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“ | Oji Harima. The Peerless Thief. A criminal from days gone by. Just when the current system began settling into place Harima targeted the fattened pockets of sham heroes. He preached reformation while returning what he pilfered back to the streets. | „ |
~ Oji's descendant Mr. Compress on the Peerless Thief. |
Oji Harima, also known as the Peerless Thief, is a minor posthumous antagonist in the 2014 Japanese superhero manga series My Hero Academia and its 2016 anime television series adaptation of the same name.
Harima lived during the dawn of hero society and believed the Pro Heroes who earned a living off of the people they protected were greedy and corrupt. As such, he donned the moniker of the "Peerless Thief" and began selectively stealing from those directly related to the hero system that he saw as untrustworthy. He would give the riches he stole to the common folk, acting like a sort of hero for the people.
Generations after his life, the Peerless Thief Oji Harima was still remembered by society as one of the greatest Villains of all time. In the modern day, the descendant of Harima Atsuhiro Sako shared his ancestor's ideology and sought to tear down the corrupt society he lived within. As the Villain "Mr. Compress," Atsuhiro sowed discord upon the hero system as a member of the infamous League of Villains and its successor organization the Paranormal Liberation Front.
Synopsis[]
Life of Oji Harima[]
Oji Harima was a Japanese boy born into a superhuman society where a large percentage of the world's population had superpowers referred to as quirks. In order to ensure that the abuse of said powers would not cause society to crumble, the governments of the world including Japan passed a law that made it illegal to use quirks in public. There was however an exception to this rule—Pro Heroes. Heroes were individuals who protected society from evil-doers known as Villains and as such were able to freely use their quirks in pursuit of justice upon obtaining a hero license.
Harima lived during the dawn of hero society. He saw the society he lived in as corrupt and as such became a Villain dedicated to reforming the hero system. As the "Peerless Thief," Oji stole from the wealthy Pro Heroes that he saw as greedy and corrupt and redistributed the riches he accumulated to the common people. Although his fate remained unclear, he presumably died of old age. Before his demise, Oji had a family that shared his ideology.
Legacy of the Thief[]
“ | Of course, one must not forget the legendary All For One; Destro, the commander of the Meta Liberation Army; and the Peerless Thief, Oji Harima. These so-called villains have likewise found a notoriety that will ensure their names are never forgotten. | „ |
~ Gentle Criminal referencing Oji and other infamous villains. |
After Harima's death, the Peerless Thief was recognised as one of the greatest and most infamous Villains that hero society had ever seen. His deeds during life ensured that memory of him never faded into obscurity, as the world still recognized his achievements generations after his demise. Gentle Criminal, an aspiring Villain of little fame, made reference to the Peerless Thief and two other Villains during an online video. Alongside the other two criminals, All For One and Destro, Harima was described by Gentle as a villain whose deeds would ensure his name would never be forgotten.
In the modern day, Harima's ideology prevailed thanks to his descendants that continued to believe in the Peerless Thief's belief that the hero system should be uprooted. His great-great-grandson Atsuhiro Sako became a Villain known as Mr. Compress in pursuit of seeing his great-great-grandfather's dream fulfilled. Over his years of villainy, Sako garnered a great amount of wisdom and was considered one of the most wanted thieves in the entirety of Japan. Eventually, Compress joined the League of Villains, a group of criminals who sought to reshape hero society for their own personal reasons. Over time, Compress began to believe that the leader of the League Tomura Shigaraki would be the man to see the Peerless Thief's ideology come to fruition, as he had the convictions and charisma to lead society into a new age.
The League would later merge with the Meta Liberation Army, forming a massive organization headed by Shigaraki and the League members that was known as the Paranormal Liberation Front. One day, the Pro Heroes made a coordinated attack on the Paranormal Liberation Front, forcing the anarchistic organization onto the back foot. Fearing that Tomura would be captured, Compress remembered the story of Harima to provide himself with an ample amount of resolve that helped him resist against the Heroes with all of his power. As he prepared to make a daring escape with his comrades, Mr. Compress dramatically revealed his lineage to the gathered Heroes and Villains.
List of Appearances[]
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