45 Best Anime Of All Time - CBR
The popularity of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is proof that classics are timeless. Hirohiko Araki's JoJo part one, Phantom Blood, came out in 1987.
even if he was born Quirkless
My Hero Academia helped Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen define an entire era of shonen anime, just like the "big three" did in the 2000s. This is the incredible story of protagonist Izuku Midoriya/Deku and his quest to become a great hero <anchor>even if he was born Quirkless</anchor>. Deku has now become All Might's heir as the 9th wielder of the One For All Quirk, but it's a serious burden even for the tough and idealistic Deku, and the fight to save the world will cost him more than he's ready to pay.
MHA Shows People Born Without Quirks Can Be Heroes
MHA Shows People Born Without Quirks Can Be Heroes

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# My Hero Academia: Can a Quirkless Person Become a Hero?

 [My Hero Academia](/tag/my-hero-academia/)

![4](https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fauthors%2F66a1c2a272729-Profile%20Picture%202.png?fit=crop&w=90&h=90)

By [Marc York](/author/marc-york/)

Published May 1, 2023

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[My Hero Academia](/tag/my-hero-academia/ "My Hero Academia")

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![MHA's Deku beaten up and All-Might pointing a finger](https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/mha-deku-all-might.jpg)

**_The following contains spoilers for [My Hero Academia](https://www.cbr.com/tag/my-hero-academia/) Chapter 386, "I Am Here," by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available in English from Viz Media._**

At the beginning of _My Hero Academia,_ Deku asked All Might whether someone like himself -- that is, someone who was born Quirkless -- could become a Hero. Ultimately, All Might assured Deku that he, too, could become a Hero, but fans assumed this answer was because he was already planning to pass his One For All Quirk on to Deku, effectively evading the question.

Recent events in Chapter 386, "I Am Here," has reignited the question. [All Might, now virtually Quirkless](https://www.cbr.com/mha-all-might-pro-hero-without-kamino/), is about to challenge All For One. Whatever happens in this fight, it will be an important showcase of how far a Quirkless person can go as a Pro Hero in the world of _MHA._

RELATED: [The MHA Anime Picked the Perfect Ending Point for Season 6](https://www.cbr.com/my-hero-academia-season-6-endpoint-timing/)

## How Useful Are Support Items in My Hero Academia?

![My Hero Academia's All Might rejoins the fight vs All For One, without any Quirks](https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/bleach-chapter-386-pages-16-17.png)

It's difficult to say at this point just what sort of difference All Might expects to make in a [fight with All For One](https://www.cbr.com/mha-385-all-for-one-breaks-free-and-steals-spoilers-quirk/) in his weakened state. So far, the only part of his "plan" that's been revealed is that he means to draw All For One's attention as his de-aging makes him more impulsive. This could mean that, even if All Might can't win, he'll at least try to run down the clock on the villain's age reversal for as long as possible.

As for how he plans to fight, his car, the Hercules, can be broken down and reassembled into support items to enhance his combat capabilities. Many fans are expecting him to have a full suit of robotic armor, à la Iron Man. If All Might is confident that he can at least stand up to All For One with nothing but support items, it certainly implies that Quirks are not an essential component of Pro Heroics.

Indeed, Horikoshi has stated his original concepts involved [his protagonist remaining Quirkless](https://www.cbr.com/my-hero-academia-deku-original-design/), relying on gadgets and quick-thinking to solve his problems in the same vein as Batman. It was at the editors' suggestion that the main character be given an actual power. If it weren't for this suggestion, Deku would never have gotten the power of One For All from All Might and would instead have had to settle all his major fights with support items.

## How Far Could Deku Make It as a Pro Hero Without Quirks?

![All Might Tells Deku He Can Be a Hero in My Hero Academia](https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/You-too-can-be-a-hero-1.jpg)

Setting aside meta-level hypotheticals, could an amateur Quirkless Hero relying on support items handle the threats introduced by the series, especially Shigaraki and All For One? Villains like these are capable of city-leveling feats and rival even [the strongest Pro Heroes](https://www.cbr.com/mha-professional-hero-system-good-or-bad/), so the idea of support items stopping them is nigh inconceivable. If a Quirkless Deku were to face these villains one-on-one, either they'd have to be significantly powered down or he would need tech that no high schooler should feasibly have access to -- or both.

Of course, this is all based on the assumption that any Hero has to be strong enough to face any villain alone. The end of Season 6 emphasized that Deku is _not_ alone and that he can count on his friends to help him fight the likes of Shigaraki and All For One; this is the lesson he learned _with_ a Quirk strong enough to fight them, so it would surely apply if he didn't. A final battle between Quirkless [Deku and Shigaraki](https://www.cbr.com/mha-deku-new-power-up-shigaraki-similarities/) would probably end up having more of his friends coming to help, something that may yet happen in the existing narrative.

RELATED: [My Hero Academia Fans Celebrate \[SPOILER\]'s Return](https://www.cbr.com/my-hero-academia-fans-celebrate-all-might-return/)

## Can Deku Get Strong Without a Quirk?

![MHA Deku pulls All Might and a refrigerator during his training regimen](https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MHA-Deku-Training-Regimen.jpg)

It's also apparently possible to achieve superhuman feats of strength, speed, and durability without Quirks in the world of _MHA._ Some characters have been shown performing such feats without any strength-enhancing Quirks. Other characters, like Shigaraki and the Nomu, are physically strong even if their Quirks are inactive -- though this unnatural strength is the result ethically questionable experimentation. Even One For All's strength is only supposed to represent the accumulated power of nine people, yet it's become one of the strongest Quirks in the series. This is all to say nothing of Knuckleduster's feats [in the _Vigilantes_ spin-off](https://www.cbr.com/mha-vigilantes-manga-spinoff-why-worth-reading/). It hasn't been confirmed that a Quirk Factor is necessary to gain this kind of strength, so perhaps it can be gained through physical training alone. If this kind of power were accessible to Deku, he could make up for his lack of special powers with a well-trained body and martial arts skills. Support items would then act the supplements they were always meant to be.

Ultimately, though, the question is simply whether a person can become a Pro Hero without Quirks. Taking the above points into account, the narrative implies that Quirks ultimately aren't a requirement for becoming a Hero; All Might should have easily been able to tell Deku that he could become a Hero even if he _wasn't_ planning to pass on One For All. He might not have become the best Hero ever, but he would be able to count on support items and his fellow Heroes to save the day. So long as one had access to strong enough weapons, [teammates for backup](https://www.cbr.com/mha-deku-forgetting-what-being-a-hero-means/), and a tactician's mind, it would seem the only real requirement to becoming a Hero is motivation -- which, of course, Deku has in spades.

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