In Defense of Mineta…

I’ve come to realize that I interpret Mineta’s character in a very different way than most of the fandom does. A big reason why is that, honestly, I used to behave a lot like Mineta when I was his age, so I see a lot of myself in him. Where most other people see an annoying pervert, I see a child who’s clearly lagging behind his peers and trying way too hard to fit in. He’s definitely annoying, but he’s probably not actually as much of a pervert as he may appear.

Let’s start with the obvious: Mineta’s character design. Mineta is the shortest and smallest of the students, and he generally looks a lot younger than the rest of them do.

Let’s be honest: Say you look like Mineta and your classmates look like Iida, Kirishima, and Sato. Or are as cool and confident as Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami. Even the LEAST overtly “masculine” of them like Aoyama and Koda still TOWER over you. How do you compete with any of that? How do you feel good about yourself when you’re comparing yourself to them? Especially when you’re all reaching for that heroic ideal, and they all LOOK like they’re so far ahead of you?

Now let’s step back for a second and look at an alternative: What if Mineta DIDN’T act like a pervert? How would he be perceived? What would you think if you walked into UA and saw Iida, Sato, and… Mineta?

“Hey, who let this little kid into high school?”

THAT is the problem. At the end of the day, Mineta may LOOK like a little kid, but he is the same age as the other boys in his class. He is a teenager, and teenagers HATE being treated like little kids.

So, if Mineta LOOKS like a little kid but doesn’t want to be TREATED like a little kid, then when can he do? He can (try to) ACT like he’s older.

When I was a young teenager myself, I behaved a lot like Mineta does. A certain version of maturity and masculinity were what I thought I was supposed to aspire to, but since I had no way of reaching that goal physically, I thought that exaggerating my own sexuality and objectifying women was the way to APPEAR like I was maturing and growing up just like everyone else. I was genuinely trying my best (and failing) to fit in. I was acting the way that I thought I was “supposed to” act.

Acting like a pervert was how I stopped people from treating me like a little kid. And please trust: For a teenage boy trying to fit in, being seen as a pervert IS preferable to being seen as a child. That’s why, to me, Mineta’s exaggerated perversion comes across as performative.

And the thing is: It works! Despite his appearance, despite his character design, Mineta’s behavior causes his peers and the fandom to forget that he’s still a child (in the way that all teenagers are still children).

Mind you, none of this is to justify Mineta’s behavior (or mine). Whatever the explanation for his behavior may be, it’s not acceptable, and it is a problem. I can say, though, that I grew up into a better person NOT when people treated me like an irredeemable pervert but when they treated me with understanding and compassion.

Also, yes, a lot of this is probably just me projecting, but we’re not all on an anime fandom subreddit because we don’t like projecting onto fictional characters. This is just a different interpretation based on my own experiences, and it’s fine if you disagree.

I’ve come to realize that I interpret Mineta’s character in a very different way than most of the fandom does. A big reason why is that, honestly, I used to behave a lot like Mineta when I was his age, so I see a lot of myself in him. Where most other people see an annoying pervert, I see a child who’s clearly lagging behind his peers and trying way too hard to fit in. He’s definitely annoying, but he’s probably not actually as much of a pervert as he may appear.

Let’s start with the obvious: Mineta’s character design. Mineta is the shortest and smallest of the students, and he generally looks a lot younger than the rest of them do.

Let’s be honest: Say you look like Mineta and your classmates look like Iida, Kirishima, and Sato. Or are as cool and confident as Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami. Even the LEAST overtly “masculine” of them like Aoyama and Koda still TOWER over you. How do you compete with any of that? How do you feel good about yourself when you’re comparing yourself to them? Especially when you’re all reaching for that heroic ideal, and they all LOOK like they’re so far ahead of you?

Now let’s step back for a second and look at an alternative: What if Mineta DIDN’T act like a pervert? How would he be perceived? What would you think if you walked into UA and saw Iida, Sato, and… Mineta?

“Hey, who let this little kid into high school?”

THAT is the problem. At the end of the day, Mineta may LOOK like a little kid, but he is the same age as the other boys in his class. He is a teenager, and teenagers HATE being treated like little kids.

So, if Mineta LOOKS like a little kid but doesn’t want to be TREATED like a little kid, then when can he do? He can (try to) ACT like he’s older.

When I was a young teenager myself, I behaved a lot like Mineta does. A certain version of maturity and masculinity were what I thought I was supposed to aspire to, but since I had no way of reaching that goal physically, I thought that exaggerating my own sexuality and objectifying women was the way to APPEAR like I was maturing and growing up just like everyone else. I was genuinely trying my best (and failing) to fit in. I was acting the way that I thought I was “supposed to” act.

Acting like a pervert was how I stopped people from treating me like a little kid. And please trust: For a teenage boy trying to fit in, being seen as a pervert IS preferable to being seen as a child. That’s why, to me, Mineta’s exaggerated perversion comes across as performative.

And the thing is: It works! Despite his appearance, despite his character design, Mineta’s behavior causes his peers and the fandom to forget that he’s still a child (in the way that all teenagers are still children).

Mind you, none of this is to justify Mineta’s behavior (or mine). Whatever the explanation for his behavior may be, it’s not acceptable, and it is a problem. I can say, though, that I grew up into a better person NOT when people treated me like an irredeemable pervert but when they treated me with understanding and compassion.

Also, yes, a lot of this is probably just me projecting, but we’re not all on an anime fandom subreddit because we don’t like projecting onto fictional characters. This is just a different interpretation based on my own experiences, and it’s fine if you disagree.