Summary
My Hero Academia explores the mystery of the origin of Quirks through various theories and historical figures. The rise of the Quirks leads to civil unrest, societal collapse, and All for One’s dark reign. The series delves into what it means to be in a world where over 80% of the population possesses Quirks.
My Hero Academy is a rare example of a world where superpowers are common. But how did the series’ abilities, called Quirks, come about in the first place? While there’s no straight answer to that question, the manga has offered a few possible explanations that vary slightly.
Officially, in My Hero Academia history, the first person born with a Quirk was the “Luminescent Baby,” a child born in China that glowed with a bright light. However, chapters in the manga’s Final War revealed that at least one person had a Quirk before: All because of One’s mother. A pregnant and down-on-her-luck prostitute, this woman showed the first signs of Spear-like Bones, which manifested as hardened growths on her skin. However, she did not know about the Quirks and was probably not the only one with the signs at the time.
Where do Quirks come from?
In-universe, the origin of Quirks is unknown and disputed. One popular theory is that it is simply the next step in human evolution; This belief has led to the rise of supreme power groups, both for and against Quirks, originally known as “Superpowers”. Another theory, mentioned by Overhaul in chapter 158, states that the development of the Quirk was due to a disease spread by mice and rats, infecting humans. This theory fits with Overhaul’s personal beliefs about Quirks, but neither theory actually has much evidence to support it, leaving the answer still a mystery.
These theories caused massive civil unrest, especially when some people began to manifest their Quirks later in life. This leads to the collapse of social norms and a period of complete chaos which All for One is able to take advantage of by using his own Quirk, taking power from some people and giving them to others. others. Through this, he built an army of loyal followers who ushered in a dark age where All for One’s power went largely unchecked. Resistance groups, led by the likes of the Second and Third Users of One for All, fought against All for One to restore peace.
The term “Superpower” came about when a woman, known as the “Mother of Powers,” stood up for her child, saying that his Superpower was “Just a power of him,” which helped popularize the term. When the situation calmed down and society returned to normal (or as close to it as possible), Quirks were regulated by the government and their public use was made illegal. This led to the creation of groups like the Meta Liberation Army, who felt they should be allowed to use Quirks whenever they wanted, and the creation of professional heroes who could deal with these Illegal Quirk users.
By the time the series began, there had been decades of peace (largely thanks to All Might), and seeing superheroes using Quirks had become almost normal. From the beginning of the series, it is known that during Midoriya’s time, more than 80% of the world’s population had Quirks, with only a very few people remaining without them. Some fear that Quirks growing stronger over generations could lead to a Quirk Singularity, where Quirks become too powerful for society to continue to exist. Whether this doomsday theory is true or not plays a core role in My Hero AcademyQuirks’ story, leaving Quirks’ future uncertain.