Juzo Honenuki, known professionally as Mudman, is a recommended student in U.A. High School's Class 1-B, originating from Kanagawa Prefecture and a graduate of Kintora Middle School. Born June 20 with blood type AB, he possesses a distinctive skull-like face featuring exposed teeth and no visible lips, unrelated to his Quirk. His appearance includes pale skin, angular eyes, and ash-blond spiked hair, standing 174 cm tall. His initial hero costume comprises a dark bodysuit with layered armor, a round helmet featuring a retractable snorkel and exposing hair at the back and chin, orange vambraces, thigh and calf plates, elevated green-and-orange boots, white gloves, and kneepads. Eight years post-U.A., his costume retains its core design but evolves with a more mechanical chest plate and sleeker helmet, while his facial features grow sharper. Calm, analytical, and adaptable, Juzo prioritizes teamwork and worries intensely about disappointing allies in defeat. Though disliking losing, he accepts outcomes stoically unless feeling personally responsible for a team's failure. His flexible thinking allows swift tactical adjustments mid-battle, and he strategically retreats from overwhelming threats. Outside combat, he enjoys massages, soft blankets, sweets, and binge-watching. He dislikes rudeness, sour foods, and heights due to airsickness. He occasionally sleepwalks and avoids dental visits. He maintains close bonds with Sen Kaibara and Shihai Kuroiro and speaks fluent English and Japanese, often conversing in English with classmate Pony Tsunotori. His Quirk, Softening, liquefies non-living materials upon touch, reverting them to solidity with subsequent contact. This ability affects terrain and objects across tens of meters, creating quicksand traps or hindering movement. He navigates softened substances by swimming, utilizing his snorkel-equipped helmet for submersion. His signature technique, Subside, employs large-scale ground liquefaction for tactical advantage. The Quirk deactivates if he loses consciousness. Physically, Juzo exhibits hypersonic+ reaction speed, wall-level durability, and high stamina. His Ultra Analysis Book ratings are Power 3/6, Speed 5/6, Technique 5/6, Wits 5/6, and Flexible Thinking 5/6. He compensates for lower direct combat power with expert environmental manipulation, excelling in support and area denial. During the U.A. Sports Festival, Juzo placed fifth in the obstacle race and participated in the cavalry battle. In the Joint Training Battle against Class 1-A, he countered Shoto Todoroki's ice assault by softening it, immobilizing opponents like Tenya Iida and Mashirao Ojiro. He coordinated with Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu to topple structures strategically and retreated upon encountering Tenya's Recipro Turbo, resulting in a draw. In the Paranormal Liberation War, Juzo assisted in capturing villains at Gunga Mountain Villa and later softened terrain to delay Gigantomachia's advance. During the second war, he collaborated with Eijiro Kirishima, Mina Ashido, and others to recapture Gigantomachia. Eight years after graduation, Juzo achieved the rank of No. 14 Pro Hero, known for strategic ingenuity and adaptable combat support. Trivia includes his fear of heights, occasional sleepwalking, preference for soft textures, valuing cuddling in private while avoiding public displays of affection. His hero name, Mudman, reflects his Quirk's earthy applications.