Obora Shirakumo Guide: Kurogiri’s Previous Identity Explained

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Cody is a writer who was shaped by manga and anime at a young age. From discovering series like Dragon Ball and Gundam, he fell in love with this medium. Though he walked away for a time in his teenage years, he came back in his adulthood to fall back in love with manga and anime. Nowadays, he can be found reading the latest manga series and catching up on all of the new seasonal anime. And, of course, writing about them at the same time.

Bottom Line Up Front

Oboro Shirakumo is a former pro hero in training character. He appeared in My Hero Academia as a student at UA High School in the past. However, he was tragically murdered by a villain while he was still a student in training. This led to a massive shift in the characters of Aizawa, Deku’s teacher, and Hizashi Yamada, Oboro’s two best friends.

In addition, Oboro Shirakumo’s story doesn’t end there as he was brought back to life as a Nomu known as Kurogiri.

He is now living out his life as a villain on behalf of the Shigaraki Tomura and the League of Villains. He is one of the most valuable assets to the league as a strong enemy of all heroes everywhere.

Oboro Shirakumo Overview

What I love about My Hero Academia are the various characters and the sometimes depressing arcs that they go on. Such is the case with most of the characters in the series, and that is doubly so for someone like Oboro Shirakumo. He is one of the most fascinating and underrated side characters in the manga and anime series.

Oboro Shirakumo is a former student who trained to be a pro hero during his time at UA High School. Though his time there would be cut short, he is still roaming around in the My Hero Academia storyline as one of the most prominent villains.

Before his untimely demise, Oboro Shirakumo was known for his unique cloud quirk. Oddly enough, this comes from his actual name, in which his last name is Shirakumo, which means white cloud in Japanese. This is a hint to his quirk, which possibly could have been passed down through his family.

Oboro Shirakumo was the best friend of one of the main characters in My Hero Academia, Shota Aizawa, who is also known as the pro hero Eraser Head and the teacher of UA High School’s Class 1-A. Shirakumo played a massive role in his life and eventually affected everyone’s lives in My Hero Academia, whether they know it or not. Here’s what you should know about him.

Hero Appearance Explained

Oboro Shirakumo went by the name Loud Cloud while he was in his hero costume. His design doesn’t change all that much from his regular school outfit to his pro hero uniform, mainly since we don’t see him much without it, so I’m just going to focus on how he looks in his Loud Cloud outfit.

His pro-hero uniform is intriguing in that it seems to be based on Son Goku in a way. He has a similar martial arts uniform that is blue, though, and he carries around a red long polearm as his weapon of choice. Sound familiar? He also has a brown leather jacket that looks to be like a pilot’s jacket in a way.

However, the most notable part of Oboro Shirakumo’s appearance has to be the wavy blue fire hair that he has on his head. Despite not being a fire character, his blue hair is quite unique and gives some hints about his latter appearance as Kurogiri. Lastly, he has some pilot’s goggles on his forehead.

As Kurogiri, his appearance changes completely. He is wearing a suit over his mass of nothingness and black clouds of darkness. You can see his glowing yellow eyes and nothing else. The wispiness of his body is reminiscent of his previous fiery blue hair but now black and purple.

Key Moments in the My Hero Academia Series

It should probably go without saying at this point and this far into this guide, but going any further will reveal a ton of spoilers regarding Oboro Shirakumo. I will primarily focus on his character, but there are definitely some spoilers for some of the characters that surround him.

With that out of the way, here is everything that happens with Oboro Shirakumo and, later, Kurogiri in My Hero Academia.

Training Alongside Aizawa to Become a Pro Hero

It is revealed through some flashbacks in the manga and anime and also in the Vigilantes side series about Oboro Shirakumo prior to the start of the series. Many years before the events of the battle raging between Deku and Shigaraki, Shirakumo was a student in Class 2-A at UA High School.

He was best friends with Aizawa and Hizashi, all three training to become pro heroes someday. He was the leader of the group, seen as the center that would bring all three of them together. Oboro was one of the most potent students of his time, with his versatile quirk and strength.

That is until one fateful day when the 17-year-old went on his first work training trip on his journey to becoming a pro hero. It was at this point that a villain tragically murdered him. He was pronounced dead but, apparently, his body went missing. This led to the events of My Hero Academia’s main manga storyline.

Reigning Havoc as the Villainous Kurogiri

Years after Oboro Shirakumo’s death, the League of Villains began attempting to take down My Hero Academia’s entire world. As part of the League, there was one villain named Kurogiri. This mysterious villain is later revealed to be none other than Oboro in the flesh. Or, well, fog.

His body was captured by All for One and his minions, turning Oboro into a Nomu named Kurogiri. He doesn’t remember anything of his past life, initially playing a significant role in the various arcs the League of Villains is in. He attacks UA High School and is there to assist when the League attacks again during the Summer Training Arc and kidnaps Bakugo.

Oboro, as Kurogiri, is also a leading factor in the Paranormal Liberation Army Arc and helps Shigaraki to reach his new level.

He is present during the final battle arc of the series, too. Much of his story is setting up a final showdown where, perhaps, it will be revealed if he remembers who he once was and if he can be saved or not. Fans will have to wait and see for now.

Special Abilities Explained

There are a couple of special abilities that Oboro Shirakumo has. It begins with his initial quirk, which is Loud Cloud. This is the quirk that he uses in his human form when he is a student training at UA High School. The other quirk he has comes from his form as Kurogiri.

Though you could argue that they are, technically, the same quirk in a way, his abilities change considerably when he is in his Nomu form later on. Here is what you need to know about both of these forms and the powers he uses during these times in his life.

Loud Cloud Quirk Explained

The Loud Cloud quirk that Oboro Shirakumo has is mainly similar to that of what we see from Son Goku during the early days of Dragon Ball. His powers allow him to create clouds of nothingness. While this simple ability may not seem like much, it affords some great utility in various battles and also when only moving around.

The clouds that he makes can be used for combat purposes, like stopping someone from being able to see. This allows him to get up close and whack away at the person using the long polearm he wields for offensive techniques.

He is also able to use the clouds as a vehicle, Goku and Nimbus-style. He is able to make a large cloud that he can ride on as his method of transportation at rapid speeds. This can also be used for combat purposes to escape or get up close and personal before the person can react.

Kurogiri Powers

In addition to the Loud Cloud quirk, Shirakumo’s abilities change quite a bit when he is converted into his Nomu form of Kurogiri. The base quirk seems to be there but has been tainted and changed into something far more powerful and sinister.

As Kurogiri, he is able to use a black fog, hence the direct name in Japanese. This is a fog quirk now, instead of the cloud that it was before. This fog does a lot of what it did before, allowing Kurogiri to confuse enemies and prevent them from seeing what is going on around them.

However, it is far more potent than ever before since he now has a Warp Gate skill, too. Instead of flying around on clouds, he can use the tainted black fog as a way to teleport people swiftly anywhere he wants. This makes him a compelling villain since he can swoop him and attack or rescue one of his comrades.

The Warp Gate skill comes from the Loud Cloud quirk but is corrupted by the various other quirks pushed into Oboro Shirakumo using the All for One quirk to make him into what he is now.

Anime Voice Actor

There are a number of crucial voice actors that you’ll hear as Oboro Shirakumo and also Kurogiri, during the pages and episodes of My Hero Academia. What is odd is that despite being the same person, Shirakumo and Kurogiri don’t share any of the same voice actors across both the excellent English and Japanese versions.

In the English dub of My Hero Academia, which is one of the best in the business, you’ll hear Stephen Sanders as Oboro Shirakumo and Chuck Huber as Kurogiri. Stephen Sanders is a newer voice actor with only a few side roles in anime, while Huber is a prolific actor with roles like Emperor Pilaf, Android 17, and Kibito, all within the Dragon Ball series.

On the other hand, if you watch the Japanese dub, you’ll hear Kensho Ono and Takahiro Fujiwara as Oboro and Kurogiri, respectively. You might know the rising star of Kensho Ono from his recent roles as Yuri in Spy x Family, Serenoa in Triangle Strategy, and Hathaway in Gundam Hathaway.

Suppose you listen to Takahiro Fujiwara as Kurogiri. In that case, you might recognize this underused voice actor from his previous roles as a ton of side characters in shows like One Piece, Berserk, and Ghost in the Shell.

Key Relationships

There are a few key relationships that Oboro Shirakumo has that define his character in My Hero Academia. Though he is only known to a few people and connects with even fewer characters, he is someone who is essential to the story arcs of some of the most important members of the cast.

First up is his relationship with Hizashi Yamada. At the point in My Hero Academia, many years later, Yamada isn’t known for much as a pro hero himself. Instead, he is mainly an announcer of sorts that is known for his electrifying personality. But he was close to Oboro, and they were the best of friends. His death rocked him for life.

The same goes for the other best friend of Shirakumo, Aizawa. The teacher for Class 1-A at UA High is forever changed because of the loss of his best friend. His death puts him on a path where he is more reserved and focuses inward. He is also quite harsh at times, trying to protect his students and those he cares about.

Then there is the primary relationship that Kurogiri has as part of the League of Villains. Though he doesn’t talk much or connect with people, he still has a relationship of sorts with his leader, Tomura Shigaraki. Kurogiri, with Oboro Shirakumo somewhere deep inside, follows his boss to the ends of the earth and will do anything to protect him from harm.

FAQs

Question: Is Oboro Still Alive in Kurogiri?

Answer: That is the ultimate question when it comes to this hero. It isn’t certain currently if Oboro Shirakumo is alive or not in Kurogiri, but if I had to guess, he is possibly alive in some way. The manga and later anime will likely address this in the final battle.

Question: What is Oboro Shirakumo’s Quirk?

Answer: Oboro Shirakumo’s quirk as a pro hero in training was Loud Cloud. This quirk lets him produce clouds from his actual body and use them for various purposes like traversal and stealth.

Question: Does Kurogiri Remember Being Oboro?

Answer: This is also uncertain. There are hints that Kurogiri remembers being Oboro Shirakumo in the past. This is another scenario where the final battle of My Hero Academia will likely answer this question definitively.

Obora Shirakumo Final Thoughts

Oboro Shirakumo is one of the most fascinating and underused characters in the entire My Hero Academia manga and anime series. Even though he is present in a lot of the story, especially in his other identity form, he isn’t used that much. Even the Kurogiri version is wildly underused.

This is unfortunate, given that his backstory and the current state are so tragic, even for a My Hero Academia character. This is someone who begs to be shown more, especially for the effect he has on certain other main characters like Aizawa and, in turn, Deku.

But, thankfully, there are other villains who get much better treatment and focus in the My Hero Academia series. Someone who, fortunately, gets the necessary screen time in the series is none other than Himiko Toga, a fellow member of the League of Villains.