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Highly regarded as one of the strongest members of Class 1-A, Fumikage Tokoyami is a reserved and focused student whose speech is sometimes more on the dramatic side. Choosing to take the name of Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi, Tokoyami is one of the favourites of the class and the series as a whole I believe, featured much more often and demonstrating a lot of growth. His skills have been recognized by many prominent members of the show, and the humble student is a hit with fans also. A big part of this is because he has one of the most fascinating and interesting quirks ever created, being the only one of its kind.
Fumikage hosts a shadow-like being within his body that he can materialize, contract and control at will. What is unique about this quirk however is that Dark Shadow is sentient and can speak, think and act on it’s own. Dark Shadow possesses the ability to attack from afar by stretching his body, defend against most attacks due to the nature of his physical form being made of shadows and interact with the physical world, being able to hold objects and damage them. As a quirk this is one of the most unique and interesting ones created, so far being the only sentient quirk in the series. This isn’t all there is to Dark Shadow however, as his strength and personality can be influenced by his environment, specifically in terms of exposure to light. The greater the light source, the smaller and more docile Shadow becomes, making it easier for Fumikage to control him. This also means the opposite is true, with Dark Shadow growing larger under darkness, being able to feed on Tokoyami’s negative emotions to gain immense physical power and become an uncontrollable monster, so much so he was immediately made a priority for capture by Mr Compress during the Vanguard’s invasion of the forest camp.
When it comes to fighting and hero work, Tokoyami mainly uses Dark Shadow to attack from a distance, commanding him for offensive but letting Shadow handle defence since the quirk would prioritize protecting Fumikage first and foremost. Dark Shadow can be used for mobility and scouting, travelling far to find enemies or acting like a support structure or grapple to traverse over a wide variety of terrains. The various training he has received from both UA and his internships has greatly improved Tokoyami’s combat potential, developing techniques to overcome his weaknesses. The first super move Fumikage created is called Black Abyss, and Fumikage equips Dark Shadow onto himself like an armour, this move being designed to offset his melee weaknesses and reduce Shadow’s weakness to light. The second move he made to cover for his lack of mobility with Tokoyami himself, named Black Fallen Angel. Dark Shadow wraps around Tokoyami, extending his arms like wings to fly through the air. This move takes advantage of Shadow’s levitation, since the quirk is always flying, him picking up Tokoyami means he too can float. Shadow also manifests beneath Tokoyami’s cloak, meaning this move can still be used during the day and of course means Tokoyami can now fly. The next three moves are offshoots of Black Abyss. Piercing Twilight Claws involves Tokoyami extending Dark Shadow’s arm to attack targets at range while in Black Abyss form. Covert Black-Ops Arms is similar, but Fumikage enlarges both arms, extending them and then crushing targets within. The last move within Black Abyss is Sabbath, whereby Fumikage uses Black Fallen Angel to close-in on enemies before transitioning to Black Abyss, using his flight momentum to quickly deliver a fast and powerful blow. The last move Tokoyami has developed is called Ragnarök and can only be utilized in an area with sufficient darkness as Tokoyami sends Dark Shadow charging forward in his strengthened night form, taking the appearance of a large crow’s head.
Honestly Horikoshi has done a great job with developing Tokoyami and strengthening him as the series goes on. The biggest thing he needs to work on is of course his control with Dark Shadow during the night/in dark areas, but progress is steady regardless. He’s overcome his light weakness with Black Abyss and overcome his mobility issue with Black Fallen Angel. But there are two areas I feel that Tokoyami and Dark Shadow can grow in. The first is by utilizing Dark Shadow’s shape manipulation. Shadow naturally changes shape all the time depending on exposure to light but also when in combat, frequently stretching his body and limbs. Tokoyami could actively control this aspect, having Shadow alter his body and take other forms that can be used for specific purposes. I don’t think Dark Shadow can transform and move away from his crow-like appearance, but certain parts could actively be enlarged or shrunk, slightly changing them to add more variety. The second area Fumikage can improve his usage with Dark Shadow is by strengthening the connection he has with his quirk. We’ve seen in the Joint Battle Training that the two of them can communicate telepathically, and considering Shadow has his own thoughts and feelings, Tokoyami could ask Shadow for his input in terms of planning since it’s possible Dark Shadow could have a better plan than Fumikage. He literally has the ability to form plans with input from more than one source inside his own head, Shadow being able to offer insight even into their opponents since usually he is the one the villain would mainly interact with as Shadow is the main fighter of the two. We definitely haven’t seen enough of Tokoyami strategizing with Dark Shadow, and it would add another layer to their potential in combat. Another point to note with this is that since two minds reside within his body, I believe Tokoyami has a naturally higher resistance to mental-based attacks and quirks, which would be good against certain opponents like Shinsou and Giran. Below are five super moves I’ve thought of:
Abyssal Crow
Crow’s Nest
Arrow of Darkness
Tenebrous Cord
Dark Medium
Four of the five super moves I’ve designed are based around slightly altering Dark Shadow’s shape for various purposes, with the last move being based around the connection the two share. Firstly, Abyssal Crow is an offensive move that is performed at slightly closer range, enlarging Dark Shadow’s head and slamming it down atop villains, smacking them into the ground. Crow’s Nest is unique because it is exclusively a defensive move. Again, it involves enlarging Shadow’s head, but this time he is placed in front of Tokoyami, acting as a barrier from attacks since his shadow-like body makes him impervious to a range of attacks. Thirdly, Arrow of Darkness shrinks Dark Shadow’s body so that he forms just a head, but the cord connecting him to Fumikage is lengthened, allowing Dark Shadow to travel further than usual, attacking enemies like an arrow. Tenebrous Cord alters Dark Shadow’s shape much like it appears in Arrow of Darkness, but this time the extra length of his body is used to restrain targets, making it very much a utility move. Due to these moves using similar shape alterations, they can effectively be switched between, for example Tokoyami could first strike a target with Arrow of Darkness and immediately transition into Tenebrous Cord, capturing them and preventing retaliation. The same can be done for the first two moves, protecting himself with Crow’s Nest and then countering with Abyssal Crow. The last move differs from the rest because it has no physical effect and is entirely mental. Dark Medium deepens the connection between Fumikage and Dark Shadow, allowing them to share senses and thoughts even more than usual. Mentally it can be considered that they become one entity rather than two personalities who have to converse to share information. Tokoyami instead is one with Dark Shadow, allowing him to see what Shadow sees. The purpose of this move is for scouting and information gathering, bypassing the need for information to be passed from Shadow to Tokoyami to others, instead going straight from them to allies. This skill has the potential to be one of the most important for Tokoyami.
Overall Fumikage is a powerful character, and I have no doubt that Horikoshi will keep him around, developing him further. I just want more interaction between Tokoyami and his quirk, seeing their relationship develop in a way others can’t since they don’t have sentient quirks, and watching how this could influence them in the future. Tokoyami is definitely a character to keep your eye on, and it will be interesting to see where Horikoshi takes him.