Is Deku Quirkless again in My Hero Academia manga? Explained

Modified May 10, 2024 06:34 GMT

Is Deku Quirkless again in My Hero Academia manga? Explained (Image via BONES)

Thursday, May 9, 2024 saw the spoilers and raw scans for chapter 422 of author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi’s original My Hero Academia manga series be released. While not an official release from Shueisha, the series’ spoiler process has historically proven very accurate, meaning fans can consider these latest details also accurate.

Likewise, fans are excitedly discussing the latest alleged My Hero Academia spoilers, which see protagonist Izuku “Deku” Midoriya’s final fight against All For One continue.

Deku’s friends are also present and assisting in the fight, with many even playing a direct role in keeping him safe and setting him up for the final blow throughout the issue.

However, this latest issue also has some My Hero Academia fans confused, as they were under the impression that Deku had lost the One For All Quirk and likewise could no longer fight. As a result, fans are understandably looking for concrete answers as to whether Deku is Quirkless again in the manga’s contemporary events.

My Hero Academia manga sees Deku utilizing One For All’s embers, not the full Quirk, as All Might once did

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Unfortunately, the My Hero Academia manga has made it clear that the One For All Quirk factor, and likewise the Quirk itself and the other Quirk factors it held, is no longer within Deku.

While Deku is still technically using One For All as he prepares to land a final blow on All For One, it's said to be done with the Quirk’s “embers.” In other words, Deku is using One For All in a similar way to All Might in Kamino, which was All Might’s last fight utilizing the Quirk’s abilities.

Likewise, previous commentary from All Might himself and All For One on the former’s state during this time period confirm that Deku no longer has the full One For All Quirk.

That's because he forcibly transferred the One For All Quirk and the other Quirk factors it held to Tomura Shigaraki. This was done with the intent to damage his psyche and hopefully create an opportunity for the Tenko Shimura personality to regain control.

While the plan backfired, what’s important to note is that Deku only just recently gave up control of One For All. That's why he’s still able to use the Quirk with such potency that he’s able to enter his Full Cowling state as he appears to in My Hero Academia chapter 422.

Even if he isn’t using Full Cowling, however, what’s significant is that his embers are still burning much brighter and more powerfully than All Might’s were at the time of the Kamino Ward incident.

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Likewise, this is why Deku is fighting; while he may not have the One For All Quirk fully and wholly within him anymore, the power of it which remains is enough to defeat All For One with. However, on using the power he has left to defeat All For One, the Quirk is likely to fully leave him as it did All Might following the Kamino Ward incident.

Nevertheless, there are fan-theories which claim that Deku could be getting the One For All Quirk back by the series’ end. While this is still speculative, what’s confirmed beyond any doubt is that as of chapter 422, Deku is once again Quirkless.