Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia has quickly become one of the most popular shonen series of the decade. One of the biggest reasons that the superhero school series works as well as it does is because it tackles many ideas and genres beyond just superpowered action sequences. Fans love to see heroes and villains square off in combat, but there’s a real sweetness to My Hero Academia that comes forward during many of the more muted moments.
Romance is never the primary objective in My Hero Academia, yet this hasn’t stopped some powerful partners from coming forward. My Hero Academia is full of potential couples that are teased by both the series and the speculative fandom’s wishes.
10 Ochaco Uraraka & Izuku Midoriya
One of the earliest and most talked about romantic pairings to come out of My Hero Academia is the tender bond that’s formed between Ochaco Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya. Uraraka is one of the first friends Deku meets at U.A. High and there are immediate butterflies between the two that both of them are too shy to do much about.
Midoriya and Uraraka don’t make their feelings public, but there’s a clear connection between them. Uraraka’s All Might toy that Deku gives her becomes one of her most cherished items and it’s Uraraka’s words that are able to break through to Midoriya during the height of his Dark Deku Arc.
9 Mirio Togata & Nejire Hado
There is no shortage of remarkable crimefighters in My Hero Academia and a certain trio of wunderkinds at U.A. High are recognized by the school and deemed The Big 3. The Big 3 is made up of Tamaki Amajiki, Mirio Togata, and Nejire Hado, all of whom are exceptional heroes both as individuals and as a team.
There’s a special chemistry between Togata and Hado that’s palpable when they’re together and they both get quite broken up over the other’s injuries and defeats. Togata goes through an enlightening period of discovery when he’s temporarily without his Quirk, and yet Hado never looks at him any differently.
8 Shoto Todoroki & Momo Yaoyorozu
Shoto Todoroki has so much trauma on his plate regarding his dysfunctional family that dating isn’t something that he loses a lot of sleep over. Todoroki is committed to being the strongest and not committing the same mistakes as his father, but he gains genuine respect for his fellow U.A. High classmate, Momo Yaoyorozu during their joint training exam against Aizawa.
Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are both stubborn in the same ways and willing to put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good. They grow closer on a fundamental level even if they don’t explicitly acknowledge it.
7 Kinoki Komori & Shihai Kuroiro
My Hero Academia’s Joint Training Arc is an excellent showcase for many of Class 1-B’s more neglected heroes. Kinoki Komori and Shihai Kuroiro particularly come into their own during this exercise. Komori’s gleeful desire to infect the world with fungi is almost as unnerving as Kuroiro’s ability to disappear into darkness through his Quirk.
These two would be outcasts in most scenarios, but Kuroiro makes his affection for Komori clear and they’re able to gain strength through their unity and teamwork There’s a really cute quality to this couple and word of them begins to spread through U.A. High’s campus.
6 Himiko Toga & Jin Bubaigawara
As the anime’s name suggests, it’s the heroes who are the primary focus in My Hero Academia, but that doesn’t mean that the villains are callously portrayed as one-note evil entities. Seasons five and six do exceptional work when it comes to the ongoing humanization of the show’s villains, especially when it comes to Himiko Toga and Jin “Twice” Bubaigawara.
These two care less about being villains than they do in the sense of community that they’ve found in each other. They become each other’s whole world and it’s devastating when Twice’s increasingly frayed mental state pushes him to a painful place that ultimately results in death.
5 Yu Takeyama & Shinji Nishiya
Yu “Mt. Lady” Takeyama and Shinji “Kamui Woods” Nishiya are two adult Pro Heroes who often remain on the fringes of the franchise. Mt. Lady fulfills the role of easy eye candy and fan service in My Hero Academia, but the series highlights how she has a history of being partners with Kamui Woods.
Kamui Woods has a particularly unique Quirk that’s led to some individuals keeping a distance from the character. Yu Takeyama proudly stays by Nishiya’s side and there’s remarkable teamwork and a clear love language between the two characters.
4 Star & Stripe & All Might
The majority of My Hero Academia is set in Japan, but the series has occasionally visited other areas of the world to highlight how their hero societies function. All Might spent extensive time in America and the anime’s sixth season results in a call to arms being placed by Japan to recruit the help of international heroes in the fight against All For One.
Season six concludes with America’s No. 1 Pro Hero, Star and Stripe, otherwise known as Cathleen Bate, leading this charge. Star and Stripe basically looks like All Might’s female doppelgänger. All Might’s best days are past him, but these two make for such a natural fit.
3 Eijiro Kirishima & Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
My Hero Academia creates effective tension between the rivalry that exists between U.A. High’s Class 1-A and 1-B, which reaches its boiling point during season five’s Joint Training Arc. Part of the fun in these class-based showdown is that many of Class 1-A’s heroes have comparable analogues in Class 1-B.
Eijiro Kirishima’s Hardening Quirk isn’t dissimilar from Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu’s Steel Quirk defense mechanism. These similarities initially annoy the two, but they learn to embrace their similarities and allow themselves to explore greater degrees of empathy.
2 Tsuyu Asui & Ochaco Uraraka
Tsuyu Asui and Ochaco Uraraka are two of U.A. High’s most endearing female students in Class 1-A. Asui and Uraraka stay by the sidelines when it comes to many of My Hero Academia’s biggest battles.
However, these two typically appear together when they do show up and some of their exploits on their internships and work study programs are among the characters’ finest moments. Uraraka and Asui bring out the best in each other and their comparable attitudes towards friendship and heroism makes it easy for them to accept and embrace the other’s company.
1 Katsuki Bakugo & Izuku Midoriya
My Hero Academia’s greatest couple that’s experienced the most development is easily Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya. Bakugo can’t help but bully Midoriya during their earliest memories together, but this tension matures into true respect. These two have proven countless times over that they have each other’s backs.
The My Hero Academia movies celebrate Deku’s trust towards Bakugo and it’s no coincidence that it’s Bakugo who saves Midoriya during a pivotal moment during their battle against Shigaraki. No other characters have better chemistry, whether they’re playfully poking fun at each other or fighting alongside the other in battle.
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