Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, also known as Real Steel, was a student in Class 1-B at U.A. High School, training to become a Pro Hero.
Eight years following the Final War, he graduated from U.A., and is the current No. 26 Pro Hero.[3]
Appearance#
Tetsutetsu is a young man with chin-length, messy gray hair, which is rather peculiar in that it never seems to change shape, and black eyes that are tilted dramatically inwards, each lined with a very thick, jagged, tan-colored substance, presumably his eyelashes. He doesn't appear to have any notable eyebrows, and, like Eijiro Kirishima, he has rows of sharp, pointed teeth.
His Hero Costume consists of a dark pale green jumpsuit, cut off just below his chest, with some small, silver-rimmed holes in the lower section of his baggy pants and black boots with metal soles, heels, and front plating. He has steel straps over his shoulders and under his arms, made up of multiple pieces, which connect at a red oval in the center of his chest, with two thinner bands around his biceps and a small plate on either side of his waist, connecting to a brown sash with pouches and a big gray container on the back . He wears a metal jaw-guard around his face, similar to the one Eijiro wears, just thicker and not connected over his nose or around his chin, with the letters "Fe" (which stands for iron in the periodic table) stamped on a plate on each side of his face.
Eight years later after the Final War, Tetsutetsu has grown taller and bulkier, cutting his hair shorter and swept backward in a spikey fashion, and his eyelashes are much longer and spikier. His hero costume remains the same, only slightly redesigned and his metal jaw-guard only covers his ears and the sides of his face.
Personality#
Tetsutetsu is defined by his very hotheaded and outspoken personality. He is confident, stubborn, and straightforward in his motivations and actions. He tends to be very vocal about his intentions and has a one-track mind, often looking for the simplest solution to problems to solve them most directly. Tetsutetsu's direct personality shows through his tenacious and upfront fighting style during battles.
Determined to prove himself, Tetsutetsu desires to be put on the same skill level as the students of Class 1-A. When Tetsutetsu first met Class 1-A, he was very loud and abrupt in his introduction because he felt they considered themselves superior to Class 1-B. He especially detested Katsuki Bakugo for his arrogance and resolved to win the U.A. Sports Festival.
Despite his stubbornness, Tetsutetsu eventually befriended Eijiro of Class 1-A and cheered for him during the festival. Even so, Tetsutetsu continues to try to prove himself as a student on par with Class 1-A.
Following the end of the first term, the Class 1-B students were considered second-rate by everyone, including their homeroom teacher. Tetsutetsu was brought to tears while apologizing for disappointing his teacher. When villains attacked both classes, Tetsutetsu fought back as an opportunity to expose himself to danger and grow from it, much like Class 1-A did during the attack on the Unforeseen Simulation Joint.
Tetsutetsu cares deeply about his peers. He didn't attack the villains before ensuring Ibara Shiozaki's safety and didn't hesitate to throw himself in front of a bullet for Itsuka Kendo.
Abilities#
Overall Abilities: Real Steel has proven himself a formidable and resilient combatant. He earned 8th place in the U.A. Entrance Exam, ranking fourth in villain points, a testament to his brute strength and perseverance. Real Steel's fighting style is straightforward and aggressive, shaped by his Quirk, which allows him to endure heavy damage and retaliate with overwhelming force. Even bullets are ineffective against his reinforced body when fully steeled, enabling him to act as a human shield to protect allies and civilians alike.
Tetsutetsu has shown to be evenly matched with Eijiro, another hard-hitting brawler. Their similar Quirks and no-nonsense tactics led to a draw during their U.A. Sports Festival showdown, and even their arm-wrestling tiebreaker ended inconclusively when Tetsutetsu's stamina gave out from low iron levels. Further demonstrating his capabilities, he partnered with Battle Fist to defeat the League of Villains' Mustard during the Quirk Training Camp. Despite being weakened from prolonged Quirk usage and the effects of Mustard's Gas, Real Steel endured the encounter long enough for Battle Fist to create an opening, allowing Real Steel to land a decisive punch and end the fight.
During the Joint Training Battle, Tetsutetsu showcased significant growth. Working with Pony Tsunotori in a coordinated surprise attack, he managed to pin down the elite student Shoto Todoroki and engage him in close-quarters combat. Tetsutetsu withstood Shoto's Half-Cold Half-Hot Quirk, closing the gap and pushing his opponent to his limit. Even when Shoto escalated the temperature to levels capable of melting steel, Tetsutetsu pressed forward with sheer willpower. The standoff ultimately ended in a draw when the environment collapsed around all four team members.
Tactical Intellect: While impulsive and hot-headed, Real Steel is not without insight. During the Mustard encounter, he quickly deduced the villain's age range based on his uniform. Against Shoto, Tetsutetsu correctly reasoned that his Steel Quirk would give him the upper hand in a battle of attrition, betting on his endurance to overcome the pyro-cryokinetic's dual-element attacks. He even noticed when Shoto began heating his own body to force a retreat.
Indomitable Will: Tetsutetsu possesses an unyielding spirit befitting the name Real Steel. During the Vanguard Action Squad Invasion, he refused to back down despite orders to avoid conflict, insisting that as future heroes, they had a duty to protect. He placed himself in harm's way multiple times, most notably taking a bullet for Battle Fist and enduring Shoto's most intense flames. He affirms that if he can't risk his life in training, he'll never be ready to do so in a real fight, because challenges and limits exist to be overcome and broken. In the anime, he mustered up enough raw strength to pick up one of "All For One"'s tendrils and throw it a great distance away in order to help carve a path for Izuku to take the Villain down.
Quirk#
Steel: As the name Real Steel implies, Tetsutetsu's Quirk allows him to transform his entire body into solid steel. This grants him significantly increased durability and strength, enabling him to absorb tremendous punishment and retaliate with equally devastating force. With his skin turned to metal, Real Steel can shrug off falling wreckage, being frozen in solid ice, remnants of Villain Bot - Executor, and even endure intense flames from opponents like Shoto and Dabi. He's also immune to bullets at close range and capable of crashing through hardened structures without sustaining injury.
This durability is matched by his enhanced physical power. In his steel form, Real Steel can break through concrete, tear apart industrial piping, and match blow-for-blow with physically formidable opponents like Eijiro. During an arm-wrestling match, his fingers dug into solid concrete, showcasing the raw power behind his strikes.[4]
Despite these advantages, Steel has limitations. The transformation consumes iron from Tetsutetsu's body, making an iron-rich diet essential for maintaining his Quirk's strength, with prolonged use leading to "iron fatigue" and reducing his durability and physical output.[4] Additionally, while his metal body is heat-resistant, it can melt under extreme temperatures.[5] His metallic nature also leaves him vulnerable to magnetism. Unlike Eijiro's Hardening, which can evolve through stress, Tetsutetsu has acknowledged that Steel's hardness has a set limit that cannot naturally improve.[6]
Ultimate Moves#
- Steel Fist: A simple but devastating technique where Real Steel charges forward in his fully-metal form to deliver a singular, reinforced punch. It's strong enough to shatter solid ice and send opponents flying.[7] This technique is similar to Red Gauntlet.
- Horn Dash Hammer: A team technique used in conjunction with Pony. After Tetsutetsu activates his Steel Quirk, Pony lifts and launches him like a human projectile using her Horn Cannon ability. This attack combines Real Steel's mass and momentum with Pony's precision, resulting in a heavy-hitting ambush.[8]
- Heatetsu: When enveloped in heat in his steel form, Tetsutetsu glows a bright red from the heat and uses it to attack his opponents, such as during his battle with Shoto.[9][10]
Stats#
Battles & Events#
U.A. Sports Festival Arc U.A. Sports Festival Obstacle Race Cavalry Battle Eijiro Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu Vs. Hero Killer Arc Hero Agency Internships Forest Training Camp Arc Quirk Training Camp Vanguard Action Squad Invasion Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu & Itsuka Kendo vs. Mustard U.A. School Festival Arc U.A. School Festival Joint Training Arc Joint Training Battle Round 3 Endeavor Agency Arc Hero Work-Studies II My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission Mission: Humarise Pro Heroes vs. Humarise Paranormal Liberation War Arc Paranormal Liberation War Gunga Mountain Villa Raid Villa Raid Team & Trainees vs. Paranormal Liberation Front
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Trivia#
- Tetsutetsu's surname is composed of the kanji for "iron" and "clear, philosophy", and his first name contains "pierce", and an archaic kanji for "iron".
- Aside from being a clear reference to his Quirk, his name may be a joke about how similar he is to Eijiro Kirishima; his name sounds redundant, with each kanji being pronounced like the word for "iron".
- He shares his last name's first kanji with Tetsu, one of the Yakuza members who was affiliated with the Abegawa Tenchu Kai. Tetsutetsu's full name is also four times Tetsu's name mathematically.
- Tetsutetsu ranked 8th during the U.A. Entrance Exam with 49 Villain Points and 10 Rescue Points.
- According to Tetsutetsu's profile in Volume 4:
- He likes fighting games.
- His favorite food is spinach.
- Kohei Horikoshi likes his design and wants to draw more of him.
- According to Tetsutetsu's Ultra Analysis profile:
- His class once held a "Tetsutetsu BBQ" event, which abruptly ended after he said his sweat was used to season the food.
- His personality is described as "scorchingly hot-blooded".
- Tetsutetsu and Eijiro share many similarities with each other:
- They share the same birthday (October 16).
- Both have prominently pointed teeth.
- They share the same stats in the Ultra Archive databook.
- They and their Quirks were formally introduced in quick succession while in identical situations: emerging from the wreckage of Villain Bots.
- Both wanted to stand out during the U.A. Sports Festival, but were disappointed that they couldn't upon realizing their similarities to each other.
- In the anime, their U.A. Sports Festival entry poses were exactly the same.
- Their Quirks, Steel and Hardening, are functionally similar and described likewise, including the weakness of losing power in a drawn-out battle and making their bodies harder than stone.
- Their fighting styles are the same: straightforward and reckless, letting their hardened bodies take opposing hits while delivering counterattacks.
- Both use their Quirks to turn themselves into human shields to protect their allies.
- They both chose Fourth Kind's Agency for workplace experience.
- Both have similar hero costumes.
- Both have an Ultimate Move that involves using their hardened fists to break through the opponent's defenses while having the same pose when performing their Ultimate Move.
- The beginning of their Hero names starts with the letter "R".
- When the Hero Work-Studies program is reinstated, both go to Fat Gum's Agency.
- Both of their dorm rooms at Heights Alliance contain exercise equipment, a punching bag, and motivational posters. Eijiro even confused Tetsutetsu's room as his own upon seeing a picture of it.[11]
- Tetsutetsu ranked in the Top 16 of the U.A. Sports Festival First-Year Stage.
- Tetsutetsu and his Quirk might be references to the Japanese cyberpunk horror film Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
- At one point during their fight, Mustard refers to Tetsutetsu as "Terminator", directly referencing the movie franchise featuring the titular killer robots that are infamous for their toughness and perseverance.
- Tetsutetsu's hero name, Real Steel, might be a reference to the American movie about robotic boxers, Real Steel.
- Tetsutetsu's hero name was misspelled in the original magazine release as "Real Steal", having been fixed in the subsequent volume release.
- Tetsutetsu shares his Japanese and English voice actors with other characters.
- His Japanese voice actor, Kōji Okino, also voices Kojiro Bondo, Gunhead, and the Cider House leader.
- His first English voice actor, David Wald, also voices Snipe.