How to Draw MHA Characters and Why Their Anatomy Is Harder Than It Looks

If you’ve spent any time staring at Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga panels, you know there’s a weird tension there. It’s not just "anime style." It’s this frantic, Western-comic-influenced energy mashed together with classic Shonen Jump aesthetics. Figuring out how to draw mha characters isn't actually about learning a single "style" because Horikoshi treats every character's silhouette like a unique puzzle piece. You can’t draw Bakugo using the same base shapes as Deku and expect it to look right. Honestly, most people fail because they try to "anime-fy" them too much, losing that specific, chunky, American-comic-book grit that makes My Hero Academia stand out.

I’ve spent years deconstructing these designs. It’s fascinating. You have these massive, oversized hands—a Horikoshi trademark—paired with incredibly expressive, thick-lined eyes.

The Secret is in the Silhouette

Think about All Might. If you strip away the color and the face, that "Y" shape of his torso is unmistakable. That’s where you start. Most beginners jump straight into the hair or the Quirk effects, but if the gesture isn't there, the character looks stiff. For Izuku Midoriya, it’s all about a slightly rounded, softer "diamond" shape for the head. He’s meant to look approachable, even when he’s powered up.

Contrast that with Katsuki Bakugo. Everything about him is sharp. His hair consists of explosive, jagged triangles. His eyes are narrowed, often slanting downward toward the bridge of the nose to convey perpetual irritation. When you're learning how to draw mha characters, you have to internalize this visual shorthand: round equals protagonist/kindness, sharp equals rival/intensity, and square equals reliability (think Iida).

Getting the "Horikoshi Eye" Right

The eyes in My Hero Academia aren't the standard "watery" eyes you see in shojo or more generic action series. They have weight.

1. For Deku, use large, circular pupils with heavy freckle placements underneath. The lines should be slightly thicker at the top of the eyelid.
2. For Ochaco Uraraka, the eyes are almost perfect circles, often missing the bottom lash line to emphasize a "floaty" or light appearance.
3. Shoto Todoroki requires a more traditional, almond-shaped eye, but the scar is the real challenge. It isn't just a red blob; it follows the orbital bone of the eye socket.

The line weight is the "pro tip" here. Horikoshi uses varying line thicknesses to show depth. If a character is punching toward the "camera," the lines of the fist are significantly thicker than the lines of the face. It’s a trick borrowed from legends like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. If your lines are all the same thickness, your MHA fan art will look flat. Period.

Mastering the Costumes and Hero Gear

The costumes are where things get messy for artists. They are functionally dense. Take Iida’s engines or Bakugo’s grenade gauntlets. You aren't just drawing "props." These are extensions of their bodies.

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Why Perspective Matters for Quirks

When drawing someone like Shoto using his fire and ice, the element shouldn't just sit on top of the skin. It needs to look like it’s erupting. For the ice, use hard, crystalline angles. For the fire, avoid "clamshell" flames. Instead, use wispy, flowing ribbons that follow the gesture of the arm.

One of the biggest mistakes in how to draw mha characters is forgetting the weight of the hero suits. These aren't just spandex. They have seams, pads, and support belts. Look at the "piping" on Deku’s Gamma suit. It follows the musculature of his legs. If you draw those lines straight, you lose the sense of his muscles. You have to wrap the lines around the cylinder of the limb.

Hands: The Horikoshi Obsession

If you follow Horikoshi on social media or read the tankobon extras, you know the man loves drawing hands. He draws them huge. In many panels, a character’s hand might be larger than their entire face.

This isn't an accident. Hands are expressive. In MHA, they often signal the Quirk activation—Shigaraki’s five-finger touch, Uraraka’s fingertips meeting. To get this right, don't draw dainty fingers. Draw blocky, powerful knuckles. Use "square" shapes for the palm and then taper the fingers. It gives the characters a sense of "heaviness" and reality that most anime lacks.

The Anatomy of a Hero: Body Types

We need to talk about the fact that not everyone is "buff" in the same way.

• The "Power" Build: All Might or Endeavor. Their necks are as wide as their heads. Their traps (the muscles between the neck and shoulder) are massive.
• The "Lean" Build: Eraserhead or Nighteye. They are lanky. The focus here is on the folds of the clothing, which should look slightly baggy to emphasize their thin frame.
• The "Standard Shonen" Build: Deku or Kirishima. Lean but defined. You should see the definition in the deltoids and forearms, especially when they are in combat poses.

Honestly, the best way to practice this is to look at MMA fighters or gymnasts. Horikoshi clearly does. He understands how a body twists when it's throwing a punch. He doesn't just draw a "cool pose"; he draws a body in motion.

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Expressive Shading and "The Shadow"

MHA uses a lot of heavy "black-spotting." This is where you fill in large areas with pure black ink rather than just cross-hatching. It’s very prominent in the "Dark Deku" arc or whenever a character is feeling intense pressure. If you want your art to feel authentic, don't be afraid of high contrast. Use a thick brush pen for the deep shadows under the chin, behind the neck, and in the folds of the hero costumes.

Action Lines and Quirk Effects

What’s a hero without their Quirk? When people look up how to draw mha characters, they usually want to know how to make the powers look "cool."

Blackwhip is a great example. It shouldn't look like static rope. It should look like ink spilling through water—fluid but jagged. If you're drawing One For All's lightning streaks, make them erratic. They shouldn't be "smooth" zig-zags. They should be sharp, varying in length, and look like they are vibrating off the skin.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't make the hair too soft. Even for characters like Momo or Tsuyu, there is a certain "chunkiness" to the hair clumps. Think of them as 3D shapes, not individual strands.

Also, watch the feet. Horikoshi draws very distinct sneakers and boots. They are often chunky and oversized (like the "Red Shoes" Deku wears). If you draw tiny, realistic feet, the character will look top-heavy and "off." Embrace the "big shoe" aesthetic. It balances the large hands and wide shoulders.

Step-by-Step Focus: Drawing Deku's Face

If you’re starting today, try this. Start with a circle. Divide it with a vertical line, but place the horizontal "eye line" lower than you think. MHA characters have large foreheads to accommodate their wild hair.

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1. Draw the "mask" of the eyes. For Deku, these are big, slightly squashed circles.
2. Add the pupils. Leave a lot of white space for the "shine" to keep him looking "heroic."
3. The nose is just a tiny tick mark. Don't overdo it.
4. The mouth is usually a wide, determined line or a small, nervous "u" shape.
5. The hair: Start from the crown of the head and draw "leaves." Deku’s hair looks like a messy bush of dark green leaves.

It takes a lot of trial and error. You'll probably mess up the hair volume the first ten times. That's fine. Even the animators at Studio Bones have to simplify Horikoshi's designs because they are so detailed.

Actionable Next Steps for Artists

To really improve, you need to move beyond just copying one image.

First, grab a copy of The Art of My Hero Academia or just scroll through the official manga on Shonen Jump’s app. Look at the "sketches" section. Horikoshi often shares his rough drafts where you can see the construction lines.

Second, practice "gesture drawing." Give yourself 30 seconds to capture the pose of a character without drawing any details. If you can't tell it’s Bakugo from a 30-second scribble, the silhouette isn't strong enough.

Third, experiment with different pens. Use a G-pen nib (or a digital equivalent) to get those sharp tapers in the hair and the heavy weight in the shadows.

Finally, don't just draw them standing there. The soul of MHA is "Plus Ultra"—going beyond. Draw them mid-shout, mid-punch, or mid-cry. The emotional intensity is what makes the art "human." Focus on the tension in the eyebrows and the grit in the teeth. That’s the difference between a generic drawing and a true My Hero tribute.