Bending

**Bending** (曲げ, *Mage*) is the Quirk used by Izuna Midoriya.

## Description

**Bending** is the ability to manipulate the four main elements of Air, Fire, Earth, and Water. However, the elements also have some subskills.

### Airbending

Airbending concentrates on speed and evasion, forgoing a strong offense for a greater defense. Though apparently lacking fatal finishing moves, it is the most dynamic of the four elements. As the element of freedom, the user uses their capability to bend unencumbered by the ground or any other environmental factors and use their own momentum as a weapon, evading attacks with astounding agility to tire their opponents out or building up massive inertia for explosive gusts of wind to make their counterattacks finishing moves. When resorting to physical confrontation, they are able to harness the immense, intangible power of wind. They can use a flight technique by operating a glider and using the air to provide thrust and lift. The sub-skills of airbending are flight and spiritual projection. Airbending is the element of freedom, and its season is fall.

### Waterbending

"*I rise with the Moon when it is full*"
—Izuna on the water aspect of her quirk

Water is a versatile element, it is unique in the sense that the first bender of the element was the Moon. Similar to the element, users of water manipulation are extremely adaptable and versatile. Waterbending concentrates on the flow of energy, focusing less on strength and more on turning the opponent's own energy against them. While someone's victory in battle depends on their skill or ingenuity, the user is able to gain a serious advantage or disadvantage depending on the amount of water around them, although highly skilled users can draw water from anywhere, such as humidity from the air and the water in living things, especially plants. As the element of change, users can fluidly and quickly alternate from defense to offense, from a wall of ice to a jet of water, turning their opponent's strength against them. Due to its lunar sympathy, waterbending is stronger at night and weaker during the day. The sub-skills for waterbending are healing and bloodbending. Waterbending is the element of change, and its season is winter.

### Earthbending

"*Sometimes it's best to wait for the right moment. Like an earthquake, strike your opponents when least expected*"
—Izuna on her earthbending

Earthbending demands a special connection with the earth that is achievable with neutral jing, listening, though seemingly doing nothing and waiting for the right moment to strike. Like waterbenders, earthbenders gain an advantage or disadvantage in battle based on the amount of earth around them, though the conditions are not as extreme. Because of their element's stability and its stress on neutral jing, earthbenders stand their ground, absorbing or intercepting attacks until they completely overwhelm their opponents. Unlike the other elements, earthbending's strength equally lies in both offense and defense. Earthbending is in stark contrast to airbending as airbending's emphasis is on evasion and mobility while earthbending's emphasis is on fortitude and strength. The sub-skills for earthbending are seismic sense, metalbending, and lavabending. Earthbending is the element of substance, and its season is spring.

### Firebending

"*This is part of your quirk, Todoroki. We both use the element of power. Unlike you however, I rise with the sun when there is a new moon*"
—Izuna to her classmate, Soliana Todoroki

Firebending is the most aggressive element. As the element of power, firebenders have to be able to maintain a constant source of energy and balance in battle, unleashing a volley of direct, successive attacks. Unlike other benders who depend on external sources of their elements to bend, firebenders can create fire using their internal heat source in addition to controlling already existent flames. Skilled firebenders are able to fly using powerful jets of flames. Due to its solar affinity, firebending is stronger during the day and at its full power at noon, but completely ineffective during a solar eclipse. When a comet passes close to the planet, the power of a firebender is greatly increased. Firebending's relatively simple and direct style contrasts with the changing style of waterbending. A notable feature of special firebenders is the ability to create a hotter, blue fire; Izuna was the only one who demonstrated this extra-powerful flame. The sub-skills for firebending are combustionbending, generating and redirecting lightning. Firebending is the element of power, and its season is summer.

## Sub-skills

### Healing

This is a sub-skill of waterbending that allows the bender to heal wounds; by using water as a catalyst, they can redirect energy paths around the body, concentrating more energy into a wounded area and allowing that area to heal at an accelerated rate. While this technique is effective on external, physical wounds, its ability to repair internal injuries and cure illnesses is more limited. The skill level of the healer, as well as the quality of the water used, also plays a role in its effectiveness. On rare occasions, waterbenders may instinctively be able to use this technique without any formal training. Typically, healers use a small quantity of water and apply it to the area they wish to heal, though for more serious ailments, the patient may be submerged entirely in water.

* **Body temperature control:** Certain highly skilled healers are able to lower body temperature to such a level that all processes are slowed down, including death itself.

### Bloodending

This is a special sub-skill that allows an extremely advanced waterbender to take hold of and manipulate fluids within an organism's body, allowing the bender to move the person's muscles.

### Lightning generation

This is an advanced sub-skill within firebending that allows the user to produce electricity by separating the positive and negative energies internally, before directing it up through the arm and out the fingertips. The technique is extremely precise and deadly and is referred to by some as the "cold blooded fire".