Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were students of My Hero Academia's U.A. High and characters who are strikingly similar. This resulted in a comical (albeit important) clash during the Sports Festival, where Eijiro would test his hardening against his rival's steel.

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What the two boys had in common quickly rendered them natural friends, despite the loss the Class 1-B student had endured. However, their differences are just as important as the things they share. Their mutual qualities and the ways they differ shed light on each student's best qualities while simultaneously displaying the bonds that keep them as reliable friends.

10 Similar: Their Hero Outfits Are Astonishingly Alike

Kirishima ready to fight in MHA

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's hero outfits are strongly redolent to one another. Both place an emphasis on their exposed arms and exaggerate their chests. This plays off of their strength-oriented and direct approach to battling enemies.

Additionally, neither of them is concerned about hiding their secret identity. Kirishima's Red Riot costume barely covers the bridge of his nose and chin, whereas Tetsutetsu's "mask" only protects his sideburns. Their casual attire reflects their gallant and dauntless personalities.

9 Different: Their Attitudes Are Contrasting

tetsutetsu mha talking

Despite their robust friendship, the attitudes between Eijiro and Tetsutetstu are astonishingly different. The Class 1-A student carries himself with a veritable nonchalance outside of battle, referring to his friends colloquially as "man" and allowing Bakugo's insults to roll off his shoulders.

Conversely, Tetsutetsu is much more pugnacious and aggressive, resenting Kacchan for his arrogance and resolving himself to win in order to prove his superiority complex wrong. This makes him every bit as rigid and tense as his metallic Quirk suggests, further creating a contrast between himself and his colleague.

8 Similar: They Share The Same Mentor

fourth kind hero with Kirishima & Tetsutetsu MHA

The similarities between Tetsutetsu and Kirishima were noted in the canon universe. It attracted the attention of pro hero "Fourth Kind," who recruited them for a work-study.

While he may have been brutal and demanding on his interns, it was a sterling chance for them to prove themselves not only to him but also to each other. Further, his choice to take both of them under his charge gave them a chance to further interact and cultivate the touching friendship that would be expanded on later in the story.

7 Different: They Are Members Of Different Classes

Nirengeki Shoda tries to reassure Class 1-B peers in My Hero Academia

In spite of their similar experiences in their work-study, perhaps the greatest division between Kirishima and Tetsutetsu comes from their separate classes. The latter is infamously insecure about the former's homeroom, sharing Neito's concerns about constantly being overlooked.

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Fortunately, it is not a conflict that has yet to impede upon their magnificent bond. However, with season five taking the feud between both classes into center focus, it's likely that the strength of their friendship will be tested as Eijiro and his steel companion come to blows once again to determine the greatest homeroom of U.A. High with finality.

6 Similar: Their Quirks Are Fundamentally Alike

Tetsutetsu and Kirishima Hitting One Another, My Hero Academia

The Quirks of both students are fundamentally alike. Each is designed not only to enhance the abuse they can take but also to increase their physical strength. It was predominantly proven through Kirishima's fight against Cementoss, where he was capable of destroying dozens of concrete layers.

Since Tetsutetsu's strength is comparable to Eijiro's (as proven through his narrow defeat during their arm wrestling match), it follows that he wields similar brawn. The only notable difference between both Quirks is that Kirishima can enter a state of ultimate hardening, albeit one that exhausts him to maintain.

5 Different: Kirishima Has Significantly More Experience

Different: Kirishima Has Significantly More Experience

As evenly matched as Kirishima and Tetsutetsu might seem, the former has dramatically more combat experience. He participated in the battle against the League of Villains during their breach of U.A. High, was invaluable during the forest camp invasion, helped save Bakugo from All For One, and proved to be an essential asset during the Overhaul operation.

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Conversely, Tetsutetsu only played a minor role in the forest camp attack, taking down Mustard with a single decisive punch. Though this puts him well above his peers in the number of career villains defeated, he still cannot match his rival's repertoire.

4 Similar: They Have The Same Ambition

Kirishima and tetsutetsu internship

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu share the same ambition to become professional heroes. Their mutual dream was part of what connected them to each other, each having passed the onerous rigors of the admission process.

In addition to attending the same school, they are also participating in the same specific courses. It contrasts to other alternatives, such as the business or technology departments that receive less attention on account of their minuscule relevance.

3 Different: Tetsutetsu Has More Natural Courage

Tetsutetsu versus Mustard in My Hero Academia

Both Kirishima and Tetsutetsu are courageous and willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their peers. However, the former was much more reluctant to do so, as proven through his hesitation during Gigantomachia's visit to the city. He needed Crimson Riot's example in order to face evil without fleeing against Overhaul's minions later in the story.

Tetsutetsu has not displayed nearly as much inhibition. He ran headfirst toward Mustard in spite of his sinister power and Quirk, proving an almost unusual amount of heroism given his lack of experience. The fight's outcome entailed that his organic bravery was well-founded.

2 Similar: Respect For Each Other

 Similar: Respect For Each Other

With the many differences between both students, it follows that they might be at odds with one another. Not only are they from opposing classes, but their Quirks also stand to render the inferior one between the two of them as irrelevant.

However, they value qualities of tenaciousness, heroism, and toughness above petty grievances, fostering a healthy environment of mutual respect by which their bond can thrive. Poetically, this makes them much closer to an ideal professional hero than some of their respective homeroom's strongest students, such as Bakugo and Neito.

1 Different: Roles In The School Festival

Different: Roles In The School Festival

Though the School Festival was important for saving Eri's broken mind, it was also vital for conveying that U.A.'s students were receiving as productive and healthy of a lifestyle as possible to contrast the perils of hero work.

During its performances, Tetsutetsu and Kirishima had much different roles. The former was an actor in a play arranged by Class 1-B, while the latter was a stagehand who used his hardening to compliment Todoroki's ice and create a pleasant environment of falling, frozen flakes. Each demonstrated their talent for bringing happiness in their own special way.

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