Koki Terumoto[2] is a boy who was abused and locked away by his family. He escaped in the aftermath of the Final War.
Eight years later, he is now a first year student at U.A. High School, being taught by Izuku Midoriya and training to become a Pro Hero.[3]
Appearance#
Koki is a thin boy with messy black hair that reaches his shoulders, and round, brownish red eyes. He possesses several scars around his mouth from when his family sewed his mouth shut. He wears a white, ragged shirt with the sleeves and bottom torn with two zip ties around both his upper arms, along with black and torn pants. Due to his Darkness Quirk, his fingertips are often black (dark purple in the anime).
Following the eight year time-skip, Koki has grown older and taller, with his hair being cut shorter and still possessing the scars around his mouth. He now wears the standard U.A. High School uniform.
His hero costume appears to be a large, gray cloak that covers his entire body except his head and forearms.
Personality#
Koki is a distraught and traumatized young boy, stemming from how his family shunned him and locked him away for manifesting a "freak variant" Quirk. After being freed following the Final War, he was left to wander the streets, growing further distraught at seeing the happy people around him, wondering why he had to suffer alone and in such a brutal way. He was about to unleash his Quirk until an old woman reached out to him, assuring him that he was okay because she was there to help him, causing Koki to tear up at someone coming to his aid and ultimately being saved.
As a U.A. student, Koki is said to get along well with his peers and acts as a reliable big brother figure.[1]
Synopsis#
History#
As a young child, Koki manifested a mysterious Quirk that spread a dark sludge-like matter across his family's living room, and was told that his Quirk was a "freak variant" unrelated to anyone in his family's history. Fearing how Koki's Quirk would affect their reputation rather than being concerned for his wellbeing, the head of the Terumoto family demanded that they should kill him and get rid of his body, but another relative protested and said that he hadn't done anything wrong. Still unconvinced, the elder shouted for them to fake Koki's death by locking him away so no one could find him and not allowing the boy to make a sound, not even a whimper.
Following this, Koki was labelled a "disappointment" and the rest of his family stopped being nice to him. They locked the boy away in their basement, and when he began to cry and scream for help, they sewed his mouth shut and gagged him. A number of years went by until his family told him that the country was doomed, throwing him a bunch of water and baked goods before disappearing.[4]
Epilogue Arc#
Shortly after the Final War, Koki managed to escape from his confinement in his family's basement, using a pair of scissors to rid himself of the bindings and gag he was left in.[5]
After escaping his destroyed house, Koki wandered the streets, recalling his past and how he was so scared and sad the entire time. He grows further confused and distraught upon seeing the civilians around him, all smiling in joy at things being returned to normal following the war. He becomes angry, wondering why it was just him who had to suffer this entire time as he is about to unleash his Quirk onto his surroundings.
Before he can however, an old housewife comes up to him and grabs his hand, recalling another child she bumped into 16 years ago and wondering if anyone ever helped him, revealing that the guilt from not doing so that day still keeps her up at night. The old lady tells the boy that everything is fine because she is there to help him, causing Koki to tear up at being saved as more onlookers arrive to help out.[4]
After being rescued, Koki completed his compulsory education and enrolled at U.A. High School.[1] Eight years later, he is one of Izuku Midoriya's students, carrying a box as Kota Izumi calls out to their teacher.[3]
Abilities#
Overall Abilities: Koki's abilities are largely unknown. However, given that he is a student of U.A. following the eight-year timeskip, it can be assumed that he is highly skilled and competent, with only the strongest now having a chance at attaining a Pro Hero career in this current era.
Quirk#
Darkness: Koki's Quirk allows him to summon a dark substance from his fingers, which can be released onto his surroundings and anything caught in the sludge will sink into it. This Quirk is said to be a variant unrelated to any of the Quirks in Koki's family, similar to Eri's Rewind.
The full extent and drawbacks of this Quirk are unknown, though during its manifestation when Koki was a child, the darkness was able to cover an entire living room. His acceptance into U.A.'s hero course, particularly in the current competitive landscape where only the most powerful individuals are selected, highlights Koki's remarkable current strength and control over his Quirk.
Chapter Appearances#
debut
yes
yes
Anime Appearances#
debut
yes
Trivia#
- Koki's first name is composed of the kanji for "light" and "radiance, shine, sparkle, twinkle, gleam". Putting the two characters together can translated as "brightness" or splendor"
- His last name is composed of the kanji for "illuminate, shine" and "beginning, origin"
- Koki was given the nickname JokiJoki on the global popularity poll website.[6] "JokiJoki" is an onomatopoeia meaning "snip snip", likely referencing the use of the onomatopoeia during his first appearance when he used a pair of scissors to free himself.
- Koki heavily resembles Tomura Shigaraki before he became a Villain, in that he was abused by his family, possessed a variant Quirk (which was initially believed to be the case with Tomura's Decay), and was left to wander the streets alone. In a twist of fate, he was helped by the same old woman who hesitated to help Tomura when he was a child, demonstrating that Koki could have become a Villain like Tomura had he not been saved. Koki also possesses design elements from Tomura that correspond to before and after Decay awakened: his black hair and red eyes, respectively.
- He is also introduced immediately after a discussion about how the time after the Final War paralleled the time at which All For One was born, suggesting a further parallel with the young version of the villain, as both wandered through anarchic Japan, and lashed out at those who they came across.