BHNA 30 Day Challenge | Day 02 | Favorite Female Character

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Nana Shimura and Momo Yaoyorozu. I know that’s more than one character.. there are going to be several of these days were I can’t pick a single character. While drawing this, I realized that the female characters of My Hero are not quite as fleshed out as the male characters. They have more backstory than a typical Shōnen, but I still had to ponder the “why” a bit more.

Nana Shimura - we really haven’t seen much of her at this point in time. My admiration and fascination with her is 100% due to All Might’s memories. All Might is extremely driven all on his own, but Nana seems to have really left a lasting impression that fuels his desire to make a difference. The way he obsesses over saving people almost seems like he is trying to make up for the fact he couldn’t save her. She is his weakness… the one thing All for One can use to crack All Might’s unbreakable determination and focus. The way All Might takes to heart what Nana taught him - “Those who smile are the strongest” - is why I love All Might, and in turn, adore Nana. Also, she appears to be the sole female user of One for All - badass! I want the OVA of “All Might Rising” to show us more about her. I want to know her quirk, and I want to see her relationship with Toshinori and how he came to see her as his own mother.

Momo Yaoyorozu - She is brilliant and super strong. I can really relate to her insecurities. Horikoshi’s writing shines in how he adds subtle layers to characters like Momo. She’s at the top of her class and has a crazy powerful quirk, yet she doesn’t run away from her classmates’ skills. She is human and makes mistakes. She sinks into self doubt at her mistakes and fears what she doesn’t know, and in turn becomes her own biggest weakness. There is also something poetic and sentimental about a calm, level headed female character having a quirk like Creation. Drawing this really made me admire her quirk more than I had previously.

As a side note, I don’t dislike Momo’s original costume. However, it does feel impractical and full of chafing and wardrobe malfunctions during workouts and battles. A few months ago I saw a fanart where the artist had re imagined her costume into one with pants, and I loved the look on Momo. I wanted to make a few adjustments to allow her to fight without being potentially distracted by fixing her costume, but still give a nod to the original design.