What is Deku’s Quirk in My Hero Academia?

Deku evolves from a Quirkless individual to a dependable Pro Hero. So what is Deku’s Quirk in My Hero Academia?

Deku as seen in My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

The protagonist of My Hero Academia – Deku, is beloved for his growth from a Quirkless, weak individual to a strong and dependable pro hero. So what is Deku’s Quirk in My Hero Academia?

In My Hero Academia, Deku was originally Quirkless, but later received the Quirk One For All. In a society where Quirks giving superhuman powers to their users was the norm, Deku had always been unable to pursue his goals. However, with his newfound abilities, he could finally stand at the starting line.

How Did Deku Receive His Quirk in My Hero Academia?

Deku and All Might as seen in My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

After a fateful encounter with the Top Hero All Might, Deku’s life completely changed. With his unwavering spirit, he impressed the hero and became the inheritor of his power, One For All. All Might was reminded of himself when Deku tried to save Bakugo from the Sludge Villain despite the danger involved. So, the top hero decided to choose and train him as his disciple.

As Deku embarked on a journey to chase his dreams, his path was far from easy. As multiple dangerous villains of My Hero Academia kept posing obstacles, Deku and his friends often had to face danger. To his surprise, Deku found out later that, along with One For All, he could also use the Quirks that belonged to the previous users of the power. Mastering all of these would be his key to finally becoming the greatest hero in the series.

Deku’s Powers While Wielding One For All

1) One For All

Deku’s Quirk in My Hero Academia was initially believed to be just One For All, which granted him superior physical abilities. Known among fans as a “Stockpile Quirk,” One For All gathered strength over time before finally releasing and providing its user tremendous strength, speed, and durability.

It was later revealed that another benefit of One For All was that it gave Deku the ability to access the Quirks of past users. Being the ninth user of One For All, he was able to use seven additional powers. This excluded All Might, who had been Quirkless himself before inheriting the ability.

2) Gear Shift

Inherited from the second user of One For All, Kudo, Gear Shift allowed for the enhanced acceleration of anything Deku came in contact with. Whether this was another object or himself, it dramatically increased the velocity and damage caused by his strikes.

3) Fa Jin

Fa Jin was originally the Quirk of the third user Bruce. It made Deku capable of storing Kinetic Energy while using it in a large burst of power.

4) Danger Sense

Danger Sense was one of Deku’s more ambiguous abilities in My Hero Academia. It gave him a “sense” of any impending danger in his surroundings. This was inherited from the fourth user of One For All, Hikage Shinomori.

5) Blackwhip

Deku Using Blackwhip in My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

Blackwhip the first Quirk that Deku could manifest from the past users. It was originally owned by the fifth user, Daigoro Banjo. It allowed Deku to use whips of Black Energy to grab objects and move around the battlefield quickly. The power and intensity of the energy also varied depending on the user’s emotions, and negative emotions could cause it to go out of control.

6) Smokescreen

Used by the sixth user, En Tayutai, Smokescreen was an ability that generated a thick cloud of smoke while obstructing the vision of its opponents.

7) Float

Deku uses Float in My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

Transferred from the seventh user, Nana Shimura, Float was an ability that allowed Deku to fly in mid-air. It was very useful in aerial combat when paired with his Blackwhip ability.

How Did Deku Lose His Quirk in My Hero Academia?

During his final battle with Shigaraki in the Final War Arc of My Hero Academia, Deku realized that the only way to defeat the powerful villain would be to transfer his own Quirks into Shigaraki’s body. This would let the vestiges of the past users create havoc inside him.

Through the course of the battle, we saw him saying goodbye to one user after the next as he also gradually kept losing his powers. By the end, he was only left with the embers of One For All, which would help him in using large bursts of strength but would eventually fade away.

This brave but heartbreaking sacrifice eventually left our hero back in the state he was in the first chapter, Quirkless. However, unlike the first chapter, he was now satisfied with his choice and shown to be a teacher at U.A. towards the end of My Hero Academia.

Exploring Theories on Deku’s Quirk in My Hero Academia

There is a big debate in the My Hero Academia community regarding whether Deku was originally Quirkless or if he had his Quirk stolen. This was never confirmed, but there are many theories about this online.

Adding to this, the popular belief is that Deku’s Quirk in My Hero Academia was originally “Decay”. This was the feared ability used by Tomura Shigaraki to cause mass destruction in the series. A fan commented on X:

“There’s a theory that Dk had his quirk stolen when he was too young to remember since his Doctor was Dr. Garaki. Shiggy got his quirk at age 6 which coincides when Deku was 2 years old and COULD have had “Decay”. There’s a mysterious man seen with Shiggy the day he got his quirk.”

There’s a theory that Dk had his quirk stolen when he was too young to remember since his Doctor was Dr. Garaki. Shiggy got his quirk at age 6 which coincides when Deku was 2 years old and COULD have had “Decay”. There’s a mysterious man seen with Shiggy the day he got his quirk pic.twitter.com/Y31GIQfXMs
— EriCheri 🧡💚 | 🍒🌸| BkDK Brainrot ✨ (@EriCheri3) September 13, 2022

This theory originates from the fact that Deku’s doctor, Kyudai Garaki – who proclaimed him to be Quirkless, was the same one who worked for All For One and helped create the Nomus.

Should this theory be true, it can also be assumed that the Quirk which was stolen from Deku was later granted to Tomura Shigaraki by All For One.

At the same time, there are also several counter-arguments to this theory. The first of these being that All For One would have had to track down Deku’s Quirk in the first place to steal it.

Throughout the series, there was no indication that All For One had any ability to “sense” powerful Quirks. If he did, there was no explanation provided for why All For One had never used it before to steal other powerful Quirks.

Another reason why many doubt this theory is the difference in timeline. When Shigaraki finally manifested his Quirk, Deku would have been one year old. Quirks typically manifested around the age of four, and even if Deku was an exception, it was odd that his mother never sensed any signs from him.

Conclusion

Deku and his classmates as seen in My Hero Academia (Image via BONES)

In the world of My Hero Academia, which placed priority on individuals with Quirks, Deku’s journey of being a Quirkless individual who gained powers and then sacrificed those very same abilities to save the world completely reshaped Hero Society.

While people initially judged others solely based on the value of their Quirk, Deku’s selflessness and courage moved them to look past just powers and bring focus to their character and courage.

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What is Deku’s Quirk in My Hero Academia?

How Did Deku Receive His Quirk in My Hero Academia?