Somehow, All for One Returned

My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 7 Review

I’ve said it once, and I will say it again: All for One is the Devil. From the moment he was born, he did nothing but use his incredible powers to make everyone else miserable. He ruined countless lives , and like so many others, I cheered when I saw Bakugo put an end to him. Yet, it turns out that Horikoshi wasn’t willing to let him go out like the chump that he is. Because, somehow, All for One not only managed to cheat death, but he robbed Shigaraki of any agency he might have had as a villain. It’s like watching what Sidious did to Ben Solo in Star Wars, except being an anime doesn’t make it better.

Deku’s Resolve

After throwing the entirety of One for All against the mental barriers that Shigaraki put up for himself, Deku managed to break through to the core of his being, Tenko Shimura. Like Nana, he was horrified to see how badly Tenko’s father treated him, with Nana regretting ever having to leave her son alone. His hatred had turned Tenko into Shigaraki, and had caused so much pain and suffering. The most she can do is help her son from beyond the grave by apologizing.

Then comes the big moment where Deku has to prove that everything he was saying about Shigaraki was true. He endures the full weight of Tomura’s unimaginable hatred for everything, but he still refuses to yield. And despite how much he denies it, Shigaraki knows that what he’s doing isn’t who he is as a person. Deep down, he’s still the same kid who wanted to become a Hero when he grew up. He even acknowledges the fact that he wanted to become a Hero for the villains. Someone that people who gave up on the world could admire. No matter what he says, Tenko Shimura would not die. It’s a pretty emotional moment where Midoriya finally gets through to Tenko Shimura. If this were any other story, this could end up being the end of things.

But this is where I feel like Horikoshi’s love of another franchise comes into play in the worst way possible. And it may arguably be an even bigger gripe about the finale than Deku having to sacrifice One for All. Somehow, All for One returns.

Somehow, All for One Returned

Now, the return of All for One from within Tenko’s mind is some evil deus ex machina. It had already been established that Shigaraki had suppressed his master’s Quirk Vestige through his sheer hatred. Once Deku mentally broke his will to keep being evil, All for One was able to reassert himself. That in and of itself wasn’t what I take issue with. It’s the big reveal of what the villain did to Tenko and his family:

• He stole Tenko’s real Quirk as a baby and gave him the defective version of Decay
• He befriended Kotaro Shimura to poison his mind against heroes

In other words, All for One destroyed the Shimura family and ruined Tenko’s life all so he could mold him into his perfect weapon. Everything bad that happened to Shimura was because of him.

All for One!!!

On the one hand, it’s almost impressive to see just how much of a hater All for One is. My headcanon is that he chose to do this to Nana’s family out of petty spite for her and her ideals. On the other hand, I hate this plot twist because it robs Tomura Shigaraki of any agency he might have had. It turns him from someone who was forged by the choices he made and those around him made into another pawn of the true villain. This is the exact same thing that happened in The Rise of Skywalker, and while I love the Star Wars franchise to death, I think that that wasnt a good movie. It was rushed, changed things up without any foreshadowing, and could have been better written. If Horikoshi was using it as the basis for this, then I think he could have done better.

The Cavalry Has Arrived

So, Deku is now down both arms, stuck with the embers of One for All, and unable to keep fighting. Thankfully, this is the moment in comics and other great stories where the cavalry comes charging in. And my god, what a glorious cavalry it is. All of Midoriya’s classmates still able to fight show up. His teacher’s show up. Any Heroes left in Japan show up using Kurogiri’s warp ability. Even better, Eraser-Head uses Eri’s horn to restore Deku’s arms, giving him the chance to fight again. And this is where the episode leaves us as we head into the real final battle of the series.

I may not like some of the story decisions that Horikoshi made with the finale, and seeing it again in anime form only reinforces this belief. However, when he wants to do a finale, he understands the assignment and delivers on it. It’s time for everyone to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “From Aizawa” a 4/5

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