Constant improvement is a perpetual task for UA’s hero course students in My Hero Academia. No expense is spared to aid the students in strengthening their Quirks and while this approach works wonders on some students, others might need some extra help thinking outside the box. Aoyama Yuga in particular wields quite the powerful Quirk in Navel Laser, but seems to be content with only scratching the surface of its full destructive potential.
Aoyama’s Navel Laser lets him shoot a powerful and destructive beam of light from his midriff. Since he was gifted this Quirk from All For One instead of being born with it, his body isn’t built for it. Excessive use of it causes him to suffer from severe stomachaches. Additionally, without his belt support item, the laser tends to leak out on its own, endangering not only Aoyama but anyone else in his general vicinity. It might be because his Quirk is inherited that Aoyama hasn’t gotten particularly creative with it; when Midoriya Izuku first began using One For All, he had a similarly rigid mindset regarding its use. It wasn’t until he truly began thinking of the Quirk as his own that he began to unleash its true power.
Aoyama Yuga Can Strengthen His Quirk With Support Items
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising saw Aoyama debut a costume that allowed him to use his Quirk in a more versatile manner. His Super Move — the Navel Buffet Laser — is performed when Aoyama shoots successive blasts of his laser from not only his belly button, but from special pads locates on his knees and shoulders. While the Navel Buffet Laser hasn’t seen much action outside Class 1-A’s confrontation with the villain Nine, it proved that the light his Quirk produces can be manipulated by technology. It follows that Navel Laser’s weaknesses can be overcome with support items, and his classmates already wield a few that he could draw inspiration from.
Katsuki Bakugo’s Explosion Quirk has been powerful enough to rival Pro Heroes since before he enrolled in UA, but he supplements it with a support item anyway. His grenade-shaped gauntlets collect and store the nitroglycerin-like sweat that powers his Quirk, allowing him to unleash an explosion several times more powerful than his palms are normally capable of. Aoyama could adopt a similar support item concept. Since his Navel Laser occasionally leaks on its own anyway, certain modifications could be made to his belt that allow him to store this destructive light for later release. It would prevent Aoyama from triggering his violent stomach aches in the middle of combat, while potentially increasing the attack potency of the stored lasers.
One of Navel Laser’s greatest restrictions is that its line of sight is limited to targets Aoyama can aim at with his belly button. While he’s never expressed any frustration with this aspect, a less stringent aiming method would go a long way in making him a more efficient hero. Kaminari Denki ran into a similar aiming problem with his Electrification Quirk, but resolved it quickly after a consulting session with Hatsume Mei. His pointer and shooter support item allowed his electricity to exclusively target people who were tagged with his homing discs. A similar tool would give Aoyama’s Navel Laser a greater chance of striking his enemy without forcing him to contort his body to get a clean shot.
Aoyama’s Navel Saber Super Move has the same disadvantage of being awkwardly placed on his stomach. After months of hard training, he gained the ability to project his laser into a solid beam that protrudes about a foot in front of his body. Even though his Navel Saber has incredible cutting power, it’s probably never going to get any use in a combat situation without putting Aoyama himself in undue danger. If Navel Buffet has proved that his lasers can be redirected with technology, his Navel Saber should have the same properties. With a support item that transfers Navel Saber to any one of his limbs, this Super Move would become exponentially more useful. Instead of awkwardly shifting his stomach to cut through obstacles or enemies, using Navel Saber effectively would become as easy as pointing with his arms.
Aoyama’s Teammates Can Help His Navel Laser Shine Brighter
Although his vain and superficial personality might suggest otherwise, Aoyama is actually a great team player in My Hero Academia. In his first appearance at the UA Entrance Exam, he uses Deku as unwitting bait to give his Navel Laser a clear shot at destroying the robot. Beneath his flamboyance is a certain cunning that allows him to take advantage of the slimmest opportunities to make an impact. He performed a similar feat during the League of Villains’ Training Camp Invasion. While Mr. Compress was focused on taunting Midoriya and his group, Aoyama shot his Navel Laser from his hiding place in the bushes, successfully freeing Fumikage Tokoyami from the League’s clutches.
Aoyama’s most effective teammate from Class 1-A is without a doubt Toru Hagakure, the Invisible Girl. Like the rest of her classmates, her Invisibility Quirk has undergone immense improvements under UA’s strict training regimens and she’s recently unlocked the ability to refract light with her body. Paired with Aoyama, Hagakure could redirect his Navel Laser beams, split them into several smaller rays that could hit multiple targets and generally increase his Quirk’s reach. Since Navel Laser is usually restricted to traveling in a straight line, Aoyama’s blasts can be easily evaded if one knows they are coming. Hagakure’s Refraction ability can help make Aoyama’s Quirk less predictable.
Aoyama’s role as a human disco ball in Class 1-A’s concert production could also be repurposed for combat situations. While Deku maneuvered him across the ceiling, Aoyama continuously fired several low intensity beams across their performance arena for a harmless light show. Since his Quirk marginally increases his mobility, Aoyama could benefit from having teammates who can assist him in strategically positioning himself in the heat of battle. Whether it’s zipping around enemies at supersonic speeds with Tenya Iida, floating high above danger zones to snipe with Uraraka Ochaco’s Zero Gravity or being ferried around with Tsuyu Asui’s prehensile tongue, teammates who increase Aoyama’s mobility can make his already-powerful Navel Laser even more dangerous.
Leave a Reply