In the world of My Hero Academia, heroes and villains clash regularly on the streets, and UA is the best place in Japan for students to get their hero training. This Shonen anime is a prime contender for being one of the new Big Three of Shonen, and it's partly because of stellar characters like Izuku Midoriya and Mirio Togata.
Every anime needs a Best Boy and a Best Girl, and when it comes to the boys, we are sure that it really comes down to Izuku vs Mirio. In some ways, they are one and the same, but there are also some important differences between them. If My Hero Academia needs a Best Boy once and for all, who should it be?
10 Izuku: Inherited One For All
Let's start with a big one. Both Izuku and Mirio were prime candidates to inherit the incredible quirk known as One For All, and at some point, All Might planned to bestow it upon Mirio. But that certainly didn't happen.
It wasn't easy, though, and we saw firsthand how hard Izuku had to train and prepare himself to receive this quirk (more on that soon). And it was a positively heroic moment when Izuku was officially granted One For All and became the newest Symbol of Peace in training!
9 Mirio: Mastered A Strange Quirk
Izuku was born with no quirk, while Mirio was born with... a bad quirk! He could make his body intangible and permeate through just about anything, but at first, he couldn't figure out how to make this quirk useful at heroics at all.
He felt saddled with a terrible quirk... until he dusted himself off, cracked his knuckles, and got back to work mastering this thing. Now he can phase through walls with ease by coordinating his quirk's use, and make parts of his body intangible while keeping others solid. It's an incredible skill!
8 Izuku: Crash-Course Training
Mirio did a bang-0n job mastering his quirk, but let's not forget how hard Izuku worked, too. And Izuku didn't even have a quirk! Instead, he underwent a tough and accelerated training regimen with All Might as his personal coach.
Izuku worked his tail off to clear heavy trash from a local beach under All Might's supervision, and the poor kid pushed himself nearly to the breaking point. But he hung in there and amazed All Might with his beach-clearing skills, and he developed an impressive physique along the way.
7 Mirio: Battlefield Intuition
Not only did Mirio master a seemingly worthless quirk, but he also sharpened his mind into a blade that could cut through any battlefield situation. Mirio can't see, hear, or feel anything while intangible, so he needs another way to keep track of his enemies.
Through nonstop experience in battle, Mirio can intuit where his opponents will be standing or what they will do, and he can intercept them and pummel them to submission. He outmaneuvered most of hero class 1-A this way.
6 Izuku: Inspired Kota
That covers most of Izuku and Mirio's combat abilities, but there's more to being Best Boy than just fighting skills! Izuku is not only a brave hero in training, but he can also inspire courage and hope in others, too, even the skeptics.
During the forest training arc, Izuku met the young Kota, whose hero parents died in the line of duty. Kota hated the whole world of heroes... until he met Izuku Midoriya! This is one of many reasons why Izuku's battle with the villain Muscular was so spectacular.
5 Mirio: Prodigy
All things considered, Mirio is an incredible student and hero in training, and better yet, everyone acknowledges it. UA has its famed "Big Three" students, and Mirio is the strongest of the three, outclassing even Amajiki and Nejire.
Better yet, Shota Aizawa freely admitted that Mirio is in the best position to become the new #1 hero, even including the current pros. If this high school senior can outperform older, experienced heroes, then that is truly incredible.
4 Izuku: Budding Relationship
This is a battle Shonen series above all, but there is still room for matters of the heart. Besides, having someone dear to you can give you every reason in the world to fight harder. Izuku's precious friend is Ochaco Uraraka.
One of Izuku's classmates, Ochaco is a lot like him: someone with a humble background who wants to become a hero and inspire others. It's so heart-warming to see them get along so well, then get flustered when things become more intimate!
3 Mirio: Eri's Hero
Mirio and Izuku both found Eri and resolved to rescue her when they stormed Overhaul's den, but it was Mirio who took the biggest steps to rescue her, and he even took a quirk-erasing bullet for her. He was ready to give his life.
Fortunately, both of them survived, and Mirio soon became Eri's first and best friend, someone she could trust after enduring so much trauma. It's so wonderful to see Mirio become a sort of friendly uncle figure Eri never had, and they had a few precious moments together during the school festival.
2 Izuku: Inspired Shoto
Why is Shoto Todoroki so fired up in the combat arena? We'll tell you: Izuku got through to him, even when he was neck-deep in anger and angst. Shoto had a difficult upbringing at the hands of his father Endeavor, and he resolved to never use the fire half of his quirk.
But during Izuku and Shoto's fateful battle in the sports festival, Izuku's strong words changed Shoto's stubborn mind, and Shoto thanked Izuku for helping him overcome his hate and insecurity to realize his true potential. No one but Izuku could have had that effect on Shoto.
1 Mirio: Good Cheer
Look at that. Even when Izuku is apprehensive, Mirio is still in good spirits. Ever since we first met him, Mirio has been upbeat and self-assured, and those are some great personality traits to have. N0thing gets him down for long.
In season 4, Mirio suffered not only the loss of his quirk, but also the death of Sir Nighteye, his mentor and friend. But he bounced right back, and his strong will survived all this. He's also confident that his quirk will someday return, and we have to admire him for that.