Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 7, Episode 1

My Hero Academia kicked off season 7 with the introduction of someone who might just be the most powerful hero in the franchise: America’s #1, Star and Stripe. Star and Stripe proved her cunning and raw power in an exciting battle with “Tomura Shigaraki,” the being that now exists after the merging of All for One and Shigaraki.

Despite not being given any orders to aid Japan, Star and Stripe took off from the US with a small fleet of fighter jets, piloted by her most loyal compatriots. All for One decided to seize upon this opportunity by engaging Star and Stripe before she could arrive, deploying “Tomura,” who came out of hiding hoping to steal her powerful Quirk for himself. However, the details of exactly how Star and Stripe’s Quirk works are a tightly held secret by the US government, meaning that even All for One didn’t know exactly what to expect going into this battle.

As it turns out, Star and Stripe’s power is one of the most ridiculous and dangerous within the series to date.

Star and Stripe is the Perfect Embodiment of the Anime “American”

As introduced, Star and Stripe’s character makes her a spot-on representation of how America is often perceived, particularly in Japan. Star is incredibly powerful, able to use her Quirk, New Order, to enforce her will upon anything and everything she comes in contact with. This allows her to do all manner of impossible things, such as grabbing laser beams and creating a giant version of herself out of air. While nominally under the control of the US government, it’s clear that Star and Stripe is determined to do the right thing, regardless of orders or the consequences.

Star’s Quirk seems satirical, embodying America’s tendency to enforce its own worldview onto others in a literal sense. It’s a fitting ability, and it makes it very easy to see how Star and Stripe rose to become the #1 hero in the US. The idea of All for One getting his hands on such an ability is a chilling one, as in his hands the Quirk could almost make him invincible. That puts a lot at stake in this battle–the ultimate villain could be defeated here and now, or he could become stronger than ever before, making the situation in Japan suddenly get a whole lot worse.

Star and Stripe is an interesting character in that while she doesn’t know All Might particularly well, she does look up to him immensely, as he once saved her when she was very young during All Might’s time in the USA. Her respect for him is a lot like Deku’s, as All Might is a larger-than-life figure to her, and she’s modeled herself upon him. Her allegiance to All Might is a big part of why she was willing to break the rules and come to Japan. The idea of doing what All Might couldn’t must be an exciting one for her, but Star and Stripe will have to stay vigilantly on guard, lest My Hero Academia‘s deadliest villain get the drop on her.