Ethan Drive

Ethan Drive (イーサン・ドライブ, Īsan Doraibu^?) is a fighter pilot, leader of his brigade, and ally of Star and Stripe.

Appearance[]

Ethan is a tall man with a well-built body, a buzz cut on his head, and a mustache.

Personality[]

As part of the American military, Ethan carries all the qualities of a strong soldier and is a great comrade to his companions.

Even from their early days, he and his brothers-in-arms developed a strong relationship with Cathleen, encouraging her when she felt down, telling her she's already surpassed All Might to them, and how they will always be there to back her up when she reaches the limits of her Quirk. He has come face to face with death many times and was proud of Cathleen’s growth.

He also carries some self-sacrificial traits, willing to let Cathleen destroy him if it meant also taking down Tomura Shigaraki, which she couldn't go through with. He greatly mourned her death after her own sacrifice to try and stop him, proceeding to provide all their data to the Japanese Heroes to assist them in the final fight, as Star's last wish.

Synopsis[]

History[]

Ethan Drive served in the U.S. Air Force alongside a new recruit, Cathleen Bate, who is striving to become the strongest hero in the world like All Might. Despite how strong Cathleen's Quirk: New Order, is, she laments over the limit of what the Quirk can do for her. She wonders if it's because she's just a girl, but Ethan and her partners reassure her it's just how her Quirk is, and to make use of them to back her up when she needs it. They tell her not to compare herself to All Might, because she's already great enough to have a chance at catching up to him. She thinks about how good hearing all that made her feel.^[2] She would eventually go on to become the Number 1 Hero in America, known as "Star and Stripe", with Ethan as her "Bravo Leader", commanding an army of air fleets to back her up.

Star and Stripe Arc[]

While he continues to serve in the American military, and in the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War, the hero society of Japan had fallen, with escaped villains rampaging throughout the streets, many heroes are calling quits as chaos spreads to other countries, including the United States, and the evil masterminds behind it all, All For One and Tomura Shigaraki, are still at large. In desperate need of aide, All Might sought out assistance from the foreign heroes to provide backup. Star and Stripe was the first to oblige and heads out to Japan so she can help All Might. Ethan joins her in crossing the ocean to the Japanese mainland with an army of X-66 fighter jets, almost immediately making their way over to Japan to rendezvous with the Heroes.^[3]

While Ethan and the other soldiers are within reach of the coast, they are intercepted by Tomura who is flying on a flying Nomu to take out Star and Stripe and steal her Quirk. Ethan identifies Tomura to Star and Stripe and warns her and that he can use EMP blasts as well. The jets proceed to deploy shock shields, as they all take formation, and Star and Stripe prepares to fight the villain, telling her fellow fighters she'll make sure to return their bodies to their families if they fall in battle.

Using a combination of Radio Waves, Air Cannon, and Heavy Payload, "Tomura" releases an enormous wave of electric energy toward Star and the jets, which they manage to dodge. Star and Stripe unleashes her Quirk, which after touching a target and calling its name, she can impose a new rule over it, and uses it to make the air 100 meters in front of her disappear. "Tomura" is forced to hold his breath before Star and Stripe then orders all the fighter jets to shoot at "Tomura", coming at him from all angles. However, he simply uses Reflect and Scatter to shoot the lasers back, while his body regenerates. Star and Stripe uses her Quirk to let her catch the laser, while Ethan and the fighter pilots note "Tomura" being able to regenerate. Star and Stripe manages to touch "Tomura" before invoking a new order: if Tomura moves a inch, his heart will stop.^[1]

Unfortunately, the order does not work on "Tomura" because "Tomura" isn't even sure of his current identity, whether he is "Tomura Shigaraki", "All For One", or even "Tenko Shimura". Ethan asks Star and Stripe what their next move is, so she reluctantly requests to send word to Commander Agpar, proceeding to explain that "Tomura" has grown beyond Japan's local menace to a global threat, so they must use the tactics Japan lacks and kill him now. Ethan thinks about his first time meeting Star and Stripe, agreeing to follow her all the way.

The pilot of the ship "Tomura" is standing on shakes him off, leading him to land back on the flying Nomu. Star and Stripe then proceeds to use New Order to transform the air into her shape one thousand times bigger, using "Fist Bump to the Earth" to punch "Tomura" and the Nomu through the air, sending him further away. With him still barely surviving, Star and Stripe then has the air fleet shoot their lasers directly at her, using New Order to transform all the lasers into one, and using her gigantic air construct to utilize "United Hyper-Max Output Laser: Keraunos", burning him with a nonstop blast of the laser.

She then gets a call from Agpar, who warns her that this stunt will potentially cost her more than just her Hero license, which she is perfectly fine with. The military launches their thermonuclear "State-Of-The-Art Hypersonic Intercontinental Cruise Missiles: Tiamat" at their location.^[4]

As the missiles make their way toward the battlefield, Star tells the pilots to focus their lasers onto "Tomura" while she prepares to catch the missiles. When the Tiamat missiles arrive, Star jumps toward and taps one of them, using New Order to redirect the missiles, only needing to touch one for it to work. Ethan and the pilots barrage him with lasers to keep him pinned, while Star uses the huge construct of herself to grab the missiles and blast "Tomura" with a "State-of-the-Art Hypersonic Intercontinental Cruise Punch!"

Despite putting down a gigantic laser on the villain, "Tomura" barely survives the onslaught to the skin of his teeth, using the Nomu as a decoy for the pilots, while he had dove into the sea using his Decay. "Tomura" jumps across the jets and lands onto Ethan's, as he tells Star to quickly end him by using her air construct to crush them both in an explosion, but she can't pull herself to, simply smiling to herself, as "Tomura" jumps and grabs her face.^[2]

With Star in the palm of his hand, "Tomura" begins to steal her Quirk using his original All For One Quirk, while using his Decay at the same time to prevent Star from blocking his move. With "Tomura" now possessing New Order, he wants to try it out and is about to use it to effect the air when suddenly, "Tomura" begins to explode from within. As it turns out, at the last second, Star used New Order to declare that the Quirk would revolt against other Quirks. As a result of this, "Tomura"'s Quirks begin to break and destroy him from the inside out. Since he can only give or take away Quirks, and not dispose of them, he desperately tries to find someone he can force New Order onto.

However, Ethan and the pilots all proceed to fire at "Tomura" with their laser barrage, shouting that Star's still fighting within him and not to let her sacrifice be in vain. "Tomura"'s Reflect Quirk is destroyed along with several other Quirks. As Star begins to give away from the Decay, she makes one final salute to her pilots as she finally decays away. With her death settled, Ethan and the pilots continue their endless barrage against "Tomura", blasting him with everything they've got.^[2]

With New Order destroying his body, "Tomura" snatched the Wing Quirk from the Nomu to shake off his pursuers, desperately attempting to escape the battlefield in order to find someone to transfer New Order to, before he's destroyed within and from the fighter jets. "Tomura" takes off into the sky, blowing far away from the fighter jets attempting to pursue. Ethan looks on at the remains of Star, thinking about her sacrifice, and how she already was their greatest hero.

With the news of Star's death spreading across the world, all of the nations, including the United States, withdraw all of their aid to focus on protecting their own in fear of a social breakdown from within their homelands similar to Japan's.

However, Ethan and the rest of the pilots meet with All Might, who tell him her sacrifice was not in vain. While All Might sadly laments about wanting to see her again, Ethan tells the Heroes and officers that their fighter jets have a record of the battle, and were able to measure all of Tomura's bio-signatures, as well as every Quirk during the fight, providing the data to them to use, alongside the ones already being studied at Central Hospital.

U.A. Traitor Arc[]

At Central Hospital, All Might has assembled a Counter-Force consisting of the Police Force, several Heroes, and the American military in order to prepare for the Final War. Based on the data from the battle between Tomura and Star, they realize Tomura has far surpassed All For One in power, recalling All Might's fight in Kamino as an example of the latter's strength. He also refers to the "mind meld" they exploited during the Assault on Tartarus, unsure of the full extent of their shared consciousness beyond communication with Radio Waves, saying that if they were to attack together, they’d have no hope of victory.

Ethan asks why they didn't work together to fight Star, which All Might believes is because All For One would potentially be vulnerable to New Order, with her speaking his name. He states that they must at least separate them by a minimum of 10 kilometers if they want a chance at victory. Naomasa adds that they know the Villains will do everything to make sure that won't happen. With the major big players still remaining their biggest threat, All Might clarifies to defeat all of them, they must separate each of the major operatives, luring them out individually, and defeating them one by one.^[5]

Final War Arc[]

Although Ethan and the other American military were ordered to be sent back home to defend the mainland, they decided to disobey their orders so they can stay in Japan and help the Heroes defeat All For One and his army of villains in the Final War. They are tasked with defending the airspace around the now floating U.A. High School, which is designed to contain and entomb Tomura.

Once the fighting begins, Izuku Midoriya is accidentally thrown off course and has to make his way over to the battlefield on his own, while the other Heroes deal with Tomura. While on his way, Izuku encounters Ethan and the American fleet, planning to escort him back to the Flying Fortress. As Izuku uses Blackwhip to sling to the side of the jet, Ethan informs him they were meant to defend the aerial space around U.A., further saying that they've remained in Japan even despite their orders to retreat because Star decided to wager everything on him, having inherited All Might's power. The fleet proceeds to create a path for Izuku to swing off of, telling him to go so he can take down Tomura once and for all.^[6]

While Izuku fights Tomura within U.A., the outside of the structure is attacked by Twice Doubles, which causes Erasure to be undone on Tomura, causing him to unleash a massive explosion. The floating fortress also begins to fall after being hacked by Skeptic, while the Double swarm continues to overrun the students and Heroes inside. One of the pilots asks Ethan if they should fire their lasers on them, but he worries about hitting their allies. Ethan says they can't do anything with their jets due to them being invaded from the inside. However, as Ethan comes closer, he was surprised to see Gentle suspended in the air space, and single-handedly stopping U.A. from falling into the nearby city.^[7]

Izuku drags Tomura down onto the ground to fight him personally, where they remain at a standstill until All For One eventually appears, carrying a battered and bleeding All Might after defeating him in combat.^[8] All For One has All Might completely at his mercy and his prepared to take him out in front of everyone. Ethan and the American military arrive to fire their lasers at All For One, with Ethan worrying about hitting All Might due to being Star's idol. Right as they are about to fire, however, All For One recognizes them and effortlessly destroys all the fighter jets with one swipe, causing them to fall down to the ground.^[9]

Luckily, Ethan and the American soldiers were able to eject out to safety thanks to All Might activating their ejector seats, believing that was his doing. They find the wounded All Might and Edgeshot and recover them. Ethan asks why All Might saved them. All Might says the kids are hoping for an absolute victory, so he'd rather keep their losses to a minimum, which Ethan says is rich coming from him. All Might puts his bulked fist up one last time as the Heroes are fighting hard to defeat "All For One". ^[10]

Abilities[]

Expert Pilot: As their Bravo Leader, Ethan demonstrates his great ability at not only commanding his fellow pilots, but also flying his own airship. This includes precision in his movements, as well as being able to accurately shoot lasers at his enemy.

Battles & Events[]

Chapter Appearances[]

Anime Appearances[]

Trivia[]

• According to Ethan's Volume 34 profile:^[11]
  • His favorite things are vehicles.
  • Upon meeting Cathleen, the two would engage in bare-knuckle, non-Quirk combat training. Ethan would usually emerge as the winner in these fights, but a few years after, Cathleen would start to defeat him. While their sparring stopped after that, Ethan looks back on these times fondly.
  • Kohei Horikoshi likes Ethan and his character.

References[]

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