The My Hero Academia Characters With The Most Useless Costumes
The big red "S" on Superman's chest is one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. No matter what else people think of the Big Blue Boy Scout, that instant recognition is the marker of an extremely memorable design. The simplicity of the costume as a whole, the color scheme, even the stylized hair curl — it all screams "Superman." Few other superhero designs have reached a similar level of recognizability, either because they're constantly changing or because they're not that eye-catching to begin with.
As far as the characters in the beloved superhero anime series My Hero Academia are concerned, fashion statements are just as important as functionality. With "professional hero" being such a common job — which is to be expected in a world where 80 percent of the population is born with a "Quirk," or superpower — costume-makers try to squeeze out of their designs every last ounce of ingenuity they can. That means equipping crime-fighters' costumes with built-in gadgets that can amplify or focus their powers, all while making sure they visually stand out from the crowd.
Sometimes, though, things don't quite work out as planned; not every superhero ends up with the equivalent of Superman's "S" or Batman's gadget belt. Indeed, some of MHA's costumes have zero functionality, stand out in a bad way, or both. Blame it on MHA creator Kohei Horikoshi, blame it on the support class at U.A. High School, blame it on who or whatever you want — the costumes still exist. Let's take a look at a few and see what exactly makes them so underwhelming.
The worst grape juice ever
Minoru Mineta (voiced by Ryō Hirohashi) has a Quirk called Pop Off, which allows him to pluck the grape-like spheres sprouting from his head (don't worry, they grow back) and stick them to anything but himself, as he'll just bounce off them. His superhero name, Grape Juice, reflects this, but Mineta's costume does no work to convey how surprisingly useful Pop Off is. The one saving grace of the outfit is that it's specially designed so that Mineta doesn't have to worry about his spheres sticking to it – from the non-adhesive gloves to the short cape that can't reach his hair no matter how windy it gets. It's all downhill from there, though.
The purple and yellow color scheme is garish, to say the least. Purple makes sense in keeping with the grape theme, but yellow? Then there's the strange thing around Mineta's waist that many fans have likened to a diaper and have said makes his costume one of the worst on the show. It has no obvious use, and it looks like a toilet seat — appropriate considering how immature Mineta is, but not exactly an inspiring sight. As if it couldn't get any worse, take away the cape, the gloves, the boots, and the diaper-toilet seat, and all that's left is a boring jumpsuit. Mineta's a fun character, but his costume is disappointing from top to bottom.
Disrespecting the queen
Mina Ashido (voiced by Eri Kitamura) is one of MHA's most unique-looking characters. She has pink skin and hair, big black eyes with yellow pupils, and cane-like horns protruding from her head. The aesthetic fits both her athletic, outgoing personality and her hero name: Alien Queen. Luckily, Mina's fit isn't affected by her Quirk, Acid, which unsurprisingly allows her to produce an acidic substance. Designing a good-looking costume for someone who already stands out was always going to be a challenge, though, and the costume designer fails that challenge.
Sporting similar coloration to those SOLO Jazz Cups from the '90s, it completely clashes with her otherwise pink aesthetic, causing plenty of MHA enthusiasts to be less than enthusiastic about her costume. Making matters worse is the fact that it's a form-fitting jumpsuit like Mineta's, with almost no flourishes to distinguish it from the pack. The short, sleeveless, fur-lined vest she wears on top of it seems as if it's nabbed from a completely different outfit. Credit must be given where it's due, however: The boots don't look terrible, and they allow Mina to excrete acid from the holes in them to slide around on. Overall, though? Not great.
If at first you don't succeed...
Shoto Todoroki (voiced by Yūki Kaji) has one of MHA's most powerful Quirks: Half-Cold Half-Hot, granting him unrivaled control over ice and fire. Everything about his base design signals the disparity between his powers — the half-white, half-red hair; the scar on one side of his face; and his ability to shoot each element from only one side of his body. In making a hero costume, Todoroki has one of two options: disguise his dual powers with a relatively uniform look, or emphasize them with a half-and-half appearance. His second outfit does the former and totally rocks; the first does the latter and is pretty terrible.
It takes a long time for Todoroki to come to terms with his fire abilities because of some father-related trauma, and so his first costume tips the scales towards ice. The problem is that it tips too far. The right side of his body is completely normal: white shirt and boots, beige pants, yellow-ish shoulder strap. The left, on the other hand, is entirely encased in ice (or, at least, an ice-looking material). Topping it off is a glowing red circle in front of his eye, which does ... nothing. Honestly, he looks like a half-frozen Terminator, and that's the last thing a hero should want to look like.
My Hero Academia fans have called Todoroki's first costume "really ugly," "boring," and far too plain for a character as cool as he is. Thankfully, his second costume makes up for it.
Friend of animals, not of costumes
Koji Koda (voiced by Takuma Nagatsuka) is MHA's kindest soul — making his Quirk, Anivoice, all the more fitting, as it allows him to converse with animals of all shapes and sizes. Though he often has trouble communicating with people and has a deep-rooted fear of bugs — unfortunate considering his Quirk, but he's overcome it before — Koda gets along with animals quite well. His hero costume could've been specially outfitted with animal-friendly tools and woven with inviting colors, but, well, it isn't.
When it comes right down to it, Koda's costume looks like he's wearing a shirt, plain and simple — and an ugly shirt at that. As one fan said of Koda's costume in an MHA subreddit thread, "I just don't think it looks good, it's really bland."
The insignia on Koda's chest also appears to be a set of human teeth, which possibly represents Anivoice's reliance on communication, but it just looks awkward. Animal teeth might've been cool instead, though it's hard to say. The mask Koda wears has some utility, allowing him to speak to animals without getting embarrassed if people are nearby (he's a shy guy). Still, it looks more like something worn at a hockey game rather than in the midst of superheroics. One MHA fan also said that Koda's costume reminds them of a hot dog, so he's even giving off hockey game concession food vibes as well. All in all, it's a pretty awful look for a sweet character.