Shota Aizawa

Shota is a slender, tall, pale‑skinned man with messy shoulder‑length black hair and half‑opened black eyes. He often looks fatigued, with unkempt facial hair and tired, bloodshot eyes — except in combat.

At U.A. High (years 2–3), his hero costume included a black jacket with shorter sleeves, pants, shoes, fingerless gloves, and a wrap scarf. In year 2, he added beige goggles with silver lenses; by year 3, they resembled his current pair. His later hero outfit is a baggy black ensemble: long‑sleeved shirt, pants tucked into boots, utility belt, and wrap scarf — with bright yellow goggles hidden underneath for battle. Before teaching, his goggles were silver‑like and his utility belt smaller.

After being injured by the U.S.J. Nomu, his face and arms were bandaged; once removed, a small scar appeared under his right eye.

For press and parent meetings, he wears a black suit, blue tie, and white shirt, with his hair in a low bun. In downtime, he wears a loose black long‑sleeved shirt and a messy bun.

During the fight with Tomura Shigaraki, Shota cut off his right leg to stop the Quirk‑Destroying Drug. After the battle, he gained:

• a second scar (from eyebrow to lower eyelid);
• a black eyepatch over his right eye;
• a prosthetic right leg.

Following the Final War, he ties a short portion of hair back, with a long strand covering his missing eye — to avoid students staring at it.

Eight years later, his outfit remains the same, but his hair is shorter — reaching halfway down his face and parted on the right.

Shota is a stern, reserved man with high expectations of his students. Motivated by logic, he comes off as cold and impatient, often napping in his sleeping bag instead of socializing.

As a U.A. student, Shota was gloomy and doubtful about becoming a hero — his Quirk, Erasure, had limited solo potential. Friendship with Oboro Shirakumo and Hizashi Yamada helped him gain confidence. Oboro’s encouragement led Shota to see his potential and agree to start a Hero Agency with his friends.

Oboro’s death at the hands of villain Garvey deeply impacted Shota. He became more committed to heroism but also more solitary, distancing himself from classmates. Despite teachers’ concerns about his complacency, his drive remained strong. Against advice to slow down, Shota chose to become an underground hero after graduation, specializing in fighting villains — evolving into Eraser Head.

Before teaching, Shota had a reckless streak. He tolerated the Naruhata Vigilantes’ illegal actions and allied with unethical allies like the Hotta Brothers to fight the Villain Factory. He tried to arrest Koichi Haimawari for resisting the law, warning him about recklessness. Yet he later joined Koichi against Number 6 and his army, threatening to break Koichi’s legs if he fled.

As a teacher, Shota famously “expels” students deemed unfit for U.A. High — but secretly re‑enrolls them. This symbolic “death” experience drives them to improve. He hasn’t expelled any Class 1‑A students yet. Strict and intolerant of disobedience, he pushes students through rigorous training, emphasizing the harsh realities of heroism to help them overcome limits.

Shota openly criticizes U.A.’s examination systems as impractical and unchallenging. He also bluntly doubted Izuku Midoriya’s potential to become a hero when they first met.

Overall Abilities: Eraser Head is a formidable U.A. teacher and Pro Hero, known for combat prowess, tactical intelligence, and adaptability. He combines Quirk nullification (Erasure) with his Capturing Weapon, agility, and close‑combat skills. Even without his Quirk, he excels in hand‑to‑hand combat, creating openings for allies by disabling Quirk‑reliant foes. As a student, Hizashi noted that despite his hesitation to take initiative, Shota becomes fearsome once committed.

Combat Experience: During the U.S.J. Incident, he fought multiple League of Villains members, countering precisely and nearly incapacitating Tomura Shigaraki — until overwhelmed by the U.S.J. Nomu. He’s also faced high‑level villains (Dabi, Himiko Toga) and contributed to key events: the Shie Hassaikai Raid and Paranormal Liberation War, helping suppress High‑End Nomus and Tomura’s powers.

Binding Cloth (Capturing Weapon): This specialized tool immobilizes enemies, aids terrain navigation, and sets traps. Mastered over six years, it synergizes with Erasure for rapid target disabling.

Immense Stamina: Shota shows high resilience and pain tolerance. At the U.S.J. Incident, he kept fighting with fractured arm and skull, protecting Tsuyu Asui. In the Paranormal Liberation War climax, he amputated his leg to stop a Quirk‑Destroying Bullet’s effect — yet continued using Erasure.

Keen Intellect: A skilled strategist, he uses observation and deduction to analyze combat and assess students’ mental states. His goggles obscure his gaze, keeping enemies uncertain. He quickly devises plans against varied foes — even those immune to Erasure — and grasps Quirk mechanics after one observation.

Teaching Ability: Recruited reluctantly by Nemuri Kayama, Shota became a top U.A. educator. He teaches with blunt honesty and high expectations, emphasizing Pro Heroes’ responsibilities. Using “rational deceptions” (e.g., temporary expulsion), he pushes students to distinguish noble sacrifice from recklessness.

Erasure (抹まっ消しょう Masshō?): Eraser Head's Quirk allows him to nullify another person's Quirk by looking at them. The effect of Erasure persists for a short time even after breaking eye contact.[24]

After suffering serious injuries during the U.S.J. Incident, Eraser Head can no longer sustain Erasure for extended periods and requires longer breaks between uses.[20] Following the loss of one of his eyes in the Paranormal Liberation War, he now has limited use of the Quirk, relying on his remaining eye.[23][25]

While powerful, Erasure comes with several limitations:

Erasure is disabled when Shota blinks.
Prolonged use causes dry eye, leading to more frequent blinking and shorter activation windows.
Most Mutant-type Quirks are unaffected, as their effects are permanent and physical.
Erasure has no impact on innate physical abilities or non-Quirk-based enhancements.
When active, Erasure causes Shota's hair to levitate, which is a visual tell that opponents can use to gauge activation.
The Quirk has no inherent offensive capability.
Since the Quirk Factor is tied to Shota's eyes, any serious injury to them can reduce or eliminate his ability to use Erasure effectively.

Eyedrops: Shota carries a small green case of eye drops with him. He uses them to treat the dry eye caused by keeping his eyes open too long.

Capturing Weapon (捕縛武器 Hobaku Buki?): Eraser Head's weapon of choice is a cloth made from steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers.

Eraser Goggles: Eraser Head can be recognized by the gold goggles he wears around his neck, hidden by his scarf. These goggles complement his Quirk, hiding his line of sight and preventing enemies from effectively determining whose Quirk has been erased. He received the goggles during his school years with Oboro.

High Density Weights: Eraser Head and the rest of the teachers use these bracelets to give themselves a handicap while they are fighting their students.

Caltrops: Eraser Head used caltrops in the practical battle against Team Todoroki & Yaoyorozu. They were effective when used in combination with the Capturing Weapon. After suspending Shoto in mid-air with the Capturing Weapon, Shota threw caltrops beneath him so he couldn't land safely in case he escaped his restraints.

Knife: Eraser Head has a large knife he uses to cut off his Capturing Weapon should it become stuck to something. He can also use it in combat.

Prosthetic Leg: After being forced to sever his own right leg during the fight against Tomura, Shota uses a prosthetic leg.

Shota's given name "消太" has the character "消" that means "erase" (消 shō?), with the other character meaning "big, thick" (太 ta?), although, used in names to refer figuratively as "healthy". His surname also has the character (相 ai?) which can mean "Mutual" or "Councilor". The other kanji character means "swamp" (澤 zawa?).
According to Shota's Volume 1 profile:
Shota likes cats.
Kohei Horikoshi conceptualized Shota's character if a person would make every decision rationally, though as a result, he doesn't care about social decency.
Horikoshi pictures Shota's room to be quite empty, which reflects his apathetic behavior.
Shota's specialty is short-length sneak attacks.
Shota is a social drinker.[26]
While drinking with his colleagues, it is revealed that Shota is a sleepy drunk who has a habit of mistaking objects for people. Upon coming to and sobering up, he tends to forget what he said when he was drunk.[27]
According to Shota's Ultra Analysis profile:
The death of his close friend, Oboro Shirakumo, has made him especially strict with his students in the hero course.
Despite this, once Shota decides to care for someone, he will give them as much support as humanly possible.
His personality is described as "actually kind of doting".
Shota's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
Shota ranked 9th in the first Popularity Poll.
Shota ranked 4th in the second and the Global Popularity Poll.
Shota ranked 6th in the third Popularity Poll.
Ranked 11th in the fourth Popularity Poll.
Ranked 7th in the fifth, seventh, and eighth Popularity Poll.
Ranked 5th in the sixth Popularity Poll.
Ranked 13th in the ninth Popularity Poll.
Present Mic was the one who gave Shota his hero name.
Shota also shares his hero name with the 1977 drama/fantasy film, Eraserhead, directed by David Lynch.
According to Shota's Volume 9 profile in the Vigilantes spin-off:
Hideyuki Furuhashi says that he was requested to give Shota lighter equipment and a more traditional design for h