How does Star and Stripe’s Quirk from My Hero Academia work?

My Hero Academia finally returned for its seventh season, and things are getting dangerously heated. Shigaraki Tomura and All For One are out for blood, while the heroes are all holed up, struggling to catch their breath. The current situation is like watching a serial killer hunt down their prey. But unlike your typical horror movie, the military isn’t so late in this one.

America’s mightiest hero, Star and Stripe, swooped down with a fleet of jets and gave Shigaraki and All For One a bad time. She not only stalled for time but also knocked the villains’ power levels a couple of notches. And all that is only possible with her rather complicated Quirk, New Order.

How does New Order work?

New Order allows its user to alter their environment by imposing new rules on them. For instance, Star and Stripe activated New Order to make the laser beams tangible, allowing her to grab and use them as a giaꦐnt weapon. However, it has multiple l🍃imitations.

Activating New Order requires two basic conditions: the user must be in contact with the target, and the user has to utter the target’s name. Meeting both conditions doesn’t guarantee successful activation. The Quirk also requires the user to have the same understanding as the target in regard to their identity. This very rule allowed Shigaraki to escape death. His uncertainty over his own identity — whether he was Shigaraki, All For One, or Tenko at the time of their duel — instantly voided Star and Stripe’s attempt to target him.

Furthermore, New Order is not omnipotent. Only two rules can be active at any given point. The Quirk also has limited augmentation prowess. Star and Stripe is the prime example of that. While New Order made her exponentially stronger, she still cannot match peak All Might in terms of raw power. But despite these limitations, New Order re๊mains to be an oppressive Quirk. After all, it is the Quirk that allowed Star and Stripe to wreck Shigaraki at his peak.