A dark and brooding hero is one of the most popular character archetypes in fiction. While Batman will always be the classic example of this for many, two incredibly popular characters to fit this mold have been Professor Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series and Shoto Aizawa from the My Hero Academia anime and manga. The two characters are incredibly popular in their respective franchises, with both also possessing powerful abilities and combat capabilities.
The similar designs of the characters, as well as their powerful abilities, have led some to question who would win: Severus Snape or Shoto Aizawa?
Snape: Dark Arts
Snape is one of the most morally gray characters in the world of Harry Potter. While ultimately he worked to bring down Lord Voldemort by working as a double agent, he was still prone to bad actions - most notably in his treatment of Harry Potter.
As a consequence of this moral grayness, Snape has a passion for the dark arts. This interest in the dark arts make him far more dangerous than some other wizards Aizawa would come up against.
Aizawa: Equipment
While Aizawa may appear to only be a threat from close range, the UA teacher is capable of using medium-ranged attacks with his capturing weapon. This strong fabric is capable of capturing and immobilizing enemies, something that would come in handy against Snape.
In addition to his capturing weapon, Aizawa has also been shown to use caltrops and a knife, both of which would be helpful in bringing down a powerful wizard such as Snape.
Snape: Mind Reading
The Harry Potter movies and novels showed that, not only is Snape a powerful wizard who's capable of using a wide variety of both offensive and defensive spells, but the Hogwarts Potions Master is also able to read minds.
Snape is shown to be a skilled Legilimens in the books and movies, allowing him to read the minds of others. In a battle scenario, this would certainly be helpful and give Snape the chance to know what Aizawa's plans are.
Aizawa: Cunning
Aizawa isn't the most powerful character in the world of My Hero Academia. This means that, in order for the character to make his mark on the world, he must use his mind well in every fight he finds himself in.
In many ways, Aizawa's keen mind and cunning strategies are what make him such an intimidating and difficult enemy to fight. There is no denying that Aizawa would be thinking of several different plans to bring down Severus Snape.
Snape: Potions Master
While this may not immediately strike one as being a reason for victory in a fight, the abundance of potions that Snape could brew in order to skew the fight in his favor is almost endless.
Perhaps the most obvious potion Snape could make is liquid luck, or felix felicis. This would give Snape enough momentum to turn the fight in his favor and defeat Shoto Aizawa.
Aizawa: Combat Experience
Naturally, one of the biggest reasons in favor of an Aizawa victory of Professor Snape in a fight would be the fact that Aizawa has a wealth of experience when it comes to fighting.
This experience gives Aizawa something to fall back on when it comes to fighting enemies that would be more powerful than he is, something which would almost certainly apply to Snape.
Snape: Intelligence
Professor Snape is one of the most intelligent characters in the world of Harry Potter. Not only was this shown by the fact that he was Potions Master at Hogwarts, but it was also shown by the fact that Snape was able to work as a double agent against Voldemort.
This intelligence would certainly help in the fight against Aizawa. A fight isn't always decided on brawn, sometimes brains are needed to win and Snape certainly has this in his arsenal.
Aizawa: Martial Arts
While Aizawa's combat experience will certainly help him in the fight, his combat ability will be even more helpful in any fight against Severus Snape.
There is no denying that, if Aizawa is able to get close enough to the Hogwarts Potion Master, he will be able to best Snape and defeat him in no time at all. Unless of course, Snape is a black belt in Karate and J.K. Rowling hasn't told us yet!
Snape: Magical Ability
Naturally, one of the biggest reasons why Snape would win his magical ability. As soon as Snape sees Aizawa, he could turn him into a ferret, stun him, or just freeze him in place. These are only a few ways that Snape could stop Aizawa without damaging him, if Snape used the dark arts, the results could be even worse for Aizawa.
This would certainly render the fight over fairly quickly, even more so when you consider how powerful a wizard Severus Snape is. Without any way to defend himself against magical attacks, Aizawa would not last too long.
Aizawa: His Quirk
One of the biggest questions surrounding Aizawa's fight against Snape is whether or not his ability would work against Snape. For those unaware, Aizawa can cancel out another's quirk so long as he is looking at the person.
While there would naturally be some debate around whether or not Snape's magical ability would be canceled out by Aizawa's quirk, if it was, Aizawa would certainly have the upper hand as the fight would be reduced to a fistfight.