When My Hero Academia first started, it delivered a chilling message to its fans: "All men are not created equal." In this world, people are not just born with Quirks but certain standings within society that determine how hard a person will really have to work and how easy it is to fit in.
It's a cruel, competitive landscape that lays a different obstacle to different people, whether they're struggling with their lack of power or conflicted with a dangerous one. Several students at U.A. have already had to overcome to some extent, while some are still waiting for their golden hour. With the recent arc calling in all heroes, students included, this list will be looking at both.
10 Overcame: Midoriya Izuku
Deku has had one of the hardest journeys in the story. As a boy who always dreamed of becoming a hero, the odds were pretty stacked against him considering that he's a Quirkless kid fighting in a Quirk filled world. This distinction already made him different enough as a child, when he started to become alienated and bullied for not having a Quirk.
However, a fateful meeting with the World's #1 Hero would give him a new chance for his dream in addition to new challenges. He's had to work hard to circumvent his innate inexperience with Quirks as well as the sharp recoil of his particular one but has done a marvelous job of finding new and unique solutions to every drawback given to him. Deku has overcome and will continue to do so for the remainder of the series.
9 Will Overcome: Uraraka Ochaco
Uraraka Ochaco has seen some progress throughout the series. She fought hard during the Sports Festival and has been trained in both combat ability and disaster relief during her internships. However, as much as she's risen, she's never really taken that next big step that really takes her to the next level.
Ochaco's original intentions may have been to help her struggling family, but she's been relegated to a flustering love interest to Deku as of late. The latest arc is the perfect opportunity for Ochaco to really take a stance as the series' main heroine and show how her training has made her more than a gawking teenager.
8 Overcame: Todoroki Shouto
Todoroki Shouto's path to growth has been a steep one, but he has certainly taken sharp jumps when they come. When his character first started getting interesting in the series, Deku helped him overcome some of the base daddy issues that clouded Todoroki from really seeing his own path.
As he's continued to make himself his own man, Todoroki has also worked to reconnect with his father. Despite the old man's past, Endeavor is still one of the world's greatest heroes, and Todoroki has done a great job of facilitating a professional relationship. Given Endeavor's recent change, it can even become a familial one. Overcoming both an identity and family crisis, Todoroki is burning brighter than any flame.
7 Will Overcome: Yuga Aoyama
Class 1-A is filled with some top prospects for the future of heroes, such as legacies like Tenya Iida or natural talents like Katsuki Bakugou. That's why it's sometimes easy to overlook some of the more special students in the class whose abilities are a little harder to appreciate. One such student is Yuga Aoyama whose personality has really shone through the entire series, yet he's had a hard time justifying his talent and power during actual tests.
It's understandable if a Quirk has some drawback to it but a "tummy ache" doesn't sound all that impressive. Soon enough, Aoyama may have a chance to really show his skills in a practical setting and show how flashy a laser beam should've been the entire time.
6 Overcame: Minoru Mineta
While weaker students like Aoyama are still waiting for their time to shine (rhetorically speaking), some have already had a big moment to gain some standing in the series. One of the most surprising in the series has been Minoru Mineta. When fans first saw him, he didn't look all that impressive; and when they got to know him, they only became annoyed.
Many started to think, " How did this cowardly, perverted twerp possibly defeat enough robots to pass?" While the series would never answer that question, it did get to show how resourceful and clever Mineta can be during the Midterm Exams, when he single-handedly took on Midnight and saved Hanta Sero.
5 Will Overcome: Koji Koda
Koji Koda is destined for a big moment within the series. He's initially portrayed as a kind, gentle character who struggles during conflict. This can only mean that he's going to have a massive showing later on in the series.
Given that he has the ability to speak to animals, that moment can come when a villain either pushes him too far or threatens one of his friends. When that happens, be prepared to see the streets flood with bears and wolves and the sky to look like a scene from The Birds.
4 Overcame: Eijiro Kirishima
Eijiro Kirishima's story hasn't been explored all that much in the series. And, to some fans, this could possibly mean that he's U.A.'s traitor. However, with recent events in the anime, he has certainly made it hard to believe so. During the Shie Hassaikai Arc, Kirishima fought alongside his mentor, Fat Gum, and took on one of the underground's strongest pairs.
It was then that he did his entire spiel about wanting to become like his hero, Red Riot, and revealed a new power upgrade. Getting stronger and cooler by the minute, Kirishima is furthering his place among some of the class' best.
3 Will Overcome: Neito Monoma
Neito Monoma is remembered by the fans as that one annoying guy from the other class. He mostly appears to tease Class 1-A and ramble about how they're always stealing the spotlight, having the boy himself steal screen time from the rest of Class 1-B.
Monoma seems to have an inferiority complex that has kept him from truly making his own identity in the series which is thematically appropriate given that his Quirk is stealing other Quirks. Monoma is definitely due for a big moment in the future to prove how far Class 1-B has come and who he truly is when he's not annoying (if that even exists).
2 Overcame: Denki Kaminari
For those who aren't caught up with the manga, this may come as a spoiler, but Denki Kaminari has begun to shine the brightest he has since his character's introduction. Despite his cool Quirk, Kaminari has typically stayed in the sidelines and has only had a few moments here and there supporting the main characters.
However, during the current raid on the Paranormal Liberation Front, he currently has a major role as one of the leading vanguards of the group and even got to take on the Electrification of an opposing villain. He even did so for Kyoka Jiro's sake, given plenty of attention to both Kaminari fans and shippers.
1 Will Overcome: Fumikage Tokoyami
Fumikage Tokoyami doesn't inherently appear as a guy who needs to improve much. With a Quirk perfectly suited for a main character in a different anime, Tokoyami seemed like he should've had an easy time in U.A. However, as the story went on, it began to focus on some of his slight weaknesses and how detrimental they could be in a crucial moment.
This has meant his own lack of self-confidence, his lack of mid-range combat ability, and his lack of control over his overpowered shadow. His time with Hawks has hinted at some growth for the boy, but the series is still waiting to reveal all of that experience in a big moment.