From occasional villain interventions to self-harming backlash by weaponizing One For All, Izuku Midoriya’s journey since he received the power of One For All inMy Hero Academiahas been fraught with traumatic hurdles. One too many times, fans see Deku’s body break down from the weight of using this trans-generational ability.
To a lot ofMy Hero Academiaviewers, the constant body-wrecking predicament may supposedly be the consequence of Midoriya using a powerful quirk(s) in a poorly compatible body. However, in truth, this surface-level symptom is the consequence of a much deeper root cause that is linked to the nature of One For All.
All Might didn’t justpass down a baton of abilities through One For All; it is the continuation of a legacy, memories, and willpower that Midoriya did not have a comprehensive understanding of before inheriting it. Hence, thebroken bones may be the quirk’s way of rejecting an unfamiliar and unprepared host.
One For All Is More Than Just Power, It Is An Identity
This Accumulation Quirk Accepts Those Who Understand And Accept It, Not Those Who Use It As A Tool
Unlike most quirks, which their users were born with, One For All is a transferable quirk that stands as asliver of hope forMy Hero Academia’squirkless heroeswho want to make a difference. It stores the very essence and abilities of past wielders — from Yoichi Shikaragi down to All-Might — and passes it onto the ability’s successors.
Inheriting this ability is not the end goal; it is the beginning — a fact Midoriya did not understand.Midoriya saw One For All as a mere instrument with advantages:saving people, attending U.A., and becoming a hero.
The idea of Quirks inheritingthe wills of their user is not tailored to One For All alone. All For One confirmed this in the tenth episode ofMy Hero Academia’ssixth season.
“Much like organs whose cells hold the memory and personality of those who donated it, the same consciousness manifests within the shape of their quirks.”
— All For One
Several quirks retained their users’ will after being stolen by this antagonist and his successor, Shigaraki — the hero Star and Stripes is a perfect example. After Shigaraki stole her quirk, her will began to revolt and destroy all the other quirks that All For One had accumulated.
“New order will revolt against the other quirks.”
—Star and Stripe
If one user’s will could be this devastating, the shared will of multiple users nurtured by the same quirk is sure to have ample effect on a successor that isn’t fully acclimated to the nature of the ability. And it’s only natural that Deku will receive some backlash from using it.
In this case, the broken bones were the consequences for Midoriya. One For All is not just a weapon built to defeat evil; it involves the cultivation of a relationship with the will of the past users.
The Rejection Isn’t About Muscle Mass But Something Much Deeper
One For All Is Not A Quirk That Can Be Bent To A User’s Will By Sheer Strength And Muscle Gains
The misconception behind the broken bones is understandable. Midoriya went from quirkless to possessing the number one hero’s quirk in less than a day; he was bound to get injured in his adjustment phase. But even after ceaseless bodybuilding training, the injuries continued. If it were by strength alone, those injuries should not have been a constant problem.
Midoriya went from quirkless to possessing the number one hero’s quirk in less than a day; he was bound to get injured in his adjustment phase.
Drawing inference from the torturous cycle, these injuries point to something beyond the physical: the incomplete synchronization between Midoriya and the One For All quirk. He possessed the quirk, but did not fully understand what it stood for; borrowed powers without a fundamental understanding of their peculiarities can only amount to so much.
Understandably, One For All fought back—not out of rejection of Midoriya, but out of loyalty to the will it had long preserved.This reason can also be linked to the “why” behind All For One’s inability to acquire One For All.
Midoriya’s Spiritual Test Of Compatibility With His Predecessors Didn’t Start Off Great
Midoriya’s Turning Point In Damage Reduction Started When He Changed His Ideology Of One For All
In retrospect, Gran Torino had a somewhat correct approach in helping Midoriya properly utilize his abilities. Torino’s training involvedMidoriya learning to let One For All’s energy flowthrough his body. From Torino’s perspective, it was not just about balance for Midoriya; it was about resonating with One For All’s will.
This is a perspective Midoriya understood when he started having visions of his predecessors as he approached the point of singularity. The insightful revelation allowed Deku to unlock the quirks of his past users. For reference, the control of Blackwhip after meeting the fifth user of One For All perfectly portrays this explanation.
Undeniably, Deku did get backlash from using Blackwhip. However, that moment reinforces the idea that he needed to align with the quirk’s core before he could master it to the fullest.
The first change in Deku’s ideology happened much earlier, when he began using Full Cowling in line with Torino’s advice. In this mode, he spread the energy of his quirk evenly across his body, reducing the strain. This impeccable use of the ability, treating it as if it were a part of him, prevented Deku from sustaining significant backlash.
The Core Of One For All Is A House Of Consciousness
One For All Is Not Just A Chance To Absorb The Skills Of Predecessors, But Also A Space Where Their Consciousness Exists And Guides Its Current Wielder
In #Chapter 304 of the manga, Midoriya finallyhad the chance to meet all of One For All’s Vestiges at once. It was explained that the Vestiges were not only able to communicate with him but also with one another.
“…The previous holders of OFA were copied and pasted, and over time, we were able to communicate with one another as well.”
— Yoichi Shigaraki.
From this, it is evident that the souls and memories of previous holders linger at the core of the quirk. They are not just past references. They are actively existing in the quirk, sharing their experiences and deciphering One For All as much as possible for the sake of their descendant.
This is how they were able to deduce the quirk’s life-force-sucking consequences and the possibility of Midoriya being the last wielder. Hence, he was promptly warned by the fourth user, Hikage Shinomori. It is also why Nana Shimura questioned Midoriya’s resolve regarding Shigaraki.
Are you able to kill Shigaraki Tomura for me?
— Nana Shimura
During this meeting, he aligned his spirit and values with those of his predecessors, and only then was he able to harness One For All’s quirks totally without repercussions. Ultimately, Midoriya’s journey inMy Hero Academiawas about forging a connection with the legacy of his predecessors to putan end to One For All’s nemesis.
