Soooo... This fucker.

Koji Koda
Thread
@VocalPineapple I'll have your head for this (1/7).

Koda is, if nothing else, a demonstration of Horikoshi's impressive ability to take a seemingly useless quirk, and make it work.

In the concrete jungle which houses most of MHA, Koda is at a disadvantage from the start, not to mention that at first he's afraid of bugs (2/7)

However, Koda gains his moment in the spotlight in the Students vs Teachers arc, where many students use their exams for self betterment and overcoming personal demons. Momo, Bakugo, Deku, Mineta... Their matchups allow them to naturally grow, and Koda is no exception (3/7)

With Mic being the perfect counter to Jiro's Earphone Jack, Koda has to rise to the occasion rather than rely on others like he's clearly been doing so far.

This is a perfect demonstration for quirks as a system, since it showcases the distinct pros and cons each quirk can (4/7)

have, depending on the enemy and the environment. It also introduces a motif that is later amplified by more relevant characters like Twice or Shiggy. Overcoming personal issues is a legitimate and organic way in which characters get power ups in this series, and it's (5/7)

...introduced here, with Koda, and it was done perfectly.

Fear also plays a major role in how Koda & Jiro's exam ends: both Mic and Koda had fears going into this fight, but while Mic's was his downfall, Koda managed to overcome his, and win (6/7)

Koji Koda may not revolutionise any long term themes in MHA, and I think not everyone should be expected to.

But he helps emphasise the already existing theme of self improvement so well, that I definitely the series would be ever so slightly weakened in his absence (7/7).