Season 4 may have delved into the dark, gang warfare of Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai, but there was one other villain who may have stolen the show. That would be Gentle Criminal, the gentleman thief of the My Hero Academia world who only seeks to steal hearts and viral fame. When U.A. was preparing its annual Culture Festival, Gentle Criminal threatened to disrupt it for a few views.
Unfortunately for him, he happened to pass by Midoriya Izuku along the way who was able to sniff out his nefarious ways right away. The ensuing battle was one of the most epic in the series, and it really tested Deku's newfound abilities after the Shie Hassaikai Arc. For many, this made Gentle Criminal Deku's greatest foe yet, but there are still doubts. Here are a few reasons why Gentle Criminal is and a few why he isn't.
10 Greatest: Best One-On-One Fight
Deku's fight with Gentle Criminal was arguably his greatest one, yet. At U.A., he's simply had bouts that were contained under the context of a class and didn't allow him to really go all out. This includes his famous fight against Todoroki at the Sports Festival.
Besides that, he had his fight against Muscular which was essentially just a show of who could punch stronger, and his clash with Overhaul was muddled with irregular powerups. His fight with Gentle Criminal, however, was a true test of everything that he's developed up until this point against an incredibly skilled and unique opponent.
9 Not: Defeated In One Fight
With that being said, there really wasn't any great buildup or a hyped ending to this fight. One would expect a clash with a great villain to not only be spectacular but to have plenty of personal meaning to both competitors whose drama was built across multiple episodes.
The clash itself was certainly spectacular, but it didn't do that many favors for Gentle Criminal. It wasn't that it took Deku to beat him, but that it didn't take more than Deku to defeat him.
8 Greatest: Most Developed Foe
What Gentle lacked in combat ability he more than made up for with his story. Past villains that Deku has fought with typically skewed to a more traditional view on villains. This meant the old bully gimmick in Muscular or the nefarious gang leader in Overhaul. Gentle Criminal however had an entire backstory to define him as more than just a common criminal.
He was an outcast of the current system who, in an attempt to make a name for himself, turned to petty yet flashy crime. Along the way, he picked up a loyal sidekick who believed in him like no one else did whose kindness he would return with passion. It's much too easy to describe someone like Muscular, but there are entire conversations about who Danjuro Tobita is.
7 Not: Gone Too Quick
Gentle Criminal accomplished a lot during his fight with Midoriya but not nearly enough to easily position himself as an infamous villain in the series.
Though the bout will be well remembered, Gentle disappeared almost as quickly as he showed up. A great villain requires consistency to really haunt the characters and the viewer, and this one barely had his name in the credits.
6 Greatest: Big Step For Deku
Gentle Criminal didn't last long enough in the series for any of his changes and consequences to have any real meaning to the audience. However, he did plenty of favors for his opponent. Deku not only proved that he could take on a villain by himself but showed viewers everywhere how much he's grown during his time at U.A.
He was dishing out harder punches and kicks than he could in Episode 1 and was showing off his new shoot style techniques and air raid ability. Because of Gentle, Deku's future became a little clearer in the series, and that's kind of character progression is something to be grateful for.
5 Not: Not A High Profile Villain
This may sound mean, but it's kind of the core of Gentle Criminal's character. Shigaraki is the leader of the League of Villains, Stain was a serial killer to heroes, and Overhaul was one of the last gang leaders in the age of heroes. Relative to that police line up, Gentle Criminal is the least suspecting guy.
He's a nobody in the My Hero Academia world who's tried desperately for several years to get people to pay attention to him, doing so by robbing...convenience stores. There was definitely more than meets the eye, but Gentle was far from the top of the food chain in this series.
4 Greatest: Character Similarities
While Gentle Criminal may not be the most wanted criminal, he probably meant something to someone like Deku. Much like Midoriya, Gentle was once an aspiring student who dreamed of becoming a Pro Hero but was told that he couldn't do it.
And while Deku had a supportive mother and a surprise mentor to help guide him through the way, Gentle was abandoned and forgotten by everyone he knew and was left alone to simmer in his failures. If anything, Gentle Criminal is a stark story about what Deku could've been if he didn't have the support that he did.
3 Not: No Plot Consequence
Just because Gentle Criminal isn't a top tier villain, that doesn't mean that he can't have any story significance. It's just unfortunate that he doesn't have that either. Gentle Criminal isn't going to bear down heavily on Deku's memories and, unless he has a formal return, may not be remembered long into the story.
There were no consequences from Gentle's involvement in the story and nothing was really lost when he got arrested. If anything, he was kind of a filler villain meant to give an arc about a Culture Festival some artificial tension.
2 Greatest: Best Personality
If there's anything to give Gentle Criminal credit for, it's his personality. A lot of My Hero Academia villains tend to trail off as generic and unremarkable villains. Gentle, however, came bursting unto the scene with personality.
Even without his sad backstory, Gentle was able to entertain the audience with his quirky rapport with La Brava, his general mannerisms, and his unique Quirk. Much rather than be a symbol for villainy, Gentle is an actual character with feelings and history, giving him an edge above a lot of villains.
1 Not: Isn't The Strongest Villain
Last but not least, this list touches on the matter of strength. To put it bluntly, Gentle Criminal just isn't that strong. While he does have a unique power and gave Deku quite a hard time, he didn't come off as an insurmountable enemy. Deku has faced all manner of villains that kept the audience on their toes.
Whether they were too strong or too dangerous for the boy, there was always this air of suspense that kept fans genuinely worried. That same feeling wasn't apparent in Deku's fight against Gentle. Gentle gave no impression that he was a monster on the streets, and there was too much riding on the Culture Festival for Kohei Horikoshi to really swerve the audience. Though he is well written, Gentle Criminal just wasn't a credible threat.