Soga Kugisaki[2] is a Vigilante, ally to the Naruhata Vigilantes, and former Instant Villain.
Appearance#
Soga is a tall, skinny young man with wild, spiky turquoise hair, a short goatee, and notably inward-slanting yellow eyes with very small eyebrows. His front teeth are shown to be sharpened to a point, while his back teeth seem to just be regular molars.
He wore a tank top with a sleeveless vest over the top, jeans, leather shoes, and a plaid shirt tied around his waist. He later wears a sleeveless vest, jeans, leather shoes, and a hat and trench coat that resemble that of Knuckleduster's, albeit brown instead of green.
When he injects Trigger, his physique increases, his hair becomes pointier, and he grows spikes on his back and arms. Later, after he is forcefully administered a Trigger overdose by Kuin Hachisuka, he transforms into a monstrous, human-sized porcupine.
Personality#
Soga initially had a cruel and violent personality with a notable sadistic streak. He enjoyed attacking and humiliating people alongside his two friends, Moyuru and Rapt. This behavior stems from his past of being discriminated against due to his Quirk and being labelled as a villain by most people. He believes that everyone around him sees him as some sort of monster, and due to this perception being portrayed onto him, has developed a love of making other people suffer in his place. Because of his past, Soga also shows signs of mental instability, seeing everyone around him with a mocking, condescending smile and laughing at him, no matter who they are and what they are actually doing.
In spite of these flaws, he shows solidarity with his friends, for whom he takes a leadership role. He feels kinship with others who have been looked down upon due to their Quirks and shows a strong sense of loyalty and care towards them, such as when he went to face Kuin alone and warned her to leave his friends out of their conflict. He is also very defiant when he knows he is being played, trashing a selection of Trigger drugs because he refused to aid in Kuin's plan in any way.
Ever since he was saved by the Naruhata Vigilantes from the murderous Stendhal, Soga changed for the better and became a valuable ally to the Naruhata Vigilantes. As a result, Soga became somewhat of a vigilante himself, convincing and helping Koichi Haimawari to save Pop☆Step, even though their actions broke many laws. He became a devoted student of Knuckleduster and preached some of his teacher's beliefs, though Soga isn't a blind follower and keeps to his own beliefs. When Knuckleduster attempted to take out Number 6 and himself in the process, Soga stopped it, saying that they've all worked too hard to keep everyone alive.
Soga has developed a firm sense of identity and ideology as a vigilante, lecturing those who he believes need it. He believes vigilantes are necessary for those who slip through the cracks of the imperfect institutions. He has a complicated relationship with the police, as he knows they're fighting for the same cause and will occasionally help them, though if he disagrees with their methods, he'll refuse to cooperate. He dislikes the police prioritizing budgeting over doing genuine good, critiquing Naomasa Tsukauchi for providing limited manpower and time to protect Pop☆Step, and later for issuing an arrest warrant for Koichi, accusing them of demonizing good people to maintain their ego. Soga doesn't care for the legal definition of a villain, refusing to acknowledge someone as such if he believes they are undeserving. He is shown to prefer policemen who are less rigid, such as Eizo Tanuma, rather than officers who go strictly by the book, like Naomasa.
Abilities#
Quirk#
Spike: Soga's Quirk allows him to sprout spikes from his body, initially only being able to do so from his hands and feet.
When under the effect of Trigger, he grows spikes all over his back, head, and arms and throws himself spinning at his enemies. Later, when his life is endangered due to Stendhal, Kuin forcefully injects him with a Trigger overdose, which causes him to undergo a full-body transformation: growing taller and altering his face to become porcupine-like while additionally growing spikes in the same places that he previously had under the effects of Trigger.
Battles & Events#
Vigilantes Beginnings Arc Koichi Haimawari & Knuckleduster vs. Soga Kugisaki, Moyuru Tochi & Rapt Tokage Naruhata Vigilantes & Eraser Head vs. Mario Kugutsu, Soga Kugisaki, Moyuru Tochi & Rapt Tokage Stendhal Arc The Crawler, Knuckleduster and Soga vs. Stendhal Vs. Queen Bee Arc Soga Kugisaki vs. Controlled Girl Naruhata Lockdown Arc Operation Anonymous Police Force, Soga & The Crawler vs. Number 6 & Anonymous
Chapter Appearances#
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Anime Appearances#
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Trivia#
- His surname contains the kanji for "nail" and "peninsula/spit", while his given name means "claw/talon" and "tusk/fang".
- Up until Chapter 85, Soga's family name was pronounced "Kugizaki".
- Soga was originally designed with the intention of his hair being red. However, when he was eventually colorized, artist Betten Court believed it made him look too much like Eijiro Kirishima, so changed it to turquoise to differentiate him.[3]
- Soga's Quirk is very similar to the powers of the X-Men character Spyke.
- Soga shares his birthday with Eraser Head.
- Soga's Japanese voice actor, Kōsuke Toriumi, also voices Mummy.