Soul Eater’s Black Star is often played for laughs as a typical shonen archetype. His ego is limitless, and his constant grandstanding somehow manages to straddle the line between amusing and obnoxious, but does he have the skills to back up his tough talk? Let’s take a closer look at our favorite noisy assassin, and determine whether or not that superiority complex is well enough earned.
What Can Black Star Do With His Soul?
A particularly useful skill to have when fighting against enemies for whom normal attacks have limited effectiveness, Black Star’s boisterous personality permeates all the way down to his soul. He’s capable of forcing his soul’s wavelength into well-chosen parts of his opponent’s body, relying upon the assassin training which analyzes the most effective points to inflict damage upon one’s victim. This move, coined by Black Star as his “Black Star Big Wave” can be modified into the move Soul Menace. Soul Menaces negates his need to have a weapon to fight despite his being a meister, as his soul wavelength becomes a kind of electrical attack that works intuitively with his own thoughts. These moves made him the perfect opponent for Crona, as he could be defeated without spilling any of the dangerous Black Blood.
Can Black Star Hover?
Born of the tumultuous battle taking part on the moon, Black Star discovered the benefits of fighting within the air as well as on the ground and trained diligently to attempt to use this technique for himself. Since he does not have a Grigori, a rare soul that enables flight for the user, any success he could meet with was destined to be limited. By the end of the story, however, he is capable of hovering himself a few inches above the ground, opening up new potentials to fighting upon difficult terrain and leaving fewer traces of his presence.
Can Black Star Grab Light?
In a surprising moment within the manga, Black Star, confronted with enemy Moonlight’s laser beams, physically catches one of the bursts and hurls it back towards the attacker. Considering that is not a move capable of any other the other students within the DWMA, this was an impressive show of power, though not entirely out of the realm of possibility for someone who is eventually hailed as a warrior god. When Maka questions him later as to how this was possible, Black Star merely attributed it to his inherent greatness and laughed off the stunt, refusing to address it any further. This leaves the audience relatively in the dark as to how the skill had been made possible, though Maka is seen wondering whether or not Black Star is even human.
What Can Black Star's Shadow Do?
Coming from a school where students are encouraged to transform themselves both literally and figuratively into weapons, it shouldn’t be too surprising to find that Black Star’s managed a more creative alternative. When resonating with his partner Tsubaki, it’s possible for Black Star to fuse his shadow with Tsubaki’s chain blade to create a chain scythe. This blade can be thrown with near-perfect accuracy considering Black Star’s shadow can manipulate the trajectory, making it a powerful ranged weapon.
His shadow can additionally be extended to form a tangible scarf capable of blocking and inflicting damage with the same amount of dexterity as though it were another limb. Black Star’s shadows can also be severed and made into images of himself to confuse enemies. These images seem to have their own matter and can prove disorienting to an opponent if their reflexes and observation skills are not sharp enough.
What Are Black Star's Physical Abilities?
Black Star makes no secret of his determination to become all-powerful, frequently saying that he will be the one to surpass God. This single-minded devotion has given him definite advantages. He’s often seen throughout the story working out, doing push-ups with his pinky fingers or curl-ups while attempting to study for exams. This has honed his strength to a point where it borders on superhuman, capable of breaking through Crona’s black blood or lifting one of the teeth of the moon during their battle.
His speed plays a role in his fighting strategies as well, allowing him to dodge attacks such as Crona’s thorns easily. This speed is bolstered when in soul resonance with Tsubaki, opening the ability of Speed Star for usage. Speed Star allows for blinding attacks and dodges, compensating for the dangers close combat can elicit. It does however require a surface with steady traction, as if the surface is too slippery he’s likely to fall and be rendered vulnerable. Black Star seems capable of taking more damage than the average student, able to take a hit from Vajra’s laser and continue fighting despite the serious injuries incurred.
