Heroes and villains are the order of the day in My Hero Academia, and the proliferation of superpowered quirks makes it easy for just about anyone to don a cape and costume as either a hero of justice, or a menace on the streets. It's a never-ending battle that continues well into the 21st century.
One of the more intriguing villains is Himiko Toga, an athletic young woman whose quirk allows her to drink someone's blood and then morph into their likeness. She is a member of the League of Villains and has taken a perverse interest in Izuku, making her quite the foe. But in some ways, in another timeline, she could have been a compelling hero, too. How might that work out?
9 Hero: Stirring The Pot
Himiko, when she finds a person or mission of interest, turns quite lively and will take the initiative. She's often driven by the desire to find a personal hero whom she can emulate, and she will chase after them nonstop.
If she did this in a more heroic way, she could be the centerpiece of any party or clique of friends at UA, and that would be a lot of fun to watch. She would be gung-ho like Bakugo, but without the anger and insecurity.
8 Villain: Stalking People
Stalking is a pretty terrible thing to do to someone, and Himiko does it villain-style. As mentioned earlier, she craves a heroic figure whom she can emulate, and once she finds that person, it's time to stalk them and try to become them.
With her powers of transformation and good acting skills, Himiko can easily slip into her target's daily life by posing as someone whom the target is comfortable being around, and that puts her in a position to strike. Only a villain would do that.
7 Hero: Positive Inspiration
On the other hand, suppose Himiko reformed herself so she had a more constructive way to make herself like her heroes? Or if she acted that way from the start? Ochaco Uraraka is also seeking a personal hero, and she found it in Izuku Midoriya.
If Ochaco can do it, then Himiko can do it too, and as a student at UA, Himiko could be a fierce but friendly rival to Ochaco both as a trainee hero, and as someone who wants Izuku to herself. Ochaco can handle a little competition.
6 Villain: Using Blood
Blood is often associated with evil and harm in fiction, since injuries result in blood, vampires drink blood, etc. It can even be used to fuel sacrifices to dark powers or entities. Himiko Toga and Stain are two villains whose quirks are based on blood.
Stain ingests it to paralyze a target, while Himiko uses it as the blueprints for assuming her victim's likeness. That's pretty scary, even when put in a clinical and neutral context, and it's even scarier to see Himiko drinking up someone's blood like a crazed vampire. Since when do heroes do that?
5 Hero: Comforting Others
This is something that actually happened, and it was a rare positive moment from this villainous character. And if Himiko can do it as an actual villain, then of course she could do it as a hero, too.
The villain Twice suffers from a personal associative disorder, or something similar, and he is in agony anytime a part of his face is exposed. When this happened during Season 4's events, Himiko was quick to comfort him and repair the damage, and it shows how attuned she can be to another person's emotions and needs.
4 Villain: Wreaking Havoc
Often, shapeshifters in works of fiction are villains, from Mystique to the T-1000 Terminator and beyond. That list now includes Himiko Toga, and there is a good reason these stories use their shapeshifters as villains.
These shapeshifters can tear down the delicate order of the police, governments or other good-guy entities with ease, such as by assuming the form of a commander and giving faulty orders or even assassinating people while in disguise. Anarchic villains like to tear down the good guys from within in many cases.
3 Hero: Street Spy
On the flip side, Himiko could use her shapeshifting quirk to benefit any hero agency she could work for, such as that of Sir Nighteye, or the regular police. She could cruise the streets in any disguise she wanted, and slip right into a villain's den.
She could pose as another villain and walk right into their base, and get intel on the villains' plans for drug trading or weapon smuggling or anything else. She would be a step above a plainclothed cop, that's for sure.
2 Villain: Element Of Surprise
Another reason why shapeshifters tend to be villains is a simple one: the element of surprise. Villains like to fight dirty, and they can use traps and ambush tactics to attack the heroes on their own terms, even in a crowded and public space.
This also creates tension in the narrative, since the viewer/reader won't know where, when, or how the villain will strike. Villains like Himiko could be anywhere, wearing anyone's face, and viewers will be on the edge of their seat until she finally makes her move. In this way, villains can act like horror movie monsters.
1 Hero: Decoy For Other Heroes
If Himiko were indeed a hero, then she could use her talents to not only assume the form of villains, but also her fellow heroes. Not even All Might can be in two places at once, but they can be if Himiko is backing them up.
Himiko can assume the form of a powerful hero and intimidate the villains to help keep a large-scale problem under control, or she could serve as a decoy to keep the pressure off the real hero. Imagine if Midnight were cornered, until a second Midnight appeared. The enemy is confused and must divide their attacks, and that gives the real Midnight her chance to turn the tables on the villains.