Hey! So, this chapter is meant to explain everything about Akuma Matsumoto and Karma to avoid any misunderstanding in the rest of the story, with a bonus illustration made by me!
Also, if you don't want me "yapping" about this, just skip it; it doesn't affect the narrative at all.
Akuma Matsumoto: Physiology and Quirk
First, I want to address Akuma's physiology. How does his quirk work?
It's pretty simple; his quirk is divided into two parts: the Core and the Body.
The Core is a small, 1cm diameter ball. It's mostly white and always covered in white smoke coming out of it. It's cold to the touch and you could say it's Akuma's weak point. The Core is the reason Akuma's body functions; it produces the threads Akuma uses throughout the story. To avoid any risk, Akuma normally hides it in one of his toes, avoiding points that typically get attacked.
The Body, instead, is made out of long and durable reddish strings. Akuma can use them in any way he pleases. After receiving his quirk at age 4, Akuma took three months to learn and maintain his body. What does this mean? It means that every day, every moment of his life, Akuma needs to be aware of how his body is formed to avoid it dismantling. This was tiring for Akuma at first, but after a lifetime with this condition, he can now do it almost without thinking; it's become as usual as breathing.
This also means he can modify his appearance as he likes. If you're wondering, Akuma is incapable of tasting most of the time, as this sense is the hardest for him to replicate. If he concentrates deeply enough, he can do it, but only on special occasions.
Why Akuma Fights Differently
Why doesn't Akuma fight like other thread users? As I explained in the past, Akuma likes to fight. He was always a violent person. He was a boxer in his past life, only abandoning the sport thanks to his parents. But now that he has the opportunity, he isn't going to waste it, even if it means getting hurt.
What's his limit, you might ask? The answer is his thread reserve, nothing more than that. He can form new limbs, new organs, and make his limbs stronger, larger, and overall more capable. From his body, he can create objects made out of stronger cords. As I explained before, these are made out of multiple strings intercalated together. He is immune to aging and has full control over his movements, meaning he will never have tics or any unnecessary twitches, unless driven by strong emotions, as we've seen multiple times.
Akuma's Unique Physiology and Perception
Changing topics, the threads his core produces are made out of organic matter. Akuma doesn't have liquids or any tissue in his body, so any damage he suffers needs to be replaced with new threads. Therefore, Akuma needs to eat a lot more than the average person. This also means he can't get sick or poisoned. He does feel pain, but with the years, he's become numb to it, reacting only in moments when the pain surpasses that mental barrier.
His appearance was created based on what Akuma thought was the most handsome, basing his body on multiple model magazines from this world. The only thing Akuma can't fix is how his eyes look. They are uncanny; his dead eyes stand out far more than anything else. When Mina asked Tokoyami about it off-camera, he said it was like staring at Dark Shadow, but far more violent.
In junior high, Akuma didn't fit into any group. He was cold and cutting with his classmates since it brought him no reward. His classmates looked at him as a jerk, but a very intelligent one; after all, he was always the best at everything. When he entered UA, the school tried to throw a party in his name, as it was the first time a student from that unknown school had entered the institution. However, he refused, saying the school should use that money to repair the campus. This was seen as an act of kindness from the honored student, but in reality, Akuma didn't want to attend a party in his name.
To his classmates, Akuma is probably the weirdest among them. Even so, they feel comfortable around him. The reason for this is that, even if some interactions don't show it, he always knows what to talk about with each individual. Talking to him is like talking with the perfect person for you. This knowledge obviously comes from Akuma's "meta gaming," but we can't tell them that, right?
If there was a ranking made by the girls in the class to see who is the most handsome, he would lose to Todoroki, the only reason being, well, you know by now: his gaze ruins his whole vibe.
Michael Bianco: Akuma's Past Life
Michael Bianco was always a contradictory man. He loved being cultured but also loved entering conflicts for no other purpose than to fight. He always bragged about his diploma, but any time he drank, he blamed his parents for making him study a "worthless career." He had an addiction to vodka and cigars. His mother always scolded him, saying he would never pass 40 if he continued doing that to his body, and his only response was "good." Even so, he was never arrested. His classmates had mixed opinions about him, but when confronted, they always answered he was a "sad person."
Random Facts About Akuma/Michael
Now, without anyone asking, here are some random facts about Akuma/Michael:
* His favorite meal was a Tomahawk medium rare back when he lived with his parents.
* His favorite meal became instant ramen after entering college.
* He was the top number 6 in his class of 30 at graduation.
* If asked, he would say his favorite girl from MHA is Lady Nagant.
* He doesn't like the beach.
* He was praised for the design of his hero
costume, making him uncomfortable because he "stole" said design from his original world.
* He was about to decline The Wanderer's offer before he heard about the money.
* If a Capital Sin were to represent him, it would easily be Greed.
* Back in his original life, his favorite manga was Pluto, his favorite book was
Metamorphosis, and his favorite band was Koffin Kats.
* He now listens to the equivalent of Metal in the MHA universe, but he often listens to Pop Step's old songs to laugh a little.
[Photo]
Disclaimer: The art was drawn by me entirely. I'm sorry if it looks bad; I'm not good at drawing at all.
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Karma
Karma was made by dividing the core of his master, Akuma Matsumoto, and putting it into a prepared thread body.
Karma is equal to Akuma in terms of power; they have the same quirk and anatomy entirely. The reason they look so different is thanks to Akuma's intervention. Karma works in an office that hired him without any prior experience and despite being mute. How, you might ask? He "seduced" the lady in charge of the hirings before even trying for that company, leaving it as a "casualty" of this small world.
Karma is far more violent than Akuma in his missions. He doesn't use the threads, but a quirk named "Phantom Bullets." How this quirk works is actually pretty simple: from the index finger, a net made of tension cords is launched. These tension cords are so small and tiny they can't be seen with the naked eye. Furthermore, they travel at insane speed, making it seem like you were hit by nothing. The composition of these bullets requires a lot of practice and time to make.
Since Karma is meant to be a normal human, it was necessary to prevent any event that could reveal his inhuman form. Inside his body, he always carries a bag of artificial blood in case of being wounded. He also replicates the form of normal organs inside his body to prevent any future problems.
Unlike Akuma, who deeply refuses to enter into any romantic comedy, Karma found in his new job a strange feeling towards women. He became "in love" with these strange creatures his master warned him about and ended up in the bed of most of them, all without saying a word.
It should be clarified that Karma is totally independent. He cares about his master not because it was imposed on him, but because Akuma truly shows affection towards his creation, even if he doesn't admit it.
Karma often sleeps in his car. He obtained this car on a Vigilante patrol. He arrived at a crime scene, and with nothing else to do there, he saw a car with the keys still inside, so he took it, unknowingly obstructing a very important police investigation.
He sees his master as a good man, even if Akuma often says otherwise. He knows how deeply Akuma cares about those he considers his tools, but he can't say anything, after all. He loves reading; it's a sentiment he's sure he inherited from his creator. It's the perfect cover when he's on spy duty.
Without knowing it, he grabbed the attention of Himiko Toga. After his fight, she was flattered by this unknown man's fighting style, carefree but at the same time lethal. She'd seen that once before, but she couldn't remember when.
[Photo]
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More things about Karma could be a spoiler, so let's leave it there.
So, the festival is here, and this event is surely fun to write! Before I leave, I'm going to do some fun facts about the whole contract aspect.
The Wanderer and the Contract:
* There were about 10 other contestants before Akuma. All of them had different quirks, and most of them ended up becoming villains. In the end, nobody was capable of satisfying The Wanderer.
* The Wanderer is a deity incapable of interacting with the normal world. He's been doing this kind of contract for a long time with different books throughout history, but he cherishes MHA because it's the fictional work that gave him the most fun.
* The Wanderer normally doesn't interact with the "run" unless he gets bored. The reason Lyubim suffered that destiny is because he didn't do much apart from following the original cast. Akuma doesn't suffer that problem.
* Lyubim never fully understood his quirk. With a lot of options, he decided to become a swordsman, a "boring" decision that led to his ultimate demise.
* When attacked by a dead contractor, Lyubim didn't fight him directly. Since this contender was far more powerful than him, he instead used the help of his version of the UA class to take him down. This was seen as an act of cowardice.
*Two contenders can't appear at the same time, The Wanderer only can make an Universe at a time
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I was thinking of doing a drawing of Lyubim, but I think I should wait and maybe do a whole "Contenders Special Chapter." Who knows?
If you have a question that wasn't answered, tell me. I will do my best to explain.
That's all, thank you for reading until now!