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Cooperativeness is a great asset but when it comes to school assessments as working together isn’t always an option. Sometimes these heroes have no one but themselves to rely on to push forward. Strength doesn’t mean everything all the time, but in this case, it does. Here are My Hero Academia’s top ten strongest members of U.A.’s class 1-A.
Updated August 31st, 2021 by Christine Mendoza: As the series progresses and fans get to see more and more of their favorite heroes, class 1-A’s overall rankings are bound to change. Deku and his classmates are faced with new challenges from team training and deadly villains in each episode to the next.
As fans continue to watch, these heroes slowly progress and become stronger and smarter; developing not only new techniques but also new mentalities that help them on the field. My Hero Academia’s fifth season has showcased these characters immense growth and development of their skills as they face off against both serious enemies and also the likes of fellow classmates. Here is the newly updated (and more detailed) list of class 1-A’s strongest students.
10 Tsuyu Asui - Froppy
Stats:
Quirk : Frog Special Moves : Camouflage, Meteor Fafrotskies Equipment : Camouflage Costume, Froggy Neck Ring Strengths : Versatility on land and water, cooperativeness, great range of combat, high stamina Weaknesses : She excels more as a support for another classmate/hero and isn’t as effective on solo missions, while she has agility and intelligence she does not harness much raw power
Everyone’s favorite half-frog-half-girl, Froppy, isn’t just a cute face. She can pack a punch too! Her frog-like abilities granted to her via her quirk allow her access to a much more unique, and less predictable, combat style. Her agility is difficult to keep up with, allowing her to focus on landing a good hit on a disoriented enemy.
Froppy’s power mainly resides in her kicks as her leg strength makes her a formidable opponent. Aside from her hands and legs, her tongue also has incredible dexterity, allowing her to subdue her enemies without lifting a finger.
9 Rikido Sato - Sugarman
Stats:
Quirk : Sugar Rush Special Moves : Raw Power, Gastronomic Talents Equipment : Utility Belt Strengths : His quirk allows him to increase his strength to give times his natural strength, therefore allowing him to indefinitely continue to hone and develop his maximum strength levels Weaknesses : Low stamina and can only maintain enhanced strength levels for three minutes at a time, low mobility, limited range
Sato may not be always front and center, but he’s definitely got what it takes to fight alongside the rest of his 1-A classmates. Sato’s ability to essentially convert sugar into muscle power may not sound as flashy as others, but it ranks rather high when it comes down to raw strength.
Sato’s “Sugar Rush” quirk allows him to temporarily increase his natural strength, simply by ingesting some sugar. The only reason he’s not ranked any higher is due to the fact that this is a fleeting quirk. After a few minutes, his strength dissipates, leaving him drowsy and tired.
8 Mashirao Ojiro - Tailman
Stats:
Quirk : Tail Special Moves : Tornado Tail Dance, Swamp Smack Spin Equipment : Traditional Gi Strengths : Well rounded, his tail not only gives him an advantage in dexterity but also mobility and defense Weaknesses : His fighting style is often regarded as plain, low mobility, limited range
Often scrutinized for being “too plain”, Ojiro actually has a lot to offer. He’s no-nonsense and straight to the point with his martial arts skills and excels in hand-to-hand combat.
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He uses his tail to attack with and also to allow himself to maneuver freely with other attacks as well. Not only is Ojiro strong physically, his ability to assess and understand a situation before engaging makes him a mentally strong and formidable opponent as well. Take it from Ojiro: being plain doesn’t mean being weak.
7 Mezo Shoji - Tentacole
Stats:
Quirk : Dupli-Arms Special Moves : Octoblow, Unnamed Duplication Combo Equipment : Face Covering, Sleeveless Costume Strengths : Enhanced senses and reflexes, ability to scout, good at close and far range battle Weaknesses : Extrasensory body parts on limbs/tentacles are easy to hit weak points
Shoji, the master of multitasking, holds incredible levels of strength in a handful of different ways. First off, his quirk of having “Dupli-Arms” allows him to have all sides covered at once, not only having superior levels of dexterity when fighting but also having heightened senses. His extra limbs also have different sensory functions, such as extra mouths to speak and extra eyes to see.
Not only is he capable of enhanced levels of strength via his “Dupli-Arms”, but he can use the webbing-like portion of them to shield himself or his comrades on the battlefield, making for a strong offense and defense.
6 Tenya Iida - Ingenium
Stats:
Quirk : Engine Special Moves : Engine Boost, Recipro Burst, Recipro Extend, Recipro Turbo Equipment : Ingenium Boots, Ingenium Helmet, Ingenium Muffler Strengths : Greater leadership skills, keen intellect, incredible speed, and mobility Weaknesses : Speed and mobility are very short-lived and difficult to maintain
Mr. Class President himself, of course, needed to make an appearance when talking up class 1-A’s strongest students. Iida’s quirk “Engine” helps him achieve amazing speeds via the engines within his calves.
His quirk is powered by ingesting orange juice. He converts it into fuel for his legs, which allows him to run at superhuman speeds. With his superhuman speed comes enhanced power. Iida uses the boosters in his calves to power his kick attacks. Imagine a dropkick from Iida. That would be quite the task for Recovery Girl.
5 Fumikage Tokoyami - Tsukuyomi
Stats:
Quirk : Dark Shadow Special Moves : Black Abyss, Black Fallen Angel, Ragnarok, Womb Equipment : Cloak, Claws Strengths : Dark Shadow ensures enhanced durability, ability to scout, can easily subdue enemies without resorting to fatally wounding them Weaknesses : Tokoyami cannot fully control Dark Shadow in all environments and can cause immense damage to surroundings and severely wound allies
Tokoyami is already strong enough on his own, but with the help of his quirk, “Dark Shadow”, he’s one of the strongest members in his class. During the day, Tokoyami has an incredible advantage. When in the sun, he has great control over Dark Shadow and can command the creature to attack at his will. One of his most notable moves involves him wearing Dark Shadow as a type of armor over himself, allowing his attacks to be stronger and also to defend himself much easier.
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As strong as Tokoyami and his buddy Dark Shadow are, Tokoyami’s biggest weakness is keeping control. The darker the night, the bigger Dark Shadow grows. However, with this immense strength comes the difficult task Tokoyami has to keep Dark Shadow under his control and not run rampant.
4 Eijiro Kirishima - Red Riot
Stats:
Quirk : Hardening Special Moves : Red Counter, Red Riot Unbreakable, Red Gauntlet Equipment : Shoulder supports Strengths : Incredible durability, great attack power, and defense as well Weaknesses : Low mobility and range, limited to close range hand-to-hand combat
Kirishima is the number one example of how being hard-headed can pay off in the long run. When Kirishima is in his “Unbreakable” mode, the hardest of attacks can’t penetrate. His quirk, “Hardening”, allows him to turn his body into rock-hard armor, creating a nearly perfect wall of defense.
However, his quirk isn’t just good for defending himself from hits. One punch from Kirishima’s fully hardened fist is enough to finish off the deadliest villain. Not to mention the fact that if a fist isn’t enough, Kirishima has the ability to sharpen his limbs as well, allowing him to cause blunt force trauma and also use razor-sharp piercing attacks as well.
3 Katsuki Bakugo - Great Explosion Murder God?
Stats:
Quirk : Explosion Special Moves : Explosive Speed, Howitzer Impact, AP Shot, Explode-A-Pult, Land Mine Blast Equipment : Grenadier Bracers, Improvised Grenades, Knee Pads Strengths : Versatile quirk, good mobility, and power Weaknesses : Still struggles with cooperating with team occasionally, overly ambitious at times, relies on equipment
Although his name is still pending in the anime, (his official hero name was revealed in the manga but might be a spoiler to anime-only fans), Bakugo is very much sure of who he is and how much power he truly holds. His “Explosion” quirk allows him to secrete a highly explosive nitroglycerin-type substance via his sweat glands, which he can then ignite to create deadly explosions.
The giant grenades Bakugo wears on his wrists aren’t all for show either. They’re specifically designed to help him direct his explosive attacks to increase accuracy. Not only does Bakugo have his explosive quirk, but his natural strength is also above average. Deku noted that trying to use Bakugo’s grenade equipment is incredibly difficult, even for him.
2 Shouto Todoroki - Shouto
Stats:
Quirk : Half-Cold Half-Hot Special Moves : Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall, Wall Of Flames, Flashfreeze Heatwave, Flashfire Fist, Flashfire Fist-Jet Kindling Equipment : Temperature Resistant Jacket, Combat Vest, Utility Belt, Snow Boots, “Surge Arm” Gauntlets Strengths : Can use elemental damage in cases where physical damage is not an option, keen intellect, good at both close range and long-range combat Weaknesses : Can sometimes struggle with cooperating with teammates
Endeavor’s trophy son, Shouto, had the unfavorable task of carrying his father’s legacy. He inherited the “Half-Cold, Half-Hot” quirk, a perfect marriage (no pun intended) of both of his parents’ quirks. Looking past poor Todoroki’s troublesome childhood, Todoroki has displayed the true power of his quirk on many occasions in the anime. By season 5 of the anime, he eventually approaches his estranged father and thus adds Flashfire Fist to his arsenal of super moves; finally fully accepting the flames of his quirk as his own.
Not only does his quirk allow him mobility (sliding on ice), range, and amazing damage, his control over his quirk has progressed immensely throughout the series. His versatility and handle on his quirk make Todoroki one of the clear winners for one of the strongest in his class, as he has plenty of options when it comes to damage dealing.
1 Izuku Midoriya - Deku
Stats:
Quirk : One For All, Blackwhip Special Moves : Detroit Smash, Delaware Smash, One For All: Full Cowl, One For All: Full Cowl-Shoot Style Equipment : Costume Gamma, Iron Soles, Air Force Gloves, Mid-Gauntlet, Full Gauntlet Strengths : Great ability to adapt and learn, immense perseverance, great leadership skills, keen intellect Weaknesses : Tendency to need recovery after intensive quirk usage, constantly pushing his body to its limits, very reckless, difficulty controlling quirks
Perhaps this isn’t the number 1 fans may have wanted, or perhaps it’s a bit cliche, but Deku is truly worthy of the top spot as the protagonist. The series is a retelling of Deku’s story in which he already states that he ends up being the number 1 hero in the world. It’s impossible to ignore, considering his potential, when talking about strength. Moreover, Deku’s quirk, “One For All”, inherited from All Might himself, naturally secures his spot as the strongest in his class.
Fans have seen Deku go from quirkless dreamer to an incredible force in a few seasons. He’s worked hard to get to where he is. And now as the series progresses, Deku is growing even more powerful. By season 5, Deku fully develops a new quirk called Blackwhip, thanks to One For All’s fifth user. It has been revealed that Deku will eventually stockpile all individual quirks that were held by previous One For All users.
After countless reimaginings of his quirk and how to properly utilize it, it’s clear that the “One For All” flame is still going strong within Deku. And with Deku now on the road to being a hero with multiple quirks at his disposal, it’s clear that his raw power levels are unmatched within his class.
For now, perhaps Deku may injure himself achieving his full power, but the day he unleashes it without breaking a sweat, fans everywhere will have to agree that Deku truly deserves the title of “Strongest Hero”.
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