My Hero Academia Wiki
Register
Advertisement
My Hero Academia Wiki
He's going after me...! I'm his natural prey! You would think that, Class A. This psychological trap was set... before the match even began! This's how I work.
Shihai Kuroiro in "Operation New Improv Moves!"

Shihai Kuroiro ( (くろ) (いろ) () (はい) Kuroiro Shihai?),[1] also known as the Scheming Hero: Vantablack (陰謀ヒーロー ベンタブラック Inbō Hīrō Bentaburakku?), is a student in Class 1-B at U.A. High School, training to become a Pro Hero.

Appearance[]

Shihai is a tall young man with fluffy white hair and black eyes, which are long and thin in shape. His most prominent feature is his pitch-black skin, its unusual color most likely due to the Quirk he possesses, and his face usually holds an unsure or irritated expression.

His hero costume consists of a simple black jumpsuit with light shoes, a large wristband on his left arm, and three rectangular indentations.

Personality[]

Shihai is a sly, deceitful schemer who prefers to catch people off guard. He appears to enjoy dark concepts and has a penchant for dramatic speech, similar to Fumikage Tokoyami.[2]

Shihai appears to have a crush on Kinoko Komori, as he nervously averts his eyes and stammers while speaking to her and internally celebrates when she praises him in the Joint Training Battle.[3] Shihai's also seen standing jealously behind her while she talks to Fumikage.[4] Shihai struggles to talk to girls in general and tends to think they have a crush on him if they speak to him. It is also mentioned he has a crush on her in the Ultra Analysis books.

Abilities[]

Shihai takes control of Dark Shadow

Shihai uses his Quirk handling to take control of Fumikage's Dark Shadow and turns it against him.

Overall Abilities: Shihai may not be the close-quarters combat type, but he makes up for it with his great handle on his Quirk. In combat, Shihai uses his Black Quirk to hide from enemy attacks or to execute ambushes. Once merged with a black-colored object, Shihai can move through its whole structure at very high speeds, even while carrying a person. Shihai has proven himself a formidable individual who dramatically excels in espionage and is the stealthiest student in Class 1-B. During the Joint Training Battle, Shihai used his Quirk efficiency to briefly take control of Fumikage's Dark Shadow and catch the Jet-Black Hero by surprise.

Tactical Intellect: Shihai has been shown to possess incredible ingenuity in battle. Before the second match of the Joint Training, he devised an effective strategy against the opposing team—Fumikage. By taking advantage of the fact that both he and Fumikage have darkness-based Quirks, Shihai intentionally made himself Fumikage's primary target. Shihai even used the industrial piping of Ground Gamma to make it impossible for the opposing team to ascertain his location. An impeccable strategy that was effectively employed in conjunction with the camouflage capabilities of Shihai's Black Quirk. Using his incredible speed in unison with the narrow complexity of Ground Gamma and taking into account the "umbilical cord" of Dark Shadow getting in the opposing team's way, Shihai made a highly strategic attempt to elude his rival. However, Shihai didn’t anticipate Fumikage's "Black Fallen Angel" technique and the speed it granted him, which allowed Fumikage to catch up to him eventually.

Quirk[]

Shihai emerges from the shadows

Shihai merging into the darkness.

Black ( (ブラック) Burakku?):[5] Shihai's Quirk allows him to merge his body into anything dark in color, whether naturally dark or dark via external circumstances, such as shadows.

With further training, he can now move said black things upon possession, although this is limited to entities that are typically capable of moving. As such, he could merge into Fumikage's Dark Shadow and briefly take control of it to attack Fumikage.

  • Enhanced Speed: When he is merged with the darkness, Shihai demonstrates his ability to move at great speed, such as when he took Yuga Aoyama prisoner before his teammates could react.[6] He was also able to evade the nets thrown by Momo Yaoyorozu by leaping into the shadow of a neighboring pipe.[7]

Ultimate Moves[]

  • Darkseek (ダークシーク Dākushīku?)[5]: While emerged into a black substance allows him to move around and capture opponents in a sneak attack.

Stats[]

Power
 
2/6 D
Speed
 
4/6 B
Technique
 
5/6 A
Wits
 
2/6 D
Elusiveness
 
4/6 B
Shihai's stats, according to the Ultra Analysis Book

Battles & Events[]

Battles & Events

Chapter Appearances[]

Appearances
U.A. Sports Festival Arc
22. That's the Idea, Ochaco Absent
23. Roaring Sports Festival Absent
24. Mad Dash and Knockdown Absent
25. In Their Own Quirky Ways Absent
26. Chase Down the Leader Debut
27. Earth-Shatteringly Fateful Negotiations Appears
28. Strats, Strats, Strats Appears
29. Unaware Appears
30. Cavalry-Match Finale Appears
31. The Boy Born with Everything Absent
32. Smile, Prince of Nonsense Land! Appears
33. Shinso's Situation Absent
34. Victory or Defeat Absent
35. Battle On, Challengers! Absent
36. Bakugo vs. Uraraka Appears
37. Midoriya and Endeavor Absent
38. Todoroki vs. Midoriya Absent
39. Shoto Todoroki: Origin Absent
40. Emancipation Absent
41. Fight On, Ida Absent
42. Final-Match Time Absent
43. Todoroki vs. Bakugo Absent
44. Relaxing Day Off Absent
Forest Training Camp Arc
70. Wild, Wild, Pussycats Absent
71. Kota Absent
72. Day Two Appears
73. Good Evening Absent
74. Smoke Signal Absent
75. Stake Your Life, Hero! Absent
76. My Hero Absent
77. It's Okay Absent
78. Whirling Chaos Absent
79. Drive It Home, Iron Fist!!! Absent
80. Establishing the Bakugo Bodyguard Brigade Absent
81. Roaring Upheaval Absent
82. What a Twist! Absent
83. Loss Absent
Provisional Hero License Exam Arc
98. Moving into Dorms Absent
99. Goodbye Two-Digit Chapters, Hello Three Digits Absent
100. Creating Ultimate Moves Absent
101. The Girl Called Mei Hatsume Absent
102. On Cloud Nine Absent
103. The Test Absent
104. White-Hot Battle! To Each Their Own Strengths! Absent
105. Shiketsu High Lurking Absent
106. Class 1-A Absent
107. Denki Kaminari's Thoughts Absent
108. RUSH! Absent
109. Rescue Exercise Absent
110. Rescue Exercise Continued Absent
111. Smoldering Start Absent
112. What's the Big Idea? Absent
113. Test's Aftermath Absent
114. Results' Aftermath Absent
115. Unleashed Absent
116. Meeting in Tartarus Absent
117. A Talk About Your Quirk Absent
118. Meaningless Battle Absent
119. Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2 Absent
120. The Three Absent
121. Second Semester Opening Ceremony Appears
Joint Training Arc
194. Cold Skies over U.A. High! Appears
195. Clash! Class A vs. Class B! Appears
196. Make It Happen, Shinso!! Absent
197. Quaotic Quirkstravaganza Absent
198. Know Where You Stand when It Counts!! Appears
199. Operation New Improv Moves! Appears
200. Clever Commander! Appears
201. Foresight Appears
202. Match 3 Absent
203. Flexible! Juzo Honenuki! Absent
204. Tuning Up Absent
205. Detour Absent
206. Match 3 Conclusion Absent
207. Early Bird! Absent
208. Match 4 Conclusion Absent
209. Match 5 Start Absent
210. The One For All Dream Absent
211. That Which Is Inherited Absent
212. That Which Is Inherited, Part 2 Absent
213. Realm of Souls Absent
214. Our Brawl Absent
215. Final Face-Off! Midoriya vs. Shinso! Absent
216. Class A vs. Class B: Conclusion! Appears
217. The New Power and All For One Appears
Endeavor Agency Arc
241. Do That Interview! Absent
242. Have a Merry Christmas! Absent
243. Off to Endeavor's Agency! Absent
244. Recommended Reading Absent
245. Rise to Action Absent
246. Message Appears
247. Status Report! Absent
248. One Thing at a Time Absent
249. The Hellish Todoroki Family Absent
250. Ending Absent
251. Just One Week Absent
252. The Unforgiven Absent
Paranormal Liberation War Arc
253. Shirakumo Absent
254. More of a Hero than Anyone Absent
255. Hero Hopeful Absent
256. The High, Deep Blue Sky Absent
257. Pass It Forward, to Whomever Absent
258. Friends Absent
259. A Quiet Beginning Appears
260. Life's Work Absent
261. High-Ends Absent
262. Mirko, the No. 5 Hero Absent
263. I Wanna Be with You Guys!! Appears
264. One's Justice Absent
265. Villains and Heroes Absent
266. Happy Life Absent
267. Flames Absent
268. Scramble! Absent
269. The Three of Us Absent
270. Inheritance Absent
271. Dark Cloud Absent
272. Good Morning! Absent
273. The Thrill of Destruction Absent
274. Search Absent
275. Encounter, Part 2 Absent
276. You Cheated...! Absent
277. Who...? Absent
278. Disaster Walker Appears
279. League of Villains vs. U.A. Students Appears
280. Red Riot, Part 3 Appears
281. Plus Ultra Absent
282. Footfall of Destruction Absent
283. 75 Appears
284. Deep Blue Battle Absent
285. Katsuki Bakugo Rising Absent
286. The Ones Within Us Absent
287. Mistake Absent
288. Save Takeo!! Absent
289. Miss Candid and Miss Shut-Away Absent
290. Dabi's Dance Absent
291. Thanks For Going Strong Absent
292. Threads of Hope Absent
293. Hero-Saturated Society Absent
294. Final Performance Absent
295. Tenacious Absent
296. Hellish Hell Absent
297. Tartarus Absent
298. Sounds of Collapse Absent
299. Like Those Tragic Tales Absent
300. The Hellish Todoroki Family, Part 2 Absent
301. The Wrong Way to Put Out a Fire, Part 1 Absent
302. The Wrong Way to Put Out a Fire, Part 2 Absent
303. Top Three Absent
304. Izuku Midoriya and Toshinori Yagi Absent
305. Izuku Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki Absent
306. The Final Act Begins Absent
Final War Arc
343. Let You Down Absent
344. Stars Absent
345. Division Absent
346. Super Hyper Unfair Broken Stage Absent
347. Inflation Absent
348. Unrequited Absent
349. Battle Flame Absent
350. Bound to a Fiery Fate Absent
351. Two Flashfires Absent
352. Ultimate Moves Absent
353. Endeavor Absent
354. Oopsie Daisy!! Absent
355. Extras Absent
356. Regarding the Enemy Absent
357. Wounded Hero, Burning Bright and True!! Absent
358. The Guy Who's Made Some Progress Absent
359. Place of Learning Absent
360. Despite It All... Absent
361. Abnormal Happenings Absent
362. Light Fades to Rain Absent
363. Those Who Defend, Those Who Violate Absent
364. Why We Wield Power Absent
365. No. 4 and No. 5 Absent
366. Full Moon Absent
367. Deku vs. All For One Absent
368. Rev Up, One For All Absent
369. A Chain of Events, Across the Ages Absent
370. HIStory Absent
371. Together with Shoji Absent
372. Naked Absent
373. Friends Absent
374. Butterfly Effect Absent
375. Chaotic Confusion Absent
376. On Knife's Edge Absent
377. The Chain Thus Far Absent
378. The Story of How We All Became Heroes, Part 4 Absent
379. Hopes Absent
380. A Skosh Absent
381. Dark Absent
382. Don't Let Him Go Absent
383. Meek Spirits Absent
384. It's a Small World Absent
385. The Impulses of Youth Absent
386. I AM HERE Absent
387. Congealing Absent
388. Toya Absent
389. Assurance and Prayers Absent
390. Shoto Todoroki Rising Absent
391. Rejecting the World Absent
392. Villain Name Absent
393. A Girl's Ego Absent
394. Ochaco Uraraka vs. Himiko Toga Absent
395. Built Upon the Joy of Others Absent
396. Battle Without A Quirk Absent
397. Trash Cleanup Absent
398. Toshinori Yagi: Rising/Origin Absent
399. Organic, Mingling Clusters of Light Absent
400. Beyond Limits Absent
401. The Lunatic Absent
402. The Tearful Days Absent
403. The End of an Era, and... the Beginning Absent
404. We Love You, All Might!! Absent
405. The Final Boss!! Absent
406. Get a Grip on Your Quirk!! Appears
407. An Exceptional Child Absent
408. The Eyes Tell All!! Absent
409. Quirk: Explosion!! Absent
410. Farewell, All For One!! Absent
411. History's Greatest Villain Absent
412. History's Maddest Hero Absent
413. Leaden Mass Absent
414. Overlay Absent
415. Rejection Absent
416. Wrench It Open, Izuku Midoriya!! Absent
417. Shimura Absent

Anime Appearances[]

Appearances
Season 2
14. That's the Idea, Ochaco Absent
15. Roaring Sports Festival Absent
16. In Their Own Quirky Ways Debut
17. Strategy, Strategy, Strategy Appears
18. Cavalry Battle Finale Appears
19. The Boy Born with Everything Appears
20. Victory or Defeat Absent
21. Battle on, Challengers! Appears
22. Bakugo vs. Uraraka Appears
23. Shoto Todoroki: Origin Absent
24. Fight on, Ida Absent
25. Todoroki vs. Bakugo Absent
26. Time to Pick Some Names Absent
27. Bizarre! Gran Torino Appears Absent
28. Midoriya and Shigaraki Absent
29. Hero Killer: Stain vs U.A. Students Absent
30. Climax Absent
31. The Aftermath of Hero Killer: Stain Absent
32. Everyone's Internships Absent
33. Listen Up!! A Tale from the Past Absent
34. Gear up for Final Exams Absent
35. Yaoyorozu: Rising Absent
36. Stripping the Varnish Absent
37. Katsuki Bakugo: Origin Absent
38. Encounter Absent
Season 3
39. Game Start Absent
40. Wild, Wild Pussycats Absent
41. Kota Appears
42. My Hero Absent
43. Drive It Home, Iron Fist!!! Absent
44. Roaring Upheaval Absent
45. What a Twist! Absent
46. From Ida to Midoriya Absent
47. All For One Absent
48. Symbol of Peace Absent
49. One For All Absent
50. End of the Beginning, Beginning of the End Absent
51. Moving into Dorms Absent
52. Create Those Ultimate Moves Absent
53. The Test Absent
54. Shiketsu High Lurking Absent
55. Class 1-A Absent
56. RUSH! Absent
57. Rescue Exercises Absent
58. Special Episode: Save the World with Love! Absent
59. What's the Big Idea? Absent
60. A Talk about Your Quirk Absent
61. Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2 Absent
62. A Season for Encounters Appears
63. Unrivaled Absent
Season 5
89. All Hands on Deck! Class 1-A Absent
90. Vestiges Absent
91. Clash! Class A vs. Class B! Appears
92. Make It Happen, Shinso! Appears
93. Operation New Improv Moves Appears
94. Foresight Appears
95. Match 3 Appears
96. Match 3 Conclusion Appears
97. Early Bird! Appears
98. That Which Is Inherited Absent
99. Our Brawl Appears
100. The New Power and All For One Appears
101. Have a Merry Christmas! Absent
102. Off to Endeavor's Agency! Absent
103. One Thing at a Time Appears
104. Long Time No See, Selkie Absent
105. The Hellish Todoroki Family Absent
106. The Unforgiven Absent
107. More of a Hero Than Anyone Absent
108. My Villain Academia Absent
109. Revival Party Absent
110. Sad Man's Parade Absent
111. Tenko Shimura: Origin Absent
112. Tomura Shigaraki: Origin Absent
113. The High, Deep Blue Sky Absent

Trivia[]

  • Shihai's favorite food is squid ink pasta.
    • Shihai shares this trait with Mezo Shoji, who is also fond of the dish.
  • His favorite things are taboos.
  • Shihai's surname contains the kanji for "black" ( kuro?) and "color" ( iro?), and his first name contains "branch" ( shi?) and "distribution" ( hai?).
    • Put together, the kanji for his first name means "domination, control, guidance" (支配 shihai?).
  • Shihai's Hero name "Vantablack" is based on a substance that is known to absorb more than 99.9% of light, making it one of the darkest substances in the world and causing it to appear as nothing but a black void.
  • In the localized version of the anime, Shihai's Hero name is presented as Vantadark. This is likely due to "Vantablack" being a trademarked name, with the rights for its artistic use being exclusive to the sculptor Anish Kapoor.
  • Shihai and Fumikage Tokoyami share a few similarities with each other:
    • Both enjoy dark concepts.
    • Both have a penchant for dramatic speech.
    • Their Quirks, Dark Shadow and Black, are darkness-based, which share the function of being more effective in darkness, as well as the weakness for being less effective when exposed to light.
    • Their hero names or epithets contain the word "Black".
    • Both were born with black-colored physiology.
  • Shihai shares his birthday with Death Arms.
  • Shihai's Japanese voice actor, Kōhei Amasaki, also voices Neito Monoma.
  • Shihai's English voice actor, Howard Wang, is married to Ms. Joke's English voice actor, Amber Lee Connors.

References[]

  1. My Hero Academia: Ultra Archive: The Official Character Guide.
  2. My Hero Academia Manga: Vol. 21.
  3. My Hero Academia Manga and Anime: Chapter 201 and Episode 94.
  4. My Hero Academia Manga and Anime: Chapter 217 and Episode 100.
  5. 5.0 5.1 My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis: The Official Character Guide.
  6. My Hero Academia Manga and Anime: Chapter 199 and Episode 93.
  7. My Hero Academia Manga and Anime: Chapter 198 and Episode 93.

Site Navigation[]

Advertisement