My Hero Academia is one of modern shonen's biggest hits, and that's in large part due to its incredible array of powerful characters. With the series boasting an impressive cast, measuring the most powerful is no easy task. Quirks are wide and varied, with some having plenty of practical applications that aren't exactly suited for combat. That being said though, My Hero Academia's most powerful heroes and villains are so powerful they rank among the strongest in shonen history.

More so than just raw strength though, My Hero Academia's most powerful heroes and villains find clever ways to leverage their Quirks. This puzzle aspect of shonen power systems has always been an iconic part of the genre and gives fights a more dynamic edge than just two characters trying to out-muscle each other. My Hero Academia's strongest characters are tactical threats in addition to their raw power, making for deadly villains and daring heroes.

35 Yo Shindo's Power Shakes the Very Earth

Quirk: Vibrate

Yo Shindo is a student at Ketsubutsu Academy High, another hero school in Japan. His Quirk, Vibrate, allows him to cause massive tremors in surfaces that he touches, including the ground itself. This Quirk gives him a big advantage against large groups of enemies, allowing him to break up their formations and separate opponents with the destructive force of his tremors. He proved this during the Provisional Licensing Exam by splitting up Class 1-A almost immediately, a tactical move that proved to be the right call.

Yo Shindo also possesses a strategic mind, and is a born leader, taking charge of his classmates in the licensing exam without a second thought. While Yo was outclassed in his confrontation with Muscular, he was still able to deal some serious damage to the villain without him knowing, setting Midoriya up for victory.

34 Juzo Honenuki Controls Solid Matter

Quirk: Softening

Juzo Honenuki, AKA Mudman, is a student from Class 1-B who got into UA on recommendation, like Momo Yaoyorozu or Shoto Todoroki. His Quirk, Softening, allows him to control the hardness of any physical object, including surfaces, allowing him to turn the ground into a sludgy, quicksand-like substance that can trap opponents. Honenuki’s skill with his Quirk is extraordinarily high, and he’s been known to use it in imaginative ways, turning opponents’ abilities against them, like when he softened Todoroki’s ice.

Honenuki is also extremely clever, with a strategic mind that’s well-developed for combat. He understands the limitations of his and his allies’ Quirks well, and as a result knows when the advantage is against them. In My Hero Academia’s epilogue, it’s said that Honenuki has become a top-tier hero, proving that his great potential would bear fruit as his career evolved.

33 Neito Monoma Can Copy An Opponent's Quirk

Quirk: Copy

Neito Monoma is a member of Class 1-B with an obnoxious personality and an unrequited rivalry with Class 1-A. Monoma’s Quirk, Copy, allows him to copy the Quirk of anyone he touches for up to 5 minutes, although that timer can be reset by touching them again, or staying in with the person. It’s a Quirk that requires a high degree of skill to use, as one must be prepared to use and understand an ally’s Quirks, or even the enemy’s Quirk.

Monoma provided essential help during the final battle by copying Kurogiri’s Warp Quirk, allowing the heroes to warp into the battle arena from far away and catch All for One by surprise. Monoma also came in clutch while copying Aizawa’s Erasure, enabling him to keep Shigaraki from using his own Quirks during the battle.

32 Gentle Criminal's Power is Stronger Than It Looks

Quirk: Elasticity

Gentle Criminal was a minor villain who made videos for the internet of his exploits, along with his partner La Brava. However, he once dreamed of being a hero, but was unsuccessful at becoming one at a young age. Instead, he turned to petty villainy, hoping to make a name for himself that way. Gentle’s Quirk, Elasticity, allows him to turn anything into a bouncy, elastic surface, including the air itself, and he can be empowered further by La Brava’s Love Quirk.

During the Final War, Gentle proved the limits of his ability by keep the entirety of the UA Battlefield in the air, a tremendous feat of power and an essential part of the heroes’ victory. He created air trampolines capable of ing the entire weight of the school while enhanced by La Brava’s Quirk, keeping it from crashing down to the ground and killing everyone aboard.

31 Re-Destro Grows Stronger the More Stress He's Under

Quirk: Stress

The villainous Re-Destro, AKA Rikiya Yotsubashi, was the leader of the Meta Liberation Army as well as the CEO of a item manufacturing company known as Detnerat. In addition to money and political power, Re-Destro possessed a powerful Quirk, Stress, which granted him ever-increasing strength and size the more stress he was under. The effect of the Stress Quirk turns his skin a dark color and causes him to grow in size, and since it’s dependent on his stress level, it can activate without his intention.

Re-Destro was an extremely difficult opponent for Shigaraki to fight against, but Shigaraki finally managed to defeat Re-Destro, and coopted the Meta Liberation Army, turning it into a new organization known as the Paranormal Liberation Front. Re-Destro became one of Shigaraki’s top lieutenants, at least until he was arrested.

30 Cementoss Can Control Concrete in All Its Forms

Quirk: Cement

Cementoss is a pro hero and UA faculty member who has the ability to control and manipulate cement. It may not sound like much, but in urban areas where concrete structures are in abundance, Cementoss is a force to be reckoned with.

Unlike many Quirks, which seem to require a degree of concentration from their s, Cementoss is able to create structures that can stand indefinitely, making him extremely handy in cleaning up the aftermath of destructive battles, as seen in the Sports Festival arc. Cementoss is said to be one of the hardest teachers at UA to match up against in a fight, a fact which he easily proved in Sado and Kirishima's exam.

29 Fat Gum Carries Immense Power in His Body

Quirk: Fat Absorption

Fat Gum might seem like a surprise, as his Quirk, Fat Absorption, primarily allows him to absorb objects into his body without harm, making him virtually immune to projectile-based attacks. However, Fat Gum's Quirk has a second side, allowing him to absorb and store kinetic energy, which he can then convert into muscle, giving him surprising offensive power at the cost of his defensive fat layers.

With his kinetic absorption, Fat Gum can deliver powerful blows that can take down just about any foe, although he'll pretty much be out of the fight after that one shot. Fat Gum's fat layers also have to be maintained by eating a lot of food, meaning he has to spend considerable time bulking up each day.

28 Gran Torino Moves Faster than the Eye Can See

Quirk: Jet

Gran Torino is an old-timer as far as heroes go, having been the one to train All Might after his previous master Nana Shimura's death. Despite his advanced age, Gran Torino remains one of the fastest heroes in the series, able to bounce around off of surfaces far faster than anyone's eye can follow. He became a valuable teacher for Deku, helping him to learn to control One for All's immense power the same way he once helped All Might.

Gran Torino remains one of the fastest heroes in the series.

Interestingly, Gran Torino used to be much taller, and seems to have shrunk over the years due to the impact that the sheer force of bouncing around has had on his spine.

27 Tamaki Amajiki Can Become the Ultimate Chimera

Quirk: Manifest

Tamaki Amajiki, also known by his hero name Suneater, is a third-year student at UA and a member of UA's Big Three. His Quirk, Manifest, allows him to exhibit the traits of any animal who he has recently eaten, giving him a wide array of potential powers and making him utterly unpredictable to his opponents. Amajiki is particularly known for his ultimate move, "Vast Hybrid," which allows him to manifest the abilities of many different creatures at once, creating some truly awe-inspiring chimeric creatures.

When he combines this ability with Nejire-chan's wave energy, he can perform a powerful plasma cannon attack, blasting foes with intense amounts of energy that few can stand against.

26 Inasa Yoarashi Controls the Power of the Wind

Quirk: Whirlwind

Inasa Yoarashi is a first-year student at Shiketsu High who wields the Quirk Whirlwind, allowing him to control wind speed and direction within a massive area. Inasa's Quirk was first put on display during the Provisional Licensing Exam, when he conjured up a small tornado, swiping balls from all those around him and taking out dozens of other test-takers in one fell swoop. He has a bit of a rivalry with Todoroki, although the two eventually got past it.

Inasa Yoarashi was voiced by Ryota Iwasaki in the Japanese version of My Hero Academia and by Matt Shipman in the English dub

Inasa was considered so skilled with his Quirk that he was considered the top recommended student for UA, but ultimately chose Shiketsu due to his rivalry with Todoroki. However, his recommended status alone proves his power is nothing to joke about.