The tiniest student training to become a hero from Class 1-A, Minoru Mineta, is rather infamous for his antics. He’s the shortest in his class, and he’s identified by his distinct hairstyle, which consists of four large black-purple Pop Off Spheres sticking out. This little devil has had it rough in the past with regards to popularity. His simple yet insanely driven motivation to impress girls is what pushes him to become a Pro-Hero! Mineta has no qualms about making it known that he has a really perverted sense of humour. Needless to say, his favourite thing in the whole My Hero Academia Merch world which is filled with heroes and villains, is still- you guessed it: -Women.
1. He Ogles Women A Lot
Perhaps not one of his proudest traits, if there’s a woman around him- you can be sure that Mineta is all set to make her uncomfortable. He often receives the treatment he deserves by them, whether it’s being beaten up or chased away- due to this, he’s lacking in charisma and popularity severely. This is ironic considering that’s what he pursues the most.
2. His Declining Popularity
Unsurprisingly, Mineta’s shenanigans don’t seem to go down with die-hard fans of My Hero Academia Merch who prefer the other characters, especially the female characters. In the first three popularity polls conducted in Japan, Mineta stood 18th, 31st, 45th respectively. Regardless, Mineta pushes on with his behavior.
3. His Quirk, Pop Off
Mineta’s Quirk is an interesting one, its usage is extremely situational and is based on the user’s technique. In essence, Mineru is able to produce Pop Off Spheres on his head that are extremely sticky for everyone else. He can pull these Pop Off Spheres off and throw them, regrowing newer ones in the former’s place. The adhesive nature of these Pop Off Spheres is rather strong. He has proven on multiple occasions that it’s not a Quirk to be underestimated. For instance, when he uses Grape Rush on Midnight during the First Term Final Exam. Unfortunately, it also comes with a drawback. If he pulls too many, his scalp begins to bleed. Not something you’d want happening to you in an arduous Pro-Hero Battle. To mitigate this, Mineta has been training rigorously so that his scalp bleeds less when he pulls his Quirk’s Pop Off Spheres off his head.
4. Battle with Midnight and Grape Rush
During the First Term Final Exam, Mineta wasn’t faring too well. He was teamed up with Sero and had to face off against Midnight, whose powerful Quirk- Somnabulist, posed a real challenge. Sero passes out due to Midnight’s Quirk, and Minoru is left to face her alone. With some quick thinking however, he is able to defeat Midnight using Sero’s tape as a mask, which helps him avoid the gas released by Midnight’s Somnabulist. His Super Move: Grape Rush, marks its first appearance here. He uses Grape Rush against Midnight, rendering her completely immobile; and then escapes the vicinity of the gas, securing his victory.
5. Minoru’s Crushes
Although Mineta goes for any and every girl that might come his way, he has a particular interest in two girls. Namely, Tsuyu and Momo. Throughout the various story arcs, Minoru is unable to take his eyes off both Momo, and often spends a lot of time around Tsuyu. It’s pretty easy to see that he’s clearly attracted to them, but due to his immature and perverted behaviour, he’s unable to get them on his good side. Tsuyu and Momo are always quick to punish him for his misdoings.
6. Mineta is Insanely Smart and A Team Player
As surprising as it is, Mineta is actually really smart! Across Class 1-A, he’s got some of the highest scores in intelligence, a whopping 5/5! Mineta fares well with teamwork and has proven himself on the basis of technique as well, scoring 4/5 for both! His teamwork shines during the League of Villains’ ambush, as he helps Midoriya and Tsuyu make their escape.
7. His Hero Outfit is Stick Resistant
Due to the nature of his Quirk, Minoru has designed his costume in such a way that it is completely stick resistant. A purple bodysuit, covering the entirety of his body, including limbs, extends up to a face-mask as well. Not only that, but his gloves are made out of a certain kind of substance extracted from his scalp, this allows him to pluck his Pop Off Spheres easier.
8. His Backstory
Mineta’s background hasn’t been disclosed too much so far, but what we do know is certainly interesting. Growing up as the tiniest kid, Mineta had no real luck with anyone. Especially girls, this explains his obsession with girls as a teenager. His true motivation behind becoming a Hero is fairly simplistic, he wants to become cool like All Might, and looks up to Midoriya too.
9. His Simple, yet Powerful Drive
Having no luck with the girls is tough enough as is for guys his age, but Mineta had almost no popularity as a kid too. Idolizing these two aspects as something he must have, Mineta’s journey to become a Pro-Hero is based on the fundamental belief that he will become cool, popular and eventually also be seen as a potentially attractive guy to the girls around him. To some this drive may seem fairly inconsequential, but Mineta is clearly pushed to the maximum and beyond, as showcased on multiple occasions as his desire to become popular enables him to pull off crazy feats.
10. His Initial Concept
Keeping in line with his Grape theme, Mineta’s initial concept also included a stem atop his forehead! This would likely be a hindrance for him as he’s pulling off his Pop-Off Spheres. Funnily enough, his shoes were similar in design to Izuku Midoriya’s shoes. As we know of course, this was all changed later on and he was given a more simplistic, yet distinct look of his own.
