The Most Underrated My Hero Academia Villain
In a world full of super-powered people, the villains of "My Hero Academia" must accomplish many things in order to stand out. Much like the heroes of this anime tale, having a recognizable look and a charismatic presence helps a villain instill fear in those they encounter. But in general, looks do not mean much unless one has the power to back it up. For many villains, like the Quirk-hoarding All For One, this is no issue. For others, it can be a struggle to make their power do justice to the injustices they commit. And even if one does have a useful power, they still are not given full credit. They are, put simply, underrated by both audiences and characters in the series.
In that sense, there are many underrated villains within "My Hero Academia." Depending on their role in a story, a villain with a powerful Quirk may get pushed to the sidelines. This even includes some of the story's more popular villains, whose powers technically have enough potential to equal that of their superiors. Because of this, it's not surprising why some fans consider Mr. Compress the most underrated "My Hero Academia" villain.
Mr. Compress has more destructive power than you might think
As far as "My Hero Academia" villains go, most members of the League of Villains are considered fairly high-tier ne'er-do-wells. As one of the organization's primary conspirators, Mr. Compress is often an integral part of their plans. His Quirk, which allows him to compress any object he touches into a small marble, is extremely adaptable and incredibly devastating depending on the situation. Fans on Reddit noticed this shortly after learning that he can squeeze individual body parts, leading them to dub him the series' most underrated villain.
"Mr. Compress could simply choose to compress the torso, head, etc. ... of his enemies, therefore, killing them instantly," wrote the original poster u/muchomanga. "IMO, this places him already on par with Overhaul and Shigaraki in terms of having a touch of death quirk." Another Redditor, u/BAT_91, offers a slightly different perspective, calling him "underdeveloped." They continue, "He was always there. But until [chapter] 294, we knew pretty much nothing about him. It's kind of hard to care about him regardless of how strong he can be."
Both comments about Mr. Compress make good points. It is true that, with a bit more creative ruthlessness, he could feasibly equal the head honchos of the League of Villains, who also have a touch of death powers. However, his underrated nature comes out in how late into the story he is developed and how he ranks among his cohorts.
Despite his power, Mr. Compress is still relegated to henchman status
Despite his potential to dispatch death quickly and easily, Mr. Compress is given the short end of the stick on the League of Villains hierarchy. Some of his equals, such as Dabi, might rival him in terms of power. However, he is also considered equal to Spinner, a villain with no powers beyond resembling a lizard and sticking to walls. At the same time, Mr. Compress' Quirk easily makes him more powerful than Togura and Muscular, both of whom he could compress with just a tap of the finger.
Even so, Mr. Compress seems fine acting out the will of Shigaraki. Shigaraki is one of the few villains who could feasibly rival him in terms of lethality, making it logical for the magician-themed villain to follow his orders. Still, he is too easily lumped in with other, less powerful villains who couldn't hold a candle to him in a real fight.