My Hero Academiahas introduced many great heroes, but none compare toAll Might, the greatest hero the series has ever seen. He embodies hope and peace, becoming the ideal every hero aspires to but only a few truly achieve. However, none of this would have been possible if Toshinori Yagi, long before becoming All Might through inheriting One For All, hadn’t already displayed the defining trait that set him on his heroic path.
Before All Might received One For All,its previous wielders had unique abilities of their own. Yet, that did not deter Nana Shimura from passing the treasured Quirk to the young Toshinori. She saw something in him beyond raw strength, his desire to change the world. When asked how he intended to address the world’s injustices in a pivotal conversation, the young All Might responded with conviction:he wanted to display overwhelming power to become a symbol of peace.
By Putting On A Grand Show Of Power, All Might Rose To Become #1 Hero
InMy Hero Academiaepisode #159, titled “Battle Without A Qurik”, a flashback reveals a young All Might following Nana Shimura, insisting on becoming her pupil. Nana mocks the quirkless boy to go and attempt to protect a radius of three meters around him. However, Toshinori passionately declares that he just can’t accept the world as it is, where whoever steals gains the most, while the victims' sorrows turn into hatred.
So, when Nana asks if he has a solution to it, All Might firmly states that he wants to create a world where everyone can laugh and a symbol of peace is required to make this happen. Since All For One has reigned over Japan for quite a long time, it essentially instilled fear among the people of this nation. Toshinori explains that no matter how many buildings are rebuilt, fear will persist. To counter this,he vows to put on a grand display of power, protecting far beyond the three-meter radius that others already struggle with. He concludes by saying that, as a quirkless boy, this is the only path available to him.
There Could Never Be Another Hero Like All Might inMy Hero Academia
His Path Was Just as Difficult as Deku’s
All Might’s hero name perfectly represents his ideal. By standing so high with his uncontested strength, he single-handedly created a feeling of hope among the people, ushering in an era of peace. While this did not last forever, Toshinori’s efforts cannot be dismissed. His path was one of self-sacrifice and isolation, and only he could walk it, thanks to the conviction he showed as a kid, which impressed Nana so much that she decided to pass One for All to a quirkless boy.
My Hero Academiahas only one true symbol of peace: All Might. While others, including Deku, have tried to follow in his footsteps, none can ever embody the symbol that All Might became. Though Deku’s efforts have inspired heroes and even ordinary citizens to take action, he only worked to enhance the peace that All Might had already established. In contrast,All Might built the symbol of peace from the ground up, rising to the challenge during a time of chaos under All For One’s decades-long reign.
Moreover, unlike Deku, who lost his Quirk only a few years after receiving it, forcing him to step down as a hero, All Might remained active well into his fifties, continuously fortifying the symbol he had created. It’s true that All Might’s model proved to be ultimately flawed, because the peace he created collapsed when he was no longer able to fight for it. However, no other hero has ever achieved such a lasting impact. Deku’s journey is about surpassing All Might and his idea of what being a “hero” means, but Toshinori’s path was not less hard, andAll Mightstands asMy Hero Academia’s #1 hero, unlikely to ever be surpassed.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a multimedia franchise that follows a young boy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreams of becoming a hero despite being born without superpowers. These superpowers, known as “Quirks” are found in most people after birth, but Izuku wasn’t so lucky - until a fateful encounter with All Might, Japan’s greatest hero, Izuku inherits his Quirk and enrolls in U.A. High School to learn the true meaning of heroism. Alongside his classmates, each endowed with unique abilities, Izuku faces rigorous training and lethal threats from villainous forces.
