History#
Daigoro Banjo was a Pro Hero of his time, known as "Lariat", using his Blackwhip Quirk to swing and fling himself onto other buildings to face danger and to capture villains.
At some point, he met Hikage Shinomori, the fourth user of One For All. However, Hikage's body was rapidly aging him and decreased his lifespan by ten-folds due to him possessing One For All and his original Quirk: Danger Sense. Shortly before dying, Hikage entrusts Daigoro with the One For All Quirk, passing it on to the Hero before he dies.
In his life, Daigoro would continue on with his Hero duties and encounter a man named En Tayutai. Eventually, All For One managed to track him down. He fought hard, but All For One was too powerful for him, and he attempted to steal One For All from Daigoro, but he failed. Daigoro was killed by All For One when his body was crushed under the rubble and debris, but not before he was able to transfer One For All to En.[1]
Some time after En transferred One For All to Nana Shimura, the remnant of Daigoro appeared to her in a dream shrouded in dark fog, and told to the seventh user "It's not time yet..." Nana was mystified and decided to tell her friend Gran Torino about this strange experience.[2]
Synopsis#
U.A. Sports Festival Arc#
During the fight between Izuku Midoriya and Hitoshi Shinso in the tournament of the U.A. Sports Festival, Izuku is brainwashed by Hitoshi's Quirk, who orders him to walk out of bounds. Although Izuku tries to resist, he cannot disobey the order, but when he is about to cross the edge of the ring, Daigoro and the rest of the previous users appear to Izuku as shadowed mental figures. They unclouded his mind and allow Izuku to use One For All in his fingers, allowing him to escape the trance and win the fight.[3]
Pro Hero Arc#
For several months, none of the users reappear to Izuku again, until the night before the Joint Training Battle, where Daigoro and several of the previous users, including All For One's brother and Nana Shimura, appear in a dream but with his real appearances and not as shadowed figures. The dream shows Izuku memories of the first user.
Daigoro says nothing, but the first user speaks for everyone and assures Izuku that he is not alone. Izuku's dream concludes with all of his predecessors looking at him with kind expressions, seemingly aware that he is the ninth wielder of One For All and welcoming him.[4]
Joint Training Arc#
Daigoro interacts directly with Izuku for the first time during his round in the Joint, in which the Izuku team faces the Monoma team, who had Hitoshi in their ranks. Neito Monoma says nasty things to provoke Izuku to make him fall into a trap. This prompts an enraged Izuku to charge at Neito, preparing to unleash a concentrated Delaware Smash, but just when he is going to shoot, Izuku's arm once again glows as One For All goes berserk. Suddenly, tendrils of dark energy begin to unleash from his body and start causing havoc.[2]
Unable to control the new sensation, Izuku orders everyone to take cover while he struggles in pain, but Ochaco Uraraka clings to Izuku to stop him and yells Hitoshi for help.[5] Hitoshi uses his Brainwashing Quirk on Izuku and the mysterious black power disappears as he loses consciousness and his powers deactivate. While unconscious, he finds himself in an unknown area and Daigoro appears before him, telling Izuku that although his Quirk has finally manifested, he's using it in a wrong way. Daigoro encourages Izuku to try harder to control the Quirk.[6]
Daigoro continues lecturing Izuku, telling him that the black tendrils he was emitting earlier are actually the manifestation of his Quirk, Blackwhip. The reason it suddenly appeared is that Izuku was thinking about how he wanted to capture Neito, fitting the nature of the Quirk perfectly and so causing it to appear.
Daigoro explains that the Quirk Factors of all the previous wielders have been inside One For All for a long time, dormant, in the small core of the Quirk. He says that this core has started expanding and growing larger and that the same is also happening to One For All itself. Daigoro also says that its strength has also been increased due to the power of One For All, and after he tells Izuku to do his best, and that all the predecessors are there with him and are supporting him, he vanishes afterwards.[7]
My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising#
During a devastating battle between a villain with a copy of All For One's Quirk, in a last-ditch effort to defeat him, Izuku transfers One For All to Katsuki Bakugo, even at the cost of rendering himself Quirkless once more. Through the dual power of the One For All's, the two manage to take the villain down, even as the remaining embers of One For All seemingly disappear from Izuku. However, Daigoro and the other users of One For All, wanting Izuku to continue to harness the power, and recognizing his heroism of being willing to sacrifice his power to save everyone, only temporarily transferred the power over to Katsuki, while the full essence of One For All remains within Izuku. Toshinori tearfully thanks the predecessors for staying with Izuku.[8]
Paranormal Liberation War Arc#
In the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War, when Izuku is rendered comatose, he speaks to all the vestiges within One For All. The first user, Yoichi Shigaraki, mentions how originally they were only able to interact with Izuku during specific instances within his consciousness, but that in the last four months, the power has been growing exponentially, and has reached the point that the vestiges are now able to more freely communicate with each other, even more so after All For One's attempt to steal One For All.
Daigoro reassures Izuku his privacy is safe, but then remembers he still doesn't have a mouth in his current vestigial state. However, much to Daigoro's delight, Izuku realizes that his voice has been slowly manifesting, and finds a way to communicate with the users through muffled speech.
Hikage introduces himself to Izuku, and Daigoro pokes fun at Hikage for being a hermit who shunned society and lived alone, trying to smack him with Blackwhip while he uses Danger Sense to evade him. Hikage then asks Izuku about his age and cause of death, which Izuku recalls that he was forty and that All Might had scratched out his cause of death in the notebook, which Hikage reveals was "old age".
All Might rediscovered his medical history and autopsy, and they realized the truth, that possessing multiple Quirks ate away at his life. The discrepancy with All Might led Hikage to wonder if there was something that All Might had that he didn't, with Izuku realizing the difference between Hikage and All Might: All Might was Quirkless. All Might managed to hold onto One For All for forty years because it perfectly fit his previously empty vessel, and became his Quirk.
They conclude that due to these circumstances, the true value of the power can only be wielded by those who lacked power to begin with, and with the Quirkless population significantly dwindling, Daigoro adds that because of this, Izuku may be the last successor of One For All.[9]
Afterwards, Nana Shimura asks Izuku if he can kill Tomura Shigaraki, clarifying it isn't a request, but a question of his resolve. She reminds him of their last interaction and that since all of the inheritor's are connected to his emotions, they could telepathically sense that he saw him as someone who needed saving. Daigoro states that he and the other users don't feel the same way, and that even if Tomura is suffering under All For One, that doesn't necessarily mean he would want their help, since even they could see his eyes were still filled with hate.
Yoichi speculates that his older brother purposefully raised Tomura this way, and now that All For One has taken over his body and mind, he believes this is part of another plan to claim One For All. Daigoro reveals that All For One had attempted to steal One For All from him and his successor, En, twice, but failed, and that one must have an incredibly strong will and overbearing emotions in order to override the basic principle of One For All, which means All For One is using Tomura's hatred to complete the job.
Confronted about his resolve, Izuku says he knows that countless people died and many of his precious friends were hurt because of Tomura, but he stands his ground believing that One For All is a Quirk meant to save lives, not kill; that All Might taught him that, and that he and all the other users who have helped grow and cultivate the power, have in the process saved and brought hope to countless people. He accepts the real possibility that Tomura can only be stopped by killing him, and he doesn't know how he will deal with everything exactly yet, but he still wants to try and save "that little boy", all the while briefly transforming into his child self.
Daigoro and the other users happily agreed to aid Izuku, just as Yoichi turns to the Second and Third users asking for their assistance. Met with an awkward silence, Daigoro breaks the ice by playfully messing around with Izuku, telling him he should first focus on learning more about Hikage and En's Quirks, of which En agrees to, them all starting to instruct him on how to understand their Quirks.[10]
Dark Hero Arc#
In the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War, All For One has escaped from Tartarus, and proceeded to break into several more maximum security prisons, liberating the inmates. Due to the chaos inflicted by Gigantomachia and the mass breakout of prisoners, the whole country entered a state of total chaos and anarchy. In addition, many heroes resigned and called it quits because of the massive criticism of their work, and the destruction spreading unchecked.
Izuku decides to leave U.A. and his friends behind in order to protect them so he can hunt down the Villains, with all the users on his side ready to back him up. As he surveys the city one night, Izuku converses with Daigoro, who reminisces on the events being similar to his day and age, and how much trouble it was.[10]
However, over the course of about a month, Izuku starts to tire out as he becomes increasingly obsessed with solving every problem all on his own, even ignoring the other Heroes' suggestions to take it easy. Daigoro and the other inheritors of One For All try to convince him to rest before Danger Sense warns him of another threat and heads off, ignoring their words.
In the vestige world, Nana fears that her emotions are getting the better of Izuku, while Daigoro and the other inheritors assure her that by going over his limit, he's acting like a true hero would do. He claims that every actions Izuku takes to save people and stop the villains is always a worthy cause, even if it means it'll break him physically and mentally.[11] It is all through his former classmates that Izuku is finally able to rest easy knowing that they still got his back.[12]
My Hero Academia: You're Next#
During the Gollini Invasion, Izuku meets Giulio Gandini and decides to help him save Anna Scervino from the clutches of the Gollini Family. During the mission, they fall under Deborah Gollini's Day Dream Quirk. Izuku finds himself back in his youth, surrounded by his All Might memorabilia, and having fun with All Might himself. However, he is brought back to his senses by the vestiges of One For All, making him realize it is all a dream.
The vestiges tell Izuku that everyone affected by Day Dream are interconnected with each other, as Izuku can see brief snippets of several of his classmates' fantasies. They remind him that everyone has dreams and desires they've always wanted, with Izuku wanting to be a Hero, but a Hero isn't something like becoming All Might or a Symbol of Peace, but to do what All Might wants him to be: a Hero to save people, and to reach out for those who are in need. However, they warned that even if he realizes that he's dreaming, he's still under Deborah's spell, so he must find a way to break it.
Eventually, Izuku would find a way out of the dream, and with the help of his classmates and Giulio, he later defeats Valdo Gollini and rescues Anna.[13]
Final War Arc#
As the final battle between the heroes and villains commence in the Final War, Izuku prepares for his final encounter with Tomura. While a snag in the plan delays his arrival, he eventually makes his way over to the U.A. Floating Fortress designed to contain Tomura to fight him.[14] After regaining his bearings after seeing the other Heroes' comatose bodies, Izuku confronts Tomura, who over the course of the battle has transformed himself into a hulking beast covered in fingers, and addresses him as "All For One", asking if Tomura is still within him.[15]
"Tomura" claims that he no longer exists, as he and All For One's psyches have melded together into a perfect new being. However, Mirio Togata reveals that during their battle, the villain reacted to one of his taunts like that of a child, believing them not to be as melded as he thinks. Seeing the faces of the Shimura family on his left hand confirms this thought, and the battle resumes.[16] Izuku activates the Quirk of the Second User, Gearshift, and now with all the Quirks unlocked, unleashes the full power of One For All upon Tomura, overpowering him, with Daigoro and the other predecessors right there behind him.[17]
During the fight, Skeptic's machinations cause the Coffin in the Sky to begin to fall, but to Izuku's surprise, Gentle Criminal enters the battlefield already in Lover Mode, and with his Quirk powered up by La Brava's Love, he creates a massive air trampoline that covers the entirely of the school building catching it in mid-air, halted its downward plunge.
Izuku is so euphoric at seeing him again that he gets distracted, until Daigoro warns him that Tomura is starting to move again, lowering his hand to the ground so he can use Decay. Even though they averted the crash, he states if he touches the ground it will all be for nothing. Izuk is still too worn out to attack. Fortunately, he is saved by Lady Nagant, who with precise shots from her Rifle Quirk, wounds Tomura, preventing him from using his Decay.[18]
The battle goes on, and after Izuku destroyed Tomura's absolute defensive Form, Tomura releases the pent-up damage in an explosion which weakens All For One's influence over him, allowing Tomura to regain control of his body. Izuku drags Tomura out of the U.A. Floating Fortress to confront him now with his Quirks returned.[19]
Over the course of Izuku and Tomura's battle, the real All For One attempts to reach them and retake control of the body, but fails, and is rewound to death due to the effects of a special drug he took.[20] With him now out of the picture for good, the users discuss amongst themselves in the vestige world, with Yoichi telling them not to cling to sentimentality, as now the fight has passed on to the successors, and bringing down Tomura is their entire reason for existing.
During the fight, Tomura goes on the offensive and attempts to touch Izuku's face, but he is just barely able to dodge using Danger Sense to slice his fingers off. However, in that brief moment of near contact, Tomura managed to successfully invade the vestige realm. As Daigoro is commenting that they need to find a way to deal with his Regeneration, suddenly Tomura's giant hand appears above, about to consume them.
The vestiges don't notice the threat as they are too focused on the battle, but thanks to his Quirk, Hikage sees the hand, and stands in the way to protect every one, getting caught in the process. As the hand retreats, Hikage tells the others that the Ninth is in their hands, before disappearing.
Daigoro quickly appears before Izuku to warn him about what happened, that Hikage is gone, and that Tomura now has Danger Sense. In the vestige realm, they looking on in worry as Hikage's chair crumbling away, with Daigoro annoyed how Tomura was able to break into their space and get one over of them like it was nothing.
With Tomura now effortlessly able to dodge all attacks, Izuku is forced to go on the deffensive and takes several blasts from Tomura, being knocked all the way to Mt. Fuji. Bruce warns Izuku about Gearshift being over soon, and to focus on surviving until he's recovered, but En anxiously asks why he isn't using the power to escape, since now that Tomura has the willpower to overcome One For All, without Hikage and Danger Sense, if Izuku gets touched again, he will snatch them all up all at once and it will be the end of everything.
Tomura overhears the vestiges speaking to Izuku, declaring that he intends to destroy everything before they can even think about escaping. As he gleefully walks amongst his own destruction, Daigoro realize that he sent Izuku to Mt. Fuji on purpose, as the mountain will erupt when he decays it. Despite this all, Izuku stands his ground, declaring that despite the villain's own insistences on the matter, he is a person.[21]
Izuku unleashes a massive Delaware Smash to destroy Tomura's Decay area, as well as releases a Smokescreen to keep him distracted, blasting in-and-out of it while attacking him. However, due to Tomura still having Search, he's able to easily spot his location and attack him with a deadly black lightning. Tomura then points out he also knows Izuku's weakness, as Gearshift's time is up, the recoil blowback kicking in making him unable to breathe, which Daigoro reacts to in worry.
Tomura proceeds to remind Izuku that just like he can see the One For All vestiges, he tells him to take a deep look inside himself, where there exists a visage of crumbling buildings melded together, declaring he overcame and buried the crying little kid a while back, that he's gone and his worldview has taken over; only "Tomura Shigaraki" is left and he's doing fine. Nana attempts to tell Izuku that he's too far gone and that he must finish him off with one final blow, but Izuku refuses, believing he only put a lid over his suffering, and intends to smash it all away.
In the vestige realm, Kudo tells the other users that was why he opposed Izuku as a successor, believing his desire to save one's archenemy a delusional madness that will disrupt their destined path. He says he thought it was arrogant thinking born of naivety, however having observed from within, he knows the truth, Izuku clings to one driving notion; that anyone, whether the most vile among them or the Quirkless, each one of them as an innately human heart, which he wants to believe. Then, after seeing a hand pointing through the realms, Kudo realizes what this means.[22]
Deep within the warped core of Tomura, there is a mental scar that Star and Stripe had inflicted during her battle with Tomura. Kudo explains that after absorbing All For One, Tomura has become so powerful Izuku doesn't stand a chance, so to defeat him they must attack from within, and by transferring One For All, they can break through the scar, to give his soul a good beating. Izuku and En were adamant to this plan because if the Quirks of One For All get stolen, then Tomura can use them, and Kudo admits there's no guarantee it'll work, but if he goes first, then Gearshift's recoiling backlash will be transferred to Tomura, so Kudo wants Izuku to throw him hard enough into Tomura that he'll shatter into nothing, serving as an attack without giving him control of his power.
As Tomura starts to rush toward them, Kudo tells Daigoro to stay by his side as Blackwhip will keep him alive, then turning to Yoichi to watch over him, who responds calling him his hero. Kudo finally asks Izuku what he has to say, and he responds that he'll do it. Izuku retaliates with a hoard of Blackwhips that he uses to consume his body, allowing him to move once again.[23]
Daigoro and En react in shock over how instantly he was able to jump into action and creatively utilize the Quirk, while Kudo responds he's working perfectly since he's not driven by duty, but rather respect, and his admiration for Quirks will make One For All shine even brighter. As the two charge toward the ground, Izuku blows a large volume of Smokescreen, but Tomura pushes through and touches the ground. Suddenly, Izuku uses a barrage of Blackchains to rip the earth from underneath Tomura, lunging them into the air and preventing Decay from spreading. Daigoro realizes when he was first sent flying back, he shot strands of Blackchains underground to carve up the earth, waiting for the right time to use it. Izuku uses his cape as a decoy along with a Blackwhip tendril holding Kudo's vestige, distracting Tomura for long enough for Izuku to close in and charge at him with his fist.
Tomura's body begins to instinctively re-enter its "absolute defense" form as fingers start to form around him, and before Tomura can touch him, Izuku executes a point-blank punch right at Tomura's stomach, successfully transferring Gearshift along with Kudo's vestige. Before Tomura can make use of him, Kudo sacrifices himself by successfully hitting the scar in Tomura's soul, causing Tomura to react in shock and pain from Gearshift's recoil.[24]
With Tomura's absolute defense form struggling to adapt, Izuku charges at Tomura once again. Yoichi notices how their memories are blending together, figuring that because One For All and All For One have already been rapidly resonating with each other, Kudo's transfer has caused it to reach a critical point. As Izuku and Tomura scream each other's names, Izuku executes another point-blank punch into Tomura's stomach. Embued within his fist, Daigoro and the other users try to transfer into Tomura, but through sheer willpower alone, Tomura rejects the transfer. However, En was the only one who managed to get through and sacrifices himself by successfully piercing right through the scar, inflicting damage on Tomura.
Izuku realizes the transfer was rejected, and Daigoro reveals that since Tomura has a very strong will to steal them, it would make sense it's strong enough to reject them too. But, due to En still being able to break through, Tomura was taking damage, letting them realize he can't completely shut them out. Despite Tomura taking damage, Izuku and the users wonder how they are going to break through Tomura's giant blob of fingers and achieve the transfer at the same time, so they must attack with everything they've got, no matter what it takes.[25]
With Izuku closing in on Tomura, he plows through the endless horde of his fingers and comes face-to-face with him once again. Desperate and in pain from the constant attacks, Tomura screams at Izuku to stay back, but he manages to land a powerful smash right into Tomura's chest, successfully transferring Daigoro, Yoichi, Bruce, and All Might's vestiges, allowing them to pierce through Tomura's leaden soul, nearly destroying it.[26] Soon after, Izuku manages to transfer all the vestiges including their Quirks into Tomura, effectively destroying the leaden soul.[26]
Unfortunately, when Izuku defeated Tomura in the battle of willpower, the "All For One" vestige within Tomura reemerges after the latter's will was weakened, allowing him to retake control of Tomura's body and expel Izuku from the vestige realm. [27] As an army of Heroes assembled before "All For One", they charge the villain, countering every single attack from "All For One" until Izuku comes in and deals the final blow to "All For One" smashing him right through his chest.[28]
As a result of all the damage, Tomura's body begins to shatter along with his Quirks crumbling away. Izuku lands the finishing blow, smashing Tomura's fists with his own. In the vestige realm, Daigoro and the other vestiges of One For All were reawakened by Izuku. Daigoro and the other vestiges comes together to land one last hit on All For One, destroying him for good. In the physical realm, Izuku defeats Tomura once and for all, just before he succumbs to his injuries and dies as his body disintegrates into ashes.[29]