Eijiro Kirishima is a supporting character in the My Hero Academia universe and among the strongest students of Class 1-A. His hardening quirk allows him to become a nigh-indestructible juggernaut and shield by which to keep his classmates safe.
Despite his optimistic outlook and reliable quirk, Eijiro's character is defined by flaws that make him human and believable. Through identifying his greatest strengths and contrasting them with his worst weaknesses, we can better ascertain his merits as a potential hero and whether or not his many insecurities are well-founded.
10 Weakness: Kirishima Grapples With Fear Much More Than Other Students
Although some characters like Bakugo or Deku are naturally heroic and will rush into harm's way without hesitation (except in the latter's encounter with Overhaul), Kirishima is more reserved and sometimes can even become paralyzed with fear.
This was most prominently demonstrated through Gigantomachia's visit to the city, where Ashido was forced to intervene in order to save the lives of two innocent bystanders that he could have saved himself. Fortunately, Kirishima was able to overcome much of his inhibitions during the Overhaul arc, where he contended with drug-enhanced professional villains and even won.
9 Strength: Kirishima Is Optimistic & Charismatic
Despite his occasional bouts of fearfulness, Kirishima is extremely optimistic, charismatic, and encouraging to his other classmates. He balances his buoyancy with strength, making him one of the few students capable of befriending Bakugo.
His relational skills would come in handy during Bakugo's rescue from All For One and the League of Villains. He was the only character that the explosion-flinging hothead would accept the hand of. Was anyone else to take his place, Bakugo may have been too indignant to accept aid and remained in grave peril as the fight between All Might and his nemesis raged on.
8 Weakness: Kirishima's Hardening Is Limited By His Endurance
Although Kirishima's hardening renders him a fantastic warrior, he is only able to remain durable for as long as his endurance allows. During the Sports Festival, Bakugo realized this and was able to exploit Kirishima's shortcoming to win their match.
By allowing him to fight aggressively and using his explosions to keep himself out of harm's way, Bakugo quickly exhausted his adversary and depleted his stamina. Once Kirishima could no longer harden, he finished him off with a devastating explosion and advanced to the next round of the tournament.
7 Strength: Kirishima's Durability Is His Defining Asset
The most defining feature of Kirishima's hardening quirk is how it allows him to absorb an immense amount of physical abuse. In his ultimate state, he managed to endure the full power of a drug-enhanced blade villain, snapping steel against his impervious shell with ease.
He was also able to save Suneater from having his powers removed when he thrust himself in the path of a quirk-destroying bullet and concentrated his defenses. However, the young hero's body can be broken if enough force is applied against him (as proven through his battle with Rappa).
6 Weakness: Kirishima's Mobility Is Low & Unimpressive
Although Kirishima is able to unleash a flurry of punches that evince his destructive power, his mobility leaves much to be desired. Without the assistance of Tenya, Todoroki, and Midoriya, he never would have been fast enough to rescue Bakugo from All For One.
This is a major deficit when considering that his hardening has a time limit. It entails that faster opponents would only need to stay out of his reach momentarily and search for an opportune moment to strike.
5 Strength: Kirishima Has Astonishingly High Physical Strength
Kirishima's physical strength is nearly as formidable as his durability. He was powerful enough to knock Tetsutetsu unconscious even in his hardened state. He was also capable of obliterating Cementoss' stone barriers in a single punishing blow.
Considering that he can also unleash melee attacks at dizzying speeds, this renders him one of U.A's most talented hand-to-hand combatants. Additionally, it allows him to end fights in close quarters expediently and before he exhausts his hardening quirk - so long as he can actually land a punch against the adversary he has been matched against.
4 Weakness: Kirishima Doesn't Fight Intelligently
Although Kirishima is a force to be reckoned with at close range, he has seldom employed intelligence in battle and is frequently outsmarted by his enemies. This was demonstrated during his test against Cementoss, where the teacher continued to summon barriers against him until he was exhausted.
Because neither he nor Sato (who had been partnered with him to complete the exercise) had the foresight to realize they needed a new strategy if they intended to win, they failed the test and disgraced their class.
3 Strength: Kirishima Has Excellent Teamwork Skills & Can Follow Instructions Well
While Kirishima may not be particularly talented at fighting intelligently, he is excellent at working in a team and fulfilling the plans of more tactical allies. This was prominently demonstrated during the Chisaki raid, where he provided Fat Gum the time he needed to convert his body weight into energy and turn Rappa's power against him.
His teamwork skills were also demonstrated in the school festival, where he had an invaluable role in slicing up Todoroki's ice and creating dazzling flakes to enchant and charm those attending Class 1-A's performance.
2 Weakness: Kirishima's Attacks Have Abysmally Low Reach
One of the greatest shortcomings behind Kirishima's quirk is that it has abysmally low reach. This prevents him from defeating other similarly skilled adversaries (such as Tetsutetsu) and places him behind characters that can strike efficiently from both close quarters and at a distance like Izuku Midoriya with his shoot style.
Additionally, it puts Kirishima in grave peril against opponents that can defeat their targets in a single touch regardless of how durable they are. Should he fight Shigaraki, Overhaul, or even Uraraka (since he has no means of circumventing her Zero Gravity ability), his armor wouldn't be even remotely useful.
1 Strength: Kirishima Embodies The Tenants Of A Hero & Is Selfless
Unlike many of his other classmates who might be driven by ulterior motives (such as Bakugo's hunger for dominance or Uraraka's financial interest), Eijiro has displayed dedication to helping others much like Midoriya. He was compelled by Crimson Riot's speech on manliness and seeks to follow his example as much as possible.
Given his actions against Overhaul's minions, whether protecting a crowd of innocent civilians from a criminal, saving Suneater's life, or even standing up to a Rappa, he has already proven his selflessness and will continue to do so.