The My Hero Academia Characters That Fans Thought Deserved Better

"My Hero Academia" is well-known for its massive cast of characters and fantastical storytelling. Set in a world where 80% of humanity has gained superpowers called quirks, the anime adaptation of the hit manga seems to grow more popular with each new season (via Show Snob). It's isn't just the heroes who get extensive backstories on "My Hero Academia" though. One of the things that makes the series so great is how well-developed and relatable some of its villains come to be. 

For example, Tomura Shigaraki (Kōki Uchiyama and Eric Vale) is an incredibly richly detailed villain. At the tail end of the fifth season, Shigaraki discovers his powers when he accidentally kills his dog while hugging it. Subsequently, he also murders much of his family by accident before turning his rage on his father. While Shigaraki becomes a morally reprehensible character, the visible heartache and pain brought on by his powers make it easy to see why he might resent the heroes of the world so deeply.

However, there are two villains that fans seem to feel even more sorry for than Tomura Shigaraki on "My Hero Academia."

On the r/MyHeroAcadamia subreddit, u/NoahThunderheld wondered if he was the only person who felt bad for Toga and Twice in "My Hero Academia." The thread began: "Did you feel bad for Toga and Twice (In Season 5)? I did because I thought that they would have become great heroes if they'd not been misunderstood."

This comment refers to these characters' backstories, which are explored in Season 5. In the villain-centric second half of the season, Twice (Daichi Endo and Newton Pittman) is revealed to have been a lonely man who used his quirk to make clones of himself so he could have friends. Unfortunately, a conflict with his doubles saw them killing each other and leaving Twice wondering if he is really the original version of himself. Meanwhile, Toga (Misato Fukuen and Leah Clark) has never been able to fit in, forcing her to simply behave as others expect for much of her young life. The strain of always pretending and her own mental instability lead her to a life of crime. 

The details of these backstories led to an outpouring of understanding on social media. "Of course, I feel bad for Twice; he's the best character ever made. Sucks he doesn't get enough screen time," read the top-voted comment from u/OneBlackFairyHunter. Similarly, u/No-Communication-808 replied, "Toga could've been one hell of an underground hero." However, other users were interestingly less forgiving. "No, ultimately, they both chose to become killers and villains," said u/_Boodstain_. "If your past is the reason why you justify your present, you are only trying to excuse yourself from what you know is wrong."

Whether these characters' tragic backgrounds justify their evil deeds or not, the League of Villains certainly won't be stopping their quest to bring down the heroes on "My Hero Academia" any time soon. Look out for more of them in "My Hero Academia" Season 6.