Manga

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Izuku MidoriyaA kid born without powers who inherits the world's greatest hero's own strength

Midoriya is one of the rare people born without a superpower, or Quirk, in a world where almost everyone has one, and his analytical hero-nerd habits are what catch All Might's attention enough to hand him his own power. He spends much of the story physically breaking his own body trying to control a strength he wasn't naturally built for.

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All MightThe world's greatest hero, quietly running out of the power that made him one

All Might built an entire public image around an unshakable smile and effortless victories, while privately managing a devastating injury that's draining the power he passes on to Midoriya.

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Katsuki BakugoA naturally gifted rival who has to unlearn his own superiority complex

Bakugo grew up being told he was destined for greatness and treated Midoriya, powerless for most of their childhood, with open contempt. Discovering that his former punching bag now has real power forces him into one of the story's most prickly, slow-moving redemption arcs.

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Ochaco UrarakaA grounded classmate whose gravity powers come with a very ordinary goal

Uraraka can make objects weightless, but her reason for becoming a hero, to earn money and support her family, stays refreshingly practical next to classmates chasing legacy or glory.

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Shoto TodorokiA prodigy torn between his abusive father's fire and his mother's ice

Todoroki can use both fire and ice, but he refuses to use his fire side at all for most of the story because it comes from the father he resents for his harsh, obsessive training methods. His arc is about separating his own power from the man who gave it to him.