Understanding Deku’s Most Powerful Vestige in My Hero Academia

Overview

  • One For All encompasses a diverse array of formidable Quirks, each accumulating power across generations, even to the extent of altering reality.
  • Kudo’s Quirk, Gearshift, is the ability inherited by the second user of One For All, which presents a significant tactical advantage despite its inherent risks.
  • This Quirk, while immensely potent, is best reserved for critical moments due to the drastic consequences of its use.

The unique Quirk known as One For All possesses a collection of powerful abilities that have been built up through many generations, ultimately becoming so potent that certain Quirks should only be activated in dire circumstances. Kudo, the second user of One For All, initially had a less formidable ability. However, through development, Gearshift now has the capacity to shift the fabric of reality itself.

While One For All is lauded for its immense capabilities—particularly Kudo’s Gearshift—its utilization must be approached with caution due to the substantial drawbacks associated with it. This raises the question: What makes this Quirk Deku’s most powerful ability and the noteworthy Vestige in My Hero Academia?

Identifying the Strongest Vestige

Exploring Kudo’s Quirk: Drawbacks and Reality-Warping Abilities

Kudo Image

In the expansive universe of My Hero Academia, Midoriya Izuku inherits One For All, a Quirk that initially appears to be a mere accumulation of strength. However, as the legacy unfolds, it becomes evident that One For All also integrates the Vestiges along with their respective Quirks, enhancing Deku’s prowess.

As the ninth and latest bearer of One For All, Deku wields not only established strength but also the Quirks of previous users. The lineage of this power can be traced back to its origin, Shigaraki Yoichi, who had a remarkable connection with All For One. This Quirk possesses a unique transference ability that allows it to be passed down through means as simple as blood, creating a dynamic of growth in strength over time.

As One For All evolved, the array of Quirks nested within it also advanced, resulting in increasingly potent abilities. It is essential, therefore, to evaluate which Vestige could arguably hold the title of the strongest based on their capabilities. Among the six Quirks available to Deku, he has leveraged them to reinforce One For All. Notable Quirks include Shimura Nana’s Float, which aids in aerial maneuvers but lacks direct strength benefits, and Smokescreen and Danger Sense, which excel in stealth and threat detection.

Blackwhip stands out as one of the initial abilities utilized by Deku, enhancing his combat strategy while maintaining a safe distance from Shigaraki Tomura’s Decay Quirk, often synergizing with Fa Jin to maximize speed and power output. While All Might may not have been a Vestige in his own right, his legacy found new life through One For All, further solidifying its significance as Deku’s preeminent Quirk.

Understanding Kudo’s Double-Edged Quirk

The Initial Use of Gearshift

Gearshift Activation

As detailed earlier, Kudo’s Gearshift, the Quirk of the second user, developed alongside One For All. While it started as an underwhelming ability primarily to regulate bullet speed and direction, Kudo showcased remarkable control, even in life-threatening scenarios against All For One. However, despite this control, Gearshift was initially viewed as a “lackluster peashooter”against formidable foes.

  • Transmission: Gradually enhances attack speed with each punch.
  • Overdrive: By integrating Fa Jin, increases power and speed, pushing One For All usage to 120%.
  • Detroit Smash Quintuple: A maneuver leveraging Gearshift to deliver a barrage of rapid punches.

The growth of Gearshift has broadened its application, enabling the user to manipulate speed and motion at a cellular level. Chapter 369 illustrates how the synergy of Gearshift with One For All allows the user to bend the laws governing reality, an unprecedented advancement that defies the principles of inertia.

Despite its incredible capabilities, Gearshift presents notable risks, necessitating its reserved use. When Deku first experiments with Gearshift alongside Fa Jin to execute the Overdrive Ultimate Move against Tomura, while he temporarily amplifies his agility and strength, significant consequences loom. If used excessively, the Quirk can impede oxygen flow to the body, resulting in dire reactions if overextended.

Deku remains cognizant of these downsides yet finds himself compelled to employ Gearshift to bolster Bakugo Katsuki’s pace towards All For One, even at Kudo’s warning about its limitations. The reality-warping nature of Gearshift can immobilize its user if not managed correctly, a concern Deku faces as the battle intensifies.

In conclusion, while Gearshift is a formidable asset in Deku’s arsenal, the risk elements are significant. Without proper rests between uses, his body may fail to function, deprived of essential oxygen. Despite Kudo’s caution to use Gearshift judiciously, Deku presses on during his climactic confrontation with Tomura, determined to protect everyone, including All Might.

My Hero Academia is now available for streaming on Crunchyroll.

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