Kudo

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Our Meta Abilities were never what you should've been wary of. Rather, you should fear the reason why someone chooses to use their gifts. True power resides within an individual's intent. This is why people call them Quirks.

Kudo to Tomura Shigaraki and All For One in "A Chain of Events, Across the Ages"

Kudo (駆 (く) 藤 (どう) , Kudō^?) 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 bore 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 Gearshift Meta Ability.

Gallery[]

Kudo in the manga.

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 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 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. While he initially opposed Izuku's desire to save Tomura, seeing it as a naïve ideology caused by Izuku's more peaceful life, after observing his memories, Kudo realizes that Izuku is driven by the belief that good can be found in anyone's heart, and reveals that he wishes to have faith in that belief as well.

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 led to him becoming the one person All For One truly hates the most.

Abilities[]

Meta Abilities[]

Gearshift (変 (へん) 速 (そく) , Hensoku^?): 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,^[1] 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.^[2]

One For All (ワン・フォー・オール, Wan Fō Ōru^?): 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.

Relationships[]

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, going so far as to call him his hero. Kudo was horrified upon seeing Yoichi's death at the hands of All For One. However, One For All was inadvertently transferred into Kudo through Yoichi's blood having splattered on him. After learning of the newly formed ability within him, Kudo resolved to carry on Yoichi's will, becoming the second user of One For All and continuing to fight All For One until he met his end at the hands of the Demon Lord.

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.

Bruce[]

Bruce was Kudo's ally and second-in-command of the resistance that the latter formed. He shows to respect Kudo to a strong degree, still referring to him as "Leader" even in the vestige realm of One For All. Bruce aided Kudo in rescuing Yoichi from All For One's imprisonment. Following Yoichi's death, Bruce examined Kudo to discover that a new Ability Factor resided within his body, an "unformed dud" that was the beginning of One For All. Bruce would go on to inherit One For All following Kudo's death, until he too fell to All For One.

Bruce shares the same strong sense of justice as Kudo, along with his initial refusal to accept Izuku as One For All's new wielder.

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. Even so, Kudo still has doubts of Izuku because he outright states he opposed him as a successor, not because of his desire to save one's archenemy to be a delusional madness, believing it's arrogant thinking born of a naivety, but because Izuku had one driving notion; to save anyone, whether the most vile among them or the Quirkless, as each one of them as an innately human heart, which he wants to believe.

Chapter Appearances[]

Anime Appearances[]

Trivia[]

• Kudo's name contains the kanji for "drive" (駆, ku^?) and "wisteria" (藤, do^?).
• 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?"^[3]
• (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."^[2]
• (About Izuku's beliefs) "The desire to save one's archenemy is delusional madness. A madness that disrupts our destined path. But having observed from within... I know the truth. That this boy... clings to one driving notion. That anyone, whether the most vile among us... or even the Quirkless... that inside each one of us... beats an innately human heart. I, too... want to believe."^[4]

References[]

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