Quirk Singularity has grown to be a popular theory within My Hero Academia, explaining more than one discrepancy within certain characters’ Quirks. Since being suggested, the theory has been begrudgingly adopted into society, with many characters beginning to resonate with its biological implications.
All Might may be an unexpected example of Quirk Singularity, as his biological advantage manifests differently from other characters. Rather than being born with a Quirk his body was too weak to control, All Might may instead have a physically heightened body that is able to withstand the effects of any Quirk.
What Is the Quirk Singularity Theory?
Quirk Singularity, otherwise known as the Quirk Doomsday Theory, refers to a thesis devised by Dr. Kyudai Garaki, All For One’s right-hand man. In this, he suggests that with every generation of Quirks that is passed from parent to child, the powers blend and evolve, thus producing stronger and more complex Quirks. However, as they increase in power, the Quirks will become more difficult to control, as the human body cannot keep up with this evolution.
According to Garaki, eventually, Quirks will become so overpowered and complicated that no one will be able to control them anymore, creating a Doomsday effect. When this theory was first proposed, no one believed Garaki and even mocked his thesis. However, All For One trusted this theory, and the pair began working together to take advantage of the possibilities within Quirk Singularity.
With AFO’s ability to use multiple Quirks, the idea that his body was not able to adapt became a serious issue. As such, he and Kyudai decided to orchestrate studies on Nomu to figure out how to create a human body capable of withstanding multiple Quirks. The most solid evidence of the Quirk Singularity Theory is Tomura Shigaraki, as he has been successfully genetically engineered to adapt to multiple powers. He is proof of Garaki’s once-ridiculed theory and AFO’s success story.
Quirk Singularity Typically Leads to Stronger Quirks in MHA
The typical route of the Doomsday Theory results in children being born with Quirks stronger than they can handle. Two of the best examples of this are Eri’s Rewind and Shigaraki’s Decay. As a child, Eri had an extremely overpowered Quirk, and as a result, she accidentally rewound her father out of existence without knowing what she was doing. Similarly, Tenko Shimura, better known as Shigaraki, was sheltered from Quirks his entire life, so when Decay manifested, he accidentally killed his entire family just by reaching out for help.
However, what this thesis fails to take into account is that the human body may be capable of evolving alongside the Quirks. While the powers in MHA may develop and become stronger, the biological structures of humans might evolve as well, meaning that eventually, human biology will advance to meet the requirements of the heightened Quirks, just at a slower pace. This is where All Might and his superhuman body become relevant.
All Might May Have a Genetically Advanced Body
All Might is famous for presenting himself in two different forms. The widely recognized All Might form is physically enhanced, extremely tall and incredibly muscular — the typical superhero appearance. His other form, most commonly known as “Small Might,” is the complete opposite. He is skinny and scraggly, and even his hair lacks any strength or volume.
Combined with the implications of the Quirk Singularity theory, this could suggest All Might may be the first person born with a body designed to withstand any Quirk in the world. He was able to use One For All at 100% from the get-go, whereas his successor, Deku, faced multiple obstacles and is still only able to use around 45% of the power without seriously harming his body. Gran Torino, the Pro Hero who trained All Might, even emphasized that the only reason this phenomenon was possible was due to All Might’s strangely enhanced body. While Small Might is the result of All Might’s injury in battle with AFO, his body is still able to return to his muscle form on command, suggesting his unique biology and ability to adapt to OFA.
All Might Inherited a Modified Body Instead of a Modified Quirk
For a long time, it was assumed that All Might had a Quirk of his own prior to One For All, but this was proved incorrect. In fact, the Pro Hero was Quirkless before OFA, just like Deku. However, as demonstrated by characters like Dabi, Tokoyami and Todoroki, it’s possible to have the biological structure of one or both parents. For example, Todoroki inherited Fire Control from his father and Ice Control from his mother, whereas his siblings inherited one or the other. Similarly, Tokoyami’s parents’ Quirks merged, resulting in Dark Shadow, but he has his father’s bird-like appearance.
With this in mind, it may be possible that All Might only inherited the biological structure that allowed him to use any Quirk rather than a Quirk itself. Instead of acquiring the uncontrollable Quirk that was the product of his parent’s powers combining, All Might could have been born into an overpowered body that had evolved to house a more powerful Quirk. Essentially, the ability to adapt to any Quirk that Garaki and AFO spent years researching and eventually artificially planted within Shigaraki is a power All Might was born with. In a way, it’s as though All Might’s inherited Quirk was the ability to withstand or adapt to any other Quirk in the MHA universe.
Quirk Singularity suggests that Quirks are evolving at an ever-growing rate, growing more and more out of control with each generation. Many characters support this theory, but it does suggest that only Quirks will evolve. In line with real-world evolution, human biology should evolve alongside the superpowers in this universe, resulting in generations with biologically enhanced bodies capable of withstanding the more powerful Quirks. All Might could be considered an example of this and is the first — and probably only — character within the Quirk Singularity theory born with an enhanced body instead of an enhanced Quirk.