Highlights
- Eraser Head's Quirk 'Erasure' may lack offensive abilities, but its utility and versatility make it one of the best powers in My Hero Academia.
- Support equipment like the Binding Cloth and specialized eye-wear greatly aid Erasure by allowing Eraser Head to incapacitate villains and hide his Quirk's activation.
- While Erasure has many strengths, it also has weaknesses including the need for line of sight, physical changes that give away its activation, and inability to nullify certain types of Quirks.
With all sorts of Quirks populating the world of My Hero Academia, flashier Quirks tend to center stage due to their flamboyant nature. Similarly, the strength of a Quirk is also often measured by destructive capabilities, leading to many useful Quirks being sidelined in the series. Eraser Head’s Quirk ‘Erasure’ is one such example, as this vastly underrated Quirk doesn’t seem to get the recognition it deserves due to its lack of offensive aptitude.
However, the usefulness and versatility of this Quirk deem it one of the best powers in the entirety of My Hero Academia. Erasure’s utility in battle and supportive capabilities remain unmatched, making it a necessity on the battlefield against villains. The significance of this Quirk has further cemented Shota Aizawa’s role in the series, making him an integral part of the Pro Hero scene and a necessary catalyst for Class 1-A’s growth.
Eraser Head’s Quirk: Erasure
Shota Aizawa, better known as Eraser Head, possesses the Quirk ‘Erasure,’ a power that essentially allows him to nullify his opponents' Quirks by simply looking at them. While the power itself may seem straightforward, its workings are rather intricate and cumbersome. Once the Quirk is active, Aizawa can disable his target’s Quirk Factor for a short duration, deeming them Quirkless until he closes his eyes.
Erasure only requires the wielder to be in sight of any part of the target’s body, regardless of the Quirk Factor lying in that body part. Once the Quirk is in effect, Eraser Head can break line of sight without disrupting the nullifying effect. However, closing the eyes or merely blinking can result in Erasure being deactivated.
Activating this power results in a few physical effects for Eraser Head, such as his eyes glowing red and his hair standing upright. A sort of antigravity phenomenon takes place around his head, an odd power that Aizawa has incorporated into his arsenal by using the effect to propel his heavy-binding cloth.
How Support Equipment Aids Erasure
Eraser Head’s primary support equipment is a specialized Binding Cloth made from a mixture of a metal alloy and carbon nanofibers. Since Erasure offers no fighting capabilities on its own, Aizawa was forced to pivot towards agility, coupled with utilizing his metallic Binding Cloth as an offensive weapon. Since most villains rely on Quirks to fight, Eraser Head can easily bind his opponents with his heavy cloth after nullifying their Quirk.
Another support item that greatly aids Erasure’s power is a specialized eye-wear equipment. These goggles can hide Aizawa’s eyes from his opponents, meaning they can’t discern whether Erasure is active, and who the target will be. This can render groups of villains helpless as they can’t decipher Aizawa’s next target, leaving every single opponent vulnerable.
Erasure’s Many Weaknesses
Considering the unmatched power Erasure possesses, it’s only natural for it to be bogged down by several weaknesses that can prove to be detrimental for Eraser Head. Erasure’s primary weakness is quite obvious, rooted in its need for maintaining line of sight with the target. Aizawa’s opponents can simply hide behind an obstacle to escape his Quirk’s nullifying grip.
The physical changes in Aizawa’s appearance are another weakness as they can give away the exact moment Erasure is activated. Even if he covers his eyes with specialized goggles, his upright hair is a dead giveaway. This allows villains to know the exact moment their Quirk’s have returned. Apart from this, Erasure’s Quirk Factor lies in Aizawa’s eyes, meaning the loss of his eyes will render him Quirkless. This was witnessed after he lost one of his eyes in the Paranormal Liberation War, leaving him almost Quirkless. Moreover, overuse of Erasure also causes Dry Eye Syndrome, forcing Aizawa to rely on eye drops after using his Quirk.
Lastly, Erasure fails to nullify extra appendages of Heteromorphs that are formed by Mutant-Type Quirks. It can still impair their Quirk Factors and render any secondary power useless. However, if the Heteromorphs primary power is their extra appendage, such as Ojiro’s tail, Erasure will essentially be powerless against them.
Eraser Head’s Unique Fighting Style
Despite Erasure offering little to no offensive capabilities, Aizawa has managed to remain a force on the battlefield. His primary fighting style involves rendering his opponents Quirkless, and then swooping in with his agility and restraining the target with a Binding Cloth. This fighting style is mostly effective against opponents that heavily rely on their Quirks.
However, Aizawa’s agility and close-combat abilities allow him to take on and suppress Heteromorphs as well. Honing his physical strength has allowed him to take on both Mutant-Types and regular Quirks users, bridging the gap between himself and other Pro Heroes. After losing his eye and almost the entirety of Erasure, Aizawa resorted to relying on his agility, and keeping Erasure alive through Neito Monoma’s Copy Quirk.
My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.