Summary
- Practical training & martial arts skills make some Class 1-A students stronger when not relying on Quirks.
- Class 1-A members like Uraraka & Ojiro excel in combat due to their martial arts expertise.
- Pure physical stats would likely determine winners in a Quirkless battle, with students like Shoji standing out as the strongest.
In the world of My Hero Academia, the victor in a battle between heroes and villains often comes down to how well each side uses their Quirks. This is initially why Midoriya felt like hero work was out of his reach at the beginning of the series: he didn’t have a Quirk of his own.
To this end, the members of Class 1-A diligently practice developing their Quirks and train to be heroes. But what if they didn’t have their Quirks to rely on? In a battle where no one could use their Quirks, who would be the strongest member of Class 1-A in My Hero Academia?
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Training to Overcome Weakness
Some Members Would Fair Better Than Others
In a battle without quirks, one advantage would likely go to those who had to overcome weaker Quirks to be allowed to stand on the same level as other heroes. Ochacho Uraraka would be one contender for the strongest Class 1-A member because of how well she adopted and utilized Gunhead martial arts. During the joint training battle with Class 1-B, she was able to stop Neito Monoma effortlessly with a martial arts move. She has also used it to consistently gain the edge over villains like Kai Chisaki and Himiko Toga and catch them by surprise.
“Everyone Is Giving All They Can, Which Only Makes It Fair That I Do The Same." -Ochaco Uraraka
In a conversation about martial arts, it's also worth mentioning Mashirao Ojiro, a Class 1-A member who is implied to be the most skilled martial artist in the class. His Quirk, Tail, seems to have limited use compared to the heavy hitters in his class, so he compensates by turning it into his own martial arts style. During the joint training battle against Class 1-B, he surprised and restrained Pony Tsunotori, who was thought to be the fastest student in that class. Ojiro has also taken steps to overcome the reliance on his tail Quirk, training his movements so he is less predictable in combat. While he wouldn’t be able to use his tail in a no-quirk battle between the members of Class 1-A, his skills would make him one of the strongest combatants.
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Pure Stats Would Win the Day
Without Quirks, Options Would Be Limited
Despite the advantages that some of the traditionally weaker 1-A heroes would have in a battle with no Quirks, it's hard to ignore the natural talent of the traditionally stronger ones. Even without using his Quirk, Katsuki Bakugo possesses a killer instinct that matches his enhanced speed and physical strength in battle. He could take blows from a Full Cowl-enhanced Deku during their isolated battle in Season 3.
Eijiro Kirishima also deserves a mention for his diligent weight training, endurance, and experience with close-combat fighting styles. Although he wouldn’t be able to use his Quirk in this scenario, his training to keep his Quirk active longer gives him extraordinary endurance that would apply to a physical contest between the other members of Class 1-A. He has an extremely muscular physique in his base form, and his confidence would carry him above many of the other Class 1-A members in a Quirkless brawl.
In a contest of pure physical stats between the members of Class 1-A, Mezo Shoji seems to be solidly at the top when not factoring in quirks. During Quirk tests at the beginning of the series, he was shown to have incredible grip strength on each arm and could easily carry multiple people on his back without being hindered. Shoji is likely multiple times physically stronger than the average Class 1-A member, even without using all his arms.
He also possesses exceptional speed, can react and save his classmates against Kurogiri’s warp gates, and overcomes Himiko Toga’s swiftness. Shoji was able to keep up with the speedy Pony Tsunotori for an extended period of time, and he is also one of the only heroes capable of surviving against the power of Dark Shadow while he was carrying Midoriya to safety. Even after his arms were disabled when fighting against the Vanguard Action Squad, he could stand against them with his remaining limbs with seemingly no difficulty.
Based on the feats displayed by various Class 1-A heroes, it's likely that Shoji, Bakugo, Ojiro Kirishima, and Uraraka would be among the strongest in a battle without Quirks. While it would be a close contest between the combatants, it feels like Shoji's raw stats advantage would give him an edge over the other competitors. It’s difficult to imagine Shoji’s natural strength being overcome by his quirkless classmates, making him the most likely to win a Quirk-restricted battle in My Hero Academia.
My Hero Academia can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
- Directors
- Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano
Cast
-
Daiki YamashitaIzuku Midoriya (voice) -
Kaito IshikawaManga Fukidashi (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
- Seasons
- 8
- Studio
- Bones
- Franchise
- My Hero Academia
- Characters By
- Kohei Horikoshi
- Japanese Title
- Boku no Hero Academia
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Kōhei Horikoshi
- Distributor
- FUNimation Entertainment
- Main Characters
- Tsuyu Asui, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, All Might
- Production Company
- Bones
- Story By
- Kōhei Horikoshi, Yōsuke Kuroda
- Number of Episodes
- 159
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.85 (Season 1)
