common grievance among My Hero Academia fans that they would have liked to see a lot more of Mina and other characters of Deku’s class across the series, especially when it came to the fighting side of things. Other than Deku, only Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo had substantial roles during the vast majority of the series, with even Ochako Uraraka having a diminished presence as the story progressed, which was another source of criticism.

This was mostly due to the power creep as Deku got more Quirks, making the bulk of his classmates less useful in the grand scheme of things while the professional heroes, such as All Might, Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist, kept having prominent roles in the story. This is something worth taking into account since it makes the focus of the school a lot less prominent in the story moving forward.

That is a very common issue in shonen manga and anime, and one that Horikoshi didn’t manage to avoid as the story went on. Furthermore, it made the arcs somewhat lacking in variety, especially when it came to the fighting side of things, which is something where a lot of these characters, including Mina, would have added something different to the equation.

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Final thoughts

Mina Ashido has pink skin due to her genetics in the My Hero Academia series, which has shown a lot of characters inheriting certain physical traits from their parents. However, it is worth pointing out that Mina’s parents have never been shown in the story.