My Hero Academia is packed with terrific action scenes, but despite all the fighting, surprisingly few characters got themselves killed in the main story. My Hero Academia has generous plot armor for the heroes and villains alike, since pro heroes are supposed to capture villains and the heroes use the power of hope and friendship to survive anything the villains can throw at them. Still, some fatalities are inevitable, and a handful of characters have died on-screen in the My Hero Academia anime.
The rarity and emotional impact of these character deaths in My Hero Academia made those scenes all the more tragic and memorable, and some deaths felt like a turning point for the story or for certain characters. Protagonist Izuku Midoriya/Deku learned a grim lesson: that being a pro hero means risking one's own life and seeing other costumed heroes perish in the line of duty.
10 Magne
Episode 65: "Overhaul"
In the first three seasons of My Hero Academia, no major characters were killed on-screen, either hero or villain. The My Hero Academia anime had a bright and vaguely naive tone at first, probably to represent Deku's ignorance of how brutal and painful hero life can be. The anime gradually grew darker as the reality set in, and by Season 4, people started dying.
The masked villain Overhaul was the first major character to be seen killing someone. He approached the League of Villains, and as a display of force, Overhaul killed Magne when she charged at him, and the other League members were outraged. Mr. Compress lost an arm to Overhaul before the bloody scuffle was finally over.
9 Sir Nighteye
Episode 77: "Bright Future"
The suit-wearing pro hero Sir Nighteye made his debut in My Hero Academia's fourth season, and he died not long after that. He had once been All Might's sidekick and went on to become a proper hero himself, and he took part in the raid on Overhaul's hideout along with Deku and Mirio Togata.
Tragically, Sir Nighteye suffered a mortal injury during the battle, and it was too late to save him. Hospital treatment only bought Sir Nighteye enough time to bid a fond farewell to Deku and Mirio, giving them inspiring parting words before dying happy. Deku and Mirio weren't so happy, though – they and All Might were reduced to tears.
8 High-End Hooded Nomu
Episode 88: "His Start"
At the very end of My Hero Academia's fourth anime season, the new #1 pro hero Endeavor had to prove to everyone that he was worthy of being the top hero. A new and incredibly deadly Nomu arrived, the High-End Hooded Nomu, and it gained the upper hand when it attacked Endeavor and Hawks one evening.
Endeavor struggled while Hawks evacuated all the civilians, and for a moment, all seemed lost. Then, Endeavor pushed himself to go Plus Ultra and performed a devastating flame strike that incinerated the Hooded Nomu, ending its rampage for good while restoring hope in the process.
7 Curious
Episode 109: "Revival Party"
Season 5 ushered in the My Villain Academia arc, where the strongest League of Villains members took center stage as antiheroes. First, Tomura Shigaraki trained against Gigantomachia, and then his team met the Meta Liberation Army's members in a large town. There, the two sides came to blows, and blood was spilled.
Himiko Toga the shapeshifter was desperate to escape Curious and her explosive powers, and when she morphed into Ochaco Uraraka, something incredible happened. Himiko could use Ochaco's Zero-Gravity Quirk, throwing Curious high into the air before slamming her back down with fatal results. From that point on, Himiko could use the Quirks of the people whom she copied.
6 Hana Shimura
Episode 111: "Tenko Shimura: Origin"
Tomura Shigaraki was born as Tenko Shimura, the grandson of the 7th wielder of One For All, Nana Shimura. In Episode 111's flashback, things were tense for the Shimuras because Kotaro, Tenko's father, bitterly resented his late mother and the entire concept of pro heroes, while Tenko admired them.
When Tenko's father left him outside for punishment, his deadly Decay Quirk activated, which no one was prepared for. In that flashback, My Hero Academia fans saw Tenko murder his sister Hana by accident, which made him spiral out of control with grief and shock.
5 Kotaro Shimura
Episode 111: "Tenko Shimura: Origin"
Episode 111's carnage didn't end with the accidental deaths of Hana Shimura and the family dog. Tenko Shimura's mind and Quirk both went out of control, and he ended up killing his entire family. He even destroyed the family house in the process. Tenko was horrified by the deaths, but there was one exception.
Tenko deliberately used Decay to kill his father Kotaro, whom he deeply resented. Tenko was fed up with his father's physical and verbal abuse regarding pro heroes, so Tenko took pleasure in getting the last laugh as he killed Kotaro. In that moment, Tenko went from a tragic victim of his own Quirk to a supervillain in the making.
4 Twice
Episode 116: "One's Justice"
By Season 6, the bloodletting in My Hero Academia reached incredible new heights, and several major characters would either lose their lives or become grievously injured. On the villains' side, the most notable casualty was Twice, the man who could copy himself endlessly with the Sad Man's Parade technique.
The double agent Hawks ambushed Twice and attacked him without mercy, shocking Twice in more ways than one. It was incredibly rare for pro heroes to fight with the intent to kill, and in the eyes of some fans, Hawks was more of a villain in that scene than Twice was. Still, Hawks triumphed, and he stabbed Twice to death with his sharp feathers to finish the job.
3 X-Less
Episode 118: "The Thrill of Destruction"
The pro heroes also suffered serious casualties during the battle between all heroes and the massive Paranormal Liberation Front. A handful of pro heroes like Eraserhead and Mirko stormed the hospital and nearly captured Tomura Shigaraki, defeating some Nomu along the way. When Tomura awakened, he leaped right into action.
The hero X-Less was the first casualty, and he was helpless as Tomura destroyed him with Decay. Then, Tomura swiped X-Less' red cape and put it on, giving him the first piece of his new villain costume. My Hero Academia fans never got to know X-Less, but it was still horrifying to watch him get taken out like that.
2 Shield Hero: Crust
Episode 118: "The Thrill of Destruction"
In the same episode where X-Less lost his life, another pro hero died in the line of duty fighting the Paranormal Liberation Front. The minor hero Crust also briefly took center stage while fighting a High-End Nomu and other threats, but he didn't last long.
Crust gave his life to make sure Eraserhead could escape the crumbling ruins of the hospital when Tomura destroyed it. Eraserhead indeed survived, but it was tough watching a high-ranked hero like Crust die in the process. It was even more heartbreaking to see Crust decay away with a thumbs up and smile on his face – showing that he was happy to give his life for his comrade.
1 Midnight
Episode 120: "Disaster Walker"
Midnight the playful pro hero and teacher lasted a long time in My Hero Academia's story, but eventually, her plot armor ran out. She did her part in the great battle against the Paranormal Liberation Front, but when the massive Gigantomachia went on a rampage, she lost her life. After being hit by large debris Mr. Compress had hidden, she was attacked by a group of Paranormal Liberation Front members.
Midnight spoke to Momo Yaoyorozu over the comm and gave her some encouraging words, putting her faith in Momo and the others to survive and defeat the villains once and for all. Momo was alarmed when Midnight's voice was cut off, and soon enough, Momo and her classmates found Midnight's body, much to their horror.