Quirks and science can blend in all sorts of unnatural and bizarre ways in My Hero Academia‘s world, as Dr. Garaki has demonstrated in recent seasons. He and his boss, All For One, created the Nomu, or Frankenstein-style monsters with unique appearances and multiple Quirks, by combining cutting-edge science and technology with Quirks and the human body.
These lab-grown, undead warriors are nothing more than tools in the hands of the League of Villains and, more recently, the Paranormal Liberation Front. So far, Nomu have been entirely villainous due to who created them and how they are used, but the pro heroes may be able to turn this around and create good Nomu.
Why Are the Nomu Always Bad in My Hero Academia?
For both in-universe and thematic reasons, Nomu are entirely villainous in My Hero Academia’s world. In-universe, they are all evil because their sole creator, Dr. Garaki, is completely on All For One’s side and will support his cause however he can. Thus, all Nomu come from Dr. Garaki, and all of them have Quirks and attitudes to match their villainous origins. No pro hero or hero-aligned scientist has yet unlocked the secrets to making Nomu, so creating good Nomu isn’t possible for the time being. Garaki has a monopoly on Nomu, and he’s not creating them as weapons to sell to paying clients, such as pro heroes.
Moreover, the very nature of Nomu alludes to common traits of evil in My Hero Academia and beyond. In many works of fiction, “good” power comes from honest, hard work while evil powers may be gained or stolen in villainous ways. Villainy is often about obtaining quick power at a price, like a deal with the devil, and the Nomu are like that too. While Izuku Midoriya and his classmates train hard to gradually power up, the Nomu are directly given vast, ready-to-use power from science and All For One’s Quirk. This thematically sets the heroes and villains apart, and even non-Nomu characters like Tomura Shigaraki and now, Lady Nagant, fit this trend. Tomura was given multiple Quirks through dark science, not training, and AFO simply gave Lady Nagant her air walk Quirk to boost her combat effectiveness.
How Heroic Nomu Could Be Created
So far, Nomu represent stolen powers and the exploited bodies of the dead, but in theory, the concept of Nomu could also be heroic. On a practical level, the pro heroes desperately need anything they can use to fight the villains, and since all Nomu are villainous, that gives Tomura Shigaraki the edge. When and if the heroes win this final battle for society’s future, they could crack the code of Nomu creation and develop the world’s first heroic Nomu.
Many obstacles stand in the way, such as obtaining or reverse-engineering Dr. Garaki’s methods for creating these creatures. Aside from that, the ethics of Nomu creation must be considered, as heroes are the guardians of peace, justice and all that is good in the world. Nomu are the reanimated bodies of the dead, and few (if any) people ever agreed to become a Nomu. If good Nomu are to be created, a legal system of patient consent must be put in place, similar to organ donor cards and other advanced directives. For example, pro heroes may agree that upon their deaths, their bodies may be used to create a Nomu with their Quirk still intact. The main loss is the fact that heroic Nomu would only have their original Quirk factor, since All For One isn’t available to give them bonus Quirks.
It would take time for everyone to get used to heroic and benevolent Nomu, especially after so much experience with exclusively villainous ones. However, if the heroic Nomu project worked, it would help prove to society that science is neutral after all — that whether science is good or evil depends on the user, not the science itself. That, and the actions of heroic Nomu, could help shift society’s perception of Nomu and remove the stigma of the whole idea behind them. Considering how many heroes have died fighting the Paranormal Liberation Front already, it may be essential to quickly fill in the gaps with heroic Nomu after the war for society is won. Too much has already been lost, but fallen heroes may get another chance to do society some good if they return as lab-grown defenders of peace in a new form, Quirks and all.
Leave a Reply