My Hero Academia: New Powers Deku Could Unlock During the Paranormal Liberation War

My Hero Academia is in the middle of an all-out war, and things are getting dark, quickly. While [...]

By Kofi Outlaw - May 29, 2020 09:36 am EDT

My Hero Academia is in the middle of an all-out war, and things are getting dark, quickly. While the pro heroes and police have launched a comprehensive sneak attack on the League of Villains' new army, series villain All For One has been hatching his own plans. Dr. Ujiko has turned League of Villains leader Tomura Shigaraki into a power-enhanced new wielder of the All For One quirk. That transformation has provoked a major change in Izuku Midoriya as well: the original user of his One For All power has once again awakened in Deku's consciousness, warning and preparing him for the coming battle with Shigaraki.

With Deku and Shigaraki both experiencing power escalation to a dangerous degree, the question now is: What new powers will Deku manifest during the Paranormal Liberation War?

More Smash

My Hero Academia Teases Izuku Bakugo vs Plus Ultra Shigaraki Manga — (Photo: Shonen Jump Magazine)

First and foremost, Izuku is already showing off one immediate change to his One For All abilities: more smash! Deku used All Might's signature power move to stop Shigaraki's wave of disintegration - and did so using 45% of his power - a nice jump. As the battle gets more drastic, we may see Izuku unlock even more of his smash power - this time without any help from Eri.

More Cowling

In addition to more power, Izuku's "St. Louis Smash - Air Force" move shows that the agility he learned from Gran Torino is also getting a boost from his increasing One For All power. It'll be cool to see just how crazy agile Deku will have to be to even get close to landing a hit on Shigaraki - and great to see how Kohei Horikoshi depicts it on the page (and eventually the screen).

Flight

My Hero Academia Nana Shimura Chapter 257 Manga — (Photo: Shueisha)

All Might's mentor Nana Shimura had the power of float, so if nothing else, that power has been residing inside Izuku since he inherited One For All. With his powers now rapidly unlocking, and given the level threat Shigaraki now presents, Deku will need to fly fast to stay alive. That moment of flight will hit fans in the feels, as Deku takes one step closer to becoming his idol, All Might.

Black Whip Mastered

My Hero Academia Black Whip Lariat — (Photo: Shonen Jump Magazine)

When One For All's past users started appearing to Izuku during the Class 1-A vs Class 1-B competition, one of the first to appear to him was Daigoro Banjo, the hero known as Lariat. Banjo's quirk was Black Whip, which lets him manifest rope-like tendrils of black energy. Deku has already started working to master the ability and with a One For All power boost, he could unleash an entire web of Blackwhip attacks and/or web-slings.

Power Transfer

One clear part of the One For All quirk is its core ability to be transferred and/or shared. Deku is currently sharing the power with All Might, and the My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising movie already showed that it All Might, Deku, and Bakugo can all share it together. In order to beat Shigaraki, Deku may have to follow the example set by One For All's past users, and pass his power around to others that can help him actually win this fight.

Symbol of Peace

One of the more interesting theories about One For All is the explanation of how its power stockpiling ability actually works. The theory is that One For All stockpiles the focused hopes of people looking for a hero to stand up and fight for them - which is why All Might's persona as the "Symbol of Peace" endowed him with more power than the One For All users before him. With the kind of fight that Deku is going to have with Shigaraki, he may quickly become the only hero people believe can win that fight - thereby unlocking the true nature of his One For All power, and truly becoming the next "Symbol of Peace" for society.

Transcendence

My Hero Academia Deku New One For All Powers Paranormal Liberation War Manga

One really curious thing about Shigaraki's All For One awakening is how One For All's original user describes it to Izuku. In his warning, the original One For All user states that Shigaraki is a "Transcendent One" whose power is swelling, now that he's been "freed from the shackles of humanity." With Shigaraki now representing a new level in the evolution of All For One, Deku will understandably need to rapidly evolve his One For All power to match his rival. The Overhaul arc showed just how freaky powerful Deku can get when accessing his power's fully scope - who knows what new form we could see now! Although, this rampant increase in power could be the tipping point to the dreaded Quirk Singularity...

Those Other Quirks

My Hero Academia One For All Users — (Photo: Shonen Jump Magazine)

Just in case you haven't done the math, All Might and Deku are the 8th and 9th users of One For All (respectively), and we only know the powers and/or identities of the originator, Daigoro Banjo (no. 5) and Nan Shimura (no. 6). One For All users 2 - 4 are still a mystery, and the quirks they may have had - which Deku now possess, will likely come to light as the battle against Shigaraki unfolds.

What new powers would you like to see Deku get in My Hero Academia? Let us know in the comments!

My Hero Academia has finished airing season 4 of the anime on Hulu and Funimation. Online chapters of the manga can be found HERE.