#provisionallicenseexam

Non-Biased Analysis: Is Yokumiru Mera as Good as He Seems in My Hero Academia?

Yokumiru Mera is a mid-level employee of the Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC), first appearing as the exhausted proctor of the Provisional Hero License Exam (around Chapters 107-121). He is consistently portrayed as an overworked, sleep-deprived bureaucrat who complains about understaffing but carries out his duties professionally.

Key Canon Traits and Actions

Personality and Role: Mera is depicted as tired, straightforward, and somewhat casual (e.g., openly lamenting his lack of sleep during the exam). He supervises Hawks' training as a child/teen, treating him relatively humanely—chatting casually and suggesting training improvements. Hawks later credits people like Mera for helping him retain some humanity amid the Commission's harsh methods.

Involvement in HPSC Operations: He participates in aggressive tactics, such as the trap to arrest Re-Destro (using a fake meeting that leads to an assassination attempt via Twice's double). During the attack on HPSC HQ, he tries to protect the dying President.

Post-War Role: Becomes acting President briefly after the original President's death, then steps down for Hawks. In the epilogue (Chapter 430 and timeskip), he continues as Hawks' close assistant, supporting reforms like better Quirk education.

Quirk Status: Unknown; possibly Quirkless, but not confirmed.

The HPSC itself is canonically corrupt: it grooms child assassins (Hawks, Lady Nagant), orders secret killings to maintain hero society's image, and prioritizes status quo over ethics. However, this corruption is driven by higher-ups (e.g., past Presidents). Mera is never shown initiating or enthusiastically endorsing these darker elements—he follows orders as a mid-tier worker.

Is He "Good"?

Positive Evidence: No direct malice; treats subordinates (like young Hawks) with basic decency; survives and aids reform under Hawks; author Horikoshi notes his name means something like "see goodness well," implying intentional positive framing.

Negative Evidence: Complicit in the system's flaws (e.g., the Re-Destro trap was ruthless). As a long-time employee, he knows about the corruption but doesn't rebel.

Neutral Conclusion: Mera appears as good as he seems—a decent, exhausted everyman bureaucrat in a flawed institution. He's not a reformer like Hawks nor a villain like past Presidents; he's neutral/pragmatic, enabling the system without being its driving evil. Fan discussions rarely paint him as secretly bad; he's seen as comic relief or a "tired salaryman" archetype.

No canon evidence (up to the series end in 2024) suggests hidden villainy.

What If Mera Wasn't Good (Hypothetical Scenario)?

If Mera were secretly corrupt or manipulative (e.g., a mastermind feigning exhaustion):

Story Impact: His closeness to Hawks could make him a late-series traitor—sabotaging reforms, leaking info to remnants like All For One supporters, or preserving old corrupt practices undercover.

Plot Changes: Hawks' trust in him (built since childhood) would lead to a personal betrayal arc, deepening themes of institutional rot. The post-war society rebuild could face internal sabotage, forcing heroes like Deku/Class 1-A to expose HPSC remnants.

Character Twist: His "tired" persona becomes a mask for ambition; perhaps he orchestrated elements like the Re-Destro trap for personal gain.

Why It Wouldn't Fit Canon: This would contradict his consistent portrayal as non-ambitious and Hawks' positive reflections. It'd feel like a forced twist, undermining the epilogue's hopeful reform tone.

Yokumiru Mera is one of the most morally “gray” yet ultimately decent adults in the entire Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC) sphere in My Hero Academia. He is not a saint, but he is also very far from being evil or even one of the worst offenders in the system. Here’s a breakdown of where he actually stands:

1. He is a direct product of the old corrupt HPSC system

He was personally in charge of overseeing teenage Hawks’ training.

That training included forcing a child to carry out assassinations, infiltrations, and other morally dark missions that Hawks himself still has trauma over.

Mera is shown chatting casually with Hawks, coming up with “improvements” to his training regimen, and being the one constant adult presence during that period. In other words, he was complicit in the Commission’s child-soldier program.

He never shows any sign of having objected to what they were doing to Hawks.

→ This alone makes it impossible to call him a purely “good” person in the conventional sense.

2. He is not personally cruel or power-hungry

Unlike the previous HPSC President (who openly ordered assassinations, cover-ups, etc.), Mera never shows sadistic tendencies or personal ambition.

His defining trait is exhaustion and apathy, not malice. He just wants to do his job and go sleep.

When he temporarily becomes President after the old one dies, there is zero indication he uses the position to grab more power or continue the worst practices.

3. He shows genuine respect and care for the next generation

His speech at the end of the Provisional License Exam (“Those who can’t keep up are doomed to fail… but those who failed still have a chance”) is surprisingly compassionate coming from a Commission official.

He personally sets up the remedial courses so failed students aren’t completely crushed.

Eight years after the final war, he is still working under Hawks (now President) and supporting Hawks’ much more humane reforms (expanding Quirk counseling, reducing the Commission’s shady side, etc.).

4. He represents “the system” that won’t rock the boat — but also won’t defend the old ways once they’re gone

Mera never tries to bring back the old assassinations-and-cover-ups era after the war.

He quietly accepts Hawks’ leadership and helps implement the new, kinder direction.

In the epilogue he’s basically just an overworked civil servant again, not a crusader for change but also not an obstacle.

Final Verdict

Yokumiru Mera is neither a good person in the heroic sense (he has too much blood on his hands from the Hawks era) nor evil. He is the embodiment of the exhausted, morally numb middle-manager inside a corrupt system:

He went along with terrible things when that was the norm.

He never enjoyed them or pushed for worse.

Once the system started to genuinely reform under Hawks, he adapted without resistance and even helped.

In short: Complicit in the old sins → neutral → quietly supportive of the new, better direction. He’s the type of person who will never start a revolution, but also won’t sabotage one once someone else (Hawks, the kids, society) forces it through.