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My Hero Academia Creator Kohei Horikoshi Expresses Thrill Over Mezo Shoji's Rising Popularity
My Hero Academia's creator Kohei Horikoshi is loving Mezo Shoji's popularity. Find out what he said.
Mezo Shoji's popularity in My Hero Academia is increasing as the manga nears its grand finale. The creator is celebrating the young hero's rise to the top, as the series is in its final stretch of chapters before the series ends. With the manga ending later this summer and the anime in its final battles, the creator has a lot to celebrate.
Mezo Shoji is a student in Class 1-A at U.A. High School, training to become a Pro Hero. He has six arms attached by a web of skin. The arms are very physically strong, and while his Quirk is not in use, only the front two arms have hands, the rest ending in thin stumps.
Kohei Horikoshi speaks on the popularity of Mezo Shoji
Kohei Horikoshi, creator of My Hero Academia, discussed the popularity poll that gained overseas attention for the manga's grand finale and the release of My Hero Academia: You're Next later this summer. He was surprised to see Shoji's rise in the rankings, expressing his satisfaction with the unexpected characters' performance.
"I was pleasantly surprised by Shoji's rise in the rankings. It made me really happy," Horikoshi began when asked about My Hero Academia's most recent popularity poll. "Other than that, there weren't many surprises. I see the popularity polls as a celebration for the readers who vote, so as an author, I try not to get too emotionally involved and try to keep a distance if possible."
Elaborating on it further, Horikoshi revealed he was pleased to see Shoji gain more tracking because his appearances in the story weren't what he thought were traditionally handsome, "It's more like, 'Oh, this character is indeed popular,' but I was genuinely happy about Shoji. I told my editor, Imamura-san, that Shoji has limited appearances in the story and his unique looks don't typically qualify as 'handsome' … so I'm pleased. I drew him thinking he's really cool, so I'm glad people appreciate him."
A brief about Mezo Shoji's character
Mezo Shoji has proven to be highly capable, as his skills allowed him to earn 6th place in the Quirk Apprehension Test. He also has a good handle on his Quirk, Dupli-Arms, which he can use for combat and sensory purposes. Dupli-Arms makes Mezo excellent for spying and stake-out missions since his tentacle-created sensorial parts have heightened functions.
While Mezo is strong enough to carry more than one person on his back with minimal effort, he can shield or hide them from danger thanks to his Dupli-Arms' webbed structure. Mezo also possesses good camaraderie, using his Quirk to detect nearby enemies and using his tentacles to cause a distraction so that his comrades can take their opponents by surprise.
Utilizing physical prowess and Quirk handling, Mezo has repeatedly displayed the capacity to swiftly fend off dangerous villains such as Kurogiri and Himiko Toga, effectively providing cover for his comrades and emerging unscathed. Mezo possesses a high degree of physical strength, as he could exert as much as 540 kilograms (1,188 pounds) of force during the Quirk Apprehension Test.
The brawn displayed during this test indicates he has enough strength to crush a human skull with just one of his many hands. Mezo's Quirk multiplies his already great physical brawn for combat by replicating his arms, giving him force equivalent to at least half a ton when using just one set of his tentacle arms.
He was able to carry both Tsuyu Asui and Minoru Mineta on his back without any difficulty, as well as send Himiko Toga flying several meters away with a mere slap. Mezo's facet of bone-crushing was shown when he broke Pony Tsunotori's horn projectiles. Additionally, he could damage the colossal Spinner even with the latter's Scalemail Quirk active.
Mezo's Quirk grants him a set of tentacles alongside his arms. He can transform the tips of these tentacles to replicate other parts of his body. The duplicated body parts are more efficient than the originals; as a result, Mezo is able to hear better, see-through more angles at a time, and they grant him much higher degrees of strength.
His detection ability from his Quirk is so powerful that he is able to hear the movements of Toru Hagakure in the USJ attack despite a sizable distance between them and the capabilities of her Invisibility Quirk, along with confirming that all the other members of 1-A were still in the USJ. This feat renders sneak attacks ineffective against Mezo. He also uses these arms to talk most of the time through duplicate mouths, rather than his actual mouth.
Despite his frightening appearance, Mezo is friendly and gentle and will work nicely with anyone. He is not the type to hold grudges, showing no ill will towards those that harm him unwillingly. Mezo is entirely selfless and willing to risk his life for anyone. He can be empathetic and understanding but still shows a sense of maturity and responsibility that prevents him from acting under emotional impulses, even if he feels regretful. He is very protective of his classmates, especially if they are hurt or injured.
ALSO READ: My Hero Academia's Kohei Horikoshi Defines Who a Hero Truly Is; And It's Not Deku
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