There are many My Hero Academia characters whose stories provide a window into the world of the series, but perhaps one of the most surprising isn't a hero at all. It also goes to show how much thought series creator Kohei Horikoshi puts into his work, attending to even minor characters with amazing detail.
One of the most impressive aspects of My Hero Academia's worldbuilding is how thorough it can be at times. The series ensures that the idea of Quirks permeates every corner of the world, shaping everything from news reports to everyday traffic. It really succeeds in making the world feel real and lived-in, and much of that can be attributed to Horikoshi's attention to detail. In fact, according to Horikoshi himself, he likes to think up pasts and lives of even minor characters, and these pasts are sometimes shared in volume bonus material. One of the most illustrative of this is a newscaster, Miyagi Daikaku.
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While the name might be unfamiliar to most fans, Miyagi Daikaku is likely a character that they'll recognize, as he appears several times, giving news reports on villain attacks and hero controversies. Miyagi is easily recognized by his distinctive Quirk, Big Horn, which gives him two large horns on his forehead, lending him a demonic appearance. Most notably, his right horn has been cut off, giving him an asymmetrical look. Fans may have occasionally wondered why this character had one horn, and it turns out Horikoshi has a very interesting answer for them.
In the bonus materials for volume 7, one page highlights Miyagi, explaining that he cut off his one horn to make production of the news easier, as it would sometimes interfere with graphics and make camera angles difficult. A trusted newscaster in My Hero Academia's world, Miyagi's drastic act caught a lot of attention, and people immediately became divided: was Miyagi's removal of his horn a proud display of how dedicated he is to his work, or is it a disavowal of his Quirk, and by extension, all Quirks? Embroiled in his own controversy, Miyagi forged ahead on the path he had chosen.
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If even a minor character like Miyagi Daikaku has such a backstory, it gives a great idea of how much thought Horikoshi really puts into each of his characters. It's no wonder he's able to bring dozens of pro heroes to life, despite many of them having little screen time, as he clearly spends a lot of time thinking about his characters as people, and what would prompt them to behave the way they do.
My Hero Academia really does a great job with its smaller characters, which is easily reflected in things like the popularity polls. Horikoshi is truly fantastic at his character creation, and that's something that has no doubt been key to the series' success.
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