My Hero Academia Gave Its Most Important "Villain" The Best Redemption Arc

Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 429

Summary Granny's redemption for her treatment of Tenko proves the future relies on civilians, not heroes.

Granny's actions show how Midoriya inspired individuals to take matters into their own hands.

Real change in society comes at an individual level. Even those who have made past mistakes can still be heroes today.

My Hero Academia has resolved the mystery of its final "villain," and the resolution provided a shocking redemption for a minor character whose actions accidentally kicked off the plot of the series. And, by returning to this minor character and giving her a second shot, the series underlined one of the key themes of this finale.

Chapter 429 saw the mysterious "villain" figure who was revealed in chapter 425 make a reappearance, revealing this character's origins for the first time. Having apparently demonstrated a dangerous Quirk, the person in question was tied up and restrained by their own family, kept in a basement without access to the outside world. They even had their mouth sewn shut, and were only freed from their captivity by the destruction of the city, having apparently been left behind in the evacuation efforts.

As the mysterious figure begins pondering why everyone else can be so happy while they have been left to suffer, starting to lose control of their Quirk, an old woman comes up and says she's here to help.

Granny Gets a Full Redemption For Her Treatment of Tenko

Granny's Redemption Proves the Future Lies with Civilians, Not Heroes

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This old woman isn't just any old lady, however; she's the same woman who once encountered a bloody and scared Tenko Shimura, but instead of helping him, fled the scene, assuring the boy that a hero would be along to help him soon. However, no hero ever came for poor Tenko, and instead it was All for One who scooped up the child and began forming him into the ultimate villain. Had the old woman behaved differently and given Tenko her aid, it's possible that Shigaraki may have never been created, and none of the events of the story would've even happened.

The old woman, now referred to by fans as "Granny" after her self-introduction in this chapter, has clearly had that day when she didn't help Tenko weighing on her mind for some time. This time, things are going differently. Granny was moved to help out after witnessing Midoriya's struggles to save the people of Japan, recognizing that everyone must help out if they're to have the kind of future that's worth looking forward to. Granny even announces her presence using a variation on All Might's catchphrase by saying "Granny is here," as if to reassure the boy that this time, her actions will be heroic.

Granny's actions show how Midoriya has inspired people around Japan to take things into their own hands, recognizing at last that the heroes can't do everything for them. The "next Shigaraki" could've arisen here, but thanks to an old woman taking things into her own hands, that risk has completely evaporated. It proves that real change in society comes at the individual level, and that even those who've made mistakes in the past can still be a hero by doing the right thing today. Granny's redemption was short and to the point, but it's an effective demonstration of how things are improving in My Hero Academia's world thanks to individual citizens stepping up to do their part.