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Eijiro Kirishima, hero name Sturdy Hero: Red Riot, comes across as a jovial, aloof character. While not necessarily a comic relief, this student is often portrayed as a featherbrain. However, when you scratch the surface, you notice the Kirishima is a person led by personal convictions, strength, honor, and fair play.
Eijiro gravitates towards Bakugo. Even when the latter mocks him or yells at him, Kirishima retains a positive attitude. There is a good chance that Red Riot is attracted by Katsuki’s determination and strength of spirit, the qualities that he holds dear.
In this Eijiro Kirishima MHA guide, I will talk more about the student, his quirk, and how he’s shown in the manga.
Key Info Up Front
Eijiro Kirishima is a student who uses a quirk called Hardening. As the name implies, the power allows him to harden his body, making him impregnable to most attacks. The longer he keeps the ability up, the stronger his body becomes.
Eijiro Kirishima’s Personal Info
Kirishima is My Hero Academia’s version of Franky, a character from One Piece. He carries himself based on the principles of manliness and rates people according to their level of manliness. If he perceives a person as courageous and noble, he will create long-lasting bonds with that individual. The courageous actions of the others move him, and he doesn’t mind crying when facing overwhelming manliness.
Although very strong in melee combat, he often acts as a defensive character. Kirishima is a meat shield, and he gladly puts his body on the line to protect his comrades. Red Riot got his name based on Crimson Riot, an old hero that serves him as an inspiration.
There is nothing false about Kirishima. He wears emotions on his sleeve and enjoys having honest, straightforward conversations. These traits allow Eijiro to make friends with just about anyone he encounters. He especially likes hanging out with loyal, passionate people. On a few occasions, you can even notice that Kirishima is willing to break all the rules to save his classmates.
Despite his lighthearted demeanor, he is very critical of himself. Kirishima knows that Hardening is a quirk meant to protect others. When he’s not able to do so, he takes full responsibility for his failures. The nature of the quirk often makes Kirishima doubt himself. He doesn’t think that this power is as good as other abilities and often laments his bad fortune.
As the story progresses, Eijiro gains more and more confidence in his skills. Although not as passionate and extroverted as some other students, Red Riot has a lot of character.
Eijiro Kirishima’s Appearance
Eijiro is a young teenager of an average height and an incredible physique for his age. What separates him from a generic character is his red spikey hair, which melds with his body whenever he utilizes Hardening. You will also notice his sharp spikey teeth that have a similar shape to his hair. Kirishima also has red eyes and thin, red eyebrows.
Red Riot’s costume was rather skimpy at first, revealing his torso. He has a metallic head guard that goes around the student’s face. Kirishima also wears two large red gears around his shoulders, black boots, black pants, and a red waist cape. Later on, the student adds black sleeves to his outfit to prevent injuries to civilians when saving them in his hardened shape.
Eijiro Kirishima’s Appearances in Manga and Anime
Red Riot is a side character that received minor development during the series. Although often shown in Bakugo’s company, we know very little about Eijiro, his backstory, and his motivations.
Battle Trial Arc
During Battle Trial Arc, Kirishima is paired with Hanta Sato, and the pair goes against Tsuyu Asui and Fumikage Tokoyami. They play the role of villains while the latter duo acts as heroes. His mission is to protect a nuclear weapon during the hero raid.
We are not shown the battle between the team, so we don’t know how Eijiro performed. In fact, at this point in the story, we are still not introduced to the character’s quirk.
U.S.J. Arc
The character finally gets some run time during U.S.J. Arc. This is another set of episodes showing young students as they’re training and developing their skills. While visiting Unforeseen Simulation Joint Facility, they are suddenly attacked by an enemy force that goes by the name of the League of Villains.
Initially, the two present pro heroes, Thirteen and Eraser Head, try to protect the students by isolating them from the battle. However, a teleporting villain called Kurogiri rushes to their position and teleports students to random locations around the facility.
Although Bakugo and Eijiro tried to rush toward Kurogiri in an attempt to stop him, they simply weren’t quick enough. Now, the students are forced to scramble and create makeshift teams with their peers without knowing much about their quirks.
Kirishima and Bakugo
This is the first time we see Kirishima and Bakugo together. They are teleported to Ruins Zone, where the duo manages to beat villains rather easily. Katsuki makes a snide comment calling the opponents weak in his usual fashion. Eijiro wants to head out to classmates, while Bakugo wants revenge on Kurogiri.
Two of them rush toward the main villain, Tomura and Kurogiri. They are now battling Shoto Todoroki, All Might, and Izuku Midoriya. Together with Shoto, they head straight towards Kurogiri. Bakugo manages to pin down the opponent, but unfortunately, Kirishima’s subsequent attack does not manage to land.
Eventually, the villains would manage to retreat from the hero onslaught. Later on, we can see Kirishima in hospital as he tries to check on Midoriya’s condition.
U.A. Sports Festival Arc
During Sports Festival Arc, U.A. students compete in various events. The whole competition is broadcasted across Japan. We can see how the main protagonists fare against their peers for the first time.
The event is split into 3 acts: obstacle course, cavalry battle, and versus battle. Kirishima is first featured during a cavalry battle where he is paired with Hanta Sero, Bakugo, and Mina Ashido. Each team is supposed to grab as many bandanas as its opponents.
Katsuki, the team captain, serves as a horse’s head and wears the team’s bandana. Bakugo’s group is rushed by a 1-B class squad led by Neito. They mock Bakugo, which enrages him. He tells Kirisima that Neito is their primary target.
Eventually, Katsuki manages to steal Neito’s bandana and all other bandanas that their squad stole during the competition. Bakugo and Kirishima would place second, after team Shoto Todoroki.
Kirishima and Tetsutetsu
Eijiro battles in the 7th match that day against an opponent from 1-B class, Tetsutetsu. He has a very similar quirk as Kirishima called Steel. Two of them go toe-to-toe, neither one managing to land a decisive punch. Eventually, the match is declared a draw, with both competitors worn out.
To decide a tiebreak, Tetsutetsu and Kirishima have to arm wrestle (for whatever reason). Eijiro wins this competition by slamming the opponent’s arm against underlying concrete and smashing it into pieces. Red Riot acknowledges Tetsutetsu’s strength, which would become the start of a great friendship.
In the next round, Kirishima has to fight his excellent friend Bakugo. Although Eijiro is a much stronger opponent, Katsuko manages to penetrate his hard armor after one attack. He quickly realizes that Kirishima cannot endure too many subsequent hits in the same spot. Bakugo barrages his opponent, ensuring his quick victory.
Final Exams Arc
Kirishima is barely featured during Vs. Hero Killer Arc is a set of episodes preceding Final Exams Arc. The only notable scene is when he visits the office of Forth Kind, his future mentor, and realizes that he has joint training with Tetsutetsu, to which both rejoice.
In Final Exams Arc, our student protagonists have to take the written and practical exams. All those who pass the tests will be able to go on a field trip to a nearby forest. Before the test begins, we can see Eijiro in a few shorter scenes, hanging around Bakugo.
The teachers have a big swerve for the Final Exams test. Students will form teams of two and battle against a specific teacher. Kirishima is coupled with Rikido Sato, and they go against Cementos.
Students have two ways of passing the test: by handcuffing the teacher or escaping the facility. During the fight, Cementos continuously creates a cement wall in front of the students, preventing their escape. He knows that the two of them will eventually lose strength, but he keeps encouraging them to try and break his walls. Ultimately, Rikido and Kirishima are among four students who didn’t pass the test.
After the test, Aizawa admits that all students will go on the field trip because everyone passed the written test. Although Kirishima, Denki, Rikido, and Mina failed during their fight against the teachers, they will still go with the rest of the class.
Forest Training Camp Arc
During this arc, all students go to nearby woods, where they perform quirk reinforcing training. After the initial exercises, they are sent to the woods, where they are grouped into chasers and pursuers, which is meant to improve their survival skills. The only exceptions are Kirishima, Denki, Rikido, Hanta Sero, and Mina, who remain at the forest compound for supplemental training.
League of Villains, the same shadowy group that previously attacked heroes U.S.J. Arc, decided to make their move. They were tipped that students were in the forest, performing survival training, which gave them the opportunity to strike.
Meanwhile, a villain called Dabi would strike at the forest compound where supplemental classes are held. While Shota Aizawa fought him on the outside, Kirishima and other students were within the facility protected by the other pro hero, Vlad King. Although Eijiro wanted to go out and help the others, the calm professor prevented him from doing so.
Eventually, villains who attacked students in the woods managed to capture Bakugo. Later on, when the rest of the class returned to the U.A., they hatched a plan to track down the villains and save Katsuki without telling the professors. Kirishima was especially vocal during the planning phase. He was ready to do just about anything to save his close friend.
Hideout Raid Arc
As the story spills into the next arc, we can still see Eijiro being adamant about helping Bakugo. The whole class is present in Midoriya’s hospital room as they try to forge a plan that would help them save their friend. A few of them, such as Tsuyu Asui, believe that it’s much better to leave things to pro heroes.
As the night falls, a group of Shoto Todoroki, Izuka Midoriya, Momo Yaoyorozu, Tenya Iida, and Eijiro Kirishima gathers. Despite the fact that the fact professors previously scolded them for taking action without their knowledge, the group agrees they need to perform a covert rescue mission.
Later on, we discover that the rest of the class also knew about their plan. They tried to dissuade Eijiro and Todoroki but to no avail. Using Momo’s tracker, they manage to track villains back to Yokohama City. Foolishly, Kirishima wants to go straight to the enemy base. Still, the rest of the students decide they should put on disguises and scout the situation beforehand.
Reaching the Hideout
Finally, the team reaches the villain’s hideout that looks rundown, probably as a cover. Kirishima, who properly prepared for the mission, pulls out a pair of night goggles. He almost stumbled after scouting the warehouse’s interior: there were three tanks with Nomus in them.
While all of this is happening, All Might and a few other heroes attack the warehouse. They were also preparing for the raid, like our young protagonists. After quickly beating the villains, the heroes are forced to fight three Nomus that were waiting in the tank. Eventually, All For One would make his appearance and challenge All Might.
During this time, the team of Shoto, Momo, Midoriya, Kirishima, and Tenya remains hidden behind a nearby wall. They notice Bakugo, who fled villains and is now trying to evade recapturing. The students quickly hatch a plan that would help them save Katsuki without directly engaging the opponents. They will need to burst into the scene and quickly extract their friend for this to work.
Kirishima holds Midoriya and Tenya. He serves as a battering ram as the other two provide enough speed to burst through the warehouse wall. They slide onto an ice ramp created by Shoto Todoroki and are propelled into the air. As they’re flying above Bakugo, Eijiro calls his name. Seeing friends in the sky, Katsuki uses an explosion to lift off where Kirishima catches him.
Provisional Hero License Exam Arc
Our young students have to pass the provisional hero license exam to get their temporary licenses in this set of episodes.
During one of the first scenes, we can see Shoto Todoroki, Momo Yaoyorozu, Tenya Iida, and Eijiro Kirishima being scolded by Shota Aizawa because they searched for Katsuki without the professors’ permission. He explains that they need to go through the proper channel before doing something like that. Eijiro apologizes to the class for getting them into trouble.
However, Kirishima is not the only one sorry for his action. Later on, Tsuyu Asui faces her classmates, trying to apologize for stopping them when they wanted to go after Katsuki. She says that her actions were cowardly and that, instead, she should’ve joined the pursuit. Asui is comforted by the others, and they have a heartfelt moment.
In the following episodes, the students improve their outfits and quirks. Kirishima also received an upgrade, making it easier to save civilians during rescue missions.
Start of the Exam
A provisional hero exam is a massive event that involves various hero schools. Before it starts, students have different standpoints on how they should fight. Shoto believes that they should go individually to not get caught in friendly fire. Izuku thinks they should fight as a team as other schools will also battle in groups.
Denki, Bakugo, and Kirishima group together. After a while, they bump into Seiji Shishikura, who can turn people into meatballs. Seiji quickly attacks Katsuki but is saved by Eijiro, who is turned into a meatball instead. Later on, Bakugo is also turned into a meatball, and both of them would eventually be saved by Denki.
All three of them would go to pass the test.
Shie Hassaikai Arc
Shie Hassaikai Arc is a set of episodes that heavily features Kirishima.
A few episodes into the arc, we can see Eijiro patrolling with Tamaki Amajiki, a fellow student, and his mentor, Fat Gum. They stumble into a crime in progress and face a minor thug. The criminal shoots at Tamaki and manages to hit him. He immediately shoots the second round, which is blocked by Kirishima’s hardened body.
Seeing that the heroes are still on their feet, the villain starts running. Tamaki tries to apprehend him, but he can’t activate his quirk. Red Riot starts pursuing the criminal and would eventually corner him in a tight passageway. Three blades emerge from his body, and he uses them to attack Eijiro, resulting in blades bouncing off Kirishima’s body.
Seeing that the attacks won’t work against the talented student, the villain uses a drug, which causes numerous blades to emerge from his body. Red Riot quickly realizes that this was an enhancement drug. After the next strike, the blades penetrate Kirishima’s hardened skin causing bleeding.
Eijiro uses his ultimate move called Red Riot Unbreakable. Confident with the previous success, the villain strikes Kirishima once again. This time around, his blades shatter, and he subsequently pummels the criminal.
While giving the opponent a chance to surrender, the criminal tricks him and launches a sneak attack. This buys him enough time to escape, only to be captured by Fat Gum, who just arrived at the scene.
Illegal Drug
In the following days, pro heroes reveal to Eijiro and some of his fellow students that there is a dangerous drug on the streets meant to destroy quirks. The heroes wish to launch an attack at Shie Hassaikai headquarters, an organization that is behind the illegal substance.
Just a few students are involved in the raid, including Tsuyu, Midoriya, Uraraka, Mirio, Nejire, Kirishima, and Tamaki. For the most part, Kirishima is grouped with Fat Gum. The duo is attacked by Rappa, who uses a flurry of punches to attack them. Although Fat Gum managed to absorb the onslaught, Kirishima got wounded by it.
Eijiro momentarily loses confidence in his abilities. As he stands still, paralyzed by indecisiveness, Fat Gum takes on Kendo Rappa. As the pro hero gets beaten by Rappa and the second villain called Hekiji, Kirishima finally musters some courage and launches a surprise attack on Kendo. Unfortunately, his attack on Rappa is prevented by Hekiji’s barrier.
Kendo asks Hekiji to remove the barrier as he doesn’t need his assistance against the weakened Red Riot. While all of this is happening, Kirishima has a flashback that takes him to middle school. He doubted his powers and ability to be a hero for the longest time until he saw courageous Mina Ashido take a few bullies by herself. This was the turning point for Red Riot, who grew more confident after that.
Back in the present, Fat Gum is ready to land a critical blow. Kirishima bought him a few valuable seconds that would allow the pro hero to power up his most devastating ability. He easily defeats the duo with one blow and evacuates badly wounded Eijiro afterward.
Joint Training Arc
Although he was featured in the following arcs, Kirishima’s role was minor. He had a bit more exposure during Joint Training Arc, where he joined a team with Denki Kaminari, Tsuyu Asui, Koji Koda, and Hitoshi Shinso.
Unfortunately, Kirishima didn’t last long in this battle. The enemy team quickly imprisoned him. However, it was worth noting that team Asui would win the engagement through sheer ingenuity by Denki Kaminari, Tsuyu Asui, and Hitoshi Shinso.
After the fight, Aizawa tells Kirishima that he needs to find a way to lure enemies closer to him so that he can engage them in close combat.
Paranormal Liberation War Arc
Although he had a brief appearance during this arc, Red Riot was crucial for taking down a powerful adversary in Gigantomachia.
Kirishima was a part of a squad featuring 1-A and 1-B students and a few pro heroes. At one point, Red Riot manages to save Mina, who is almost squashed by the lumbering monstrosity. Immediately after, he starts climbing Gigantomachia and manages to throw a sedative into his mouth, taking him out of commission.
Quirk and Sbilities
Quirk – Hardening
Hardening is one of the more simplistic and straightforward quirks that hasn’t evolved a lot as the story progresses. It basically hardens the student’s body making him impervious to incoming attacks. Kirishima can block just about anything from other quirks to blades, explosions, bullets, etc.
After improving the ability, Hardening becomes stronger with each subsequent attack but would drain a lot of energy. However, as Eijiro became stronger, it became easier to reuse the ability even after being deactivated. His super moves are Red Riot, Red Riot Unbreakable, and Red Gaunlet.
Super Strength
Although Hardening is primarily meant to reinforce the body and not necessarily increase the attack power, Kirishima uses it to land incredibly strong punches. The student is also exceedingly strong for his years, making him very strong in hand-to-hand combat.
Mental and Physical Resilience
Red Riot should be prepared to take enormous physical punishment to use the ability. On numerous occasions, he serves as a shield protecting his allies. This requires enormous defensive prowess and a certain level of mental resilience to put the body on the line continuously.
Eijiro Kirishima’s Strengths and Weaknesses
The biggest issue with Hardening is that it’s pretty one-dimensional. It doesn’t allow the hero to grow, even though its primary function is awesome.
Strengths
- Makes Kirishima impervious to various attacks.
- The advanced form becomes harder the more you hit Red Riot.
- It can be used offensively.
- Hardening can be reapplied after being forcefully deactivated.
- It can withstand extreme temperatures.
Weaknesses
- Kirishima has to remain in close combat.
- The quirk provides limited utility.
- It uses an enormous amount of stamina.
Eijiro Kirishima Trivia
In many ways, Kirishima is a generic character that can be seen in various manga and anime. Like his quirk, he lacks flavor (at least, in my opinion). Unlike other students, the only saving grace is that he received some backstory.
Bakugo and Kirishima
Strangely enough, Eijiro is one of the rare people Katsuki listens to. Their relationship has bloomed since they first met, and while Bakugo seems like a reluctant friend, the two of them have created a strong bond. They probably harbor respect towards each other, so they are joined at the hip.
Unbreakable Transformation
In theory, Hardening was supposed to be impregnable to all the attacks from the get-go. However, after battling Bakugo, we see that the quirk has a glaring flaw. If you strike Kirishima in the same spot repeatedly, the shield will eventually get deactivated.
To deal with the weakness, Eijiro has worked tirelessly to enhance his basic form. He managed to develop Red Riot Unbreakable, which cannot be damaged and gets stronger with each subsequent hit. The only issue is that Red Riot can hold it for 40 seconds and that it depletes a high quantity of stamina.
Name Origin
Kirishima combines “kiri,” meaning “to cut,” and “shima,” which signifies “island.” While the meaning behind “cut” is obvious, it is hard to say why the creators added “island,” given that Red Riot is a very sociable character.
As for his first name, “ei” means “sharp,” “ji” means “character,” and “ro” means “male.” It’s almost as if it translates to “sharp manly character.”
Numerous Similarities to Tetsutetsu
These two characters have a lot in common. Besides the fact that their quirks are very similar, the show creators made sure they were introduced in the same manner after bot combat. Both of them have sharp teeth and share a birthday.
As if that wasn’t enough, they have similar costumes, work in the same agency, and when they change agencies, they once again end up in the same place.
FAQs
Question: Who is Kirishima’s Crush?
Answer: Kirishima doesn’t necessarily have a crush. If we were to speculate, it would probably be Mina Ashido. She played a significant part in his character development. Timid and dissatisfied with his quirk, Eijiro would change his attitude after seeing brave Mina in action. Later on, during Paranormal Liberation War Arc, she would save her from Gigantomachia.
Question: What is Kirishima Scared Of?
Answer: Red Riot is portrayed as a courageous character led by the code of manliness. If one thing might scare him, that is the look on a dying person’s face. He is also worried about his friends and does his best to protect them.
Question: What Can Kirishima do With his Quirk?
Answer: Kirishima’s quirk is very inflexible. He can use it to harden his body, making it impervious to various types of attacks. He often uses it to protect friends from objects such as blades, bullets, and elements. Hardening can also be utilized offensively to punch enemies.
Conclusion
Eijiro Kirishima, or Red Riot, is a character that always looks happy. Although very confident and courageous, he wasn’t always like that. Only after encountering Mina Ashido has he embraced a new, mainly type of persona. His quirk is called Hardening. He can use it to bolster his defenses, reinforcing the whole body. The ability is excellent against physical attacks, elemental attacks, and numerous quirks.