My Hero Academia: Deku’s Unfulfilled Goal with the One For All Quirk and All Might’s Legacy

With the conclusion of author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia manga earlier this month, fans of the series have been expressing their thoughts and opinions about it. While some have found satisfaction and joy in the ending, others have raised concerns about Horikoshi’s treatment of certain topics, particularly those involving the main character, Izuku “Deku”Midoriya.

Despite the logical decision made by Horikoshi during the Final War arc, fans have heavily scrutinized the ending of My Hero Academia for one aspect in particular – Deku’s lack of his trademark One For All Quirk. This choice, although understandable, has left some fans feeling frustrated.

Despite this, there is one particular criticism of this decision that has struck a chord with fans of My Hero Academia, regardless of their stance on the series’ ending. This is the unresolved plot point of Deku’s inability to reach 100% utilization of One For All, which played a major role in the initial storyline.

My Hero Academia’s Final Arc Reveals Abandoned One For All Plotline

In My Hero Academia, there is a moment when Deku uses One For All at full power. This occurs during his battle against Kai Chisaki in the climax of the Shie Hassaikai arc. However, he could only achieve this with Eri’s Rewind Quirk, which quickly healed any injuries caused by using 100% strength. The potential dangers of this strategy further solidified that this collaboration between Deku and Eri was a one-time occurrence due to the risks it posed to Deku.

Similarly, throughout the series, young Midoriya refrains from using One For All at full force across his entire body, despite the story heavily emphasizing his growth in power usage. This is demonstrated through an entire training arc dedicated to his development of this skill, leading to the development of his signature fighting style, Full Cowling.

Despite demonstrating the ability to use 100% of One For All in specific body parts, such as with his Texas and Wyoming Smash moves, his ultimate aspiration was to achieve continuous 100% utilization. This has sparked concern among fans as he never fully accomplished this feat, only reaching a peak of 45% Full Cowling with his most advanced technique and Quirk.

Despite this, Horikoshi deserves recognition for the direction in which the series began to move after Deku achieved 45% with the One For All Quirk. The revelation that One For All contained multiple Quirk Factors that Deku could utilize logically shifted the focus to his fighting style. It was necessary to showcase these powers to fans and establish that Deku was effectively utilizing them.

Despite this, there was certainly a way for the My Hero Academia mangaka to satisfy fans while also maintaining the integrity of the story. This is particularly evident in the fact that the additional Quirk Factors were not meant to replace One For All entirely, but rather to complement and enhance it. In essence, One For All never lost its importance, but was instead forced to share the spotlight, which explains why fans are disappointed that Deku never reached 100% usage.

Similarly, there is a debate among fans that Deku was unable to truly fulfill his primary aspiration of living up to All Might’s legacy by mastering the 100% power of the One For All Quirk. Sadly, the confirmation of the death of One For All and Tomura Shigaraki in the final chapter of the series implies that this is a milestone that will remain unattainable for Deku, much to the disappointment of fans.

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