Summary
The following contains spoilers forMy Hero AcademiaChapter 394, “Ochaco Uraraka VS. Himiko Toga,” by Kohei Horikoshi, translated by Caleb Cook available in English fromVIZ Media.
Ochaco Uraraka (Hero Name: Uravity |Quirk: Zero Gravity) is one of the main characters inMy Hero Academiawhose reasons for becoming a hero perhaps aren’t as lofty and altruistic as what you’d expect from a young hero in the making; however, in times of peril,Uraraka has proven to be pivotal to success, saving the lives of countless people through the use and refinement of her Zero Gravity Quirk. As you’d expect, the Quirk is not without weakness or drawback, and on the surface, it has very little application when it comes to attack and defense; not to mention the general underutilization of the female characters in the series has seen Ochaco get sidelined many times.
However, the Final War arc ofMy Hero Academiahas seen various young heroes experience an awakening of their Quirks, Ochaco included. So, how does Uravity’s Zero Gravity really work?
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The Quirk
Ochaco’s Zero Gravity Quirk is essentially an ability that enables her to nullify the effects of Earth’s gravitational pull on an object of her choosing. While she’s had this Quirk since birth, its effectiveness has been reliant on her diligent training to improve its scope and nullify drawbacks. The technique is powerful, but it leaves Ochaco feeling nauseated, and it can only work when she touches the target while she holds her breath. Despite the immense offensive possibilities with this kind of Quirk, Ochaco’s values as a hero have her opting against using it offensively but honing her control over the Quirk so that she can be more effective in saving those who are in danger. In the beginning of the War Arc, Uchaco has a weight limit of 3 tonnes when it comes to the Zero Gravity Quirk, which makes it incredibly powerful still, but not without clear boundaries.During the Final War arc, a climactic battle between Ochaco and Himiko Toga (Quirk: Transform) leads to the awakening of the Zero Gravity Quirk beyond its initial limits.
Ochaco vs Himiko
The parallels between Ochako and Himiko have been apparent since the latter’s introduction in the second season of the anime, and as we’ve come to learn more about Himiko, the major conceptual battle that she represents becomes clearer. With her unsettling mannerisms, fangs and a Quirk that requires her to consume the blood of a target in order to transform into that target, Himiko leans heavily into the Yandere archetype, with her Quirk being a manifestation ofher sense of awe and wonderat the beauty of the world. This, she calls her “love”, and in a twisted way, her consumption and subsequent transformation is an attempt to become that which she loves. Her “love” manifests itself in acts of violence which draw blood, which is for her, an ultimate love. During the My Villain Academia mini-arc, Himiko uses Ochaco’s Quirk against the Meta Liberation Army, displaying its fearsome potential as she suspends countless enemies in the air before letting them fall to their deaths – without touching them.
Anyway, Himiko supposedly has feelings of affection for Ochaco as well, and that is the key to her defeat. During their battle, Himiko opens up about her past and her reasons for joining the League of Villians, seeing it as the only place where she belongs without judgment. Ochaco’s acceptance of Himiko and her circumstances, as well as the desire to save her, triggers the awakening of Zero Gravity, which now no longer requires Ochaco to touch her target, nor does it have a weight limit of 3 tons anymore. She uses her new application of the Quirk to raise clones that Himiko summoned using Twice’s Quirk, Double; clones that were utterly terrorizing the heroes on the battlefield and couldn’t be taken down by any one hero until Ochaco awakened. With her new abilities, Ochaco stands to be one of the strongest characters in the series.
Applications
In being able to negate the gravity of an object, Ochaco is also able to manipulate the object in a manner that is essentially telekinesis. She uses debris and rubble as projectiles as weapons, altering their course and trajectory, or using heavy objects to attack. At some point, Ochaco also learns how to temporarily negate the gravity of an object she is in direct contact with, and then reinstate the gravity at a critical point to inflict major damage. After her internship with Gunhead, Ochaco is seen using her Zero Gravity in conjunction with martial arts to pound an enemy into the ground after hauling them over her shoulder, creating one stinger of an attack reversal. This application is known as Gravity Plus. Much like Judo, Gunhead Martial Arts is reliant on submission holds, parries and close-range combat, as well as quick disarmament of an opponent – something that is especially necessary ina battle against Himiko Toga.
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