This list contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia anime
Anyone who has read or watched the My Hero Academia series will know all too well that a character’s looks can certainly be deceiving, since this is a world where anyone can acquire an immensely powerful ability known as a Quirk from birth. These abilities have allowed several talented individuals to rise up the ranks of Hero Society, eventually reaching the status of a Pro Hero, but while these types of heroes are designed to be the best of the best when it comes to fending off villains, to be honest, not all of them seem all that formidable or strong upon first glance.
In fact, there are several Pro Heroes who, despite being immensely powerful, actually come across as somewhat passive or even a little aloof, making it easy to see them as little more than unimportant side characters when they were first introduced. As the story has gone on though, fans have been able to witness just how formidable these individuals truly are beneath the surface, so while they may seem weak, these powerful My Hero Academiacharacters have proved that they are more than worthy of being called Pro Heroes.
Cementoss
The Forgettable Cement Hero Has Achieved Some Pretty Impressive
It’s honestly easy to understand why Cementoss has become a pretty forgettable Pro Hero, considering he is surrounded by the likes of Endeavor, Hawks, and many other flashy heroes who always steal the spotlight. With that being said though, Cementoss may seem a little bland and boring on the surface, but he has still managed to highlight in his brief amount of screen time why he is considered one of the most reliable heroes in UA when it comes to defending the school from danger.
As was shown in his exam fight against Kirishima and Sato, Cementoss is capable of creating giant slabs of cement which can withstand an incredible amount of punishment before being taken down. He has also mastered his Quirk to such a degree that he can manipulate the surrounding cement in any way he wants, whether it be by trapping his enemies in a giant dome, or simply erecting an immovable shield to keep him and his allies protected. He may not seem like much initially, but Cemtnoss possesses an extremely formidable power which only shows itself every now and again in the story.
Aizawa
It Turns Out The Laziest Teacher In UA Is Also One Of The Strongest
Despite being the teacher of Class 1A, Aizawa is often more concerned with catching up on some sleep than he is about giving his students valuable lessons about heroism. This can make it easy to assume that he’s a hero who somehow managed to crawl his way up the ladder without actually putting in any effort, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. As is shown in the Vigilantes spinoff series, Aizawa actually had a difficult time figuring out how to utilize his Quirk in battle while he was still in the academy, causing him to become extremely self-conscious about his ability.
In the main story though, Aizawa has gained a good enough grasp of his Quirk technique that allows him to disable the abilities of any villain he lays his eyes on. This has made him a crucial asset in executing many of the Pro Heroe’s attack plans, including in the Final War, where he was the only one who could shut down Shigaraki and his myriad of Quirks for any amount of time. The oddball lazy teacher persona that Aizawa always puts on is obscuring the immensely powerful and talented hero who lies beneath.
Gran Torino
This Old Geezer’s Still Got Plenty Of Fight Left In Him
When Deku first meets Gran Torino for the first time in the story, he doesn’t initially seem all that thrilled about having the old geezer as his new teacher. However, it doesn’t take long before the semi-retired Pro Hero shows the protagonist why he is still considered such a formidable foe among the villain underworld, as while his body might be a little older than most, his Quirk allows him to still move faster than the eye can keep up with.
By shooting air from the bottom of his soles through using his Jet Quirk, Gran Torino can move at exhilarating speeds, giving him the option to bounce around his environments to attack the enemy from any opening that he can find while on the move. He’s been involved in numerous of the major Pro Hero missions in the main story, though it definitely wouldn’t be easy to assume that he is this proactive just from looking at him.
Thirteen
Despite Being A Rescue Mission-Based Hero, Thirteen’s Quirk Is Still Extremely Powerful
Thirteen is a character who often gets a bad ep because of how easily she was taken down back in the USJ arc by the League of Villains. While this may not have been a strong showing for the rescue-mission Pro Hero, it’s still hard to ignore just how powerful her Quirk, Black Hole, truly is in action, as it allows her to essentially absorb any projectile that flies her way without even needing to break a sweat.
All Thirteen needs to do is point her fingers, and she will be able to completely nullify any incoming damage, as was demonstrated when she avoided Kurogiri’s dark void attacks; until this eventually backfired on her. Since Thirteen was out of the story for such a long time, it’s understandable why she would receive the reputation of being fairly weak, though that shouldn’t take anything away from her absurdly powerful ability. It’s just a shame that she was forced to take on such a powerful villain right off the bat, as it meant she was unable to emphasize her true potential for a good portion of the story.
Ms. Joke
She May Seem Aloof, But This Pro Hero Is Secretly No Joke
Ms. Joke is quite a peculiar hero within the story, as while she shows up very early on to watch the students during their exam, she then becomes absent for hundreds of chapters and episodes, giving her barely any opportunities to showcase her rather odd Quirk ability. As her name suggests, Ms. Joke is able to force her targets to laugh uncontrollably after telling them a joke, but not only can this be used to freeze them in place, it can also force a villain to spill information that they would otherwise rather keep secret.
This was demonstrated when she could be shown interrogating Spinner after he was captured during the war. This underlying strength wasn’t really well translated when Ms. Joke first debuted though, as she was ultimately a character who was presented as little more than comic relief, and someone who could provide a fun contrast to the always-moody Aizawa. Then again, anyone who has been able to reach the Pro Hero ranks needs to be extremely strong, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that this applies to Ms. Joke, even if her fighting style is a little more unique compared to her fellow professionals.
Fat Gum
Fat Gum Is A Defensive Powerhouse With A Goofy Personality
Fat Gum isn’t exactly the type of Pro Hero who is capable of striking fear into the eyes of villains with his appearance alone. If anything, he looks a little too innocent to be considered one of the strongest heroes in the Academy, and when paired with his goofy and jovial personality, he could easily pass off as a naive first-year student who simply joined UA to make some friends and keep himself entertained.
However, everyone’s perception of Fat Gum completely changed in the Overhaul arc, where he was able to withstand an incredible amount of damage from Overhaul’s goons thanks to his impressive Quirk ability. By using his body fat to absorb Rappa’s hard-hitting attacks, Fat Gum was able to wear down his opponent before delivering a final devastating attack of his own. Fat Gum is one of the nicest and most innocent heroes a person can meet, but it’s still never a good idea to get on his bad side, considering the staggering amount of damage this guy is capable of dealing when he’s pushed to his limit.
Power Loader
Despite Barely Being In The Series, Power Loader Can Cause Some Serious Carnage On The Battlefield
Fans might remember Power Loader as the introverted mech-obsessed companion to Mei who always shows up to help her with crafting her newest creations. Because Mei quickly became such a fan-favorite character, it meant Power Loader was forced into the background for a good chunk of the story, giving him barely any scenes to showcase his true power. With powerful Pro Heroes like All Might and Endeavor hogging the spotlight, Power Loader quickly becomes an afterthought, but that shouldn’t suggest that he is any weaker than many of his comrades.
While he’s able to use his Iron Claws Quirk to manipulate the surrounding environments, as he did in the exam against Lida and Ojiro, Power Loader’s true strength lies in his mind, and more specifically, his talent for creating mechs. This quirky engineer enjoys nothing more than conjuring out all kinds of deadly exoskeletons that he can ride into battle, so while he may be a little older than most of the heroes in the series, he’s always capable of dealing a lot of carnage in battle thanks to his dangerous inventions.
