My Hero Academia Creator Kohei Horikoshi Expresses Thrill Over Mezo Shoji’s Rising Popularity

Expanding on this, Horikoshi expressed his joy upon noticing Shoji becoming more prominent in the story. He shared that he wasn’t expecting Shoji to be popular due to his unconventional good looks, “I was surprised and genuinely happy about it. I told my editor, Imamura-san, that Shoji doesn’t have many scenes in the narrative and his distinctive appearance isn’t what most people consider ‘handsome.’ Yet, I drew him because I found him really cool, so it’s heartening to see others admire him too.”

A brief about Mezo Shoji’s character 

Mezo Shoji has demonstrated impressive abilities, reaching the sixth position in the Quirk Capability Exam. He is proficient in utilizing his power, Dupli-Arms, for both offensive combat and sensory perception tasks. The versatility of Dupli-Arms makes Mezo an ideal candidate for covert operations and surveillance missions due to its advanced sensory extensions.

Mezo has the impressive ability to effortlessly support more than one person on his back due to his great strength. Moreover, with his Dupli-Arms’ webbed structure, he can protect or conceal them from potential harm. His Quirk extends beyond this as he exhibits strong teamwork skills. He utilizes his power to identify nearby adversaries and employs his tentacles to create diversions. This enables his allies to catch their enemies off guard and secure victories.

Using his powerful physique and Quirk abilities, Mezo has consistently protected his teammates by quickly defeating villains like Kurogiri and Himiko Toga. His strength is impressive, as he was able to apply a force of 540 kilograms (1,188 pounds) during the Quirk test.

During this test, the amount of raw power he showed is enough to smash a human skull using only one of his numerous hands. Mezo’s ability amplifies his already impressive physical strength for battle by creating duplicate arms, resulting in a force equivalent to at least half a ton when wielding just one set of his tentacle limbs.

With ease, Mezo supported the weights of Tsuyu Asui and Minoru Mineta on his back. A casual swipe from him sent Himiko Toga soaring through the air several meters. The intimidating strength of Mezo was demonstrated when he shattered Pony Tsunotori’s horn projectiles. Furthermore, even with the Colossal Spinner’s Scalemail Quirk in effect, Mezo was still capable of inflicting damage upon it.

Mezo possesses the unique ability given by his Quirk to grow tentacles from his arms. He has the power to change the ends of these tentacles into replicas of different parts of his body. The duplicated body parts function more effectively than the originals, enhancing Mezo’s capabilities. Consequently, he can hear more distinctly, have a wider field of vision by seeing through multiple angles simultaneously, and experience significantly increased strength.

Mezo’s remarkable hearing from his Quirk allows him to pick up on Toru Hagakure’s movements during the USJ attack, even when a significant distance separates them. This feat outmatches her Invisibility Quirk’s capabilities. Furthermore, Mezo can confirm that all members of 1-A are still in USJ through this heightened sense. Consequently, surprise attacks pose no threat to Mezo. Instead, he communicates primarily by using his arms as makeshift mouths, rather than speaking through his actual mouth.

Although Mezo may seem intimidating with his appearance, he possesses a kind and gentle nature. He gets along well with everyone and harbors no grudges, not even towards those who unintentionally cause him harm. Selfless to the core, Mezo is ready to put himself in harm’s way for others. His empathy and understanding are profound, but he maintains a level head and demonstrates maturity and responsibility, refusing to be swayed by emotional impulses. Above all, Mezo cherishes the safety of his classmates and takes swift action when they are injured or in distress.