My Hero Academia is an action shonen series focused on superheroes and supervillains, and these characters embody all that is good or evil. In most works of fiction, heroes are noted for being selfless, generous, charismatic, and sympathetic, while villains are ruthless, exploit others, act in self-interest, and often struggle with emotional connections.
Many of My Hero Academia's villains are indeed selfish schemers who only want what's best for themselves, but surprisingly, some neutral characters or even heroes might have a selfish streak as well, even if they don't harm others in the process. Some characters only want to protect society, while others want to advance their own interests, for one reason or another.
10 Mei Hatsume Only Thinks About Her Work
It's true that the tinkerer Mei Hatsume is a fairly self-centered person, but fortunately, she is constructive and helpful about it, rather than arrogant or greedy like a villain. Mei is totally absorbed in her work, inventing all sorts of gadget "babies" to enhance pro heroes' performance in battle.
Mei is willing to help, but only if it means she can show off her genius and appeal to future investors or business partners. For example, she saw the U.A. Sports Festival as nothing more than a chance to demonstrate her gadgets' use to corporate reps who were watching.
9 Hitoshi Shinso Has A Lot To Prove
Hitoshi Shino started off in the gen-ed department until he got moved into the hero department thanks to Shota Aizawa's aid, and that's everything Hitoshi ever wanted. He is fairly self-absorbed, caring almost exclusively about proving his worthiness to be a hero and negating the stigma of his villainous Quirk.
Hitoshi means well, but he has said rather little about saving lives or being a symbol of peace. For now, all he talks about is his own quest to prove his legitimacy, and he'll hopefully become much more selfless as he keeps growing as a hero.
8 Minoru Mineta Wants Fame & Attention From Women
Minoru Mineta has his good points, such as his creative use of his Pop Off Quirk and his decent grades, but it's also easy to dislike him for his excessive lechery and his arrogant streak. Minoru fancies himself a lady's man in the making, and he openly states that his main goal as a hero is to get women to notice him.
That's disturbingly self-centered and shallow for a hero. Stain the hero killer is wrong to attack people, but he's not entirely wrong to criticize heroes who fight primarily for fame and money, and Minoru fits the bill. Minoru needs to save lives and not cultivate a harem for himself.
7 Himiko Toga Wants To Devour The People She Likes
The shapeshifting Himiko Toga joined the League of Villains not to transform the world, but to satisfy her own twisted yandere desires. Himiko is a stalker with a love of blood, and she desires more than anything to emulate her idols and "become" them, one way or another.
Doing this doesn't benefit society or even the other villains. It's all just to satisfy Himiko's excessive yandere side, and she will to go great lengths to chase her idols (often Izuku himself) to learn more about them and become them someday. Himiko is a being driven by sheer selfish instinct and impulse.
6 All For One Wants To Become The Boss
As expected, the archvillain All For One is a self-centered and greedy person, but given his role in My Hero Academia, he's not quite as selfish as he could have been. His selfish side is mostly expressed by his desire to rearrange people's Quirks to cultivate an army of followers and become the whole world's boss.
However, All For One suffers grave injuries after fighting All Might, and he decides to prioritize the League's cause over his own interests, a surprisingly selfless move. AFO is carefully raising Tomura Shigaraki to be his heir, and AFO seems to no longer care about being in the spotlight. He's more of a mentor and role model than fighter by now.
5 Muscular Just Wants To Enjoy Shedding Blood
Unlike most League of Villains members who want to reshape the world, the villainous Muscular has a simpler and more selfish goal of finding more opportunities to have fun shedding blood. Like Himiko, Muscular is a being driven by instinct and emotion, rather than lofty principles or goals.
In fact, Muscular joined the League for the sole purpose of getting into more fights, so he can enjoy crushing everyone with his immense strength. There is no sign that he cared for Tomura Shigaraki's cause or even his fellow League members, such as the flaming Dabi or Twice.
4 Gentle Criminal Seeks Fame & Attention Via YouTube
The villainous Gentle Criminal openly states that fame and attention are his goals, and he represents the voiceless, frustrated people who feel left behind by today's ultra-competitive society. If things had turned out differently, Gentle Criminal would have been far more sympathetic. But he's making everything about himself.
Gentle Criminal washed out of the hero training program, and he now seeks to become an Internet superstar, so he can leave his mark and avoid dying anonymous and forgotten. Unfortunately, he seeks attention by committing petty crimes, while La Brava keeps the tape rolling.
3 Endeavor Wants So Badly To Create The Ultimate Legacy
The fire hero Endeavor is known for many things, from his stern personality to his endless rivalry with All Might and his use of a controversial Quirk marriage to create the ultimate talented child. Endeavor keeps making everything about himself and his own legacy, but at least he works hard to save many lives in the meantime.
Even if Endeavor keeps up his heroic duties, though, it's difficult to forgive the lengths he went to, all in the name of making a child who can surpass All Might and prove that Endeavor's bloodline is superior. Four children were born not out of love, but for this self-centered mission.
2 Shoto Todoroki Is Completely Self-Absorbed
Shoto Todoroki is exactly what Endeavor wanted. He's a talented child who combines the best aspects of his and Rei's respective Quirks in one package. However, the reasons for Shoto's birth and his strict upbringing warped his mind and strained his relationship with both parents. Shoto arrived at U.A. with a lot of personal baggage.
Shoto may not be cruel, but he was incredibly self-absorbed and ruthless at first, aiming only to spite his father and escape his inborn mission to surpass All Might for Endeavor's sake. Shoto sought to prove himself a worthy and independent hero who was no one's puppet, and he cared nothing for his classmates at first. His aloof, uncaring attitude made him difficult to like at first.
1 Katsuki Bakugo Makes Absolutely Everything About Himself
Katsuki Bakugo has many unflattering character traits, from his short temper to his callous attitude, but worst of all is his incredibly self-centered nature. Bakugo derives great strength from his desire to become #1 and surpass All Might, but he tends to channel this in unhealthy and almost villainous ways.
Bakugo cares only for his own strength, fame, and success, and he'll use anyone and everyone as a stepping stone in that endeavor. He's also quick to ignore, mock, or even harass anyone he deems inferior, and he'll blow all his would-be friends and allies out of his way. Slowly, very slowly, Bakugo is unlearning these habits in recent episodes.