An unabashedly stereotypical shonen anime series, My Hero Academia, in the minds of many fans, typifies the genre's best aspects. One part high school drama and one part action-packed superhero showcase, My Hero Academia works on many different levels thanks to its interesting, multifaceted characters.

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While the show boasts an extensive supporting cast, the principal characters are the students in U.A.'s Class 1-A. The best and brightest young heroes-to-be, here are a few things fans may not have known about Izuky Midoriya, Ochaco Uraraka, Katsuki Bakugo, and their many classmates.

Updated on March 23rd, 2022 by Tanner Fox: With season six of the My Hero Academia series slated for release this fall, the anime dynamo has yet to wane in popularity. Plus, with plotlines getting more complex and with stakes growing higher, the notoriously high-octane series is poised to reach new heights.

That said, there are still several months before the series' next season is set to debut, and fans may want to take the time to reacquaint themselves with the narrative's most important heroes. From the odd inspirations behind some key characters to the nonsensical names mostly lost on non-Japanese viewers, here are a few things fans may not have known about My Hero Academia's Class 1-A.

All The Members Have Meaningful Names

My Hero Academia's Class 1-A.

Series creator Kohei Horikoshi gave almost every character in My Hero Academia a meaningful name, often based around Japanese wordplay. For instance, Tenya Iida's name comes from "idaten," a term originating from the name of Buddhist figure Skanda, used to describe someone fast on their feet, as Iida certainly is.

Meanwhile, Bakugo's name comes from "baku," meaning "bomb" or "explosion, and "gō," which can mean "strength" or "power," again an accurate representation of his personality and Quirk.

Tsuyu Asui & Toro Hagakure Were Originally Men

While some might consider them to be the "best girls" in all of My Hero Academia, Asui and Hagakure almost weren't girls at all. When Kohei Horikoshi first conceptualized these two characters, he envisioned them as boys; he only changed their genders once he realized that Class 1-A was predominately male, with sixteen boys and just four girls occupying the seats.

Horikoshi later said he was perfectly content with his decision, and it certainly helped to balance out the rash bullheadedness of students like Bakugo and Kirishima.

Midoriya's First Name Was Originally Jack

Jack Midoriya from the one-shot manga My Hero.

Most Western My Hero Academia fans became aware of the series when the anime adaptation debuted in 2016, but the series' origins date back to nearly a decade prior. In 2008, a one-shot manga was released titled My Hero. In it, a sickly salaryman named Jack Midoriya spends his days pining to become a professional hero.

When the My Hero Academia manga debuted, Jack had been reworked into Izuku, a timid teenager. The sickly salaryman persona was partially applied to All Might, who, despite his public facade, battles with an ever-waning strength throughout the first three seasons of the show.

Mina Ashido's Connections To Alien

Mina Ashido from the anime series My Hero Academia.

Before choosing her hero name as "Pinky," Mina Ashido had previously settled on "Ridley Hero: Alien Queen." This is a clear reference to Ridley Scott's now famous 1979 film Alien. Indeed, many aspects of Mina's character seem influenced by the massively successful action flick.

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Not only does she refer to herself as an alien via her previous hero name, but she's also able to secrete a corrosive acid from her hands. This ability seems to have been directly inspired by the Xenomorph creatures from the Alien franchise which bleed a highly corrosive fluid when hurt.

Tenya Iida's Hero Name

Izuku Midoriya, Tenya Ida, and Shoto Todoroki from the anime series My Hero Academia.

Tenya Iida's current and most likely permanent hero name, Ingenium, was given to him by his esteemed older brother Tensei, a retired Pro Hero who had previously used the moniker. Ingenium is also the name of a family of automobile engines, and, admittedly, this might seem like a simple coincidence to those new to the series.

Regular watchers of My Hero Academia, however, will remember that both Tenya and Tensei have the Engine Quirk, which gives its bearers bodily protrusions similar to car engines, allowing them to attain superhuman speed.

Shoto Todoroki Might Be A Rip-Off

Shoto Todoroki from the anime series My Hero Academia.

Kohei Horikoshi introduced a lot of original concepts in his now-famous shounen anime, but no fictional character can ever truly be an archetype, as each has inspirations rooted in the subconscious. However, several of the key elements in Todoroki's history—for instance, his pyrokinetic powers, his abusive father, and the burn scar, caused by a parent, that rests above his left eye—are all present in the history of Avatar: The Last Airbender character Zuko, as well.

While those looking for ways to compare the two series may just be grasping at straws, the parallels do appear to be pretty prominent. That said, though the characters may be similar, the stories of Avatar: The Last Airbender and My Hero Academia vary drastically.

Ochaco Uraraka Used To Be Mt. Lady

Ochaco Uraraka being interviewed in an episode of the My Hero Academia aniem series.

Ochaco Uraraka is known for her cheerful, bubbly personality and her Zero Gravity Quirk which allows her to reverse the effects of gravity on any object with just the touch of her fingertips. However, Uraraka was originally conceived as a character named Yu Takeyama who would possess a Quirk allowing her to grow to monolithic proportions.

This idea was later repurposed in its entirety to create the superhero Mt. Lady, and the only significant difference between the two concepts is that the latter character is a few years older, as series creator Kohei Horikoshi thought it would be too tasking for a student at U.A. to have gigantification powers.

Mina's Horns Were Once Much Larger

Early sketches of the My Hero Academia character Mina Ashido.

While class 1-A includes students such as the very froglike Tsuyu Asui and the very avian Fumikage Tokoyami, Mino Ashido may boast the most atypical appearance of all. With pink skin and black eyes, she exudes an otherworldly vibe, but her strangest aspect may be the small horns protruding from the top of her head.

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They aren't mentioned very often, but a very early sketch of the character shows that they were originally intended to be much larger. Ultimately, a U.A. student with large horns did make an appearance, although as a member of Class 1-B.

Katsuki Bakugo Was Supposed To Be Kind

A close-up of Bakugo looking angry in My Hero Academia.

As was the case with the character of Ochaco Uraraka, the "original" version of Bakugo underwent a massive change during the planning stages of the manga. Creator Kohei Horikoshi first intended the character to be a kind, gentle hero, but he later decided this idea made the character seem too uninteresting.

While Bakugo can be pretty abrasive at times, his gruff exterior allows him to stand out from his good-natured classmates, and his furious persona contrasts greatly with his rival, Izuku Midoriya.

Momo Yaoyorozu Is The Smartest Student In Class 1-A

Momo Yaoyorozou from the My Hero Academia anime series.

Momo Yaoyorozu's biggest strength, oddly enough, isn't her overpowered Quirk which allows her to create basically anything, but rather her brainpower. As the top student in Class 1-A, Yaoyorozu is perhaps the most determined character in terms of academic achievement, continually striving for success despite already coming from a rich family—a fact she doesn't deem particularly important.

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A natural-born leader, she exudes calmness and remembers to use her head in difficult situations. Her stellar vocabulary is a result of her practice of reading encyclopedias cover to cover, and it renders her easily able to communicate with others.

Tenya Iida's Original Design Was Terrifying

The initial and finalized versions of the My Hero Academia character Tenya Iida.

A by-the-books sort zealously adherent to his role as Class 1-A president, Tenya Iida is the kind of upstanding individual one might expect to become a hero. Eager to live up to his family legacy, Iida possesses an amazing power and the will and know-how to accomplish whatever goal he sets for himself.

However, the character's original design suggests a sinister undertone. Simultaneously muscular and skeletal, Iida's original look conveys an aura perhaps better fit for a character like Stain or Shigaraki. Fortunately, he was reworked to be much less fearsome in appearance.

Izuku Midoriya's Nickname Has Many Levels

Bakugo bullies Izuku by calling him Deku and points in My Hero Academia

The practice of referring to Midoriya as "Deku" started with Bakugo, who started doing it when the two were young children. Eventually, the insult became preferred nomenclature for his Quirk-less fellow student. Basically, "Deku" is a Japanese term for a puppet, used as slang to describe someone who is useless. This isn't conveyed particularly well in the English dub, and some Western viewers may have been left in the dark as to why the term was supposedly so insulting.

The ever-optimistic Uraraka, however, insisted that the name reminds her of the word "dekiru", meaning "to be able to do," and encourages Midoriya to embrace the somewhat unfair epithet. Again, it's another play on words on which English-speaking fans may miss out.

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