My Hero Academia features a remarkable variety of villains who are far more than cheap comic book knockoffs. They have serious emotional depth and unique views of the world and are often sympathetic because of it. Some villains were evidently born evil — like the musclebound brute, Muscular — but others, like Tomura Shigaraki, did not aspire to villainy and might have turned out very differently.
That is perhaps the most tragic aspect of some My Hero Academia villains: they could have so easily had a different life if just one thing had been different. A small handful of villains weren’t born with destructive or scary Quirks, and they didn’t have their own All For One forcing them into villainy. In a way, those characters only incidentally became villains which, for in some cases, suggests the possibility of redemption.
Mr. Compress Could Have Saved Lives With His Compress Quirk
The showman villain Mr. Compress joined the League of Villains for vaguely defined reasons. Unlike Himiko Toga, for example, Mr. Compress was not born with a “villainous” Quirk that made him an outcast reject, and he didn’t face discrimination like Spinner the heteromorph did. Mr. Compress’s backstory is tame by League standards, with him drawing inspiration from his burglar criminal great-grandfather. Mr. Compress was inspired by Oji Harima’s vigilante actions against false heroes, but it didn’t have to turn out that way.
Evidently, Mr. Compress simply decided on his own to become a villain. Just as easily, he could have chosen not to, especially since he had no external pressure to become a villain. The biggest tragedy is that his Compress Quirk could have been highly useful for a pro hero version of the character, such as compressing debris to rescue people in a disaster area or transporting injured civilians to a nearby hospital with ease. He could also capture villains without shedding blood.
Twice Almost Could Have Been Redeemed
The villain Twice acted like a goofy, mouthy rogue like Marvel’s character Deadpool, but deep down, Twice is heartbroken. He joined the League of Villains as a last resort, unable to find professional or personal support and guidance to deal with his Quirk and the mental strain it inflicts on him. Jin was never a bad person, and given the opportunity, he could have gotten therapy to become an upstanding member of society after all.
Even in the League, Twice was reluctant to harm anyone and tended to cheer on his new friends instead, setting him apart from Spinner, Muscular, Magne and others. Unfortunately, it’s definitely too late to redeem Twice, as he died at Hawks’ hands, and in Twice’s last moments, Hawks’ sheer aggression and use of force brought out the worst in both of them.
Gentle Criminal Could Have Made Better Decisions
The stylish villain Gentle Criminal was barely even a villain even in his own eyes. He did not want to tear down society or get rich from committing crimes; instead, he longed for simple fame. Gentle Criminal once aspired to become a hero, but he washed out and felt lost and worthless as a young man. The desperate NEET therefore decided to become a petty criminal and post videos of his escapades online to get some much-desired attention — and possibly prove a point about society’s too-high expectations for trainee heroes. Like Mr. Compress, Gentle Criminal could have used his talents for good or at least found other work as a member of society, but in the end, he made the wrong decision and is now paying for it in prison.
La Brava Sought Validation From the Wrong Source
Like her idol Gentle Criminal, La Brava felt alone and unwanted in her youth, believing that the world had totally rejected her. She quit school and became a total shut-in, and her dandere personality ensured she had low self-esteem and no motivation to change anything. One fateful day, La Brava discovered Gentle Criminal online and sought to meet him, after which they immediately became friends and partners in crime. Tragically, La Brava willingly and knowingly threw herself into a life of crime, setting herself up for eventual defeat and capture. She just as easily could have avoided all that by making better decisions and seeking validation and support elsewhere, but in the end, she chose to love a criminal.