I used to believe OFA was a cheat code to success in My Hero Academia, until I saw Deku's struggle

With a variety of unique quirks and characters in the My Hero Academia series, there has often been an underlying comparison of which quirk is better or more powerful than others. While the discussion still comes up among the fans, they all agree in unison that Deku's One For All holds the top spot.

From the very beginning of the series, One For All is shown as the most iconic and strongest quirk, with it being used by individuals like All Might and Izuku "Deku" Midoriya. However, while Deku getting One For All might have been portrayed as a cheat code to becoming number one, certain backlashes came with the quirk that Deku had to gruelingly prepare himself for.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinions and contains potential spoilers from the My Hero Academia anime and manga series.

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Deku's journey to control One For All in My Hero Academia wasn't as easy as it may seem

As mentioned earlier, from the very beginning of the My Hero Academia series, All Might and his quirk- One For All- have been portrayed as the epitome of power. Upon a deeper exploration of the quirk, One For All is rather unique because of its rich history and vast narrative, even before All Might, let alone Deku. As All Might came across Deku, he chose the latter as the new successor of the quirk.

While the narrative screams a cheat code handed down to Deku, the protagonist of the My Hero Academia series, what some fans failed to understand is that it was not just another handout sequence from a generic shonen anime. Unlike things going smoothly, the quirk rejected Deku multiple times throughout the series.

Deku had to constantly strengthen himself and undergo excruciating training just to be able to handle All For One's presence in his body. There were several instances where the quirk backfired on Deku and caused more injury to him than he got from fighting other enemies. Deku could not even use the full potential of the quirk, not even to the extent that All Might did.

For instance, Deku was once able to access 100% of One For All with the help of Eri's quirk- Rewind- to defeat Overhaul. However, in the aftermath of the battle, Deku experienced severe repercussions from using the quirk at 100% after Rewind's effect wore off. This was only just one notable example of the side effects of One For All, with there being several other instances in the series.

While the mangaka Kohei Horikoshi introduced One For All as an ultimate quirk in My Hero Academia, especially as a countermeasure to its evil opposite, All For One, he also added several regulations to the quirk that do not make it generic and unnecessarily overpowered. With Deku, Horikoshi maintained a balance and portrayed that a quirk is only as strong as the control the user has on it.

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Final thoughts

The One For All quirk from My Hero Academia, while playing the most significant role in the series' narrative, also plays a key role in Deku's storyline, particularly towards his character growth arc. Deku's determination to fully control One For All so that he can become the hero he always wanted to be is what drives the story so immaculately, also raising the popularity of the series.

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