My Hero Academia does a great job balancing the main students of Class 1-A, like Izuku, Iida and Uraraka, and side students like Koda, Sero and Tokoyami. Although the former are bound to receive more screen time due to the nature of their characters and Quirks, it's not like the latter group is completely ignored. Tokoyami especially is introduced as a reserved yet valiant member of the class who works well with others and thanks them for their efforts.

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He's humble and able to accept his own limits, being able to take advice he's given wholeheartedly while possessing the determination required to work through his flaws without being discouraged. However, for all of the positive traits that Tokoyami has going for him, he has a slew of harsh realities involved with how he and his Quirk operate as well.

10 His Outward Appearance Means Some Judge Him Based Off A Simple Glance

Tokoyami feature

While judging a book by their cover is never a good way to get a true feel for a character's personality, it's still sadly a reality that many people both in reality and in-universe have to face. One of the best examples of this is how Shinso is labeled a 'definite villain' by others when his appearance and the nature of his Quirk are combined. Tokoyami is no different, as his dark crow-resembling head doesn't do him any favors in this department.

9 He Can Come Off As Creepy Due To The Nature Of His Speech And Hobbies

Anime My Hero Academia Anime Fumikage Tokoyami Dark Shadow

Tokoyami doesn't only have a dark outward appearance that can cause others to misjudge him at first glance. His hobbies feed into this perception of him as well, being fond of darkness and other similar concepts, remarking himself to be a creature of the dark. He also has a habit of breaking out in archaic speeches from time to time which only serve to make him appear creepy to many others.

8 His Quirk Is Sensitive To His Emotions, Meaning He Always Has To Struggle To Keep Himself In Check

tokoyami pained my hero

Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is an intertwined part of his existence on much more than just the battlefield. Unlike most other students, his Quirk isn't something that he can choose to shut off, but rather he has to be conscious of Dark Shadow and just how much his emotional state affects its user.

While Tokoyami is typically noble and focused, he can beat himself up if anything happens to the comrades he cares deeply about, causing him to become somewhat emotionally volatile. Dark Shadow is then able to take advantage of this to wreak havoc, given that his Quirk is sensitive to his emotions.

7 Dark Shadow Has To Be Kept Away From Any And All Forms Of Light To Recharge

tokoyami deku mei sports festival my hero

Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is an incredibly potent tool in both offensive and defensive situations. It's a living, breathing part of him that's loyal to his commands and will go to any lengths to protect its master despite the personal state its in, save for when it goes berserk.

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Tokoyami and Dark Shadow also don't directly share the same senses, meaning that pain or injury inflicted on one won't necessarily affect the other. However, Dark Shadow has a limited amount of time it can be active, and has to be kept away from any and all forms of light in order to be recharged.

6 He Can Occasionally Act Timid In The Face Of Danger, Such As When He Insists The Pros - Rather Than The Students - Should Rescue Bakugo

tokoyami sunset my hero

Although Tokoyami is a noble young man who has confidence in his abilities, he's originally shown not thinking much of he and his classmate's abilities when tasked with rescuing Bakugo. Rather, he's on Tsuyu's side of believing that rescuing Bakugo is a job for the Pro Heroes, but not because he believes they'd be stooping to the villains' level by doing so. Instead, he doesn't believe that the Class 1-A students can compare to an actual pro rescue squad and is thus hesitant to assist.

5 Dark Shadow Needs Darkness To Recharge, But Can Also Use It To Grow Wildly Out Of Control

tokoyami trapped in dark shadow my hero

It's well-established that Dark Shadow's energy drains the longer it's summoned, and that the farther away it travels from Tokoyami, the shorter its summoned duration becomes. Combine the fact that it needs the complete absence of light to recharge itself with Dark Shadow's ability to become increasingly more volatile and uncontrollable in the darkness, and Tokoyami is quite often playing a very dangerous game with his powers whether he wants to or not.

4 Just As He Believes He's Overcome The Cause Of His Quirk's Volatile Drawback, Another One Appears

tokoyami and todoroki my hero

Originally, it's believed that the only true factor determining how controllable or volatile Dark Shadow becomes is the amount of pure darkness it's exposed to. In order to help combat this, Tokoyami trains in a dark cave until Dark Shadow is the same controlled size that he is during the day.

While this initially sounds like he's worked through his biggest drawback, not long afterwards, it's revealed that the true defining factor is Tokoyami's own emotional state. This is something much harder to deal with, as even all of the emotional training in the world can fail in high-stress situations.

3 While His Power, Speed And Cooperativeness Rank High, He's Noted To Have Somewhat Lacking Intelligence

tokoyami and crying dark shadow my hero

Two official databooks have come out for the My Hero Academia franchise, aptly named the Ultra Archive and Ultra Analysis books. The latter places his power at a four-out-of-six while his speed is a considerable five, but he falters in one important area.

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Though Tokoyami's shown to be able to accept his own shortcomings and work on improving them, the Ultra Archive book lists his intelligence as only a C-rank, hitting a three-out-of-five. This lowers his standing in the class a bit when compared to geniuses like Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and even Bakugo who manage to score a four or higher.

2 Horikoshi Notes That He Finds Tokoyami To Be Awesome, But That The General In-Universe World Doesn't Share This Sentiment

tokoyami and dark shadow my hero

While Horikoshi notes that Tokoyami is a character that he struggles to draw at times, he also considers the character to be "awesome." However, he has to further go on to clarify that it's only his personal sentiment and that the majority of in-universe citizens within My Hero Academia do not echo this sentiment.

While it's unfair to Tokoyami as his true personality is brave, cooperative and helpful towards others, the general public tends to judge based off of appearances. One of the jobs of a Pro Hero is to calm down civilians when villains or even the nature of hero's Quirks cause unrest, something that may be harder for Tokoyami to do than his peers given his demeanor and general way of speaking.

1 He Doesn't Care Much For Rules That He Perceives As Unnecessary, Causing Him To Butt Heads Early On With Iida

tokoyami sitting on desk my hero

Tokoyami is a student who can take academia seriously when it counts, having placed quite high in the entrance exam, the Quirk Apprehension Test as well, as the first-year stage of the Sports Festival. However, he doesn't comply with authority figures and rules simply because they're in place and will go as far as to ignore it outright if he doesn't see the purpose in it. This is most clearly shown at the start of the term, as he's pictured sitting on top of a desk and silently ignoring Iida who tries to tell him he's breaking the rules.

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