My Hero Academia is the story all about how Izuku Midoriya eventually becomes the number one hero, and part of that journey has introduced him (and us) to the various other young heroes-in-training attending U.A. Academy. With each character aiming to be a hero for their own reasons, one that has stood out to many fans for a lot of the wrong reasons is Minoru Mineta. Often wearing his perversions on his sleeve, Mineta’s been the butt of a lot of jokes. This is warranted, sure, but perhaps there shouldn’t be such a disrespectful tone.
To put it bluntly, Minoru Mineta deserves more respect than he gets. Not only has this hero managed to earn a highly coveted spot in the Hero Course (and in the top class, no less), he has had several bright spots throughout the franchise proving why he’s going to be a top hero alongside Izuku Midoriya.
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Given his perverted nature, short stature, and admittedly weaker quirk than someone like Bakugo or even Midoriya, Mineta has managed to gain and maintain his spot in the hero course. As characters like Shinso have proven, getting into the Hero Course at all is a huge undertaking. He’s had to pass the same tests as Midoriya and the others, and while he’s not at the top, he’s not exactly at the bottom either.
For example, his test scores are among the top ten in the class overall. This intelligence has also been on display as well. Although it’s played as a joke given how skeevy of an idea it is, Mineta used his quirk to attach himself to the stronger Yaoyorozu Momo in order to make it to the Cavalry Battle of the Sports Festival. He even managed to team up with Shoji and Tsu to great effect during that challenge as well. They’re definitely humorous considering his ulterior motives, but they’re certainly a more intelligent plan than many of the young heroes that didn’t even get that far.
This was just during the second season! Other Mineta highlights further prove just how useful he’s been in the field as a hero too. Not only did he help Midoriya and Tsu get away from a sea of enemies in the USJ, but the Two Heroes film had a point where he was the only one who could climb up and fit through a sky high air vent. Although he complained about each instance, what’s important is that he still does it.
With all of his gags, it can be easy to forget just how much Mineta has respectfully done through the series. He passed his and Sero’s test against Midnight, he was one of the students to get his Hero License before Bakugo and Todoroki (which means he too passed the rough Hero License Exam with flying colors), and he’ll most likely continue to contribute big things.
The biggest hill to climb is his motivation behind being a hero. But it’s not like My Hero Academia has a world of selfless heroes, either. You can argue Mineta’s wanting to be a hero to be cool and go out with ladies is a bad motivation, but he’s not exactly alone in this non-savior desire. Midoriya is actually unique in his chasing after a hero to save others, but his is even a like selfish as well. He wants to be like All Might, Todoroki wants to surpass his father, Uraraka wants to make money, Iida is only a hero because the rest of his family is, etc.
But Mineta wears his desires on his sleeve. The way he chases after his id is almost admirable as he’s one of the few characters that’s not disguising what he really wants at the end of the day. So Mineta deserves more respect than he gets. He’s not the best hero in the world, but he’s not trying to be. He’s being the best Mineta he can be.
But what do you think? Think Mineta is treated the way he should be? Think series creator Kohei Horikoshi is just waiting to reveal something awful about him? Is that why he’s not used more? Let us know in the comments or talk to me directly @Valdezology!
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. My Hero Academia will also be launching its second big movie, Heroes Rising, in Japan this December.
