Who Is Shoji in My Hero Academia?

Who is Mezo Shoji in My Hero Academia? Explore the story of the Tentacle Hero, his powers and abilities, his role in the story, and more.

Who is Shoji in My Hero Academia? (image via Studio Bones)

If you are a longtime fan of My Hero Academia, you might have noticed that the series mostly does a good job of juggling its massive cast of characters. However, every so often, some characters end up getting way more attention than others. As such, even in Class 1-A of the U.A. High School, where the spotlight is mostly shined on, not every character gets their opportunity to shine. One of those characters is Mezo Shoji.

Also known as the Pro Hero Tentacole, Mezo Shoji used to be a student of Class 1-A of U.A. High School. Despite having a cool character design, a unique set of abilities, and a tragic backstory, Shoji mostly remained on the sidelines, which is unfortunate, to say the least. While he may not have a loud or flashy presence, he’s undoubtedly a character deserving of spotlight. With that in mind, let us further explore his character in more detail.

Who Is Shoji in My Hero Academia?

Mezo Shoji in My Hero Academia (image via Studio Bones)

As mentioned earlier, Mezo Shoji was a student in Class 1-A of U.A. High School, where he was studying to be a Pro Hero. Also known as the Tentacle Hero: Tentacole, Shoji has quite a unique appearance – he’s tall, muscular, has six arms, and has a permanent mask covering the lower half of his face.

Despite his intimidating appearance, Shoji is one of the kindest and nicest students in Class 1-A. He is extremely selfless by nature and is willing to put his life on the line for the sake of others. He is level-headed and rarely loses his cool. Moreover, he always looks out for his classmates and is extremely protective of them—in a way, he plays the role of a quiet protector.

What makes him even more endearing is the fact that his feelings for his friends are apparently stronger than anyone else and that he would sacrifice himself for them in a heartbeat. Shoji also apparently has no desire for any material needs and is fine having few possessions. He’s also not the kind of person who seeks attention but is always there whenever anyone needs him, which speaks volumes about his reliable nature.

Shoji’s Role in My Hero Academia

Shoji’s role in the series (image via Studio Bones)

Shoji doesn’t exactly play a prominent or crucial role in My Hero Academia. That being said, he’s quite excellent at being “the support” of a team. He doesn’t possess any powerful offensive abilities that would allow him to charge headfirst into battle. Instead, he excels at teamwork, scouting, and strategy.

Shoji would particularly be useful in group missions, where he could use his abilities to gather intel and locate enemies. He’s exactly the kind of person you would want on your team and covering your back in a crisis – simply due to how dependable and level-headed he is, even in the most dire situations.

Shoji’s Powers and Abilities

Shoji’s unique powers in My Hero Academia (image via Studio Bones)

Throughout the series, Mezo Shoji has proven to be quite capable and skilled. He has good control of his Quirk, which he can use for both combat and sensory purposes. His Quirk, Dupli-Arms, gives him an almost unfair advantage in spying and stake-out missions.

For context, Shoji’s Quirk gives him a set of tentacles alongside his regular arms. He typically has four tentacles and can use their tips to replicate other parts of his body, like his eyes, ears, or even his mouth. The duplicated versions of his body parts are more efficient than the original. Hence Shoji is capable of having better sight and hearing, that too, at multiple angles.

Apart from using his Dupli-Arms to detect enemies, Shoji can also use them to protect his allies and innocent civilians, thanks to the tentacles’ webbed structure. As for his physical abilities, Shoji possesses a high level of raw strength – enough to crush a human skull with just one hand. That said, his overwhelming brawn doesn’t limit his speed.

He’s fast enough to outrun Dark Shadow at its full power, despite being in an injured state himself. He also has incredible stamina and enhanced durability and he can take massive damage without collapsing. Lastly, Shoji has extremely good reflexes as well, which is especially surprising after taking his large, muscular physique into account.

Shoji’s Fate After Time-skip My Hero Academia

Shoji as seen in the anime (image via Studio Bones)

Mezo Shoji’s time to shine finally arrived in the Final War arc of the My Hero Academia manga, particularly during his intense battle against Spinner, where he reflected upon his struggles as a heteromorph. Apparently, Shoji wanted to become a Pro Hero to tear down the societal prejudice against heteromorphs like himself, which he was eventually able to do in the Epilogue arc of the manga.

In My Hero Academia‘s Epilogue arc, there was a time-skip of about 8 years after the war. This arc was 7 chapters long, and primarily focused on the Hero society after the war and the lives of the former Class A students. As for Shoji, he graduated from U.A. High alongside his classmates and is currently ranked 9th on the Hero Billboard Charts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mezo Shoji might not be the most popular or talked-about character in My Hero Academia, but he’s one who undeniably deserves more recognition. He is living proof that it’s not always about being the strongest or most popular – it’s about being reliable when it matters the most.


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