In the world of My Hero Academia, heroes are managed by an organization known as the Hero Public Safety Commission. The organization is rather secretive, however, so readers aren't told that much about it. So just who are they, why are they important, and are they really on the side of justice?
The HPSC is first introduced as the group responsible for hero licensing. They run the Provisional Hero Exams, which Deku and the rest of Class 1-A had to succeed at in order to gain their student licenses. The exam is given twice a year and is a key step before students are allowed into the field for Work-Study with the pros. They presumably have some jurisdiction over the actions of hero schools in My Hero Academia like U.A. as well, and certainly had to give the okay for students to be involved in major operations, like the failed raid that launched the Paranormal Liberation War.
My Hero Academia's HPSC Is Important for Heroes to Function
My Hero Academia's HPSC has several other important duties as well. They keep the registry of heroes as well the Hero Rankings, using a formula that mostly takes into account the number of resolved incidents. They also coordinate with the hero agencies of individual heroes, trying to ensure a balance of heroes in areas where they're most needed, and coordinate with the police for big criminal operations like the Shie Hassaikai raid. One of the most prominent characters working for the organization in My Hero Academia is Hawks, as they were the ones who ordered him to infiltrate the League of Villains. Another character occasionally seen is Yokumiru Mera, who presided over the provisional licensing exam. According to him, the organization is always severely short on employees, leading to the employees they do have being overworked, so burnout is quite high.
The Dark Side of My Hero Academia's Hero Public Safety Commission
As an organization that belongs to the Japanese government, there's a darker side to them as well. Lady Nagant once worked directly for the HPSC as an assassin, taking out dangerous villains and corrupt heroes that the group ordered her to kill. However, her identity as a hero clashed with this dark profession, and Lady Nagant was unable to handle the guilt of being praised as a hero with so much blood on her hands. She eventually tried to quit, but was threatened so violently that she had to retaliate. She ended up killing the previous leader of the HPSC and was thrown into Tartarus, the supervillain jail. The HPSC are also the ones who ordered Hawks to kill Twice, the fallout of which is still a problem in the manga. Ultimately, when attempting to arrest Rikiya Yotsubashi, AKA Re-Destro, the villain (who was actually a Twice clone) went on a rampage and killed a majority of the organization's leadership, leaving the HPSC functionally nonexistent. This has actually been a big part of why getting help from abroad has been so difficult, as that's a task that would normally fall under the HPSC's purview.
The Hero Public Safety Commission occupies a morally gray area that My Hero Academia often tries to avoid, which makes it a very interesting topic that really hasn't been explored as thoroughly as it could have been. One can't help but wonder what All Might thought of the HPSC, and how much their dark actions played a role in the era of peace he presided over in My Hero Academia.