Summary
Many of the villains inMy Hero Academiaare incredibly strong, but some of them do still possess some glaring weaknesses, which can make taking them down in battle a lot easier for Midoriya and the other heroes. Often, this will come as a result of their Quirk, considering the majority of these abilities tend to have drawbacks or limitations that can be exploited by the heroes to help give them an edge in an intense fight.
However, some of these vulnerabilities, while not quite as obvious at first, would quickly become much more apparent throughout the story as the character grows and develops. On the other hand, they can be much easier to spot, much to the annoyance of the villain themselves. With that in mind, it’s time to take a look back atMy Hero Academia’s memorable cast of villains, and more specifically, their weaknesses, which are easy to pick out for one reason or another.
1Re-Destro
The MLA Leader Can Easily Lose His Cool If He Gets Stressed
Re-Destro’s Quirk, Stress, is somewhat ofa double-edged swordfor the leader of the Meta Liberation Army. The way it works is, Re-Destro’s body will begin transforming into a giant ferocious mutant-like beast once stress begins entering his body, though because he’s more of a tactician than a fighter, the ability can therefore end up unexpectedly affecting him when he would rather keep it under wraps.
While it does greatly bolster his physical damage, it also makes him a much easier target, as demonstrated when Edgeshot was able to skewer him after Re-Destro had grown into his gigantic Stress form. Another weakness is simply that Re-Destro can devolve out of his form if someone manages to calm him down, even if he’d rather stay bulked up for a little while longer. Getting a little too worked up will turn Re-Destro into an uncontrollable villain whose size and clumsiness can be used to the heroes' advantage.
2Hekiji Tengai
Breaking Through Tengai’s Barrier Leaves Him Completely Exposed
When Kirishima and Fat Gum run into Tengai and Rappa during theOverhaul arc, they soon come to realize that being able to land a hit, let alone damage them, is going to be much harder than they initially thought. This is because Tengai, who was previously a monk before banding with Overhaul, possesses a Quirk that can erect a sturdy barrier, which Fat Gum compares to a steel wall in terms of its durability.
While it’s certainly a very strong defensive Quirk, it also exposes the fact that Tengai is ultimately fairly weak when it comes to actual combat, especially since he often relies on Rappa to dish out damage rather than himself. Once Fat Gum and Kirishima were able to smash the barrier to pieces, it wasn’t long before both Tengai and Rappa were defeated once and for all.
3Lady Nagant
Japan’s Most Infamous Marksman Needs To Keep Some Distance Between Her And Her Unlucky Opponent
Despite once being a popular Pro-Hero, Nagant would eventually turn her back on hero society and decide to use her Rifle Quirk and her newly acquired Air Walk ability to assist her whenshe eventually became a villain. By the time Midoriya runs into her, it’s clear that Nagant is more than powerful enough to take him out from a distance, but it’s when Midoriya starts getting in her face that she struggles to react.
Nagant’s expertise lies in picking off heads from afar, not wrestling someone to the floor when they decide to go for a sneak attack. As a result, Midoriya would exploit the weakness by outrunning Nagant’s bullets with his mixture of highly mobile Quirks, before delivering a deadly Faux 100% to land the final blow.
4Moonfish
Moonfish’s Straightjacket Ensures The Criminal Can’t Use His Arms For Hand-To-Hand Combat
As someone fresh out of death row, Moonfish can still be seen wearing his straitjacket when he makes his debut in the Forest Training Camp arc. This does make sense considering he primarily uses his teeth for dealing damage, which can be manipulated and controlled with his unusual Quirk. However, this does mean he can struggle when someone decides to get up close and personal, considering he’s a villain who is most effective when attacking from a safe distance.
With so many heroes in the series capable of obliterating most villains with a single punch thanks to their underlying power, Moonfish is lucky he never came up against the likes ofAll Might or Endeavor, who could make quick work of him with their lethal, hard-hitting attacks.
5Gigantomachia
Gigantomachia’s Reliance On All For One Can Be Used Against The Brute
Gigantomachia is a massive brute who is more than big enough to take down even the strongest of Pro-Heroes. However, he doesn’t decide to spread chaos across the streets on his own free will. Gigantomachia is controlled by the voice of his master, All For One, meaning anyone who can disrupt or even imitate the voice can take control of the monster and use his impressive physical strength for their personal use.
This was demonstrated in the final war when Shinso was able to brainwash Gigantomachia, turning him against his master, despite this ending pretty badly for the terrifying giant. He may look imposing on the surface, but Gigantomachia still has a glaring weakness that his opponents should always attempt to aim at.
6Kyudai Garaki
Garaki Always Needs Someone Around To Help Fight His Battles For Him
Garaki is, without a doubt, one of thesmartest characters in all ofMy Hero Academia, being someone who was able to accurately predict the Quirk Singularity Theory, and who copied and implanted All For One into Shigaraki. He may have a brilliant mind, but Garaki will cower in fear any time someone tries to get close to him, meaning he always needs others around to protect him when the going gets tough.
This was seen when he hid behind a horde of vicious High-End Nomu, only for Mirko to wipe them all out with just a few kicks and Lunar attacks. Though it can be difficult to reach Garaki since he always has hideous mutants and monsters protecting him, he seems less than willing to put up a fight, preferring to beg for his life instead.
7Tomura Shigaraki
At The Beginning Of The Series, Shigaraki Got Flustered Very Easily
Though Shigaraki would eventually become much stronger thanks to the help of Dr. Garaki, he didn’t seem all that powerful in the early few arcs, despite still beinga villain full of horror and dread. As a result, it would be easy for Shigaraki to get overly emotional when things don’t go his way, as shown when he starts freaking out after All Might takes longer than expected to show up in the U.S.J. arc.
He can come across as a pretty lackluster leader who can quickly lose control of a situation if the heroes manage to outsmart him. This would be the case after the league decided to kidnap Bakugo, only for a swarm of Pro-Heroes to come barging in, prompting All For One to zap Shigaraki away, realizing he wouldn’t be able to hold his own, at least at this early point in the story.
