My Hero Academia's Original Kaminari Design Was Horrifying

12/24/2019 01:06 pm EST

My Hero Academia fans know almost everything there is when it comes to Class 1-A. The students taught by Eraserhead have become the main one of the series alongside Izuku, but some are more beloved than others. Guys like Kirishima have a huge following, and the same goes for Kaminari. But if the series hadn't changed the latter's look last minute, there is no telling where Kaminari would be these days.

Over on Reddit, a My Hero Academia fan spotlighted Kaminari's original designs to the horror of fans. The art, which Kohei Horikoshi did years ago, was included in the manga's ninth volume. And to the shock of everyone, the sketch makes Kaminari look more like a villain than a hero.

"[This is the] preliminary design sketch for Kaminari, or rather, for back before he was Kaminari and he was some guy with an electricity Quirk. Too villainous-looking," Horikoshi said of the design.

As you can see below, the artwork is foreboding to say the least. Kaminari is rocking some seriously spiky hair that goes out in jagged spurts. His face is most obscured, but you can see the man has a sharp grin that looks rather wicked.

The outfit isn't too far from what Kaminari wears these days, but there are some changes. The skinny jeans here look fine, but the massive boots don't seem to suit the hero. Finally, a jacket brings the whole design together which Kaminari actually kept once his final form was approved by Horikoshi. So if you happen to be a big Stan of the hero, you better thank the artist for giving Kaminari's design a second chance!

What do you think about this original design? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi and has been running in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has powers, even though he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he's eventually scouted by the world's best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes. The series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release since 2015.

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