5 Anime Mentors Who Changed the Hero's Life Forever

Bidisha Mitra is an Anime Contributor for CBR. She has always been a passionate fan of anime and manga, from watching Studio Ghibli films to reading every volume of One Piece. Because of her fluency in Japanese, she understands the nuance in the stories they tell and enjoys not having to read subtitles as often. Whether it's through an academic lens or professionally, Bidisha has over eight years of experience as a writer, specializing in anime, manga, and Japanese culture. She has also interviewed English voice actors, such as Ryan Colt Levy, Bryson Baugus, and Christopher Wehkamp.

Mentor figures in anime are those who have the most impact on the protagonist. They train them beyond their limits and teach them important life lessons throughout their respective series, even inspiring fans. While all of them are pivotal to a protagonist's development, a select few mentors in anime have drastically shaped the destinies of heroes.

These mentors don't just offer wisdom or advice to the protagonist as the series progresses. All five have sacrificed something or committed an act that would forever change the protagonist and, as a result, even the narrative.

My Hero Academia is one of the most popular hero genre anime of all time. Izuku Midoriya, mostly known as Deku, was born Quirkless, but was still determined to become a hero. On one fateful day, he met All Might, his idol and Number 1 Hero. After witnessing the protagonist save others at the risk of his own life, All Might decided Deku was worthy of his Quirk, One For All, one of the most powerful in My Hero Academia .

That decision wasn't a light one, as he was aware of the danger it posed for Deku. However, All Might trusted that the protagonist had the potential to become the greatest hero. Although Deku's journey was traumatic and many villains would push his limits, he eventually fulfilled his dream. He was arguably a bigger inspiration than All Might for many, including a few villains. Still, without All Might's help and sacrifice to diminish his own Quirk, Izuku Midoriya wouldn't have come so far, and My Hero Academia wouldn't even exist.

While Assassination Classroom might not be the most palatable anime for every viewer, Koro-sensei's relationship with Class 3-E is incredibly wholesome and motivational. The students of Class 3-E are purposefully isolated from the rest of the school as a psychological tool against the "superior" students to maintain their grades. This rigged system made Class 3-E give up on studying altogether and instead cause chaos. This changes when Koro-sensei gets assigned as their teacher.

Although Class 3-E is tasked with killing Koro-sensei by the end of the school year, which is nearly impossible with his superpowers, the teacher-student dynamic steadily grows, especially with Nagisa Shiota. Koro-sensei taught them how to rise above their low status, tailored his teaching style to each student's needs, and fixed their weaknesses. Every anime fan agrees that they would love a teacher like Koro-sensei. Without his presence in Assassination Classroom, Class 3-E would've remained ostracized and shown no growth.