My Hero Academia is a shockingly dark shonen series. It wouldn't seem like it considering how peppy and upbeat most of the episodes are, but when it gets dark, it gets real dark. We're talking parental abuse, child body-horror, and turning people into mindless zombies with a will of their own. The last one is in regards to the Nomu, a series of creatures in the series made by All for One and his chief scientist Kyudai Garaki. At first glance they seem like a pretty clear-cut cliche on the whole "genetic experiment" trope, as many aspects of MHA are intentionally cliche. But, once we learn more about them and see other versions, some of their lesser-known aspects are revealed. Here are the biggest facts we found out about them that most people don't know about.
10 They're Not Quite "Alive" At All
Contrary to what you'd think with them moving around, making noise, and fighting, the Nomu aren't actually alive. They're made from corpses and are simply reanimated using whatever dark methods/Quirks Dr. Garaki uses in combinations with All for One's abilities. Now that doesn't necessarily apply to the higher-level Nomu's but all the grunts are basically just remotely controlled superhuman weapons. In fact, it's been said by All for One himself that many of the Nomu are made up of students that attended UA at one time in the past, and go into "standby mode" when their masters aren't around.
9 They're Usually Made Up Of Multiple Bodies
Like we said before, the Nomu's are made from the corpses of people with either the right body structure or the right Quirk. And yeah, we said corpses. Most Nomu as it turns out aren't made form just one body, but rather they're Frankenstein's monster-esque because they're a mish-mash of multiple bodies. It's why some of them have wings, some have multiple arms, and is probably the reason they can hold multiple Quirks at once. It's a fact revelaed by AfO himself during his prison talk with All Might. We're already in spoiler territory, but even Kurogiri himself isn't made up of just one corpse, and one of the other ones is someone Aizawa used to know.
8 Heroes: Rising Explains How Dr. Garaki Makes Them Without All For One
Oddly enough, the recent theatrical release of My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising sheds some light on some things for both Manga and Anime fans alike. The movie was made in close collaboration with MHA's author Kohei Hoshikori and it essentially canon.
In it, we see that Dr. Garaki was using live humans to test and develop his method of giving people multiple Quirks without All For One. We always wondered how he did it after AfO was put in prison, and this movie shows the newer Nomus take much longer to make and were a process to get to. Plus it seems like he literally uses some sort of "AfO juice" to do the job.
7 There Are Nomu Tiers
We can't remember if it's ever directly said in the manga or anime, but the Nomu' are actually separated into four different categories. On the lower end there are the grunts who typically have no color to their skin and hold one or two Quirks. Then there are the mid-range Nomu who tend to have multiple limbs, green pigmentation, and an extra Quirk or two. Then there are the black-pigmented Nomu that we remember from USJ and are fewer in number because of their difficulty to build. Then, lastly, we have the High Ends who are made from insanely strong criminals and are worked on over long periods of time. This tier system is obvious now when we look back, but we never picked up on it on our first viewing.
6 Their Name Ironically Translates To "Brainless"
Horikoshi really likes coming up with fantastic names for his characters. In fact his need to have characters names describe them is what got him in trouble in the first place with Dr. Garaki's previous name. There are masterfully done names like Rumi Usagiyama and then there are hilariously on-the-nose ones like Testsutetsu Tetsutetsu.
Well, the name "Nomu" in Japanese translates roughly to the term "brainless" which is both what the Nomu are known for and their biggest visual draw. Of course they aren't actually brainless considering their brains are always showing, but once there isn't an "authorized user" around giving them commands, brainless is what they become.
5 Kurogiri Is Likely A Whole New Type Of Nomu
This next one is a factor people don't know simply because it hasn't been answered yet, even in the manga. And that question is, is Kurogiri a tier 3 Nomu, a High-End, or in his own category? This shadowy Nomu quite obviously has the same style of design to his eyes as the High Ends do, but he doesn't struggle at all with speaking like they do. Plus, his brain isn't showing! Honestly, this probably is due to his body makeup and how his Quirk works, but there's still so much about him and his relation to Aizawa that makes little to no sense. He fills all the requirements of a Nomu but has a few factors that are unique to him alone.
4 They Don't Have To Resemble Humans
Now, because Nomu are made from humans, most everyone assumes they have to look "human" in their structure or overall silhouette. Obviously there are some exceptions like the ones with multiple arms or the ones on all fours, but even then they look like mutated "human" shapes. But, what people don't know, is that they don't have to follow this design mantra. Nomu are corpses, they're not alive, and they don't need to have the same makeup as a living human, so they can take the form of a skull with legs if they needed to. And, with a doctor as deranged as Garaki, they sometimes do! Both the Nomu's named Johnny and Mocha have these unique shapes and we're sure to see more of them as the story goes on.
3 The Super-Regen Quirk Is What Separates The Low And High-Tiers
Going back to the High-Tier Nomu and the High-Ends for a second, let's talk about what separates them from the lower tiers. You'd think it'd be pretty vague, but the separating line is actually relatively clear. The black-pigmented Nomu and High-Ends by default have the "Super-Regeneration" Quirk. This Quirk is what allowed the Nomu at USJ to tank the strongest students UA had to offer with little to no issues.
We're assuming that this Quirk is either difficult to wield or Garaki only has one copy because he seems to be pretty sparing on which Nomu's get it.
2 The Stronger The Will Of The Body, The More Capable The Nomu
You would think that physical factors would be the bulk of what Dr. Garaki "looks for" in a corpse to see if it'll be a good Nomu. But, it actually isn't the most important aspect. Actually, what Dr. Garaki needs for the higher-level Nomu's and High-Ends are strong-willed individuals. Whether this is battle-crazed criminals or murder hungry psychopaths, the stronger their dedication and ties are, the high-level Nomu they'll make. And, the stronger that brainpower is, the more personality they seem to hold onto in their zombified states.
1 Bakugo's Childhood Friend Is A Nomu
This is an easter egg that most die-hard MHA fans know about but we can't get enough of. So, remember when Bakugo used to pick on Deku when they were kids? Remember how he had two cronies that always followed him around? There was a kid with devil wings and a kid with extendable limbs. Well, as it turns out, Horikoshi confirmed that the winged Nomu that picks up Deku during the Stain Arc is that same winged kid from way back when. Turns out that kid was Garaki's grandson and the deranged scientist has no problems using his own family if he needs to. It's a very dark easter egg that we hope Bakugo finds out about at some point.