Summary
The main story ofMy Hero Academiafeatures a ton of powerful heroes and villains, though not all of them are able to remain in their prime for all of Midoriya’s grand adventure. As is revealed a little later in the plot, after the sudden emergence of Quirks and heroes, several incredibly strong individuals rose from the ashes, making names for themselves and showing off their impressive combat skills any chance they got.
Despite many of these characters still being more than able to put up a fight in the story, it’s clear that they are no longer at the best of their abilities, though this only helps to make them even more intriguing with fans eager to learn more about how strong they really were all those years ago. At the same time, some characters would prove themselves to be incredibly strong and reliable in the story, only to be heavily nerfed much later. With that being said, these are some of the most popular characters inMy Hero Academiawho, for one reason or another, are no longer as formidable as they once were. Before jumping in, this list will contain spoilers up to the end of season 7 of the anime, and will focus on characters who are past their prime by the beginning of the story, and the end of the current season.
This list contains spoilers up to the end of season 7 of the anime!
6Ragdoll
One Of The Wild Wild Pussycats' Members Is Suddenly Left Without A Quirk
Ragdoll first appears in the story during the Forest Training Camp arc as a loyal member of the fun and vibrant group of heroes known as the Wild Wild Pussycats. When it came to collecting information and keeping track of allies from afar, nobody could do it better than Ragdoll and her Search Quirk, but unfortunately,she would end up having this ability stolenfrom her by none other than All For One, not long after her debut.
For the rest of the series, Ragdoll desperately tries to find ways to help out her fellow pussycats, considering she technically can’t even be a hero anymore due to lacking a Quirk. When she still had her Quirk intact, Ragdoll was an invaluable asset for the heroes who excelled at providing extra support while on the field, but she would sadly lose her position thanks to All For One, who had a particular interest in getting his hands on Search, which he and Shigaraki would use countless times in the final war.
5Re-Destro
Re-Destro And His Amy Slowly Begin To Crumble Once The League Of Villains Gets Involved
Re-Destro was able to run an illegal organization under the government’s noses for several years, and as shown in his introduction, he’s an incredibly successful businessman who also managed to rally an entire army of loyal followers to his cause. When he shows up in the main series, though, and is forced to take on theLeague of Villains, slowly but surely, everything starts to crumble around him.
After losing several of his key members in battle, including Geten and Curious, Re-Destro is then forced to hand over the leading position of the Meta Liberation Army to Shigaraki, after being impressed by how his foe would use his own Quirk so liberally without restrictions. It wouldn’t take long before Re-Destro is put behind bars, marking the end of his slow and gradual fall from grace.
4Hawks
No Longer Being Able To Use His Wings Severely Nerfs Hawks' Power
The reason Hawks is such a tragic character is that he was, without a doubt, in his prime for much of the story, but just like Ragdoll, he would be brought crashing back down to earth by All For One. In the final war, after trying to fend off the dangerous villain to keep the other heroes safe, Hawks is held up by All For One like a lifeless corpse, who slowly saps away his Quirk until Hawks' wings are gone for good.
Before this tragic confrontation took place, Hawks filled thenumber 2 hero position, with the main reason why being his speed and agility that came from his wings. Hawks acted as a kind of undercover agent for hero society where he could effortlessly wipe out any suspicious villains with a swarm of his razor-sharp feathers, but all of this would no longer be possible after All For One got involved.
3All For One
The Main Villain Of The Series Is Eventually Able To Show Off The True Strength Of His Peak Form In The Final War
As someone who is able to collect multiple Quirks and use them in battle all at once, All For One is easily the strongest villain in the series, despite no longer even being at his peak. The mechanical mask that All For One is forced to wear for much of the story is proof that his body has seen better days, and while his abilities are still strong, he’s nowhere near as fast or durable as he was when facing off against the likes of Nana Shimura many years before.
Fans would actually get a showcase of how strong this version of All For One really was after he uses theRewind Quirkto reverse his body back in time in the final war. Once he turns back into a young adult, All For One feels more or less impossible to take down, requiring an entire army of Pro-Heroes to deal any sort of significant damage to the evil mastermind.
2Gran Torino
The Old Geezer Was Once One Of The Fastest Crimefighters Patrolling The Streets
As someone who was once a partner to Nana Shimura and mentor toAll Might, Gran Torino has seen a lot of action in his lengthy career as a hero, and was once even considered one of the fastest heroes ever thanks to his speedy Jet Quirk. Torino may still be pretty quick on his feet when Midoriya decides to train with him, but he is more or less semi-retired by this point, and is also a lot smaller than he was years before, making him slightly weaker and less durable as a result.
While only small flashes of Torino’s past life as a Pro-Hero have been shown in the series, the fact he was able to keep up with Nana, who was holding One For All at the time, proves he was not a hero to be taken lightly. In the main story, Gran Torino is still a useful asset for the heroes, who is always heppy to help out in any way he can, despite his age.
1All Might
When Midoriya Meets All Might, It’s Clear That The Constant Fighting Has Taken A Heavy Toll On The Number 1 Hero
When witnessing just how immensely fast and strong All Might is in the main story, it’s honestly shocking to learn that this isn’t even him at his best. Due to years of crime-fighting, along with a few injuries picked up thanks to All For One, All Might is clearly coming to the end of his time asOne For All’s successor, which is why he’s a little slower on the draw than when he was a fresh young hero with Nana and Nighteye at his side.
All Might would be such a threat to the villains in his prime that he managed to drop Japan’s crime rate below 6% pretty much single-handedly, and through his flashback with Nighteye, it’s implied he was somehow even faster than he was when Midoriya first met him. It’s no wonder that All Might is such a beloved figure among heroes, but an image of hatred for the villains, considering how easily he cleaned up the streets when in his prime.
