Villains

Villains are people who use their Quirks to commit crimes, cause destruction, and potentially put innocent lives at stake.

There are many different types of villains in the world, including thieves, murderers, drug dealers, hate groups and terrorists.

According to Naomasa Tsukauchi, in the current age, the crime rate committed by villains is quite low as a result of being pressurized by the huge amount of heroes.

Origin
Before the Quirk phenomenon occurred, villains only existed in fiction, such as Captain Hero Comics' Demon Lord. When Quirks seemingly made reality resemble these superpower-filled comics, the public took a secend look at the concept of villains, espically when some people began using their new gifts to benefit themselves instead of helping others. Some, like Yoichi Shigaraki, thought comics' idealist concepts could do good, including using the term "villain" on real offenders. Meanwhile, others like All For One scoffed at the notion of villains, saying the real-world wasn't so simple. Early on, who counted as a "hero" and "villain" had yet to be defined, blurring the line between the two. The most grey area of debate was where vigilantes fit on the spectrum.

At first, Japan was unprepared for this new type of criminal and were overrun. Even the organised crime collapsed, with traditional oragnizations like the Yakuza nearly going extinct. During this chaotic era, several notorious villains arose, who would be remembered for decades, including: All For One, Oji Harima the Peerless Thief, and Destro. One major source of villains in this era was the conflict between Quirk users, known back then as metahumans, and anti-Quirk factions, such as the Meta Liberation Army and Creature Rejection Clan. Meanwhile, other villains, like All For One, would profiteer from both sides. As the births of Quirk-users increased, acceptance rose with it, eventually making the conflict lose its prominence.

With the efforts of vigilantes, Japan finally stablized and hero society emerged from the ashes. An official definition was created for villains, which, though to a lesser degree, included vigilantes. The Pro Hero profession was created to combat villains and the rate of crime became low to the mordern day. All Might alone sewed fear into the hearts of villains, to the point where villains like Number 6 had to be purposefully discreet so as to not get on All Might's radar. Civilians felt so well protected, active crimes were watched like spectator sports. Even casual and snide remarks would be made at low-rate villains.

Villains were forced to adapt to this regulated world. Some accepted their careers were likely short-lived, prioritising the thrill over secrecy, commiting crimes in broad daylight. Meanwhile, others retreated to the shadows, waiting and planning for the time to rise again.

Becoming a Villain
Like other types of criminals, people do illegal acts for countless reasons. It can be motived by reasoning anywhere from economic, political, soical or personal. Though villains can add a unique angle to their motives via the usage of their Quirks.

For some people, the path to becoming a villain starts with some kind of tragedy that leaves them with no other choice; such as when Jin Bubaigawara lost his job and was left in poverty, or when Toya Todoroki suffered abuse as a child and ended up burning himself. Other villains are driven by a goal they are passionate about, one they would not be able to achieve by other means; such as Chizome Akaguro wanting to purge the world of fake heroes, or Kai Chisaki wanting to bring the Yakuza back to its former glory.

Finally, some people are simply victims of their own Quirk affecting their personality, making them naturally villainous; such as Tomura Shigaraki's Quirk making him want to destroy everything, or Himiko Toga's Quirk making her bloodthirsty. Even Hitoshi Shinso, who openly dreamed of becoming a hero, was stereotyped as a future criminal due to the villainous nature his Quirk and it almost lead him down a bitter path.

Villain Name
Like Heroes, Villains often choose to go by a code name. Like hero names, a villain name helps a villain cement the image they wish to represent, and it shows their true character. For example, Chizome Akaguro goes by "Stain" because he is willing to stain his hands with blood in order to rid the world of false heroes. Danjuro Tobita choose the name "Gentle Criminal" because he presents himself as a dandy gentleman, despite his criminal activities.

Some villains choose names that describe their Quirks, or are at least based on their Quirks; Goto Imasuji calls himself "Muscular" because his Quirk enhances his muscle fibers. Atsuhiro Sako calls himself "Mr. Compress" because his Quirk allows him to compress things.

A Villain Name does not necessarily have to be original. Some people may choose to use the same name, or a very similar name, as an already existing and well-known villain that is no longer active. By doing so, they have the opportunity to keep the legacy of their idol alive. An example of this is Rikiya Yotsubashi, who took the name "Re-Destro" after taking up the cause of his ancestor, Chikara Yotsubashi, who went by the name "Destro".

Not all villains use a code name, however. Some will just go by their actual name, like Himiko Toga.

Costumes
Some villains, though not all, wear a costume while they are out committing crimes. These costumes disguise their identities, making it harder for law enforcement personnel to identify them. Villains can also wear a costume as a means to get a message across.

While some villain costumes are purely cosmetic, villains are also known to be equipped with illegal Quirk support gear acquired through the black market via brokers, like Giran. This illegal gear is generally considered to be less reliable and durable than that made by professional support companies for heroes.

Villains are also known to make use of various drugs from the black market.

Villain Organizations
Some villains choose to work alone, but others prefer to commit crimes as a group, usually with one member as the leader of the group. Some villains work in groups of two, such as Gentle Criminal and La Brava. Other villain groups have dozens of members, or even thousands, such as the Meta Liberation Army. These larger villain groups will often have several of its stronger members as commanders who lead the lower ranked members under the command of the supreme leader.

Ranked Villains
Rankings according to My Hero Academia: Ultra Archive: The Official Character Guide which covered Villains from Chapter 1 to Chapter 88, and the updated rankings based on My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis: The Official Character Guide which covers up to Chapter 235.

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