It’s apparent that Midoriya is the ideal person to wield the power of One For All. But that happened to be because of pure chance. If things had played out differently, Izuku Midoriya would never have met his idol All Might or received his power. It would likely have gone to the recommended candidate; Mirio Togata, who’s well on his way to become a pro hero. Even so, it doesn’t stop the mind from wondering as to who should have gotten the power of One For All. So let’s go and see who were worthy of the power.
- Katsuki Bakugo
Bakugo is Midoriya’s primary rival and his driving force and inspiration to be a hero. Bakugo started out as a typical bully lording over his powers (literally) to Midoriya. Armed with natural power and tremendous prodigious talent, it’s hard to believe why he didn’t receive it. And when he came to temporarily wield it in the MHA movie; Heroes Rising, he came to it like a fish takes to water. Combined with his own quirk; Explosion, Bakugo was practically unstoppable. But if he was given this power early into his career, it wouldn’t have done him any wonders. One of the elements in his growth and development was the need to hamper down on his ego and learn to cooperate with others. While he has certainly mellowed out now, he could prove to be a worthy hero to use One For All.
2. Mirio Togata
Why not look on what could have been? Mirio is everything and anything All Might could want in his future successor. His former sidekick Sir Nighteye, had taken in Mirio for this exact reason. He embodies qualities that All Might has while still being his own person. He’s amiable, affable, charismatic and just an overall upbeat young man who’s always smiling. His own Quirk, Permeation, was difficult to use but came to master it over time through sheer hard work and determination. If his raw power and talent were in fact combined with All Might’s teachings and Quirk, there’s no doubt that Mirio could have been an unstoppable force of nature.
3. Koichi Haimawari/The Crawler
Let’s dive a little further into the past for this one. While All Might wouldn’t be injured until later into his life, what would happen if he started to look for a successor a little bit sooner? No one else fits that bill than everyone’s least favorite vigilante; The Cruller, I mean, The Crawler. Surprisingly enough, Koichi is a goof foil or reflection to Midoriya with the sole thing dividing them is their respective ages: as the start of their series starts with Midoriya in his teenage years entering high school and Koichi as a young adult in college with his own dream of being a hero derailed. Midoriya has no Quirk and Koichi does have a Quirk called Slide and Glide but it’s rather weak to say the least. It’s not until he extensively trains it does he begin to realize it’s full capabilities. If All Might came and began to train him, Koichi might have begun to unleash his full potential much earlier than before and begun his career as a sidekick to All Might; learning the ropes of his power and gradually accustoming himself to One For All.
4. Danjuro Tobita/Gentle Criminal
Let’s dive a little deeper into the past shall we? Danjuro Tobita had been a high school dropout due to the fact he tried to save someone who was in danger. But he had to face the consequences of having interfered with a hero’s rescue, which had actually caused more harm then good. This caused a chain of events that caused him to be kicked out from his home by his family and forced to fend for himself. While his desire to be a criminal came out of desire for recognition, it’s hard not to see much of Midoriya in his early life. Midoriya himself recognizes this and that’s why it was hard for him to fight Gentle.
In a lot of ways, Danjuro Tobita is a lot like Mirio Togata. They struggled with their Quirks, don’t have the best grades but are insanely enthusiastic. If Gentle had met someone like Sir Nighteye to support and nurture his talents and powers, he would have ended up having a different life altogether. If One For All was combined with his Elasiticity Quirk, there’d be no telling what he could do. Not to mention, even if he does evoke a villainous image, he and All Might were inspired by a significant age of comics: The Bronze and Silver Age.
5. Eijirio Kirishima/Red Riot
There are actually a lot of similarities between Midoriya and Kirishima if you look closely. Both are young men who yearn to be a hero. But Kirishima is attempting to claim the image of a hero not for the sake of it but because that’s the person he aims to be. And he already has a role model in the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot. Like Midoriya, he has issues with confidence, which is why he tries to project an image of a strong confident young man, even when he doesn’t feel like it at all. Compared to Midoriya who jumped in headfirst to save Bakugo, Kirishima tried but was just too scared to do so, in spite of his headstrong nature. To be fair, he was dealing with a real villain instead of small-time bullies. In spite of that, Kirishima trained himself and his Quirk intensively. He has a lot of the qualities All Might was looking for. One of the prerequisites for One For All is a well-trained body and Kirishima not only trained his body extensively but cites it as his favorite pastime. Combined with his “dull” Hardening Quirk, Kirishima would become the Ultimate, Unstoppable, Unbreakable Red Riot.
6. Itsuka Kendo/Battle Fist
Kendo is an aspiring young hero in Class 1-B. Not much is known about her or why she wants to be a hero, but she’s amiable, intelligent, highly compassionate and a skilled martial artist. Which is what make her Quirk handy when it simply involves making you have really big hands. If it were combined with One For All, she would be a beast in a fight. Not to mention, All Might’s predecessor was the only female user of One For All, so why not pass the power down to another young heroine? Not to mention Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia himself, has drawn Kendo wielding the power of One For All.
