My Hero Academia is popular for many reasons, but the most beloved characters are the ones mentioned in the title: The heroes. We enjoy keeping up with Class 1-A as they develop their Quirks and help the pros save the world, but what would an alternate universe featuring the students as villains look like?
Luckily, many talented artists from around the world have had the same thought and they've provided us with darker versions of our favorite characters. Let's take a look at 10 My Hero Academia heroes reimagined as villains.
10 Momo Yaoyorozu by Karitachan
Colombian artist Karitachan has an entire "villains collection" available on her DeviantArt portfolio. The series of portraits takes our favorite MHA students and reimagines them as the bad guys. The artist has posted her interpretations of several characters, but Momo Yaoyorozu might the most unsettling one yet.
As one of the token "best girls" in Class 1-A, Yaoyorozu is bright, helpful, loyal, and helms a Quirk that's far more powerful than she realizes. Fanart like the one pictured above makes us realize what a headache she would truly be as a villain.
9 Shoto Todoroki by Judy
Shoto Todoroki is one of the most popular characters on My Hero Academia, but his physical appearance makes him the perfect subject for dark fanart. This incredible piece was done by Judy (known as dotpapercrowndot on social media) and she held no punches while crafting it.
This version of Todoroki features chains and an additional scar over his "normal" eye. The flower is perhaps the most pleasing detail as it bears the same color pattern as his hair.
8 Farewell All Might by Ksmile1313
German artist Ksmile1313's portfolio is impressively diverse and she openly toys with various art styles. While her semi-realistic portraits are utterly mind-blowing, the ominous energy that this Deku comic exudes is a standout within her gallery.
Izuku Midoriya's love and admiration for All Might knows no bounds. Therefore, watching him laugh and throw a dart at the Pro Hero is both creepy and frightening. We're just really glad that Deku isn't this unstable in the anime/manga.
7 Villain Deku by Fernanda Vásquez
There's a lot to applaud about this stunning rendition of Midoriya. For starters, the art style borders on semi-realistic and makes the illustration all the more daunting. Costa Rican artist Fernanda Vásquez brought Deku to life in a manner where he could almost pass as a comic book supervillain.
The blood is the most disturbing aspect of this piece, though the young protagonist licking his lips clocks in at a close second. The vibrancy of the green in his eyes and hair only propels the level of artistry.
6 Shoto Todoroki by Juu
As previously stated, Todoroki's character design naturally lends itself for some sinister fanart. 10Juu saw the opportunity to convert the beloved hero into a troublemaker and she made the most of it.
Juu's artwork retains Todoroki's boyish charm while also making him look intimidating. His fiery side provides a glaring pop of color, though the icy details also glimmer in their own right. Evil Todoroki definitely wouldn't think twice about using both of his talents to his advantage.
5 Usagi Deku by Yanalí Cruz
This image of villain Deku was crafted by Mexican freelance artist Yanalí Cruz. She spun a brilliant twist on his usual hero costume and we almost wish he was a bad guy just so he could rock this ensemble on MHA.
This version of Midoriya comes equipped with more blades than anyone should ever feel comfortable carrying. Evil Deku doesn't even need One For All to ruin someone's day. The face mask is ironically less terrifying than the one he dons in the actual series, but we'll let it slide.
4 Class 1-A by Yola96
Why reimagine one My Hero Academia student as a villain when you can just do them all? To be fair, Katsuki Bakugo already looks utterly insane on the regular, so his corner of the illustration isn't too shocking. The rest, however, spells nothing but trouble.
Class 1-A is home to our favorite aspiring heroes, so it's odd to see them portrayed as the exact opposite. Nonetheless, Yola96's work is a testament to their creativity and undeniable talent.
3 Ochako Uraraka by Xiaoann
Like Momo Yaoyorozu, Ochako Uraraka is one of the "best girls" in Class 1-A and it's strange to see her depicted as a bad seed. Doing so requires an active imagination, which Xiaoann flawlessly captured with her art.
As noted in the caption above, Xiaoann redesigned Ochako's hero attire to make it sharper and less friendly. The artist even provided an origin story for the fake villain. Again, it's all proof of an unparalleled imagination that translates into fanart, which we get to enjoy.
2 Villain Todomomo by Xiaoann
Xiaoann's originality is so inspiring that she earned herself a second spot on this list. The name "Todomomo" refers to one of our favorite "ships" on MHA: Shoto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu. As mentioned in the caption, the duo would make for a true power couple...even as villains.
The colors in this art piece are spectacular, but the concept itself is what makes it stand out. It doesn't get any better than Shoto and Momo standing back-to-back, unleashing their respective Quirks on some unfortunate opponent.
1 Villain All Might by Nada Boo
This is just about the worst possible scenario that could ever occur on My Hero Academia. All Might is the Symbol of Peace. He's a pillar of hope and was, for a moment in time, the #1 hero. How tragic would it be if Toshinori transitioned to the dark side?
Nada Boo has an answer to that question and they decided to make some incredible fanart out of it. You can scroll through the set of pictures above for the full extent of the artist's vision. Be warned, you might not look at All Might the same ever again.