High Voltage

High Voltage,^[1] is the Semblance of Nora Valkyrie. She is first seen using it in the episode "New Challengers..." of Volume 3.

It allows her to to produce and channel electrical energy into her muscles, giving her enhanced strength.

Description[]

Nora's Semblance is the ability to produce and channel electrical energy into her muscles, which lends to her already absurd strength. Furthermore, she's practically immune from taking low levels of electrical damage as she simply absorbs any electrical current to fuel her strength, though she still feels the pain that comes with it. Her Semblance has its limits, however, as shown in "Strings" when Nora channels the electrical power of a security door for an extended period of time to smash through several feet of steel with explosive power, but is rendered unconscious shortly after, covered in electrical burns.

Although she can absorb electricity from a direct blow, she can also use Magnhild as a lightning rod.

Her Semblance does not make her outright immune to being electrocuted. When Hazel Rainart grabs her after enhancing himself with Lightning Dust in "Downfall", she screams in pain as he holds her down and electrocutes her. Notably in "Strings", if Nora absorbs too much electricity, it can gravely injure her.

Her Semblance can be exploited by her allies, such as when Ruby Rose shoots a Lightning Dust round at her during Team RNJR's battle against Tyrian Callows in Oniyuri, or when Winter Schnee uses a Lightning Dust glyph to empower her during a fight with James Ironwood outside Atlas Academy.

History[]

Nora is first seen using her Semblance in "New Challengers..." during the Vytal Festival Tournament when she is electrocuted by Nolan Porfirio's cattle prod, allowing her to boost her strength and overcome her opponent. She later uses the arena-generated lightning from the mountain biome to boost herself again to blast back most of Team BRNZ before eventually knocking out all of them out of the arena.

She uses her weapon to charge her Semblance in "The Next Step" to overcome the Petra Gigas, setting it up for Ruby to defeat.

In "Tipping Point", Ruby shoots Nora with a Lightning Dust bullet to charge her teammate's Semblance and try to hit Tyrian Callows with a surprise attack, though this ultimately fails due to Tyrian's hidden scorpion stinger.

In "Lighting the Fire", it is revealed that Nora discovered her Semblance after she was struck by lightning and subsequently did not die, an event she refers to as a "crazy Thursday."

Nora again uses her Semblance in "Downfall" to turn Hazel's electrical attacks against him, tossing him to the ground before blasting him out of Haven Academy's Grand Hall with a single swing of her hammer.

In "A Night Off" during Semblance training, Nora is seen training with Jaune and testing her Semblance-enhanced strength and reflexes by launching a ball at him repeatedly, swinging her hammer harder every time he deflects it.

Nora's Semblance proved instrumental in "Strings" when Nora channels the electrical power of a security door for an extended amount of time to smash through it, freeing herself and her friends before the Ace-Ops could apprehend Penny. Unfortunately, she overcharged her Aura in the process and rendered herself unconscious shortly after, leaving her covered in electrical scars.

In "Creation", Winter boosts Nora's Semblance with an Lightning Dust-enhanced glyph, allowing her to land a boosted hit on General Ironwood.

Trivia[]

• Nora reveals to Oscar that while Ren's Semblance was unlocked via stress, hers was unlocked after being struck by lightning. This indicates that external phenomena can be instrumental in discovering and unlocking the power of one's Semblance, pending that it is something that can be triggered externally.
• Nora overcharging her Semblance was an early idea in development for Volume 8 and it was originally going to happen at a power plant with an electrified security fence. The initial idea behind it came from Kerry Shawcross looking at Reddit and coming across an image of a person who had been scarred by lighting and he thought that kind of scarring would fit great with Nora.^[2]
• Nora's Semblance contributes to her allusion to the Norse god of thunder Thor.
  • Her Semblance allows her to absorb and produce electricity to power up her muscles, giving her more strength. Thor is known for his strength and his connection to lightning and thunder.
  • She discovered her Semblance when she was struck by lightning on a Thursday. The word "Thursday" means "Thor's Day" in Old English and is named after Thor.

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