The protagonists of Spider-Man. The aquatic, frog-based hero known as Froppy follows a very similar gimmick to that of Peter Parker and his spider-theme. However, one character from the MHA series model’s himself after the Web-Head in a very different way.
Tsuyu Asui, also known as "Froppy", is one of the many young heroes-in-training at UA High School. In a world where the majority of people are born with powers (referred to as “quirks”), Tsuyu was gifted with amazing amphibious abilities. With the quirk classified as “Frog”, Tsuyu is noted multiple times throughout the series that she can do “whatever a frog can do pretty much”, no doubt a reference to Peter Parker being able to do “whatever a spider can”. Much like Peter, Froppy is a hero with a very strong animal inspiration, but another hero in this universe has a more spiritual tie to Spider-Man.
The spinoff series My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is the story of several people who use their quirks outside of the regulations established in the parent series. Central to this idea is the character Koichi Haimawari, aka “The Crawler”, a hero with a strong desire to do good in his home district of Naruhata but with no legal way to do so. Teaming up with the morally questionable Knuckleduster and local viral sensation Pop Step, Koichi learns how to aid his community while staying just close enough on the right side of the law. Unlike My Hero Academia’s Deku who is determined to be the greatest hero ever, Koichi just wants to help out the people around him.
In that spirit, Koichi takes after Spider-Man by understanding the importance of being a “friendly neighborhood” hero. Long before Peter Parker was a member of the Avengers or bouncing around the multiverse with doppelgangers of himself, he was using his gifts to protect the citizens of New York at a street level. Even when mocked for his simple “Slide and Glide” quirk, nothing stops Koichi from jumping headfirst when danger occurs and risking his own life to protect others. While The Crawler isn’t initially met with respect from his neighbors, local police department, or legit heroes, he comes to be the heart of his community and a strong asset to taking down evildoers.
Peter Parker and Koichi Haimawari are both bright-eyed idealists who understand that being a great hero starts at home with serving your community. They may be called things like “menace”, but their presence and determination have had a positive impact on their respective hometowns and worlds. It just goes to show that the core of a hero like Spider-Man is so strong, a superhero worshipping property like My Hero Academia has to have multiple characters just to tribute him properly.
