My Hero Academia is anime's answer to the likes of The Boys, Marvel, and DC, in superheroes rising and fighting against evil. While My Hero Academia focuses on the miraculous story and rise of Izuku Midoriya from a quirkless child to becoming the next All Might, his entire Class 1-A of U.A. High School also step up and show off their heroic prowess at various points.
My Hero Academia's core is presenting this next generation of heroes going through the motions at school and learning the ropes. Still, on many occasions, they are thrust into real-world situations that call upon their best efforts. School is a structured environment for contained learning, but in My Hero Academia, heroes are made out in the real world, fighting against evil in the name of justice.
10 Class 1-B Members Knew They Had To Step Up During The Villain Attack On The Forest Training Camp
When things worsened in My Hero Academia's Forest Training Camp arc, and the villains attacked the U.A. students, Class 1-B's Itsuka Kendo and Tetsutetsu Tetsusetsu realized they needed to step up. They both ended up risking their lives against the villains, knowing that in addition to it being the right thing to do, that real experience was keeping Class 1-A so far ahead of them.
This scenario was a perfect chance for them to prove their worth as heroes, showing immense teamwork in overcoming the villainous Mustard, his poisonous gas, and his excessive use of firearms. From here, they continued to establish themselves as the stars of Class 1-B.
9 Class 1-A Faced Off Against Villains Sooner Than Expected In The U.S.J. Invasion
This gulf in real experience that Tetsutetsu and Kendo were talking about mainly came from Class 1-A's traumatic experience at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. That was as early as the fourth arc of My Hero Academia, quickly thrusting the aspiring heroes of Class 1-A into a trial by fire in defending themselves against a horde of villains.
Class 1-A were at the U.S.J. to learn how to use their quirks to save people rather than for fighting, but the villains' arrival immediately threw this lesson out the window. Many students thrived on saving their friends, while others went for brute force. Ultimately, it gave everyone more of an idea of what to work on and improve than the intended session may have done.
8 Facing Stain Was A Brutal Lesson In A Hero's Duty & Responsibilities
The Hero Killer arc of My Hero Academia followed the U.S.J. incident and the U.A. Sports Festival. It was a major learning point for Shoto Todoroki, Tenya Ida, and Izuku Midoriya. While the other students were on their internships and learning at a steady pace increase compared to school, these three found themselves fighting for their lives against the formidable Hero Killer Stain.
Stain was one of the most intriguing and complex anti-villains in anime, but he was too powerful and dangerous for the Class 1-A students. The trio ended up hanging in there despite being pushed back by Stain's Quirk of Bloodcurdle. Still, they learned that acting on emotions can lead to poor decision-making and the necessity of teamwork in dire situations against tough foes.
7 The Infiltration Of Shie Hassaikai Saw Several Students Used As Equals Of Pro Heroes
The Shie Hassaikai arc was a step up from the students' initial internship, but especially so for Izuku Midoriya, Tsuyu Asui, Eijiro Kirishima, and Ochaco Uraraka. The foursome's respective Pro Heroes formed a formidable alliance and took their interns along for the dangerous mission to raid the Shie Hassaikai.
The initial meeting with all the big heroes and names hammered home the magnitude of the task. Work experience is self-explanatory, but this intense mission was character-defining for all four students involved, as they were once again thrust head-first into a dangerous scenario.
6 Many Students Developed New Skills During Their Internships
The other students also benefited tremendously from their internships, even if it wasn't to the same degree or scale as facing Stain or the Shie Hassaikai. These internships taught the students skills they may not have learned in a school environment. Ochaco Uraraka learned Gunhead Martial Arts from the hero Gunhead, and she still applies it whenever in a close-quarters combat situation.
Some students were left bemused about their internships and the obscure ways they were supposed to be helping their development, but Tsuyu Asui thrived under Selkie. The aquatic-based team threw Froppy right in at the deep end, and she came out the other end looking like a true hero.
5 Deku & The Others Learned From Losing Bakugo At The End Of The Forest Ambush
The Forest Training Camp arc of My Hero Academia was important for all the U.A. students, not just those of Class 1-B looking to keep up. When the villains infiltrated the camp, all students were forbidden from utilizing their quirks until Shota Aizawa, Eraserhead, permitted them to respond with force.
The villains were more organized in their attack on the training camp than at U.S.J., forcing the students to up their game. The final capture of Bakugo was disastrous, but a necessary loss for the students to learn from. It taught them that Pro Heroes may not always be there to save everybody and to utilize that guilt and despair to fight harder the next time.
4 Deku's Group Managed To Extract Bakugo Without Engaging Direct Combat
When the League of Villains took Bakugo, several students stepped up to take on a daring rescue mission. Vengeance and determination could only drive them so far through their crippling fear, however, as the arrival of All For One at the hideout changed everything.
Led by the sensible minds of Ida and Yaoyorozu, the group moved through their fear. They hatched a plan that meant saving Bakugo from a distance and not engaging in unnecessary combat. U.A. teachers would undoubtedly advise this level of caution and intellect in such a situation, but hot-headed students would likely not listen unless their lives were truly in danger.
3 Todoroki & Bakugo Immediately Showed Their Heroic Prowess After Passing The Provisional License Exam
Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki were forced to retake their Provisional Hero License Exam due to their combative natures getting the best of them in their previous attempt. Still, they passed the second time with flying colors. While being escorted away by All Might after their success, they came across some criminals at work and immediately sprang into action.
With All Might limited to normal civilian capabilities, the two youngsters had to tackle the criminals alone and eventually emerged victorious. Bakugo and Shoto quickly stated that they were ready to be Pro Heroes, were past all the structured learning, and were prepared to tackle real-world scenarios.
2 Endeavor Pushed Shoto, Deku, & Bakugo To Better Themselves In The Field
U.A. High School is a great place for nurturing the talent of young and upcoming heroes, but nothing can truly beat learning from the best in the field. Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki eventually got the chance to follow the No. 1 Pro Hero, Endeavor, and after he had heard what each of them wanted to achieve, he set them to work.
The main test that Endeavor set the students was simple in principle, but near impossible in execution, as they had to defeat a villain before him. This required awareness, speed, and reactions. While they all struggled initially, the intensity of the task pushed them all to improve. Deku was able to push his maximum output considerably.
1 The Paranormal Liberation War Has Pushed The Students Even Further By Putting Them In Active Roles
The Paranormal Liberation War arc of My Hero Academia has seen Pro Heroes and the students-turned-budding-heroes teaming up to thwart the grand plans of the Paranormal Liberation Front. While many of the students started proceedings at the back or were in charge of the evacuation, several others were entrusted with taking part in the real conflict at the front.
The U.A. students have had the luxury of classes and Pro Heroes to teach them how to refine their quirks, but it has all culminated in them being properly viewed as heroes in situations of crisis. There were tough drills and contests to get through at U.A. High School, but this huge-scale war has been the biggest and most necessary test of all.