My Hero Academia: Horikoshi’s Masterful Writing Avoids Trapping Himself with Shigaraki and One For All’s Deaths

The Final War arc of My Hero Academia reached a definitive end in chapter 423 of the manga, with All For One meeting his ultimate demise. Deku’s final blow to the Demon Lord not only put an end to the war, but also dispersed the dark clouds that had loomed over the arc.

Furthermore, in My Hero Academia chapter 423, both Tomura Shigaraki and the One For All Quirk met their respective ends. The author successfully avoided writing himself into a corner while executing this pivotal scene.

Please note: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

My Hero Academia: How Horikoshi Avoided Writing Himself into a Corner with One For All and Shigaraki’s Deaths

Despite the My Hero Academia fanbase expecting the story to conclude with the deaths of Tomura Shigaraki and the One For All Quirk for the past few years, the outcome has taken a different turn. Not only is Deku reverting back to his beginnings as a Quirkless hero, but he is also unable to save Shigaraki despite his efforts. This ending is proving to be unacceptable for fans of the highly beloved series.

If Kohei Horikoshi had chosen to follow this path, it is certain that not all fans would have been satisfied.

Despite the growing popularity of Shigaraki as a character, his death was inevitable and could not have been prevented through logical means. However, in chapter 424 of the My Hero Academia manga, it was revealed that One For All still exists within Deku’s body, though only as embers.

Deku as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

Despite the predictability of My Hero Academia’s ending, it can still be considered a good ending.

Despite some fans expressing disappointment on social media regarding Shigaraki’s fate and the limited time devoted to his sendoff, it would not have been logical for him to receive an entire chapter dedicated to his conclusion. It could be argued that the way his character was wrapped up, through his final fight against Deku and his alliance with him to defeat All For One in chapter 423, was the most fitting way to conclude his story.

Meanwhile, Deku has solidified his place in the world as the most exceptional hero and a deserving heir to All Might. He achieved all of his goals, including defeating All For One and restoring Tenko Shimura’s humanity.

One could argue that Deku no longer requires One For All, particularly considering his role as the supposed final user of the Quirk. Additionally, the defeat of All For One has effectively served the purpose of the One For All Quirk. Therefore, it would not make much sense from a storytelling perspective for it to still be present unless there was a different purpose for its existence.

Despite the story of My Hero Academia being centered on how Deku and his friends become the greatest heroes in history, there were not many directions that fans could have predicted it to take. However, it can be confidently stated that Horikoshi successfully delivered a satisfying conclusion for both the story and its characters.