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Who is Eijiro Kirishima in My Hero Academia? Explore the story of the Sturdy Hero: Red Riot, his powers and abilities, and more.
The world of Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia is one that is brimming with professionals as well as aspiring Heroes. The main focus of the series is on the next generation of Heroes, who train at prestigious schools like U.A. High to become great Heroes someday.
Due to the sheer size of the cast of My Hero Academia characters, not every character gets their time to shine and ends up being underutilized in the narrative. One of such unsung characters is U.A. High Class 1-A’s Eijiro Kirishima, better known by his Hero name – Red Riot.
His role in the overarching narrative is certainly not as prominent as Deku’s, Bakugo’s, or Todoroki’s. Regardless of that, Kirishima stands out from the rest, not because he’s the strongest or has the most unique Quirk, but because of his unyielding spirit, infectious positivity, and a heart as solid as his Quirk. With that in mind, let us further explore Kirishima’s story in My Hero Academia, his abilities, and his fate after the time-skip in the epilogue.
Who is Eijiro Kirishima in My Hero Academia?
Eijiro Kirishima was a student of Class 1-A at the prestigious U.A. High School. He is also known as the Sturdy Hero: Red Riot. Throughout the series, he is portrayed as an energetic, cheerful, and outgoing young man. He harbors an overwhelming fondness for manliness, as he was often seen using the terms “manly” and “unmanly” to describe other people.
Kirishima is extremely determined and has an unbreakable resolve, which allows him to persevere in the most difficult of situations. He also has a strong sense of responsibility, and pushes himself to become stronger and improve his abilities. His cheerful personality helps him befriend most people he comes across, especially those who share the same morale and resolve as him. Kirishima is also a huge fan of the Pro Hero, Crimson Riot. He shaped his own look, personality, and even his Hero name after the legendary Hero.
There have been several instances throughout the series when Kirishima was seen struggling with self-doubt. This was due to an incident in Junior High, which still haunts him and makes him feel useless and pathetic. Fortunately, he managed to get back on his feet after witnessing an old video of his idol, Crimson Riot, which helped Kirishima gain a new perspective. He was thereby determined to overcome his weaknesses and insecurities, as he started working, training, and studying harder than before.
Kirishima’s Role in My Hero Academia
In terms of his role in the overarching narrative, Eijiro Kirishima is a side character. However, Kirishima is, by no means, unimportant to the story. His fiery and boisterous personality helps uplift his classmates and motivates them to overcome difficult situations. Knowing full well what it feels like to be powerless at times, Kirishima strives to inspire hope and stand tall, even in the face of fear and overwhelming threats.
Kirishima’s friendship with Katsuki Bakugo, in particular, is proof of his ability to connect with people who struggle to open up. In spite of Bakugo’s abrasive and downright rude behavior at times, Kirishima treats him with utmost respect, even considering him to be his friend and rival. He even lightens up Bakugo’s mood at times and helps him see reason.
Kirishima Powers and Abilities
Eijiro Kirishima’s power lies in his Hardening Quirk, which gives him the ability to harden and sharpen any or all parts of his body. This causes his body to become jagged and have a rock-like appearance. Kirishima’s Quirk gives him extraordinary levels of strength and endurance. When his Quirk is active, even bullets cannot penetrate his body. He is also capable of handling huge explosions at point-blank range, as seen during his fight against Bakugo.
With his Quirk, Kirishima can turn himself into an impenetrable shield to protect his allies and civilians. However, there is a certain limit to how much damage his hardened body can take, as taking on too much damage can cause his Quirk to slowly disappear.
As the series progresses, Kirishima further refined his Quirk. This resulted in him unlocking advanced and powerful techniques like Red Riot Unbreakable – a form that pushes his Hardening to its limits, transforming him into a virtually indestructible force. His body takes on a monstrous form in this state, which makes him invulnerable to most physical attacks. That said, Kirishima can maintain this form for only 30-40 seconds. His ultimate moves include Red Gauntlet and Red Counter, which deal devastating damage to his opponents.
Eijiro Kirishima’s Fate After Time-skip in My Hero Academia
Like most of the story, Eijiro Kirishima wasn’t a major focus of the My Hero Academia Epilogue arc. This final arc featured an 8-year time-skip following the war. Society had managed to pull through from the mass devastation and destruction caused by Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. Everyone banded together to rebuild society and move on from the horrors of the war.
After the 8-year time-skip in the My Hero Academia Epilogue, all the former students of Class A of U.A. High had become great professional Heroes. As for Eijiro Kirishima, he graduated from the Hero Course at U.A. High alongside his classmates and is currently ranked 12th on the Hero Billboard Charts. Therefore, we can conclude that Kirishima was finally able to follow in his idol, Crimson Riot’s, footsteps and became a successful Hero.
Conclusion
Eijiro Kirishima is one of the few characters in My Hero Academia who didn’t need a spotlight to shine bright. His growth from the terrified young boy who failed to save his underclassman from being attacked to the No. 12 Pro Hero is a testament to his indomitable will and unwavering resolve. Although the manga is over, fans continue to revisit his character arc and appreciate his growth throughout the series.
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