If you’re a fan of My Hero Academia, you probably remember the absolute gut-punch of the Shie Hassaikai arc. Mirio Togata, the guy everyone—even Eraser Head—thought was the closest person to becoming the No. 1 Hero, suddenly lost everything. He took a quirk-destroying bullet to the chest to save a little girl named Eri. It was brutal.
For a long time, the question does Lemillion get his quirk back haunted the fandom. Was he just going to be a quirkless hero like Deku almost was? Or was there a loophole?
Honestly, the short answer is yes. Mirio Togata does eventually regain his Permeation quirk. But the "how" and "when" are where things get really interesting, and maybe a little controversial depending on who you ask in the community.
The Moment Lemillion Returns
It took a while. Fans had to wait years in real-world time (and quite a few volumes in the manga) before Lemillion made his grand reappearance. It happened during the Paranormal Liberation War.
Imagine the scene: the heroes are absolutely getting thrashed. Gigantomachia is rampaging, the League of Villains is winning, and Best Jeanist is desperately trying to hold things together with literal threads. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Mirio leaps onto the battlefield. He’s back. He’s phasing through attacks. He’s shouting "Power!"
It was a massive hype moment in Chapter 292 of the manga, which later aired in Season 6, Episode 12 of the anime.
How it actually happened
The "miracle" behind his recovery wasn't some new medical serum or a magic potion. It was Eri.
Specifically, it was her Rewind quirk. You’ve seen her use it before—she can rewind a person's body to a previous state. The problem was that after the fight with Overhaul, Eri didn't have control. Her horn, which acts as a battery for her power, had shrunk. She needed time to "charge up" enough energy to reverse the permanent damage caused by the quirk-erasing drug.
Basically, Mirio waited. He stayed by her side, mentored her, and kept his spirits up while she trained with Eraser Head and others to master her dangerous gift. Two months before the big war broke out, Eri finally felt ready. She used her Rewind on Mirio, and just like that, his Quirk Factor was restored to the state it was in before he was shot.
Why Some Fans Found the Return Underwhelming
Look, seeing Mirio back in action was great. But if you spend any time on Reddit or Discord, you'll see a lot of debate. Some people feel like his return was a bit of a "deus ex machina."
- The Flashback Issue: Instead of seeing a big, emotional scene where he gets his powers back, the manga shows it as a quick flashback after he’s already arrived at the fight.
- The Stakes: Some argued that losing his quirk was such a powerful character moment that getting it back "cheapened" the sacrifice.
- The Off-Screen Training: We didn't really get to see the grueling process of Eri learning to control her power specifically for this purpose.
On the flip side, most people (myself included) just wanted to see the "Tintin" of the hero world smile again. Mirio is the embodiment of resilience. Even when he was quirkless, he didn't stop training. He proved he was a hero with or without a "superpower," which makes his eventual return feel earned in spirit, if not in screen time.
What Lemillion Does After Getting His Quirk Back
He didn't just show up for a cameo. Once he got Permeation back, Mirio became a pivot point for the final battles of the series.
- Fighting the High-Ends: During the first war, he held off multiple High-End Nomu at once, giving the other heroes room to breathe.
- The UA High Battle: In the final arc against Shigaraki/All For One, Mirio is part of the core team tasked with keeping the villain contained.
- The "Peach" Incident: If you know, you know. Mirio uses his... uh... unique brand of humor to try and distract Shigaraki. It’s one of the weirdest and funniest moments in a high-stakes battle you’ll ever see.
Is the Quirk Exactly the Same?
Yes. It’s the same difficult-to-master Permeation. It’s not "buffed" or evolved; it’s just restored. The reason he’s so effective isn't just the power itself, but the years of prediction-based combat training he did under Sir Nighteye.
When Eri rewound him, she didn't just fix his DNA; she restored his identity.
Final Thoughts for Fans
So, if you’re catching up on the anime or the manga, rest assured that the Lemillion drought does end. He isn't sidelined forever.
If you want to see the specific chapters where this all goes down, check out Manga Chapters 292 and 293. If you’re an anime-only watcher, head straight to Season 6, Episode 12 (titled "The Threads of Hope"). It’s a payoff that took a long time to arrive, but seeing him phase through the ground to save his friends again is one of the series' most triumphant beats.
Next Steps for You:
Check out the Season 6 finale to see how Mirio’s return shifts the morale of the hero society. If you're curious about the deeper mechanics of Eri's power, look into the Paranormal Liberation War arc details regarding "Quirk Singularity," which explains why her power is so rare and dangerous.