Copy is the Quirk used by Neito Monoma.[1]
Description#
Copy allows the user to utilize a Quirk after coming into contact with its respective user.[1]
Neito only requires to touch as little as a few strands of hair from the target in order for his Quirk to take effect. After contact with a target is made, Neito gains full access to their Quirk and how to use them, at least at a basic level; it's unknown if Neito is also capable of copying further improvements that were made to that other person's Quirk.
Copying multiple Quirks at once is possible as well. Neito can hold up to a certain amount of copied Quirks within his body, depending on how much he trains his Quirk. The effects of the copied Quirks, save for those that physically change the structure of his body, will continue to remain active even if Neito switches out the associated Quirk. Size, for example, will have its size-changing effects persist on an object Neito has altered, even if he's since switched to another Quirk or can no longer use it due to reaching his time expiry.[2]
Weaknesses#
There are a number of drawbacks to Copy. This Quirk requires Neito to make physical contact with another Quirk user for it to function in the first place. He is unable to activate more than one copied Quirk simultaneously, which means he must actively switch between them on the fly.[1]
Neito has a time limit of how long he is able to keep a copied Quirk stored within his body, which was initially stated to be five minutes; however, Neito appears to have improved this limit, stating that copied Quirks can now last up to ten minutes. After this limit is up, Neito loses access to the copied Quirk until he makes contact with its original user again.
While Neito is capable of copying any Quirk, those that depend on accumulated resources as a prerequisite to function can't be used as intended since Neito is only able to copy the Quirks themselves, with no way to instantly replicate any additional attributes or conditions they need to work properly. This means, for example, that he is incapable of tapping into One For All's strength as it is the result of power that has been passed down and multiplied over the course of decades thanks to its stockpiling trait.[3] Neito refers to such Quirks as "blanks" due to his inability to actually use them.
Neito is also hindered by the natural limits of his own physical body; while he can properly adapt Quirks that specifically augment his body in some way (such as Hardening's defense boost and Explosion's immunity to the blasts it creates), he would not instantly have the strength necessary to properly handle powerful Quirks that require years of physical conditioning to use without bodily harm, such as One For All. This weakness lead to Izuku Midoriya panicking when he realized that Neito would blow off his limbs if he were to use One For All, though he fortunately could not replicate its power.[3]
Despite Neito instinctively knowing how to use a Quirk that he has copied, he doesn't automatically gain the same level of versatility over it as the original user. If he does want proficient handling on a copied power, he will have to repeatedly copy the same Quirk and master its capabilities. When instructed by Eraser Head to copy Kurogiri's Warp Gate, Neito expressed that he will have to also master the functions of said Quirk in order to effectively make use of it.[4]
Usage#
Because Neito's Copy relies on copying other Quirks and is useless by itself, he had a hard time justifying his goal to become a Pro Hero. As a result, Neito dismisses conventional heroism and is willing to employ underhanded tricks and tactics in order to gain the upper hand against stronger opponents, especially if it helps him acquire their powers.
Neito was able to improve some of Copy's limits since its introduction in the U.A. Sports Festival. He is capable of holding up to four or more Quirks at once instead of three, an assumed number going by the amount of watches he carries around on his hero costume, which, as a result of this, is something that Neito is capable of exploiting in order to deceive observant enemies.
With a copied Quirk, Neito essentially possesses the same advantages and disadvantages of the original Quirk user he copied it from, although his ability to swap between Quirks makes him a more versatile and unpredictable opponent to deal with in group battles, where he has more opportunities to copy numerous, different Quirks, be it from friend or foe.
Neito seems to instinctively know how to utilize a copied Quirk, even if it's his first time seeing it. Neito has been shown copying the following Quirks:
- Explosion[1]
- Hardening[1]
- Solid Air[5]
- Softening[6]
- Erasure[6][7]
- Poltergeist[8]
- Size[8]
- Brainwashing (Presumably)[8]
- One For All (Failed usage due to lack of prerequisite resources)[9]
- Twin Impact[2]
- Rewind (Failed usage due to lack of prerequisite resources)[3]
- Fat Absorption (Visual example; Failed usage due to lack of prerequisite resources)[3]
- Tape[10]
- Half-Cold Half-Hot[10]
- Warp Gate[11]
- Spring[12]