Akira Iwako was one of the Instant Villains.
Appearance#
Akira was a medium-sized man with curly brown hair, wearing regular street clothes.
After taking Trigger, his body transforms, increasing considerably in size and muscle mass. His skin color turns grayish, and rock-like protrusions grow on his head, shoulders, and knuckles.
Personality#
When not under the influence of Trigger, Akira appeared natural and cooperative, answering the police's questions calmly during his interrogation. However, after being released he almost immediately accepted the Trigger once more.
While on Trigger, he was incredibly aggressive to essentially everything that was around him, attacking buildings and civilians. He was very confident in his abilities, believing himself to be totally indestructible and undefeatable.
However, he was capable of showing some sort of sanity, as he fled from Stendhal when he realized that he was outclassed. He was also capable of displaying fear when he realized he was in danger.
He was also one of the few Villains to remember Koichi Haimawari's vigilante name as "The Crawler".
Synopsis#
Vigilantes Beginnings Arc#
At some point, Akira met Kuin Hachisuka, who gave him a syringe containing Trigger without asking for anything in return.[2] Akira injected himself with the drug, greatly enhancing his Hardening Quirk but also increasing his aggressivity. Turned into an Instant Villain and believing himself invincible, he began wreaking havoc on the streets of Naruhata, until The Crawler and Knuckleduster appeared to stop him.
At first, both vigilantes struggled to face him, but Knuckleduster realized that having enraged his body too much had caused his movements to become sluggish and that losing focus weakens his Hardening. With the help of The Crawler, Knuckleduster managed to knock Akira down and then punches him until he passes out and his hardening’s coming undone.
Once Akira is defeated, the vigilantes try to identify him, though they can't identify him since Knuckleduster beat him so badly that Akira's face has swollen to unrecognizable degrees. They still decide to take a picture of his face and his blackened tongue, leaving him tied up and arrested by the police. The police soon arrive to take Akira away, though due his severe injuries they first decide to take him to the hospital.[3]
Stendhal Arc#
Akira is interrogated by the police to know how to contact the dealer who gave him Trigger, but he answers that it was simply someone who approached him and gave him the drug. Since they cannot obtain more information from him, he is released on account of being a simple Instant Villain, making him a victim and not a real criminal.
Once he is free, Akira decides to take a walk until night falls and meets Kuin again in an alley, who gives him a vial of Trigger. The narcotic contains a new cocktail formula she and her associates are testing out called "TR-D2C". Upon Akira shoot it up, he transforms back into his Instant Villain form, but now bigger, bulkier and more violent than last time, and thrashes through the city on a drug-fueled rampage once more.
The Crawler and Pop☆Step quickly appear to stop him. As soon as Akira sees the Crawler, he becomes enraged and chases after him, destroying everything in his path. Since Knuckleduster wasn't there to help him, The Crawler decides to lure Akira to a parking lot so as not to endanger passersby and wait for the police to arrive.
The Crawler manages to evade Akira's blows but notes that the villain is faster and stronger than before. furthermore, as the fight progresses, Koichi is finding it harder to evade because the villain's punches have created holes in the pavement. Koichi's foot suddenly catches in one of the holes and Akira moves in to crush him once and for all.
Fortunately for The Crawler, a vigilante named Stendhal appears and blocks the blow with his katana, only to counterattack and force Akira to retreat. Even though his hardened body protects him from cuts and slashes, Akira realizes that he can't do anything against this new foe, so when Pop shouts that the police are arriving, he quickly flees, disappearing into the city's alleys.
However, Stendhal chases him and, with a precise throw, manages to stick a knife in one of his eyes. The pain and fear cause Akira to lose focus and his Hardening to weaken, allowing the Vigilante to stick more throwing knives into his body to keep him off balance. Emerging from the shadows, Stendhal accuses Akira that his weakness is due to his lack of conviction, and that those who wield power without convictions are villains that deserve death.
Terrified, Akira can only watch as Stendhal approaches him, drawing his katana. He desperately tries to protect himself from the sword stroke, but with his hardening weakened, he is easily sliced down and killed by Stendhal, who just leaves his mutilated corpse in an alley and walks off while muttering about his next target.[4]
Abilities#
Hardening: Akira's Hardening Quirk is only ever seen under the effects of Trigger. Once he gains a power boost from Trigger, this granted Akira the ability to grow rocks from his upper body, as well as make him bigger and stronger.[3] However, his eyes remain unhardened, making them vulnerable. The strength of the Quirk can start to destabilize if Akira starts experiencing pain and fear, making him more vulnerable to attacks he otherwise could easily shrug off.
Battles & Events#
Chapter Appearances#
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Anime Appearances#
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Trivia#
- Akira's name contains the kanji for "rock", hence his Quirk.
- Akira's Japanese voice actor, Hiromichi Kogami, also voices Mr. Smith.