The lineup of the strongest pro heroes in the world keeps changing in the My Hero Academia universe, even after the manga already ended. For years, followers of the franchise got used to the Symbol of Peace All Might being one of the world’s most powerful pro heroes, and fans met more mighty heroes from around the globe in My Hero Academia: World Heroes Mission. Now, a new name has arrived in the world’s uppermost tier of pro heroes: Agate Minou.
This mysterious character is the new #1 American pro hero, succeeding the familiar Captain Celebrity and his own successor, Star and Stripe. Those two pro heroes had dazzling costumes, strong personalities, and astonishing Quirks to make them the USA’s best heroes in their respective eras, but now they have both been dethroned by the enigmatic Agate Minou. Not much else is known of Uncle Sam’s #1 pro hero, but fans might learn more when they get their hands on the My Hero Academia: Ultra Age: The Final Fan Book publication. Until then, fans can speculate all kinds of things about Agate Minou, including the context in which she finds herself as the USA’s #1 pro hero.
What Is Agate Minou's Quirk Called?
My Hero Academia Fans Can Only Guess How It Works
For the moment, My Hero Academia fans can be sure of only three details about the new #1 American pro hero: her name, her sex, and her Quirk, which is called Fault Line. Nothing else is known of the Fault Line Quirk just yet, but fans can infer some possibilities about it, and they can even compare Fault Line to existing Quirks which presumably have similar effects. Given how Agate Minou is the new top hero in the USA, it’s easy to presume Fault Line is one of the franchise’s strongest Quirks of all, perhaps bolstered even more with smart tactics, support equipment, or even the aid of the U.S. military. After all, Star and Stripe had help from the Air Force when fighting early in Season 7 of My Hero Academia, and for all fans know, Agate will do something like that with Fault Line.
Fault Line’s name is evocative of tectonic plates and earthquakes, making it easy to infer, possibly correctly, that the Fault Line Quirk has an effect similar to earthquakes. If so, Fault Line could be hugely effective when fighting a large number of opponents on the ground, throwing everyone off-balance with sudden tremors underfoot. Fault Line might also be used to destabilize buildings and bring them down, a fine way to destroy a villain’s lair without even having to get inside or get too close. Or, Fault Line could form new faults in the earth, creating widening chasms that swallow the opposition whole. Given how agate is a type of quarts and thus part of the earth, it seems even more likely that this top American hero’s Quirk relates to the ground and stone.
A Quirk based on fault lines and tectonic plates would actually make more sense for a Japanese pro hero, seeing how Japan is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is often shaken by earthquakes. Then again, My Hero Academia fans can point to the Ketsubutsu student Yo Shindo, whose Vibrate Quirk almost functioned like an instant earthquake in the anime. Yo’s Quirk doesn’t have to be used solely on the earth, and it can produce similar effects on other solid mediums, but it still felt like an artificial earthquake when it was used against Class 1-A in the provisional hero license exam. It’s possible Agate’s Fault Line Quirk will be roughly similar, but on a much grander scale, and with extra applications.
What Happened to Star and Stripe?
Does Star and Stripe Need a Successor of Equal Strength?
While very little is known for certain about Agate Minou as the most recent pro hero to top the American charts, fans do know the context that led to Agate’s rise as the #1 American pro hero. Anime fans may recall what exactly happened to Star and Stripe the pro hero in My Hero Academia‘s 7th season, with her rushing across the Pacific while riding atop a stealth bomber in an Air Force squad. Star and Stripe was determined to pick up the slack in Japan and confront Tomura Shigaraki herself, using the full might of her allies’ weaponry and her own Quirk to fight the Symbol of Evil’s heir. Star and Stripe fought with every bit of her overwhelming strength to save the day in All Might’s honor, but it wasn’t quite enough. Tragically, Tomura’s identity crisis prevented Star’s Quirk from finishing him off, and he retaliated with a lethal use of his own Decay Quirk.
Star and Stripe may have died, but she still did some good after using her New Order Quirk to sabotage Tomura from the inside and thus weaken him before his inevitable showdown with Deku. Still, Star and Stripe’s untimely demise left a serious void in the American pro hero system, so the United States needed to quickly reshuffle its billboard chart and figure out who Uncle Sam’s new #1 hero would be. Captain Celebrity was passed over in favor of Agate Minou, or at most, Captain Celebrity briefly reclaimed the #1 position before Agate Minou claimed it for herself. It also makes fans wonder how strong the new #1 American hero needs to be in the current era.
Not long after the second major defeat of the Symbol of Evil All For One, pro hero society started to collapse in the face of a villain army on the march. All Might’s retirement removed the last major barrier for the villains, creating a chaotic and violent time where pro heroes were needed more than ever, such as Endeavor and Star and Stripe. In that time frame, ultra-powerful pro heroes were vital for keeping hope alive, but after the end of the series, things were quite different. Peace had returned to Japan after the fall of Tomura and the Meta Liberation Army, to the point the pro hero industry had fewer slots since fewer heroes were needed. It’s possible or even likely other nations enjoyed similar peace and stability, so pro heroes of Star and Stripe’s caliber hardly even seem necessary.
Now, fans are wondering not just whether Agate Minou can fill Star and Stripe’s shoes in terms of combat strength, but whether Agate even need to go that far. Of course, the new #1 hero in the USA needs to be impressively powerful to earn that spot and set a good example for everyone else — peace is no excuse for weak heroes who just phone it in. Still, Agate may not have any serious battles to fight in that era of stability, so she and her Fault Line Quirk may be weapons with no war to fight. Even if Agate is noticeably weaker than Star and Stripe was, she can get away with it in an era like this one. Perhaps Agate will have the benefit of time to keep building up her strength, all while making sure she doesn’t ever meet a fate like the one Star and Stripe met at Tomura’s hands.
Agate Minou Should Behave Like Star and Stripe
Captain Celebrity Is No Role Model
Unless Agate Minou is an older pro hero with a well-established persona, Agate may need role models to emulate, with Star and Stripe and Captain Celebrity both being obvious examples. Those latter two each had the #1 position in the American billboard chart for a time, so the American public may expect Agate Minou to be a spiritual successor to one of them. If so, the choice is an easy one: Agate should take cues from Star and Stripe, and not from Captain Celebrity.
Captain Celebrity may be a powerful and flashy pro hero with many accomplishments to his name, but his personality and image aren’t worth emulating for someone like Agate Minou. Captain Celebrity was the worst kind of hero according to villains like Stain, with Captain Celebrity only saving the day if he can get attention and praise for it. He fought entirely for the glory and fame, hence his hero name, and he didn’t care much for the loftier principles of being a pro hero. That didn’t make Captain Celebrity evil, and he did start to change his ways after a point, but he still isn’t worth emulating. Captain Celebrity might help Agate Minou train if she needs the help, but otherwise, Captain Celebrity has nothing to offer.
Star and Stripe had the true heart of a hero. She was determined to follow All Might’s example and risk her life to save the day purely because it was the right thing to do, hence her reckless attack on Tomura without the Pentagon’s permission. Star and Stripe lived, fought, and died as a hero bursting with goodwill, and that’s an example Agate Minou should follow as the next hero to claim the top spot in her star-spangled homeland.
