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Quirk Singularity Theory In My Hero Academia Explained!

The fate of heroes and villains is entirely dependent upon the ‘Quirk Singularity Theory’. It is literally the breaking point in the world of MHA. The quirks have been everchanging and surpassing the limit with every new generation. At first, the theory was disregarded and mocked heavily. That said, people didn’t even believe in the ‘collapse of the future’. But there was one person who did. And he changed everything.

In this article, I will be exploring every facet of ‘Quirk Singularity’ in context with AFO, OFA, and quirks in general.

Marking The Beginning of It:

Everything revolving around this vague concept comes into place when one sees the bigger picture. The concept of singularity has been there from the very beginning. The first major hint was in the special license training exam of Todoroki and Bakugou. In the name of a deathmatch, both of them were told to win the hearts of elementary school kids. And the children were shown with enormous levels of strength in their quirks.

quirk singularity theory
Seiji Shishikura commented on the Quirk Singularity Theory back then.

In short, the notion of ‘Singularity’ has always been up in the air. But the seemingly simple plot and characters overshadowed it. So the next time you read MHA, try to think about everything that you are being fed with. There are very subtle hints hidden behind the curtains. 

Defining Quirk Singularity:

Dr. Kyudai Garaki was the one who proposed the theory of Quirk Singularity. Because he didn’t have any evidence supporting his claims, it was discarded as another stupid thing . According to his theory, every new generation bore tremendous powers compared to their predecessors. As the generations follow one another, the quirks blend, evolve and become more stronger than ever. Having said that, as the quirks become more powerful, it will be also hard to control them. In other words, the quirks are evolving at a rapid rate. And due to this aspect, evolution is happening disproportionately. 

kyudai garaki
The man who was mocked for his ‘Quirk Siingularity’ theory

Garaki also touched on another topic which was a consequence of lopsided evolution. He said that in the near future, we won’t be able to control our quirks. However it seems like a very far-fetched notion, it isn’t completely false. The best example supporting this claim is Eri. Her quirk is ‘Rewind’ which has the ability to reverse any living organism to its earlier state. But there’s a downside to it, her quirk is ridiculously powerful. So it’s taking her a lot of time to use it properly which only confirms Garaki’s theory. 

There are several other characters who make the theory more plausible. Some of them are Bakugo, Todoroki, Twice, Overhaul, Deku, and Shigaraki. All of them have powers that are unbelievable and devastating in nature. The evidence which Garaki lacked was showing up in society slowly and steadily. 

The One Who Believed:

Garaki’s odd-looking theory led him to get ostracized from society. As a result, he went missing. But there was one person who found his theory interesting and reasonable. All For One went to meet Kyudai Garaki and offered his hand for help. He made him continue his research and development on his proposed theory. So what happens when no one believes in you and then there’s a person who does? You respect them and become loyal to them. It’s the feeling of being in debt to them. This led Garaki to experiment more and more regarding his theory and in the process, he created Nomus too.

All For One
AFO believed in Garaki which led to several catastrophic incidents, for the heroes

But again, there arises a question. Why did AFO help a nobody like Garaki? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward. Despite being a cold villain, AFO was a human too. There were many quirks residing within him and it was taking a heavy toll on his body. AFO’s old body wasn’t able to adapt to fit the circumstances. And Garaki just put a concept that seemed like a missing part of the puzzle. That’s why he came forward and offered a helping hand. However there was no ill intent behind it, he did it to find a cure to his raggedy situation. It was a win-win situation for both of them.  

The Lopsided Evolutionary Nature of Quirks:

Let me get this straight once again. The quirks become more powerful with every new generation inheriting them. So isn’t it obvious that the human mind and body would do the same? But Garaki also stated that in the future, people won’t be able to manifest their quirks properly. However, there’s a whole different side to it. The rate of evolution of the quirks and human’s mind and body varies. Quirks evolve faster than humans. That’s why there is this one-sided advancement happening. 

But again, it raises one more question. This progression in humanity would never happen if there weren’t any quirks. So where exactly did it come from?

The Birth of a Strange Phenomenon:

The first meta ability was found in KeiKei city, China. A baby was radiating light from his/her body. And after that incident, many people around the world experienced the same thing. One thing which I can derive out of this is that it was semi-natural and contagious. The fact that a majority of the people got meta powers out of nowhere seems strange. Also, this accident or phenomenon got the whole ‘singularity’ rolling in the first place. 

birth of the first quirk
The luminescent baby aka birth of the first quirk

But what if I told you that this whole ‘quirk singularity’ is some kind of disease? 

Is Quirk Singularity a Disease?

The only theory which is in favor of the notion of quirks being disease comes from Overhaul. As we know that quirks aren’t entirely a natural occurrence, questions can be raised on its evolution. The fast expansion and rapid development of quirks that become overpowered by every new generation seem mysterious. Because if one isn’t able to control their ability then they will lose their body and mind. Long story short, they will die. 

overhaul theory
Although there’s no proof, the theory sounds very reasonable

Chisaki’s explanation stems from another theory. He deems quirks, in general, as a sickness; which makes Singularity a disease too.

OFA and Singularity:

It would be a disrespect to talk about AFO and Singularity but not include OFA in the equation. But how did OFA exactly pass the singularity point? For that, we need to understand one thing very well – the nature of OFA.

the cup metaphor
The cup metaphor

First of all, let’s assume a quirk slot as an empty cup. Now, it was already full with the user’s quirk so when one gets OFA, it becomes an extra quirk. The only problem is that there is only one cup that can hold a quirk. And because OFA comes later on, it overfills the cup and the user’s original quirk overflows. In other words, a person can’t wield OFA effectively if they already have one quirk since birth. If they do, then there are serious consequences. So, in order to not get the cup overflown, OFA sucks out the life force of the user. This exchange puts the wielder at very high risk and they can die at an early age. The exact thing happened with the fourth user – Hikage Shinomori.

hikage shinomori
The fouth user died of old age because OFA sucked out his life force

In the dream that Deku had, the first user said that OFA has passed the singularity a long time ago. The reason it was able to do so was because of the ‘stockpiling’ nature of the quirk. OFA is extremely unstable and can’t be just handled by anyone. The insane amount of power it packs through different quirks is almost insurmountable. With the help of previous users, OFA only got stronger whenever it was passed down. But it also made it more powerful as well as uncontrollable. However, Deku is doing his best to control it and he is succeeding at it because he never had any quirk in the first place. His cup was always empty and now, he is shaping it accordingly. To a certain extent, he is trying to control singularity only.  

 Will There be an End Point?

Evolution is a bizarre and random process. You mix up things and wait to see whether it works out or not. In some cases, it does and in others, it doesn’t. For example, Shoto Todoroki is a work of art – a culmination of two powers. Whereas Yugo Aoyama isn’t – he has a moderately strong laser but it exhausts him soon. That said, the society of MHA comprises mix bags like these. And lastly, a final question – Is there any end to this?

If you are talking about the endpoint of evolution, the answer is no. But if you are talking about power consuming the people, the answer is probably yes. In the case of Twice, he wasn’t able to control his clones and lost his identity. And then eventually, he died too. This was a consequence of his actions as well as his quirks’. 

first user talking to deku
The first user talking to Deku in his first dream

Horikoshi has been building something and I don’t think it’s complete yet. As of now, there’s no endpoint. The only thing which is certain is uncertainty. 

Okay, this was a long one but hey, I tried to answer everything that was in my knowledge. Still, if you guys have some questions to ask or simply wanna talk, hit me up. I am available on Instagram – anime_talkies. We can discuss more on the topic and about animanga in general. Or you can comment your questions below and I will answer them as soon as I can.

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