RELATED: My Hero Academia: Worst Times That The Heroes Failed

Fans of My Hero Academia have developed a strong interest in the series’ villains in particular. The villains are vividly depicted, each with their unique mix of motivations, goals, and tragic histories. Not all villains have always been nasty, and everyone has their own story to tell. Some people want to ruin the world for no good reason, but others become villains as a result of their struggles.

9 Himiko Toga

Toga is dreaded by all because she is an original member of the League of Villains and a lieutenant of the Paranormal Liberation Front. Toga’s ability to take on someone else’s appearance gives her an advantage in stealth, assassination, and close-quarters combat, but she didn’t always have these skills.

Himiko Toga used to be a charming kid, but after developing her quirk, she grew hypersensitive to blood and craved the taste and drink of it. Toga’s parents abandoned her after discovering she had a quirk, thinking of her as a devilish child who had been cursed. She became a villain because of their treatment of her, their resentment of her, and her love of blood.

8 Mr. Compress

Mr. Compress is a villain with the ability to compress anything into a blue spherical orb without damaging said object or person. Serving as a Paranormal Liberation Front lieutenant, he is well-known to heroes and villains alike. With a keen intellect, Mr. Compress acts as the brains of Shigaraki’s villain league.

Although a well-known villain, Mr. Compress had a life before villainy as an entertainer. Even in his crime, he enjoys putting on a show, commanding the spotlight, and generally making a spectacle of himself. Once an entertainer, Mr. Compress turned villainous, committing several crimes of theft and robbery before joining Shigaraki’s crew.

7 Twice

A villain like Twice can stand up to a whole army by himself. With his quirk, he can make perfect copies of himself and other individuals, complete with their abilities and individual traits. The durability of his doubles’ creations suffers in exchange for their ability to make duplicates. Even though he was fundamentally a good person, his power was so great that the number two hero, Hawks, felt compelled to eliminate him.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero Quirks, Ranked

Even as a villain, Twice had a surprisingly generous nature. His only goals in life were to be accepted and trusted. Twice had a regular job before he became a villain. As a result of a string of misfortunes, however, he was ultimately forced to resort to villainy in order to provide for himself after being shunned by society.

6 Hero Killer Stain

Chizome Akaguro (Stain) is a villain and ex-vigilante who has slain numerous pro heroes and earned the nickname “Hero Killer.” Stain was moved by All Might’s might and deeds of heroism. He attended a private hero school in an attempt to emulate his hero of choice, only to learn that most heroes become heroes for fame and riches rather than saving lives. Akaguro, filled with loathing and rage, adopted the vigilante Stendhal character and began killing villains and false heroes before finally adopting the Stain persona.

Having firm beliefs and ideals, Stain took it upon himself to rid the world of false heroes, stating that the only true hero was All Might, and All Might alone was worthy of killing him. His beliefs and ideologies spawned a slew of villains who believed that false heroes were corrupting society.

5 Spinner

Shuichi Iguchi, better known by his criminal alias Spinner, faced widespread prejudice because of his lizardman appearance. Because of the widespread prejudice he encountered in everyday life, Shuichi chose to isolate himself and live as a hermit, resigning himself to the fact that he would be treated differently his entire life. After the appearance of the Hero Killer Stain, however, things began to alter. Because he shared Stain’s beliefs, Shuichi decided to lead the charge against the bogus heroes corrupting society.

To achieve his objectives, Iguchi took on the name Spinner and dressed as Stain. In addition, he joined Tomura Shigaraki’s group because he thought that Tomura was the person who might bring about genuine social change.

4 Gentle Criminal

Unlike most villains, Danjuro Tobita, with the villain name “Gentle Criminal,” once aspired to be a pro hero in his childhood. Unfortunately, a series of setbacks prevented him from ever realizing his goals. Heroism backfires when Gentle gets in the way of a professional hero who is trying to save a window cleaner from falling from a skyscraper.

To pay for the injured cleaner and Tobita’s unlicensed use of his quirk, Gentle’s parents were charged with obstructing justice and went into debt as a result. Gentle’s failure to succeed academically led to his expulsion from home. He then resorted to villainy to garner fame so that future generations would remember his name.

3 Dabi

As the first son of the flame hero Endeavor, Dabi has quite an intriguing background. With the real name Toya Todoroki, Dabi wanted nothing more than to become a pro hero like his father. Toya had more firepower than Endeavor himself, but Endeavor ignored him because he had a weak constitution, and Endeavor wanted a successor who could help him conquer All Might.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: Most Cathartic Moments In The Anime

After the birth of Shoto, it became clear that Toya had been neglected by Endeavor. This is why Toya had such a deep-seated hatred for Endeavor; he enjoyed nothing more than delighting in his pain. Toya’s motivation for becoming a villain was simple: He wanted revenge on Endeavor.

2 La Brava

Manami Aiba, better known as La Brava, was once a junior high student. After her love proposal was turned down by her secret admirer, she stopped believing in herself. La Brava watched one of Gentle’s movies online, fell in love at first sight, and then hacked into his location to find him. After meeting Gentle, La Brava was eager to help in any way she could. Her sole motivation from that point on was to help make Gentle’s goal a reality, and she became his trusted aide.

La Brava’s quirk is love. It’s a sustaining power that gives anyone she’s particularly invested in a temporary boost in strength and speed. Because of La Brava’s undying devotion to Gentle, the two of them can count on this ability in times of need.

1 Tomura Shigaraki

As the major antagonist of the My Hero Academia series, Tomura Shigaraki is extremely feared, and rightfully so. With the power to level a city and its inhabitants with the touch of a finger, Tomura is one of the most powerful characters in the series. As a villain, Tomura is driven by an insatiable urge to destroy everything. However, his situation was not always this way.

Tomura’s father fiercely disapproved of his son’s desire to become a pro hero when he was young. He was of the opinion that heroes were just people who sacrificed their loved ones for strangers. Tomura’s path to villainy began when he murdered his family upon discovering his quirk and fell into the hands of All For One.

MORE: Anime Heroes Who Are Good But Not Nice