The Evolution of Quirks Within One For All, Explained

Summary

• One For All can modify and evolve quirks within its stockpile, giving Deku a powerful advantage.
• Gearshift, Smokescreen, and Danger Sense have evolved within One For All, enhancing Deku’s abilities.
• Quirk evolution in One For All is a significant power-up for Deku, potentially aiding in defeating Shigaraki.

One For All is a quirk of many mysteries, though its puzzling nature is rather befitting given its role as the central element of My Hero Academia’s narrative. From the vestiges inside One For All to its stockpiling attributes, One For All is a powerhouse on its own, giving Deku a fighting chance against All For One and his disciples. While the quirks of One For All’s previous users have already been revealed, My Hero Academia’s latest season has revealed another intriguing aspect of this One For All.

Instead of merely stockpiling power and its previous users’ quirks, One For All has the power to modify and evolve the quirks within its stockpile. This revelation ups the ante for My Hero Academia’s narrative, along with giving Deku a much-needed power-up to face Shigraki in his complete form. While the true extent of each quirk’s evolution is yet to be revealed, My Hero Academia has hinted at a few power ups already.

How One For All Modifies Quirks

A Hidden Power Within One For All

Initially, little was known about One For All’s powers and capabilities and how it affected the quirk stockpile within it. Over time, however, My Hero Academia has revealed many of these secrets about the quirk, and the most rattling of these is One For All’s ability to modify and evolve the previous users’ quirks stored within it.

It was already known that One For All is a stockpiling quirk, meaning it accumulates power over time, and grants the users the ability to manifest this crystallized power at any moment. However, this was merely the surface of One For All’s true potential, as recent events in My Hero Academia have revealed that One For All also possesses the ability to modify and evolve any quirks and powers stored within it.

The first person cultivates the power, and then passes it on to another. The next refines it and passes it on again.

While this new ability of One For All might seem rather absurd, it stays within the line of the quirk’s stockpiling capabilities, as this evolution of sorts stems from the accumulated power within One For All. The users of One For All initially believed that the quirk accumulates power in a physical form. However, this new turn of events reveals that One For All is also able to use this stored energy in the form of evolving its quirks.

Every Quir That Has Evolved Within One For All

A Few Of the Quirks Within One For All Have Already Evolved

In theory, One For All is now capable of evolving any quirk passed along by its previous users. So far, only three quirks have been revealed to be evolved by One For All’s accumulation power. The most obvious example of this evolution and modification is Gearshift, the quirk that belonged to Kudo, the second user of One For All. Gearshift was initially only able to increase the speed of small objects, which allowed Kudo to manipulate the speed of his bullets and other small projectiles.

However, the quirk has now evolved into an extremely powerful ability, essentially allowing Deku to increase the speed of larger objects, including himself. This allows him to defy the laws of physics and increase his own speed by several folds, even breaking the sound barrier. However, this tremendous power comes with a huge drawback, as using Gearshift on his own body will result in deterioration and even death, giving Deku only a total of five minutes to use this power.

One For All’s Slightly Altered Quirks

Smokescreen and Danger Sense have also undergone similar transformations, albeit at a slightly smaller scale. In the case of Smokescreen, Deku has the ability to emit a much greater amount of smoke from its body compared to En, the original user of Smokescreen. This is largely due to the stockpiling effect of One For All, as it has increased Smokescreen’s potency. In the hands of Deku, however, Smokescreen’s increased potency led to his own body being shrouded in smoke, which resulted in his vision being hindered. However, with increased mastery, Deku has the potential to turn Smokescreen into an offensive ability.

Lastly, the third confirmed ability that has undergone some form of transformation is Danger Sense. Danger Sense isn’t exactly an offensive ability, meaning it has evolved in a slightly different way compared to its counterparts. Danger Sense functions by alerting the user of any imminent danger by a sharp, stabbing pain in the head. This very stabbing pain was exacerbated in the case of Deku’s Danger Sense, which is a direct result of the quirk’s potency being increased. While Deku can now manage this pain caused by Danger Sense, the fact still remains that the quirk underwent an evolution through One For All’s power.

Implications of One For All’s Quirk Evolutions

One For All’s Quirk Evolution Is a Significant Power-Up For Deku

Gaining six new quirks was certainly a significant power-up for Deku, yet My Hero Academia’s villains have proven to be even more fearsome than initially expected. Even with new quirks at his disposal, Deku still remained at a disadvantage against his foes. However, the revelation of quirk evolution within One For All opens up a gateway for Deku to finally defeat All For One and his vestiges.

While it’s still too soon to determine the extent of this quirk evolution and which quirks of One For All’s previous users will receive modifications, one thing is clear that Deku is set to receive a major boost in his abilities. These new powers could potentially turn the tide of war in the heroes’ favor, essentially ending All For One’s reign of terror on the world of My Hero Academia.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Prime Video.