It didn't take long for My Hero Academia to become one of the biggest names in all of anime, earning a spot in the hearts of not only diehard anime fans or the shonen genre, but complete newcomers as well. The characters are plentiful, but each one still manages to present themselves in a unique and memorable way. Many of the main cast are even highly relatable, which is part of why characters such as Izuku and Uraraka rose to such heights of popularity.

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What's surprising, though, is just how well-written and even likable the series manages to make its villains as well. Unlike some other shows that struggle to give their villains purposeful reasonings, the universe's villains are typically people with quirks that were deemed too 'dangerous' and are thus cast aside. There are even students within U.A. that get targeted and placed in lower classes simply because their powers frighten others and are seen as more inherently 'evil' than others. It only makes sense, then, that the villains of the series would manage to have some relatively remarkable quotes.

10 "Heroes and villains both thrive on violence, but we're still categorized... In the end, you're just a tool for violence, made to keep us down. And violence only breeds more violence." -Tomura Shigaraki

Shigaraki

Tomura is an impatient, stubborn character whose childlike tendencies can still make way for quite a few surprisingly insightful quotes. It isn't that he lacks intelligence, but his past leads him to act in ways that conflict with how smart he really is under the surface.

He seems to grasp a keen eye that can see the injustices that lay beneath the surface of the flashy hero-driven society that everyone had fallen for in recent times. His main flaw is that the actions he takes because of these realizations are incredibly extreme and formed from his warped mindset.

9 "Heroes are forgettable. They try to save the world... but villains are the ones who change it." -Dabi

Anime My Hero Academia Dabi

Whenever the series first begins, it seems like the heroes truly have everything under control. They protect the city from dastardly villains and soak up the adoration of the public, but there's also a darker undertone behind their seemingly chivalrous actions.

Many of the villains within the series bring up points that get viewers thinking, and this line of Dabi's is no exception. However, this isn't to say that his way of thinking is correct, as the typical ways that villains try to 'change' the world are incredibly violent and harmful.

8 "Life is too hard! I wanna make a world that's easier to live in!" -Himiko Toga

Himiko Toga in MHA

Himiko has one of the most unique life philosophies of anyone within the series, and it's also one of the most twisted. However, the memorable quote from her introduction that stuck with fans is one that's pretty relatable.

For many people, in one way or another, there are parts about life that seem unfair or too difficult, so having a goal of wanting to make life easier is one that's pretty grounded. What isn't grounded is how Himiko chooses to go about this, which is trying to kill and then fully 'become' the people that she admires — perhaps so she doesn't have to live as herself.

7 "A goal with no plan is called a delusion. You need a plan in order to achieve your goal." -Overhaul

Overhaul My Hero Academia

Although things wouldn't work out for him in the end, Overhaul was an incredibly ambitious villain who did anything necessary to achieve his goals. These words are especially chilling because they could just as easily be applied to the main character Izuku himself before his quirk was bestowed upon him.

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Ever since he was a child, Izuku wanted to become a renowned and respected hero, just like his idol All Might. However, especially after he was told that he'd never naturally develop a quirk, this goal of his seemed much more like a delusion than anything. Luckily, he had his mentor to help lead him down the right path.

6 "To you, my life looks pathetic, meaningless. I wandered around, searching for myself. And I found myself, blessed with friends better than I could ever be. Could a guy ask for a better life?" -Twice

Twice mha

Not every villain becomes evil for the sake of their ideals — or simply for the sake of wreaking havoc and getting their names publicized. Some do it because they've been rejected by every other part of society, and it's their last chance to find some form of familial bonds.

Such is the case with Twice, who became a villain in order to be able to accept himself after he felt that he'd been rejected from society. He accepted that he was the sort of person a hero wouldn't want to save and carved a different path for his life.

5 "All we wish is to show him that there are other ways. Because you kids today... you have your values chosen for you." -Mr. Compress

Compress Using His Quirk On Bakugo

For kids growing up in a society dominated by quirks and flashy heroes showing off at every turn, it's no wonder they'd see becoming a hero as the ultimate — and sometimes the only — life path. Not every villain wants to force heroes to join their side, and this is the case with Mr. Compress.

Throughout the series, the morals and ethics of the system that worships and spits out heroes are brought into question multiple times. It makes sense, then, that there'd be a villain more interested in making sure heroes understand all their options than simply making them comply.

4 "We all did our best & had to deal with the results. What's bad is when you can't put your money where your mouth is..." -Muscular

My Hero Academia Muscular from mha

Although what he says just before this quote is rather morbid, Muscular's logic here can easily be applied to the heroes, as well. Muscular was talking about killing because he wanted to and though heroes are more often shown apprehending villains and following the law, fans have an early example of a student dangerously treading this line.

That student would be Tenya Iida, who blindly went after the hero killer Stain following his brother's defeat. The villain even tried to give him time to run, as it was plainly obvious how futile his blind thirst for revenge was.

3 "Being taken in by the hatred before you & trying to fulfill your own desires. This is the furthest from what a hero should be." -Stain

Stain My Hero Academia

Stain is the first true villain that's truly fleshed out to the viewers aside from the general villain attack during a U.A. training exercise. And while he may be the cruelest character introduced to the series at the time, his ideologies are rather sound and get both fans and in-universe citizens thinking.

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He states this as he looks on at Iida, who's completely consumed in his desire to get revenge for his older brother, rather than fulfilling his obligations as a hero. He even tries to let Iida go, as he wasn't approaching the hero killer with the true mindset of being a hero.

2 "You Heroes pretended to be society's guardians. For generations, you pretended not to see those you couldn't protect & swept their pain under the rug." -Tomura Shigaraki

Tomura Shigaraki My Hero Academia

It's true that villains are highly dangerous individuals that typically need to be stopped by force before they cause too much damage. However, it's sadly also true that they're simply hurt and disregarded individuals who only started rejecting everything around them because they themselves already felt rejected by the system.

This quote perfectly sums up how Tomura and many other villains view heroes and their projected sense of chivalry. They don't see it as anything more than a cover for how corrupt they really are, which is why they feel so strongly about wanting to take down heroes.

1 "When I was little, I was told to stop being me! But that doesn't work! When you shut your feeling away, it only grows inside!" -Himiko Toga

Toga from My Hero Academia with a cut on her face.

Himiko has one of the strangest and most twisted personal ideologies out of anyone in the series, but this also makes her a great example of what the neglect of society can do to someone. At a young age, she was told that her tendencies because of her quirk were abnormal, and had to do her best to hide them no matter what.

While it worked for some time, it also meant that the moment where Himiko eventually snapped was all the more deadly. If she'd instead been worked with to find a healthier way to express her quirk and how it made her feel, she may not have become a villain at all.

NEXT: My Hero Academia: 5 Villain Quirks That Could Be Used For Good (& 5 That Are Pure Evil)