Hardening

Hardening is a Quirk used by Eijiro Kirishima.

Description
Hardening gives Eijiro the power to harden any part of his body.

The ability not only protects Eijiro from most physical attacks, but from heat and shock waves too. This Quirk is strong enough to protect its user from several tons of metal falling on him as well as multiple explosions through an extended amount of time. It is also possible to increase the strength and resistance of the hardening for a limited amount of time.

Aside from increased defense, Hardening also grants Eijiro offensive power, as his hardened body becomes rough and sharp like rock, allowing him to cut enemies on contact. This all leads to Hardening being a plain, yet highly practical Quirk.

One drawback to this Quirk is that there is a limit to how much damage the hardened skin can withstand, causing the hardening to slowly dissipate. Furthermore, Hardening is noted to lack long-range potential, limiting Eijiro's combat repertoire.

Usage
Hardening first manifested on Eijiro when he was just three years old, as he was rubbing his right eye after waking up. Eijiro ended up cutting himself, leaving a scar around his right eyebrow. Originally, this Quirk only slightly hardened Eijiro's skin, but he was able to improve its effects ever since through intense training. Before that, he could barely defend himself against rocks.

In combat, Eijiro is very straightforward and reckless, letting his hardened body take the opposing hits as he counterattacks with hard punches and other close-range moves. As even bullets cannot pierce his skin when his Quirk is active, Eijiro is capable of turning himself into a human shield for allies or defenseless civilians. During rescue operations, he has to be extra careful with victims as his rugged body can hurt them.

In desperate situations, Eijiro can increase his own hardness to its maximum level, becoming almost invincible temporarily. His tactics remain the same however, due to the simple nature of his Quirk.

Named Techniques

 * Red Counter: While hardened, Eijiro endures a close-range attack with his skin, and then counters with a straight punch.
 * Red Riot Unbreakable: Eijiro reaches his maximum hardening level by turning his entire body extremely hard and rugged, leaving him with a monstrous appearance and practically invulnerable to most forms of attack. At first, this form can only be maintained for around 30 to 40 seconds, but we later see Kirishima entering and maintaining it more easily.
 * Red Gauntlet Eijiro rushes towards the enemy and delivers a single strong punch against them.

Trivia

 * Like several other Quirks, Hardening has its own signature sound effect: "SKLIT".
 * This Quirk is very similar to Steel, and the two appear to be roughly equal in terms of power and effectiveness.
 * This Quirk, in terms of function, is the inverse of Stiffening, which consists of hardening foreign objects instead of one's own body.

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Hardening