History#
During Oboro Shirakumo's first year at U.A. High School he meets Shota Aizawa and Hizashi Yamada where they all become best friends.[1]
During his second year on a rainy day, Oboro found a cat that Shota left an umbrella over. He took the cat and the umbrella with him to class, where he arrived through the homeroom class window using a cloud he created with his Quirk. His teacher, angered, told him off for not using the door like everyone else. Oboro happily says it doesn't matter, since his Cloud Quirk comes in handy for things like these.
Soaked from the rain, Oboro interrupted roll call to ask if anyone had a towel, with his friend Hizashi loudly responding and aggravating the teacher as a result. He also asked Shota if he dropped his umbrella and, when he affirmed, handed it back to him. Since his clothes were wet, Oboro decided to change into his gym attire in front of everyone. This caused commotion among his classmates, so he used a cloud to censor himself.
He then decided to put a positive spin on this by self-censoring his lower torso with his Cloud Quirk. He faced forward and begins reaching into the Cloud, proclaiming that he's about to show him the "tiny guy" that's hiding inside while blushing, angering the students even more. Thankfully, the only thing he pulled out is the stray cat he rescued earlier from the rain, which was met with adoration from his classmates. He allowed roll to continue after getting dressed, and placed the cat on a cloud pillow.[2]
Class 2-A's homeroom teacher began by reminding students that most second-years did work studies during summer vacation to get a taste of what the world of a Pro Hero was like. Oboro, Shota and Hizashi were reminded by their homeroom teacher they have yet to pick an agency to sign up for.
Later, Oboro and the rest of his class geared up for Joint Exercises with Class 2-B that consisted of Battle Training, which involved random 1-on-1 combat drills; Rescue Training in a mock city; and Entertainment Lessons, which consisted of a dance class to improve their ability to express themselves in order to better connect with audiences and potential employers. Oboro excelled in each exercise.
Several days later, the teachers in charge of the exercises discussed the students' progress and their chance of landing an agency. While speaking of Oboro, they said that while his academic performance left much to be desired, they trusted that with his positive and willing attitude was a huge plus for him, and wherever he did go, he would manage at his own pace.
After classes, Oboro joined Hizashi, Shota and the cat he rescued on the school rooftop. For some time now, Shota has shown doubts about his abilities to be a hero, discussing how unimpressive his Erasure Quirk is with Hizashi and Oboro when it comes to usefulness and outside appeal, while all three are having lunch. His two friends give some advices about practical usages of his Erasure: Hizashi suggested he should go the battler route so he could fight Villains on even terms, and Oboro commented that Quirk matchups can make or break a fight. Shota replied that he wasn't much of a fighter and that he didn't know what would he do against heavy brawlers.
He started to explain his reasoning but was distracted by Oboro, who was trying to feed the stray kitten with a piece of sushi. Shota told Oboro not to give him human food, and gave his friend some school milk for the cat instead. Shota reminded him that animals aren't allowed at school, but Oboro just responded that he'd feel worse if he left the cat at home all day. Shota then asked where the kitten had been going to the bathroom, and Oboro humorously told him that it had been in its gym clothes, which caused Hizashi to laugh.
They were then interrupted when third-year Nemuri Kayama, clad in her hero costume, spotted them having lunch on the rooftop, admiring their "youth" for their breaking of the rules. Oboro asked why she was there, and she explained that she'd just finished at her Work Study for the day and needed to do some paperwork at school before going home. Nemuri said that the roof was one of her favorite places, and Oboro was happy to learn she was also a rule-breaker like them.
The trio noticed Nemuri's revealing attire, and Shota asked her if there was more to the hero costume, jokingly wondering if it was made up of some high-tech material that was invisible to idiots. Oboro, oblivious to the joke, excitedly said that he is happy to be an "idiot." Nemuri explained the functions of her costume, leaving Oboro to admire her beauty.
After her explanation, Nemuri spotted the cat Shota is holding. Oboro explained that he and Shota were going to take care of it, but Nemuri exclaimed that they really shouldn't have animals at school, swiping the cat away. She asked the boys the cat's name, but they said they didn't yet have one for him. Pondering this, the third year asked each of them their favorite food, to which Oboro replied "sushi," and so Nemuri decided that would be his name.
Oboro then hopefully told her they need to find a home for him, but Nemuri tells the them she can't take Sushi in because she's expecting to move after graduation, but also because it's harder to get married as a single cat owner. Nemuri said she'll have him temporally until the trio find him a proper home, but Oboro laughed and said that Nemuri would probably end up getting attached and keeping him for good.
The next day, Shota and Oboro hung out on the roof again. Oboro said that handing off Sushi was the most responsible thing they could've done, and Shota agreed that he'd be in safe hands with Nemuri. Oboro went onto say they weren't in any condition to take care of him themselves, and then began talking about Work-Studies. Hizashi had been assigned a battle-oriented one already, leaving them the last two without one.
Nemuri suddenly came up from the rooftop door and spotted the two, walking over to them. They thanked her for taking care of Sushi, and she showed them a clip of him she'd taken that morning. Disturbed by Sushi's bathroom video, they then asked her about her Work Study and if she knew someone they could study under. Nemuri stated she knew the perfect place for little ones with nowhere to go, and told them that her boss, His Purple Highness, would take anyone, inviting the two of them to join her.
After showing them a video of their mentor, Nemuri asked the kids what they thought of him. None of them knew what to think of the flamboyant and eccentric hero, with Oboro simply saying he was quite a character, with Nemuri asserting that this was the best thing about the Hero.[3] Despite their initial doubts, Oboro and Shota accepted her offer and begin their Work-Studies with His Purple Highness.
One day, out in the field, a robbery was happening when Oboro and Nemuri were on patrol. Nemuri entered the scene, shouting that Purple Revolution Agency had arrived to help as Oboro flied in on his Cloud. Not wanting to waste time facing the Heroes-in-training, the Robber Villain used his Smoke Quirk to attempt a getaway, blocking their sight and irritating their eyes. While the smoke was spreading, the villain jumped out of the window with the stolen money and began to flee.
Oboro was about to chase after him, but Nemuri stopped him and said the smoke could be toxic and that the two of them should prioritize evacuating the citizens over chasing the Villain. Oboro agreed and stayed to help, but told Shota through his earpiece to go after the Smoke Villain in their stead. Shota chased the robber, but unfortunately his smoke easily countered his Erasure Quirk, and His Purple Highness had to come to his aid to prevent him from getting hurt. Despite everything, the robber villain managed to escape.
After the villain escaped, His Purple Highness gave the trio some feedback. Oboro was praised for his quick reaction without hesitation and good judgement; he might've been inexperienced, but would grow from this. However, His Purple Highness criticized Shota, not for arresting the villain, but for his gloomy face. His Purple Highness advised him to smile more to transmit confidence and hope to folks in trouble.
Later that evening, Oboro and Shota were in the locker room. Shota was thinking about His Purple Highness' advice, but he was gloomy over letting the Villain escape. Oboro reassured him, saying he should just to keep smiling even if he screwed up. Shota received texts from Nemuri of Sushi, which made him smile, and Oboro happily pointed out his grin.
Oboro, now partly dressed, asked Shota what would he do against the Villain if he ever encountered him again. Shota was slumped and didn't know what he could do because the smoke would irritate his eyes if he got close, and if he was too far away he couldn't use his Quirk. Oboro knew that it was a bad matchup even for him, so he said he could lend his goggles to Shota so his friend could can get close to the Villain without smoke getting in his eyes.
A few days later, while on patrol, they encountered the same villain, this time fleeing after robbing a bank. Shota ran towards him to stop him, and upon seeing him, the villain again used his smoke attack against him, but this time, thanks to Oboro's goggles, Shota was able to advance closer than last time and temporally erase the Villain's Quirk. The Robber Villain angrily attacked Shota, who called for his friend to strike. Jumping from a building above, Oboro started diving down on one of his Clouds. Shota then wraped the Smoke Villain's leg while he's distracted by Oboro, as the other boy flied and smacked the criminal on the head with his staff, knocking him down.
After defeating him, Oboro and Shota successfully restrained the Villain. His Purple Highness congratulated them both on their stellar teamworkOn their boss' recommendation, Oboro and Shota both smiled while the bystanders praised them for their work, but while Oboro gave them a warm smile, Shota struggled to do the same.[4]
A new semester begins, and it's explained that Class 2-A and 2-B would be having Two on Two Battle Training together. Hizashi noticed Shota had added Oboro's signature goggles to his hero costume. Oboro happily told Hizashi that they were marketing themselves as a duo, but Shota just said the goggles were for the sake of protecting his eyes so he could use his Quirk more easily.
Sensoji interrupted the conversation, annoyed at Shota and saying that they stole his eye protecting idea, as he started to wear shades to protect his eyes from the light produced by his Blast Quirk. Hizashi reminded Sensoji that he got the idea for sunglasses from seeing his own during their work-study, and Oboro told the Class B student that he was being selfish. Shota simply decided to ignore Sensoji's complaints.
The Battle Training teams were being selected when Oboro suggested that, since Shota and him were doing their Work-Studies together, they could team-up. The Class 2-A homeroom teachers agreed and paired them up, leaving Hizashi and Sensoji to be paired up against them well. Before the two duos started their fight against each other, Sensoji demanded that Shota hand his goggles over if they lost. Oboro accepted and wagered their goggles against Hizashi and Sensoji's shades. Oboro told Shota the goggles symbolized their friendship and that they have to defend them together.
The matchup began, and Sensoji rushed in with a Blast attack against Oboro and Shota. Shota and Oboro dodged, and Oboro countered using his Ultimate Move, Cloud Cover, to temporally cloud his opponent's view. Oboro's clouds surrounded the battlefield, so Sensoji prepared to blast them away. However, Shota came up from behind him and erased his Quirk. With no way for Sensoji defend himself, Oboro landed the final blow on him with his quarterstaff. Oboro and Shota were victorious. The wager was called off by Shota, causing Sensoji to storm off. The Class 2-A teacher said to Oboro and Shota that their Quirks worked well together, telling them to keep up the good work.
Later, Oboro was hanging out with Shota when Hizashi showcased his new goggles to match the other two. Oboro happily said that they could sell themselves as a trio. Shota thought he meant that Hizashi was coming to Purple Revolution Agency, but Oboro corrected him, saying that he was talking about the future when the three of them could start their own agency. Hizashi and Oboro would start the combat and Shota would be the edge in battle to allow them the final blow. Nemuri showed up and admired the youths bantering. Oboro then offered to add her into the agency, but Nemuri declined and stated she'd rather be independent with young men waiting on her. Oboro stated he wouldn't mind waiting on her and would later give her a pair of goggles to match the trio.[5]
A week later, Oboro was patrolling Tasomiya Ward with Shota. Oboro created a cloud to lend a ride for a group of nursery kids. Shota guided them and made sure the group looked both ways before crossing the street. Oboro commented that he's a natural with kids and suggested that he should work at a daycare or be a school teacher, but Shota cringed and disagreed. The duo and kids said their goodbyes.
Oboro said Shota was observant but also that he had a tendency to overthink. Oboro believed that Shota needed to stop psyching himself out and that he could do anything if he just put his mind to it. Shota didn't believe he's good enough to work at a daycare or be a teacher.
The conversation was interrupted when Nemuri gave an order to start evacuating the area because a powerful Villain was causing havoc. The duo ran back to the kids, and Oboro again creates a cloud, this time to guide them to safety. The Villain, Garvey, came into their view, causing them to panic. His Purple Highness came in to buy them some time so that they could focus on helping the kids.
Due to Garvey's Quirk, he released Hizashi's Voice and Sensoji's Blast Quirks onto the city, causing mass destruction. Rubble came loose above the kids, and Oboro quickly created a cloud above them to shield them. Due to him protecting the kids, Oboro was left defenseless and was crushed by the rubble. Shota screamed for Oboro, but no response came and the kids started to sob.[6]
Shota faced Garvey head on, hearing Oboro's voice on his gourd guiding him. Shota soon successfully defeated the Villain was praised for his action, when he interjected and saying it was a team effort with his partner, Oboro, cheering him on. Shota asked Nemuri how Oboro's wounds were looking but she didn't answer him. Assuming the worst, Shota told her that he should be taken to the hospital immediately.
Nearby, Hizashi and Sensoji spotted Oboro's speaker and picked it up. They noticed it was broken, but Shota said that can't be true since his voice was cheering him on the entire time. Sensoji says it was likely he was giving himself a pep talk and imagining it was Oboro. Shota brushed off Sensoji's comment, believing that it was his friend's actual voice. Shota approached the rubble where Oboro was knocked out, and saw Oboro's body bag covered in blood.
After his body was removed from the area, Nemuri told Shota and Hizashi that they should get inside. Hizashi told her the rain fitted the mood that they're in and that she needn't worry about them. Shota remembered all his memories with Oboro, and, with Hizashi by his side, they mourned the loss of their friend.[7]
After his death, however, All For One stole Oboro's body before it was cremated. He gave his corpse to Kyudai Garaki who subjected him to several experiments until he somehow resurrected him as the Nomu known as Kurogiri. Kurogiri behaves differently from Oboro, and though he retains some aspects of his former personality, he does not remember anything in his life as Oboro Shirakumo. Instead, he was conditioned to assist and protect Tomura Shigaraki.[1]
Synopsis#
Joint Training Arc#
After the U.A. faculty conference, where Hitoshi Shinso was officially admitted to the Hero Course, Hizashi brings Oboro up to Shota as they are walking down the hallway.[8]
Paranormal Liberation War Arc#
Bioengineered into Kurogiri, he was working for the League of Villains and took care of Tomura Shigaraki for years, until he was finally arrested and sent to Tartarus.[9] Once there, he was questioned, but he did not leak even the slightest detail about the League of Villains or Tomura.
In the absence of progress, Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi and Gran Torino decide to analyze him. From the DNA extracted from him, they discover important details about Kurogiri: First, he is like a Nomu, and he is "programmed" to not be able to say any important information about the League or its members. Second, and most important, Oboro's corpse was used to create Kurogiri, and Kurogiri's Warp Gate Quirk is artificial and was created by a fusion of multiple Quirks, including Oboro's Cloud Quirk.
With this information, they call Shota Aizawa and Hizashi Yamada. Once they arrive at Tartarus, Naomasa and Gran Torino explain them about the situation.[10] Since the Nomu with conscience retain the traits of their previous personality, despite their memories have been altered, and they hope that with their help they can "bring" Oboro back.
Shota and Hizashi are left alone with Kurogiri in the interrogation room, and after ascertaining that Kurogiri is Oboro, since he shows the same personality trait of caring for others, Shota starts to call for Oboro Shirakumo. Kurogiri is confused, saying that he is mistaking him for another person, but Shota continues to reach out to Kurogiri, showing him his goggles and cries out to Oboro, with tears in his eyes, saying if he is still in there somewhere, then the three of them will become heroes together.[1]
Shota's prayers take effect in Kurogiri and manage to get Oboro to briefly resurface and break though the black mist enough to confirm his identity. As Oboro tried to fight off Kurogiri, he just managed to say the word "hospital" before losing control as Kurogiri falls unconscious.[11]
Because of this breakthrough, Kurogiri, alongside the other Nomu in captivity, are relocated to Central Hospital, for further restorative research. Shota continued to visit Kurogiri, in hopes of re-awakening Oboro, but the Nomu remains in a state of unconsciousness.[12]
Final War Arc#
By the time of the Final War, Shota has been unable to make any progress regarding Kurogiri, with him still unconscious this entire time, unsure of whether Oboro is able to retake control again or not. With his plan to defeat the Villains requiring the use of his Warp Gate Quirk, Shota instead enlists Neito Monoma to use his Copy Quirk on Kurogiri to copy Warp Gate, allowing them to use it to catch the Villains off guard and split them up all over Japan.[13]
Believing the Villains will attempt to reclaim Kurogiri, they keep him locked away in the Hospital's research wing, and attempt to spread rumors of his location. However this fails, as they learn Spinner and his heteromorph army, consisting of the Paranormal Liberation Front and civilians, plan to storm the Hospital and free Kurogiri. Present Mic takes charge in the team assigned to defend the Hospital against the massive army, in order to protect his friend.[14]
Ultimately thanks to his new Quirks, the rampaging Spinner was able to breach into the hospital with his army following closely behind, however, they become hesitant to engage violence against the hospital faculty, leaving only Present Mic to pursue the villain. Heading deeper into the facility, Spinner and Present Mic emerge into the room holding the unresponsive Kurogiri. Approaching the tied up villain, Spinner and Mic each call out to Kurogiri and Oboro respectively.[15]
When Kurogiri doesn't respond to either of them, Spinner attempted to use a recording device with All For One and Tomura's voice inside to awaken him, but Present Mic attacks him with his Voice, destroying the recording device. Believing him to already be broken, Present Mic prepares to reluctantly kill Kurogiri to prevent him from escaping, silently speaking to his friend and hoping that there is some way he is still in there. But before Mic can unleash his blow, Spinner uses his last remaining strength to give Kurogiri Tomura's remaining hand, telling him to save him. As a result, "Kurogiri" breaks free from his restraints, and with the face of Oboro partially appearing on half of it, declares he is "the protector of Tomura Shigaraki".[16]
As it turns out, All For One had placed a micro device within the hand Spinner gave Kurogiri, which re-activated and gave him new orders to act. With his "Kurogiri" personality in control, he stares at Present Mic as the latter stares back in horror. From there, he promptly releases several Warp Gates as he teleports their allies across the various battlefields. He teleports himself and Present Mic to Eraser Head's location on the U.A. Flying Fortress, as well as teleporting Dabi from Kamino to the Gunga Mountain Ruins, and several Twice Doubles created by Himiko Toga from Okuto Island also to Gunga.[17]
"Kurogiri" then opens another portal, teleporting Twice Doubles conjured by Himiko that begin to swarm all over Eraser Head, Manual, and Neito, dogpiling on Neito, and undoing Erasure. As a result, Tomura unleashes a massive explosion, destroying most of the U.A. Fortress.[18] "Kurogiri" teleports next to Tomura, however, the villain betrays All For One as he starts to regain full control of himself, both mind and body. Within Tomura, All For One tries to command Kurogiri to teleport him to his other self, but "Kurogiri" begins to stutter, repeating he will protect Tomura, while Oboro's original personality re-emerges, calling out to "Sh...", destabilizing the villain.[19]
"Kurogiri" continues to stutter, rambling to himself in confusion at who he is the protector of. Then, he spots Shota and Present Mic being knocked over by the Twice Doubles off the observation deck. As they plummet to their deaths, "Kurogiri" suddenly reappears beneath them, opening a Warp Gate, and teleporting all three of them away.[20]
The three end up being warped to a glacier far off shore, far away from the battlefield. "Kurogiri" seemingly becomes inactive once more, as a furious Present Mic grabs him and demands that they return, having no idea where they are or what's going on due to their comms being dead, yelling that he picked a great time to malfunction and to show some life. Mic continues to vent that they never should've put their fate in it's hands, and that relying on a corpse was a bad idea. When "Kurogiri" doesn't respond, Present Mic prepares to beat him to make him talk, but Shota stops Mic, saying he can see tears. Mic denies himself crying, but Shota reiterates he means "Kurogiri", as they notice what appear to be tears running down his face.
Mic excuses that it's just the rain and they aren't real tears, since he's just a Nomu and he purposefully split him up because he messed with Tomura twice now. He states their priority is switching him back on so they can get back to the fight, and once it's over, he vows to finish "Kurogiri" off for good since he's just a "darkened dud", reminding Shota to forget about the miracle they saw in Tartarus since they aren't students in U.A.'s Class 2-A anymore.
Nonetheless, Shota says that he was a U.A. student when he died, and wonders why he didn't just tear them apart with the Warp Gates or drop them to their deaths. He continues that at Tartarus, they reached toward him and drew a bit of light, which blended with his darkness and shut him down, since no amount of light can ever reverse all that dark, but darkness works differently, which is what activated again. He states that as teachers in the hero course, it's their job to make sure U.A. students graduate, and thinking if that's where his origin lies. Oboro begins to slowly wake up through Kurogiri, as Shota's words cause him to remember certain fragments. Suddenly, "Kurogiri" unleashes a large puff of smoke, and as he calls out Mic's name, they are surprised to see a now active "Kurogiri", with part of Oboro's face revealed, standing before them.
Now that Shota and Mic have "Kurogiri" back under control, "Kurogiri" warps them all back to the U.A. Evacuation Center, where Mic watches over "Kurogiri" outside while Shota moves to recruit all the remaining available Heroes to act as reinforcements for the final battles. He first has "Kurogiri" warp the Heroes to the Takoba National Stadium, where the Heroes swiftly help conclude the fight against Gashly Eijiju. He then proceeds to have "Kurogiri" warp himself and all the other Heroes to Mt. Fuji, in order to assist Izuku in his final battle against "All For One".[21] However, "Kurogiri"'s body starts to disintegrate after abusing the Warp Gate so many times. With "Kurogiri" being disintegrated, and unable to form another Warp Gate, Shota calls out to the Heroes through their comms, telling them to help Izuku Midoriya carve a straight path to Tomura.[22]
As Izuku landed a fatal blow on "All For One", Tomura's body began to fall apart from the attack. "Kurogiri" then mustered the last of his strength and rushed forward. He apologizes to Shota and Present Mic, saying that he has to go and protect Tomura, warping himself right in-between the hero and villain. Present Mic yells out in annoyance that he knew in the end, Oboro was always going to reach out with a helping hand. "Kurogiri" asks "All For One" to give back Tomura, and that his friends await him. Katsuki Bakugo arrives and kills "Kurogiri" with an Explosion from his mouth. Now that "Kurogiri" was dealt with, Izuku lands the final blow to Tomura, smashing his fist with his own, as the Villain succumbs to his injuries and dies with the body disintegrating into ashes.[23]
Sometime after the Final War, Shota and Hizashi would visit Oboro's grave, praying for their friend once again put to rest.[24]