Tenya is a relatively tall and muscular young man with a wide frame. He has short dark blue hair, flattened neatly down and parted on the left of his head, a small patch completely shaved near the base of his head, and rather square eyes which match the notably pointed shape of his jaw. He usually wears a serious expression, and his eyebrows seem to be permanently pointed inwards, quite thin and long in length, the far ends sharply hooked inwards, and he wears glasses with rectangular lenses. Because of his , he possesses calves that are incredibly thick, and shaped like automobile engines, with three silver exhaust pipes protruding from each one.
His hero consists of a black one-piece suit with a high collar, over which he wears various pieces of armor, all a pale silver in color, including a chest plate, a metal collar around his neck and another around his upper arm, and metal vambraces that extend past his elbows, pointed at the ends. He wears a helmet covering his entire face, its sharp bevor full of holes to allow him to speak and breathe easily, and its upper piece rounded over his head with two larger holes on either side, two curved horns just behind and a single spike sticking out of the back of his head. On his feet, he wears silver knee-high boots with gold accessories, which are specialized for his Quirk, and around his torso, he has three thick metal pipes, attached with a blue band, although these only serve as decoration. His armor is very lightweight and does not protect him much; its main purpose is to cut down air resistance rather than to protect him.
Tenya may look severe, but he's actually a very straightforward, earnest, intelligent, sophisticated, disciplined, strict and noble person. He tends to take everything very seriously, and because of this, he has a habit of jumping to conclusions, then enthusiastically speaking or acting based on said conclusions. For example, after assuming that izuku midroyia had figured out the true nature of the ua entrance exam , Tenya acknowledged him as a worthy peer and has since held him in high esteem. All this enthusiasm leads Tenya to be hyperactive and intense, having some involuntary body tics such as moving his arms around in strange patterns and sometimes twitching his own body uncontrollably. Tenya is extremely dedicated to his studies and is always eager to learn new things. As 1-A's representative, Tenya is obsessed with organization and discipline, expecting his classmates to follow suit, which more often than not annoys them. At the same time, Tenya takes personal responsibility for the safety of his classmates, considering it his duty as a class representative to protect and keep them away from dangerous situations. Tenya is very humble, willing to admit to his mistakes, apologize for rude behavior and improve himself in areas he is lacking. This became clear when Tenya admitted that seeking vengeance against hero killer: Stain was not the way a real Hero should act, and when he decided to leave his damaged left hand unhealed as a reminder of his recklessness and also as a motivation to pursue true heroism. Tenya values honor and fair play and will become angered if it turns out that he is being manipulated.
Being part of the highly-esteemed Iida , Tenya is proud of his lineage and works hard to meet the expectations put on him. Tenya admires his older brother, Tensei Iida (also known as the Turbo Hero: Ingenium), and wants to become a hero similar to him. His bond with his brother is so strong that after Tensei was severely injured by Stain, Tenya sought to avenge him by trying to hunt and dispose of Stain himself, breaking several rules of Hero work in the process, which otherwise would be extremely uncharacteristic of him. Having inherited the alias of Ingenium, Tenya now works hard to be able to uphold his brother's Hero name as well as the reputation of the Iida Family.
