Kudo

Kudo was the second user of the One For All Quirk.

Appearance
Distinctively, Kudo shared a strong resemblance to Katsuki Bakugo with short, spiky hair and somewhat thin eyes that slanted slightly downwards. He also had a large scar, starting from the left side of his forehead, forking out and finishing underneath both of his eyes, which he received just before his death at the hands of All For One during their final battle. He wore a green combat jacket with a large, black collar. He also wore large gauntlets, which he seemingly used for offensive purposes powered by his Quirk: Gearshift.

Personality
Alive during the harshest era of his time, Kudo was a battle-hardened veteran who was a soldier first and foremost. He had a serious yet apathetic demeanor due to his experience in history's most chaotic era when Meta Abilities were rampant. He held a strong view of the world being nothing more than black and white, stating that every he time he fought, victory meant life, and defeat meant death.

All his life, Kudo had only but one goal: to bring down All For One, having killed many people who got in his way, showing no mercy for anyone who would interfere with his mission. He holds a strong and stern sense of justice, as seen when he was unwilling to lend his power to Izuku Midoriya, due to his optimistic attitude and "ridiculous" ideals to save his archenemy, Tomura Shigaraki. Kudo also expressed cynicism towards Izuku, although perhaps rightly so given his past and everything he fought for, as he told Yoichi Shigaraki that Izuku will never understand the responsibility of how much One For All means to end their war against All For One.

However, Kudo did possess a more caring and empathetic side, as seen when he abandoned his goal of killing Yoichi, the brother of his mortal enemy, and chose to offer his hand and save him instead. This is further expressed when, during the Final War, he encouraged Izuku to trust in his friends and to focus on himself, knowing that he needed allies who would support him and fight by his side.

Kudo was also very persistent during his final battle with All For One. Even while severely wounded and being choked to death, he tried to use his Quirk to kill All For One by shooting a projectile from behind. The villain regarded Kudo as a stuck-up, pompous brat who didn't even squirm during the very last moments of his life. Kudo was very prideful and expressed no fear of his impending death, even when held at chokepoint by All For One, he simply smiled down on him with satisfaction as if he was mocking the villain, knowing that he had failed to acquire One For All.

History
In the harshest era of his time, when All For One's powers were spreading to his peak unchecked, Kudo, who would become the future Second User, formed the resistance to oppose All For One and his new world order. While he had no direct confrontation with this resistance, All For One allowed his growing number of subordinates to deal with him and the resistance later. At some point, Kudo and his companion, the future Third User, rescued Yoichi from his imprisonment after deciding against his initial assassination attempt, inadvertently allowing One For All to grow.

Yoichi was not strong enough to defeat his brother even with his new Quirk, so he passed it on to the next generation in the hopes that one day One For All would be strong enough to defeat his older brother. Some time after Yoichi passed down One For All to Kudo, he was targeted by All For One who discovered that his brother had a Quirk all this time, and sought Kudo. He massacred the entire resistance, leaving only Kudo standing to oppose him. Even with One For All, Kudo wasn't strong enough to defeat All For One, however, by this point he had already passed down One For All to the Third User.

All For One, with tears flowing down his eyes, begins to choke the life out of Kudo, easily stopping a bullet shot at him from behind using his Meta Ability, Gearshift. All For One eventually kills Kudo, all the while in his final moments, he simply smiles at the Villain in satisfaction.

U.A. Sports Festival Arc
During the fight between Izuku Midoriya and Hitoshi Shinso in the tournament of the U.A. Sports Festival, Izuku is brainwashed by Hitoshi's Quirk, who orders him to walk out of bounds. Although Izuku tries to resist, he cannot disobey the order, but when he is about to cross the edge of the ring, Kudo and the rest of the previous users appear to Izuku as shadowed mental figures. They uncloud his mind and allow Izuku to use One For All in his fingers, allowing him to escape the trance and win the fight.

My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising
During a devastating battle between a villain with a copy of All For One's Quirk, in a last-ditch effort to defeat him, Izuku transfers One For All to Katsuki Bakugo, even at the cost of rendering himself Quirkless once more. Through the dual power of the One For All's, the two manage to take the villain down, even as the remaining embers of One For All seemingly disappear from Izuku. However, the users of One For All, wanting Izuku to continue to harness the power, and recognizing his heroism of being willing to sacrifice his power to save everyone, only temporarily transferred the power over to Katsuki, while the full essence of One For All remains within Izuku. All Might tearfully thanks his master and predecessors for staying with Izuku. However, the extent to which the second and third users were involved is unknown, as they openly doubted that Izuku is a capable successor.

Paranormal Liberation War Arc
In the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War, when Izuku is rendered comatose, he speaks to all the vestiges within One For All. The second and third users faced away from Izuku as the other users talked to him about One For All, as well as if he has the will to put an end to Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. After the other users agreed to lend their full support to Izuku, Yoichi turned around to the second and third users, asking them to cooperate with their successor. The two express their doubts with Izuku's resolve to save Tomura, believing it to be foolish and naive. However, Yoichi reminds them that they rescued him despite knowing his connections to their enemy, and manages to convince them to support Izuku.

Final War Arc
After leaving Okuto Island, Kudo appears to Izuku, after he tried to use his Meta Ability to get to U.A. faster. He reminds Izuku that his Meta Ability is only to be used as a "last resort" as it has transformed into a "unique power" due to the power that has been stockpiled in One For All over the generations. He tells Izuku that he should not become desperate and to have faith in his friends, as they are all out fighting for their own reasons and, with that in mind, he should focus on his fight.

Meta Abilities
Gearshift: Kudo's Meta Ability allowed him to change the speed and/or velocity at which things accelerate through space. The Meta Ability is even capable of changing speeds while ignoring the laws of inertia. When he initially used it, it only worked on small objects, but due to the power stockpiled by One For All over the years, it is described as having evolved into a "unique power" that cannot be used the normal way anymore.

One For All (ワン・フォー・オール): Transferred to him from Yoichi Shigaraki, Kudo's second Meta Ability allowed him to stockpile an enormous amount of raw power, allowing him to significantly enhance all of his physical abilities to a superhuman level. This resulted in unbelievable levels of strength, speed, agility, and durability.

Equipment
Gauntlets: Kudo wielded large gauntlets with slit-like holes at the end, which fired pointed blades. These were used in conjunction with his Meta Ability, Gearshift, to manipulate the speed and trajectory of the projectiles as they were fired.

Yoichi Shigaraki
Kudo was one of two people who rescued Yoichi from imprisonment. Despite knowing that Yoichi was the younger brother of All For One, he still extended his hand and his support to him. Yoichi has a tremendous amount of respect for Kudo, calling him his hero. Because of this, Yoichi chose Kudo to inherit One For All and, with that, to fight All For One.

Yoichi managed to convince Kudo to lend his power to Izuku, so that the young hero can use the full potential of One For All.

Third User
Not much is known about the relationship between the second and third user, but it seems to be a well-established one. They are shown as being able to work together, particularly when they worked together to rescue Yoichi from All For One. The third user also shares the same strong sense of justice as Kudo, which could have helped with establishing their relationship.

Izuku Midoriya
Kudo was initially dismissive of Izuku, saying that he would not help him because he wants to save Tomura, calling it a "ridiculous delusion." Yoichi explains to Kudo that he chose to rescue him despite his ties to All For One, and that he believes that Izuku can bring an end to the fight they've been fighting. Kudo's opinion of Izuku then changes, granting his power to the latest successor.

Chapter Appearances

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Anime Appearances

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Trivia

 * Kudo's English voice actor, Ben Balmaceda, also voices Teruo Hazukashi and Himiko Toga's father.

Quotes

 * (To Izuku) "Don't fall into desperation. This is a battle for the very future, yes? Have faith in your friends. They're all out there for their own reasons. Knowing that should allow you to focus your energy on your own battlefield."