My Hero Academia: Denki Kaminari's Electrification Quirk, Explained

In a world full of chaos and evil, My Hero Academia brings a spin to modern-day life with many people around the world harnessing abilities known as quirks. The powerful skills manifest in many people worldwide, activating at a young age, and givinng those who have them the opportunity to join the hero ranks and fight super villains. In an interesting take on what makes characters good and bad, My Hero Academia brings complexity to the table with the motivations of heroes who wish to save the world, and those who rebel against it. The grey area in between the two sides includes those who wish to live by their rules and not become shackled to society norms.

For quirk users who wish to play on the side of good, the U.A. Hero Academy is the target to obtain a Hero Provisional License and take part as an intern with one of the top pro heroes of their town. As Izuku Midoriya attends Class 1-A, Mangaka Kōhei Horikoshi introduces a strong cast of aspiring heroes to complete the group that viewers will follow throughout the series. As one of those members, Denki Kaminari brings a jolt of electricity to the group with his friendly and social demeanor who comes off as a bit of a jokester with his classmates but always means well. Some would consider him, and his quirk, quite electrifying.

Denki Kaminari's Quirk: Electrification

In Episode 5, titled "What Can I Do For Now", the complete class of 1-A is introduced, including their teacher, Mr. Shota Aizawa. As part of the new cast of heroes, Kaminari stands out for his energetic nature and ability and willingness to socialize with everyone. Though he can appear quite naive at times, Kaminari is always positive with his classmates and looks to find the bigger picture in all situations. In many senses, his quirk, Electrification, is perfectly suited for his personality. As magnetic as he can be, Kaminari sure knows how to get everyone around him charged up and excited for their future, as if a surge of electricity ran through their bodies.

Known as one of the many emitting quirks in My Hero Academia, Kaminari is capable of generating a large amount of electricity and covering himself in it as a defensive mechanism. Kaminari is also able to fire bolts of electricity at enemies, though his inability to control the power at an early age leads to his attacks often missing their marks or, in some cases, hitting something that wasn't meant to be hit. As a result, Kaminari is extremely selective with when and where he uses his quirk on the offensive, as it could lead to massive damage if he expels the electricity in his body without thinking of a proper strategy.

Denki Kaminari's Fighting Style With Electrification

Unlike other characters in My Hero Academia who prefer to strategize, like Momo Yaoyorozu and Kyoka Jiro, Kaminari is care-free and often rushes into combat with the mindset of taking everyone down as quickly as possible. He's on the lower end of the intellect level when compared to his classmates, and Kaminari registers average speed and power in combat, but his ability to combine his quirks with those of others makes him a viable asset in battle. Kaminari loves the thrill of battle and will take any chance he can get to prove to his fellow heroes that he is more than capable of holding his own and helping the team achieve victory.

Kaminari also excels in gathering intel on the enemy with his Sharpshooting Gear, which includes Pointers that he can attache to anyone as a tracking tool, and a visor that updates him on information about the target. Kaminari also uses an earpiece which takes a small amount of his electricity to operate, which he uses to communicate with his teammates while working on a mission. This gives Kaminari some depth to his fighting abilities, as he can feel at ease when rushing into a fight, knowing he can update those standing by if ever he requires some back-up.

Electrification's Usage In Battle

The Electrification quirk doesn't possess the flexibility to adapt and evolve as much as other quirks in My Hero Academia, but it still packs a heavy punch. Kaminari's biggest challenge is to get his surges under control and hit his targets with better precision. Thankfully, there is some utility to being the lightining rod of Class 1-A, as Kaminari is capable of absorbing the electric attacks of enemies, which can power up his own moves exponentially. During the raid on the Paranormal Liberation Front, Denki confronts his insecurities when he's asked who he wishes to protect, rushing in to absorb the Supreme Discharge: Thundernet attack from one of the enemie's main generals.

In order to strengthen his Electrification quirk, Kaminari's training included running electric currents through a high-capacity battery in order to be able to withstand high amounts of electricity. This regimen allows Kaminari to resort to his ultimate move, Indiscriminate Shock 1.3 Million Volts, which releases an absurd amount of electricity in the surrounding area, zapping those caught in the storm. Over time, Kaminari has evolved this attack and increased the maximum output to 2 million volts, though he uses the attack as a last resort, as it depletes his energy quickly and leaves him in a stasis of inactivity.

Ultimately, Kaminari works extremely well when united with other heroes, as his Electrifcation quirk can combine with other quirks to deliver a cooperative assault. During the Nabu Island attack against Nine, Kaminari teamed up with multiple individuals on two occasions, using his absorption abilities to his advantage. With Nine's Weather Manipulation quirk affecting lightning storms, Kaminari took the opportunity to absorb any shocks launched at Midoriya, protecting his fellow heroes as they continued their counterattack. This makes Kaminari an excellent teammate to have on board, as his Electrification quirk can benefit his team in many situations.

The Downside of Electrification

As with all quirks in My Hero Academia, Kaminari's Electrification comes with major repercussions. Overuse of his quirk leaves Kaminari on a vulnerable state, as emitting more electricity than his body can handle will fry his brain. This unfortunate downside leaves Kaminari unable to attack or defend for up to one hour, rendering him completely useless in battle. On the comical side, Kaminari's visual appearance changes to that of an unaware character with his thumbs up, unable to process his surroundings. This improves over the course of Kaminari's pursuit of a Provisional Hero License, as he trains his body to withstand a higher amount of voltage.

His ultimate move will always fry his brain, so Kaminari must be wise with when he uses it. Should he be caught up alone and unable to take down all enemies, Kaminari would enter his stasis without the ability to defend himself and no hero around to save him from danger. This downside leads Kaminari into more of a supportive role in My Hero Academia, limiting his attack potential to as far as his body can handle the electricity, before retreating to protect those around him with his absorbing ability.

The My Hero Academia manga is available to read on Viz and the Dragon Ball anime is available to stream on Crunchyroll.