My Hero Academia: Top U.A. Quirks Ranked! Which Quirk Is The Best?

If you could have any superpower in the world, what would you choose? I’m sure we’ve all pondered about this at some time or another.

Every My Hero Academia fan has also dreamed of what it’d be like to go to U.A. Surely, Midoriya’s ambition and excitement to go to U.A. at the beginning of Season 1 must have gotten to you too. After all, every young aspiring Hero in Japan dreams of going to U.A.– and rightly so.

U.A. High School is the number one hero school in all of Japan in My Hero Academia. U.A. has produced some of the country’s finest heroes in the past and continues to foster unimaginable talent year after year.

From elemental quirks like Todoroki’s fire and ice to mysterious quirks like Fumikage’s Dark Shadow, U.A. really has it all! That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best U.A. quirks:

(While ranking these quirks, I looked at the quirks themselves without factoring in the user’s current skill level in the series. I have assumed that the users have mastered them to their full potential.)

25. Beast

As the name implies, ‘Beast’ allows Shishida to transform into a large furry beast-man hybrid. The quirk gives him heightened senses, incredible physical strength, and durability.

Shishida was able to overwhelm Class A during the joint training easily. He was even able to shake off Kaminari’s electrification. With proper combat training like martial arts, this quirk would surely be a force to be reckoned with. However, I don’t think this quirk could withstand an attack from some of the others quirks on this list, like Amajiki’s Manifest.

24. Razor Sharp

Kamakiri’s quirk allows him to shoot out blades of different types and sizes from almost anywhere on his body. The quirk turns him into a terrifying cluster of blades waiting to slice up any opponent that gets too close!

Kamakiri is already very agile– trained swordsmanship would probably take his quirk to the next level. However, he is still vulnerable to large-scale or long-range attacks like Todoroki and Bakugo’s. He was taken out by a single explosion from Bakugo in Chapter 207.

23. Comic

Manga can create huge onomatopoeic words out of thin air just by saying them– just like sound effects in manga! How cool, right? These words also carry out whatever effect the sound describes. For example, a ‘Boom’ would cause an explosion.

This quirk packs quite a punch and can be used for defense and support. During the joint training, Manga’s quirk helped him attack Class A, separate them and enhance his teammate, Kinoko’s mushrooms.

22. Engine

Tenya is one of the top students of Class A, and we’ve seen him grow consistently over the course of the series. His quirk manifests as an engine on his calves that gives him extraordinary speed, agility, and power. If that wasn’t cool enough already, the quirk relies on drinking juice to fuel it!

We’ve seen Tenya improve his quirk by taking out his muffler and training hard. I feel Tenya’s quirk could be improved endlessly by considering the level of technology in the series.

21. Steel

Tetsutetsu’s quirk can turn his skin into impenetrable steel capable of withstanding extreme temperatures. Using his quirk, he was able to go head-to-head with Todoroki while being blasted with flames so hot that Todoroki himself passed out.

The quirk also gives him extreme strength and durability like real steel. The strength and duration for which he can use the quirk depend on his iron intake.

20. Hardening

Unlike ‘Steel’, Kirishima’s quirk has the advantage of getting tougher over time as he takes damage. We’ve seen this happen during the fight against Rappa during the Shie Hassaikai Arc. Kirishima’s body is also incredibly resistant to all kinds of threats. The quirk also turns his body sharp and rough– perfect for offense.

However, Hardening is not resistant to extreme temperatures and can take limited damage.

19. Twin Impact

Nirengeki Shoda went almost unnoticed during Match five of the joint training, but his quirk is one of the most unique ones on this list. ‘Twin Impact’ allows Shoda to double the impact of an attack. In other words, the user’s attacks are repeated a second time and carry more force the second time around.

Shoda’s quirk is strongest when used in combination with others’ quirks. Shoda can use his quirk to enhance his own attacks and his teammates’ attacks as he did with Kodai and Yanagi during the joint training.

18. Zero Gravity

‘Uravity’ is probably one of my favourite hero names of the series! It’s just a perfect combination of Ochaco’s name and quirk. Anything Ochaco touches with her fingers becomes weightless and begins to float. Her quirk manipulates the force of gravity on the object. She can also release the objects by touching all her fingertips together.

Ochaco’s quirk is most dangerous in a setting with lots of loose objects lying around. Loose objects make it easy to crush any opponent. She can also incapacitate opponents by making them float. Her abilities showed potential as early as the match against Bakugo in Season 2.

17. Black

Like many Class B students, Kuroiro’s quirk found the spotlight in Chapter 199 when he took on Tokoyami. Kuroiro can merge with dark-colored objects, including shadows, and can also move them after merging with them. His only weakness is light which forces him out of dark objects. Aoyama and Hagakure took advantage of this weakness and could corner him easily during the joint training.

16. Copy

As the name suggests, Monoma’s quirk lets him copy others’ quirks for a short period of time after touching them. ‘Copy’ probably has the most potential out of all of the quirks listed so far. It can counter almost every quirk by copying it.

Since the Sports Festival, Monoma can now copy multiple quirks simultaneously and use them for longer than before. The only weakness of this quirk is that it cannot copy quirks that accumulate power over time.

15. Creation

Yaoyorozu’s quirk is one power I’m sure no one has ever seen the likes of before. Yaoyorozu’s quirk can create anything except for living things, as long as she knows the object’s atomic structure. Her quirk is very versatile and gives her a lot of creative liberty.

Since lipids fuel the quirk, the number and size of creations are limited. Each creation also requires time which has often tested Yaoyorozu’s decision-making. Understanding the atomic structure of so many different objects points to Yaoyorozu’s intelligence.

14. Softening

‘Softening’ allows Honenuki to turn anything he touches into a semi-liquid state– except living things. With just a second touch, he can revert the softened material back to what it was before.

Honenuki’s quirk didn’t leave a lasting impression during the Sports Festival, but the Joint Training Arc completely shifted the narrative. He was able to soften Todoroki’s ice and trap Class A with it effortlessly. The only weakness of this quirk is that softened objects also revert back if Honenuki loses consciousness. An opponent could quickly get him out of the way by knocking him out.

13. Electrification

Kaminari’s quirk is the ability to discharge and absorb electricity. He can electrocute anyone who comes close to him to the point of paralyzing them. Kaminari’s quirk on its own is really powerful, except he hasn’t been able to discharge it in a specific direction until very recently. Using it at a high voltage also fries his brain.

The only natural weakness of this quirk is quirks that are insulators like ice and vines. Only a tiny percentage of quirk users would be able to otherwise withstand one of Kaminari’s electric attacks– hence the high ranking.

12. Brainwashing

Shinso may not be part of the hero course, but he has a very powerful quirk. Despite having no training or experience like Class 1 A and B, he held his own against Midoriya and the others during the Sports Festival. He seems set to be a hero of Aizawa’s calibre and is even learning to use the binding cloth.

Shinso’s unique quirk allows him to brainwash any person into following his every command. All he has to do to activate it is get the other person to respond to something he said while focusing on brainwashing them. 

The drawbacks of this quirk are that the brainwashed person cannot carry out complex tasks and can also escape through a jolt of physical force.

11. Invisiblity

Hagakure has the best quirk for stealth and surveillance in the entire series. As per its name, the quirk grants Hagakure an invisible body. The basis of the quirk is light manipulation– Hagakure can also manipulate light in a way to blind others by refracting it.

The possibilities with this quirk are endless– perhaps an invisible binding cloth like Aizawa’s or an invisibility hero costume like Lemillion’s could be made with Hagakure’s hair. Plus, with honed physical combat skills, opponents wouldn’t know what hit them!

10. Dark Shadow

Tokoyami probably has the most mysterious quirk in U.A. ‘Dark Shadow’ allows Tokoyami to summon a shadowy figure from his body that goes by the same name as the quirk. Although no one really knows what Dark Shadow is, it has impressive agility and offensive power. Tokoyami has also learned to use Dark Shadow to fly after interning with Hawks.

Dark Shadow’s only biggest weakness is light and light-based attacks.

9. Erasure

Besides, All For One, Aizawa is the only known person who can manipulate quirks, albeit temporarily. ‘Erasure’ allows Aizawa to disable a person’s quirk just by looking at them– no matter how powerful their quirk may be. However, the effect wears off when he blinks or looks away.

Aizawa constantly has dry eyes, which interferes with using his quirk. Erasure is also ineffective against mutant-type quirks like Engine and Invisibility.

8. Wave Motion

Hado’s quirk depends on converting her life energy into blast waves. These wave attacks take the shape of spirals, which reduces the speed and brunt force of the attack.

That being said, Hado is excellent at long-range attacks–  During her internship with the pro-hero Ryuku, Hado took down two colossal villains who’d taken quirk-enhancing drugs.

The only drawback of ‘Wave Motion’ is that it is limited by the user’s reserves of life energy.

7. Vines

Ever since Shiozaki took down Kaminari during the Sports Festival without breaking a sweat, she has proved herself to be one of Class B’s strongest. Shiozaki’s quirk takes the form of thorny vines in the place of hair on her head. Her quirk is well rounded– it can be used for offense, defense, reconnaissance, and support.

The only weakness of this quirk is that if all the vines are cut off till she is bald, the vines take some time, water, and sunlight to grow back just like a regular plant. Shiozaki also lacks mental strength and drive. Her quirk would be insanely powerful with someone keener.

6. Permeation

Although Mirio’s quirk isn’t very impressive in terms of offense, through hard work, Mirio has overcome the technical difficulties in using it and made himself nearly impossible to defeat. Mirio’s quirk lets him pass through any physical matter. He can turn his whole body or parts of his body intangible.

The drawback of this quirk is that Mirio cannot breathe when activating the quirk throughout his body. Since the user has no mass, air passes right through. This phenomenon makes using the quirk for a long time nearly impossible.

5. Explosion

Bakugo is arguably the top student of Class 1 A in terms of raw power, besides Midoriya. Bakugo can create explosions from his palms using his sweat as fuel. The quirk makes him secrete a special nitroglycerin sweat that is ignited to create explosions. The more Bakugo sweats, the stronger the explosions turn out!

Bakugo is unstoppable for the most part. Although cold weather hinders him by causing him to sweat less, he can instantly fix the issue by wearing warmer clothing.

4. Manifest

Amajiki’s quirk is likely the most fun one on this list and is definitely one you haven’t seen before! Amajiki can manifest physical traits of the food he eats. He can manifest multiple traits from multiple foods simultaneously. The possibilities, options, and combinations are endless, really!

The only minuscule drawback of this quirk is that he can only manifest traits while the food is still in his system. He has to eat the food again to manifest a particular trait again later.

3. Half-Cold Half-Hot

Reserved as he may be, Todoroki’s quirk is insanely strong and only continues to improve with his hunger to grow stronger. Todoroki can produce flames and heat from the left side of his body and ice and cold from the right side of his body. When used together in consonance, both these elements counteract any side effects or bodily damage that either one could cause if used alone.

Todoroki cannot use only one element

for an extended period of time. He has to alternate between each to avoid consequences like freezing or overheating. Since the forest training, Todoroki has been getting better at using both his elements simultaneously.

2. Rewind

Eri has the very rare ability that can ‘rewind’ all living things to a previous state. Her quirk can be used to grow back limbs, heal injuries, undo evolution and even erase the existence of an opponent completely.

Eri needs to be in physical contact with the target to activate her quirk. Ever since she was rescued from Overhaul, Eri has been training to control her quirk under U.A.’s guidance. She was even able to return Mirio’s quirk. Once she learns to control it, her quirk will be deadly. It is unclear whether this quirk can be used as a long-range attack.

1. One For All

Midoriya has the strongest quirk in U.A. ‘One For All’ gives Midoriya inhumane physical strength, speed, and durability just like All Might. However, having awakened the quirks of the previous users, Midoriya’s capabilities far surpass All Might.

It is the only known transferable quirk in all of My Hero Academia. Since it can only be transferred willingly, One For All is the only quirk that can defeat All For One.

Bonus: Hellflame

Endeavour’s fight against the High-End Nomu was one of the most thrilling fight scenes of Season 4. The fight perfectly showcases the extent of Endeavour’s powers.

Endeavour’s quirk is called ‘Hellflame’ and allows him to emit flames capable of burning opponents to cinders as he did with the High-End Nomu. Endeavour can also cover himself with flames and can control how hot the flames are. Overusing the quirk causes overheating and can compromise his internal organs and bodily functions.

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 24 tankōbon volumes as of August 2019.

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.

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.