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Trying to understand the technicalities of Copy's touch requirement (and failing)

This exists because of this post by @danicydonia. It's not a reblog because this is too long (Imagine receiving a reblog THIS long, I think it would scare anyone lol) and, truth be told, I initially didn't even plan to post it (because, the way I wrote it, I honestly sound kind of disconnected?), but here I am. I'm still tagging the original post simply because that's really what made me do this, so credit where it is due.

Okay, let's get to the context. When I saw Monoma's post-timeskip design, the first thing I thought was that the gloves didn't make sense because, in my memory, he needed skin-to-skin or skin-to-hair contact (I will refer to this type of contact as "direct contact" and contact through clothing as "indirect contact"). I even have a witness to this doubt because I remember talking to a moot about how impractical the gloves were and, with how often he'd have to take them off, he'd probably lose a bunch of them in battles and have to order new ones. I think we even joked about how, considering he became a top 10 hero and has fans, some of those gloves were possibly never recovered because they must be worth a fortune because of the fans lol.

Now, it's important to point out that I saw Monoma's adult design because people were posting it, not because I was following the manga at this time. By the time the epilogue chapters were released, I had already stopped reading BNHA about two years prior, I think. This means my memory was questionable. Days after that conversation with this moot, I remembered the DNA technology in Mirio's suit, which makes his Quirk interpret the clothing as part of his body (and in this way, he can cross surfaces without getting naked). So, perhaps it was the same with the gloves? Although, even so, it seems like a silly idea to spend effort, time, and money on advanced DNA technology for a pair of gloves when the most obvious decision is simply not to have the gloves since they are purely aesthetic.

Then, I tried to do some pseudo-investigation on this and came to the conclusion that Copy was never explicitly stated as needing direct contact, and perhaps it doesn't necessarily need it. But at the same time, coincidentally, every time Copy happens in the manga, we either don't see how it occurred or it was through direct contact, which makes it quite confusing to know if this is a requirement or not. Like, it's never said that it is, but it always happens that way. Is it a huge coincidence, after all? Is it a requirement that Horikoshi forgot to emphasize? Am I missing something because of the translation? I haven't read BNHA in years, could it be that in my rereads of specific chapters (only those useful for this post), I forgot something?

Regarding the translation hypothesis, I emphasize that I read the manga in Portuguese. I had to look for something in English for this post because it's the language most people will understand, but I didn't read the manga in English. The only parts in English that I read were those I needed to find for posting. Furthermore, I also looked for the panels where the exact words were relevant (those describing Monoma's Quirk, i.e., chapters 29, 215, 217, 344, and 347 to be more precise) in Spanish, as it was the only other language I could understand. Overall, in all three languages, at least in the translations I saw, the word usage is quite similar, so I'll have to assume that what I saw is indeed a meaning similar to the original. But I don't know Japanese, so I don't know if I'm missing something.

I also want to emphasize that I'm focused on Horikoshi's writing. That's why I'm not using things like games, novels, or spin-off comics for analysis. Only the manga and books written by Horikoshi.

Anyway, here's the post. If you're a follower because of my other interests, you're probably already used to me saying something and then immediately refuting it, so nothing here will be different. But, if anyone reading this isn't familiar, be prepared to see me suggesting things and then offering arguments for and against that thing at the same time. It's simply my habit to try and find flaws in my own arguments because that way I can analyze as many explanatory scenarios as possible. I'll also try not to be overly opinionated here, since I'm trying to find an answer closer to canon, but I still want to make it clear that there are theories. The parts of the theory, in my view, are quite obvious, so I don't think it's possible to confuse what I've stated is definitely canon with what is pure speculation. I also have opinions on which of the theories I presented I like best, but I will try to be impartial.

MONOMA’S INTRODUCTION

During the arc in which he is introduced, there is a description of his power. This description, however, does not specify that the touch is necessarily through direct contact.

DETAILS. Chapter: 29. Moment: Sports Festival event, during the Cavalry Battle. Bakugou and Kirishima realize that Monoma's Quirk is Copy after he copies them, and then the narrator introduces the character. Key points: all we are told is that Monoma needs to touch someone to use their Quirk, but he has restrictions such as a five-minute time limit and the fact that he cannot use simultaneous Quirks (although, as we see from him copying Kirishima right after Bakugou, in less than the 5-minute time limit, we already notice that he can switch between multiple Quirks).

However, Monoma is consistently depicted engaging in skin-to-skin physical contact. Not only is he barefoot, but the uniform he wears at the Sports Festival has short sleeves and leaves his forearms bare.

DETAILS Chapter: 28. Moment: Sports Festival event, during the Cavalry Battle. Monoma confronts Bakugou's team for the first time. Key points: Monoma had already appeared in scenes prior to this one, at least since chapter 26, but the framing of all of them didn't make him very visible since most were focusing on his face (there is one in particular that shows his hand, which is when he is waving the headbands he has already captured, but that's it). But it is in this scene, when he steals Bakugou's headband during the Cavalry Battle while Bakugou is distracted, that it is made evident for the first time that his forearms are exposed. Logically, however, this was already predictable in the previous frames, even without being visible, because it is simply the standard uniform of the Sports Festival, as can be noted by the looking other characters.

DETAILS Chapter: 29. Moment: Sports Festival event, during the Cavalry Battle. For the first time, we see the Copy Quirk in action when Monoma copies Explosion and Hardening. Key points: although Monoma already appears as the leader of his Cavalry team in chapter 28, the framing never actually showed the lower part of his body. It is in chapter 29, when he copies Bakugou's Quirk, that a framing showing his entire body reveals that he is barefoot. On the same page where we see him barefoot, we see him copy two Quirks, Bakugou's Explosion and Kirishima's Hardening. We don't see the exact moment of the Explosion copy because it happens off-screen, since the manga was showing Team Deku and then returned to Team Bakugou at the moment he was attacked by Monoma. In other words, we don't know exactly where Monoma touched Bakugou, although it's obvious he used his hand since the scene shows him with his hand outstretched, and considering that I find it quite difficult to believe Bakugou gave Monoma enough of an opening to touch his torso, it must have been on Bakugou's arm (perhaps while Bakugou himself was preparing to use Explosion) or on his hair (Bakugou has voluminous hair, it wouldn't be that difficult). In favor of the arm is the first page of the chapter, where we see Bakugou preparing to attack Monoma. In that case, it may be that he attacked him off-screen and, when we return from Team Deku’s POV, Monoma has already touched his arm (which Bakugou would have had to extend to attack him). In favor of the face or hair is the fact that Monoma's explosion is more or less at that height. In any case, both touches would qualify as direct contact, since they are areas not covered by clothing. Now, in Kirishima's case, the framing makes it clear that, while attacking Bakugou, he touched Kirishima's hair, which, thanks to the kind of pompadour, is easy to target. So when Bakugou tried to attack him, Monoma used Hardening as defense.

Monoma is eliminated at the end of chapter 30, and there are no other external events that would make him need to use Copy, so we don't see Monoma using the Quirk at any other point in the Sports Festival arc. Therefore, I will only use these moments to get an idea.

In the case of the people holding Monoma, Kosei's air solidification Quirk (chap 30), used to try to dissuade Bakugou from retrieving his stolen headband, is activated by Kosei himself and was not copied by Monoma. However, when Bakugou decides he wants to take all of Monoma's points as revenge, who used the solidification is ambiguous because of the angle. It could be either Monoma or Kosei.

Finally, for completeness: Bondo (who came to help Team Monoma) uses Cemedine in chapter 29, but he's on a different team (Kodai) and isn't in direct contact with Monoma. And before the direct confrontation with Bakugou, we didn't see Monoma using anyone else's power because we don't see him in the race (he first appears in chapter 26, when the race results are announced) and, in the case of the teams he captured points from before Bakugou, it's not shown exactly how he did it, and we only see him with the headbands in hand (chap 28). Therefore, Monoma's Copy Quirk is used in Explosion, Hardening, and maybe Air Solidification.

In other words, the demonstration of his Quirk is short, but in the two (or three, if Kosei counts) times we saw it, there was apparently direct contact. This may be an indication that the contact is necessarily direct, but it could also just be a coincidence, since:

The presentation of his Quirk (chap 26) does not specify that the contact is necessarily direct;

We didn't see where he touched Bakugou to copy him (chap 29), although it is presumed that it was in a more peripheral area of the body because it would be easier. And in that case, if he touched Bakugou's hair or arm, it could very well have been for convenience rather than Monoma specifically targeting that region;

In the case of Kirishima (chap 29), he would have been touched regardless of whether Monoma planned it or not because his hair is literally in the area where Monoma's hand will necessarily slide after attacking Bakugou. Monoma activated Explosion from top (hitting Bakugou) to bottom (which affected Kirishima because of his hair). I believe it was intentional because I imagine he observed them beforehand and realized that, with Kirishima's Quirk, he could withstand any retaliation Bakugou might give him after stealing the headband. In any case, he specifically touched the kind of pompadour, which is notably the most easily accessible area, even more so considering the height difference between the two (since Monoma is the leader of his team). That is, Monoma may have chosen the hair because it is more convenient;

In Kosei's case (chap 30), Monima is literally supported by him and, consequently, has several points of contact if we consider the parts with clothing. There is no guarantee that the contact considered was necessarily his foot. And again, from the angle, it's not even possible to accurately state that Monoma copied Kosei. It's possible that Kosei was the one who used the power, just as he was the one who did it the first time.

Now, what about the bare feet? Is that intentional on Monoma's part as an adaptation to his Quirk, and is that how he copied Kosei (if we consider that he copied)? In that case, wouldn't that be proof that he needs direct contact to use his allies' Quirks, even if we don't see him doing it on screen and even if his Quirk description doesn't specify it? Let's look at the state of the footwear of other leaders in the Cavalry Battle.

Team Deku - Barefoot (chapter 27)

Team Bakugou - Sneakers (chapter 30)

Team Todoroki - Barefoot (chapter 29)

Others: Tetsutetsu (he appears to be barefoot in chapter 28 when he attacks Deku, but it's not clear enough for me to say for sure), Hagakure (in chapter 28, we see that the only thing she's wearing is pants, probably to avoid embarrassment regarding physical contact. So yes, she's barefoot), Kendou (her feet aren't visible in the chapters where she appears), Mineta (as revealed in chapter 28, he doesn't need to be held in the usual way because he's small and Shouji is large, so the state of his feet is irrelevant. Chapter 29 seems to indicate that he's wearing shoes, but I'm not sure), Kodai (although we see her in chapter 29, it's not possible to see her feet because Bondo is large enough to cover her), Shinsou (we know he's the leader because of the chapters 28 and 30, but the framings don't show his feet), Rin (chap 29. He is mounted on Jurota, so like Mineta, he is in a non-traditional position. Anyway, you can't see his feet).

Conclusion: judging by the overall picture, it seems to me that Monoma being barefoot is part of the Cavalry Battle's activity and not something he did specifically because his Quirk requires it. Bakugou is the unusual one for choosing to wear sneakers, not Monoma for being barefoot. Deku, Hagakure, and Todoroki are clearly barefoot, and Tetsu appears to be barefoot as well, although it's not very clear. The lower parts of Kodai, Shinsou, and Kendou aren't clearly visible, so there's no way to say for sure that they're wearing shoes. Whether Mineta is wearing shoes or not is irrelevant because he's not in the same position as the others, thanks to his team's specific strategy (for example, Asui, who, in a traditional formation, should be standing since she's not the team leader, is also being carried by Shouji) and the same applies to Rin (who is riding Jurota).

And why is that? It's for the same reason Mineta and Rin aren't really counted here. Basically, it's because shoes actually get in the way when in the traditional pose. Humans are primates, and so flexible toes are still useful for providing stability. In this case, being barefoot makes it possible, for example, for the team leader to use their feet and firmly plant them on the people physically supporting them to avoid falling off. And as I said before, although Monoma makes direct contact with both Bakugou, Kirishima, and Kosei, it could have been coincidences.

I've never been carried in the way those characters are, but I have been carried before in situations where I was caught off guard and, incredibly, planting my feet on the person (usually more or less in the hip area, like some kind of desperate koala) was an immediate instinct to maintain balance (these were situations where I was wearing flip-flops and, when I was lifted, they fell off. So that's why I was barefoot).

In short:

Monoma's introduction described limitations (such as the time limit and not being able to use two Quirks at the same time), but did not mention direct touch. Considering that it was explicitly mentioned there are other disadvantages, there would be no reason not to mention this one if that were the case. But perhaps by saying "touch" we have to assume that the definition of touch here is direct;

He is barefoot, but most of the Cavalry leaders are because it is a strategy to maintain stability in the case of those who are following the traditional position (i.e., without being like Mineta or Rin). Bakugou is the exception here, probably to denote some personality trait (for example, he may feel confident enough to not feel the need to take off his shoes or be reserved enough not to want to be in a position that he considers more compromising). But maybe Monoma really did use his foot to copy Kosei;

He has his forearms and hands exposed, but that's a consequence of the Sports Festival uniform, and in fact, he has a pretty typical appearance. Other characters have differences, like Hagakure not wearing a shirt and Iida wearing fingerless gloves, but Monoma isn't one of them. But maybe it's one of those cases where the standard uniform benefits the Quirk even if by coincidence. For example, it's certainly beneficial for Sero to have his forearms exposed, even if it wasn't an adaptation just for him;

We only see him copying Bakugou and Kirishimai for sure, and all of them were through direct contact, but there's a way to contest that. They were copies of opportunity, and the targeted places were simply the most convenient regions. Therefore, there's no way to say for sure that Monoma aimed at their skin or hair specifically because he needed direct contact;

In the case of considering that the second solidification wasn't Kosei but Monoma, there are several points of contact, and there's no way to say for sure that it was specifically the foot that was used.

The conclusion for now is that, at the Sports Festival, the information is too ambiguous for us to be certain how the Copy works. It's kind of reasonable to assume that direct contact is mandatory, but at the same time this isn't explicitly stated, and it's easy to find reasons to believe that the direct contacts were coincidental.

EXTRA NOTES

I haven't seen the anime because I've always been a BNHA manga reader only. I started the manga when the first season was released (that is, in mid-2016), so when the second season came out (during mid-2017), I had already read the Sports Festival arc (it had already been released, as it lasted from the end of 2014 to mid-2015). Since I don't usually watch adaptations of things I've already read, I've never watched the anime. I'm specifying this to make it clear that everything I mention here I saw separately, not in the overall context of the adaptation choices.

Anyway, I looked for the Monoma vs. Bakugou conflict (season 2, episode 5) to see how it was done and how the animators and directors interpreted the parts that seem ambiguous in the manga. There are, in fact, some details that I noticed:

In the anime, it's clearly visible that Mineta, Asui, Rin, and Kendo are all barefoot, while in the manga this is difficult to be certain about. Furthermore, we also see that Kamakiri, riding Pony (we don't see this duo in action in the manga...at least I didn't notice them), is also barefoot.

In the anime, it's directly shown that Bakugou tried to use Explosion on Monoma, who deflected it by pushing Bakugou’s arm out of the way and, in the process, copied Explosion. In other words, while in the manga we don't know where he touched Bakugou, in the anime it's definitely a touch of Monoma's fingers grazing Bakugou's arm;

In the anime, instead of Monoma attacking Bakugou and touching Kirishima's hair in a single quick movement, Monoma first attacks Bakugou and then touches Kirishima's hair, with this second movement being much slower than in the manga. In other words, it's much more intentional in the anime, while in the manga it's a reasonably convenient movement.

In the anime, after Bakugou's first attack and before the second attack, Team Kodai and Team Kamakiri try to attack Team Monoma. At this moment, we see both Kosei and Monoma using Air Solidification, which indicates that Monoma copied Kosei. This is a considerable change because, in the manga, Kodai only helps Monoma and doesn't try to attack him, while Kamakiri isn't even in this scene. Overall, Class 1-B isn't shown clashing with each other in the Cavalry in the manga, at most competing for the same target (Rin and Kendou both targeting Todoroki in the chapter 29, for example). Consequently, there's also no Monoma solidifying the air to stop them since they aren't even trying to attack him.

In the anime, the close-up on Kosei's face makes it clear that it's Kosei who solidifies the air both the first and second times. Therefore, in that ambiguous instance in the manga, the anime makes it clear that it's Kosei, and in that case, Monoma didn't copy him at that moment.

In any case, none of these differences give us any information that significantly alters the final conclusion that everything is very ambiguous when it comes to the touch. At most, we have confirmation that, in the anime, the copy of the Explosion was via direct contact (since we see the exact moment of the copy, which we don't see in the manga) and we have reinforcement of the idea that the barefoot thing is indeed a common thing (since it's even easier to notice, because of the colors and angles, that most are barefoot) and Bakugou is the different one for wearing sneakers. And, in particular, I disregard the scene in the anime where Monoma solidifies the air to stop the Kodai and Kamakiri teams because it's entirely unique to the anime and doesn't exist in the manga, so I don't even know if that qualifies as Horikoshi's writing.

1-A vs 1-B

In the Joint Training Arc, Monoma definitely copies the following people: Yanagi, Kodai, Deku, and Nirengeki. In addition to these, it's presumed he copied Shinsou, but this can be disputed.

Yanagi

Monoma copied Yanagi's Poltergeist and this is made clear because he levitates small objects while talking to Deku (chap 210). It's reiterated when he tries to hit Uraraka using Poltergeist, which is made clear by Monoma's internal dialogue saying "I can't nail her with Poltergeist shots at all…" (chap 215). However, it's not shown when or how he copied Yanagi. That is, we don't know if he copied her directly.

Shinsou

In the case of Shinsou's Brainwashing, I've seen people question whether he copied it or not. In this section, there will be theories.

> Arguments in favor of Monoma copying Brainwashing

In a way, Shinsou gives Monoma permission to use Copy on him, since, besides obviously wanting to win the match, he explicitly states that working together with Monoma could give them more chances since Shinsou himself has doubts about whether he could control Deku (chap 209) because Deku had broken his Brainwashing before (chap 33). The idea of this being a sign of Copy is that apparently there is no reason for Shinsou to specifically verbalize the doubt about Deku resisting him if Shinsou's idea of "working with Monoma" is simply to use Monoma as a distraction. Monoma being a distraction does not alter the effectiveness of Brainwashing once activated, after all.

In the conversation before their fight, Monoma asks how Shinsou activated his Quirk on Deku, and Shinsou explains that, because he didn't know him well enough, he simply insulted his friends (chap 211). In theory, there would be no reason for Monoma to ask this if he didn't intend to use Brainwashing. After all, he couldn't be provoking Deku for Shinsou, since the Quirk only works if the victim responds directly to the user. In other words, Deku needs to respond to Shinsou if the plan is for Shinsou to control him. If Monoma is the one trying to make him talk, then he is the one trying to control him.

When Deku assumes Monoma copied Shinsou and avoids responding to him, Monoma insults Bakugou by claiming that he is to blame for All Might's downfall (chap 210), which appears to be him imitating Shinsou's behavior at the Sports Festival when he deliberately called Ojirou a monkey to upset Deku (chap 32), which maybe reinforces that he had indeed copied Shinsou. Why would he follow the exact same tactic as Shinsou if it weren't for that?

Monoma says "I had a little chat with Shinsou" (chap 210), which maybe is a kind of implicit admission that he copied Shinsou.

Shinsou was nearby during Deku and Monoma's fight, which may indicate that he is the one who should be controlling him. However, we also see that Shinsou needed to be there because he had to trick Deku into the area by mimicking Uraraka's voice with his voice modulator (chap 210). Furthermore, when Shinsou uses his Quirk on Deku, it was an improvised attempt to bring him back from the uncontrolled state caused by the awakening of OFA, and it was even Uraraka's suggestion, not an automatic reaction from Shinsou (chap 212). So maybe Shinsou's presence is related to tricking Deku and not to attacking him, and that the brainwashing he actually did wasn't part of the plan and was an attempt to combat an unforeseen event (the uncontrolled OFA).

So why didn't Monoma use Brainwashing on Deku if he had copied Shinsou? Well, we don't see him copying any of his allies, so he must have copied all of his allies' Quirks previously. That is, he already had them for some time, and we know that from the moment a Quirk is copied, there is a time limit (chaps 29, 215). We know that Shinsou's Quirk may not have been deactivated, since Monoma is clearly using Yanagi's powers even when he was captured by Uraraka and later uses Niregenki's Quirk as well (chap 215). Considering that Shinsou went in the same direction as him while the others separated, it's even more likely that he copied Shinsou more recently than the others, and if the others' powers are active, there's no reason why Brainwashing would have already given the exact limit. Initially, considering the information that the time limit is 5 minutes (chap 29), it seems absurd, but we have the revelation that Monoma evolved his Quirk and now he can use it for 10 minutes (chap 215), so it's explainable.

But, as mentioned, Deku never fell for the tricks as planned. He didn't respond to Monoma, and when he was affected by the tactic of insulting his friend, it only made him enter the OFA trance instead of verbally responding to Monoma, either to insult him back or to defend Bakugou. And if the target doesn't respond to Monoma, there's no way to activate Brainwashing. Later, Deku was distracted by the whole trance thing, Uraraka, and Shinsou, which opened the opportunity to Monoma to touch him. There's no reason for Monoma to try to talk to him, drawing attention to himself, knowing that Deku won't fall for it anyway. It's more advantageous to go unnoticed to attack him, which is what he did. Instead of using Brainwashing, he decided to attack Deku before he fully recovered his reflexes. His intention was to copy Deku's power, and he was focused on that.

The details of OFA are a secret to most of the population (chap 2), and even if they weren't, Monoma doesn't know that Deku's power is OFA. He, therefore, has no way of knowing that, despite being able to copy it, he cannot use it (chaps 214-215). Between trying to use Brainwashing when there's no indication that it would work on Deku at the moment and copying Deku's supposedly very good Quirk that he doesn't know requires storage, the second option is more advantageous.

In chapter 215, after Monoma is captured by Uraraka, we see that she avoids directly answering Monoma while taking him to the cell, as she fears being brainwashed. Monoma chatters incessantly and keeps asking various questions, which would require an answer. And why does he need an answer, if not to activate Brainwashing? If it's just to provoke Uraraka to distract her or something like that, he doesn't necessarily need an answer. A non-verbal reaction is fine too, as long as she's being affected. Furthermore, when Uraraka just turns to him in silence, Monoma is drawn making a "tch" sound, which is the onomatopoeia for clicking tongue. And as we know, clicking tongue is generally a sign of frustration in animanga. Why would he be frustrated by Uraraka's silence? Perhaps because he needs it broken to use Brainwashing? Furthermore, in the same panel, Monoma thinks "she's wary of Shinsou's Brainwashing Quirk," which could very well be an indication that this was indeed his intention and that her precaution frustrated him by preventing his plan.

>> Arguments in favor of Monoma not having copied Brainwashing

The central argument that Monoma didn't copy Shinsou is that we never see him using Brainwashing. Now, besides not having seen Monoma using Brainwashing, what is the other argument for him not having actually copied it? Some use chapter 215 as an argument.

First of all, there is a scene where Shinsou remembers Monoma's plan and feels guilty for not having taken advantage of Monoma's opening to use Brainwashing on Deku:

This seems to imply that the plan was to use Monoma's provocative personality to cause a reaction in conjunction with Shinsou using Brainwashing. The intention could simply be to isolate Deku (after all, Team B agrees that Deku is the one who should be eliminated first) and, through Monoma's provocations, make him have an emotional reaction that makes him less cautious in the fight. All of this would make him more vulnerable to Shinsou's Brainwashing, as there would be no one to help him and, being emotionally reactive, he might not consider the possibility of Brainwashing (after all, that's exactly what he did at the Sports Festival. Ojirou had already warned him, but Deku reacted anyway). This doesn't necessarily contradict Shinsou's statement that being paired with Monoma is beneficial to his Quirk (chap 209), as this can easily be applied both to Shinsou referring to Monoma copying him or to him implying that Monoma's personality might be useful in conjunction with his Quirk. It doesn't explain, however, why Monoma asked Shinsou for opinions on how to use Brainwashing (chap 211). But one could argue that the question was asked to have an idea of what kind of person Shinsou is, since, in the same conversation, Monoma tries to compare the two. Perhaps he wanted to see if the plan to deceive Deku would work and, seeing that Shinsou is willing to use deception, he concluded that it would. Monoma said "I had a little chat with Shinsou" (chap 210), but perhaps he was purposefully trying to make Deku paranoid about the possibility of him being brainwashed, and in any case, it's not technically a lie since Monoma and Shinsou had to talk to put together the plan.

Secondly, while discussing Copy's limitations with Uraraka, Monoma asks what she thinks his Quirk limit is, to which she indicates 3 because of his watches. Monoma then asks, as if it were a hypothetical scenario, what she would do if it were four, which is a clear insinuation that the watches are 3 intentionally to lower the opponent's guard and make them wrongly think that's the limit. In other words, it's confirmed that Monoma's limit is at least four. I've seen some people believe the limit was greater than three, but not necessarily four, since Monoma said it in a more provocative way than a direct statement. Also, depending on the translation you read, it becomes even more ambiguous. However, the limit being exactly four appears in the Ultra Analysis Book, which was also written by Horikoshi. In other words, regardless of how Monoma said it, the limit is indeed four.

But if the limit is four, then there's a problem. We know he definitely copied Poltergeist, Size, OFA (useless, but still a copied Quirk), and Twin Impact, which makes exactly four. This would make Brainwashing not a possibly copied Quirk, as he already has four confirmed ones (Poltergeist, Size, OFA, Twin Impact). Given this, some have thought that, since Brainwashing would make Monoma someone with 5 stored Quirks, the limit is 4, and it's the only Quirk not shown on screen, so it was a bluff or Horikoshi got confused (he's human, after all, and had tight deadlines and wasn't used to writing fights with Quirks that require a lot of attention at this point of the manga. If you notice, the characters with the most fights generally have Quirk like Erasure, Explosion, Fire and Ice, Fire, and even pre-Awakening OFA. These are Quirks that don't require him to remember everything that has already been done in the fight so far, unlike Copy and its time and slot limitations).

There are, perhaps, theories for this. I want to emphasize "theory" because it's all me trying to understand, nothing undeniably clear in the official content. Well, let's go: in the same chapter 215, when hinting to Uraraka that he can still use another Quirk, Monoma explains that he can't use two Quirks at the same time, but he can take advantage of its effect in the next Quirk depending on the condition. For example, if he increased something with Kodai's Size, then even if he switched to another Quirk, the object would remain increased. We know he can do this since we saw him do it in chapter 213, when he used Poltergeist to levitate an increased item (by Size). It's not that he used Size and Poltergeist at the same time, it's that he took advantage of the remaining effects of Size. As we discover in the following pages, when hinting that he can still use the effects of the Quirk, Monoma was referring to Nirengeki's Twin Impact. In other words, Monoma was stating that Twin Impact is one of those cases where, even with the Quirk inactive, the effects still last.

As the name suggests, Twin Impact is a two-hit Quirk, and as we saw, Monoma used the two hits. The first was with the Quirk active, but if we consider Monoma's explanation to Uraraka before the attack on Deku, then he is implying that the second hit Deku received was not caused by the Quirk being active at that moment, but rather by a lasting effect. That is, he had already activated the second hit before the conversation with Uraraka, and that is why, at that moment, he considered the second hit to be a lasting effect. We don't know, however, when he activated the second hit, and in any case, the description of Nirengeki's Quirk doesn't give a time limit between the two hits (chap 210). Although Nirengeki usually activates the Quirk and uses the second hit immediately after activating it (chap 214), this may simply be Nirengeki's choice and not an obligation. Perhaps you can activate the Quirk with a touch, but only trigger the second impact minutes later.

And here's the question! Is Twin Impact a case of "lasting effect" because Monoma isn't using it since he switched Quirks? After all, we see him using other Quirks since he touched Deku (and activated Twin Impact). For example, he tried to use OFA and later used Poltergeist against Uraraka. If so, then Monoma really still has 4 Quirks and Brainwashing doesn't make sense in the count. Or is Monoma implying that Twin Impact is a case of "lasting effect" because, even after the Quirk is extinguished, it can still be active? Like, Copy can only use Twin Impact once because it's technically a two-hit Quirk, so it's as if it "ended" after the effective use of the rebound attack? And in that case, if Monoma activated the Quirk when he touched Deku, did he lose its "slot" and immediately replace it with OFA? So, when talking to Uraraka, he would have four Quirks (in this theory, being Brainwashing, Size, Poltergeist, and OFA)? And is that why Twin Impact wasn't activated while the Quirk was in use, but rather as a later effect? Thus, Monoma would have Poltergeist to delay Uraraka (which we saw him doing) and Brainwashing in case she lowers her guard (if we consider that he is actually trying to get a reaction from her), in addition to Size (not used later, but he copied it) and OFA (unusable, but still the fourth Quirk), with Twin Impact not being considered because it was already "spent”.

Unfortunately, there's no way to know. Horikoshi never gave us enough details to know if Quirks necessarily have to last for the time limit (previously 5 minutes, now 10 minutes) or if, depending on the type of Quirk, it can expire sooner because its use has already been considered complete. Therefore, I have no idea if Twin Impact is the type of Quirk that would require Monoma to make repeated copies if he wanted to use it continuously, but if that's the case, then Brainwashing could be a copied Quirk. However, this is just a theory, since we don't know if this is a limitation of Copy Quirk in relation to Twin Impact.

Now, second theory. Is it possible to eliminate a Quirk from the slots? Could Monoma deliberately discard a Quirk after it's been copied, even if the time limit hasn't expired? Because, for example, in a hypothetical scenario where Monoma trained his Quirk to have a considerably higher limit, like 30 minutes… if one day he copies a random Blank Quirk, would he be forced to waste a slot with that Blank Quirk for 30 minutes? Or could he get rid of it? In that case, could it be that, having already copied 4 Quirks (Brainwashing, Size, Poltergeist, Twin Impact), Monoma discarded one of them to free up space for OFA?

We know it wasn't Poltergeist and Twin Impact because he used them, but we didn't see him use either Size or Brainwashing at any point after that. If we consider that he was indeed trying to control Uraraka, then we could theorize that he discarded Size, used its slot for OFA, and thus ended up with OFA, Twin Impact, Poltergeist, and Brainwashing. Perhaps he even discarded OFA upon seeing that it's Blank and therefore occupying a slot for no reason (and in that case, discarding Size for OFA would have been a bad decision, but since he didn't know OFA was Blank, it would be a possible decision). Of course, Uraraka thinks in chapter 215 that Monoma definitely has Poltergeist and Size, but that's because she saw him using those. She also thought he didn't copy OFA and that he had the 3 Quirk limit, both incorrect infos. She could be mistaken due to lack of information.

But here's the problem: none of this is confirmed, it's all a bunch of theory. We don't know if Monoma can choose to abandon a Quirk (like in the theory that he removed Size to free up a slot for OFA) and we don't know if certain Quirks are "spent" (like in the Twin Impact theory). If we consider only what we know from the canon material more clearly, what we know is that Monoma has a limit of 4 Quirks and certainly copied Size, Poltergeist, OFA, and Twin Impact. And in that case, there's no slot for Brainwashing. This would make Brainwashing a bluff.

As for Monoma's reaction to Uraraka ignoring him, his facial expression is calm and he's smiling. Maybe he just finds it funny to see her tense. But at the same time, we know that Monoma appearing relaxed doesn't mean much because that's an expression he uses even when he's actively angry (for example, in the confrontation with Bakugou at the School Festival, he's angry at Bakugou from the start. But even so, he remains calm and smiling most of the time, especially to provoke Bakugou. Only at the end, when Bakugou counterattacks, does Monoma show anger). He does, however, click his tongue (the onomatopoeia "tch"), which is a sign of frustration. But perhaps the frustration stems from seeing Class 1-A close to the victory, and seeing Uraraka so cautious in securing victory that she remains completely silent is a reminder of that.

>> In short

Whether Monoma copied Shinsou or not remains a matter of reader interpretation rather than an exact fact. I have my own opinion, but I'll keep it to myself for the sake of impartiality. In any case, we don't know how he did it, so it's not very useful for the purpose of this post, which is to analyze the touch requirement.

Deku

Just as he wanted, Monoma touches Deku in chapter 213, on what appears to be his arm, which is clearly covered by his clothing. Of course, the scene is structured in a way that convinces the reader that Uraraka arrived in time, so initially one could argue that him touching the covered arm and not the exposed parts (face, hair) is Uraraka's way of preventing it, which would imply the need for direct contact:

But in chapter 214, we have the revelation that Monoma copied Deku, and it's made clear that it happened at that exact moment.

I've seen people claiming that Monoma didn't copy Deku, but that's not the case. He did copy Deku, this is evident because he's painted the same way as Deku when his OFA is active, and the anime, from what I've seen in gifs, made this even more obvious with all the green lightning around him. He didn't use the power because Monoma doesn't meet the Quirk's requirements, which makes it a "Blank" (chaps 214-217), not because he can't copy it. This is confirmed again in the Ultra Analysis Book Monoma-Deku relationship chart, where the relationship context used by Horikoshi is literally based on Monoma having used Copy on Deku and discovering that OFA is Blank. In other words, he copied Deku's OFA and, as indicated by the image, he did so by touching his arm, which was covered by his uniform. That is, it wasn't by direct touch.

Anyway, as we know, it's Blank and he can't use it, Uraraka immobilizes Monoma and restrains him. After that, we have that thing where Monoma delivers a final surprise blow with Nirengeki's Twin Impact, and it's precisely that scene that indicates the exact spot where he touched Deku. This Quirk causes a hit spot to be hit again. So, wherever Deku is hit by Twin Impact, it must necessarily have been touched by Monoma before. He's hit in the face, and according to Shinsou's memory, it was precisely at the moment Monoma copied Deku.

In other words, although it initially appears to have been indirect contact on Deku's arm (which is covered by his clothing), it is later confirmed that it was indeed direct contact on his face. Uraraka moved Deku out of the way, but this did not prevent Monoma from brushing his fingers against Deku's cheek. And, of course, brushing fingers is enough. This is later reiterated in chapter 216, when Deku thinks to himself that, since Twin Impact activated on him, Monoma had actually touched and copied him, contrary to Uraraka's initial statement that Monoma was bluffing when he claimed to have copied Deku (a statement she made because, of course, Uraraka doesn't understand the concept of Blank. When Monoma didn't activate the power, she wrongly assumed it was because she successfully prevented the touch).

Kodai

There's also Kodai's Size. When Monoma ambushes Deku, he's floating on what is clearly an object altered by her Quirk, Size, but since we don't see how it was done and it could have been Kodai, judging by her proximity to the fight, it's initially ambiguous who did it (chap 213). But later, Uraraka confirms that he copied Kodai by thinking "I know he's definitely got Yanagi's Poltergeist and Kodai's Size," and Monoma himself explains how he used Size to her (chap 215), so we can tell that, although we didn't see it, it was Monoma who used Size on that object. Considering that Uraraka saw him coming and intervened, she must have seen him using Size. But, as with all his allies in this battle, we don't see how he did it and therefore we don't know where he touched her.

Nirengeki

After revealing to Uraraka that his limit is no longer three Quirks as before, Monoma uses Nirengeki's Twin Impact to hit Deku (chap 215). However, as happened with all his allies, we don't see the moment the copy was made, and therefore we don't know where Monoma touched Nirengeki.

CONCLUSION

Monoma, in this fight, certainly copied four people (Yanagi, Kodai, Deku, Nirengeki), or presumably five (if we count Shinsou). Of all of them, we only saw the moment of a copy of one person, which is Deku. And that moment was clearly a direct, hand-to-cheek contact. The contact, in theory, wasn't in the exact location Monoma was targeting because Uraraka influenced it, so perhaps you could argue that Monoma didn't need to touch the skin. But since Deku's back was turned and Monoma's intention was to catch him off guard, it can be assumed that his intention was to touch his hair. And we know that it is possible to copy it by hair thanks to the way he copied Kirishima in his introduction arc (chap 29). Hair is direct contact, so either way, Monoma would be aiming for direct contact. In a way, this reinforces the pattern that all copies of Monoma were through direct contact, although it is never stated that his Quirk works in such a way.

ERI

Mirio had lost his Quirk after sacrificing it to protect Eri, and since then, they had been trying to recover it somehow. One of the proposed methods was for Eri's power, Rewind, to rewind Mirio's body back to the Quirk-user state. But since Eri was very young and had repressed her Quirk due to the abuse she suffered, she didn't have enough knowledge of her own ability to do this. Aizawa then asks Monoma to copy Rewind so that he can learn it and maybe even teaches Eri. He asks it in chapter 216, and in chapter 217 we see it actually happening.

It's evident that Monoma copied Eri, since he even has the body alteration to have the same horn as her. That is, he had to touch her somewhere. But we don't see this happening because the panel shows him arriving and then cuts to him already transformed:

Since Eri is a traumatized child, I imagine Monoma probably touched her either on the hair or the hand. Even though it's not shown, in this specific case, it seems highly unlikely that he touched her anywhere other than one of those. For example, if he touched her arm (which is covered by the sweater and therefore would be indirect contact), it might seem too restrictive for her, considering her terrible history and the lack of trust between them (since Eri doesn't know him).

When explaining the concept of Blank, Monoma gives the hypothetical example of what it would be like to copy Fat Gum's Fat Absorption. This example is entirely hypothetical and did not happen, but, since the intention is to explain the exact requirements of his Quirk, it's safe to assume that what happens here is what would happen in a real-life scenario.

The problem is that, in the manga, the imaginary scene doesn't show Monoma copying Fat Absorption, but rather exemplifies it as if he had already copied it. In the anime (from what I've seen, it's episode 10 of season 5), they had Monoma touch Fat Gum's arm, which clearly isn't direct contact since he's wearing a hooded jacket. And that's where the question of whether we should take the anime with a grain of salt comes in. If the anime interpreted it similarly to Horikoshi, then this would indicate that copying is possible without direct contact since Monoma is shown copying through the jacket. But if the anime took liberties and Horikoshi didn't actually imagine Monoma copying Fat Gum in that way, then it could have been a simple communication problem between author and studio.

The conclusion here is again very ambiguous. We didn't see Monoma touch either Eri or the imaginary Fat Gum, so we don't know how he activated it. In Eri's case, logically it's highly likely that it was direct contact, but in Fat Gum's case it's too ambiguous. In theory, it would be more convenient to touch indirectly since Fat Gum wears a lot of clothing and they have a significant height difference, which leaves his exposed part (his face) out of immediate reach. Touching the arm covered by the clothing, then, is more convenient, which is how the anime animators interpreted it. In that case, it would be an indirect touch and, therefore, direct touch isn't a requirement. But, if direct touch is a requirement, perhaps Fat Gum could simply lean in so that Monoma could touch his cheek.

FINAL WAR

In the Final War, Monoma uses the Quirks of two people: Kurogiri's Warp Gate and Aizawa's Erasure.

The problem with Kurogiri is that we don't see the exact moment he copies Warp Gate, we only see the exact moment of the Quirk's use and a flashback explaining how this idea was suggested by Aizawa (chap 344). In other words, I have no idea where he touched Kurogiri and, in fact, it leaves me with many questions. At the moment Monoma sees him, Kurogiri is in a straitjacket:

Considering the danger Kurogiri represents, I imagine that, given the decision to expose anyone (especially a minor student) to him in this way, Monoma's training must have involved copying an immobilized Kurogiri. But here's the thing…where did he touch? Because, well, Kurogiri is literally mist in his current state. Of course, we know he was human with skin and hair before, but in his Nomu state, he's mist. Does the Copy Quirk recognize that mist on top of his head as hair? Does it recognize the mist with bright cracks (the eyes) as his face and therefore his skin? I imagine it's possible, since there are Mutants who don't have typical skin or hair. Like, in a world of Quirks, a Copy who doesn't consider the physical effects of the Quirk on skin and hair concepts would be quite inefficient. In that case, perhaps Monoma could have simply quickly touched the top of the mist (the “hair”), avoiding extensive contact with someone considered very dangerous. But there's also the possibility that he touched an area covered by the straitjacket, like his shoulder. We didn't see it happen, we don't know.

Then there's Aizawa's Erasure. Aizawa, we can clearly see that it's direct contact because they are constantly keeping their hands touching and even holding hands:

Chapter 346

Chapter 347

Chapter 363

Chapter 367

There are moments when Aizawa is touching another part of Monoma's body like this one from chapter 359 (from that perspective, Aizawa appears to be touching Monoma's shoulder), but since we know that Monoma's Quirk has a 10-minute time limit, it doesn't necessarily mean that Monoma is copying him through his clothes on his shoulder. It's not like he needs to use Copy repeatedly every second.

Like, there are even moments, like this panel in chapter 358 and this one in chapter 362, where they don't even seem to be touching each other.

So, given that the Quirk still has a 10-minute durability after being copied, I imagine they don't need to be copying it all the time, and the constant contact is more of a precaution. In other words, Aizawa touching Monoma's shoulder doesn't necessarily mean Monoma is copying him through his clothes. He might not be using Copy at that moment, just Erasure.

Erasure is the last Quirk we see Monoma copy, so there's no more information about it in Horikoshi's manga beyond that. Also, it has nothing to do with the post, but Aizawa also provides us with the information that it takes Monoma about 10 seconds to switch Quirks (chap 347). I say it has nothing to do with the post because it doesn't help me at all to get an idea of the touch requirement, but I didn't remember this detail before rereading these scenes, so I'm putting it here as well because the urge to share this info is stronger than me.

HOW THE COPY WORK (THEORIES)

Part of the problem is that it has never been explicitly stated how Monoma's Copy works. Let's look at two similar Quirks: post-Awakening Transform (Himiko) and AFO (Zen). Copy is similar to post-Awakening Transform in that it doesn't harm the original user since it's just a copy (i.e., the original user retains their Quirk unchanged), while AFO harms the original user as it steals the Quirk entirely (i.e., the original user completely loses their Quirk). On the other hand, Copy is similar to AFO in that it's activated by contact, unlike post-Awakening Transform, which doesn't require contact but rather the ingestion of blood.

The blood ingestion required for Himiko to transform into someone has led to the common interpretation in the fandom that this implies it's a Quirk that works by complete absorption of DNA (it has to be ingested, it can't just be touched). It's not just any DNA, since, for example, ingesting someone's hair isn't enough. Thus, if we were to rationalize Himiko's Quirk, perhaps we could theorize that it acts specifically through the nuclear DNA of the leukocytes present in the blood. That is, if it really is through DNA (as far as I remember, we don't have confirmation of this. Perhaps Horikoshi thought of "blood" without thinking about why necessarily blood, after all it's a fantasy world. The idea of blood may simply be stylistic/symbolic because blood is something we have within us that is important for giving us life, which relates to Himiko's internal struggle to constantly seek meaning in life through the affection she feels for others, especially when she transforms into them).

If we interpret Copy as acting through DNA, perhaps we could argue this by emphasizing that even a single strand of hair is enough. But in that case, the DNA wouldn't be specific (like the leukocytes in blood) but rather generalized, since Monoma copied from different places (for example, the way he copied Kirishima at the Sports Festival, the only available DNA would be the mitochondrial DNA from the hair without root. But the way he copied Deku, he could have used nuclear DNA from skin cells). In other words, any DNA would work. And in that case, why can't Copy be used by, for example, touching a doorknob? There's plenty of DNA there, in theory. It makes sense that Himiko wouldn't copy anyone by touching the doorknob because she needs to ingest it (and, if we continue with the theory from here, it would have to be DNA from leukocytes, which aren't passed on through touch), but what about Monoma? Perhaps one could theorize that DNA has to be taken directly from its place of origin, which would explain why Monoma can't, for example, copy someone by touching their clothes. And in that case, it would have to be direct contact.

However, there are some problems here:

Himiko's Quirk doesn't work through contact, so from the beginning it has a different activation method than Copy. Is it then safe to deduce how Copy's activation works through theories comparing it to Transform?

Originally, Himiko could transform into people, but not use their Quirks. And from the beginning, her focus was on molding herself into other people, hence the name Transform, with the post-Awakening ability to use other people's Quirks being an extension of that idea. For a Quirk whose focus is literally being another person, the focus on DNA would be quite logical! But Monoma doesn't transform into people, he only borrows a characteristic. Although, of course, perhaps Copy only looks for DNA characteristics specifically related to the Quirk and ignores other genetic markers (such as, for example, a mutant appearance that doesn't necessarily relate to the Quirk, as is the case with Pony. When copying Pony, it likely only copies the horns, since the equine appearance is not part of the Quirk).

But we have AFO, which works more like Monoma's Quirk since it's also activated by touch and focuses exclusively on the Quirk, ignoring other aspects like appearance and voice. And although AFO is primarily activated by touch, and often by direct touch (mainly by holding the head), it's confirmed that it's possible to activate it without direct touch, as long as you're close enough to the target (chap 411).

This detail, in addition to AFO emitting lights when activated and having the ability to transfer the stolen Quirk to another person, makes me think that it works not through DNA, but through "energy". As if the Quirk were an "energy" or an "essence" that is stolen and can be transferred, which is why direct touch (skin, hair) is not mandatory and why there are lights when it is activated. It also makes more sense than DNA if we consider the fact that the AFO user accumulates Quirks and that these Quirks can have a will of their own, as seen by the New Order self-destructing attitude (chap 333) and even by the Vestiges’ rebellion (chap 356). In this case, AFO captures the target's "energy" entirely, leaving them without any energy at all (hence they become Quirkless). The energies are accumulated and trapped, but they still have a will of their own and can rebel precisely because they are not mere DNA (biological structures without a will of their own), they are "essence" (something more abstract with a will of their own). And precisely because it's not DNA but something more abstract, it's possible to easly transfer it to another person.

This also thematically aligns with the idea of AFO and OFA representing "wills”. AFO takes the will of others, compelling them to work for itself, but does not completely inhibit them and is subject to rebellion. AFO is, therefore, thematically the idea of an authoritarian and individualistic person. But OFA passes on the will consensually (it cannot be totally stolen) and its bearers use it for the greater good, thus representing altruism in favor of the will of all. And the concept of "will" would align more with the idea of "energy"/"essence" than "DNA." This idea would also align with the concept of "Vestiges," present in AFO and OFA.

Anyway, if we consider the fact that Copy's activation is actually more similar to AFO (touch, Quirk only) than to post-Awakening Transform (ingesting blood, the whole person), then perhaps Copy is also a case of "essence" copying, albeit a milder one. Instead of sucking all of someone's "energy," leaving them Quirkless, Copy only takes a small, insignificant portion. Insignificant enough not to affect the original user and to give them time to recover what they lost, similar to how the human body produces more blood after a hemorrhage if given due time (and this would explain why people repeatedly copied by Monoma, like his classmates, don't experience lasting effects). And perhaps that's why Copy has limitations in a way that AFO doesn't: AFO sucked all the energy, so its use is somewhat unrestricted, but Copy took very little and, therefore, is considerably more restricted. And because Copy took so little, it's only enough for Monoma, and he can't transfer it to another person. In this case, Copy wouldn't actually require direct contact, since it doesn't operate based on DNA. It would only require physical contact with the target so that Copy can recognize the target and know where to get “energy” from.

In short, if you assume that Transform works through DNA and interpret Copy as more similar to Transform (since, similarly, it only copies instead of stealing), then direct contact would be necessary. If you consider that AFO doesn't use DNA but rather "energy"/"essence"/"Vestiges" and that Copy is more similar to AFO (since, similarly, it is a contact Quirk and only uses the Quirk, without considering other characteristics of the target person), then direct contact would not be necessary.

But the problem is that this is literally theory. In the case of Transform-Copy, everything surrounding it is theory since we don't even have confirmation that Himiko uses leukocyte DNA or whatever, let alone Monoma doing something similar but with more types of DNA. In the case of AFO-Copy, the idea of AFO working through energy seems to be the case (with all this "Vestiges" stuff happening), but we have no confirmation that Copy does anything similar.

EXTRA NOTES

Assuming that Himiko's Quirk works with DNA, it must still be assumed that it's not solely DNA that makes it work. The reason I say this is because Transform also copies the user's clothing, which is why Himiko has to be naked when using the Quirk. The clothing someone wears isn't part of their DNA, so it's not through DNA that it's acquired by her Quirk. Furthermore, she even copied Dabi's stitches, piercings, and scars, all external modifications unrelated to DNA (chap 382). When assuming Twice's form, Himiko obtained the appearance Twice had when she last saw him, without any visual consequence of him currently being dead, so it's not necessarily the person's current appearance either.

From what I understand, the Quirk works based on how Himiko remembers or see someone, at least to a certain extent. She only knows the Dabi who has visual alterations, so she transforms into that Dabi, not the Dabi before he was burned. She remembers Twice alive and well, so that's the Twice she becomes. She thinks of people based on the clothes she imagines them in, so she transforms into that vision. For example, she had Uraraka's blood from when she was in casual clothes at the forest (chap 80), but when Himiko tried to transform into her to trick Deku she transformed into Uraraka in her hero outfit (chap 105). For this to work, it might be because the Transform considers Himiko's mental image, who at that moment visualized Uraraka in her hero outfit because that was the Uraraka most likely to fool Deku (if she were in casual clothes in a context like that of the exams, he would find it more weird). Considering that copying another person's Quirk requires an emotional trigger to function (chaps 382, 391), it wouldn't be surprising if a psychological reason is also part of the common Transform.

FINAL THOUGHTS

At least, the way Horikoshi wrote it (I don't know if any other material written by someone else contradicted him in any way), it doesn't seem to be stated that Monoma needs direct contact, but, in the few times when the exact moment he copies someone is actually shown (anime!Bakugou, Kirishima, Deku, Aizawa), it's done through direct contact (anime!Bakugou on the arm, Kirishima on the hair, Deku on the cheek, Aizawa on the hand). At other times, we simply don't know how he did it (Yanagi, Kodai, Nirengeki, maybe Shinsou, Eri, Kurogiri). In the case of Kosei at the School Festival, it's uncertain if he did it in the manga, although he did in the anime. If we consider the anime, there's no way to be sure if the contact was direct (through the feet) or indirect (through the various points of contact they have because of the Cavalry pose). There's also the hypothetical Fat Gum, which in the manga we don't know the hypothetical location of the copy, but in the anime it was through the arm covered by the clothing, which would be indirect contact. If we consider that Monoma imagines copying Fat Gum indirectly, then the contact doesn't need to be direct.

Finally, if we assume that Copy is more similar to AFO, but in a weaker/more limited way, then direct contact is probably unnecessary. If we assume that it is through DNA (perhaps the case with Transform, but we are not sure), then direct contact is necessary. But in the end, it's all theory.

And that's it! I still have the feeling that I'm forgetting something or misinterpreting something, which I think is the consequence of trying to analyze the manga after having spent about 4 years without really following it, but hey! I tried!

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