Characters / My Hero Academia - Stain

My Hero Academia Main Character Index
U.A. High School Students: Class 1-A (1-10, 11-20, Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, Ochaco Uraraka) | Class 1-B | Students From Other Classes
Pro Heroes: School Faculty and Staff (Shota Aizawa | All Might) | Other Heroes (Endeavor) | One For All and Its Torch Bearers
Villains: Known Villains [Stain] (League of Villains [All For One, Tomura Shigaraki, Dabi, Himiko Toga, Vanguard Action Squad, Artificial Humans], Shie Hassaikai [Overhaul], Meta Liberation Army, Paranormal Liberation Front, Villain Army)
Others: Police and Government Workers | Civilians (Main Characters' Families) | Other High Schools
Characters From Other My Hero Academia Media: Video Game Characters | Movie Characters
Vigilantes: Main Characters | Villain Factory | Supporting Characters
Team Up Mission

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Chizome Akaguro — "Hero Killer" Stain

^{Click here to see his current appearance.}

^{Click here to see his appearance as Stendhal.}

Voiced by: Go Inoue (Japanese), Robert McCollum (English), Raonel Rosales (Latin American Spanish/TV series)

Debut: Chapter 41 (Manga), Episode 24 (Anime)

Playable in: My Hero One's Justice, My Hero One's Justice 2, My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero, My Hero Academia: Ultra Impact

Quirk: Bloodcurdle

Rank: S

"Both this sham-filled society... and the criminals who wield their power in the name of petty mischief... are targets of my purge... All for the sake of a better society... "

An independent villain known for murdering any pro heroes that he deems to be "fake". He serves as the Arc Villain for the titular Hero Killer Arc, where his crippling of the hero Ingenium sends the heroes' younger brother, Tenya Iida, down a path of vengeance. He also appears in the Vigilantes spin-off, which details further how he came to develop his philosophy on heroes.

His Quirk is "Bloodcurdle", which allows him to paralyze people for a short amount of time by licking their blood. The exact time of paralyzation is determined by the victim's blood type.

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#-K

• '90s Anti-Hero: He's a Hero Killer who, ironically, is doing so because he believes so strongly in what a hero should be that very few live up to his standards besides All Might. Stain also not only has a name that would fit in with other '90s anti-heroes, but a power activated by consuming someone else's blood, which complements his sadistic joy in seeing others in pain, and an arsenal of knives he keeps on his person via a lot of belts and bandoliers.
• Anti-Villain: While certainly a villain from any sane perspective, Stain's ideology, goals, and desire to protect those he views as "true heroes" elevate his character above that of a typical villain.
• Arc Villain: Of the Field Training/Hero Killer Arc. He also plays a major antagonistic role for an arc in Vigilantes, as Stendhal.
• Ax-Crazy: Stain is very unhinged due to changing his philosophy about heroes and will not hesitate to murder anyone in cold blood just to prove a point. This is also played straight with his Quirk that makes him look even crazier, and we're not even getting into his Villainous Breakdown that gives off his malefic aura also known as Killing Intent.
• Bad Powers, Bad People: Played with. A guy that can paralyze anyone through the tasting of their blood sounds as villainous as one can get, but the fact is that he was once an aspiring hero student himself, so at one point he was a case of Bad Powers, Good People.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: His actions, though misguided, were all built out of a skepticism and desire to spread awareness of an industry of Punch-Clock Heroes. Such awareness would become mainstream after the Paranormal Liberation War Arc, but while Stain believed in weeding out the "fake" heroes so that the "real" heroes would stand out and inspire the masses, instead it creates a world actively hostile to all heroes regardless of their moral character. After Stain escapes Tartarus, he is clearly not enthused by the world he escapes to.
• Berserk Button:
  • Hypocrisy. Namely, people who lack a clear sense of conviction, as in anyone who falls outside of Black-and-White Morality - essentially crooked people who waver in the grey. It splits into two major categories: anyone who claims to be a hero but runs on selfish motivation, and anyone who chooses to be a villain but goes about it aimlessly. Anyone who falls under the second category is the people he hates most. Additionally, if someone's convictions waver, he considers it a sin, because it makes them unworthy to wield power, especially without knowing what they plan on doing with it or going back on what they said they stood for. He's also not too fond of any kind of pride, because a true hero is one who always will sacrifice themselves for nothing in return.
  • Bad mouthing All Might, as revealed in Chapter 326. Not even Toshinori — who is All Might is safe from this. And while Stain doesn't kill him for it like it appeared he was planning on doing, he begins raving and screaming in Toshinori's face for giving up and sullying the name of All Might.
• Black-and-White Insanity: As far as Stain is concerned, you're The Paragon whose heroics are entirely selfless, or you deserve to be crippled or killed. The latter usually applies to either Terrorists Without a Cause or Fake Ultimate Heroes who corrupt society with their good deeds fueled by bad intentions. Even genuinely good-natured heroes who see their role as just a job like former Ingenium Tensei Iida get brutally treated the same level as corrupt heroes.
• Blade Enthusiast: Along with his katana, he has several combat knives on his person. Some of them are readily visible, but a few are hidden in his gear, and he has a ton of sharp spikes on his boots. He needs all these blades because he relies on drawing blood to cripple his opponents.
• Blood Knight: He's absolutely delighted that Midoriya and Todoroki joined up together to fight him.
• Blood Lust: Part of Stain's Quirk requires bloodshed, and every single one of his attacks is designed to wound his victims. After he tears people apart, he feasts on their blood.
• Blood Magic: Not quite magic, per se, but ingesting a person's blood allows Stain to then immobilize them with his Quirk. Certain blood types are more susceptible to this than others.
• The Bus Came Back: He makes a surprising return in Chapter 326, encountering All Might at the site of his last fight against All For One. He then makes another return in Chapter 400, paralyzing All For One in a critical moment and giving All Might an opening to finish him off.
• The Cameo: He makes a surprise reappearance in Chapter 94, sharing the same prison as All For One.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: His speed, strength, and fighting skills are all 100% natural, no Quirk involved. It's enough to get him an S ranking, the same tier as All For One and Gigantomachia.
• The Chooser of the One: In a somewhat twisted way, he's unintentionally this for the extremist villains that follow his philosophy after his defeat. Because he believes that Midoriya is like All Might, a true hero that cannot be allowed to die, Stain's most devoted "followers" like Spinner won't try to kill him.
• Close-Range Combatant: His only ranged attacks seem to be throwing knives or his sword. This helps close the distance to use his Quirk.
• Combat Pragmatist: A vicious fighter who ambushes solitary targets in dark alleyways. He'll also attack while an enemy is speaking.
• Conservation of Ninjutsu: An interesting aversion. He's pretty deadly in a one-on-one fight because once he draws his opponent's blood, he can paralyze them for a few minutes, which is more than enough time for him to kill his opponent, or at least maim them if he decides to let them live. Todoroki later notices that Stain's movements and attacks, while still deadly, are a little sloppier once he, Midoriya, and Iida are all fighting him simultaneously, compared to when he was going one on one with the villain.
• Costume Porn: Stain has one of the most intricate and detailed designs out of anybody shown in the series, with little touches such as chains on his boots and a watch on his left wrist.
• Crippling Overspecialization: His Quirk, while useful in certain situations, means he struggles against groups, fighters who can keep him away or anyone with O Type blood (the most common blood type on the planet). Unfortunately for him, Todoroki and Midoriya together happen to cover those bases.
• Death Glare: Midoriya loses heart just staring into Stain's cold and piercing eyes because unlike the villains who invaded the USJ building who were all talk, Stain's eyes are those of a real killer.
• Determinator: He absolutely will not give up in his quest. When he's outnumbered and put into a disadvantageous position, he just fights that much more viciously. Even after being beaten into unconsciousness, he summons the strength to paralyze the Winged Nomu and stab it in the brain when it tries to carry Midoriya away. In the end, he only relents after passing out from a broken rib perforating his own lung.
• Died Standing Up: Subverted. At the end of his fight with Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki his broken ribs perforate his lung, but it's not lethal and he passes out while standing.
• Dramatic High Perching: He likes to survey the areas he's about to target from rooftops or other elevated places.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: Notice how he keeps on rambling about "resolve"? Well, let's just say that the whole thing started out with a "The Reason You Suck" Speech he misunderstood entirely.
• Dual Wielding: With his katana and any one of his array of knives.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He appears as The Stinger in the Season 1 finale of the anime in order to entice viewers for Season 2.
• Enemy Mine:
  • Toward Shigaraki and the League of Villains. Despite their starkly opposite opinions of All Might, they're able to make a tentative alliance over their shared desire to destroy the status quo.
  • He later somewhat forms one with the heroes after escaping prison, helping undermine All For One's plans and giving All Might a pep talk. Part of this is he's come to see all of Class 1-A as proper heroes worthy of his respect.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • In spite of being a mass-murdering loon, Stain finds Shigaraki and his plans to be vile, equating him to a child throwing a temper tantrum, and stating that spilling blood without (what he considers to be) a proper cause is senseless.
  • His reasoning for crippling and even killing heroes is that they don't adhere to his standard for what a hero must be like. Personal pride, vendetta, or just not measuring up are all reasons for Stain to target you. In a sense, you could call it "evil because he has standards."
  • He absolutely hates what All For One has been planning, and after breaking out of Tartarus he dedicates his efforts to finding as much information as he can on All For One's plans so he can pass it to All Might.
  • His first act upon breaking out of Tartarus is to kill another inmate after hearing about how he plans to start "collecting" women again.
• Evil Counterpart:
  • His respect for All Might and desire for justice (though a more extreme version of justice) makes him a counterpart for Midoriya. Gran Torino also compares him to All Might in that his charisma is essentially a darker counterpart of All Might's "symbol of peace" persona.
  • The conflict between him and Shigaraki is also a villainous echo of the one between All Might and Endeavor. Like Endeavor, Shigaraki is essentially a rival who resents Stain's popularity among the villain community and doesn't get why Stain gets so much respect and adulation.
• Evil Is Cool: In-Universe, after Stain is captured, many people including Iida admit that for a crazed murderer, there was something "cool" about him, so much so that he inspired many up and coming villains to take up his cause and join the League of Villains.
• Evil Sounds Deep: He has a pretty deep, gruff voice and is one of the more formidable villains in Season 2.
• Evil vs. Evil:
  • Played With during his first interaction with Shigaraki. He attacks the other villain as some sort of What You Are in the Dark test of character, but never directly opposes the League (same can't be said about Shigaraki who has a massive grudge against Stain).
  • Played Straight after the War arc. After escaping Tartarus and seeing the chaotic state of society courtesy of All for One, Stain delivers vital information about the villain's procedure to take over Shigaraki's body to All Might in order to stop the League. In Chapter 400, he tries to help All Might take down All For One by paralysing him using his Bloodcurdle Quirk.
• Face Death with Dignity: Before AFO kills him and takes his Quirk while mocking him that his story has ended, Stain raises his arms out and decides to Go Out with a Smile in defiance to AFO by telling him that his story hasn't ended yet while thinking about All Might who inspired him and wants him to live on.
• Fallen Hero: As it turns out, he once was an aspiring hero himself, and went to a prestigious institution to train. However, after less than a full year there, he became jaded when he felt that the system had decayed and that heroes weren't becoming heroes for the right reasons anymore. After spending some time as a street soapbox advocate for his ideals, he decided that violence, not words, was necessary in order to get his message across and to fix the system. The most disturbing part is that it works, not only do heroes act better where he's been out of fear, but after his defeat, his ideal changes the public opinion of the hero system. Unfortunately, the change he wanted causes more harm than good.
• Fights Like a Normal: Since he needs to draw blood from his target before he can use his paralysis Quirk on them.
• For Want Of A Nail: Twofold in Vigilantes:
  • Had it not been for Knuckle Duster's speech, Stain's philosophy might have never been formed.
  • He was this close to killing Kuin Hachisuka, had he only paid more attention.
• Four Is Death: His pattern is that whenever he operates in a particular area, he attacks at least four heroes before moving on.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: In spite of being a mass murdering lunatic, he's still able to provide one of these to All Might of all people. When All Might is at his lowest point in Chapter 326 after seeing the nation he worked so hard to protect thrown into chaos, and being completely unable to stop his pupil from going off on his own, Stain reminds him that as bad as things appear to be now, none of his efforts were fruitless. It was All Might's unrelenting drive to be a hero that inspired people like Midoriya to be heroes in the first place, and if even All Might can't have faith in himself anymore then he doesn't deserve to be called a hero.
  Stain: All Might always kept a smile on his face and set out to protect the people! It had nothing to do with his Quirk! The man known as All Might dedicated his entire life to preserving our peace! That belief, engraved in his very soul, is what we extolled! You don't even hold a candle to All Might. Just look at her! The result!? It's not over yet! The cinders that he left continue to burn within those who followed after, oblivious to the rain or wind, and now they are forming into a great fire! And so we must not let that flame die… as long as we live, we must continue to stoke that flame, no matter how pitiful our struggles may be!
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Stain's blood-red eyes start glowing brightly when he is particularly fired up or enraged. It may just be a visual, though it could also be a strange side-effect of his Quirk.
• Gory Discretion Shot: When All For One crushes his upper body, we're thankfully spared having to see the full details.
• Hazy-Feel Turn: After the mass villain breakout, he realizes that things have exceeded anything he wanted, so he takes it upon himself to inform on AFO to All Might.
• Hero Killer: Has single-handedly maimed and killed dozens of pro heroes, one-shots the Winged Nomu while already beaten to hell, and then promptly intimidates two seasoned heroes without even trying. It's in his name and this is why. He personally claimed the lives of 40 heroes in his bid to reform hero society from self-interests and corrupt ideals to selfless heroism and pure intentions.
• Hero-Worshipper: A very twisted example. He believes All Might is the only one who lives up to his ideal of what a hero should be and murders anyone who doesn't fit these criteria. He eventually comes to give Midoriya the same respect after he endangers himself to save his friend.
• Heroism Won't Pay the Bills: In this case, justified. He is not a hero, but sees himself as a vigilante and is seen by the public as a villain. Neither of these comes with any sort of payment. Smash!! reveals he works the night shift in a convenience store to make a living.
  • Due to his Black-and-White Insanity, not even this is a good reason to justify the heroism of heroes who get paid for said heroism.
• He's Back!: Stain breaks out of Tartarus following All For One's escape and returns to his hideout to find his gear. And given the people's distrust in heroes following the Paranormal Liberation Front's war, many of them will probably join his cause now. As it turns out, he's instead been using his time to collect information on the villains for the heroes to act on.
• Inspirational Martyr: An ironic example; after his capture, the media incorrectly assumes that he was working with the League of Villains, which the actual League exploits as a recruiting tool. The irony is that several fans of Stain and his ideology end up joining the League, despite the fact that he vehemently opposed them.
• Irony:
  • He wants to purge society of heroes who only seek fame and glory. He's used by the League of Villains to promote villainy, exactly the opposite of his intentions.
  • Endeavor, a defining example of the fake heroes Stain sought to destroy, was given credit for defeating him.
  • His former self Stendhal fit his definition of a 'fake hero' down to a T.
  • Stain's entire philosophy was accidentally created when he misunderstood the lecture Knuckle Duster gave to Kouichi about what is wrong with people who just put on a mask and think that they've become something else altogether just because of it. For further irony, Knuckle Duster is a seemingly Quirkless Blood Knight vigilante, and as such is a Foil to All Might, the one person that the present Stain believes to be a "true hero".
• Killed Off for Real: In Chapter 401, he gets killed by AFO and his Bloodcurdle Quirk taken.
• Killing Intent: One so terrifying that it freezes everyone in place, even Endeavor.
• Knight of Cerebus: Not only is Stain literally the first villain that Midoriya and co. face in the "real world" outside the safety net of school, he is also the blood-stained wake-up call that forces the young heroes to confront the grey realities of hate, justice, and vengeance that simply cannot be quantified and defined by classical notions of "black and white" morality.
• Knight Templar: His goal might be considered noble to an extent, but his methods to attain said goal are definitely cruel and horrifying. Lampshaded by Midoriya, who stated he had "the eyes of a fanatic".

L-Y

• Leitmotif: "Hero-goroshi" ("Hero Killer" in English).
• Licking the Blade: Not only does this show that he is a major psycho, but it's also his main method of activating his Quirk.
• Lightning Bruiser: He's so fast that Todoroki's fire and ice attacks can't keep up with him. When he gets serious, even Midoriya's 5% "Full Cowl" is outpaced. He's also strong enough to easily cut through Todoroki's ice. It's especially notable because his strength and speed aren't related to his Quirk. The databook rates him S in speed.
• Logical Weakness: On paper, his Quirk combined with his fighting style makes him near unbeatable. In practice, however, the unpredictability of his opponent's blood type and the fact that his strength and speed are purely his own means that Stain can only handle one or two competent fighters at once. Any more than that and he can be quickly overwhelmed.
• Loony Fan: He is a huge fan of All Might. He attacks, maims and kills other heroes that he believes has corrupted the heroic ideal that All Might has set.
• Ludicrous Gibs: This is the last we see from him in Chapter 401, when All For One attacks him to take his Quirk.
• Made of Iron: The guy took several heavy blows from Midoriya, Todoroki, and Iida that busted up his ribs and would've downright killed a normal person. He also wasn't wearing any form of armor during the fight against the three and his Quirk does not give him any defensive capabilities. Yet no sooner was he was dragged out from the alley that he managed to get back on his feet, save Midoriya from a flying Nomu, and was fully prepared for a fight with Endeavor before he was stopped by one of his broken ribs piercing his lung.
• Meaningful Name: His given name consists of the kanji for "blood" and "stain", while his surname for "red" and "black". His vigilante name is the pen name of an author of the book "The Red And The Black", connecting it to his surname. And lastly, his moniker "Hero Killer", well, if killing seventeen named heroes and crippling twenty-three to the point of being unable to fully recover, including Ingenium, Iida's brother, doesn't demonstrably show that his moniker is no joke, then what does?
• Merchandising the Monster: While at the mall, the members of Class 1A see a shop selling merchandise of the Hero Killer Stain, whose ideology to end corruption in heroes resonated with many people.
• Misaimed Fandom: An In-Universe example. His vocal disapproval of modern hero society spawned an entire cult behind him, with most of his fans completely misunderstanding his points. Four of them ended up joining the League of Villains:
  • Spinner, his biggest initial fan (to the point of cosplaying as him), misunderstood his ideology on only purging heroes that didn't have the selflessness of All Might. He also largely followed him out of a need for purpose, which quickly decayed as the League moved onto other goals.
  • Mustard followed him simply because he was upset about heroes in training and high academic privileges, a very big offshoot from Stain only targeting pro heroes.
  • Himiko Toga only liked Stain because she thought Stain was cool, and doesn't understand his ideology at all.
  • And last but not least, there's Dabi who misinterpreted his ideals on heroism from "needs to be fixed" to "needs to be destroyed". And given his identity, there's a good chance that he'll act good on that notion.
• Motive Rant: Just before passing out, he begins raving about how "false heroes" must all die:
  Stain: (Japanese version) You fake... I must make things right. Someone must be dyed in blood... I must take back what it means to be a hero! Come! Try and get me, you fakes! The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero... All Might!
  Stain: (English dub) You false hero. I'll make this right. These streets... must run with the blood of hypocrites. "Hero"! I will reclaim that word! Come on! Just try and stop me, you fakes! There is only one man that I'll let kill me. He is a true hero. All Might is worthy!
• Nasal Trauma: He cut off his nose in the backstory, after Knuckle Duster badly broke it with a punch.
• Nightmare Face:
  • The very first time we actually see Stain in the series.◊ Considering it comes near the tail end of the much more lighthearted U.A. Sports Festival Arc, it's pretty jarring.
  • On the verge of passing out, he gets so angry that he rips off his mask and shows everyone his grotesque skeletal features from the loss of his nose underneath to strike extreme terror into his opponents, and he throws off a Death Glare so potent that his eyes start wiggling around in their sockets. It freaks everybody out, even Endeavor.
• Noble Demon: As shown by Abusive Parents like Endeavor and materialistic hedonists like Mt. Lady bearing the title of "hero", Stain's belief of society's greed and hypocrisy cheapening the ideals of heroism is not without merit or truth. Hence his utter devotion to his brutal code of honor and his conviction to making the world a better place is no less noble than that of an actual hero.
• Non-Standard Character Design: Even for My Hero Academia, Stain has a particularly menacing design.
• The Noseless: Has a very strange, noseless facial structure that, when combined with his face mask/bandanna, oddly makes him bear more than a passing resemblance to an evil Ninja Turtle. Vigilantes reveals the full story behind it: After getting briefly knocked out in his battle against Knuckle Duster, he completely misinterprets the speech the latter gives to Kouichi about people who think that just by putting on a mask they automatically become invincible, as they are ultimately forgetting that they are still humans and thus lack the needed resolve. He stands up, briefly clashed with Knuckle Duster again and paralyzed him before using the opportunity to flee, all while "thanking" the latter for "enlightening him" through his "teachings". He decides to amp up his training as he was still lacking in some areas of combat. That being said, due to his newfound obsession with resolve, something that he came to believe to be the core of true heroism and in order to set himself apart from the "fakes who lack resolve", he decided to demonstrate his own resolve to change society by cutting off his nose, which is already badly broken in. In doing so, he makes it impossible for a mask to ever adorn his full face ever again beyond a simple cloth around his eyes. At that time, he also almost succeeded in murdering Kuin Hachisuka.
• Not Afraid to Die: His priorities lie in the motivations of his target, if his victim chose to attack him instead of saving the hostage first. Then he'll see them as unworthy of the title as a hero. Comes to play again when he's against All For One himself.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Actually turns this around on himself, saying that All Might is the only "true" hero there is, and therefore he can't allow any other hero to defeat him.
• Overly-Long Tongue: Possibly as a result of his Quirk, but definitely a creepy and prominent trait. It also comes in handy when licking the blood of others to use his Quirk.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: During the mass breakout from Tartarus, an escaping villain loudly celebrates getting out to "go back to chasing women". Stain promptly slits his throat on his way out.
• The Paragon:
  • In a rather dark twist of this, his hero killing actions actually end up causing heroes to become more aware and competent at their jobs, with the murdered heroes being treated as "sacrifices" to reach that result.
  • In an ironic twist, it turns out that, after his defeat and his philosophy become more well-known, he becomes a paragon of a different kind; now several villains, being affected by his words and hearing about his affiliation with a "League of Villains", are starting to gravitate towards the League.
• The Paralyzer: His Quirk allows him to immobilize victims by ingesting their blood. The blood type of the victim also affects how long Stain can keep them locked down, in order of O, A, AB, and B with O being the shortest and B being the longest (eight minutes).
• Parental Abandonment: Both of his parents were dead long before he started his crusade to take down morally-bankrupt heroes and villains.
• The Perfectionist: He has a black and white view of heroism and will see it through to the highest standard. If someone doesn't fit his definition of a hero then they are unworthy of the title and don't deserve to live. When Iida actually did admit to these criticisms, Stain seemed unable to accept that he really had gotten through to Iida.
• The Power of Hate: Before he's finally defeated, Stain gets so angry at the surrounding heroes that they're all paralyzed with fear and don't even think about fighting him. Hell, the only reason he was still standing is because his hate and willpower was keeping him going after such a beating. And he only stopped because he fell into unconsciousness after a broken rib punctured one of his lungs.
• Principles Zealot: He has a very specific view of what a true hero is, and anyone who strays from it even in the slightest is targeted by him. This is especially evident by him going after Iida's brother; even though Stain's rants are about heroes who are only in it for money, fame, and prestige, Iida's brother doesn't seem to care about either and is a pretty nice guy, but treats his profession as if he's simply inheriting the family business instead of acting out of any kind of heroic calling, which earns him Stain's wrath. Todoroki even calls him a "fundamentalist nutjob" during their confrontation.
• Rasputinian Death: Well, technically he survives, but it takes a lot of effort from Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki to take him down. And despite that, he manages to briefly escape and kills the Winged Nomu, which had taken Midoriya hostage. It's only because he loses consciousness from a broken rib piercing his lung that he's stopped.
• Readings Are Off the Scale: He ranks 6/5 in speed despite the fact that his Quirk has nothing to do with it.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: He's a vicious villain with black hair, red eyes, and an outfit with many black elements and his iconic red scarf.
• Sanity Slippage: As Stendhal, he wasn't exactly sane to begin with, waxing poetic about how the scum of society should be cut down where it stands. At this point however, he took special care to keep his personal life and his vigilante antics separate and he only went after street-criminals and low-level villains. After Knuckle Duster shattered his Cool Mask - which was established as being the thing that kept his two lives separate - his mind only deteriorated even further, taking it as a sign that he had lost sight of his mission and decided to go against "fake heroes" that have the same lack of conviction as the villains they fight, cutting his own nose off as proof of this conviction.
• Scarf of Asskicking: A red one, of course. It's iconic enough to help Iida identify him.
• Secret Test of Character: Pulls this on Shigaraki, as Stain believes people only show their true face at death's door. He seems to treat his fight with Midoriya and Todoroki as this, too, evaluating them and commenting as they go.
• Self-Care Epiphany: He believes this to be a Fatal Flaw for what he considers true heroes. To him, anything that a hero could benefit from is nothing more than complete selfishness on their part.
• Self-Harm: He cut off his own nose and pitched it down a sink.
• Senseless Sacrifice: His last act not only fails to achieve anything, it just makes things worse. He intervenes to try and grant All Might an opening in his final battle with All For One in Chapter 400, using "Bloodcurdle" to paralyze him so All Might could perform a finishing blow. All For One instead proceeds to use "Bloodlet" and "Antigen Swap", Quirks that let him instantly counter and render "Bloodcurdle" ineffective, before proceeding to kill Stain and steal "Bloodcurdle" from him. All For One proceeds to use it to paralyze All Might when he attempts his Taking You with Me move, leaving him at All For One's non-mercy for a drawn-out public execution. On the other hand, his efforts did somewhat extend the time All Might spent fighting against All For One just long enough for Bakugo to revive, but it's made clear that was ultimately a matter of luck rather that something Stain intended.
• Serial Killer: Of the mission-based variety. Stain thinks that he is making the world a better place by crippling or killing "fake" heroes.
• Shadow Archetype: To Midoriya. He is essentially what Midoriya would be if his morals and worshipping for heroes, and especially All Might was corrupted by Black-and-White Insanity and had no one to snap him out of it. To drive the point further home, Midoriya's outfit during the events of the Dark Hero arc is very similar to Stain's costume, a messy jumpsuit with a ragged scarf that makes him look more like a villain than a hero.
• Shout-Out: His lack of a nose, bandana-mask, and the several sharp implements he wears on his person make Stain look like the Ninja Turtles during their Darker and Edgier early years, with a motivation straight out of Marshal Law.
• Slasher Smile: This is Usually downplayed. However, when he is confronted by Midoriya, who quotes All Might's philosophy to him, Stain's whole face lights up (sort of) with this huge grin that veers into Cheshire cat/Grin of Audacity territory.
• Sleeves Are for Wimps: His outfit has no sleeves and he is one of the toughest villains in the series.
• Small Role, Big Impact: While a fan-favorite and a massive Knight of Cerebus, Stain was still ultimately an Arc Villain, who was defeated in his first on-screen battle before being sent to Tartarus Prison for the rest of the series. However, his impact on the story and setting were massive, having inspired dozens of new villains with his philosophy. Of those he inspired, many, like Toga and Dabi, would join Shigaraki's League Of Villains due to the misconception that he was a member of the League, something that Shigaraki capitalized on. Allowing them to become prominent recurring villains. What's more, the intensity of his beliefs were what drove Shigaraki to develop a solid philosophy and goals of his own, which was when he started growing out his Psychopathic Manchild tendencies, and into a much more dangerous villain. And all of this was caused solely by Stain's reputation.
• Spanner in the Works: An intentional example. Stain is not on board with AFO's grandiose plans to destroy Japan and become "the most powerful demon king", even if he was an integral cog in his scheme to achieve that goal, and accordingly, when he's breaking out of Tartarus, he steals the data from the monitoring rooms and passes it along to All Might later on. Said data reveals that AFO and his vestige counterpart possessing Shigaraki are able to communicate directly with each other, unlike All Might and his counterpart within OFA, thanks to both the original and copied AFO Quirks each possessing a copy of the Radio Waves Quirk, allowing them to transmit and receive signals to each other. Analysing the recorded signals reveals that the original AFO asked his vestige counterpart to complete Shigaraki in 38 days rather than the two months that the data from Dr. Garaki's research at the hospital indicated. All Might notes that he could have intentionally rigged said data to throw them off the trail, and he will actually be ready to steal OFA in three days from the present, but thanks to Stain, the heroes are now aware of this, rather than being caught off-guard by his false timeline.
  • He then makes an appearance in Chapter 400, paralyzing All For One just as All Might moves to finish him off, pretty much ruining his plans to achieve some sort of victory.
• Tautological Templar: Essentially, he believes that what he is doing is the right thing and is so dedicated that he matches the heroes in convictions.
• Unwitting Pawn: Kind of. Stain wasn't actually part of the League of Villains, but Gran Torino believes that the Big Bad behind the alliance used Stain to give them publicity, of a sort.
• Vader Breath: Breathes rather loudly and raggedly with a "Hahh..." sound effect, with it often punctuating his speech.
• Villain Has a Point:
  • He chastises Iida during their fight for his need for vengeance, rather than trying to focus on helping a fellow hero which Stain injured. He then drives in the nail further by stating that Iida's actions taken are the furthest thing from being a hero. Of course, as stated above, once Iida actually did admit to these criticisms, Stain seemed unable to accept that he really had gotten through to Iida. However, it's shown after he escapes that he's changed his mind after having time to think about it.
  • His criticism of society propping up "fake heroes" in the business for reasons other than saving people bears fruit where in the wake of the Paranormal Liberation War, many heroes, including one of the Top Heroes, quit in response to the massive public backlash of their failure to protect them from Shigaraki's attack and the subsequent prison breaks, giving up when society needed them the most.
• Villain Respect:
  • In the past, he practically venerated Knuckle Duster after the latter "enlightened him".
  • He respects All Might and Midoriya because, of all the heroes he faced, they're a pair of the truest heroes of all. Heck, it's to the point where he willingly saves Midoriya when the Winged Nomu kidnapped him.
  • After his breakout from Tartarus, he comes to respect all of Class 1-A, Iida included.
• Villain Takes an Interest: He likes Midoriya because he's one of the few who unambiguously embodies what he feels a true hero is. This was probably a factor in him saving Midoriya from the Winged Nomu.
• Villain with Good Publicity: While there is no debate whether or not he was a criminal, his message about combatting the falsehoods of hero worship became very popular when a recording of his arrest was leaked online. He became so popular that a line of merchandise was released based around him and he inspires a new generation of supervillains (Toga and Spinner being two examples) based around his philosophy.
• Villainous Breakdown: Todoroki notes that he lost his composure during the main fight when Iida admitted his criticisms were correct. This caused him to completely forget about Midoriya, who was able to blindside him during the final clash. Stain claims that no person can change their true nature in just a few minutes, so it's obvious that his brain couldn't handle the notion that Iida's epiphany was genuine, even though changing the attitude of pro heroes for the better is his entire goal.
  Stain: Trying to make me think you've had a change of heart is futile. A man's true character doesn't change so easily! You are nothing more than a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires! You are the cancer of society, warping the word "hero". And someone needs to correct that. [...] That's out of the question.
• Villainous Rescue: He saves Midoriya from the Winged Nomu. Made much more dramatic because he had just been beaten by Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki moments before.
• Weak, but Skilled: Quirk-wise, he's not as strong as say, Todoroki or Midoriya, but he's honed his skills to the point that his Quirk can be used to its maximum potential. Combat ability-wise, he's on par with Aizawa in this regard.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He targets only the heroes that he feels are acting only in their self-interest because he idolizes "real" heroes, those who act selflessly and for the sake of right as opposed to for fortune or fame, such as All Might. It's even stated that he tried to become a legit hero before becoming disillusioned with the scene and turning to darker methods to enforce his ideals of justice. However, what constitutes as "self-interest" to him includes even those genuinely heroic ones who do it because they see it as a family occupation or as a way to make money for their struggling loved ones, which is just as worthy of death to him.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Iida for focusing blindly on avenging his brother, rather than aiming to save the hero that Stain had already injured.
• Worthy Opponent:
  • He considers Midoriya to be one because he fits his very narrow ideal of what a hero should be, and actually saves him from a Nomu.
  • He regards All Might as one even though the two have never met, as he considers All Might the only hero worthy of killing him. When they finally meet in Chapter 326, Stain tells All Might off for giving up after losing his power, in an attempt to inspire him so he will keep fighting and challenging him to find and stop him.
  • After he's escaped, he implies he now sees all of Class 1-A in this light.
• Won't Take "Yes" for an Answer: A non-comedic example; Stain's stated goal is to change the attitudes of pro heroes. Yet someone who he saw as unworthy barely a few minutes ago (Iida, who had been berated by Stain for pursuing revenge over saving people) having an epiphany and agreeing with his criticisms is so baffling to him that his brain can't handle it properly, as it throws him off his game during his major battle with Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki. This is later downplayed, as when he reappears it's shown he's changed his mind after having time to think about it.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Lampshaded by All For One when he prepares to steal his quirk, saying that despite his contribution to the League of Villains, his time is over in the story.
• You Will Be Spared: If he considers a hero to have proved themselves as truly being heroic, Stain will spare their life, even if he has them at his mercy. It's implied he found no one worthy of being spared until Midoriya, since he had absolutely no selfish intentions for his actions. He will even go so far as to save them from others he considers to be wrong.

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"Hero is a title reserved for those who perform truly great feats! Too many are undeserving... Just money worshippers playing hero! Until this society wakes up and rectifies itself... I will continue to do my work."

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