Kudo

Kudo was the leader of a resistance that fought against All For One. After rescuing his archenemy's brother, Yoichi Shigaraki, he became the second user of the One For All Quirk.

Appearance
Distinctively, Kudo shared a strong resemblance to Katsuki Bakugo, with short, spiky, ginger salmon hair, and somewhat thin red eyes that are slanted slightly downwards. He also had a large scar on his face, starting from the left side of his forehead, forking out in the middle, 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 Meta Ability: 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. Because of this, he held a strong black and white view of the world, 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 was not as callous as All For One, as he 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 Meta Ability 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. His tenacity, despite his supposed weakness, and being the one who rescued Yoichi from All For One's grasp, has lead to him becoming the one person All For One truly hates the most.

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 Kudo and the 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 name contains the kanji for "drive" (駆) and "wisteria" (藤).
 * Kudo's English voice actor, Ben Balmaceda, also voices Teruo Hazukashi and Himiko Toga's father.

Quotes

 * (To Yoichi) "I sought to bring down your brother... and extinguished so many lives in the process. Because in our battle, victory meant life... and defeat meant death. Now you tell us to devote our efforts to one who wants to "save" our mortal enemy? A boy holding on to such a ridiculous delusion?"
 * (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."