Minoru Mineta, the most famous of all the teenage superheroes in the popular manga/anime franchise My Hero Academia, is the biggest of the eccentrics. Although Minoru Mineta is a social outcast, he has quickly become a fan favourite thanks to his unusual Alter – the term for superhuman powers in the anime series.
While the rest of the cycle has several very violent elements, its quirky and humorous nature can still help to reignite discussions. We now take a closer look at this future Pro Hero, from his humble origins to the unique powers and abilities he currently uses in the overall story. Look out for our My Hero Academia Stickers and My Hero Academia Plushies in our online shop along with our collections of clothing featuring your favourite heroes.
WHO IS MINORU MINETA?
Mineta is introduced as a shy freshman at UA High School, as an aspiring Pro Hero. The boy has a sense of humour and seems to have a distorted view of the world, which immediately makes him a social outcast among his classmates and an ostracism by many male peers; Mineta’s efforts to impress women are one of his main reasons for becoming a Pro Hero. Mineta, while considered an absentee and almost expelled for his poor performance in tests, soon proves to be a very caring student. Mineta idolises Pro Hero All Might and believes him to be invincible in the face of major danger. Mineta’s powers of observation allow him to be extremely dangerous, as he knows his opponents well in training battles, having watched and studied them from afar.
WHAT ARE THE POWERS OF MINORU MINETA?
Mineta is one of the most unusual classmates in his class, with the ability to grow strange purple balls from his head. The balls themselves are incredibly sticky to everyone but Mineta himself, and their stickiness depends on Mineta producing protrusions. Mineta’s hair will start to bleed from his scalp due to overuse if he fires too many shots in a short period of time, as the bullets grow rapidly.
Since then, Minoru has developed several powerful moves fueled by his alter, including Grape Rush, in which he stuns a target with sticky bumps and forcibly places it, leaving it vulnerable to assault or flight. Minoru also combined several of the strains to build an improvised defensive shield called the Grape Buckler, which absorbs blows while making projectiles stick. Since Mineta could easily repel his own blows, he slammed them into the walls, ceiling and floor, bouncing around like a human pinball machine with the help of one of his most formidable allies.
MINETA IS A HERO
When the villains invade the facility, Mineta was irreplaceable in saving the day. When they were targeting the students, his outsized skills deliberately got him into trouble. Nomu is shocked by Shota aizawa’s defeat at Nomu’s hands, but he cheered for his hero All Might as the Pro blocked the villains.
Mineta, because of her violent hair and her job as an alter, calls herself Freshly Picked Grape Juice because new news is the result of contact with another person. Minoru goes up against Midnight in his ultimate test, using Grape Rush, a new super move, to win the competition before helping to fend off a Villain League assault on students while on sabbatical in the woods. Mineta passes the provisional hero license exam and is granted a pro hero license. Find our My Hero Academia Pillowcase and My Hero Academia Body Pillow Covers in our online shop along with our collections of clothing featuring your favourite heroes.
