In the world of My Hero Academia, most of the human population has superhuman abilities, or quirks. This means that classic heroes and villains rule the day, and heroes are licenses to dispense justice and protect the innocent from rampaging villains and monsters on the streets.
While All Might is the undisputed #1 hero and the Symbol of Peace, he's hardly alone out there. Many other pro heroes are ready to fight, and one of them is Nemuri Kayama, who calls herself Midnight. We've seen plenty of her so far, and she's a real scene-stealer and a great fighter on top of that. What should any fan know about this tricky pro hero?
10 She encouraged Aizawa to teach
Midnight is pictured here with two of her colleagues, Cementoss (left) and Ectoplasm (Right). All three are teachers at UA, and during the events of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, we meet Midnight and Aizawa.
For her part, Midnight relished the idea of becoming a heroics teacher, though Aizawa/Eraser Head wasn't too keen on it, even when Midnight urged him to try it. But as we can all see, Aizawa certainly changed his mind, and class 1-A got itself one fine homeroom teacher thanks to Midnight's encouraging words.
9 She's fashionable
It's easy to see that Midnight is quite a beautiful woman, and her hero outfit is, well... pretty R-rated! But she's not always so provocative. Again in Vigilantes, we see Midnight outside the context of UA, and she has all kinds of tricks up her sleeves.
To investigate some villains and get a lead, Midnight joined a group party in civilian clothes, and she's a stylish dresser. For extra effect, she even wore a wig, and the disguise was pretty convincing. You'd have no way to know it's her!
8 She likes to have fun
In this picture, Midnight is wearing a civilain outfit for her role in a training exercise at UA. Remember that special episode in season 3, when Izuku, Tsuyu, Shoto, and a few others had to investigate a strange bank robbery scene? Midnight clearly had a great time acting as a victim in that "attack."
In Vigilantes, Midnight is also an enthusiastic patron of the Naruhata pop idol show that Pop Step took part in, and she worked tirelessly to provide logistical support. She's always up for a good party or concert.
7 She has a petty side
To be sure, Midnight is a fine teacher and a good friend, and like any other hero, she takes her duties seriously. But still, she isn't above some juvenile taunting and arguing once in a while!
Remember that TV interview that she and Mt. Lady gave? It didn't take long for both heroes to be at each other's throats... on public TV for all to see! Mt. Lady taunted her for being older, and Midnight had a hot retort in mind. They even started grappling with each other, and Minoru, being his pervy self, was delighted.
6 Her name
Nemuri Kayama/Midnight is no exception to My Hero Academia author Kohei Horikoshi's rule about meaningful names. Most characters have names that allude their quirks and personalities, and Midnight got the same treatment.
In particular, "Nemuri" is made up of the kanji for "sleep," and her last name, "Kayama" is written as "fragrance mountain." Given her sleep-vapor quirk, this name is a slam dunk. Hold your breath if you can, villains! Or don't.
5 She is inspired by youth and vigor
If you think about it, Midnight is actually quite the optimist, and she sees the best in people. But most often, those people are much younger than she is (Midnight is in her early 30s). She openly loves youth and upbeat attitudes in other people.
One reason Midnight enjoys being a UA teacher is the ample opportunity to see hardworking adolescents give it their all to become heroes and realize their dreams, and overcome all obstacles with hard work. Nemuri cries out in joy whenever she witnesses strong youths, such as when Eijiro and Tetsutetsu gave each other a manly "no hard feelings" handshake after their match in the Sports Festival (pictured).
4 She has a malicious side
Midnight's personality is all over the place, isn't it? She's optimistic and cheerful one moment, and a total maniac the next. She was the teacher who battled Hanta Sero and Minoru Mineta during the midterm practical exams, and she did not hold back.
In a quick ambush, Midnight knocked Sero right out, and once Mineta fell back to find cover, Midnight advanced on him at her leisure, explaining her incredible bloodthirst and predatory nature when she sees people run away from her. She's like a tiger! Fortunately, despite the power of his foe, Mineta devised a solution to get past her, recover Sero, and make it to the exit gate.
3 She inspired hero costume regulations
All heroes need distinctive costumes to stand out and act as symbols, and many costumes are designed to enhance the user's quirk. Midnight opted for a dominatrix theme with hers, being the famed R-rated hero who never fails to draw attention.
In the recent past, Midnight's outfit showed even more skin, and the hero officials decided that she was getting a little inappropriate. So, rules were set in place about how revealing costumes can be, and Midnight now wears thin fabric over her body. She can tear it easily to allow her quirk to function, as we saw during the Sports Festival.
2 She would have been the homeroom teacher
Japanese high school students attend homeroom before classes begin, and UA is no different. Aizawa is class 1-A's homeroom teacher, and Vlad King handles class 1-B. But in early designs, Midnight took Aizawa's place.
Can you imagine that? Class 1-A's homeroom would be a total riot if the provocative and goofy Midnight were in charge! Mineta would be one happy kid, that's for sure. But Kohei Horikoshi ultimately went with Aizawa because class 1-As needed a teacher who can verbally keep those students in line. Fair enough.
1 Her artistic side
Although we haven't seen any of Midnight's classes in session, we do know that she is the modern art teacher at UA. Don't forget: despite all those powerful quirks, the students still get a regular education as well.
This means covering math, history, English (as a foreign language), and art, too! Art is a great way to express yourself, and in a sense, hero costumes and quirk usage is like art. We bet the students got all kinds of ideas for their costumes after a few classes with Midnight.