What If Deku Lost One For All and Had to Choose Just One Quirk?

Summary

Deku’s various quirks – particularly Blackwhip, Fa Jin, and Danger Sense – present unique strengths and limitations.
Some quirks are more practical in combat situations, while others require supplemental gear to be effective.
Blackwhip emerges as the most versatile and valuable quirk for Deku, offering a wide range of applications in battle.

Title	My Hero Academia Final Season
Director	Naomi Nakayama, Kenji Nagasaki (Chief Director)
Studio	Bones
Premiere Date	10/2025

Warning: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia, now streaming on Crunchyroll.

In the anime “My Hero Academia”, Izuku Midoriya, who initially had no powers, gained a complete set of them up to Season 7 due to the Quirk One For All that was passed onto him. As the series nears its conclusion, One For All appears to be more about winning everything or nothing at all. Therefore, one might wonder if any of Deku’s individual Quirks would be enough to make him number one?

In most instances throughout the series, One For All functioned as a vast reservoir of raw power that Deku and previous users could unleash to inflict massive damage or travel long distances. However, it wasn’t until Season 5 that Deku began accessing the quirks of prior bearers, significantly expanding his abilities, resulting in him having six distinct powers alongside One For All.

Setting Up the Thought Experiment

Suppose Dekz relinquishes One For All, but retains one quirk from his collection indefinitely. This implies excluding the immense power associated with One For All, not merely its ability to house multiple quirks. If that level of power were an option, it would be a straightforward choice for Dekz, and we’re aiming to think creatively – something Dekz excels at.

Six unique abilities, or quirks, make up Deku’s skill set, each offering versatility when combined but often proving highly situational and with a limited potential on their own. It’s important to note that these abilities – Blackwhip, Float, Danger Sense, Smokescreen, Fa Jin, and Gearshift – are usually enhanced by the strength of One For All. To truly evaluate them, it’s necessary to consider each ability independently from any energy boosts provided by One For All.

You’ll soon realize that some peculiar traits lose their significance without enhancement. Interestingly, “My Hero Academia” is a show that features characters with intricate, sometimes unique abilities. The narrative takes pains to explain the practicality of these powers. It encourages and even challenges viewers to think creatively. This isn’t just about discovering the untapped potential of these traits but also finding which ones align with Deku’s character.

One For All’s Least Practical Abilities

Each person may rate Deku’s quirks differently, but identifying Float as one of the less practical should not be difficult. Simply considering the term’s origin, there’s a significant contrast between “floating” and “flying.” While flying would not have been feasible with this quirk without something like Deku’s Air Force move to propel himself, it essentially only provides midair support instead.

Smokescreens are more useful in battle situations, but they don’t have many other uses. Also, a smokescreen ability seems more suitable for a stealthy or ninja-like character, which doesn’t fit Deku’s usual image. However, practicality aside, there’s a reason it appeared during his Dark Hero phase – it matched his darker, grittier state of mind at that time.

The ability called Danger Sense is particularly suitable for Deku’s character, offering clarity, and potentially more useful than its alternative. Similar to Spider-Man, this quirk shares similarities with Blackwhip. However, it has two main drawbacks. Initially, it won’t activate in the absence of malice – an issue that arose when confronting Himiko Toga. Secondly, recognizing danger doesn’t guarantee escape from it. Without enhanced speed and agility, Deku’s maneuverability is somewhat restricted to a certain extent.

Overcoming These Quirks’ Limitations

A helpful tip to consider moving forward, considering the previously mentioned peculiarities, is that Deku could enhance his weaknesses with auxiliary equipment, a strategy he’s already using with One For All. His gauntlets, gloves, and boots are all thoughtfully designed to optimize his abilities and compensate for his shortcomings, enabling him to adapt swiftly to any circumstance.

In the year 2022, I penned a piece contemplating the scenario where Deku lacked his quirk, compelling him to lean heavily on his intellect, tactical thinking, and extensive understanding of various quirks. The idea here is similar, but instead of being quirkless, he’d adapt his devices according to one specific quirk. For instance, he might enhance Float with propulsion systems, create stealthy tools to complement Smokescreen, or develop an agile exoskeleton for Danger Sense, and so forth.

One For All’s Top Three Quirks

The three remaining abilities boast greater benefits, yet they come with intricate downsides. It can be challenging to gauge their standalone efficiency due to the fact that the manga and anime merely reveal how these powers are boosted by One For All. Gearshift is an example of such a power, enabling the user to alter the speed of moving objects disregarding the principles of inertia.

In Season 7, when Deku employs Gearshift, he amplifies his powerful abilities by applying it to his own body. However, it’s important to note that in its basic form, Gearshift is primarily effective on smaller objects such as projectiles. The original user, Kudo, used this Quirk to launch blades and bullets, but envisioning Deku using Gearshift to fire harmless projectiles isn’t far-fetched. Yet, the main challenge lies in the potential constraints regarding how much Deku can adjust a projectile’s speed.

Afterward comes Fa Jin, a technique resembling One For All, yet without actually possessing One For All – theoretically speaking. Its practicality as a solo power remains uncertain, however, Deku can accumulate kinetic energy through continuous movements and subsequently discharge it, enhancing his strength and speed. Essentially, it’s like One For All, albeit with less physical strain on the body, but with the trade-off of requiring time to accumulate that energy before use. It appears to be a suitable balance, yet it’s still not the optimal choice.

One For All’s Most Valuable Quirk

It’s interesting to ponder over the fact that Blackwhip was the extra ability Deku gained towards the end of the game, but it turned out to be the most effective one among all. The similarities between Blackwhip and Spider-Man are striking, emphasizing its flexibility and usefulness. With Blackwhip, Deku can traverse any terrain, capture any adversary, and even ensnare groups of enemies. Unlike other quirks that heavily rely on the inherent power of One For All, it’s possible that Blackwhip is potent in its own right.

Among all of Deku’s abilities, none offers such versatility and practicality that aligns with his personality quite like Blackwhip does.

Blackwhip differs from Fa Jin in that it derives its power from intense emotions instead of repetitive motion. This means that the character can receive an extra boost when the situation is critical or high-stakes. However, this comes at a price as the user may risk losing control. Yet, this risk can be managed and over time, mastered to become negligible, much like how Deku’s body endures strain from using One For All.

Among all of Deku’s quirks, none offers as much versatility and practicality while staying true to his character as Blackwhip. It’s challenging to envision him choosing any other if he could only retain one. Fans can look forward to witnessing more of Blackwhip and its various uses in Deku’s battle against Shigaraki when “My Hero Academia” comes back this fall for its final season.

2025-03-23 15:26