Sorry My Hero Academia fans, I underestimated Eri until I knew she could fix a Nomu

My Hero Academia did a stellar job in creating an expansive roster of loveable characters, both Heroes and Villains, and bestowing upon them intriguing Quirks. Each one was unique and no two Quirks were too similar to each other. Moreover, Horikoshi's ability to showcase Quirks being used in extremely creative ways brought another level of flexibility to them.

Among the many Quirks and super-powered individuals in the series, one of the most interesting and frankly underestimated has been Eri. The young white-haired girl was first introduced in the Shie Hassaikai Arc, equipped with the Rewind Quirk and was invaluable to Overhaul aka Kai Chisaki. Her Quirk seemed straightforward at first, but a closer look proves it may have misjudged.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

My Hero Academia: Eri and her Quirk may have been underestimated in the series

Eri in My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

Before diving in, it is worth taking a look at Eri's Quirk once more. Called Rewind, the ability allows her to reverse a living entity back to its original state. This includes healing injuries, making a target age backwards and undoing body modifications. When her Quirk first manifested, she accidentally rewound her father back to a point of non-existence, showing the extent of its power.

Her power source is the horn on the right side of her head. Its size dictates the strength it holds and as revealed by Neito Monoma, it was an accumulation-type Quirk. This implies that power needs to build up over time before it can be used. Her Quirk mutated her body, so her blood was able to target an individual's power and prevent it from activating by reversing it to before it even manifested.

With that established, an intriguing point arises in whether or not Eri can fix Nomus. As per My Hero Academia lore, Nomus were bodies of deceased individuals, heavily modified by Dr. Kyudai Garaki to hold multiple Quirks. Put simply, they were reanimated super-soldiers with no will of their own and followed the orders of whoever they were engineered to heed.

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Given that they are essentially walking corposes, it is possible that Eri could fix them. In other words, she can likely use Rewing to undo the modification on the corpses to bring them back to their original states. However, this does not mean that they will be resurrected. Their bodies may probably return to the way it was after death, albeit with slight differences due to Garaki's experiments.

Again, this is subject to Eri having accumulated enough power. It wouldn't fully work if her power reserve was insufficient. Additionally, it is also possible that her using Rewind on a Nomu could separate the Quirks it had been modified with. An example of this was seen she split Overhaul and Shin Nemoto during the Shie Hassaikai Raid.

Overhaul's Quirk allowed him disassemble and reassemble whatever he pleased, even living beings. This was what he did with Shin, essentially fusing with him and taking his Quirk. If Eri could Rewind the fused entity back to the two individuals with their Quirks intact, it is mostly certain she could the same with the Nomu, i.e., reverse the body to its original state and separate the Quirks, but not revive it.

In Conclusion

My Hero Academia's Eri likely had one of the most powerful Quirks in the series. While not a combat-type, the flexibility of her Quirk does make it an invaluable one. Be it for healing damage (Izuku's Full Cowl 100%), restoring Quirks (Mirio's Permeation) or just simply taking them away (Quirk-destroying bullets), Rewind's power and potential cannot be ignored.

Given her tender age during the story's events, she was largely left out of the main happenings. However, had she received appropriate training and for the same duration as Class 1-A, she surely would have used her Quirk creatively and with more power. Her ability held game-changing implications for both sides in My Hero Academia.

Proper training and development would have allowed her redefine the extent of the story's power system. Eri isn't simply a supporting character, but one that stands as unrealized potential likely capabe of upsetting narrative balance.

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About the author

Casey has been an anime writer at Sportskeeda since almost a year. Being drawn into the world of animanga after watching the Dragon Ball series almost a decade ago, Casey's interest in the genre, along with his love of crafting plot theories influenced his writerly endeavors. Presently pursuing a Master's degree in International Business, Casey worked for Uneake and FootballExpress for 1.3 years before joining Sportskeeda.

Casey's writings reflect his commitment to producing the most reliable content, evidenced by his flair for in-depth reporting. He places a high value on meticulous research and complete factual accuracy.

Although it was legendary Akira Toriyama’s magnum opus that influenced his love of animanga, Casey soon branched out and explored other titles. The unique ways in which mangakas express ideas, as well as their far-reaching effects, have inspired Casey in his creative pursuits.

When not busy writing, Casey enjoys working out, listening to music, strumming the guitar, and playing football.

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Edited by Casey Mendez