Highlights
- Quirks in My Hero Academia are unique abilities granted at a young age, with U.A. Hero Academy shaping future pro heroes.
- Hanta Sero’s Tape quirk allows him to bind enemies, swing long distances, and launch attacks, showcasing his intellect in battles.
- Despite weaknesses like dehydration, Sero’s training has increased his tape capacity, leading to new ultimate moves for durability.
By now, My Hero Academia fans should know all about quirks, and the heroes and villains who possess them. Quirks are extraordinary powers unlocked at a young age, granting abilities beyond human possibility. For those who wish to use their powers for the greater good, the U.A. Hero Academy is the best place to build up the potency of their quirks and learn to manage them under pressure. The U.A. Hero Academy is an establishment meant to build future Pro Heroes, creating a constant source of protection for the world of quirkless humans. On the contrary, quirk users who take advantage of their quirks for greedy purposes are deemed as villains, with some of the stronger users joining underground groups in order to maximize their earnings and overthrow the heroes trying to stop them.
Mangaka Kōhei Horikoshi took on a monumental task of introducing a large cast of characters early on, but does phenomenal work with fleshing out each character’s backstory and giving them room to develop. While the story of My Hero Academia centers around Izuku Midoriya, the current inheritor of the One For All quirk, the remaining students of Class 1-A all have their own unique powers that give them the potential of one day becoming a pro hero. Hanta Sero is one of those students, introduced in the opening episodes of the first season during the U.A. Hero Academy’s first field exam. His appearance is rather ordinary at first glance, but once his arms are revealed, so too are his quirk and abilities.
Hanta Sero’s Quirk: Tape
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First Appearance |
My Hero Academia, Episode 5, “What I Can Do for Now” |
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Debut Date |
June 9, 2018 |
Like most of the students in Class 1-A, Sero is introduced during the fifth episode of season 1, “What I Can Do For Now”. In the Entrance Exam, all aspiring heroes are tasked with reaching the finishing line of a race while earning combat and rescue points. Sero isn’t predominantly featured just yet, as the spotlight goes to characters like Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki, in order to explore the complexity of their quirks. Eventually, when all characters are accepted into the U.A. Hero Academy, Sero receives more of a formal introduction, announcing him by name and revealing his quirk, Tape.
While it isn’t evident at first glance, Sero has rollers at his elbow joints, giving a confusing appearance to his upper body. Everything else, for the most part, appears rather normal, complete with a sly grin and sharp face. Known as one of many emitter quirks in My Hero Academia, Sero uses the rollers in his elbows to release cellophane tape-like strips, which can be used to grab or wrap around anything. Though there is limitations to how much of the substance Sero can use at one time, the tape released from his elbow appears to be sturdy and can be used to swing on or bind multiple people. The quirk may not be as flashy as some of the other users, but its utility greatly impresses those who team up with him and see its full potential.
Hanta Sero’s Fighting Style With Tape
Sero is a capable hero on the battlefield, possessing a keen intellect for thorough planning and the ability to read other quirks on the fly. Sero prefers to remain at a distance, allowing himself to concoct plans based on the information he gains while reading the battlefield. His Tape quirk is also best suited for the back of the line, as he can swing in at any time to counterattack, or simply remain afar and use his quirk to bind the enemies. Sero’s Tape quirk can also act as double-sided tape, allowing him to stick to walls or other surfaces, sometimes giving him the ability to catch others off guard or simply to spy on potential plans. Though he can’t fly like other heroes, Sero’s emitter quirk abilities allow him to stick his tape to any surface and swing long distances, thanks to the strong durability of his powers.
Sero’s strength is also quite remarkable, as he is capable of tying up multiple enemies and keeping them in place without much effort. Sero can also launch enemies high into the air with his quirk, demonstrating enhanced physical strength that goes beyond the utility of his quirk. Sero’s likely to remain behind the pack and reserve his quirk for planning out strategies and rescuing those in need, as his combat skills beyond his quirk are underwhelming. Sero struggles to keep up with the power of some of the stronger students of Class 1-A, but his enhanced intellect and calm nature allow him to swoop in on short notice and help out his comrades.
Tape’s Usage In Battle
Sero’s mastery of his tape quirk has been highlighted in several key moments during My Hero Academia‘s run time. During the Joint Training Battle, Sero and his team reached the fourth round, teaming up with Katsuki Bakugo, Kyoka Jiro, and Rikido Sato to take on Yosetsu Awase, Setsuna Tokage, Kojiro Bondo, and Togaru Kamakiri of Class 1-B. During their encounter with Tokage, it was Sero who deducted the limitation of her Lizard Tail Splitter quirk and planned around it, allowing Bakugo to gain the upper hand and defeat their opponents. Sero’s ability to cooperate with his allies and combine his quirk with theirs led to his Tape wrapping around one of Bakugo’s grenades, exploding on impact once one of Tokage’s body pieces returned to its original form.
Sero’s communication with his allies has proven effective in other instances, such as a unique combination with Ochaco Uraraka’s Zero Gravity quirk. Teaming up with Ochaco, Sero used the Zero Gravity quirk with his Tape to launch a barrage of floating projectiles and use them as a trap. His efficiency with the Tape quirk also made Sero a viable opponent for Todoroki during the U.A. Sports Festival, as he was able to catch the Hot-and-Cold Hero off guard and bind him in his tape. Although he was ultimately defeated by Todoroki, Sero garnered the interest of The Lurkers — a trio of heroes consisting of Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, and Mt. Lady — who offered Sero the opportunity to strenghten his quirk and learn the skills of attacking in a group.
The Downside of Tape
All quirks in My Hero Academia come with weaknesses, some affecting the user more than others. Sero isn’t an exception to this rule, as his Tape quirk can leave him dehydrated and make his skin dry out quickly. Though this isn’t as punishing as some of the other quirks — such as Midoriya’s One For All usage turning his limbs purple — Sero must still be selective with how much tape he disperses at any given moment. This is especially difficult when Sero uses his tape to get past obstacles, which puts him in a vicarious situation when he must decide whether to attack and bind enemies or use what little tape he has left to get away.
Fortunately for Sero, his training has hardened his quirk enough to be capable of expelling larger amounts of tape than when he first started at the U.A. Hero Academy. As part of his rigorous routine, Sero was tasked with expelling as much tape as possible before the pain of his drying skin was too unbearable. After several days of training under these conditions, Sero’s maximum capacity of tape release grew exponentially, allowing him to remain in longer battles. This regimen also helped Sero learn some useful ultimate moves, such as Barricade Tape and Trident. The former releases a large amount of tape to protect himself and others around him, while the other gives Sero the ability to use projectiles in his surroundings to launch at villains. While Sero’s skin still dries out after a certain amount of usage, his desire to grow has led to positive results and higher durability.
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