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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UPR chapter.

Boku no Hero Academia (also known as My Hero Academia or BNHA/MHA) is my current obsession. I have always liked heroes, so watching an anime about a school for hero-training seemed like the obvious choice for me (I needed to fill the void that Haikyuu, the volleyball anime, left behind). It’s fun to watch! The characters are interesting and the story line is great. But after years of evaluating heroes, I got a bone to pick with these ones: their hero outfits. Most of them look good, but their functionality is nowhere to be seen. How the teachers let these students wear these costumes blows my mind, especially knowing how risky the hero business is. They are trained to fight and survive, but how will they do it if they don’t have basic protection? So, here I will be ranking and judging Class 1-A hero costumes because it’s a fun thing to do and I’m worried for these fictional children.

(20) Toru Hagakure

This girl has the worst hero costume out of any person ever in the universe, because she doesn’t have one. This kid is literally running around naked with only a pair of gloves and some shoes. Her quirk (or power) causes her to be invisible, which is good for undercover stuff… but why does she have to be naked?! She has zero protection—one wrong move and she will die. It’s shocking that nobody has done anything to stop this. What will she do in the winter?! This is also especially annoying for me, because there are known solutions for it. Mirio Togata, a third year student with a permeation quirk (or the ability to trespass stuff) has a special suit made with his hair fibers so he doesn’t end up naked every time he uses his quirk. So why can’t Hagakure have something similar? Here is one of many ideas for Hagakure’s suit!!

(19) Momo Yaoyorozu

Momo is another one that makes me furious. She is one of my favorite characters and has a lot of potential as a hero; her costume though, gives me nightmares. Her quirk, creation, needs direct access to skin for it to work, which led to questionable decisions. Her costume consists of a leotard that has zero protection and the biggest cleavage in history. I understand the need for exposed skin, but there is no need to have her running around worrying that one of her boobs will just pop out with any wrong move. Also, I think that a person that can materialize a gun in seconds should know the risk of having her chest exposed. Her suit could have been made with a zipper for access if needed. Maybe even a two piece one. Even better: cover her front and leave her back out. The back is one of the largest areas of skin on the body and yet it is the only thing covered (go figure), and in one scene, she breaks her suit to create something out of it. She is just used as for her sex appeal (and she is a teen, they shouldn’t sexualize her like that) and her suit is just pointless. Also, please add some knee protection, I don’t want Momo to have a broken leg!

(18) Minoru Mineta 

It’s not because I don’t like Mineta, it’s because he looks like he’s wearing a diaper. With one kick he’d fall over and just roll uncontrollably, and I don’t see how he would get up with his short legs and arms.

(17) Yuga Aoyama

Mr. Sparkles himself. His costume, aesthetically speaking, is pretty. It’s shiny and dramatic. It also has functional items like his belt and the glasses to protect and help himself. So you may wonder, then why the low ranking? Well, this outfit is probably heavier than him. These children are constantly running from danger and a heavy medieval-like armor seems like it would just hinder them (points for the protective qualities though!). It’s also too shiny, not good for stealth at all.

(16) Eijiro Kirishima

This pains me to say, because Kirishima is probably my favorite member of 1-A, but just like Momo and Hagakure, he needs clothes! Sure, his quirk, hardening, protects him from bullets and hits, but what protects him from the cold? Please give Kirishima a shirt, at least for the winter. The red aesthetic is on point though! 

15. Denki Kaminari

I love Denki’s outfit. It’s really aesthetically pleasing. I love the colors and the pieces and I would love to wear it (the choker? 10/10). And that’s the problem. I can literally buy something similar because it’s just normal clothes. Something I legit would use to go to the cinema. It offers zero protection. I also think he would do better with some metal pieces that help him conduct his electricity. Here is an idea for a new and improved suit!

(14) Kyoka Jiro 

She has the same problem that Denki has. It’s just normal clothes with zero protection or armor. The only difference is that she does have something to channel her quirk: earphones. Her boots for that are awesome though, 10/10 for them.

(13) Mashirao Ojiro

Just like the previous two: normal clothes, zero armor protection for Ojiro. It’s a karate suit, so at least it’s comfortable for movement. It would be cool if they weaponize his quirk more and add some spikes or something to his tail (it has to be light though, since he needs to move it). 

(12) Koji Koda

Koda has McDonald’s colors in his suit. But apart from that, I would just add some light armor and knee protection. The mask to cover his identity is nice (something that the others have not bothered with) and the one to amplify and cover his quirk, anivoice (talking to animals), is good. 

(11) Mina Ashido

Mina “Best Girl” Ashido did her best. She has a functional jumpsuit and a mask. My problem is with the colors. Teal and dark purple print, plus white and cream fur, and whatever shade she has on her boots; it’s too much. Too many patterns and colors. Also I would cover her chest more because it is just asking for a bullet.

(10) Shoto Todoroki

I think it’s a consensus that Shoto has the most boring suit of them all. Shoto’s history of suits is really questionable. The first one was white (Why? Do you know how difficult it is to get blood off of white?!) with a weird ice thing that made him look like a cyborg. The second one is just blah. It only made it this far because it’s functional. But for a character as interesting as Shoto, he deserves a better costume that doesn’t look like a school uniform. Also, the “backpack” that is actually a temperature regulator looks weird.

(9) Fumikage Tokoyami

I love the drama that the cape brings for Tokoyami. It’s perfect for our favorite edgelord and it helps him blend in with the shadows. My only worry is that Edna Moda said “No capes!” and I’m scared of her. Also more protection under the cape would be awesome. 

(8) Rikido Sato

Sato has a functional jumpsuit, that seems to have some protection so that’s nice. He also has a face mask so that’s also nice. He needs more pockets to fit more candy and sweet snacks, though. He wouldn’t want to run out of sugar since his quirk, sugar rush, depends on it.

(7) Mezo Shoji

Shoji has a nice jumpsuit with nice colors. Of course, it has his iconic face mask that helps cover his identity. The only thing I would add would be leg support and maybe a belt to carry first aid stuff. 

(6) Hanta Sero

My man Sero looks great in his suit. You can’t go wrong with yellow, black and white. Also his sense of humor is top tier, since it looks like a tape dispenser. His helmet is nice, extra protection for his face and head, but it needs a lock or something so it is more difficult to open, we don’t want another final exam mistake. Also, why are none of these kids using protection gear for their knees?! How are they gonna do a superhero landing without it?!

(5) Ochaco Uraraka 

Uraraka has one of the best suits in the class. I love the pink and black combo. It also fits well with her quirk usage, antigravity. It has a visor to protect her face too, which is nice. The only thing is that her belt looks weird. But other than that, she is great! (AND SOMEONE HAS KNEE PROTECTION FINALLY!).

(4) Tenya Iida

Mr. President of the class has his aesthetic down! His suit is mostly for aesthetics but it gives protection without being heavy. However, I would suggest a stronger material to add protection, since we don’t want him running against any knives. His quirk, engine, has support and he has a mask, along with knee protection! Also, while the white looks really pretty, maybe he should consider changing it to a darker color for stealth. We love his Great Value Ironman-like suit.

(3) Tsuyu Asui

Tsu’s suit is everything. I love green, black and gold combos! It’s made for water, which makes sense since she wants to work close to (or in) it. It goes with her quirk, frog, perfectly. Also the mask, while she doesn’t use it as much, adds to the aesthetic; and it seems to have night vision which is always a plus.

(2) Izuku “Deku” Midoriya

We’re going to ignore Deku’s first suit because YIKES. However, this boy knows the importance of support and protection for legs and arms… even if he learned this by breaking all of them. Also, the green and black with red accents? 10/10. Please, child, use your mask, that’s why it’s there. My only beef with his suit is said mask. It’s really ugly. I understand it’s a tribute to All Might but the bunny ears look stupid. 

(1) Katsuki “Kacchan” Bakugo

… I promise I’m not biased. It’s not because Bakugo is one of my favorites, since Kirishima and Momo are also on that list and still got low ranks here. But I do believe he has one of the best suits. It has the drama without being an inconvenience. The combination of colors, green, orange and black, while it shouldn’t by any means work, is perfect! His knee protection doesn’t only protect, but can also be used as a weapon. His winter suit? YES! It actually protects him from the cold. He actually uses his mask instead of leaving it hanging (*cough* like Deku *cough*). The only downside I see is the size of his gauntlets. They don’t only look heavy, but are heavy. Even Deku is surprised by the recoil they cause when used. Sure, I have faith in his strength, but for mobility and flight reasons he should consider making them lighter. Also give Boom Boom Boy ear protection, we don’t want him to go deaf from his own explosions! 

So after reading my rant, how would you rate their hero costumes? After all of this, I want my own hero costume and I will make sure it has knee protection because, unlike these kids, I don’t want them to break. 

Alana is currently in her fifth year, studying Comparative Literature in the UPR Río Piedras Campus. She loves books, superheroes and mythology. Will sing any song that she knows (even if she can't sing to save her life) and is always tired. She dreams with someday writing a book.