Summary
Being able to lead a group, or even an army of heroes or villains, into battle is no easy task. In the world ofMy Hero Academia, where chaotic fights are a common occurrence and wars are always on the brink of breaking out, only those who are courageous and willing enough will be able to stand tall as a figurehead of their group or organization. Despite this being a challenge, though, several characters in the series have demonstrated their worth as true leaders that their loyal followers can look up to when the going gets tough, whether it be because of their intelligence, their reputation, or even simply their infectious charisma.
It’s always interesting to see a character grow into the role of being a leader throughout the story, learning the responsibilities that come with inspiring a collection of people into action, no matter how dangerous the battle ahead might be. With that being said, these are the bestMy Hero Academialeaders based on their expertise at commanding their people and maintaining order among their ranks.
7Ida
Class 1-A’s President Is As Passionate And Inspirational As They Come
As class president of 1-A, Ida is responsible for keeping the students organized and prepared for their exams and missions they’ll be prepared to take on, and it’s fair to say he doesn’t take this position lightly. As seen when he tried to prevent Midoriya from chasing after Bakugo after he was kidnapped, Ida is extremely loyal to U.A’s rules and is always acting as a beacon of responsibility for his friends to look up to, even though he may not always be in the right.
Ida’s role as a leader has also been used for comedic effect every so often, with there being many scenes of him trying to hype up his classmates with absurd words of encouragement andsilly gafs. Despite that, though, Ida is able get serious when the situation calls for it, acting as a pretty important leader-figure during the first few arcs of the story.
6Endeavor
Endeavor’s Fiery Passion For Crushing Villains Rubs Off On His Students
Endeavor may not be the most level-headed guy out there, but he’s still a hero that many youngsters look up to, which has essentially pushed him into the role of being a leader. Fans were given a good look at his leadership skills when he took Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki under his wing, advising them on how to spot villains out in the wild and the appropriate way to act when apprehending them.
Endeavor can admittedly get ahead of himself now and again, like when he sprinted down the street to chase a villain while leaving Midoriya and the others behind, but when it comes to spurring people into action, there are not many who can do it quite like Enji Todoroki. Endeavor would also act as a leader-type figure after he took the top hero position, showing a ton of bravery and resilience during the raid on the hospital where he took a central role in leading the charge.
5Tomura Shigaraki
Shigaraki’s Dream Of Destroying Everything In Sight Resonated With A Few Like-Minded Villains
Though Shigaraki would technically act as a leader of theLeague of Villainsfrom the beginning of the story, it’s only when All For One is taken out that he truly comes to assume the responsibilities of being someone his tag-tag crew can look up to. Throughout the story, Shigaraki begins to settle into being the figurehead of his gang, and even states that his companions are the only ones he truly cares about in the world who won’t be killed when he comes to eventually destroy it.
Shigaraki definitely is a little rash and aimless at times though. At the beginning of the My Villain Academia arc, for example, the team started getting a little irritated when he was dragging them around without a clear goal, but he still nonetheless raised their names to infamy and eventually led the biggest villain attack Japan, and the world, had ever seen.
4Overhaul
A Master Strategist With Plenty Of Loyal Goons At His Disposal
Kai Chisaki, or Overhaul as he’s most commonly known, is a villain who is obsessed with being organized. As he explains to Shigaraki during their first meeting, Overhaul always has a plan, which is part of why his crew has come to admire him so much for how much of a genius tactician he is. What also makes Overhaul an effective leader is how he can convey his ideology of the world being infected with “Hero Syndrome” and make it sound completely believable, despite it simply being a part of his twisted interpretation of the world.
With that being said, Overhaul does seem to show a lot more consideration for some of his followers over others, considering he had no second thoughts about killing a lackey who questioned him, yet still manages to keep them hanging on his every word. Overall, though, Overhaul’s prestigious position inthe Yakuzaand grand proclamations of how the world should be made him someone easy to follow for those who had been discarded by society.
3Re-Destro
Re-Destro Managed To Rally An Army Behind Him Thanks To His Passion And Ideology
Re-Destro, who is appropriately named after the laterevolutionaryfigure known as Destro, believes that all people should be able to use their Quirks whenever and wherever they want, without being forced to abide by the rules of hero society. Thanks to his confidence and sophisticated persona, Re-Destro earned the loyalty of thousands, eventually creating the Meta Liberation Army, who were all willing to follow his every whim as part of his worthwhile cause.
Though Re-Destro’s Stress Quirk does mean he can sometimes get a little too flustered when something goes wrong, on the other hand, it can also be used to grant him a major power boost to showcase his immense offensive capabilities in front of his allies. While Re-Desto did eventually give in and handed his position over to Shigaraki, his fearsome determination and belief in his ideology still made him a very convincing leader.
2All For One
All For One Managed To Rule An Entire Country From The Shadows
Before the start of theMy Hero Academiastory, or even the emergence of All Might, All For One ruled Japan from the underworld. As someone who was able to remove and grant Quirks at will thanks to his unique ability, it allowed him to establish some kind of order in a chaotic age where Quirks were first being discovered for the first time.
Even after the heroes arrived to clamp down on society, All For One’s immense power and influence allowed him to lead and mentor many up-and-coming villains, including thedeadly Lady Nagantand of course, his vessel Shigaraki. All For One can entice anyone to obey his commands thanks to his abilities and fake promises, and though he may not care all that much about his servants, he can still effortlessly rally people to his cause regardless.
1Nezu
It’s Remarkable How Nezu Managed To Keep His School Together After Everything That Happened
At a glance, it might seem unusual for such a small and seemingly timid character like Nezu to be the head of U.A., considering how many immensely powerful Pro Heroes are forced to follow his orders. The reason for this, however, is that he possesses aQuirk that grants him a boosted IQ, making him not only smarter than a mouse but also most humans. When looking back at the course of the series, with the sheer number of villain attacks, kidnappings, and life-threatening battles that occurred under his watch, it’s astounding he was able to keep the school’s reputation up for as long as he did.
Pro Heroes such as All Might and Endeavor essentially rely on Nezu’s intelligence to carry out important missions without playing right into the villains' hands, so while he might not be fit for combat, he’s an outstanding leader when it comes to strategy and planning. Nezu knows exactly how to monitor, assess, and correct a situation, thanks to his Quirk, and it’s made him more than worthy of being called the leader of U.A.
