Every Quirk seen in My Hero Academia has a set of weaknesses, but some of them can be safety hazards to their users. Here are the most dangerous ones.
Pretty much anything can be a Quirk In My Hero Academia. Even if it’s not necessarily applicable to becoming a hero or villain, the sky is the limit for a special ability. Though having a superpower is always mused about, everything has a downside. MHA never strays away from showcasing the harsh realities of having a Quirk and acknowledges that all of them have a weakness. In fact, some of the most powerful Quirks in the series have debilitating ones — and may even cause physical harm to their users.
This was seen from the start after Deku inherited One For All from All Might. Despite undergoing rigorous training, Deku’s body wasn’t accustomed to such massive power. He broke his limbs repeatedly, even taking a gamble during the Sports Festival by breaking his fingers one by one. However, some Quirks in the series may gradually harm their users after prolonged periods of overuse. Others have an instant, short-lived impact that is nonetheless harmful.
Some Self-Destructive Quirks in MHA Can Be Compensated
A few Quirks in My Hero Academia cause instant damage to their users. These can usually be countered by support equipment as an additional piece in their hero costumes. Yuga Aoyama’s Navel Laser, for example, causes him intestinal issues and an upset stomach if he uses it for too long. He uses a device that focuses the laser’s direction to counteract this. Still, it’s not very efficient in the long run since the simple truth is that his body’s just incompatible with the superpower.
Ochaco Uraraka has similar issues with her Zero Gravity, though not to the same extent as Aoyama. Katsuki Bakugo’s Explosions are another example of this; he will feel immense pain in his arms and hands if he uses his Quirk too much. To counteract this effect, he stores excess sweat in his gauntlets so he never runs out.
Even One For All’s destructive effect on Deku was counteracted with support equipment. Once Deku remembered he could use his legs to kick instead of throwing punches all the time, he asked Mei Hatsume to add iron soles to his shoes. Mei also gave him mechanical gloves so his punches are still impactful without using 100% of his power. Support technology can save their users from pain, suffering and medical expenses. However, not every destructive Quirk in MHA can be accommodated with technology.
Some MHA Quirks May Put Their Users’ Lives at Risk
Unfortunately, the nature of some Quirks may put their users’ lives at risk with prolonged use. Others may permanently injure them. The villainous Dabi’s Blueflame, for example, burns at over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit; his scarred appearance results from using his Quirk so often. My Hero Academia fans became accustomed to seeing half of Dabi’s face and arms all scarred up. Other flame users have the same problem, though not to the same extent. Endeavor and Shoto Todoroki can’t overuse their Quirks or else the flames will burn them. In Shoto’s case, overusing his ice half will give him a nasty case of frostbite.
Tomura Shigaraki’s Decay Quirk is another scary one. When he was a child, everyone thought he’d be quirkless since his power hadn’t manifested by the time he was four. However, he always had a peculiar skin condition that resulted in dry, flaky and itchy skin that was chalked up to allergies. It turned out this condition resulted from his Decay Quirk bubbling under the surface. Though it won’t kill Shigaraki, it is an intrinsic part of his identity in the story and manifested as a painful skin condition that nobody would ever wish for.
Other Quirks, however, are guaranteed death sentences. Lady Nagant’s Self-Destruct was gifted to her by All For One under the guise of receiving Air Walk. Self-Destruct will gravely injure her if she turns against All For One — or even has a slight change of heart. Such Quirks prove the intricacies of My Hero Academia’s worldbuilding since it’s not afraid of delving into the downsides of having a superpower. Just because a Quirk seems overpowered and convenient doesn’t mean it comes without a potential detriment to its user.
