My Hero Academia Exposed Part 1 - Oversexualization of Female Character Designs

There is no need for an introduction for this series. THE Shonen anime of the 2010s set in a world where people have quirks. Izuku Midoriya was born a normie in a land of posibilities but his life changes when All Might, his idol gaves him One for All. He then enrolls in UA, a high school for up and coming superheroes.

The lively class of 1- A is introduced and later their concept superhero designs. You slowly realize that some of the  female designs are more form fitting/ sexualized compared to the males and this continues as the costumes evolve. 

 It is a weird choice to do this  considering the characters are MINORS. I will discuss first how the female characters are sexualised and then go into individual character designs. 

This is lampshaded. Remember these are TEENAGE GIRLS

An akward scene is when the Class A female students are put into cheerleader unforms for no reason other than fanservice.

 In the anime  the female characters are made skinnier compared to the manga which reveals a deeper look at animes one body type syndrome for female characters that includes: slim upper body, flat stomach, slim arms, huge bust, (maybe) wide hips, thin legs and calves. This body type albeit is rare in real life can be damaging to young girls who see this depicted over and over in anime due to the message that being skinny is desirable/ attractive.

IF the anime choose to depict  the girls bodies as chunkier instead,  it could have showed a different body type and be representation for mid size/ curvy  girls in anime that is realistic and the proportions are not exaggerated like what a curvy woman is depicted like usually in anime/ manga.

One of the few female characters that do not fall into this body type is Miriko.

Other cases of sexualizing female characters in the anime and manga include:

Uraka  looks UNCOMFORTABLE!

Also we see the alien girls butt and thighs at this angle. This is not okay. I understand it is a hot spring but give these girls some privacy. This reminds me of that hot spring scene in Naruto with Hinata (who is a MINOR)   as I will put below.

Not sure the context or who this is.

The avove scene was based on this manga pannel. We see Uraka  from the waist up and the alien girls side body

Mineta is often oggling at the female characters and it is played for laughs

Mineta is ALWAYS THERE TO LOOK AT A FEMALE CHARACTERS BODY.  THIS IS NOT NESSASARY TO THE STORY

Momo's  old and new design ( both designs has an Absolute Clevage trope) 

She is 15 

 Every angle you see her chest or butt. The in universe explaination is she creates items out of her skin so she has to wear this outfit.

 In my opinion a  sports bra and leggings/ shots can work just as well. 

He is a CREEP AND IT IS NOT FUNNY

She might tell him off and beat him up because she realises he was oggling her. 

Mineta is often sexualizing, peaking at and drollimg over women and girls, talking about boobs, making sexual jokes and they are not funny AT ALL. This is some 2000s level of SH, an outdated trope that needs to DIE OFF.

This was a fan design turned official. The underboobs looks uncomfortable and rediculous. The OC was originally underaged which leads to the issue of this franchise oversexualising minors as okay but thankfully this character was aged up when brought into the anime.

Student from another class but her design is a tight leathersuit and a police cap. 

Of course her bust is highlighted  in the anime adaptation. She acts like a ditz before it is revealed that was a fake persona. 

Why? 

One of the Big Three (a minor) 

Her bust size was INCREASED in the anime for no reason than fanservice when she was a regular size in the manga as seen below.

 Mineta also made. a joke about her bust size when she is first introduced in the anime.  There was no need for this change in design but it was done to objectify  her just like many girls and women in this franchise.

This was the cover (cut off , she is naked on the cover with no censorship) 

The worst case of oversexualization  was Invisible Girl. Turns out she is NAKED when not seen to the audience. There was a cover where the aurthor  depicted her naked ( she is underaged)  There was so much backlash because people were uncomfortable but the fans were trying to justify this. In her debut shes...naked, shes streakimg in public and this is not empiwering, this is the aurthors excuse to draw a naked teenage girl.

Mina is wearing a form fitting jumpsuit  and we saw her nude in the hot spring scenes above

Ochako's astronaut outfit was very tight. I remember she stated that she  felt very uncomfortable wearing this and it reminded me of Hinata. Why do this to her character?  Her design  also falls into the Space Spandex trope in popular media when depucting astronauts or sci fi outfits. The design could hsve been based on a real astronaut suit which works with her theme and anti gravity powers.

Mt. Lady. 

Why is showing off her butt such a  thing? 

Midnight  is based on a dominatrix but this outfit is rediculous. 

This is a scene where she is being beaten to death but its framed sexily? Why?  There is NOTHING ATTRACTIVE ABOUT A WOMAN GETTING BEAT UP NOR IS VIOLENCE AND FANSERVICE  INTERTWINED. 

In this anime/ manga, just like many previous shonen before it women are serve to be eye candy for the male audience. Only Tsuyu and Jiro are drawn like regular girls so there is also the implication that girls/ women with huge racks/ midsized  are supposed to be  sexualized because of their body shape.

 These are teenaged girls whom should not be depicted like this especially in the nude/ fanservice/ form fitting/ revealimg outfits.

 There is so much innapropriate content made of the girls of 1- A,  it is perverted depict them in these situations  since thwy are MINORS.

 The character of Mineta is disgusting, he does nor NEED to exist due to him being a pervert and make revolting comments about the female characters body. 

This series could have stuck to the realistic body types and dress them like their age  and that can also reflect in the  costume designsinstead of the choices it took to make the girls sexualised or near naked/ half naked.  

This show had so much potential but the fanservice can throw people off and rightfully so because  and every pannel/ fanservice episode  is pushing the radar to see what else the aurthor  can get away with depicting.