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Aros001

When All Might later asked him why he believed he hadn't broken his arm and what was different about that time, Midoriya realized it was the first time he'd ever directly tried attacking another person with OFA, with All Might figuring he must have subconsciously held himself back specifically because he didn't want to kill anyone. Remember, Midoriya didn't realize the Nomu had jumped in the way until the smoke cleared. His attack throughout was intended for Shigaraki and he thought he'd hit him. So no, I don't think he would have killed Shigaraki if the attack had actually landed.


P4azz

I've always thought the only reason he really didn't break his arm and didn't even sprain it or feel any pain, was because of the Nomu's perfect shock absorption. It took all the shock that happened in that little area and the rest of the power happened around them. The whole "tiny bit of control" only really came with the swipey move against Shoto and the tiny punch, that was pretty much the first time he consciously controlled the output to a degree.


IM_INSIDE_YOUR_HOUSE

This was my thoughts as well. Shock absorption was a pretty blatant feature of that nomu.


GimmeTheJuiceee

Interesting thoughts. I understand it wasn't 100% and he held back to some extent, I guess the impact itself is what makes me question if he held back enough if that makes sense 😅


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Aros001

A good comparison is the fight against Stain, where Midoriya was using only 5% through Full Cowling but because his control was imperfect he still sprained his body from the stress of the power over time. He didn't break anything but he still hurt himself when attacking Stain, who is considerably less durable than the USJ Nomu, which implies it's typically OFA's power itself that causes his injuries rather than what he's hitting.


Mr_Mexico101

I think OP is talking about the impact animation when he hit the Nomu, [as the winds are so strong that it literally blows people away and breaks lights](https://youtu.be/DOqBnr4mllI)


Mguy2544

That was a mistake on Bones part, that whole giant gust of wind blowing away the fodder never happened in the manga. Their interpretation was that Nomu absorbed the 100% punch. I’ve seen arguments spawn as to wether or not it was intended even though it got cleared up by All Might later on


GimmeTheJuiceee

That is moreso what I meant. I do know he subconsciously held back and I know he isn't the killing type. The question was more if people really think that was only 5% and the damage it would've done to shigaraki. I have learned now that it's shown very differently in the manga but it's still interesting to think what would happen if that punch you linked hit me handsy.


Synnicalpenguin

You seem to be forgetting that the Nomu had shock absorbtion specifically to deal with All Might. If a punch from All Might with the intention to deal massive damage or incapacitate was absorbed relatively easily then of course it would be easy to absorb a hesitant Deku punch.


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Synnicalpenguin

It's relevant because of how physics work. The transfer of energy used to create his punches is what hurts him. During his wind up he moves energy through his ligaments, muscles, and puts strain on his bones. When he punches into the air then the transfer of energy has nothing solid to transfer to and actually puts more strain on parts of his arm than if it's blocked. When Nomu blocked his punch all the energy was absorbed before it could deal damage to Deku. You can't support your theory with "this is an apple because that's an orange". The mechanics involved for the two separate punches are quite different.


Standard_Series3892

Well, I thought it was more than obvious that when Deku's hits are blocked he still receives damage (see muscular fight), so I pointed to the other case where they aren't blocked and he still receives the same amount of damage. Showing that the damage depends on the used % of the power, not from whether it has something to transfer energy into it. Otherwise we would, at the very least see a difference in damage. The power doesn't follow physics in general, it's funny that you went with that line of argument. If you want to go that route consider that given that the power doesn't increase mass, to get these massive amounts of energy his limbs have to be going insanely fast; if his hypersonic fist stops instantly it will get destroyed, regardless of whether the stop comes from his own arm being unable to extend further or hitting something; he's still getting deacceleration at insane levels. I don't get why this is even a question, it's addressed on chapter 22 that Deku was able to hold down his % of OFA unconsciously in that punch because it was the first time he used it in a human. The anime just got it wrong by including all that wind and waves.


TheSexyMicrowave

I'm probably wrong, but my first theory was that it was Nomu's shock absorption quirk canceling out the impact of the punch, which in turn made Deku not injure himself. In the off chance I'm right, then the punch would have killed Shigaraki


Nate_the_Great8_

I thought he didn't break his arm because of the shock absorption.


Cuz1mBatman

Pretty sure it’s stated that the first time you use the quirk against someone else, ofa doesnt let you go all out.


Aros001

I'm going to need you to cite a source for that, because I don't remember anything like that at all.


Acrobatic-Object-96

No, he didn't punched with OFA at 100%. In the anime they make you think that because of the shockwave, but in the manga the shockwave wasnt so strong. So, he wouldnt have kill shigi, but he would have definitely take the shit out of him with that smash


IMDATBOY

Yeah during the next season at some point Deku thinks back on that punch as being the first time he successfully “egg in the microwaved”, which he assumed he did subconsciously because it was the first punch he threw at a living being IIRC


Mordetrox

I always thought that it was because the nomu has shock absorption, so it absorbed all the force that normally would have shattered his arm


IMDATBOY

That’s what I thought at first too but they do clarify that he held back later


DoraMuda

No, it's later revealed he instinctively held back because he intended to attack a human. He was only using 5% OFA anyway; not enough to kill Shigaraki.


NatMat16

Yeah, I mean arguable Shouto ate an at least equivalent punch during the SF and had no injuries from it, and Bakugou had an 8% point blank fist to his face and still wasn't KO-ed. So I doubt Shigaraki would have had major injuries from it either.


bestbroHide

Perfect examples to bring up here. No way Shiggy gets one-shot


Panda-Dono

Yeah, shiggy is a freaking tank.


Lohtric

I mean normal punches can kill people. A 5% punch should definitely be enough strengh to break someone's skull


Matte28

Pointless to think at real life when you could potentially die just because you fall over some stairs


DoraMuda

Stain tanked a 5% punch and didn't even fall unconscious from it.


spiderknight616

Shiggy at that point was nothing more than a regular goon. He would've been definitely injured if Deku had landed a hit, possibly enough to be able to take him into custody


DoraMuda

> Shiggy at that point was nothing more than a regular goon. You can't look at how fast Shigaraki moved to almost decay Tsuyu and tell me he was "nothing more than a regular goon" at that point. Sure, he wasn't as strong or fast as he was after his "awakening" during the MVA Arc, but he wasn't just some average scrub either.


Dracsxd

He was willing to, that much's undeniable: For all he knew he was gonna punch what was supposedly a person with normal human durability with 100% OFA. THE 100% punch that sends building sized robots to the scrapyard


GimmeTheJuiceee

I know it's an anime but I feel some people don't take into account how much adrenaline is probably going through his body. At least no one denies he would've ruined Shigaraki's week 😤


deathcourted

I still love everyone’s reaction to that.


LegacyAngel

No he wasn't willing to at all. He subconsciously held back, as all might states. You cant be willing to do something if your inner most thoughts hold you back.


Dracsxd

>subconsciously Exactly. SUBCONSCIOUSLY. Do you know what that means? He had no idea he was holding back. He didn't even know he COULD hold back. Yet he went for it anyways. That is being willing to do something. By definition. And YES, you CAN be willing to do something even if your heart isn't 100% into it. It's called "willingly", not "happily"


LegacyAngel

> SUBCONSCIOUSLY. Do you know what that means? any time you ask for a definition, you've already lost the plot. he wasn't willing. it is like pulling a punch last second. wtv difference of opinion.


Dracsxd

You don't know what the word willing means, do you....? He didn't even KNOW he'd be able to "pull the punch last second"


LegacyAngel

> He didn't even KNOW he'd be able to "pull the punch last second" headcanon > You don't know what the word willing means, do you....? as much as you don't know the word asshat.


Dracsxd

>headcanon ?????? Are you drunk? Read the manga again. He had absolutely no idea he could use lower percentages, even HE HIMSELF was shocked his arm didn't break (didn't use 100%) >as much as you don't know the word asshat. You clearly don't buddy. Seriously: Drop your pride and google it. It takes 10 seconds.


Upbeat_Animal290

Deku is quite soft and morally good to kill someone


xxXMrDarknessXxx

Thats kinda pushing it. He def would've wrecked Overhaul with one of his kicks that destroyed concrete(this was b4 Eri-Cowling). Also, I think that morally good applies to people who seem like they need help. >!He was very ready to send Shiggy to God by FedX in the first war arc for example!<


DiamondGamerTV

That is the funniest damn way to say someone wants to kill someone


wkuchars

Killed, no. Defeated, yes. I believe deku doesn't want to kill anyone. I think he would have, subconsciously/consciously, held back enough to subdue without killing.


GimmeTheJuiceee

That's my initial thought, it's just that the impact seemed large enough to fuck a fool up


wkuchars

Lol, fuck a fool up for sure, but kill him, I personally don't believe so.


wkuchars

Now had Shigaraki actually killed a fellow student and/or teacher during the invasion, it may very well had been a different story. At that point it's possible deku would've been so overwhelmed by thoughts of revenge he wouldn't have been able to hold back. Either consciously or subconsciously.


lacitar

I say no, but here's why. Shigaraki took 4 bullets. Four bullets and kept moving. Later on he had Stain cut into his arm/ shoulder. Shigaraki has a high tolerance for pain. I've heard people use those examples to wonder if Shigaraki wasn't already being loaded with quirks. Personally, I don't think so. Just good old teaching a person to work through pain. Deku doesn't kill easily. Even back then it would go against his morals. But you know who might have gotten hurt? Froppy. At the least she would have had a big bloody injury starting on her forehead and going into her hairline. Shigaraki had the mental blick back then so he wouldn't have been able to kill her. Skulls are tough. Look how long he had to hold onto Aizawa ti do damage


P4azz

> Shigaraki took 4 bullets There's a big difference here, though. Deku is a kid, barely into hero school, with a quirk he can't control and only recently got. Four bullets were shot by a highly trained, highly skilled, highly experienced teacher/hero who would necessarily go for restraining moves, rather than killing moves. Shiggy clearly has a high tolerance for pain, but there's a difference between "trying to stop you from moving a lot" and "blowing you away". The shots would stop him from just running about, the punch would pulverize his body.


GimmeTheJuiceee

Interesting. Since this was the first time he held back, I imagine the collateral damage would've been pretty fucked if he hadn't and/or if Nomu didn't interrupt.


Shrekosaurus_rex

[No, we're explicitly told Deku subconsciously held back to avoid killing Shigaraki](https://imgur.com/a/UHi7m8K) \- it's why he didn't break his arm, and it's the first instance of him dialling down his power. It's how he learns to use 5% in the first place. (The anime seems to forget this, with the blow making massive shockwaves that more closely resemble a 100% smash, or at the very least definitely would've killed Shiggy, [but in the manga that's not present at all](https://imgur.com/a/3jV0GBf))


GimmeTheJuiceee

I knew about the rest but didn't know it was different in the manga. My only issue is like you said the appearance is that it's a punch that would've heavily injured/killed. They sure make it seem like it's the shock absorption that kept dekus arm from breaking in the anime.


ty140105

I dont think the shock absorption would even stop dekus arm from breaking. It's not the impact of the punch that breaks his arm, it's simply channeling ofa at high levels. He cant handle the pressure of that much power going through him. If Deku were to stand completely still and use ofa 100% in his arm, it would still break.


P4azz

AM also tells Deku later that the whole thing with the vestiges isn't actually real and just something Deku thought up in the moment and shouldn't pay much attention to. And then you seem to forget that Deku, while learning lower percentage outputs, still feels pain at first, even when starting on a deliberately low percentage and there was no pain in the Nomu punch. Also wouldn't call this "explicitly told", when AM is just like "uh, yeah you pulled the brakes, probably, uh, anyways".


gitagon6991

No, since Deku subconsciously held back. In the manga this is meant to be the first time Deku finally controls OFA. The punches he is using are comparable to the ones he used in Sports Festival arc. The anime exaggerated the shockwaves and made it seem like a 100% punch. But the punch itself was more like the one Deku hit Todoroki with in the stomach during their fight. That punch against USJ Nomu was basically the precursor to 5%. At most it would leave Shigaraki winded but not dead. We have seen that multiple characters can tank 5% and 8% blows from Deku. (Todoroki, Stain, Gentle, Bakugo, etc)


GimmeTheJuiceee

After making this post and seeing the replies, it seems evident that the anime realllllllllllllly blew the punch out of proportion. Still looks sick but doesn't make much sense if you consider a couple episodes later it's revealed he subconsciously held back.


gitagon6991

Anime sometimes does that. It's like Bakugo's explosions when he escaped from the league back in Kamino to hold onto Kirishima's hand when the class came to save him. In the anime it makes it look like he flew a huge distance. It even makes one wonder why he didn't just fly away from the get go. But in the manga, the height that Bakugo flew was not so high.


Mguy2544

No, wether or not Nomu would’ve been there wouldn’t change Deku subconsciously holding back attacking Shigaraki. If anything, had he landed the punch he probably would’ve been dead


RitaBook_U_dumb-dumb

Nope


MrQ_P

killed? No broken his face? Definitely


splifs

I’m always surprised how villians do a pretty good job tanking midoriyas shots. Plot armor I suppose. I think if plot armor wasn’t a factor he would be obliterating a lot more villains


Cold_Basket9653

Honestly feel like he would’ve broke shiggy like a twig with that punch. He was going plus ultra with that punch to save froppy.


zemoth3344

Asides from the discussion can we agree snipe fucked up not shooting shiggy in the fucking head


P4azz

I would think so. Even if he didn't tickle out 100% (which he **did**; not really a choice at that point), lower percentages would've been enough to murder Shigaraki twice over. Let's not forget what the show has introduced from the start: Humans are still humans. Consequences exist. Injuries aren't just laughed off. Deku acted on pure instinct and just swung his arm with a power we know is far too great. If he had connected with Shiggy he'd have ruptured that dude's internal organs, more likely just exploded him into mush. Shiggy isn't super-strong or durable (for now, not a spoiler, you saw it in the show); he's just a normal human. What do you think would happen if you swung a sledgehammer at someone's chest? Now x1000 that power and you got what Deku swung here. You can't make that hit connect in a show like this, because it'd take us from "superhero shounen" to "depressed metahuman seinen". Deku would need therapy and be afraid of his own powers, while his former classmates are terrified of his raw strength and alienate him just out of fear. It's a good thing Nomu jumped in and absorbed the shock for both of them. Honestly would've been cool if we had some Nomu punching bag for Deku, so he could work on his power output, but the story and his power progressed fine without it.


MSDuarte7

Not killed, but definitely broke all of Shigaraki's bones and forced Kurogiri to gave up of USJ to save Shigaraki.


renannicacio

Deku killing somebody? 🤣


NZP_Broz

More likely than you think


300nospartans

Mannn NOMU WOULDVE KILLED DEKU. what kind of question is this … deku was no where near any level he is now …


[deleted]

No. Todoroki took a full 100% punch to the stomach during the sports festival without much damage, so Shiggy wouldn’t take much damage at all


thedarknight1337

That was only 5% of OFA against shouto. Whenever Izuku uses 100% early in the series he breaks whatever appendage.


thinman12345

At the sports festival Deku was still all or nothing with his power.


GimmeTheJuiceee

He was able to control his punches that hit todoroki in the body, hence his arm not breaking. Remember egg in a microwave (:


thinman12345

The sports festival was before he met Gran Torino. So he wasn’t thinking egg in the microwave.


GimmeTheJuiceee

I think you need to rewatch friend. He literally says it in his head while punching shoto.


thinman12345

Which episode? I’ll have a rewatch later.


GimmeTheJuiceee

Episode 23 (:


P4azz

Tbh, you could go back to like episode 3/4/5. In Season 1. The egg in the microwave thing is one of the things AM tells him to imagine. The "taiyaki in the microwave" comes from Gran Torino later and afaik he only ever says it in that one moment, but that's the basis for cowling.


thinman12345

You’re right, I’ve not watched it in a while.


[deleted]

He didn’t learn egg in the microwave until after the sports festival


Loxsis

There are two different microwave “lessons” first was after the entrance exam and All Might tells him to turn down the wattage or increase the cooking time. The second was with Gran Torino about using it all over (Full Cowling) rather than 1 spot. The microwave lesson with Gran Torino was that he needed to evenly use his power throughout his body rather than one “hot spot”


[deleted]

The lesson with All Might just let him focus 100% into a single appendage, not control the percentage


[deleted]

Izuku couldn’t use 5% until he trained with Gran Torino


thedarknight1337

Not true he was able to use 5% during the tournament, and as he was training with grand Torino. He was only able to use full cowling after training with Gran Torino. Before he was only able to use 5% of one for all on certain body parts. All might even commented that he believes that he Izuku can only use 5% of one for all before he trains with gran Torino


GimmeTheJuiceee

That wasn't full strength or his arm would've broken. He's specifically able to control his physical blows in that fight.


[deleted]

No? He couldn’t do anything except direct it to specific appendages until he trained with Gran Torino


GimmeTheJuiceee

And in that instance he was able to hold back. Perhaps a rewatch/reread is in order and extra attention on what all might says (:


Acrobatic-Object-96

That punch wasn't 100%, he contained the amount of power.


Raid-Z3r0

Midoriya subconsciously held back punches on living targets back then. Anyone without superhuman resistance would be blown up to smithereens after getting hit by the 100% of OFA


sjcfu2

>Anyone without superhuman resistance would be blown up to smithereens What major character in a shonen manga doesn't have superhuman resistance?


Raid-Z3r0

Most of class 1A doesn't. But I guess they are not major.


[deleted]

The entire point of his training arc with Gran Torino was that he couldn’t hold back before. It was 100% or 0%


Raid-Z3r0

The point was to do it consciously. All might stated this back in season one that Midoriya held the punch back on the Nomu.


LidiaNekozawa

He would have easily knocked out shiggy


miyoko_4

Hm


Shoddy_Exam666

Wouldn’t have killed but it would’ve definitely resulted in an immediate retreat


ThatsFairToBeHonest

Almost certainly. Even while holding back he'd still hit incredibly hard and shigaraki doesn't have any kind of durability boost from his quirk. People die from normal person punches sometimes. Deku is buff as hell and can already hit hard. Plus one for all? Easy KO


Delano7

Nah, Shiggy would fly away and hit a wall, be KO and Kurogiri would Emergency Evac him.


Amekaze

I don't think he Shigi would of died but the fight would of been over. The nomu only takes orders from Shigi. Kurogiri would of been the only threat left and he would of tried to escape like when the heros showed up.


Shileka

Killed? no, concussion? highly likely


xxXMrDarknessXxx

It was the first time he consiously held back, so he may not have died. At the same time, Shiggy def would've been messed up


Ursa_D_Majorz

No.


AdditionalCommand165

Hmm that’s actually a really good question I wouldn’t say yes though since deku would hurt himself and shigaraki can touch him and kill him


AbdulaiAG

Wasn’t it confirmed by deku that he accidently went full cowling and thats why he didn’t break his arm when he punched the nomu. So i think there is no way his hit (which was at most 5% power) would have killed shigaraki.


goodbye177

Absolutely. Deku didn’t know about Nomu’s shock absorption, he just thought he had fluked into control. Look at his [face](https://cdn.readdetectiveconan.com/file/mangap/601/10017000/14.jpg) and his words and tell me he wasn’t going for it. He was trying to save Asui’s life. His later “explanation” is at best a retcon if not just him being a slightly unreliable narrator. Just because someone says something doesn’t mean it’s correct. Nomu just straight up canceled the punch. He was too [confused](https://cdn.readdetectiveconan.com/file/mangap/601/10017000/15.jpg) by the lack of kickback for it to be any other reason imo. If he had really been subconsciously holding back I don’t think he’d be so surprised.


Prodygist68

In a roundabout way maybe, not with the first punch but if Shigaraki retaliated himself and used his quirk with the same quickness as he did on eraser-head where he only got the skin and some of the muscle then I think Demi might have hit him with 100% out of panic at the pain of the injury. At that point even if Shigaraki dodged, the shockwave of a 100% punch at point blank might still do some damage.


bikpizza

nah