Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia manga.
My Hero Academia is currently one of the most popular anime series out there, with five complete seasons and 36 manga volumes under its belt. Currently airing its sixth season, this anime is gearing up for its most epic battle to date, and much is being discussed regarding its fight scenes, strongest characters, and naturally, their powers.
Spoilers ahead.
In the My Hero Academia universe, 80 percent of the population is born with inhuman abilities, best known as Quirks. We all know, there are always those who abuse their power and use it for evil. Fortunately, there are also those who rise to the challenge when things get ugly, using their Quirks to protect the weak, whether it’s from villains, natural disasters, or something as simple as a robbery.
With so many incredible and unique Quirks being constantly introduced in the series, it’s quite difficult to choose the best ones, especially because the best doesn’t always mean the most powerful. But despite the impossibility of the task, here is our ranked list of the very best Quirks picked from all the abilities we have seen so far — as well as the ones that are yet to make their presence known — in My Hero Academia.
10. Erasure
Belonging to Shota Aizawa, Erasure can nullify almost every other Quirk with a single glance. While not the most flashy or strongest of abilities, it sure comes in handy in a world reigned by Quirks, as Aizawa can strip even the most deadly opponent of their powers.
The only Quirks Erasure cannot cancel out are mutant types, as they are a part of the target’s body in a way that cannot be undone; however, Aizawa can erase the abilities associated with the mutation. Being a sight-dependent Quirk, Erasure can be applied to multiple targets at once, so long as they remain in Aizawa’s field of vision as the moment his eyes close a counter-attack is possible.
9. Half-Cold Half-Hot
Born out of a Quirk Marriage, Shoto Todoroki possesses the best of both worlds. With the right side of his body, he can create and manipulate ice, while with his left, Shoto can generate fire — which is basically like having two Quirks in one. Despite his fire ability being underdeveloped due to years of unuse, when Shoto reconciles with his power, his growth potential is phenomenal as he’s now able to use both elements at once for greater amounts of time, while simultaneously self-regulating his body temperature.
While ice takes the lead in defense tactics, overall, Half-Cold Half-Hot is a great Quirk for short and long-distance attacks, giving Shoto the power to freeze or burn his enemies to death.
8. Double
With this Quirk, Jin Bubaigawara, aka Twice, can create duplicates of anything he desires, as long as he knows the characteristics and measurements of what he’s replicating. When Twice replicates a person, the clone maintains all of that person’s abilities and memories, becoming indistinguishable from the original. Although Double only allows its user to create two replicas at once, the same doesn’t apply when Twice uses his powers on himself. When Twice creates duplicates of himself, as the clones also share his Quirk, they can in turn keep creating more and more replicas, quickly forming an entire army of doubles. Unfortunately, the replicas disintegrate when dealt enough damage. But hey! He can just keep on creating more!
7. Brainwashing
Perhaps one of the scariest Quirks in the series for its invasiveness, Brainwashing belongs to Hitoshi Shinso. This Quirk lets its user control any person of his choosing, with the only requirement being that the target speaks to Shinso first. Because of this, Brainwashing is particularly effective when the opponent is unaware of the Quirk or its requirements.
Once under Shinso’s spell, though, it’s very hard for the one being controlled to take back their body autonomy, and it’s only possible if the person gets a shock to their system, like a severe injury. In the hands of a villain, this Quirk could be used to raise some serious hell as its user can control multiple people at once and force them to do anything he wants.
6. Decay
Owned by Tomura Shigaraki, Decay’s sole purpose is utter destruction, and that suits its user just fine. This Quirk allows Shigaraki to decompose anything he touches, be it an object or a living creature, quickly reducing it to dust. At the start of the series, Decay is already an undoubtedly lethal Quirk despite only working when its user has all five fingers touching his target, but as My Hero Academia progresses and Shigaraki grows stronger, so does his Quirk. By the end of season five, the villain is capable of spreading Decay to anything in touch with his first point of contact, annihilating several opponents at once with unprecedented speed.
5. Rewind
It’s difficult to imagine a small child having such a powerful Quirk, but that’s the case with Eri who possesses the ability of Rewind. This Quirk gives its user the power to rewind a living creature’s body into a previous state of being just by touching them, which has proven very handy for the heroes over the course of the series.
While Rewind can be used to heal injuries and restore other Quirks, it’s also an incredibly dangerous ability when its user cannot control it; so much so that Eri accidentally reverted her father into a state before he even existed. If Rewind is risky in the hands of a child, when used by villains it becomes a wretched goldmine, capable of permanently taking away an opponent’s quirk. As it is, Rewind is easily one of the most powerful Quirks in the My Hero Academia universe.
4. Overhaul
Similar to Decay, Overhaul grants its user the ability to destroy anything they touch, but with an upgrade: the power to reassemble that thing, whether to its previous form or to any shape the user desires. Kai Chisaki uses Overhaul in a myriad of different ways, from healing injuries, killing others, to disassembling someone and reconstructing them as part of his own body, effectively absorbing their Quirk.
This also allows Chisaki to turn himself into a mutant monster, and use his surroundings against his enemy, by turning the floor into holes or fast-attacking spikes, making him an incredibly difficult opponent to take on. Unlike Decay, Overhaul only requires the user to touch its target with a finger, making it an easier Quirk to activate and far more versatile.
3. New Order
Forget everything you know about how the world works, because against New Order everything is utterly useless. This Quirk allows its user to set new rules about the world around them, and if you don’t see how much of an advantage that is in battle, and life in general, allow us to break it down.
Cathleen Bate is the New Order holder, and by touching her target while saying its name, she can then manipulate its properties (and her own) with a simple command. For example, she can order someone’s heart to stop beating, create new abilities for herself, and even manipulate air and lasers to her will. The downside is that Cathleen can only hold two rules at once, and one of them is constantly in place to enhance her physical abilities.
2. One for All
At its core, One for All is a power-type Quirk, enhancing the holder’s physical abilities to a ridiculous degree; which includes super strength, speed, durability, stamina, and agility. This power has been passed down through generations and is the only ability capable of facing off against All for One as the Quirks from previous holders remain stored in it, growing in strength with each new user.
Currently being hosted by Izuku Midoriya, One for All grants him the power to use his predecessors’ six other Quirks, giving him versatility during combat. Unlike other Quirks, One for All cannot be stolen, as its transfer requires the holder to willingly give it away, making it impossible to be absorbed by All for One. If we were ranking the strongest Quirks, One for All could snatch the number one spot, but judging it solely on its characteristics, it earns a respectable second place.
1. All for One
All for One is easily the most versatile Quirk in My Hero Academia, and for that, it deserves the top rank on this list. The original All for One was simply the power to transfer Quirks, but if you’re as greedy as our overarching villain, you can use All for One to steal and accumulate innumerable Quirks with a single touch of your hand. What this means for All for One’s holders is that they can use literally any ability they steal. As these abilities mix and evolve inside All for One, new and stronger Quirks are created, granting its user nearly unmatched power. In addition, there seems to be no limit to how many Quirks can be used at once, making All for One the most useful ability in every and any situation.
Unfortunately, some truly impressive Quirks had to be left out of this ranking, but if you don’t want to miss out on any new Quirk introductions, make sure to stream My Hero Academia season six, which is currently being aired weekly on Crunchyroll.