Eijiro Kirishima

About Eijiro Kirishima

Eijiro Kirishima is a Class 1-A student whose Hardening Quirk turns his whole body rock-solid for attack and defence. Loud, friendly and obsessed with being 'manly' in the best sense, he measures himself by courage and loyalty. He looks up to the old hero Crimson Riot and wants to become a shield who never lets his friends down.

Appearance

Kirishima has bright red hair he spikes upward with gel, red eyes and a small scar above his right eye, with sharp teeth that add to his eager grin. He is solidly built and getting bulkier as he trains. His hero costume leaves his chest bare, with jagged red shoulder guards shaped like gears, a torn cape-like cloth at his waist and a metal jaw guard, a look modelled on his idol, the old-fashioned hero Crimson Riot. His whole design says straightforward and tough.

Personality

Kirishima is loud, friendly and passionate about what he calls manliness, which for him means courage, honesty and standing between danger and other people. He treats everyone as a friend until proven otherwise and is one of the few people who can handle Bakugo's temper as an equal. Under the bravado sits an old insecurity: in middle school he once froze while a villain threatened his classmates, and he has chased the courage he lacked ever since. His arc is about learning that a shield who hesitates can still choose to move.

Background & Story

In middle school, Kirishima was an unremarkable boy with black hair and a Quirk he considered boring, who watched a villain intimidate his classmates while a braver girl stepped in, and did nothing himself. Ashamed, he rebuilt himself before entering U.A.: new look, new attitude, and Crimson Riot's motto that a manly heart means charging in despite fear. In Class 1-A his Hardening proves far stronger than he believed, holding lines against villains in the class's first real battles. His defining test comes during the raid to rescue a kidnapped child, where he takes a beating meant for his mentor's partner and refuses to stay down, the moment the boy who froze becomes the shield he promised to be.

Powers & Abilities

• Hardening: Kirishima's Quirk hardens and sharpens his entire body, turning his skin rock-like for both armour and cutting, blade-edged attacks.
• Red Counter: After absorbing an enemy's blow with his hardened body, Kirishima answers instantly with a powerful counter punch.
• Unbreakable: Kirishima pushes Hardening to its maximum for a short burst, becoming so hard and jagged that blades and bullets break against him.

Key Relationships

• Katsuki Bakugo: His closest friend in Class 1-A, Kirishima is one of the only people Bakugo treats as a true equal.
• Izuku Midoriya: A classmate and friend whose rescue plans Kirishima backs without hesitation when a classmate is in danger.
• Denki Kaminari: A close friend and comic partner; the two are rarely seen apart outside of battle.

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