Mezo Shoji

## Voices

**Mezo Shoji** (障 (しょう) 子 (じ) 目 (め) 蔵 (ぞう) , *Shōji Mezō*), also known as the **Tentacle Hero: Tentacole** (触手ヒーロー テンタコル, *Shokushu Hīrō Tentakoru*), is a student in Class 1-A at U.A. High School, training to become a Pro Hero.

## Appearance

Mezo is a tall, muscular young man with pale gray hair swept forwards, covering most of his face, and bent downwards at almost a right angle over his eye. He has six arms, all attached to each other by a web of skin, which are very physically strong, and while his Quirk is not in use only the front two arms have hands, the rest ending in thin stumps.

While less pronounced in the anime, he has a slightly elongated face, his eyes set more towards the sides, the majority of which, for some reason, he has always kept hidden by a blue mask, which covers him from just below his eyes to the base of his neck. He has never been seen without it on, as he doesn't appear when the other students are bathing in the hot springs, and he wears it with every outfit. To speak and eat, he simply grows a mouth on the end of one of his tentacles, although once, in the Forest Training Camp Arc, when his arm was injured, he has been seen speaking with his actual mouth. Although he has no discernible ears, he doesn't have to use his Quirk to hear.

During school hours, he wears the regular male U.A. uniform, the only notable difference between his and the other students' being that his is sleeveless to make room for his six tentacles, and he wears a waistcoat rather than a blazer. He also doesn't wear the usual brown dress shoes, instead replacing them with a pair of thick-soled black espadrilles.

His hero costume consists of a tight blue tank top, six white markings resembling eyes, connected at the top to a darker, more indigo-colored mask, its design the same as the one he usually wears. He has a belt with another, larger eye shape embedded into its center, this time yellow, below which he wears slightly baggy trousers to match his shirt, two darker lines running down the sides of his legs, and indigo boots.

## Personality

Despite his frightening appearance, Mezo is a very friendly and gentle person who will work nicely with anyone. He is not the type to hold grudges, showing no ill will towards those that harm him unwillingly.

Mezo is quite selfless and willing to risk his life for anyone. He can be empathetic and understanding, but still shows a sense of maturity and responsibility that prevents himself from acting under emotional impulses, even if he feels regretful about it. It is evident that he is very protective of his fellow classmates, especially if they are hurt or injured. The Ultra Archive book states that his feelings for his friends are stronger than anyone else and doesn't mind sacrificing himself.

Mezo claims to hold no desire for material needs, being fine with having few possessions of his own. This is a trait he has been carrying since childhood.

Mezo is also quite thick-skinned, as he said he was used to being feared and seemed unfazed when Pony Tsunotori called him an octopus and said she didn't like to look at him.

In Mezo's hometown, there is still prejudice against those whose bodies are altered outwardly by their Quirks and people were often frightened of him. He started wearing his signature mask because his face made a young girl cry and he didn't want to be the cause of anyone's sadness.

## Trivia

* A piece of concept art showcased Mezo's true face prior to its official unveiling in the manga, featuring a wide mouth with a set of jagged teeth. The same concept artwork also implies that Mezo is capable of using his Quirk to replicate miniature versions of his head.
* According to Mezo's Volume 3 profile:
	+ His favorite foods are takoyaki and squid ink pasta.
	+ To keep himself warm during winter, Mezo wears a poncho.
	+ Kohei Horikoshi considers Mezo fun to draw due to his less human-like features.
* Mezo's known U.A. academic data is as follows:
	+ Student No. 11 in Class 1-A.
	+ Ranked 6th during the Quirk Apprehension Test.
		- Mezo's Grip Strength record is 540 kilograms. His previous record was 46 kilograms in middle school.
	+ Ranked 10th in Class 1-A's mid-term grades.
	+ Ranked in the Top 42 of the U.A. Sports Festival First-Year Stage.
* Mezo's surname contains the kanji for "to harm" (障, *shō*) and "child, character" (子, *ji*), and his first name contains "eyeball" (目, *me*) and "storehouse" (蔵, *zō*).
	+ Mezo's surname is also a type of Japanese sliding door (障子, *shōji*).
	+ Mezo's name comes from an old saying: *"walls have ears, doors have eyes"* ("壁に耳あり障子に目あり", **kabe ni mimi ari shōji ni me ari**) which is derived from a Chinese text, Guanzi.
* Measuring at 187 centimeters, Mezo is the tallest student in his class.
	+ He is also, ironically enough, the youngest of the class, with his birthday taking place in late February. He is younger than Tsuyu by three days who is the second youngest student in Class 1-A.
* Mezo's Japanese voice actor, Masakazu Nishida, also voices Sen Kaibara.
* Horikoshi considers either Mezo or Jurota Shishida to be the physically strongest first-year students without using their Quirks.
* Mezo choose Ten**taco**le as his hero name because "tako" is Japanese for octopus, a nod to the octopus-like appearance of his Quirk. He chooses to wear his mutation as a badge of honor in spite of the discrimination and injury inflicted on him as a child.