Japanese Names Of Characters From My Hero Academia

We curated a list of Japanese names of characters from My Hero Academia. Check it out!

Leap into the action-packed universe of “My Hero Academia” with our guide to the Japanese names of its beloved characters. Each name is thoughtfully chosen, reflecting the quirks and traits that define these heroes and villains.

Uncover the layers of meaning and cultural context behind the names of UA High’s finest.

Fun Fact – The names of the My Hero Academia characters in Kanji letters are written in the order of surname first and then the actual name. This is a Japanese tradition and hence we’ll be following the same order throughout the blog as well.

Japanese Names Of Characters From My Hero Academia

Midoriya Izuku – 緑谷 出久

   

Midoriya Izuku or Izuku Midoriya (as called in the English dub) is the main protagonist of My Hero Academia. Izuku is also called Deku in his school which is his nickname. 

Izuku was born without any superpowers but he’s very much obsessed with the superhero lifestyle and longs to become a superhero. Due to his unrealistic obsession, he’s frequently bullied at school.

⚠︎Cosplay

MHA／緑谷出久
MHM→ステルスver.

📷みるすさん（@MilspecGirlCD ）

21日 #アコスタ池袋
My Hero Academia　／　Izuku Midoriya pic.twitter.com/LmGqmIM5tP

— 𝗝𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗡 21a! (@J_Ra_Tilt) March 23, 2022

The first Kanji letter from Izuku’s name (出) “Izu”, means go out and the second Kanji letter (久) “Ku” means a long period. His surname, Midoriya’s first Kanji letter “Midori” (緑) means green color, and the last Kanji letter (谷) “Ya” means valley. Izuku’s surname Midori suits him because his hair is green.

• Related: More Anime like My Hero Academia

All Might/ Toshinori Yagi – 八木 俊典

Toshinori Yagi or the man whom we all know as All Might is one of the major characters in the My Hero Academia franchise. 

He’s a teacher at the U.A. High School who teaches foundation hero studies and the previous number one Pro Hero. He received his One For All Quirk power from Nana Shimura and then passed it to Izuku Midoriya. He’s regarded as the World’s Greatest Hero in the anime.

All Might’s Japanese surname, Toshinori’s first Kanji (俊) “Toshi” means great person, and the second Kanji (典) “Nori” means example. 

The Kanji characters in Yagi mean 8 and “tree.” Hence Toshinori Yagi means a great role model and the 8th holder to receive the One For All Quirk.

Bakugo Katsuki – 爆豪 勝己

Bakugo Katsuki is one of the important characters in My Hero Academia who’s also the childhood friend of Izuku. Katsuki also has a nickname called Kacchan which is mostly used by his close friends. 

Katsuki is a young boy with a muscular physique and average height. He has blonde spiky hair and a light skin tone. Although Katsuki is Izuku’s best friend, he’s also the rival as well. This is because Katsuki and Izuku always have a competition between themselves to see who’s the most powerful.

The first Kanji letter (勝) “Katsu” means win and the second Kanji letter of his name (己) “Ki” means for yourself. Katsuki’s surname Bakugo has the first Kanji letter (爆) Baku which means explode and the second Kanji letter (豪) “Go” means great. Katsuki’s surname Bakugo which means “explode great” suits his hero name, “Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight”.

Iida Tenya –  飯田 天哉

Iida Tenya is one of the major characters of the My Hero Academia series. Iida Tenya is also called Turbo Hero: Ingenium and he’s a student in the U.A. High School and the representative of Class 1-A. 

Tenya is a tall man with a broad and fit physique. He looks quite smart in his school uniform and has an amazing hero outfit as well.

The first Kanji character of Tenya’s surname (飯) “Ii” means rice and the second Kanji character (田) means paddy field. Meanwhile, the first kanji of Tenya’s name (天) “Ten” means heaven, and the second Kanji character (哉) “Ya” is the usual suffix for boys’ names in Japan. 

In addition, the name Idaten is a Buddhist god known for speed which matches Tenya’s quirk powers of super speed.

Uraraka Ochako – 麗日 お茶子

Uraraka Ochako is one of the main protagonists of the My Hero Academia anime. Ochako is a student studying in one of the elite high schools for superheroes. She’s also called Uravity (or Urabiti in Japanese). 

Ochako is a girl with a slim body, short height, and fair skin. Her cheeks are pink due to the blush she wears. Uraraka Ochako also wants to become a renowned superhero like Izuku and Katsuki.

Ochako’s surname Uraraka has the first Kanji letter (麗) Urara, which means beautiful and the second Kanji letter (日) Ka means day. Meanwhile, the first Kanji of her actual name  (お茶) Ocha means tea, and the second Kanji letter (子) Ko means child. The overall meaning of her name can mean a beautiful child which resembles Ochako perfectly because she’s pretty and has a childish personality.

 Kirishima Eijiro – 切島 鋭児郎

Kirishima Eijiro is another supporting character in the My Hero Academia anime. He’s a student in the U.A. High School currently studying at Class 1 – A. 

Similar to other Class   1 – A students like Uraraka Ochaki, Iida Tenya, Todoroki Shoto, Kirishima Eijiro is also training to become a Pro Hero. Eijiro is a young boy with an outstanding physique. He’s of medium height and has red eyes.

Eijiro’s surname has the first Kanji letter (切) “Kiri” which means to cut and the last Kanji letter (島) “Shima” which means island. 

His actual name Eijiro has the first Kanji (鋭) “Ei” means sharp, the second Kanji letter (児) “Ji” means “Kid” and the last Kanji (郎) “Ro” is a usual ending given to boys’ names in Japan. Kirishima Eijiro’s overall name meaning could be sharp or cut which indicates Eijiro’s sharpness.

Todoroki Shoto – 轟 焦凍

Todoroki Shoto is a tritagonist of the My Hero Academia anime who’s usually referred to as Shoto. Todoroki Shoto comes from an elite family of superheroes hence he inherited the quirk powers of his parents. 

He inherited the fire powers from his father Endeavor who’s a renowned superhero and the ice powers from his mother. Shoto is also a student at the U.A. High School where he trains to become a Pro Hero.

Shoto’s surname Todoroki (轟) means to roar and the first Kanji letter of Shoto (焦) “Sho” means burn and the second Kanji letter (凍) “To” means freeze. The overall meaning of his name is “to burn and freeze” which adheres to his quirk powers of fire and ice. However, Shoto dislikes his fire powers due to the fact that he inherited from his father who was quite abusive towards him during his childhood.

Shigaraki Tomura – 死柄木 弔

Shigaraki Tomura or Tenko Shimura is the main antagonist of the My Hero Academia anime series. Being the main antagonist of the series, Tomura is the leader of the League of Villains. 

His primary enemy is All Might and Tomura’s main goal in life is to kill All Might. Although Tomura is a villain he was once a hero-loving child but his rough upbringing turned him crazy.

Tomura’s surname Shigaraki has the first Kanji letter (死) “Shi means death, the second Kanji letter (柄) “Gara” is a pattern and the third Kanji (木) means tree. His actual name “Tomura” means mourn. We can take the meaning of Tomura’s name as something along the lines of “death mourn”. 

Dabi / Todoroki Toya – 轟 燈矢

Todoroki Toya also known as Dabi is one of the main antagonists in the My Hero Academia anime. He’s from the renowned Todoroki superhero family and his parents are Endeavor and Rei. 

Toya is also the eldest sibling of Todoroki Shoto who’s also a major character in My Hero Academia. Toya became a part of the League of Villains after he faked his own death.

As mentioned above, Toya’s surname (轟) means “roar” and his real name Toya has the first Kanji letter (燈) “To” which means “fire that ignites” and the second Kanji character  (矢) “Ya” means “an arrow”. 

The meaning of his name suits him well because Dabi was born with fire quirk powers and when he lost control of his powers, he engulfed himself in the fire. His hands can literally ignite glowing blue flames.

Toga Himiko – 渡我 被身子

Toga Himiko is one of the main antagonists of the My Hero Academia series. She’s part of the League of Villains and a member of the Vanguard Action Squad. 

Himiko is known to be an apathetic woman and is allegedly responsible for serial murders. Himiko is a teenage girl with an attractive appearance but she’s as deadly as her looks.

The meaning of the first Kanji in Toga (渡) “To” means pass and the last Kanji (我) “Ga” means “myself” or “oneself”. The first letter in Himiko (被) “Hi” means suffering, the second Kanji (身) “Mi” means “body” and the last Kanji (子) “Ko” is a popular Japanese suffix for girls’ names. The meaning of Himiko’s name is “wear someone’s body” which reflects her ability to transform into someone.

Japanese Names of Characters from My Hero Academia: FAQs

What is the Japanese name of My Hero Academia?

My Hero Academia is a popular Japanese anime and manga series. The Japanese name for My Hero Academia is “Boku no Hiro Academia”. The meaning of the Japanese name of the anime is precisely the English version. The word “Boku” means “My” in Japanese and the words “Hiro Academia” are inspired by the English Language.

What is Deku’s name in Japanese?

Deku is the nickname of Izuku Midoriya, the main protagonist of the My Hero Academia series. Izuku’s name in Japanese is Midoriya Izuku (緑谷 出久) which means “green valley” when translated to English. The meaning suits his appearance because Izuku has spiky green hair that looks like a valley.

What is Bakugo’s name in Japanese?

Katsuki Bakugo is one of the main characters in the My Hero Academia series and also the childhood friend of Izuku Midoriya. Katsuki’s name in Japanese is Bakugo Katsuki (爆豪 勝己) which means “explode greatly”. The meaning of his name resembles Katsuki’s power “Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight”.

What does Todoroki mean in Japanese?

The Todoroki family is a renowned superhero family in the My Hero Academia franchise. The main antagonist Toya Todoroki or “Dabi” and his sibling Shoto Todoroki are from the Todoroki family and they’re the children of Enji and Rei Todoroki. The meaning of Todoroki is a roar, scream, thunder, etc.