Best Friendships In MHA

Summary

• Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto have deep bonds, overcoming personal struggles to become the next “Big Three.”
• Mina and Kirishima share a close, supportive friendship and inspire each other’s growth.
• Tsuyu and Ochaco prioritize each other’s safety and feelings, showing deep trust and teamwork.

My Hero Academia is packed full of non-stop action between heroes and villains, following the young aspiring heroes of U.A. High on their journeys to becoming fully-fledged Pros. Every student on the prestigious Hero course is trying hard to be a hero and fight the forces of evil, and thus it’s only natural that this leads to them forming close bonds between fellow classmates, especially between two, or sometimes three, of the members.

The students of U.A. are a close-knit group, and will always be there for their friends and have each other’s backs in every situation. Some bonds run even deeper, whether it’s between two classmates who share a history or those with certain familial ties that the other can relate to. All in all, these are some of the best friendships in MHA, among various different students both in and out of Class 1-A, which the series explores in detail.

8

Shoto Todoroki & Tenya Iida

A Duo Who Can Relate To Each Other

Shoto Todoroki and Tenya Iida are known for their maturity and levelheadedness in tight situations and are seen as some of Class 1-A’s most powerful and reliable members from the beginning. Both students rank at the top of the class in terms of educational attainment, but despite these things, the two of them didn’t interact much to start with. However, this all changed during the Hosu incident involving the Hero Killer Stain and the tragic events that befell Iida’s brother Tensei. When Iida decided to pursue Stain, Shoto came to his aid. He could see the suffering his classmate was going through and was able to empathize to an extent with him, given his traumatic past. Seeing as both students have siblings, this unites them further, and thus Shoto was there for Iida during this dark time, and alongside Deku, they proved to be an unstoppable and supportive trio.

After the turmoil in Hosu, Shoto is seen sitting with Deku and Iida more often and interacting with them both. Iida refused to let his friends rescue Bakugo by themselves and thus came with them to both protect them and make sure they didn’t do anything foolish. During the Final War, Iida and Shoto are both sent to fight Shoto’s fallen brother Toya, aka Dabi, and Iida proves to be a valuable and powerful ally to Shoto. As well as this, it’s a callback to the help and support Iida received from Shoto when he needed it most in Hosu, and it lets Iida return the favor as his friend deals with the traumatic events surrounding his brother this time. This deeper bond involving the two heroes’ brothers makes for an extra level of solidarity between Iida and Shoto.

7

Mina Ashido & Eijiro Kirishima

An Enthusiastic Pair Who Care About Each Other

Mina Ashido and Eijiro Kirishima are known for being some of the friendliest, exuberant, and most outgoing students in Class 1-A. They attended the same middle school, so they have a closer bond than many others when they started at U.A. Kirishima, in particular, struggles with believing his own Quirk can hardly measure up to those of his fellow heroes in training. However, he was inspired by Mina’s confidence in middle school, such as when she helped her classmates and even applied to U.A, which prompted him to start afresh upon entering a new school, even changing his hairstyle drastically. Mina teases him in a friendly way and promises to keep his “makeover” a secret, showing the level of trust between the two aspiring heroes and the fact they respect each other.

Mina and Kirishima frequently interact across the series, from both being picked by Bakugo to be on his team in the Sports Festival, to both having to partake in summer classes due to failing their Final Exams, and well into the two wars too. When Bakugo is kidnapped and Kirishima is distressed, Mina tries to calm him down, showing concern for his wellbeing. She even reveals to him that her Acidman move was inspired by him, which shows how she looks up to him just as he once did. With plenty of friendly banter, these two are definitely good friends.

6

Mirio Togata, Tamaki Amajiki, And Nejire Hado

U.A.’s “Big Three” Are Unlike Any Other

The three students at the very top of the student body at U.A. are all very close friends. They each have a very different personality from each other: Mirio is known for his optimism, Nejire for her curiosity, and Tamaki for his shyness, yet the way the three play off each other and support each other truly reflects a deep bond. Mirio and Tamaki have known each other the longest, with the former befriending the latter as children. Mirio’s bright optimism greatly encouraged a withdrawn Tamaki, and he was drawn to his spirit. However, the same was true of Mirio, who was equally encouraged by having Tamaki around, admiring his resolve despite being very anxious.

Nejire, however, was lonely before she came to U.A. but was soon befriended by this duo, and the three quickly became fast friends. This is seen in a brief flashback during the three’s fight against Shigaraki in the Coffin in the Sky. After Bakugo is severely injured and the Big Three resolve to protect everyone as they wait for Deku to arrive, Nejire reflects on how she met Mirio and Tamaki. Their kindness and reaching out to her finally made her feel that she could be herself, and thus, she felt like she belonged because of them.

The Big Three play a large role in many series events, from the Shie Hassaikai arc to the Final War, and it’s clear to fans what their friendship means to them, as seen by how they interact, help each other and the fact they’ve always been there to pick each other up.

5

Tsuyu Asui & Ochaco Uraraka

These Gal Pals Have Always Been There For Each Other

Tsuyu Asui and Ochaco Uraraka are particularly close among the girls of Class 1-A. Even though Tsu asks everyone to call her by her first name, she also calls Ochaco by her first name instead of her surname, which, even in season one of the anime, shows the beginning of their deeper bond. Throughout the series, fans can always see the two together, whether standing next to each other or sitting together in the cafeteria. These gal pals’ bond grows even deeper in the tumultuous events of season three, which involve them confronting the highly unpredictable and dangerous Himiko Toga for the first time.

Tsu prioritizes her friend’s safety over her own, trying to protect Ochaco from Toga even though she gets injured in the process. Ochaco comes back for Tsu, completely unwilling to leave her friend with this highly dangerous villain, even for a moment. This battle marked the start of the two of them fighting Toga together throughout the series and trying to get through to her, which shows their fantastic teamwork, trust, and deep friendship. When Tsu tried to protest against the plan to rescue Bakugo, she later felt especially guilty for offending her friends and first confided in Ochaco, who is seen comforting her conflicted friend. Later in the series, the two girls go to the same agency for their work studies, cooperate in evacuating civilians in the Paranormal Liberation War, and fight Toga together again in the Final War. Tsu also knows of Ochaco’s feelings for Deku and that she wishes to keep it a secret, as seen in this battle against Toga, which again shows how much trust the two girls have in each other and that they care deeply about each other’s feelings.

4

Katsuki Bakugo & Eijiro Kirishima [& Denki Kaminari]

Class A’s Most Hotheaded Students Build Each Other Up

Eijiro Kirishima is known for his exuberant and friendly personality, and as such, he was the first person in Class A who managed to befriend the notoriously aggressive Katsuki Bakugo. Their first real mission together was upon them being separated from the class in the USJ incident. Kirishima admired Bakugo’s Quirk and especially his strength and quick thinking to take out Kurogiri, and as such followed his lead. Kirishima could look past his violent tendencies at the hero within, something many at first failed to see in Bakugo, and as such, he became his first proper friend. When Bakugo was kidnapped, Kirishima was particularly upset and thus instigated his rescue plan, though it technically was breaking the rules, even purchasing expensive gear from his finances to assist their mission. Even Izuku realizes the level of their friendship in the plan to rescue Bakugo from Shigaraki, realizing it had to be Kirishima alone who needed to reach out to him.

Bakugo, in his personal character growth, eventually comes to value Kirishima’s unyielding friendship himself. A few notable examples of this are repaying Kirishima for the gear he lost when he and the others came to his rescue, showing verbal concern for him, such as in the movie Two Heroes, and giving him words of encouragement after Kirishima feels his strength doesn’t compare to the likes of his. Bakugo values Kirishima’s friendship, and that of Denki Kaminari’s too, especially as this comedic duo follow the explosive hero around due to the fact they see him as a friend. Kaminari even calls Bakugo “Kacchan” as the series progresses, and Bakugo lets him.

3

Izuku Midoriya, Ochaco Uraraka, And Tenya Iida

The Original “Big Three”

Tenya Iida and Ochaco Uraraka were Izuku’s very first friends upon joining U.A. He immediately got on with the super friendly Ochaco and they both helped each other during the Entrance Exam, with Ochaco even wanting to give Izuku the points she’d earned. Things didn’t go as smoothly with Iida, however, who initially saw Izuku as a nuisance. However, after being impressed by his heroics in the Entrance Exam, he apologizes and quickly becomes part of Izuku’s inner circle. Their friendship brought a previously bullied Izuku great joy.

Izuku, Iida, and Ochaco always look out for each other’s wellbeing and confide in each other, such as when Ochaco reveals the reason why she wanted to become a hero in the first place. Sometimes, Iida’s determination to protect his friends involves him lashing out. As Iida is Class 1-A’s president, he takes his role very seriously and is thus determined to protect his classmates from harm. So when the plan to rescue Bakugo is devised and Izuku, despite still recovering from a devastating fight, is unwavering in his decision to go, Iida lashes out. Previously, Izuku had come to help Iida fight Stain after what the villain did to his brother, and Iida can’t bear the thought of him risking himself and going against the rules, just as he’d previously done. However, Iida puts aside his feelings for the sake of Izuku’s, knowing how terrible he feels that he couldn’t save Bakugo, showing he cares for his friend’s feelings.

Both Iida and Ochaco admire Izuku’s incredible determination, and they inspire each other to “Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!” In the desperate attempt to bring Izuku back to U.A., Iida’s powerful words resonated deeply with Izuku, and Ochaco bravely spoke up for him in front of everyone, showing how much he means to her. On that note, Izuku and Ochaco have feelings for each other, despite suppressing them for the majority of the series. Ochaco greatly admires Izuku to the point that she wants to be like him and gets jealous whenever another girl approaches him.

2

Izuku Midoriya & Katsuki Bakugo

The Iconic Duo Eventually Grow To Be The Best Of Friends

Izuku and Katsuki were friends in childhood as they both greatly admired All Might. However, when Katsuki got his Quirk and Izuku didn’t, and with the inferiority complex and mental instability that followed, Katsuki began to bully Izuku, bestowing the insulting nickname “Deku” on him. However, Deku always saw Katsuki as a friend by the fact he never stopped calling him by the affectionate nickname “Kacchan”. After they both get into U.A., there is heightened stress between the two, even though Aizawa can sense the deep bond between them and the fact that the rest of Class 1-A rallies around this. However, things finally come to a head between Izuku and Katsuki in the events following the Licensing Exam.

Katsuki confronts his old friend about his Quirk, forcing Deku to fight him, during which he expresses his inner turmoil. With All Might helping them see eye to eye, Katsuki accepted Deku as his rival, but this escalated into a close friendship, especially on Katsuki‘s part. He later feels guilty about how he treated Deku in the past and tries to make up for it by helping Deku master One For All. The two greatly encourage one another, and especially after learning the truth about O.F.A., Katsuki particularly worries about his friend. Their friendship is further deepened when Katsuki formally apologizes for all his wrongdoings. Even before his brutal death when he faced Shigaraki a second time, Katsuki only thinks of Izuku and the incredible things he overcame.

Izuku and Katsuki’s friendship is one of the series’ most wholesome aspects, especially as Katsuki begins to “catch up” to Izuku’s example. Izuku acted without thinking to help save Katsuki from a villain years earlier, something imitated by Katsuki when he saves Izuku from Shigaraki with no thought to himself. Shigaraki himself realizes that Katsuki is the person closest to Izuku, more so than anyone else, and thus Katsuki is Izuku’s weakness since hurting and then killing him later on hurt Izuku to the core. They may have very different personalities, but Izuku and Katsuki’s bond is deep and unbreakable, something explored on another level in the movie Heroes Rising, which briefly involved Katsuki possessing One For All.

1

Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, And Shoto Todoroki

U.A.’s Next “Big Three” Always Have Each Other’s Backs

Deku and Katsuki have a close bond, but both of them grow to be good friends with Shoto Todoroki in their own ways. Shoto became friends with Izuku after initially seeing him as an obstacle he needed to overcome in a personal quest to deny his father, Endeavor. However, Izuku kick-started Shoto’s journey to learning to embrace his fire powers as his own, even though it caused him great injury and his place in the Sports Festival. From that day on, Izuku earned Shoto’s trust, and they later became fast friends. Izuku even helps Shoto begin his journey to starting over with his father, telling him he’s a caring person and that he’s ready to move on, something Shoto is completely amazed by, as, once again, Izuku’s words touched him to the core. It surprised Shoto that Izuku never told him about One For All, which shows how he truly views him as a close friend.

The same thing happened with Katsuki to an extent, even though Shoto had particularly been on the receiving end of Katsuki’s verbal insults. As with his relationship with Izuku, Katsuki’s struggle with inner insecurities and feeling inadequate, especially compared to Shoto, prevented him from becoming friends with the “icy-hot” hero any sooner. Yet, after they both failed the Provisional License Exam, they enroll in a remedial course and thus spend a lot of time working together, and things start to change. When they reach the end of their course, Shoto even says that they’re friends, despite Katsuki’s hotheaded indignation. Shoto and Katsuki cooperate again in the World Heroes’ Mission, and it’s clear by now that the latter enjoys cooperating with Shoto and reciprocates his friendship, something also seen when Katsuki leads the attempt to bring Izuku back to U.A. in season six of the anime.

A testament to how Shoto views both his classmates is by inviting them both to Endeavor’s agency for their work studies, with the two of them being named as his friends at the Todoroki’s dinner party. Izuku and Katsuki are both deeply concerned by Shoto’s family issues, being the only other students who know the truth. From then on, the three of them are always depicted together not only as Class 1-A’s strongest students but as a strong group of friends. This trio has a solidified status as U.A.’s next “Big Three”, which the series has built up over time.