If My Hero Academia has anything to teach its fans, it's that even just a smile can save someone's day. This was the core philosophy of the ex-World's Greatest Hero, All Might, and that philosophy is now being carried by a new generation of heroes learning how to persevere and wear smiles like the capes on their backs. This is pretty useful knowledge given that there is quite a bit to cry about in this series.
Even in the beginning, the water works start flowing when the fans learn of Midoriya's personal plight, and they certainly didn't stop during the recent war arc. During a time when My Hero Academia fans needs to smile the most, it's time to examine some of the memes that smile through the pain.
Aoyama Broke The Lamp
Aoyama may not necessarily be everyone's favorite. For a good portion of the early series, he was nothing more than a flat, cartoon character with a brimming ego. However, as the fans got to get close to Aoyama and learn about his struggles with his Quirk and his own insecurities, they quickly realized that it's not just that he wants to shine.
He has to. Aoyama is a prime example of shining through one's limitations and doing everything, even mistakes, with some confident flourish. While he's not exactly gunning for #1, it's hard to imagine anyone outshining him.
Todoroki Just Wants To Be Loved
Though the series may focus on Midoriya Izuku's own journey to become a great hero, it does take a narrative detour every now and then, with the clear, favorite pit stop for Kohei Horikoshi being the Todoroki family's ongoing drama.
Just from looking at him, fans could tell that Todoroki Shouto was going to be Class 1-A's resident edge lord, just edging out the kid whose power is to literally manipulate his own shadow. This would all begin with one, very unfortunate incident with Todoroki Rei,who had to deal with the mental consequences of marrying Endeavor.
Mirio Could've Been The One...For All
It's easy to see Midoriya as the aspiring hero and underdog of this story, but it's not as if there aren't others struggling to find greatness in this cape-ridden world. One of the best, if not better examples of this is Mirio Togata. Mirio is a kid born with a pretty convoluted and complex power.
Acting more obstacle than power for anyone else, Mirio truly had to work hard to find strength. This wasn't just to justify his phasing ability but to also become the great hero that he always dreamt of being. With Sir Nighteye's help, he could've even been the #1 Hero...until Midoriya came along. He's still really cool, though.
Midoriya Has Really Strong Bones At This Point
One of the most frustrating things for any My Hero Academia fan is having to watch the ambitious yet incredibly brittle Midoriya do, well, anything. It was always going to be an uphill battle for a kid like him to just become a sidekick, but he has literally broken bones just throwing balls.
Even now, with him progressing his body and powers, it's still scary to see him in action. This is especially so given that Deku's actual power is instinctively jumping into danger. At the very least, he's probably got some strong bones.
Breaking News: Mirio Is Heroic
How can anyone not love Mirio? From his underdog story to his incredibly optimistic attitude, this is a guy who was made to become a superhero. Seriously, the guy practically had to build himself from the ground up to become a superhero. And, with the ball in his court, Lemillion has more than proved that he is worthy of the title.
While Midoriya may have punctuated the yakuza arc, most of the story belonged to Mirio being the coolest guy ever, taking on fantastical villains all while keeping the damsel in distress safe.
Monoma Has An Inferiority Complex
Class 1-A can't get away with anything without Monoma popping his head outside of 1-B's classroom. Here's a kid who really needs to get a life or, at least, focus on his own studies. Due to Class 1-A's proclivity for attention and likely some backstory stuff that has yet to drop, Monoma has constantly been on their case for the smallest things.
Even when he failed his midterm exam, he gloated at the fact that he was the only one for Class 1-B, while Class 1-A had five flunk. Monoma's jeering has quickly went from a healthy rivalry to a very, unhealthy inferiority complex.
Eri Needs To Smile Again
It almost seems like Eri was just designed to pull at people's heartstrings. She had a terrible upbringing, didn't know how to celebrate Christmas, and now doesn't know how to smile. It's easy to see why Eri would have a hard time adjusting to the outside world, but her just existing has this magical effect to make any reader or viewer just cry their eyes out.
Like Mirio or Deku, all fans want to instinctively protect her or, at least, show her the childhood that she desperately needs. The real Quirk here is being able to keep a sad child smiling.
Endeavor Deserves Some Awkward Stares
Endeavor's confrontation with Touya was filled with all kinds of dramatic irony, but fans really felt the hypocrisy with this line. The #2 Hero has always had a controversial history with the fans; and while Horikoshi has been working hard at a redemption arc, it's hard to see past his previous actions, especially when he kind of draws attention to it.
To be fair, Touya was trying to put Endeavor and heroes as a whole into a tough light during the war arc. However, Endeavor did make things really easy for him, and it's hard not to see Shouto getting awkward there.
Shipping These Two Is The Real Crime
While shonen anime can entice any fan with cool world-building and great action, they tend to trap a lot of people with shipping. In My Hero Academia's case, there are plenty of romantic implications to keep fans guessing, fawning, and arguing. One of the most tried and true ships out there is between Deku and Ochaco, two close friends who share a passion for heroism and being socially awkward.
While Deku has a couple of other ships out there for characters like Himiko Toga or Hatsume Mei, not many fans imagine Ochaco with anyone else. That's why, when people try to ship her with Bakugo, the fans were overcome with feelings they didn't realize they had. When the films made this assumption, no one was ready, other than the few shippers who love to make love triangles.