January 11, 2025January 11, 2025 by adminmarket

This My Hero Academia Side Character is The Most Important In The Series

Across the span of seven anime seasons and counting, My Hero Academia has introduced viewers to an entire industry’s worth of pro heroes, with a select few being the most powerful and important, such as the symbol of peace, All Might. But the hero industry can’t be made up entirely of heroes of All Might’s and Endeavor’s caliber. It also needs everyday pro heroes like Manual to fill in the ranks, and heroes like Manual should not be underestimated.

It’s true that heroes in Manual’s league could never defeat the strongest villains, nor will they ever be serious contenders for the top 10 in the Japanese pro hero charts. Still, Deku’s world doesn’t need everyone to be symbol of peace tier, and everyday heroes like Manual have more appeal than viewers might expect. Best of all, no matter their modest combat power, heroes like Manual still have unique gifts that shine at the right moment, accomplishing incredible things that a Texas Smash never could.

Manual is one of many pro heroes who helped fill in the gaps in My Hero Academia‘s narrative, adding some rich variety to the massive pro hero industry in between scenes for superstars like Hawks and Best Jeanist. Manual is a brown-haired man in his late 20s named Masaki Mizushima, making him old enough to serve as an experienced mentor for someone like Tenya Iida while also being young enough to be somewhat relatable to UA’s teenage student heroes. In fact, that was how Manual was introduced, being Tenya’s mentor during the internship arc that followed the UA sports festival story arc. That particular story arc was a fine opportunity to expand the pro hero industry with some new faces, Manual among them.

Manual is mildly compelling on two levels, starting with his pro hero persona. Manual has an unnamed water manipulation Quirk that allows him to control pre-existing water, though unlike heroes like Shoto Todoroki and Mina Ashido, Manual cannot create the materials he uses, so he is reliant on having water nearby to function as a hero. Such a Quirk isn’t terribly impressive compared to the likes of Fierce Wings and Rabbit, but it does add some variety, with remarkably few Quirks using water, even if fans count Shoto’s ice creation. Manual also has a refreshingly simple and intuitive costume design, making him almost look like a mer-man superhero with his light blue outfit and a helmet featuring a fish-like fin made of white material. He’s not a visual marvel, but Manual is easy to figure out at a glance, at least.

Manual is also mildly likable on a personal level, simply because there is nothing complicated or subversive about his design. He is nothing more or less than a courageous, responsible, and friendly man who wants to protect and inspire people as a pro hero, making him one of the most “typical” heroes to appear in the entire franchise. Such a straightforward and baseline mentality may seem boring in a vacuum since it has little depth, but it does provide a much-needed contrast with the anime’s most high-strung or morally ambiguous characters. An extreme case is the redemption arc of Endeavor, with Manual being his exact opposite as a relaxed, uncomplicated water hero while Endeavor is a complex hero with blistering flames. Manual is a “back to basics” hero who keeps everything grounded by reminding everyone that not every pro hero’s career needs to be an emotionally tense puzzle.

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