10 Inspirational Quotes from My Hero Academia Villains
My Hero Academia is an anime series that has gained a massive following all over the world. One of the reasons for its success is the well-written and complex villains. These villains are not just pure evil but have deep motivations and philosophies that make them relatable to the audience. In this article, I will take a look at some of the most inspirational quotes from My Hero Academia villains.
1 – “When I was little, I was told to stop being me! But that doesn’t work! When you shut your feeling away, it only grows inside!” – Himiko Toga
Himiko has one of the oddest and most twisted personal ideologies in the series, but she also serves as a fantastic example of what societal neglect can do to someone. She was instructed at a young age that her proclivities as a result of her quirk were abnormal and that she had to do everything she could to disguise them.
While it worked for a while, it also made the moment Himiko finally snapped all the more lethal. Instead of becoming a villain, she may have been helped to discover a healthier way to communicate her quirk and how it made her feel.
2 – “Being taken in by the hatred before you & trying to fulfill your own desires. This is the furthest from what a hero should be.” – Stain
Aside from the basic villain attack during a U.A. training exercise, Stain is the first actual villain who is developed for the spectators. And, while he may be the cruellest character introduced to the series at the moment, his ideals are sound and make fans and in-universe inhabitants ponder.
He says this while staring at Iida, who is fully obsessed with his desire to exact revenge on his older brother rather than performing his responsibilities as a hero. He even tries to let Iida go because he isn’t approaching the hero murderer with the right mindset.
3 – “All we wish is to show him that there are other ways. Because you kids today… you have your values chosen for you.” – Mr. Compress
It’s no surprise that kids growing up in a world ruled by eccentric and showy heroes flaunting themselves at every turn perceive becoming a hero as the ultimate — and even the only — life path. Mr. Compress is not the type of villain who seeks to force heroes to join their cause.
Several times throughout the series, the morals and ethics of the system that worships and spits forth heroes are called into question. It stands to reason that a villain would be more concerned with ensuring that heroes understand all of their options rather than simply forcing them to conform.
4 – “A goal with no plan is called a delusion. You need a plan in order to achieve your goal.” – Overhaul
Although things didn’t work out in the end, Overhaul was a ruthless villain who would go to any length to achieve his objectives. These statements are particularly disturbing because they might just as easily have been directed at the main character Izuku before his quirk was bestowed upon him.
Izuku aspired to be a famous and respected hero like his idol All Might since he was a boy. However, after being assured that he’d never naturally develop a quirk, this desire looked more like a delusion than anything else. Fortunately, he had his mentor to guide him in the correct direction.
5 – “Heroes are forgettable. They try to save the world… but villains are the ones who change it.” – Dabi
When the series initially begins, the protagonists appear to have everything under control. They protect the city against evil villains and enjoy public admiration, but there’s a sinister undertone to their supposedly heroic activities.
Many of the series’ villains raise issues that make viewers ponder, and Dabi’s line is no exception. This isn’t to argue that his way of thought is correct, because most villains’ attempts to ‘transform’ the world are extremely violent and terrible.
6 – “You Heroes pretended to be society’s guardians. For generations, you pretended not to see those you couldn’t protect & swept their pain under the rug.” – Tomura Shigaraki
It is true that villains are extremely dangerous characters who must usually be stopped by force before they inflict too much damage. However, it is also true that they are simply injured and ignored people who began rejecting everything around them because they themselves felt rejected by the system.
This phrase aptly captures Tomura’s and many other villains’ attitudes toward heroes and their portrayed sense of chivalry. They regard it as nothing more than a mask for how corrupt they actually are, which is why they are so adamant about bringing down heroes.
7 – “We all did our best & had to deal with the results. What’s bad is when you can’t put your money where your mouth is…” – Muscular
Although he says something morbid shortly before this comment, Muscular’s logic here may easily be applied to the heroes as well. Muscular was talking about killing because he wanted to, and while heroes are usually seen apprehending villains and enforcing the law, fans have an early example of a student stepping dangerously close to this line.
Tenya Iida was the student, who went after the hero killer Stain after his brother was defeated. The villain even tried to allow him time to flee, knowing full well how worthless his insatiable need for vengeance was.
8 – “To you, my life looks pathetic, meaningless. I wandered around, searching for myself. And I found myself, blessed with friends better than I could ever be. Could a guy ask for a better life?” – Twice
Not every villain goes bad for the sake of their ideas — or simply to create havoc and have their names made public. Some do it because they’ve been rejected by the rest of society and this is their last chance to create familial relationships.
Such was the situation with Twice, who became a villain in order to accept himself after feeling rejected by society. He acknowledged that he was the type of person that a hero would not wish to save and charted a new course for his life.
9 – “Life is too hard! I wanna make a world that’s easier to live in!” – Himiko Toga
Himiko possesses one of the most unusual life philosophies in the series, as well as one of the most twisted. However, the memorable phrase from her introduction that many remember is one that is quite relatable.
For many people, there are aspects of life that seem unjust or overly demanding, thus having the goal of making life easier is one that is fairly solid. What isn’t grounded is Himiko’s approach, which is to try to murder and then totally ‘become’ the individuals she admires – possibly so she won’t have to live as herself.
10 – “Heroes and villains both thrive on violence, but we’re still categorized… In the end, you’re just a tool for violence, made to keep us down. And violence only breeds more violence.” -Tomura Shigaraki
Tomura is an impatient, belligerent character whose childish traits provide for a surprising number of smart quotes. It’s not that he lacks intelligence; rather, his history causes him to act in ways that contradict how intelligent he is beneath the surface.
He appears to have a sharp eye for the inequities that lurk beneath the surface of the showy hero-driven society that everyone has fallen for in recent times. His biggest fault is that the actions he does as a result of these realizations are extremely severe and stem from his warped thinking.
Conclusion
In conclusion, My Hero Academia has some of the most complex and well-written villains in anime history. These villains have deep motivations and philosophies that make them relatable to the audience.
Their inspiring quotes remind us that even villains can have emotions despite choosing the wrong path due to some circumstances. Maybe if they grew up in a better society things may have been different.
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