Emi Fukukado

Emi Fukukado, also known as Smile Hero: Ms. Joke (スマイルヒーロー ジョーク), is a Pro Hero and a teacher of 2nd year, Class 2 at Ketsubutsu Academy High School.

Appearance
Emi is a young woman of a strong athletic build with noticeably muscular arms. She has sea green hair that reaches just past her shoulders, and short fringe with splayed ends which is usually obscured by her bandana. She has dark green eyes with bright pupils, but by far her most prominent feature is her unwaveringly joyous smile.

Her hero costume consists of a sleeveless navy blue shirt with a high collar that’s buttoned up all the way to her chin, puffed shorts with a green and orange pinstripe design and a corset adorned with yellow smiley-face pins, dipping down in a shallow “U” in the center. Below this, she wears a white V-shaped belt, and on her hands she has padded yellow gloves with golden plates over her knuckles and lower fingers, which extend in orange-striped tubes down her lower arms, with thick metal cylinders acting as wrist-guards over the top. She also wears an orange bandana, and her costume sometimes includes a white hygiene mask with a circular smiley-face protrusion on either side.

Personality
Ms. Joke is known for her cheerful and outgoing personality. She always has her goofy and somewhat obnoxious sense of humor on full display, and jumps at the chance to make others laugh. She takes no shame in flirting with Shota Aizawa, endlessly trying to break his cold exterior to get out a smile. She enjoys poking fun at him and finds his stoic personality amusing, indicating her playful and teasing nature. Her playful attitude plays into her hero work as she fights by distracting her opponents with laughter.

Though her behavior may appear unprofessional, Ms. Joke takes her job as a teacher and pro hero very seriously, and clearly has a thorough understanding of heroics, as demonstrated through her commentary with Shota throughout the license exam.

Ms. Joke deeply values her students and believes in their abilities. She believes that Shota didn't share this same connection with his students because he didn't warn them about the licensing exam's traditions. She takes offense to Shota placing his students above her own, and believes all kids have dreams of becoming great heroes. She appears to be somewhat distasteful of U.A. High School, believing they hold an elitist attitude and overvalue their prestige.

History
Emi worked at an office near Shota's, and they became well acquainted with each other. Whenever there was trouble, they would assist each other. At some point in her adult life, she also began working as a teacher at Ketsubutsu Academy High School.

U.A. Sports Festival Arc
Emi is among one of the many spectators who attended the U.A. Sports Festival.

Provisional Hero License Exam Arc
On the day of the Provisional Hero License Exam, Emi excitedly walks up to Class 1-A and Shota, having apparently met him before. Shota recognizes her, though he is less than excited to see her. Emi then reveals to Class 1-A that she and Shota used to work together as partners, even claiming that the two of them had feelings for each other but Shota denies the latter claim. She then calls her class over to meet Class 1-A, revealing that she teaches second-year students at Ketsubutsu Academy High School.

While Emi's class appears excited to meet U.A. High School students, some of them, namely Yo Shindo, appear to have ulterior motives. Emi instructs her class to get ready for the exam and change into their costumes. As the students were getting changed, she asks Shota if he told his class about what happens to U.A. students every year at the Provisional Hero License Exam and he responds that he did not.

After that, Emi and Shota are seen sitting together on the bleachers of the Exam area, watching their respective students as the exam unfold, with Emi attempting to flirt with and tease Shota throughout the entire event. She comments on how every year, all the other schools gang up against U.A. students, though Shota insists that this does not matter. Emi notices that Shota's students were not fazed by the repeated attacks and overcame it. She continues to talk while remarking he hasn't not expelled any of his pupils at that point, and asks him if he is particularly fond of this year's class. While Shota replies that he is not, Emi does not seem convinced by his answer.

After the exam concludes with a substantial portion of both Emi's and Shota's classes passing, Emi suggests that they carry out joint training with both classes in the future and Shota agrees.

Abilities
Ms. Joke is a famous Pro Hero known for incapacitating her opponents in the wackiest fashion. She passes on her skills and knowledge to the future generation of heroes at Ketsubutsu Academy.

Quirk
Outburst: Ms. Joke's Quirk forces her targets to burst out into uncontrollable laughter. This laughter impairs opponents cognitive abilities, allowing Ms. Joke to take them down.

Equipment

 * Laugh Mask: Ms. Joke wears a grey mask with happy faces symbols on her checks. This allows her quirk to be neutralized in a public setting.

Trivia

 * Her surname Fukukado (福門), translates to "fortune gate", and her given name Emi (笑), is written with the character for "laughter". Her name is a play on a Japanese proverb about fortune coming to those who laugh.
 * Ironically despite his personality, or perhaps because of it she seems to be romantically interested in Shota Aizawa. Though she might just be joking with him, as such claims are unconfirmed.
 * The two buttons on her neck may symbolize that her costume was created by the same designer as Ochaco Uraraka and Katsuki Bakugo.
 * Ms. Joke's general aesthetic seems to be inspired by the DC supervillain.
 * Both have a clown/comedy theme and have green hair.
 * Emi's Quirk, Outburst, is similar to the effects of Joker Venom.
 * Their aliases - Joker and Ms. Joke - sound extremely similar.
 * Her annoyance to Shota reflects 's irritation to The Joker's tauntings
 * She also seems to be inspired by from Watchmen.
 * She wears a belt of smiley faces, an image that is shown throughout the comic, and heavily associated with The Comedian.
 * Given also her heroic nature, she may have also been inspired by DC Earth-3's, The heroic parallel counterpart of The Joker whose outfit is buttoned with smiley faces and primary green (his whole color palette being an inversion to the Joker's).

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Emi Fukukado