Summary
Warning: SPOILERS for My Hero Academia episode #151
Episode 151 of theMy Hero Academiaanime is among the most anticipated in the series. Not only did this episode include one of the most beloved moments from the Final War arc, but it also revealed the truth behind one of the story’s greatest mysteries: The Second User’s Quirk,Gearshift.
While battling Shigaraki inside U.A.’s floating platform, Deku becomes determined to end the battle as quickly as possible. As such, he ignites the power of Kudo, One for All’s second holder. This ability is called Gearshift, a complex Quirk that can change the speed and acceleration of any object or Deku touches, ignoring the laws of physics. Compared to the manga, the anime did a better job of explaining this power and showcasing its effect inone of the best fights and episodes of the entire series.
My Hero Academia’s Final Chapter Confirms What Deku’s Real Power Is
Deku learns to use many super-powered Quirks in My Hero Academia’s story, but his own special ability will be more helpful to future generations.
Gearshift Is An Extremely Complicated But Effective Weapon
The Quirk Is Hard to Understand and Master
As implied by its name, Gearshift has a similar behavior to that of a manual transmission found in many vehicles. Originally, the Quirk could only affect small objects, and it was sneeringly labeled as a “peashooter” by All for One. After being powered up by One for All, however, it now affects the entire human body, down to the molecules. The ability has two different effects, one to increase the velocity of a target, and one to decrease it. The changes in speed do not obey momentum, as proven by Izuku using the Quirk on himself to prevent All For One from hitting him by decreasing his velocity.
If used correctly, Gearshift can cause devastating damage to an enemy, increasing the user’s speed and strike power several times, to the point that Deku’s attacks surpass the speed of sound. When used in combination with Fa Jin (a Quirk that can store up kinetic energy), Gearshift createsDeku’s strongest move, Overdrive, which allows him to push One for All’s power beyond its limits, reaching a 120% stage.
While extremely powerful,Gearshift also has a major on Deku, as its prolonged use causes the user’s body to receive vast amounts of physical strain due to lack of oxygenation. Kudo, the original owner of the Quirk, told Deku that after activating the ability,he would have 5 minutes to defeat All For One, or he would enter a recovery period that would leave him open to any attack.
The Anime Adaptation Did An Amazing Job Of Portraying The Quirk
The Fluidity Of The Animation And The Amazing Visual Effects Surpassed the Manga
The use of Gearshift in chapter 368 of the manga is one of the most cherished moments in Kohei Horikoshi’s story. Despite this, the stillness of the images prevented the speed at which Deku was moving from being successfully transmitted to the reader, and the chaos of the battle made it a little hard to understand exactly how Gearshift was applied. The anime adaptation of this fight perfectly conveys how rapid and fluid Deku’s movements, which is depicted expertly by having everything but Izuku move at a slower pace.
The shockwaves of the attack appearing several seconds after Deku sent All For One flying away also served to make viewers understand just how rapid his attacks are. Most of all, the use of sharp lines, extended features, and blue highlights (distinguishing Gearshift from Fa-Jin which is red), create an amazing visual representation of the Quirk being used, accompanied by a detailed explanation from the Second himself. While the manga version is still an iconic part of the franchise, the anime does have many advantages when it comes to making Gearshift shine as an ability on screen.
Undoubtedly, Kudo’s power is one of the most intriguing and powerful abilities inMy Hero Academia. It is likely that without it, Izuku would not have been able to defeat All For One, as the villain had many advantages over the green-haired hero. Thanks to the anime series, fans of Horikoshi’s work are now able to seeGearshiftbeing used to its full potential.
My Hero Academia
Cast
Anime series My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers in a world where most have them. Despite his lack of abilities, he enrolls in a prestigious hero academy, striving to learn the true essence of heroism and fulfill his dream of becoming a hero.
