While there are several aspects of My Hero Academia that can be praised to kingdom come, one thing that should definitely be commended is its massive cast of memorable characters and the manner in which they're seamlessly woven into the plot. A great example of this would be Gentle Criminal. While initially coming off as nothing but a filler villain that was meant to just pad out the runtime, Gentle Criminal actually ended up becoming one of the more intriguing and relatable characters featured in Season 4 of My Hero Academia.
Given his fleeting appearance, it goes without saying that fans are still unclear about this character's motivations, and most of these queries can be summarized in the following 9 unanswered questions that most people have about Gentle Criminal.
9 Wasn't His Placement Right After Overhaul Somewhat Weird?
The fight against Overhaul was when Midoriya finally managed to showcase the full extent of One for All without facing any major repercussions for the most part. It's easily one of the best fights in the series and a brilliant moment in the series.
So, one would assume that Midoriya would face someone even more engrossing and challenging later on, only for Gentle Criminal to drop in with the most random of appearances. While he definitely became a character that one could warm up to over time, one can't deny that the initial moments of this arc were anything but riveting.
8 Why Wasn't He Accepted At U.A.?
It was clear that Gentle Criminal required some assistance with his Quirk, which definitely had a ton of potential. However, it's a shame that he was completely shunned from U.A. without the school even bothering to build up such a promising yet lost individual. This eventually led to his botched rescue, which brings another point to mind.
7 Why Didn't He Just Jump On A Bouncy Surface And Catch The Falling Man?
While it would be easy to recommend something logical to a person who was caught up in the heat of things and wanted to save a person, one has to admit that Gentle Criminal wasn't exactly the smartest person when it came to his powers. It was a bone-headed move on his end when he didn't realize making a bouncy pad for a falling man would just redirect his fall, and he should've just jumped up and caught the guy instead.
6 Why Did He Dismiss Midoriya's Threat So Flippantly?
Another instance of when Gentle wasn't exactly all that smart was when he decided to turn his back on Midoriya and assume that the hero didn't have the means to attack him anymore.
He should've known to never assume that a hero's down for the count, and Midoriya taught him a lesson with a burst of ranged force from his One for All attack.
5 Did He Really Not Have Time To Dodge Midoriya's Last-Ditch Attack?
Gentle Criminal had proven himself to have some pretty impressive reflexes, given the fact that he could bounce around at a moment's notice whenever he had to dodge an attack.
It's a hard pill to swallow that he sensed Midoriya's attack, had time to look back, but ultimately did not dodge.
4 How Could His Parents Be That Horrible?
Gentle's backstory is revealed over the course of this mini-arc, with his parents certainly standing out as some of the most horrible guardians one could ever have.
The fact that his parents actively shunned him for not developing his powers instead of helping him out is the classic supervillain backstory, and one must point out how cartoonishly stupid his parents really were.
3 Why Didn't The Police Just Track Him Down By Analyzing His Channel?
After becoming an outcast in a world chock-full of picture-perfect heroes, Gentle decided to make a name for himself by committing small crimes and uploading their footage on the internet.
It's a testament to how incompetent the law forces in the world of My Hero Academia really are that they weren't able to do something as simple as track down his ISP or something along the same lines to arrest him without any major issues.
2 Did He Really Need To Protect La Brava In Such An Over-The-Top Fashion?
While it's true that Gentle really cared for La Brava and wanted to look out for her, it's quite ridiculous that he would choose such an elaborate lie to cover up her tracks.
After all, La Brava's still a child at the end of the day. Surely the police themselves could've taken care of her without resorting to any official means?
1 Isn't It Weird That, Out Of All The Superheroes That Could've Been Chosen, La Brava Chose Gentle Criminal?
It's not like Gentle Criminal had the widest reach with his uploads — in fact, he was barely getting any views. So the fact that an internet-savvy person like La Brava managed to comb through the mass of role models to find his solitary figure is quite convenient indeed.
It's certainly quite sweet, and many people have a habit of getting attached to internet personalities and the like, but it's still just a tad too convenient regardless.