Every year there are many new anime series that grab the audience’s attention, but My Hero Academia’s popularity has only continued to grow with each new season. The shonen anime series cleverly embraces superhero archetypes to tell the story of Izuku Midoriya and his peers as they strive to become the next generation of heroes that will keep the peace.

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Each season of the anime introduces new threats and allies and the series’ current fifth season brings back dozens of abandoned supporting characters that get to clash against Class 1-A’s established students. One of the most interesting individuals to emerge from the pack is Hitoshi Shinso, a hero that both holds a ton of potential, but is also a major mystery.

10 His Quirk Is A Powerful Form Of Brainwashing

Anime My Hero Academia Hitoshi Shinso Bio

My Hero Academia has done exceptional work to showcase a wide variety of Quirks, some of which pull from more traditional superpowers and others that feel considerably more niche. A powerful Quirk can be everything in My Hero Academia and Hitoshi Shinso is blessed to have Brainwashing as his Quirk, which allows him to take control of an opponent’s actions once they respond to his voice.

Shinso’s Quirk can do a lot of damage, but it’s important to realize that the individual needs to hear Shinso’s vocal waves and not an electronic projection of them, like through a megaphone.

9 The Identity Of His Parents Has Become A Major Source Of Speculation

Taller Hitoshi Shinso from My Hero Academia.

The growth of Midoriya and his classmates is My Hero Academia’s priority, but the anime has pulled back the layers to these characters’ pasts and examined the significance of their family on their superhero trajectories. My Hero Academia’s fifth season focuses heavily on secret parentages and many have jumped to similar conclusions with Hitoshi Shinso.

Shinso bears a resemblance to both Shota Aizawa as well as Tomura Shigaraki, but at this point, it’s nothing more than that. Hitoshi’s parents haven’t been explored in detail, but his last name at least implies he’s not the offspring of an existing character.

8 He’s The Most Prominent Student From Class 1-C

Anime Hitoshi Shinso My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia bills U.A. High as the most prestigious of institutions for those that are interested in becoming professional heroes. The anime primarily focuses on Izuku Midoriya and the rest of the students in Class 1-A, but they’re far from the only prospective heroes at the school.

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Season five throws the students of Class 1-B into the spotlight, but this also includes Hitoshi Shinso, who’s actually in Class 1-C. This makes Shinso an oddity, but it proves his determination to break through as a hero and how hard he’s willing to work.

7 Shota Aizawa Has Taken In Hitoshi As His Protégé

Anime My Hero Academia Hitoshi Shinso Joint Training Selections

My Hero Academia’s characters come from different backgrounds and some individuals are more privileged than others. Hitoshi Shinso comes from a disadvantaged place and has to work harder to prove himself. Shota Aizawa is impressed by Shinso’s work in the Sports Festival and decides to secretly train him in preparation for the Joint Training exercise.

Aizawa has selective tastes and so his support for Shinso goes a long way. Shinso develops his own style and doesn’t just mimic Aizawa, but he does help him extensively with the use of Binding Cloth, an area that he himself is quite adept in.

6 His Quirk Has Improved To Include The Powerful Persona Chords Addition

My Hero Academia Shinso Brainwashing Quirk

Some Quirks in My Hero Academia begin at their apex and don’t evolve, but there are several abilities that actively develop as these heroes grow more confident. Hitoshi Shinso establishes his Brainwashing Quirk at the Sports Festival, but when he returns in the Joint Training Arc, it’s gone through a serious upgrade.

Shinso can perform tweaks to his Artificial Vocal Chords mask to trigger a super move known as Persona Chords where he can mimic someone else’s voice. This makes it even easier for Shinso to get his opponent to reply to him and succumb to his power.

5 He Gives A Strong Performance In U.A. High’s Sports Festival

Hitoshi Shinso looking confident at the Sports Festival in My Hero Academia.

Season five operates as a major showcase for not just Hitoshi Shinso, but also the majority of Class 1-B. However, all of these characters initially appear back in season two’s Sports Festival competition. This tournament is a solid way for U.A. High’s first-year students to learn how they compare against each other.

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The top positions are filled by prominent Class 1-A heroes like Bakugo and Todoroki, but Shinso does a modest job considering his disadvantages. Shinso ranks in the top 16 of the Sports Festival and his performance gets him some important attention from U.A. High’s faculty.

4 He Hasn’t Been Able To Align Himself With A Hero Agency Or Internship Yet

hitoshi shinso mha

My Hero Academia works hard to make sure that U.A. High’s students grow both independently and as a team. The later seasons bring up hero agencies and internships that can help students find their voices or make connections in the world of pro heroes.

These opportunities are fundamental for students like Midoriya, Ochako, and Kirishima, but it’s a perk that Shinso can’t benefit from. Shinso would do great in such a position and hopefully, his performance in the Joint Training exercise puts him on the radars of even more big heroes.

3 He’s Currently 16 Years Old

Hitoshi During The Sports Festival MHA

Some anime exist in a vacuum where it seems like time never passes over the span of hundreds of episodes. My Hero Academia can occasionally condense its timeline, but it does show its characters slowly growing older and embark on more serious threats as they become more mature.

Hitoshi Shinso is 15 when he first appears and he’s currently 16 in the manga. Shinso is definitely a wild card, but the fact that he’s a teenager and not completely removed from the rest of U.A. High means that he still succumbs to the typical habits of adolescents.

2 His Hero Equipment Includes A Powerful Binding Cloth Capturing Weapon

Hitoshi Shinso, My Hero Academia

A powerful Quirk is paramount in My Hero Academia, but the anime also speaks to how the entire hero ensemble is important and no elements should be neglected. Hitoshi Shinso’s hero costume is still a work in progress and he’s still in such an experimental place that he doesn’t even have an exaggerated hero name to call himself.

Despite these setbacks, Shinso is equipped with valuable support tools, like his Binding Cloth capturing weapon. The Binding Cloth is the same versatile tool that Aizawa uses and he makes sure that Shinso is just as adept with the equipment.

1 He’s Established A Friendly Rivalry Against Deku

Anime Midoriya-vs-Hitoshi-Shinso

Hitoshi Shinso can sometimes feel like a character with no nation since he doesn’t fit in with either Class 1-A or Class 1-B. Shinso floats between groups and makes friends, even though it’s not his initial intention.

Shinso doesn’t appear to hold any grudges, but his first major battle in the series is against Midoriya in the Sports Festival. They recognize each other as worthy adversaries and both characters are eager for a rematch. It sets both characters on a parallel path throughout the progress of season five.

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