The Role of Quirks in Personal Identity

Key takeaways

• Quirks shape personal identity and self-worth, defining a character's life trajectory and sense of belonging.
• How society perceives a person determines whether they are labeled a hero or a villain.
• Living in a superpower society means extreme social pressures and expectations on quirk holders.

in the world of My Hero AcademiaQuirks are supernatural abilities that people are born with. These abilities usually manifest by the age of four and are known to affect more than 80% of the population. While these abilities emerge when a person is at an early stage of development, it is not uncommon for them to build their personality around their quirks and make certain important decisions to accommodate their quirks.

Quirks are extremely important in this world, and being born without a quirk is disastrous. How fans pissed off Izuku Midoriya and his mother after the doctor said he would grow up without Midoriya. What quirk is profound for individuals is that it defines their self-perception, social interactions, and career paths. Without any quirks, Midoriya knew he couldn't fit in and would never be a hero, no matter how hard he dreamed. The presence or absence of quirks determines much of a character's life trajectory, often shaping expectations as to how they fit into society.

Quirks and Personal Identity

self perception

Personal identity is how a person defines and understands themselves. It includes aspects such as personality, values, beliefs, and the roles they play in life. It makes someone see themselves as unique and makes them feel like individuals, separate from others. The characters in My Hero Academia Often tie their sense of self-worth to their quirks. An example is Midoriya, who was born with markings that indicate he may not exhibit a quirk. Midoriya felt inadequate and worthless because he was part of a minority that was born without any quirks and thus could not be a hero.

Midoriya's encounter with All Might and his realization of the One for All change his perspective, giving him a sense of purpose and belonging. Midoriya's self-esteem grows as he now sees himself as someone who can become a hero.

Yuga was also born without Aoyama. This incident forced him and his parents to find unconventional ways, such as reaching out to their world's greatest villain, All For One, who gave him the navel quirk but at a price. Being born queer in a world where the majority were born with quirks made his parents fear the kind of discrimination he would face for something that was no fault of his. Personally, Yuga struggles to fit in and sees himself as inferior and unworthy just like Midoriya. Even with a quirk, he still struggles with insecurity because he knows the lengths he went to and the price he paid for the quirk.

Self acceptance

A quirk is something that people have minimal control over. Different people manifest different qualities, some more powerful, strong, and versatile than others. It makes people look cooler or look down on themselves for not revealing a more powerful quirk. Eijiro Kirishima had problems accepting his quirk because he thought it was less than others like Todoroki's half-hot half-cold or Bakugo's explosion quirk. Over time, Kirishima learns to embrace his callous abilities, learning that heroism is more than flashy powers; His teacher Shota Aizawa can also be thanked for this. He realizes that it's really about a person's resilience and spirit. Learning this, he accepted himself, gave him a sense of belonging among his peers.

Quirks and social roles

Quirk how the holders fit

While some people use their quirks for good, others use them for bad. So there are villains and heroes in this world. Society expects people to use their quirks for good to protect their city and world from villains and not oppress the eccentric minority.

Heroes are celebrated for using their quirks to save society, while those who abuse or reject societal norms, such as Tomura Shigaraki, the League of Villains, Dabi and others, are labeled villains. The difference between a hero and a villain often depends not only on oneself but on how society perceives and reacts to the individual. For example, society perceives Stan as a villain. Stan is not a hero either, but his role is considered heroic by some and villainous by others. Stan takes it upon himself to wipe out any hero who isn't pure, has the wrong motives for being a hero, and is in it for the fame and money. A true hero does not care about the benefits that come with the role but should focus only on saving lives and seeking justice.

According to Stan, only All Might can be considered a true hero, and the rest are only there for selfish reasons. Despite Stan's motives and beliefs, society considers him a villain because he goes around killing people.

All Might is a perfect example of what society expects from quirk holders, heroes. All served and protected Japan so well that he was honored as a symbol of peace and ranked as the number one hero in Japan. The rain came, the sun came; As long as the villains are terrorizing the citizens or the citizens are in danger, all power will emerge. Despite being seriously injured, he did not want to step down due to social expectations.

Discrimination and prejudice

Discrimination and prejudice are inevitable in such a world. Angie showed a bias towards Todoroki compared to her other children because he had an even distribution of similarities. His prejudice led his eldest son, Toya Todoroki, to the dark side as Toya became the villainous Dabi that many fans are painfully familiar with.

Those born with destructive quirks or considered “monsters” by societal standards. For example, Spinner from League of Villains fits society's criteria for a villain due to his mutant quirk, Gecko. The spinner has lizard-like features and faces discrimination for it. Spinner and others like her are pushed to the fringes, facing prejudice or rejection by society. It reinforces a rigid social structure where quirks serve as the primary determinant of a person's place in the world, either empowering individuals to rise to prominence or limiting their potential roles.

Societal pressures and expectations

What is expected of Quirk holders

With great powers come great responsibilities, and although these people may not have sought the powers they were born with, they are burdened with the responsibilities of having such powers. Characters with powerful queerness often face great social pressure to be heroes and live up to expectations. All Might's Qurk, One For All, positions him as a symbol of peace, placing the burden of protecting society on his shoulders.

Despite the large hole in his chest, All Might didn't want to retire as a hero because society expected him to be safe, and he essentially put the villains in their place because most of them feared him. In the end, he had to retire because he lost all of his limbs in the One for All, relegating him to a freak and a shadow of his old, muscular self.

Society is also the reason for the rise of villains. Individuals have minimal control over the quirks they end up with, but there are some quirks that look good and others that are bad. Bakugo's explosion quirk is seen by society as a brilliant quirk, and they assume that Bakugo has villainous tendencies. There are other characters who are judged this way, unlike Bakugo, who stayed true to his path as a hero. These other characters, not so much. Characters like Spinner, Dabi, Twice and Himiko Toga became villains due to how their reactions made them stray from societal norms.

Finally

Living in a superpower society puts a lot of pressure, expectations and self-acceptance on the individual. Being queer in this world means that one must be either a hero or a villain, not in between. Only queer people talk about what they want to be, but they certainly can't be heroes. Quirks are more than just supernatural abilities that these people are born with. It determines their destiny, shapes their interactions with others, and most importantly, shapes how a person perceives themselves.

My Hero Academia Now available to stream on Crunchyroll.