Admit it: you have a favorite character from My Hero Academia. It’s okay, all of the fans do. It’s impossible not to pick one character to latch on to. And it isn’t always the main character (though we do adore Midoriya).
No matter who your current favorite is, we’d like to take a few moments and explain all of the reasons why Mina Ashido deserves more love from all of the fans (and she’s already getting a decent amount of that).
So, without further ado, here are ten reasons why Mina Ashido should be your new favorite MHA character.
10 She Knows How to Have Fun
There's no doubt in our minds that Mina Ashido is a character that knows how to have fun. Every time the class of 1A has had to do something more cheerful, or were in need of some laughter – it was Mina who stood up and saved the day.
She's just a cheerful character all around. And she's never one to be held down or back, no matter what she's facing. Consider everything that has happened since they started school – and yet she's still laughing and acting as nothing has happened.
9 She’s Colorful and Bubbly
When you come right down to it, Mina is just like any other teenage girl. She likes pretty colors, clothes, and doing her hair. Unlike some teenagers out there, Mina doesn't seem interested in the whole gossip or mean girl traits. She'd much rather be building her fellow heroes-in-training up, rather than tearing them all down.
Whenever something good happens to one of the U.A. students, Mina is almost always one of the first to start cheering for them. Mina is willing to celebrate their successes, even when she's actively struggling with her classes and grades.
8 Her Preferred Alias
Push come to shove, Mina Ashido ended up with the hero name Pinky. It's a cute name that really does perfectly suit her bubbly personality (and her skin-tone). But it isn't the name she originally wanted. No, her first choice was a throwback to a much cooler concept.
You see, Mina originally wanted to be Alien Queen. It's a direct throwback to her character's inspiration, the Aliens franchise. And if you don't love that fact about her, you should probably go and binge the Aliens movies a few more times. Or you know, go ahead and do that anyway. Because why not?
7 The Influence on Her Character Design
While we're on the subject of the influence behind her character design, let's just go ahead and list that as another reason why we should all be loving Mina. After all, it isn't every day you get to see a modern character with Mina's design.
Her character may not look anything like Aliens we grew up with, but you've gotta respect that they were the original inspiration behind her character. It certainly makes Mina seem a bit cooler.
6 She Inspired Another Rising Hero
Did you know that Mina inspired a fan favorite to try and become a hero? Back when they were both in school together – but a lot younger – Mina once stood up to a villain that might have seriously hurt a younger classmate. Well, it's more accurate to say that she redirected the villain.
Her ability to stand up and talk at the villain really inspired Kirishima, who had stood by frozen, helplessly watching the events play out in front of him. It made him realize that he wanted to be that calm in the face of danger. And that he wanted to save people from harm.
5 The Possibilities With Her Quirk
Mina Ashido has a decent grasp on how to use her quirk – after all, she's already come up with four ultimate moves. But there are so many more possibilities with her quirk. Just think about it, how often would acid be useful when being a hero? How about during a rescue operation, or helping to get people out of countless situations?
There's little doubt in our mind that Mina's quirk shows a whole lot of potential. She's just got to figure that out for herself.
4 Social Butterfly
Mina is a total and complete social butterfly. Throw her into a room, and odds are that within five minutes she'll have made a new best friend. It's an impressive trait and one that will serve her well. She'll be a hero with lots of hero friends to call on when she needs some help.
And that's a trait that we should all admire. It's something that is so easily overlooked, but it can end up meaning so much in the long run. And that's why we're going to include it as one of the many reasons we should all love Mina.
3 Dancing Queen
Did you know that Mina is an excellent dancer? Considering how talented she is, we're surprised she doesn't go out looking for more excuses to dance. Because she would be totally justified in doing so.
Mina has been known to break out in dance at times. She's also the start of the show during any official dancing times, thanks to her ability to breakdance. As if that wasn't cool enough, Mina is also fully capable of teaching others how to dance as well.
2 It Doesn't All Come Easy to Her
One of the many things we love about Mina is the fact that it doesn't all come easy to her. She has to work at being a hero, and she certainly has to study and work hard in order to get even passing grades.
In many respects, she's just an average teenage girl trying to follow her dream. And how can you not love and respect that about her?
1 Her Nose Into Everything
While Mina may not be super into gossip, the truth of the matter is that she does tend to have her nose into everything. She basically knows everything that is happening in her class at any given time. Well, everything that's being vocalized, at least. There are a few secrets she hasn't figured out (or if she has, she's kept her mouth shut).
Anyway, Mina's preference is to follow the love lives of her classmates. In fact, we wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that she has her own list of favorite ships going on somewhere in her head. And we wouldn't blame her for that.