Best Major Villain Designs In My Hero Academia

Kohei Horikoshi, the author of My Hero Academia, has received a ton of praise for his character designs, and it’s not hard to see why. The vibrant and quirky appearances of not just the heroes, but also the villains in this series have made all of them a joy to watch and read, while also giving fans a glimpse into their personality through their fashion sense.

This is especially important for the bad guys in the series, considering they usually tend to keep their true motives and intentions a secret until they are forced to reveal who they really are. As a result, a striking design can help make them intriguing without needing to spill the beans on their master plan, but when all stacked up against one another, here is how the villains’ designs compare in terms of their style, alongside what they say about the character.

12

Muscular

Muscular’s Design Perfectly Showcases His Immense Strength And Durability

• First Appearance: Episode 39

Muscular’s design may not be all that flashy or over-the-top, yet it still manages to get across just how powerful this guy truly is. The most noticeable part of the design is Muscular’s bulging red muscles which are fully exposed, with only his face and hands still retaining their skin.

What also adds to his eerie aesthetic is the scar that covers the left side of Muscular’s face, letting fans know right off the bat that he is someone who’s had his fair share of run-ins with heroes in the past. While it’s not quite as creative as a lot of the other villains, Muscular’s design still says a lot about his sadistic personality and powers.

11

Re-Destro

Re-Destro’s Design Seems To Take Inspiration From Other Iconic Villains

• First Appearance: Episode 108

Re-Destro’s appearance feels like Horikoshi paying homage to some of fiction’s most well-known villains. The biggest comparison fans have made is the Joker, who, in many iterations, shares the same long and pointy nose as Re-Destro. On the other hand, his permanent scowl and fashionable attire also seem very similar to that of Lex Luthor, among many other comic villains.

Despite the common similarities, Re-Destro still has a very recognizable appearance, which doesn’t need to be too outlandish or experimental to highlight just how shady and mischievous he is as an antagonist. However, it is still fairly plain as far as designs go, with Re-Destro being more known for his actions rather than his looks.

10

Twice

A Mysterious And More Comical Look For The Upbeat League Of Villains Member

• First Appearance: Episode 38

Out of all the League of Villain members, Twice is the most upbeat and goofy of the crew, and his design does a good job of showcasing this. Most of the time Twice can be seen covering his mouth with a mask, meaning all that can be seen is his glowing white eyes, which he will use to create all kinds of silly expressions to showcase how he is feeling.

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The black and white striped jumpsuit is another aspect of his design that gives Twice a rather unusual and unorthodox appearance that ultimately feeds into his exuberant personality. Though not the most stylish villain of the group, Twice still has an excellent design that manages to look both hilarious and slightly creepy at the same time. Twice’s outfit isn’t as unique or interesting as his fellow League of Villain comrades, but it’s far from a bad design.

9

Gentle Criminal

Gentle Sports A Gentlemanly Look To Showcase His Chivalric Persona

• First Appearance: Episode 81

Ever since he was young, Gentle Criminal has always possessed a very highbrow gentlemanly persona, so it only makes sense he would have the appropriate attire to show this off. With that in mind, what makes Gentle’s design so unique is it allowed Horikoshi to create a fashionable outfit that was also suited for a villain, resulting in the pitch-black trench coat and squiffy purple scarf he can always be seen wearing.

Since Gentle is nowhere near as violent or twisted as a lot of the villains in the series, his design is a bit more stripped back than many others, but that doesn’t need to be a bad thing. Despite only being in the series for a short amount of time, Gentle certainly showed up in style. It would have been nice to have seen Horikoshi get even more creative though, maybe adding in a rose or two to showcase Gentle’s gentlemanly nature.

8

Spinner

Shuichi Pays Homage To Stain While Inserting Some Of His Creative Flair Into His Outfit

• First Appearance: Episode 31

If Spinner’s outfit looks a little familiar, it’s because the young and impressionable villain’s costume is essentially a cosplay of his personal hero, Stain. As a result, he can always be seen wearing a white bandage across his eyes, a long and ragged piece of red cloth, and even a few blades on his back, but there are also a few other additions thrown in too.

The second mask, for example, that rests above Spinner’s eyes lets fans know he still has his unique fashion sense, but that his obsession with Stain prevents him from being his own person. Of course, it’s also hard to talk about Spinner’s design without mentioning his reptilian skin and bright pink hair, making for a very vibrant and eye-catching appearance overall.

7

Mr. Compress

Compress Showcases His Unrivaled Fashion Sense Through His Outfit

• First Appearance: Episode 44

Mr. Compress’ fashionable design stands out for numerous reasons. For one, it’s a look that covers the villain in a shroud of mystery by hiding his entire face and body, but it also manages to be very eye-catching thanks to the plethora of colors. Whether it’s the brown top hat, the bright yellow jacket, or his fiery red gloves, every aspect of Mr. Compress’ attire pops out from the screens thanks to the clever use of color coordination that has gone into his appearance.

On the other hand, the design also represents Compress’ high and mighty personality, which often causes him to look down on others, no matter whether they are friend or foe. Overall, a very vibrant design that encourages fans to wonder what exactly the man himself truly looks like underneath all the fancy ornaments and decorations.

6

Himiko Toga

A Deceivingly Innocent Appearance For One Of The Most Vicious Villains In The Series

• First Appearance: Episode 31

Toga’s appearance, which often makes her look like a sweet and innocent schoolgirl, highlights her fractured mental state, specifically her constant back and forth between wanting to make friends, and also wanting to kill anyone in sight. As a result, the pairing of an everyday school outfit with the giant jaw collar and Toga’s eerie facial expressions make for an incredibly distinct design that even those outside of the My Hero community will be able to recognize.

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No matter how bad things get, Toga is usually shown to have a giant smile splashed across her face, which will instantly fill a room with dread and fear whenever she shows up. It’s hard not to love Toga’s design, considering how effortlessly it expresses her character and conflicted personality. Toga’s devilish design deserves a high spot for how well it reflects the inner turmoil of her character, along with her hilarious, and quite ominous, facial expressions.

5

Dabi

Dabi’s Entire Body Looks Like It’s Been Stitched Together, Making For A Very Unnerving Sight

• First Appearance: Episode 31

There’s a lot to admire about Dabi’s appearance, but by far the aspect that makes it such a feast for the eyes is the stitches that can be seen all around his face and body. When paired with his deep sunken eyes, it presents Dabi as a villain who has been beaten down by the world, which ultimately ends up making him all the more terrifying to look at.

Many of the villains in the series have pretty tragic backstories that led them to villainy in the first place, and with Dabi, this is shown visually through his tormented design, which almost makes it easy to feel sorry for him, showing just how effective his appearance truly is.

4

All For One

All For One’s Design Presents Him As A Truly Menacing And Dangerous Supervillain

• First Appearance: Episode 49

Though All For One has taken on numerous appearances throughout the series, by far his most recognizable is the suit and mask combo he wears when facing off against All Might for the first time. The contrast of a professional suit paired with a mechanical mask, which looks like it was ripped straight out of a horror manga, presents All For One as a genuinely terrifying mastermind who easily invokes fear into anyone who lays eyes on him.

Another underrated aspect of All For One’s design, which applies to all his forms, is his height. All For One stands at over 7 feet tall, making him even larger than All Might. Being able to tower over his opponents gives All For One a very menacing presence, especially when combined with the other creepy aspects of his look. Being able to represent the immense power and dread of a character through their appearance alone is no easy feat, but All For One’s design here is truly terrifying and worthy of a high spot on this list.

3

Tomura Shigaraki

Weird, Bizarre, And Effortlessly Creepy, Shigaraki’s Design Is A Masterclass In Body Horror

• First Appearance: Episode 8

Shigaraki is quite a unique leader, in the sense that, rather than being a big and bulky powerhouse, he’s a fairly feeble-looking individual. Despite that, the creepy hands that cover his face, along with his beady eyes which peer through his fingers now and again, assure fans this is not a guy to be taken lightly.

At the same time, it’s also just an effective use of body horror from Horikoshi, which can easily make viewers feel a little uncomfortable with how absurd and weird it is. Shigaraki’s design references the loneliness and isolation he feels as a character, which is a testament to just how much of a master Horikoshi is at conjuring up designs that are meaningful and relevant to the character in question.

2

Stain

Stain’s Ragged Appearance Invokes Fear In Anyone Who Looks His Way

• First Appearance: Episode 24

Stain isn’t the kind of villain who cares too much about making a fashion statement. For the Hero Killer, a few bandages, red tape, and razor-sharp blades are all he throws on before taking to the streets, resulting in a badass, albeit terrifying, design for the villain who had a huge impact on the series.

Stain’s ragged and unkept appearance only adds to his scare factor, especially when he opens his eyes to reveal a pair of bright red pupils that can send a shiver down the spine of even the most experienced of Pro Heroes. Though he would alter his appearance a little later down the road, Stain’s original design is frankly jaw-dropping to look at. For how much detail is packed into Stain’s appearance, alongside how it feeds into his character, it deserves all the praise that it has received over the years, with even in-story characters dressing up as him.

1

Overhaul

Merging The Yakuza Dress Sense With A Plague Doctor Might Sound Outlandish, But Overhaul Pulls It Off Extremely Well

• First Appearance: Episode 62

When Overhaul first appeared in the series, fans were immediately intrigued to know what this guy’s deal was just from his appearance alone. Overhaul’s affiliation with the Yakuza means he enjoys wearing a sleek and stylish jacket fitted with an exuberant fluffy collar so big and bright that it would even put Doflamingo to shame.

However, he also dons a giant plague doctor mask that covers his mouth; a very unusual decoration that is eventually revealed to reflect his idea that Quirks are an “infection” on the world. It’s clear Horikoshi decided to get extra creative when conjuring up the design for Overhaul, and it certainly paid off considering how much of a fan-favorite he has become, being a common source of inspiration for cosplays and fan artwork.