WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 337, "A Disposable Life” by Horikoshi Kohei, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
Hidden faces are widely underappreciated mysteries in Horikoshi Kohei's My Hero Academia. Even Horikoshi himself will reveal faces of people like the previous One For All users or Best Jeanist rather unceremoniously as if they were never mysteries at all. Finding out what characters like Overhaul and Shigaraki are actually supposed to look like is not always consequential to the story, but the apparent secrecy certainly leaves fans wondering. In this regard, readers have been chomping at the bit to know the true appearance of Class 1-A's resident Invisible Girl, Hagakure Toru.
Since Hagakure is in Class 1-A and therefore an important cast member, one would expect her face to be revealed sooner rather than later. However, over 330 chapters passed since her debut without the reveal. Similarly, Class 1-A's Shoji Mezo's real face is also hidden, but he can at least replicate those features with his Dupli-Arms Quirk. It's much harder to tell what Hagakure might look like because her body has always been completely see-through. This all changes in Chapter 337, "A Disposable Life." After over seven years in publication, My Hero Academia has finally granted its fans a glimpse at the real Hagakure.
Naturally, Hagakure can't be seen because of her Invisibility Quirk. This Quirk causes light to completely pass through her body, thus rendering it transparent. She can also use her body to refract light, but this doesn't make her physical characteristics any clearer.
Prior to Chapter 337, Hagakure's looks have been largely left up to the interpretation of the fans. Some have theorized that she's surprisingly beautiful. Others have joked about how she might be comedically unsightly. There are all sorts of fanart and fanfiction giving her different kinds of facial features and hairstyles. However, there's little consensus about what the Class 1-A student should actually look like.
For a while there was a rumor floating around that Horikoshi had already revealed Hagakure's real face. In the image, drawn by Horikoshi, Todoroki Shoto and an unknown girl posed. Many fans assumed this mysterious girl was actually Hagakure's visible form. The image is real, but the girl is not Hagakure. She's actually Suzune Kozaki from Saguri-chan Tankentai, a manga created by one of Horikoshi's former assistants, Akiyama Yoko. Hagakure has nothing to do with this drawing.
In Chapter 337, the reveal comes as a result of the ongoing drama surrounding the UA traitor, Aoyama Yuga. When he's discovered by Midoriya "Deku" Izuku and Hagakure, he panics and fires his Navel Laser. Deku prepares for the Laser, but Hagakure intercepts it. She is able to refract it into a nearby tree, though her gloves do get singed. As the smoke clears, her body shimmers and her features can briefly be made out.
Hagakure is shown to be a natural beauty, even by MHA standards. She has an average build and a short chin, though this much is revealed by Chapter 335, "Zygotes." She also has big eyes, long eyelashes and thin eyebrows. Her hair is unkempt and shoulder-length; she likely doesn't worry about brushing or styling it since it normally can't be seen anyway.
Unfortunately, Hagakure's face reveal is not the pleasant surprise fans might have hoped for. Due to the context of the situation, her expression is one of anguish. She is heartbroken and confused by Aoyama's deceit and tears are pouring out of her eyes. Hagakure is a generally cheerful girl, so seeing her expression for the first time as this contortion of hurt and suffering is unbearably heart-wrenching.
It can be easy to forget about this face reveal with everything else that happens in Chapter 337. The focus of this chapter is on Aoyama where it rightfully belongs; it's about his classmates' reactions to his treachery, Hagakure's included. Nevertheless, as important as the UA traitor subplot will be to the overarching story, this glimpse at Hagakure's face should not be overlooked.
The question of Hagakure's true appearance is even older than that of the traitor's identity. The conditions for the face reveal are less than optimal, but this doesn't have to be the only time it's shown. This whole offhanded reveal could just be the precursor to a better, more proper exploration of Hagakure in a later part of My Hero Academia.
