Brave heroes and ruthless villains are battling it out on the streets of My Hero Academia's alternate fantasy world, and some of these villains are too tough for ordinary heroes or trainee heroes to take on. The League of Villains attracted some of the strongest street villains in Japan, and one of them is the terrifying Muscular.
Muscular's Quirk, as his name suggests, allows him to greatly enhance his muscle strength, and he can grow extra muscles all over his body for even more power. He can rival the sheer power of One For All like that, and no doubt Muscular can take on most trainee heroes or pros and win. But a few would be too tough for this brawny villain to defeat. Let's review.
10 Can Defeat: Tenya Iida
The class president of class 1-A, Tenya Iida is a runner hero who uses his explosive speed to get the jump on villains. He can close the distance between himself and his targets with his trademark dashes, and the engines in his legs spur him along nicely. And, of course, he can deliver strong kicks.
That's not enough to defeat Muscular on his own terms, however. Even if he's taken by surprise, Muscular can endure a Recipro Burst from Tenya, then return fire with his own Quirk. Tenya won't be able to land another solid blow, and he'll have to retreat before he gets too tired.
9 Can't Defeat: Hawks
Here is the world's #2 pro hero, Hawks the flying hero. He has a pair of red wings that allow him to fly, but there is more to it than that. Hawks can also launch his feathers and control them remotely, such as for moving dozens of citizens out of the way during a crisis. He can also form a feather sword.
Hawks is among the fastest heroes in the entire franchise, and that, combined with his flying prowess, means Muscular can't land a blow on him. Hawks could lift Muscular with his remote feathers and fling him far away, never to return.
8 Can Defeat: Tiger
This is another melee-oriented hero, known as Tiger of the Wild Wild Pussycats. He is by far the brawniest member of that four-person group, and his martial arts skills are quite advanced. His Quirk allows his body to stretch and bend.
Tiger can give Muscular a good fight, but Muscular's extreme endurance and crushing strength are bound to wear down Tiger, and Muscular's external-muscles form certainly has the power needed to finish off a hero like Tiger.
7 Can't Defeat: Midnight
Although Midnight, the R-rated hero's physical strength falls far short of Muscular's, she doesn't need to punch him into submission. Instead, Midnight's fighting style is tailor-made for fighting brute-force villains like Muscular. She as a Quirk that emits vapors from her skin that, when inhaled, will put the opponent to sleep.
Muscular wants to get in close to fight Midnight, and at that range, Midnight will have an easy time avoiding Muscular's initial attacks and activating her own Quirk. Muscular will breathe it in, then pass right out.
6 Can Defeat: Knuckleduster
Knuckleduster is technically a vigilante, but as far as villains are concerned, he is a hero (just one who isn't recognized by the pros). Knuckleduster is Quirkless, so he makes use of tools, weapons, advanced skills and planning, and his advanced martial arts to win.
However, if a melee-oriented pro like Tiger (who has a Quirk) cannot handle Muscular than neither can Knuckleduster. This vigilante would impress Muscular with his style, but he has no chance of defeating a muscle-based Quirk like that. Sometimes, you really need a Quirk to win.
5 Can't Defeat: Edgeshot
This pro hero is among the top ten, and for a good reason. Edgeshot has a ninja theme, and he can stealthily move about the battlefield with his Quirk, called Foldabody. He can compress and elongate his body into extremely thin forms, altering the dimensions of his form.
In so doing, Edgeshot can avoid most enemy attacks and move undetected, and he can use his string-like form to pierce his opponents and even cut off their blood flow, knocking them out. That's what Edgeshot would do if he aimed for a vital part of Muscular's body, like the inside of his mouth.
4 Can Defeat: Pixie-Bob
Meet another member of the Wild Wild Pussycats, Pixie-Bob. She is an offense-oriented hero who can create golems out of the earth, and they can be used for some defense, too. It was Pixie-Bob who created those animal golems for the students of class 1-A to fight.
Muscular can just blast his way through all these golems with his massive strength, then confront Pixie-Bob in person and finish her in one blow. If class 1-A's students can take out Pixie-Bob's golems, then so can Muscular.
3 Can't Defeat: Fat Gum
Fat Gum is another melee-oriented hero, but unlike Tiger and Tenya Iida, he has just the thing for fighting Muscular. His Quirk is based on absorption, and he can allow nearly anything to get absorbed into his body, including kinetic energy from punches.
Once Fat Gum has absorbed enough energy like that, he loses his body fat and thus his defenses. In exchange, he has enormous power, since he returns his enemy's energy right back at them. He could do that to Muscular, and knock him out before the villain gets a chance to use his final form.
2 Can Defeat: Rock Lock
Rock Lock is a support hero whose Quirk can freeze an item in place not with ice, but with a lack of mobility. Anything he touches can be secured in place, even in midair, and ignore gravity and other laws of physics. He often uses this power to create floating tiles as footholds in the air.
It should be noted that sufficient physical force can move the items that Rock Lock has put in place, and Muscular is definitely capable of exerting that force. He can punch his way through Rock Lock's barriers and take this hero out up close.
1 Can't Defeat: Captain Celebrity
Captain Celebrity is the #1 hero from the United States, and his Quirk allows him to fly around like Superman, the man of steel. But it's not just that; Captain Celebrity has enormous strength that allows him to hold up or move around cruise ships and skyscrapers. He also has a form-fitting barrier that protects him from extremes of heat and cold while flying.
That mobility gives Captain Celebrity an edge while fighting villains like Muscular and his incredible strength is a match for Muscular's own. What is more, Captain Celebrity could fly toward Muscular and use that momentum to enhance his punches even more. Muscular has been beaten at his own game.