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Updated Feb 11, 2026, 8:12 AM EST
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The world of My Hero Academia is one in which 80% of the total population have superhuman abilities known as "quirks." As this singular human society continues to evolve and develop, so do quirks, meaning heroes and villains alike are becoming more and more powerful by the year. Thus, many of the key figures in My Hero Academia might be among the most powerful characters in anime as a whole.
Indeed, My Hero Academia features some truly mighty beings that somehow keep becoming mightier with every new arc. Some would even argue that the heroes and villains of this series may be some of the most powerful superheroes in superhero media. These formidable beings are the best of the best, but some are undeniably more impressive than others. These are the most powerful characters in My Hero Academia, proving that this beloved show is truly one of a kind.
15 Fumikage Tokoyami and Dark Shadow
Image via CrunchyrollIt's not every day that someone can actually strike fear into All For One, the Demon Lord. Fumikage Tokoyami (Yoshimasa Hosoya and Jessie James Grelle) and his trusty quirk-granted monster sidekick, Dark Shadow (same voice actors). This shadowy monster emerging from within Tokoyami is so strong, and the young hero utilizes him so well, that when taking on All For One in the Final War Arc, the villain actually fears it and vows to take it.
If that's not proof of strength, there really isn't much that can be. While light can significantly nerf Dark Shadow, that's something that still doesn't fully put him out of the fight. He took on and overpowered Re-Destro (Hiroaki Hirata and Sonny Strait), and is very fast when he gains the ability to fly. He is often considered to have a power level equivalent to just under 50% of max One For All, which, in comparison to his classmates, is extremely powerful.
14 Nine
Image via CrunchyrollOnly appearing in the second canon film in the franchise, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, Nine doesn't get as much credit as he deserves. Nine (Yoshio Inoue & Johnny Yong Bosch) was experimented on by Kyudai Garaki (Minoru Inaba & Mark Stoddard) as a prototype for what he would do to Shigaraki, implanting a copy of the All For One quirk into another body. Due to him being a prototype, he could only hold nine quirks at a time.
Nine's quirks include All For One, weather manipulation, type-A cell activation, air wall, scanning, bullet laser, and hydra, making him an absurdly strong and dangerous foe for Class 1-A. Nine was so strong that Deku (Daiki Yamashita & Justin Briner) was forced to share/transfer One For All with Bakugo so they could double up One For All at full cowling level strength to defeat him. Full cowling is stronger than peak All Might, so needing to double up to fight him is wild. Nine is not only one of the best anime movie villains but also a remarkably dangerous foe for Deku and his friends. However, the biggest thing to hold him back is the fact that his powers are actively killing him, and that keeps him from scaling much higher.
13 Eri
Image via Studio BonesFor a character that does not have any action sequences or fights in the series, Eri (Seiran Kobayashi and Emily Neves) is easily one of the most powerful heroes in My Hero Academia on quirk alone. Her ability, "Rewind," is so strong that it's the whole reason she was kidnapped by the likes of Season 4's villain in the first place. She has the inherent power to rewind time for a single person, so long as she touches them, and can even rewind herself. Her raw power is what allows Deku to go all-out in the final battle of the Shie Hassaikai Arc, without suffering from any injuries he typically would. Fans have Eri to thank for finally getting 100% Deku with that awesome blue-green hair, Super Saiyan-style.
The biggest feat from her, though, is how her mere horn (which she breaks off to give to Shota Aizawa (Junichi Suwabe, Alex Organ, and Christopher Wehkamp) to give to Deku) manages to bring Deku's lost arms back before his final run. This is an absolutely wild feat, and while it may seem like an obvious thing that her power could do, it's more impressive given the fact that she wasn't even there to do it, just her horn did. The ridiculously strong power has seemingly limitless potential, as it can help in both battle and healing, too.
12 Monoma Neito
Image via Studio BonesFor fans who may not have finished the series or thought much about its power scaling, the likes of Monoma Neito (Kohei Amasaki and Austin Tindle), the Phantom Thief, being considered one of the strongest, may be a bit of a surprise. The last thing one should do, though, is doubt this wild U.A. High student. With the quirk known simply as "Copy," he can copy literally any hero, villain, or simple civilian's quirk. No matter who it is. As long as he comes into contact with them, he can use their power.
This makes Monoma's potential abundant. As long as he can touch someone, he can use their power — except for One For All, which can technically copy, but the power becomes essentially empty because he can't take on the years of stockpiled powers within it, only the structure of the quirk — which means that he can potentially do anything so long as he's smart. He even becomes the Number 10 Pro Hero post-time jump. He was absolutely vital to the Final War Arc, making so much more possible than the heroes could have accomplished without him.
11 Kai Chisaki/Overhaul
Image via CrunchyrollThe primary antagonist of My Hero Academia Season 4, Kai Chisaki/Overhaul (Kenjiro Tsuda & Kellen Goff), is, to this day, one of the toughest foes Izuku Midoriya/Deku ever faced. He is such a threat due to the nasty combination of his ruthlessness and his astoundingly powerful quirk, Overhaul, which allows him to take apart and reassemble matter itself.
This power allows him not only to control the arena in which he fights with Deku and Mirio Togata/Lemillion (Tarusuke Shingaki & Ricco Fajardo) but also to absorb the matter of others to turn into a giant flesh creature. Overhaul also owns and uses quirk nullification bullets, which can remove someone's quirk permanently. Overall, Overhaul is a mighty enemy with a unique ability that makes him stand out among others, further cementing My Hero Academia as a standout within shōnen anime.
10 Enji Todoroki/Endeavor
Image via CrunchyrollNot only does Enji Todoroki/Endeavor (Tetsu Inada & Patrick Seitz) have one of the best redemption arcs in My Hero Academia, he's got one of the hottest quirks as well. Hellflame allows him to control and manifest absurdly hot fire at will. Thus, Endeavor is typically covered head to toe in flames, even equipping himself with a flame mustache.
Hellflame has given Endeavor the ability to rise to the rank of Number One Hero after Toshinori Yagi/All Might (Kenta Miyake & Christopher Sabat) lost his power and retired. His flames are so powerful that they allow him to go toe-to-toe with Hood (Tsuguo Mogami & Daman Mills), the first of the extremely powerful High-End Nomu. Plus, the fire mustache is ridiculously, and ironically, cool.
9 Dabi (Toya Todoroki)
Image via TOHO AnimationOne of, if not the most, fan favorite villains in My Hero Academia is none other than Dabi (Hiro Shimono and Jason Liebrecht), aka Toya Todoroki. Having a unique blue-flame quirk, he's not only visually appealing, but is simply a great character to watch, as he's entertaining and, eventually, emotionally compelling. The eventual reveal of his family lineage in Season 6 shifted the character from simply being a nonchalant badass, not a tortured soul who, honestly, deserved better and is simply handling his pain in evil ways.
The absolute raw flame power that Dabi has is absurd. They're even more powerful than the likes of his father's, given the blue tint of his flame, meaning that his flames are significantly hotter. His flames are so hot that they continuously destroy his body, which is a major weakness of his. He doesn't have a lot of battle sense, either, meaning he's more of a jump in and blast anyone who stands in his way kind of guy. But, boy, is he astoundingly strong.
8 Shoto Todoroki
Image via CrunchyrollBorn and crafted by Endeavor to be the perfect weapon and successor to All Might, Shoto Todoroki (Yuki Kaji & David Matranga) has a power unlike any other in the world in My Hero Academia, Half-Cold Half-Hot. Shoto can emit and generate ice from the right half of his body and flames from the left, giving him the best of both worlds. While his flames are technically not as strong as his long-lost brother's, Shoto has a far larger battle IQ than he does. He's a very smart fighter.
In the recent episodes of Season 7, though, Shoto has mastered an ability called "cold fire" that allows him to shoot flames that both freeze and burn his opponents. This new ability also helps him regulate his body temperature, an issue his father, Endeavor, and his brother, Toya Todoroki/Dabi (Hiro Shimono & Jason Liebrecht), are consistently hindered by, making his power far more efficient and longer lasting than his family's
7 Gigantomachia
Image via Studio BonesWhen it comes to sheer raw power, it's hard to go much higher than Gigantomachia (Yasuhiro Mamiya and Cris George) without looking at the core protagonists. This villain is simply raw power personified — so much so that not even the entire League of Villains could beat him in Season 5. It makes sense why they were so pressed to get him on their side.
There's not a ton to be said about Gigantomachia that isn't already exceedingly obvious by simply looking at him and seeing the feats he's accomplished. Look at how much Class 1-A struggled against him! He was designed by All For One to be the epitome of durability and strength. He feels no pain and can function on little to no sleep. He can be beaten, though, despite having a whopping seven combined quirks to make him who he is.
6 All For One
Image via CrunchyrollThe Demon Lord himself, All For One, has arguably one of the most powerful quirks in history. Simply put, All For One can steal the quirk of any person and hold as many as he wants, while also holding the ability to redistribute the quirks he holds. Over time, this absurdly broken ability has allowed him to build an immense catalog of quirks, making him feel virtually unstoppable. However, he's not without his massive shortcomings, though, which is why Bakugo could beat him in the condition he was in, All Might beat him twice, and he needed Tenko's body to keep on living.
All For One has one large weakness, though, and that is his ailing body from the big battle against All Might years before the show. Season 7 of My Hero Academia sees him return to his prime form, but only because of intentionally killing him, so there's an even larger weakness in that. Most consider All For One the best villain in My Hero Academia, and it's not hard to see why. Moves like his Omni-Factor Unleash, featured in the epic final season, show off just how much true power this enemy has.
English (US) ·