Villains and heroes are often two sides of the same coin. Both suffer the same losses and experience the same motivations, but the methods for achieving their goals differ. This is especially true for the heroes and villains from My Hero Academia.
Midoriya Izuku, or Deku, wants to be a hero to save people. He’s smart but self-sacrificing, which leads to him getting in the worst situations. Midoriya is a pure person at heart, but deep down he wants to be acknowledged by others. He has good and bad sides to his personality, which is something the villains of his series share.
10 Shigaraki
Shigaraki is Midoriya’s most important parallel. He’s the successor of All Might’s darker half, All For One, as well as an example of what could have happened to Midoriya if he hadn’t been taken in by a hero. Both Deku and Shigaraki are ostracized as children.
Midoriya is mistreated because he’s Quirkless and Shigaraki is the black sheep of his family. The fact that Midoriya can see himself in Shigaraki is why he wants to save him instead of getting revenge for all the wrong Shigaraki has done.
9 Stain
With the nickname Hero Killer, Stain is the worst type of villain. However, Stain greatly values heroes and worships All Might for being the only worthy hero. He kills heroes that are in it for fame and money, which is an extreme way of fixing the problems in hero society.
It isn’t obvious during Deku’s fight with Stain, but they are similar in how they want to change hero society. Both Stain and Midoriya want to change hero society for the better, but Deku believes in changing people’s hearts instead of killing to get his way.
8 Muscular
Muscular is very different from Midoriya in personality and morality, but they parallel when it comes to their Quirks. Before Midoriya unlocks all his Quirks, All For One is an incredibly strong power-type Quirk. At full capacity, Midoriya has the power to blow people away with a single punch, which is a terrifying amount of strength.
It’s thanks to Midoriya’s heroic nature and kindness that he doesn’t abuse his power as Muscular does. Muscular sees himself as superior because of the power he holds. He’s an example of what Deku could have been if he didn’t want to save people.
7 Chisaki
Chisaki is one of the worst villains in My Hero Academia, but he’s also the most intelligent. He has an obsession with Quirks, which is why he experiments on Eri’s Quirk with the intention of harnessing its power for himself.
An obsession with Quirks and a need to document all Quirks is very similar to Midoriya, who keeps notebooks on the various Quirks he encounters. With Midoriya’s vast knowledge of Quirks and how they work, he has the potential to be a terrifying villain just like Chisaki.
6 Gentle Criminal
Gentle Criminal is a villain in name only. His crimes barely qualify as pranks, which is why he sees himself as a gentleman, not a villain. Deep down, Gentle wants to be remembered and acknowledged, but he was never able to succeed as a hero since his Quirk wasn’t appreciated or useful for hero work.
Midoriya experiences the same urge to be a hero that Gentle feels. However, Midoriya is able to meet All Might and gain a Quirk. They both want to be acknowledged by the people around them, but Deku’s urge to be a hero comes from far less selfish desires, which is why becoming a villain isn’t even a consideration for him.
5 Twice
Twice is a tragic villain. Deep down he is a good person who became lost along the way. He does terrible things, but he is incredibly loyal to the people closest to him. He even considers the League of Villains to be his found family.
Just like Twice, Deku will do anything to protect the people closest to him even if it means putting himself in harm’s way. Twice and Midoriya are self-sacrificing. In many ways, Twice is an example of what could happen to Deku if he continues to ignore himself for the good of others.
4 Lady Nagant
Lady Nagant is a former hero turned villain. She worked for the Hero Commission, just like Hawks, but the underhanded jobs they had her doing ruined her view on heroics. The Commission didn’t learn anything from Lady Nagant’s defection to villainy.
During the war, they overly rely on students—even using them like child soldiers. Deku once viewed hero society with rose-colored glasses, but just like Nagant, he gets beaten down and learns the truth about the dark side of heroes.
3 All For One
All For One is a diabolical man. He uses people for his own gain and cares about nothing other than gaining power. A kind-hearted person like Deku should be the complete opposite of All For One, but they parallel each other when it comes to their Quirks.
Just like All For One, Midoriya has amazing control over his multiple Quirks. He can use them simultaneously with barely any training. However, All For One and Deku differ in how they choose to use their incredible Quirks, which is the most important difference.
2 Toga
The only thing worse than being Quirkless is having an undesirable Quirk, which is something Toga knows well. She is drawn to blood because she needs to consume it in order to use her Quirk. Her friends and family despised her for her Quirk, which is something Midoriya can relate to.
Midoriya is ostracized for being Quirkless and constantly bullied. His mother cares deeply for him, but she can’t understand what it’s like being Quirkless. If All Might hadn’t come along Midoriya could have gone down a much darker path, just like Toga.
1 Dabi
Dabi is an example of what happens when parents put too much pressure on their children. He wanted to be the hero Endeavor trained him to be, and he goes as far as destroying his own body to prove his strength and make his father proud.
Like Dabi, Midoriya has a ton of responsibilities on his shoulders. He pushes himself to the point of nearly losing the use of his arms because he wanted to make All Might proud. Luckily for Midoriya, it isn’t just All Might looking out for him, but all his friends and family, too.