Some of My Hero Academia's most underappreciated characters have gotten a chance to shine as a result of the heteromorph standoff at Jaku Hospital. While trusting Koji Koda to deal with the Paranormal Liberation Front General energizing the assembled heteromorphs, Mezo Shoji is gallantly taking on Spinner head-on.


As Koda attacked, his rage at Shoji's mockery and his will to defeat his opponent were enough to set off the most unusual MHA phenomenon: a Quirk awakening. Here's how it works and how it enhances Koda's unique skill.

Read more: My Hero Academia: Deku's Most Significant Anime Weakness is Countered by His Most Recent Quirk

What Does a My Hero Academia Quirk Awakening Mean?

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A Quirk awakening refers to a sudden increase in the effectiveness of a Quirk that occurs when its user is placed under extreme stress, whether physical or mental. Quirk awakenings can either give the wielder new abilities, or buff their existing ones. Shigaraki Tomura’s Quirk Awakening allowed his Decay to spread to other objects even if he wasn’t touching them. In Himiko Toga’s case, she got the ability to use the Quirks of the loved ones she’d transformed into. Apart from these two, Geten of the Paranormal Liberation Front is the only other character confirmed to have received a Quirk Awakening. Shoji just joined their exclusive club.

Koji Koda’s Quirk, Anivoice, is one of My Hero Academia’s most straightforward abilities. He can communicate with any animal, and from his success rate, it seems they are forced to carry out his orders. Koda’s Quirk is extremely versatile; the animals under his control are capable of reconnaissance, making him a natural at information gathering. Koda can also command animals to attack on his behalf. His Quirk doesn’t appear to have any limitations either. As long as an animal is within earshot, they have to do Koda’s bidding.

 

Koji Koda’s Quirk Awakening - And How It Improves His Anivoice

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In My Hero Academia Chapter 371’s cliffhanger, Koda was shown with a striking new appearance. The singular horn that made up the top part of his head had sprouted and split apart to reveal several smaller horns that gave him the appearance of wearing a crown. Koda’s new look isn’t just a stylistic choice either; his new horns serve as a sort of antenna, and are integral to the new abilities his Quirk Awakening grants.

While Koda previously had to speak to animals to activate his Anivoice’s Quirk effect, right now he’s capable of controlling them solely by telepathically sharing his thoughts and feelings to animals at an even greater range than his voice could reach. He’s already using his new powers to great effect. Without uttering a single word, Koda attacked the Paranormal Liberation Front general with various species of birds and insects.

Koda’s timidity in MHA has always held him back from using his Quirk to its fullest extent. As a naturally soft-spoken boy, having to verbalize his thoughts in order to command animals was a hurdle Shoji struggled to overcome. It was a work in progress, but with this Quirk awakening it appears this is no longer a weakness Koda will struggle with. He might not even need to transmit fully-formed strategies to his animal companions; just his feelings about a particular problem or a desire he might wish fulfilled could be enough of a call to action for Koda’s furry friends.