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With My Hero Academia Chapter 373’s alleged showcasing of Kurogiri’s return, fans are incredibly excited to see the impact he’ll have on the ongoing war. All For One certainly seems to think that Kurogiri’s presence will cement the victory for him and the other villains, thanks to the latter's incredibly versatile Warp Gate Quirk.
This has led to many fans discussing what the potential of Kurogiri’s Quirk is, especially if it’s shown to go through an awakening upon his return to the battlefield. Furthermore, there seems to be a split on how effective he will be, both in a support role and as a combatant, once he returns to the battlefield.
Here are five My Hero Academia characters who can beat Kurogiri, and five who stand no chance at all.
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Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.
Mr. Compress and 4 other My Hero Academia characters who can win against Kurogiri
1) Katsuki Bakugou
One of My Hero Academia’s strongest current fighters is Katsuki Bakugou, who has grown in skill and precision tremendously since the series began. Able to stand on even ground with Tomura Shigaraki, his skills and strength are undeniable as a hero. There’s little-to-no doubt that he could defeat Kurogiri in a one-on-one fight.
Firstly, Bakugou’s dynamic movement is some of the best in the series, second only to Deku’s style which, ironically, is based off of Bakugou’s own movements. Second, he has already been kidnapped by Kurogiri’s Quirk before, and is thus familiar with its abilities and how the villain typically uses it.
With these two facts and Bakugou’s other strengths combined, he will likely win against Kurogiri in a one-on-one fight.
2) Shota Aizawa
Despite being in a somewhat crippled state in the current My Hero Academia manga series, Aizawa’s Quirk likely still cements him a win over Kurogiri. He has stressed that his ability is “all but useless” following the first war between heroes and villains, meaning that while he can still technically use it, the Quirk is a shadow of what it once was.
Nevertheless, it’s emphasized that it isn’t quite useless yet, meaning he could use it in his fight against Kurogiri to keep him from warping around the battlefield. Considering that the villain has never been shown to actually fight, it can be safely assumed that he’s not a skilled fighter.
As a result, despite his physical limitations, Aizawa should still walk away with a win here.
3) Mr. Compress
While Mr. Compress was canonically a villain and would likely never fight Kurogiri, this hypothetical matchup between the two My Hero Academia antagonists is very intriguing. The two Quirks may seem like bad matches for one another, but they actually create a battle in which the win conditions are timing, precision, and skill.
Mr. Compress’ win condition is the need to capture Kurogiri in a marble before the latter can use his Warp Gate Quirk to sneak up on and submit the former into a loss.
While the agile Compress would likely have a few chances at this before finally getting caught, it is still a race against the clock for his victory. Nevertheless, it’s likely that he’d trap Kurogiri eventually to the point of creating an opening to capture him.
4) Overhaul
My Hero Academia’s Shie Hassaikai arc introduced one of the most powerful villains and Quirks in the series in the form of Overhaul. Naming himself after it, his Quirk allows him to completely break down and reconstruct any and all matter as he desires. This includes living matter, which makes him an incredibly dangerous and powerful enemy.
Like with many other battles here, the win condition comes down to if Overhaul can corner Kurogiri and land a hit on him. Especially with his Quirk, one good hit is all it would take to secure his victory.
Furthermore, with Kurogiri having no real win conditions here, the battle would either end in Overhaul’s victory or the villain fleeing and accepting a loss.
5) Gentle Criminal
Similar to Mr. Compress, My Hero Academia’s Gentle Criminal also has a win condition against Kurogiri that comes down to skill, timing, and precision. This is thanks to Gentle’s Quirk, Elasticity, which would allow him to create a pocket of air within which to imprison and suffocate the villain.
If Gentle is able to exhaust Kurogiri significantly prior to this eventual trapping, then there’s a high chance that the latter will pass out from a lack of oxygen almost instantly upon being trapped. As a result, the win condition for Gentle comes down to him being able to trap Kurogiri, which should eventually happen, and will become more likely as the battle progresses.
Midnight and 4 other My Hero Academia characters who have no win condition against Kurogiri
1) Minoru Mineta
Unfortunately, My Hero Academia’s fan-hated character has no win condition whatsoever versus Kurogiri. With his battle form seeing his corporeal body surrounded by a thick, dense layer of fog, Mineta’s Pop Off Quirk wouldn’t be able to trap Kurogiri like it would other opponents.
Additionally, Kurogiri would likely be able to use his Warp Gates to launch Mineta's sticky spheres back at the hero-in-training. Although crafty, the latter lacks the drive, knowledge, skill, and Qurik advantage to win against Kurogiri here.
2) Hanta Sero
Similarly, Hanta Sero’s Quirk Tape has the same matchup issues that Mineta’s Pop Off does. Based on what’s shown of Kurogiri mid-combat throughout My Hero Academia, it’s impossible to get past his covering of fog to actually trap the real body that lays beneath. Additionally, while Mineta can at least try and set up a trap, all of Sero’s moves will be heavily telegraphed.
There’s simply no win condition for the young hero-in-training here. In fact, Minoru Mineta very arguably has a more realistic chance than Sero does, thanks to at least having the potential advantage of laying traps and trying to get Kurogiri caught in them.
3) Midnight
While one would expect My Hero Academia’s femme fatale to be able to easily win against Kurogiri with her Quirk, there are a few key facts which would likely prevent this easy win. First and foremost, Kurogiri is confirmed to be more akin to a Nomu than a legitimate human being, meaning that his brain is also likely affected in a similar way to the creatures.
With this in mind, it’s entirely likely that All For One and Dr. Garaki built Kurogiri with the desire to have him focus solely on protecting Tomura Shigaraki. As a result, it’s a safe assumption that the pleasure centers in Kurogiri’s mind are completely shut off.
Therefore, Midnight loses her win condition via dazing Kurogiri with her Somnambulist Quirk, meaning Kurogiri should eventually be able to take her down.
4) Mirio Togata
While My Hero Academia fan-favorite Mirio Togata likely wouldn’t defeat Kurogiri, there’s also a strong possibility that he wouldn’t lose, either.
The former's Permeation Quirk would allow him to effortlessly evade any attack the villain might carry out by sinking into the ground, where the latter's Warp Gate presumably wouldn't be able to reach him.
That being said, it doesn’t exactly give Mirio much opportunity for offense aside from flying up out of the ground and hitting Kurogiri. While it’s possible he can eventually win like this, the much more likely outcome is a stalemate between the two.
5) Hawks
Similarly, Pro Hero Hawks’ Quirk, Fierce Wings, has been shown to be one of the most powerful and versatile in the entire series. That being said, Kurogiri’s Warp Gate is an awful matchup for Hawks and his Fierce Wings.
The only major attacks shown to work on Kurogiri thus far have been physical, and with Hawks being a ranged fighter, it’s unlikely that he will adapt on such short notice and come away with a win. The lack of a win condition for Kurogiri here as well further suggests that, just like against Mirio, this hypothetical matchup would end in a definitive stalemate.
