Big My Hero Academia Twist Gives One Villain the Series' Darkest Backstory Yet

Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia, Chapter 419

Summary Shigaraki's tragic past is revealed, showing how All for One manipulated his life from before birth.

All for One's calculated manipulation led to Shigaraki's family's death and his transformation into a villain.

Shigaraki's darkest moments are orchestrated by All for One, setting the stage for a climactic battle with Deku.

My Hero Academia is well known for providing a rounded view of its villains, showing how they came to be the way that they are. As the true past of Tomura Shigaraki is finally revealed, however, it's clear that his backstory is even darker than it was already known to be, thanks to the machinations of All for One.

Chapter 419 of My Hero Academia has All for One explaining how he controlled Tenko Shimura's life even from before his birth, influencing his parents to have another child, one who might be easier to mold and shape into a vessel of hatred. All for One stole baby Tenko's then-unknown Quirk factor, and later replaced it with a half-baked Quirk cooked up by his mad scientist henchman, Dr. Garaki: Decay.

This set the stage for Tenko's power manifesting in a tragic manner, leading to the deaths of his entire family. All of this was according to All for One's plan from the very beginning, creating a scared and hateful child with no family who he could raise into the perfect monster.

Shigaraki's True Past is Undoubtedly My Hero Academia's Darkest Moments

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What had already been one of the darkest and most tragic villain origins in the series became an order of magnitude worse with this reveal, with every bad thing that's happened to Tenko carefully orchestrated by All for One. All for One used Tenko's father's hatred of heroes to kindle a similar hatred in his son by proving his father's criticisms right--no hero was there to save Tenko in his hour of need. He deliberately gave Tenko a dangerous Quirk, and then sat back and waited for tragedy to strike, so that he could swoop in and "save" Tenko himself.

Looking back on other aspects of Shigaraki's past, such as being forced to wear the hands of the family he killed, it's clear now that All for One did this to keep Shigaraki from ever growing out of the grief and self-hatred he had so deliberately cultivated. They existed as constant reminders to keep him in pain, all for the goal of turning Shigaraki into a powerful enough vessel to steal One for All. Not only does Shigaraki owe his existence to All for One's scheming, but Tenko does as well.

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Shigaraki's resolve is almost completely shattered by this revelation, that the one man he thought had actually helped him had orchestrated every moment of suffering in his life. That, combined with the damage Deku had already done, allowed All for One's vestige to hijack Shigaraki's body once again, effectively bringing the villain back from the dead, just as he'd always intended.

While this revelation has been somewhat controversial among fans, it certainly aligns with All for One's image as the ultimate schemer. He wasn't lying in wait, doing nothing while All Might reigned in peace--he was performing intricate manipulation of the Shimura family as part of a plan spanning two decades of Shigaraki's life. It's the ultimate in villainous forward-thinking, and shows why All for One must not be underestimated. My Hero Academia's finale has come down to a battle with a ghost, and if he's to save Shigaraki, Deku will need all the help he can get.

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