The My Hero Academia series is told in a truly sublime manner. The action scenes always keep viewers on the edge of their seats, and the setting of the show is engrossing from the get-go, mainly since it's equal parts familiar and unique.
Of course, it would be impossible to talk about some of the greatest aspects of My Hero Academia without giving credit to the beating heart of the series — its diverse cast of lovable characters. It's quite clear that Kōhei Horikoshi is a master in character writing, and one need only look at the effortless nature in which a minor character like Gentle Criminal has become such a beloved character to understand why this is the case. That being said, Gentle Criminal isn't a perfect criminal. Here are ten things about Gentle Criminal that make absolutely no sense whatsoever to illustrate this point further.
10 His Introduction Was Certainly Somewhat Jarring
After an amazing arc that ended with one of the most powerful beatdowns in anime history, viewers were treated to a U.A. School Festival arc that, for all intents and purposes, should've been a respite of sorts from the usual proceedings.
Instead, this arc marked a random side villain whose presence almost made the entire storyline feel like filler for a while. Thankfully, Gentle Criminal's backstory was expanded upon enough to actually turn him into a memorable character in his own right.
9 His Parents Are Unnaturally Horrible
While it may be true that Gentle wasn't the most promising superhero around, it's quite ridiculous that his parents treated him in such a horrible manner just because he didn't measure up to the very best — a ridiculous notion to have in the first place.
The peak of this truly despicable behavior is when his parents pretty much disown him after he botches a hero's rescue attempt. Although, that being said, Gentle was truly inept when it came to this particular situation.
8 Using A Bouncy Surface To Break Someone's Fall Isn't Smart
After witnessing a person falling from a near-fatal height, the last thing anyone would do is create a bouncy surface for them that would delay the inevitability of splatting on the pavement.
However, this is exactly what Gentle Criminal does, essentially preventing a hero from saving a life and also leading to permanent injuries for the person he was trying to "save."
7 He Should've Jumped Up To Catch The Man Instead
The fight against Midoriya made one thing very clear — Gentle was deft enough to use his own bouncy surfaces as a launching pad for himself, giving him excellent mobility for the most part.
So, he didn't use this method of launching himself to catch the man and prevent any possible injuries was a horrible misstep on his part.
6 He Shouldn't Have Underestimated Midoriya From The Get-Go
Speaking of the fight against Midoriya, it must be said that Gentle took the budding user of One for All way too lightly near the tail end of this battle.
He pretty much turned his back on a person who had the ability to launch destructive ranged attacks at will! Even though Gentle might've thought that he'd incapacitated Midoriya, it's still quite nonsensical that he completely dismissed such a powerful hero's threat so easily.
5 Dodging Midoriya's Blast Shouldn't Have Been Too Hard For Him
Midoriya's attacks are pretty fast, indeed, but the fight between him and Gentle showed the latter's dodging capabilities.
So, the fact that Gentle Criminal wasn't able to dodge a ranged blast from Midoriya that he'd sensed quite some time back is rather hard to believe.
4 La Brava Getting Attached To A Random Internet Personality Is Quite A Stretch
The dynamic between Gentle Criminal and La Brava is quite heartwarming indeed. That being said, one can't deny that how their fates got intertwined is somewhat hard to believe, given the circumstances.
Sure, it's true that La Brava is a computer whiz and might've explored the deepest recesses of the internet. However, Gentle Criminal didn't have a big following than the various other role models La Brava could've had. The fact that she happened upon Gentle's videos and even developed a strong attachment feels rather contrived, as a result.
3 He Should've Brought La Brava Back To Her Parents
However, La Brava's attachment pales compared to the ridiculousness of Gentle's behavior after they met.
Any normal person who had a child randomly pop up on their doorstep would've tried contacting her parents or bring said child to the authorities, at the very least. Instead, Gentle Criminal took La Brava in and pretended like what he was doing was right, which is absolutely ridiculous.
2 Him Making Excuses For La Brava After Being Captured Feels Pretty Forced
After the authorities ended up capturing the dynamic duo, Gentle Criminal pulls off a contrived good guy act where he pretended that he hypnotized La Brava and forced her to be with him.
Surely this wasn't required at all? After all, La Brava was still a minor, and the maximum punishment that the authorities would've dealt her was just a slap on the wrist. Gentle just overcomplicated things with his "selfless" attitude.
1 It's Weird How U.A. Never Recognized His Potential
The worst part about Gentle's character is that his Quirk actually has a ton of potential. One needs only to see his fight with Midoriya to understand the validity of this statement.
So, the fact that a prestigious high school for superheroes never really bothered to educate this young man on how to use his powers properly is a massive misstep on their end. In fact, one can even blame Gentle Criminal's descent into villainy on U.A.