My Hero Academia is a Japanese Manga series that spawned a media franchise, including a wildly popular anime television show.
The story of My Hero Academia takes place in a world where superpowers (known as “Quirks” by the characters there) are the norm. However, the story follows a boy called Izuku Midoriya, who was born powerless but still aspires to become a superhero regardless of that. He gets scouted by All Might, the world’s most famous hero, and his dreams are realized.
The series boasts a plethora of intriguing characters, including an American named Cathleen Bate, who goes by the superhero name Star and Stripe. Bate was saved by the above-mentioned All Might as a child, which inspired her to become a hero herself. She boasts one of the series’ most unique, potent, and complex superpowers. But what is that power?
Star and Stripe’s ‘New Order’ Quirk
Star and Stripe’s superpower, or “Quirk,” is called “New Order.” It enables her to alter the very fabric of reality by physically touching a chosen subject, saying its name, and declaring a “rule,” causing its physical properties to change. In layman’s terms, she could theoretically touch a block of ice, say the word “fire,” and transmute it into flames.
The power allows her to declare two rules at a time. She applies one of those rules to bestow herself with a superhero’s typical extreme physical strength at all times, which drastically limits what she can do regarding manipulating reality when utilizing the second rule. Thanks to this limitation, if the identity of her target is uncertain, her powers won’t work on them.
Star and Stripe has used the power to order a laser beam to be “holdable,” enabling her to pluck it out of the air before it struck her. She could also suffocate her opponents by stating “air,” which removed the air from the atmosphere in her vicinity.
One of the most creative applications of her Quirk occurred when Star and Stripe set the rule “New Order rebels against other Quirks.” This enabled her to manifest a giant version of herself within the mind of All For One, one of the most powerful villains and the over-arching antagonist in the My Hero Academia universe.
If you’re unfamiliar with My Hero Academia, it’s well worth checking out — fantastic characters like Star and Stripe are a testament to that fact.