Hardening

Hardening is a Quirk used by Eijiro Kirishima.

Description
Hardening gives Eijiro the power to harden any part of his body.

Hardening protects Eijiro from most physical threats. Once activated, Eijiro becomes capable of enduring what would be otherwise lethal hazards, like tons of falling metal and multiple explosions, without leaving a scratch. Even bullets are unable to pierce his skin.

Aside from increased defense, Hardening also grants Eijiro offensive power by turning his hardened body rough and sharp like rock, increasing his physical strength and allowing him to cut enemies by grazing them. This all leads to Hardening being a highly practical Quirk for Hero work, which is frequently combat-oriented.

According to Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, the hardness granted by Hardening can be improved upon when Eijiro, in his hardened state, takes more damage overtime. This fact, prior to Tetsutetsu stating it, was displayed as part of Eijiro's training, when he, in his hardened form, was continuously attacked by Mashirao Ojiro's Tail, and with each hit, the strength and durability of Eijiro's Quirk increased.

Weaknesses
One of the drawbacks to this Quirk is that there is a limit to how much damage the hardened skin can withstand, causing Hardening to slowly dissipate, and Eijiro loses stamina from struggling to keep his Quirk active. Furthermore, Hardening is noted to lack long-range potential, limiting Eijiro's combat repertoire and forcing him to take battles up close.

Usage
Hardening first manifested on Eijiro when he was just three years old, as he was rubbing his right eye after waking up. Eijiro ended up cutting himself, leaving a scar around his right eyebrow. Originally, this Quirk only slightly hardened Eijiro's skin, but he was able to improve its effects ever since through intense training. Before that, he could barely defend himself against rocks.

In combat, Eijiro is very straightforward and reckless, letting his hardened body take the opposing hits as he counterattacks with hard punches and other close-range moves. As even bullets cannot pierce his skin when his Quirk is active, Eijiro is capable of turning himself into a human shield for allies or defenseless civilians. During rescue operations, he has to be extra careful with victims as his rugged body can hurt them.

In desperate situations, Eijiro can increase his own hardness to its maximum level, becoming almost invincible temporarily. His tactics remain the same however, due to the simple nature of his Quirk.

Super Moves

 * Red Counter: While hardened, Eijiro endures a close-range attack with his skin, and then counters with a straight punch.
 * Red Riot Unbreakable: Eijiro reaches his maximum hardening level by turning his entire body extremely hard and rugged, leaving him with a monstrous appearance and practically invulnerable to most forms of attack. At first, this form can only be maintained for around 30 to 40 seconds, but we later see Kirishima entering and maintaining it more easily.
 * Red Gauntlet Eijiro rushes towards the enemy and delivers a single strong punch against them.

Trivia

 * Like several other Quirks, Hardening has its own signature sound effect: "SKLIT".
 * This Quirk is very similar to Steel, and the two appear to be roughly equal in terms of power and effectiveness.
 * The effects of Hardening and Steel are very similar, but the latter Quirk turns the user's entire body into hardened steel instead of just hardening their skin. The two appear to be roughly equal in terms of power and effectiveness, although Tetsutetsu notes that his body can only become so hard due to transforming into metal whereas Eijiro can become increasingly tougher.
 * This Quirk, in terms of function, is the inverse of Stiffening, which consists of hardening foreign objects instead of one's own body.

Site Navigation
Hardening