One of anime's most polarizing characters just picked up an unexpected ally. A My Hero Academia star has come to the defense of Minoru Mineta, arguably the series' most hated character, arguing in an interview with CBR that the pint-sized hero deserves more understanding than the fandom gives him — "He was just a kid."

Mineta has long been a lightning rod among My Hero Academia fans. While the rest of Class 1-A gets celebrated for growth arcs and standout battles, Mineta's comic-relief antics have made him a frequent target of fan frustration, and he routinely lands at the bottom of character popularity discussions.

The defense reframes that reputation. Viewed as a kid thrown into a hero academy alongside more naturally gifted classmates, Mineta's flaws read less like a character failure and more like an honest portrait of an immature teenager — which was arguably the point all along. CBR's interview makes the case that anime's most divisive character deserves to be understood a bit more.

It's a conversation that tends to resurface whenever My Hero Academia is back in the spotlight, and a cast member publicly taking Mineta's side guarantees the debate gets another round. Whether the fandom softens on him is another matter — but at least one person in the production's orbit thinks the pile-on has gone far enough.