Chapter 3: (Bad) Quirk Ideas
So, you are making an OC. But you are completely stuck on the sort of Quirk to give them. So, here are some great ideas that aren't totally overused!
First, why go through the work of making a new Quirk, when you could rip it from somewhere else! I'm sure taking a power from your favorite game or anime and shoving it into your My Hero Academia fanfic will go well. Never consider that, maybe, just maybe Goku's Super Saiyan form needs to be dialed down... a lot. And don't bother trying to tailor the power to make it actually seem like a Quirk. Too much work. Instead, continue using terms like "Chakra," "mana," and "ki." I'm sure the outsiders won't be confused.
Next is the Gamer Quirk. You can throw in any ability you want, because "it's a gamer." Spend as little time developing the character and setting to support this nonstandard power as I do discussing it.
Then there are elemental abilities. Simple, classic superpowers. Fire, ice, electricity, wind, so many to choose from! They've seen so many unique takes in other media that you can pick and choose whatever you'd like. You see water being used for healing? Great, you can add healing to your water-user's power set, because that totally makes sense in the My Hero Academia setting. Electricity's been used for lightning, magnetism, stimulating muscles, altering memories, traveling at the speed of electricity... Yes and yes and yes to it all! Because God forbid your character have a gap in their power coverage.
There are also animal-themed Quirks. These Quirks are great, because you can claim they are "appearance-based" and tack the strength, speed, and senses on along with some other ability. With Earth's wild and weird ecology, you just need to remember one thing. There are two animals: wolf and cat. When describing your OC's unusual appearance, be sure to mention in great detail their fuzzy abs, their silky curves, their sharp, alluring amber eyes, their-NO! I AM NOT A FURRY! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT?!
If animals aren't strong enough, how about mythical creatures? Dragons, fae, youkai, gods... so many to think about. Much like the various depictions of elemental power/spans, depictions of these creatures varies wildly between cultures. So, of course you're are free to pick and choose whichever powers you want to shove into that Quirk. No need to worry about power scaling here, folks!
And what about teleportation? Noted to be a very rare Quirk in canon. I wonder why. Being able to teleport a stake into All for One's heart would have saved our heroes a load of trouble. No wonder fanfic writers seem to love it.
Time control's another strong one. Going back and forth, in a wibbly wobbly timey wimey ball, brings loads of abusable-I mean useful-power applications. No care is needed for this type of power, folks! Maybe this will bring up questions, like why they don't stop time to restrain the villain, or why they don't travel back in time and undo all of the bad stuff. Plot holes – and time paradoxes – aren't our concern, though.
I've listed several ideas here, but here's the grandest one of them all. Why have one superpower, when your superpower can be to have all the superpowers you want? Yes, go big, with your mythical wolf anthro who controls all the elements and can use magic and all the good shit. If someone tells you they're too much and destroying the fic's dramatic tension, you can whine all you want. That'll show them.
I hope this saves you readers from all the dumb brainstorming ideas that are out there. Seriously, they say silly things, like, "Look at the items on your desk." But all that's on mine is a tape dispenser and a pair of earphones. There's no way I'm coming up with an idea from those.
Ending Notes: Genuine advice here - many of these ideas aren't automatically bad, just often done bad. Usually it's the power scaling. If your character either A. Is shown to take down their stronger peers like Bakugo and Todoroki with minimal effort or B. Has a power description that leaves readers wondering why the character doesn't connect the obvious dots and use it to win fights or dismantle all the villain organizations, there's probably an issue.