What Is Izuku Midoriya’s Original Quirk?

In a world where quirks are the new norm, Izuku Midoriya sticks out like a sore thumb. From being the quirkless underdog to becoming the only hero able to face the greatest villain of all time, My Hero Academia sure has been one hell of a rollercoaster!

Midoriya always dreamed of being a hero like his idol, All Might. However, his dreams were crushed at a very young age by a simple doctor’s visit revealing he was quirkless against all likelihood.

It was rather unusual that Midoriya was quirkless since both his parents had quirks, and quirks themself were very common.

From whether or not Midoriya has a quirk and what it might be to whether it was stolen or just inconspicuous, fans have been burning with questions for the longest time!

The possibility of Midoriya having a quirk and the genetics and heredity involved with inheriting a quirk itself has sparked many interesting discussions and theories among fans. Luckily, Chapter 304 finally shed some light on the issue.

Midoriya does not have a quirk. In Chapter 304, the fourth user Shinomori revealed that using One For All shortened his lifespan and eventually broke his body. Midoriya cannot have a quirk since OFA can’t be contained in a body with an existing quirk.

It also makes sense for Midoriya to be born quirkless from a genetic standpoint. He could have inherited two recessive genes of quirklessness.

In Chapter 304, Midoriya met the previous users of One For All while passed out in the hospital. In the vestige realm, Shinomori Hikage, the fourth user, revealed that he died of old age at the ripe age of 40 from OFA burning away his life force. After 18 years of holding the quirk, it broke his body in the end.

In contrast, All Might held OFA for 40 years without ever suffering any life-threatening side effects. Like Midoriya, All Might too was quirkless.

Yoichi, the first user, later explained that both Midoriya and All Might were the perfect vessels for OFA since they had no other quirk taking up space. They could use OFA without anything ‘spilling over.’

This proves Midoriya is truly quirkless and has no hidden, dormant quirk. Much like All Might, Midoriya has not suffered any of the side effects as Shinomori did.

1. Why Did Midoriya Have No Quirk When Both His Parents Did?

Both of Midoriya’s parents had quirks, yet he was born quirkless, which led multiple fans to believe that Midoriya’s quirk could have been stolen when he was very young.

In Chapter 1, Midoriya and his mother visit a doctor who looks very much like Dr. Garaki, All For One’s accomplice and the mastermind behind the Nomus.

Fans have theorized that Midoriya did have a quirk, but Dr. Garaki stole it. Dr. Garaki would have to be the first doctor Midoriya, and his mother consulted for this to be possible.

Midoriya’s quirklessness was proved in the x-ray, which revealed he had the extra joint in his pinky toe, which goes hand in hand with quirklessness. If the x-ray had been forged, any other doctor could have easily debunked the diagnosis.

Moreover, Inko mentioned all the other kindergarten children had already begun manifesting their quirks except Midoriya– proving he must be quirkless to begin with.

Heredity-wise, it is rare but not impossible for Midoriya to be born quirkless. Midoriya could have inherited two recessive genes making him quirkless.

If both his parents carried the recessive gene of quirklessness, Midoriya had a 25% chance of being born quirkless.

2. Why Can Midoriya Use Multiple Quirks?

Some fan theories suggest that Midoriya may have some hidden quirk that allowed him to access the quirks of the previous users.

Midoriya can use the quirks of the previous users since OFA has matured and absorbed traces of the quirks that were imprinted on it. The core of OFA has grown over the years. This is in line with Dr. Garaki’s Quirk Singularity Theory.

According to Dr. Garaki’s Quirk Singularity Theory, quirks are getting stronger with every generation and having lesser weaknesses. Eventually, quirks will be too powerful for their own good.

One For All, too, has been growing as it was passed on from one user to the next. It just happened to have matured enough to let the user use the previous users’ quirks by the time it was passed on to Midoriya. 

3. Where to Watch My Hero Academia

4. About My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected in 37 tankōbon volumes as of February 2023.

It follows a quirkless boy Izuku Midoriya and how he backed the greatest Hero alive. Midoriya, a boy who has been admiring heroes and their ventures since the day he was born, came into this world without a quirk, where almost everybody is born with one.

On one fateful day, he meets All Might the greatest Hero of all time and discovers that he was quirkless as well. With his diligent attitude and unwavering spirit about being a hero, Midoriya manages to impress All Might. He is chosen to be the heir to the power of One for All.