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Haissam Khan
Haissam is a huge manga fan, often reading ahead to see what happens in his favorite series like One Piece and HxH. Honestly, if given the choice to read manga or a best-selling novel, it's a no-brainer, he'll be reading the former! He's also an avid gamer who often feeds his nostalgia by playing games from the beloved PS2 era, and he's a sucker for a good platformer.
Latest posts by Haissam Khan (see all)
- Kyoka Jiro Guide: A Story of Music and Heroism - June 22, 2022
- Mahito Jujutsu Kaisen Guide - June 13, 2022
- Nanami Jujutsu Kaisen Guide - May 26, 2022
One of the first characters created by Kōhei Horikoshi, Kyoka Jiro, is a pragmatic, emotional, unorthodox, caring character. From her humble beginnings as a closed-off support character to a confident rockstar Hirokoshi has highlighted the ideals of doing what you love and never giving up through Jiro.
She was 16th in the first character popularity poll and 7th in the second one. Her popularity fell slightly in the later polls, but she bounced back to the 12th rank in the fifth poll. This was mainly due to how little screen time Kyoka Jiro had. “If you do this, we just might win, but there’s no time to hesitate, so do it now! You wanna be a hero, don’t you?”
Kyoka Jiro (“Earphone Jack”)
Born to music composers, Kyoka Jiro inherited her quirk from her mother, which is Earphone Jack. Her parents’ influence helped her learn multiple instruments and music composition techniques. She decided to become a hero and went on to join UA, the most prestigious school for heroes to follow her dream.
I believe that Kyoka Jiro is one of the most relatable characters in the series with her continuous effort to make her place in the world. She is a beacon for everyone that fights to do what they love and works hard to achieve it. Her growth throughout the series, especially in the cultural festival arc, shows that if you’re passionate about something you love, you will find others who want to support you all the way.
Appearance
Kyoka Jiro is 154 cm (5.1ft) tall and currently 16 years old. Jiro is a petite girl with a lean body and fair skin tone. She has black eyes that give off a relaxed, uninterested vibe, dark purple hair cut around her neck with a heartbeat monitor line shadow in its front (it showcases her sound and music-loving persona).
Her most prominent feature would be her long earlobes, which resemble auxiliary wires with male aux pins at their ends. Their length and movement are very versatile.
School Attire
She wears the typical female UA uniform, consisting of a blazer, skirt, and brown shoes. The only difference is that, unlike other females, she wears a blazer at times which is typically what the boys wear.
Regular Clothes
One of the more fashionable students at UA, she is usually dressed in a punk rock style, wearing cool T-shirts, rocker accessories, and famous band merchandise.
Hero Costume
Kyoka Jiro’s hero costume is a combination of typical rock star attire. She wears a black leather jacket over a tattered dark pink colored shirt and boots with stereos built-in that she can connect to with her aux pins. She has triangular red paint below her eyes which resembles the knobs on amplifiers.
Later on, her costume included a support item, detachable speakers on her wrists that she could connect to for a more mid-range radius of attack.
Personality
In my opinion, Kyoka’s character development is one of the best in My hero Academia. From being shy and afraid to show her talents and passions to breaking out of her shell and becoming an absolute rockstar wiping away everyone’s sorrow by drowning them in her music.
She created new memories for everyone that went through pain and suffering. These aspects of her actions and the way Horikoshi presents her make a calm and loveable presence of a strong independent girl who loves her friends and wants to enjoy her journey to becoming a hero with them.
Kind and Hardworking
“You wanna talk about being scared? Or strong? Or weak? Or special? Well, I don’t give a crap. You hear me? Screw all that! My problem is that you’re the one who made my pals cry.”
Delving deeper into her cool and calm exterior, Kyoka Jiro is extraordinarily kind and caring towards her friends. She takes the responsibility of being a hero very seriously. She tries to use her powers to help others whenever she can. She protected all of her friends when Mineta tried to peek in the girl’s locker room by poking his eye with the end of her pin.
She helped all of her friends during the cultural festival by composing the music, helping them out with their instruments, and performing at the festival even though she was insecure about it because her friends needed her help.
Kyoka had always believed that she was supposed to go into a music career like her parent to fulfill their expectations. Kyoka decided to become a hero, but she felt guilty even though her parents were happy with her decision.
Her love for music turned into a “useless hobby,” as she calls it. The change to accept music and be proud of who she is, is brought with the help of her friends and her acceptance of music as a way to save lives. The moment she shone exceedingly was during the recent arc is when she went against all for one and decided to go all out against the strongest enemy because he was the one who made her friends cry.
Reasonable and Excitable
Kyoka Jiro is usually pragmatic and calm; she does not get emotionally distraught with ease. Whenever she is out on missions, she tries her best to formulate plans, create contingencies, and be prepared.
This is due to her quirk being more suitable for reconnaissance and stealth missions. She was easily understood during the cultural festival when she was helping others with the musical performance. She prefers choosing the intelligent and logical approach during team exercises.
There are only a handful of ways Kyoka loses her calm. One of them is horror displays; this was evident when they had to pass the test of courage, and Kyoka was scared out of her wits. She also gets emotional when people compliment her, especially when Kaminari Denki does, and usually is aggressive towards them.
She gets timid whenever she has to wear overtly girly apparel like dresses which she believes aren’t a part of her persona. With all that said, Kyoka is a bit insecure about her appearance, especially being feminine. She was mad when Mineta called out every girl’s name in their class except for hers.
Passionate
Kyoka is one of the most passionate people in class 1A. She lives for music and loves the art form. It reflects in all aspects of her personality, showcasing her dedication. The only other things she’s passionate about are being a hero and her friends.
She tries her best to be the best hero she can be, and it is apparent during the fights against the villains. Her protective nature towards her friends is visible throughout the series. Her snarky attitude is evident in how she teasingly bullies people, especially Kaminari, whose aloof nature makes him an easy target, and Mineta, whose perverted actions provide a valid reason for Kyoka’s behavior.
She is usually reserved with people she does not know, but slowly, as she befriends them, her veil vanishes. She treats anyone whom she declares her friend with utmost love and respect. She didn’t back away from All for one because he made her friends cry. She supports all her friends and helps them become the hero they all want to be.
Quirk and Abilities
Earphone Jack
Kyoka’s quirk is Earphone Jack, which mainly harnesses the power of sound. She can use long auxiliaries like earlobes
with pins at the end to connect to devices, listen to what’s happening, and even send vibrations through objects using the rhythm of her body (heartbeat). She can also use her earlobes as strong whips and the jacks to precisely throw things like throwing darts.
During the quirk test, Kyoka placed 7th in her class. She was also noticed by Gang Orca (12th Rank hero) during the provisionary license exam. This allowed her to learn under the leadership of a great hero. She was tasked to increase the sound quality of her sounds and the strength of her quirk by constantly inserting her jacks into a hard stone.
Fighting style
She doesn’t usually engage in close-quarters combat; Kyoka mainly focuses on stealth, surveillance, and support. Still, she can hold up her own while fighting; this was very noticeable in her fight against one for all.
She can use her quirk to harness the power of sound through support speakers to launch attacks, and cause vibrations strong enough to break the ground. She can even insert the jacks into her enemies and use the shockwaves to incapacitate them.
Tactical
Kyoka is brilliant and always plans ahead before jumping into a battle. She always plans for the required mode of action needed to win with her teammates.
This can be seen throughout the training carried out in UA, like when she was teamed with Bakugo and the others during the joint training arc, ideally using her quirk to assist her teammates and carry out the needed tasks to ensure their victory. She used her abilities to find the bomb against members of Humarise.
Drawback
Her quirk affects an entire area, so she herself is not protected from it, much less her teammates. She has to be very precise in using her quirk and wear noise-canceling headphones such that she’s unaffected by the sound waves.
Moves
Counter Balance
Kyoka uses her Jacks to plug into the amplifiers attached to her shoes to cancel any other sound-based attacks by sending out shockwaves through them.
Heart Beat Distortion
Plugging her jacks into the speakers on the top of her forearms, she uses them to create a powerful sound wave strong enough to shatter the ground. This is done by using the sound of her heartbeat as they’re transferred to the amplifiers.
Heart Beat Surround
Kyoka uses the amplifiers on her forearms and detaches them with her earlobes. She then uses them to create a short-range sound wave directly towards her enemy to immobilize them.
Legato
The more potent version of Heart Beat Surround is done with more sound, a stronger shockwave, and more power.
Heart Beat Wall
Kyoka uses her support amplifiers to create a shockwave with her heartbeat that sends away enemy attacks creating a protective barrier.
Kyoka Jiro: Music and Heroism
History
Born to musicians and composers, Kyoka’s life has been filled with music ever since she entered the world. She adopted her parents’ love for music, and she could use a wide variety of instruments even at a young age. Her parents wanted Kyoka to follow their path and find a life in music, but Kyoka chose to make her own way. She decided to become a hero and enrolled in UA.
The Beginning of the Journey
Kyoka, during the quirk test, was in 17th position. When the first trial was being held, Kyoka was paired with Denki Kaminari and played the role of the Hero team.
Aizawa Shota took the entire class for an Unforeseen Simulation, but the villains attacked. Kyoka was warped to a rocky mountainous area along with Yaoayarozu Momo and Kaminari Denki during the fight. She uses Denki’s power to electrocute the enemies.
She uses her boots to launch shockwaves against them and defeat the villains together. After the fight is over, Kyoka joins the rest of her class and moves away from the scene.
The Sports Festival
Kyoka announces that not many students qualify as heroes, and some end up being sidekicks. She then prepares for the festival and secures the 21st position in the obstacle race, allowing her to qualify for the team battle. She pairs up with Rikido Sato, Toru Hagakure, and Koji Koda for the battle.
They initially try to go for Midoriya Izuku’s band but fail. Before the time runs out, they try to go for Todoroki’s band but are frozen by his power and lose the battle.
Along with other girls, she wears cheerleader costumes because of a lie told by Mintea and Denki, stating that their homeroom teacher had ordered it. Kyoka ends up watching while the other girls cheer during the leisurely period of the event.
Workplace Training
Two days after the sports festival, Kyoka chooses her hero name as Earphone Jack: the hearing hero. She is then given a list to select a Hero agency to train at and picks Death Arms for her internship.
During her internship, she goes through a much more complicated training process than she would at UA, which includes patrolling. She helps Death Arms in a hostage situation and assists hostages in escaping to safety.
The Final Exam
Kyoka studies with Momo for her final exam along with other students. For the practical portion of their exam, she is paired with Koji, and they must go against Present Mic. The goal is to handcuff Present Mic or escape the area in 30 minutes to succeed.
Kyoka realizes early on that they cannot win as long as Present Mic uses his quirk, so she devises a plan to go against him. Kyoka motivates Koji to face his fears and devises a plan to help them pass the exam. She encourages Koji to use his quirk against Present Mic.
He is afraid of insects by attacking him from beneath the ground. On the other hand, Kyoka uses her quirk to cancel out the effects of Present Mics sound waves, allowing them to get their affairs in order. They succeed with Kyoka’s plan, and Present Mic is shocked with fear. Koji carries a slightly injured Kyoka to victory. She passes the exam and goes to the mall with her friends to prepare for the Bootcamp.
Forest Training Camp
She arrives with her class in the mountainous region owned by the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Along with the rest of the class, she is thrown into the forest, where they have to fight beasts to reach the camp. Kyoka uses her quirk to discern the location of the beasts and help her class reach the camp safely.
The following day she starts quirk training by hitting a huge rock with her Earphone jacks. This would help strengthen the jack and increase the quality of sound that emerges from it.
On the third day, Pixie bob of the Pussycats tells the class about their test of courage which Kyoka hates because of her fear of anything scary. She is later paired with Hagakure Toru for the test of courage. When the Vanguard Action Squad attacks, they fill the forest with a poison gas that incapacitates those who breathe it in.
Kyoka turns unconscious and is saved by Momo, who creates and puts a gas mask over her face. Yuga takes her to the facility along with Toru. She was then later on hospitalized because of the incident.
Life at the Dorm
While the rest of the squad goes to save Bakugo, Kyoka regains consciousness and is taken back home. All Might and Aizawa Shota go to her parents, telling them about the new dorms, safe for hero students. Her father agrees to their request, and Kyoka begins her life in the dorms.
While scolding the squad, Aizawa Shota cites that if not for Bakugo, Toru, and Kyoka, he would have expelled the entire class for their actions. Everyone then decorates their bedrooms. Kyoka’s room is filled with musical instruments, music records, posters, and a rock star aesthetic.
The Provisional License
Kyoka upgrades her hero outfit by adding the forearm amplifiers to her ensemble to prepare for the license exam. Aizawa Shota then takes the class to the Gym, where they train for the exam.
During the exam, UA students are also introduced to students of other schools. The students need to eliminate other students by hitting them with balls to win. Kyoka uses a strong sound wave to break the ground, teams up with other Class 1A students, and begins fighting to win.
Kyoka uses her jack to connect to a large amplifier to create a sonic attack following Momo’s plan. They finally reach the goal and find out that they’re the first ones to qualify. Kyoka checks her name on the list at the end of the exam and is delighted to receive the license.
The Festival
After finding out about the school festival by Aizawa Shota, the class is to choose a program to perform. Tenya announces that they should choose something that helps blow off steam. A concert is decided to which everyone points towards Kyoka for the music.
Kyoka reluctantly agrees to perform due to her class’s insistence. Kyoka is unanimously chosen to be the vocalist. She selects the rest of the band from students who can play instruments.
The band constantly practices under the lead singer Kyoka Jiro. Kyoka writes tips and techniques for her bandmates to help them improve. The entire crowd initially is skeptical of their performance. Still, as soon they start playing and Kyoka starts singing, everyone’s sorrows fade away. The whole crowd cheers, and the class’s performance is a hit.
Joint training
Aizawa and Vlad King hold a joint training session between Class 1A and 1B. They are all divided into five teams, and Kyoka is placed on Baugo’s team. Kyoka and her team, in the beginning, lack teamwork. She is unable to tell them about the trap up ahead even when Bakugo asks her to check ahead. Katsuki Bakugo saves Kyoka from Togaru’s attack.
Kyoka then regroups with her team and goes forward to attack. She launches her Heart Beat Surround against Yosetsu, stunning him while her team takes care of him. Along with her team, she slowly defeats the remaining members of class 1B and wins the training.
At Nabu Islan
Kyoka joins forces with Momo and Mina to direct the citizens to safety after being attacked by a group of villains. Kyoka then assists Momo and Denki, who are replenishing supplies. She also helps in the ambush of the villain group Nine. She helps the kids escape the violent situation and protects them.
Gang Orca’s Team
Kyoka joined Gang Orca’s team to stop Huamrise, who were to trigger a bomb to kill thousands of people. Kyoka helped locate the bomb with her skills and notified the team. She even finds the other bomb, which Huamarise members guarded.
Paranormal Liberation War
Kyoka returns from training with Gang Orca and shows off her new skills. Then the entire class prepares for a great fight against the villains. Kyoka learns of enemy movements when the mission begins by teaming up with Momo. In contrast, the others are busy with the operation, and Kyoka learns of Gigantomachina’s movements. Kyoka starts fighting some of the lieutenants with other students carried by Gigantomachina.
Kyoka works as a communicator for the entre plan and excellently has the operation with her reconnaissance skills. They manage to repel the attack but as soon as they achieve a moment of peace, the entire class receives a letter from Izuku, which tells them about his situation and why All for One attacked.
To find a Friend
Kyoka joins the team along with her friends, trying to find Midoriya Izuku. They defeat the villain dictator and manage to bring Izuku back. Kyoka notices the crowd watching and that the evacuees are unhappy with UA heroes. Kyoka then gets the back together and performs for the entire crowd, causing the people to smile again.
Traitor among us
As All Might tells the class to prepare for an all-out war. The entire class, including Kyoka, has been training with the Pussycats and says they’re ready. She finds out that Aoyama Yuga is the traitor and joins the Search Squad to find the villains. After eight days of searching, she returns to the hideout and reports her findings to everyone.
Currently
Kyoka gets ready for battle after meeting her parents and joins the team. She joins Fumikage and saves Hawks from a cannon blast while she fights against All for One. Kyoka, in her fight, loses one of her ears but manages to launch her new attack against him, which allows the wills of the people whose quirks All for One has stolen to go against him, offering them a moment of weakness. Hawks capitalize on this moment and launch an attack.
Notable relationships
Kyotoku and Mika Jiro
Kyoka loves her parents very much and felt that she was supposed to follow in their footsteps and find a path in music. Her parents are incredibly supportive and welcome the idea of their daughter wanting to be a hero with open arms.
Denki Kaminari
Kyoka finds Denki’s nature and quirk to be useless at first but later on notices that he can be helpful as well. They are both very good friends; when Kaminari found out about Kyoka’s insecurity with her hobby (Music), he motivated and complimented her.
Kyoka often gets frustrated by Denki’s actions but finds him funny, with slight hints given which leave me to believe that Kyoka has a crush on Kaminari. She looked out for him and Momo at Nabu Island, where they both used too much of their quirk.
When Denki began to fear for his life at Gunga Mountain, he thought about Kyoka as the person who motivated him, showcasing their strong bond of friendship.
Momo Yaoyorozu
Momo and Kyoka seem to be very close friends, Momo was initially awkward, but Kyoka befriended her quickly. She even asked her to tutor her for the exam. Kyoka is protective of Momo. She even punches hanta when he comments her quirk. They can be seen working together on many occasions and Momo was even part of Kyoka’s band.
Midoriya Izuku
Even though the two have not spent much time together, they respect and trust each other. Midoriya helps Kyoka in taking notes and preparing for the cultural festival. She worries for him as a classmate and a friend. During her battle with All for One she goes all out because Izuku is one of the people he has hurt and Kyoka would go to any length to protect her friends.
Minoru Mineta
Kyoka has a strong distaste for Mineta’s perverted actions and uses her quirk on many occasions to aggressively reprimand him like when he tried to peep into the girl’s locker room. Even though she dislikes his actions, Kyoka accepts him as a hero in training. She has some respect for him and trusts him enough to know that he would have her back as a classmate.
FAQs
Question: Does Kyoka Have a crush on Kaminari?
Answer: While it is not certain, there are subtle hints dropped that she developed a crush on Kaminari, and he reflects similar feelings. This is visible when Kaminari compliments Jiro and for Kaminari when Midnight asks him to think about the person he cares about the most.
Question: Does Kyoka Jiro like Momo?
Answer: Both of them observe a strong bond of friendship, the only reason why people assume that a crush might exist is that Jiro is happy that Momo agrees to be one of her best friends. I believe that it is unlikely that a romantic interest exists between the two but we never know.
Question: Can Kyoka’s power increase further?
Answer: With her ability to manipulate sound, i can certainly see Kyoka growing stronger — using sound waves to disrupt enemies and locations. From her most recent fight against All For One, we can see how she uses sound to change the hearts and emotions of others. To increase upon the same wavelength, she can surely use her jacks to attack enemies at close range, incapacitate them or just use soundwaves in general to comprehend the situation further.
Fun Facts
- She is the first hero created by Kohei Horikoshi and her design has not changed much from the original.
- Her favorite thing in the world is Rock.
- The EKG streak on her hair signifies how she uses her heartbeat for her quirk.
- Here quirks name is similar to her hero’s name.
- She is also a skilled sword user, apparent during the USJ fight.
- She was 7th in the midterms, which showcase her intellect.