After a long five seasons of My Hero Academia, fans have witnessed their favorite characters grow into admirable heroes in training. Fans have taken every step alongside U.A.'s students and seen everyone's true potential finally begin to flourish. Whether it be growing stronger mentally or improving on physical abilities, it's just a matter of time until the cast is finally at the top as true pro heroes.
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So far, while certain characters are still finding their footing, others have already had their arc to unleash their newest techniques or show off their newfound maturity. Here are the top U.A. students that have shown the most improvement over the current seasons.
8 Hitoshi Shinso
- Hero Name: (Undecided)
- Quirk: Brainwashing
The first time the audience was introduced to Shinso, he had immense determination but little experience when it came to hand-to-hand combat. In his fight with Deku during the festival, even with it resulting in a loss, it was clear that Shinso had great potential. Often criticized for having a quirk more fit for a villain as opposed to one of a hero's, Shinso knew he had a long way to go to prove himself to his classmates and teachers.
With the help of Aizawa and some extra tutoring, Shinso now has two new tricks up his sleeve to make him a better fit for the battlefield. The addition of both Aizawa's signature binding cloths and the fancy new mechanism enabling "artificial vocal cords" definitely pushed Shinso up the ranks; enhancing both his combat abilities and his natural quirk as well.
7 Fumikage Tokoyami
- Hero Name: Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi
- Quirk: Dark Shadow
Perhaps the first time fans met Tokoyami, he appeared as a simple side character, but by the series' fifth season, he's proven himself worthy of the Number 2 pro hero, Hawks', time and recognition. His quirk was naturally a powerful one, it was how well Tokoyami decided to use it that determined his overall status among all his classmates.
Thanks to pro hero, Hawks, Tokoyami developed new ways to use his Dark Shadow to its full potential. The most notable of Tokoyami's newest abilities with Dark Shadow is the "Black Fallen Angel" move in which Tokoyami allows Dark Shadow to envelop his body to grant him flight as well as acting as a form of armor. Not only does this new tactic strengthen Tokoyami's overall power but also his ability to scout.
6 Tenya Iida
- Hero Name: Turbo Hero: Ingenium
- Quirk: Engine
Of course, Iida has made incredible strides in terms of his physical abilities during his time at U.A. However, one of Iida's greatest accomplishments is how much he has grown mentally. During the early arc with Stain, a very young Iida let his anger get the better of him and got himself into a dangerous near-death situation.
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Since then, Iida has matured greatly and now understands when to draw a line when things get too messy. Iida knows where he and his friends are needed versus the times where it's best to leave things to the pro heroes instead. Being a proper hero means being level-headed and knowing fellow heroes are there to help when things are too much for only one set of hands (or in Iida's case, one pair of legs).
5 Ejiro Kirishima
- Hero Name: Sturdy Hero: Red Riot
- Quirk: Hardening
The manliest hero, Kirishima, came from a difficult childhood, one that gave him a lasting memory of his struggles in the form of a scar. Kirishima had a powerful quirk right from the beginning, however, his time at U.A. definitely helped him flourish. In particular, Kirishima improved his overall control of his quirk and also his line of defense.
After his time training under pro hero, Fat Gum, Kirishima further developed his Hardening quirk with the introduction of the frightening "Red Riot Unbreakable" move. After realizing his quirk could be worn down after powerful attacks, Kirishima developed this move to reach his maximum hardening levels in order to be almost invulnerable to any form of physical attack.
4 Katsuki Bakugo
- Hero Name: Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight
- Quirk: Explosion
From day one it was clear that all young Bakugo had in mind when training to become the number 1 hero in the world was raw power. It's apparent that Bakugo has evolved over his time at U.A. High in terms of his power; his strength and versatility on the battlefield were already steadily improving. However, it was some mental growth that young Bakugo needed in order to truly make progress.
Recently, fans have seen Bakugo finally giving in and understanding that in order to be a good hero, he needs to learn that teamwork and compassion are key when it comes to saving lives. The once "lone wolf" Bakugo fans once knew is now on his way to becoming a great hero that doesn't turn a helping hand away when he truly needs it.
3 Shouto Todoroki
- Hero Name: Shouto
- Quirk: Half-Cold Half-Hot
When Todoroki first came to U.A. High he was in a very different place in life. Todoroki harbored a lot of (justified) angst against his father, Endeavor, and literally froze over the left side of his body as a physical representation of how much he actually rebukes his father. In earlier episodes, Todoroki flat out refused to use the quirk he had inherited from Endeavor and never used his flames; therefore essentially cutting down 50% of his overall power.
Todoroki has made many great strides during his time at U.A. but it's important to remember that after discovering an unlikely friendship with Deku, he unlocked an entire side of his quirk and finally recognized it as his own, finally unlocking 100% of his potential.
2 Mirio Togata
- Hero Name: Lemillion
- Quirk: Permeation
It's easy to overlook any other students outside of U.A.'s Class 1-A, but Mirio is a name worth mentioning when looking at how much each student has improved. Mirio has explained how difficult his quirk is to actually use well and effectively on the battlefield. In combat, Mirio had to learn exactly which part of his body to activate his Permeation quirk in or he'd quickly fumble and give the enemy an opening to attack.
Mirio also made it a point to explain that his quirk isn't good (in its nature) but that it was his hard work and training that made the quirk good. The inability to properly use his quirk made his childhood a difficult one and so it's clear that Mirio must have had to put in long hours of training to get as powerful as he is now (or once was before his unfortunate run-in with Overhaul).
1 Izuku Midoriya
- Hero Name: Deku
- Quirk: One For All
When looking at Deku's starting point and where he stands currently, it's no question that he deserves the top spot when it comes to overall improvement. Deku began his journey quirkless and now stands near the top of his class alongside the presence of the previous One For All users.
When fans first saw Deku in his early U.A. days, he was a helpless student that couldn't even handle a small percentage of his quirk without completely ruining his body. Now, fans have seen Deku push himself to his absolute limit, going above and beyond what everyone first thought was ever possible.