“Hired Gun,” Season 6, Episode 20 of My Hero Academia featured a scene that might seem minor to most people. It sees Deku save an innocent civilian from some other civilians who thought she was a villain. If this sounds like it has little to do with All For One or any other pressing matter in the overarching plot, that’s because it kind of does.
Despite how minor this scene is, the character in it is surprisingly endearing. As far as the overarching story goes, she might as well be a background character; she doesn’t even have an official name. Still, something about her has struck a chord with many MHA fans.
What Is There to Know About the Ordinary Woman?
When the Ordinary Woman was introduced, she was being attacked by civilians who mistook her for a villain. This has to do with her Mutant-Type Quirk giving her an inhuman appearance. She’s similarly turned away from a lot of civilian shelters because of her appearance. It’s all part of the Mutant discrimination that’s been brewing in the background and will become important in the near future.
While she doesn’t have an official name, she’s been called plenty of things out-of-universe. Her official epithet is Ippan Josei (一般女性), which literally translates to “Ordinary Woman.” She’s also been referred to as “Tall Mutant Civilian” or “Tall Mutant Woman” by the fans. As long as someone uses one of these titles, MHA fans will likely know who’s being discussed.
According to Horikoshi’s notes in Volume 32, he designed the Ippan Josei to have a striking and memorable appearance. The end result was one of the cutest character designs he could come up with. There’s a lot to like about her desig: the big eyes with big eyelashes; the fox-like features; the orange, green, and yellow color palette; the hairband; her awkward height (between 8’6″ and 9’10”). So much about this character makes her easy to recognize and adds to the intrigue surrounding her. She also happens to be a gap moe character. While most people are intimidated by her height and arguably monstrous appearance, she’s actually a gentle soul and even a bit of a crybaby. This vulnerability makes her all the more endearing to MHA fans.
Outside the MHA narrative proper, Horikoshi has gone out of his way to draw the Ippan Josei on his own time on multiple occasions. She’s been paired with all sorts of main characters like Lady Nagant, Deku, Eri, and even Mineta. Horikoshi apparentyl has a lot of fun drawing her. Though Ordinary Woman is essentially a background character and there isn’t currenntly much to say about her, there’s just enough to spark intrigue among the MHA fanbase. She’ll have a few more scenes in the story going forward, so fans should look out for those.
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