History#
Number 6 was a nameless young boy that suffered from a severe case of agnosia, having no awareness of his own self or anything else. He was taken in as a test subject by Doctor Kyudai Garaki and All For One, who theorized that it was the result of either a congenital brain defect or the result of physical trauma during his childhood.
The Doctor believed that due to having no sense of self, he was unable to fit into society, thus unfit to be his pupil; however, All For One disagreed, believing that this case would allow them to shape him into whatever form they desire, and potentially be the twisted entity they seek.
All For One showed him video and visuals of many Pro Heroes, telling him to choose the Quirk and Hero that most fancied him, and to let them give him shape. Number 6 chose O'Clock, which All For One complimented him on, proceeding to tell him to visualize him as his mentor, and that he's the form he's meant to take.[1]
Number 6 would continue to spend his time watching anything related to O'Clock, growing a great admiration toward the Hero. When All For One stole O'Clock's Overclock Quirk, seriously injuring his face,[2] Number 6 watched this and, as a sign of respect for him, self-inflicted on his face a scar similar to O'Clock's wound, believing that it is now "his turn".[3][2] All For One eventually gave him Overclock, and put him in charge of the operations for what would be known as the "Villain Factory."
Synopsis#
Vs. Queen Bee Arc#
The first time Number 6 is seen in action is during Kuin Hachisuka's defeat. After Knuckleduster defeated her and removed the Queen Bee that controlled the body of his daughter Tamao, he killed the Queen Bee and destroyed the entire swarm with an explosive device. However, one of the bees managed to survive and escape.
Shortly after, Number 6, disguised as a police worker, walks down the street as he sings to himself about data and bees, while tossing a small plastic capsule in the air. He notices the last of Kuin's bees shakily flying through the air past him. In a flash, Number 6 jumps up and catches the bee in the plastic capsule, before leaving the place.[4]
Osaka Incident Arc#
Days later, Number 6 acts again to wreak havoc. For this occasion, disguised as a member of the staff, sneaks into the shooting set where Ingenium and Captain Celebrity were shooting an ad. Using a device, he causes a truck to crash, releasing a NLV known as Bat Villain, which was defeated and arrested weeks ago by Ingenium and the Naruhata Vigilantes. Bat Villain wants to take revenge for that, but is easily defeated by Captain Celebrity.[5]
After this, Number 6 is in charge of illegal importation of Trigger to Japan, for its subsequent distribution, through the so-called "Crab Route". The Police Force, lead by Naomasa, carries out an operation to dismantle the distribution of the drug and arrest those responsible. The clues lead them to the SS Mall in Super Minami in the city of Osaka.
There, the drug is distributed through the country hidden in Kanidoge's food packaged. For this operation, they have an infiltrated agent, Monika Kaniyashiki, as a worker in the Kanidoge chain; and Fat Gum in case of needing a Hero for the operation. Monika goes to the SS Mall loading dock and she discovers that Trigger was indeed hidden in the packaged. She also discovers the criminal responsible for that, disguised as a part-time worker.
Having been discovered, Number 6 congratulates Monika and uses his Quirk to snatch her gun and a tablet with vital information. Monika quickly takes cover and requests for reinforcements, so Naomasa, Fat Gum, and the rest of the police forces come to the place to catch the suspect.[6]
Despite being surrounded, Number 6 is calm and confident, and before anyone can stop it, he introduces a code on the tablet that causes the Kanidoge's Mechs employed by the workers are out of control and go on a rampage. Thanks to Fat Gum and Monika, the workers are rescued and the mechs are neutralized. While the villain congratulates them for their actions, detective Naomasa gives him a warning shot, assuring him that next time he won't miss.
Monika warns Naomasa to be careful, as the villain has an acceleration quirk that gives him extreme speed. Taking into account this information, Naomasa orders the speedster villain to get on the ground slowly. The villain just smiles. Without noticing, the damaged mechs approach the batch containing Trigger and explode, destroying all evidence. The villain takes advantage of the distraction to flee with the remaining pieces of evidence using his Quirk.[7]
The police chase Number 6. As he‘s not giving up even after verbal commands and warning shots, Naomasa orders to open fire against him. Number 6 uses his speed Quirk and dodges all the shots, but the detective shoots once more, injuring him in the leg, after deducing that the villain's acceleration Quirk needs a few seconds of cool down time after using it. The police rush on to the injured criminal.
Confronted by the police, the Villain uses his quirk and the time seems to freeze. He gets away from the cops. His wound does not seem very serious since he was just got grazed by Naomasa's shot. The speedster villain checks that they use rubber bullets, and in a blink of an eye, he disarms a whole group of cops and shoots into their bulletproof vests with their own weapons. Although this does not kill them, it does leave all the policemen very badly wounded. The villain being able to finally escape with the remaining pieces of evidence without any problem.[8]
Sky Egg Arc#
Several days later, in an unknown apartment, Number 6 is training his Overclock Quirk hard, to bring it to its limits. From an earpiece, the Villain Factory Employer tells him that his training is unnecessary, that he only needs to use firearms as he did in Osaka, but Number 6 replies that he is more partial to punching power. The voice tells him to do what he wants, that at least they get data about his physical state while accelerated. The call ends, and the speedster villain talks to himself that he only uses firearms when he is gets backed into a corner because guns are unheroic, as he contemplates a large O'Clock poster.[9]
After this, Number 6 continues to carry out the works commissioned by the Villain Factory, such as releasing the Next-Level Villains through the streets of Naruhata to collect data and obtain samples, as he did with Octoid. After a tough fight against Koichi, Aizawa, the Hotta Brothers, and Kamachi, Octoid is forced to escape, fleeing into an alley, being pursued by the others.
However, Number 6 finds him first and defeats him easily, obtaining a sample of his body. When he was about to leave, Octoid throws a stone at the speedster villain, causing him a slight scratch on his face, but that greatly angers Number 6, which almost kills Octoid from a beating before he is forced to leave due to Koichi and the others approaching.[10]
Number 6 is also in charge of looking for people with powerful Quirks for the Villain Factory. To do this, he distributes a new variant of Trigger that is administered orally. It is less effective than the old form but lacks the psychotropic element. As this new drug does not turn people into full-blown villains, it makes it easier to distribute on the street, and therefore, it benefits the Villain Factory, because it makes it easier for them to showcase potential candidates to kidnap and transform into Next-Level Villains. The police manage to catch and interrogate one of the distributors, and the investigation led the police to the place where the deals were happening, but Number 6 had already cleared out.[11]
Recently, Number 6 has set himself the goal of kill Captain Celebrity. To achieve this, he decides to take a test attack with a special Next-Level Villain: the Bomber. After the Captain celebrated Christmas at Marukane's department store with the Marukane Performers, Number 6 sends the bomber to hijack the taxi where the Little Sisters of Saint Lila's Academy are. Captain Celebrity goes out in pursuit, but just when he is going to reach them, Number 6 causes the creature to explode with a device.
Using the aerodynamic barrier of his Quirk, Captain Celebrity manages to protect the girls, leaving unharmed of the explosion, although when doing it he lowers his own protection, suffering several wounds, although nothing really serious. The witnesses come to Captain Celebrity to congratulate him for what he had just done. Meanwhile, Number 6 observes everything on top of a building. With his attack, he manages to deduce the weak point of Captain Celebrity's Quirk and decides to leave the place to prepare a new attack to end his life, releasing more flying bombers.[12]
After the incident, Captain Celebrity announces that he will return to the United States of America. And for this, his friends decide to organize a big farewell party at the Tokyo Sky Egg in several weeks, where some of the most famous heroes of Japan will participate and that thousands of people will attend. And it will be at that moment when Number 6 carries out his plan to assassinate Captain Celebrity.
However, Naomasa and the police are still on his trail; and thanks to an arduous investigation and a series of informants who give them important data, they manage to find what turns out to be the laboratory where the Villain Factory transforms the people who they kidnap into Next-Level Villains. The same day on which the Celebrity Farewell Party is celebrated, the Police Force, along with the heroes Eraser Head and Fat Gum, prepare to raid Onomura Pharma Corp.
When Naomasa gives the order, the police and heroes raid the place, arresting as many suspicious persons and seizing all possible evidence of illegal experiments. They hardly have any problems at first, thanks to Eraser Head and Fat Gum, who defeat the main threats, but when they arrive at the secret laboratory, they meet one of the Bombers. When the creature prepared to self-destruct, Eraser Head cancels his Quirk with his Erasure, and Fat Gum launches on him to neutralize it. However, they discover to their horror that behind the first Bomber there are several more, too many for Aizawa to cancel the Quirks of all of them. And behind the creatures, is Number 6, who presses a device generating a huge explosion in the laboratory.
Number 6 manages to escape the explosion by grabbing the leg of one of the five surviving Bombers. The Villain admits to himself that, although he expected the authorities to end up discovering the place, he was not expected to do it so soon. Despite this setback, he decides to continue with his plan to kill Captain Celebrity, heading with the Bombers to the Tokyo Sky Egg.[13]
Upon reaching the area near the Sky Egg, Number 6 starts up his plan: one of the bombers sticks to the glass and explodes. This makes Koichi, who was near the place of the explosion, almost falls to the ground, while Captain Celebrity, after making sure that Koichi is well, goes out to face the creatures.
One of the Bombers explodes, hardly affecting him, but everything turns out to be a distraction, as an especially large Bomber clings to the tower of the Tokyo Sky Egg and explodes, seriously damaging the infrastructure, threatening to collapse with thousands of innocent people inside. To prevent the tower from falling, Captain Celebrity uses his enormous strength to hold the building, but this leaves him helpless.
Everything is coming out just as Number 6 had planned, and sends one of the two remaining Bombers to attack him. It is a creature that was specially designed to face Captain Celebrity, with six arms, the ability to throw explosive punches and to regenerate any lost limb. The creature mercilessly attacks Captain Celebrity, but despite the punishment he received, he continues to hold the building, ensuring that he can withstand hundreds of those more attacks.[14]
In the Tokyo Sky Egg dome, both the heroes and the audience are wondering about the many tremors rocking the dome. Some try to use their communication devices to contact the outside or other departments to know what is happening, but the remaining Bombers generates an EMP blast, causing a blackout in the building and cutting the cell signals. In the distance, Number 6 is satisfied with the result, because it prevents anyone from helping Captain Celebrity. With this situation, Best Jeanist takes the lead and deduces with more or less the intentions of the person responsible for what happened, so he devised a plan so those heroes capable of flight will exit and make contact with the outside.
Meanwhile, Captain Celebrity continues to hold the damaged structure so that it does not fall, while resisting the Bomber's attacks. When the creature prepares to attack him again, Koichi Haimawari appears and uses his Quirk to shoot the repulsion force blasts at the Bomber and blowing up his fists. Koichi's plan is to endure as long as possible protecting Captain Celebrity until someone can help them. [15] The plan works. Koichi manages to stay long enough until the first heroes begin to arrive to assist them in their battle against the Bombers.[16]
In the distance, Number 6 sees the Pro Heroes managing defeats his creatures while securing the building. He gets very angry when he sees how his plans are being dismantled by the heroes and decides to carry out his last move to kill the greatest number of people, in revenge for their interference. The Bomber that was attacking Captain Celebrity clings to the supporting tower. Number 6 uses his device to cause the creature to self-destruct in an explosion so powerful that the Tokyo Sky Egg begins to fall down.[17]
The number 6 contemplates the collapse of the Tokyo Sky Egg, ensuring that only a god can save them now. However, Detective Naomasa managed to call All Might on time and, with an inhuman feat, it takes him only a few seconds to reach the place and, in a flash, he lands the Tokyo Sky Egg dome safely. After witnessing that feat, Number 6 feels increasingly furious to see how his act of revenge had been totally ruined by All Might's intervention.[18] However, he does not give up, and uses a device again to reactivate the Bombers remains.
The remains start to regenerate, combine and grow into a gigantic and uniform mass of flesh, that bursts releasing a swarm of two hundred mini Bombers to attack everyone. Number 6 is confident that even All Might will not be able to destroy all the creatures, so he is sure that this attack will cause some deaths. He is wrong once again. All Might destroy the entire swarm with his Nebraska Smash, saving thousands of lives again.
Number 6 cannot believe that his plan has failed again because the impressive demonstration of power of All Might, but unlike the previous time, this time he can not help but laughs, unable to conceive of how a being as powerful as All Might can come into existence. Suddenly a voice from his earpiece speaks to him, assures him that what he have seen is real, and the main objective of the organization is to create something at the same level as All Might. With all the Bombers wiped out and the laboratory destroyed, Number 6 decides that the only thing he can do is disappear for a while.
Without knowing it, he is being observed by Knuckleduster through the scope of a sniper rifle.[19] The vigilante had deduced that the Villain Factory would attack the Tokyo Sky Egg and looked for the best place to snipe their agent. Unfortunately, when he is about to shoot him, a bird passes in front of his scope, causing him to miss the shot and piercing Number 6 shoulder. Knuckleduster tries to shoot him again, but the villain quickly locates him, and despite his injure, he jumps from building to building thanks to his Quirk until he ends up on the rooftop where Knuckleduster is.
Number 6 recognizes Knuckleduster as the former hero O'Clock, whom he admires so much. For his part Knuckleduster recognizes him as the villain who is behind all the Next-Level Villains attacks and is also in possession of his former Quirk Overclock, but otherwise, he has no idea who he really is. The villain replies that he is a nobody, a thing still unformed, and he has no real name, he is just called Number 6. However, he confesses to Knuckleduster that he hopes to become O'Clock, since he admires him a lot, and he asks him to recognize him as his successor.
Knuckleduster refuses to grant his request, in fact he does not intend to allow a villain like him, who is in possession of his stolen Quirk, to continue to exist. Number 6 resigns to the fact that his idol recognizes him as a villain, and attacks him. But Knuckleduster knows all the weaknesses and drawbacks of his former Quirk, and uses them against Number 6, causing him to fall into a trap.[20]
Knuckleduster blows up the rooftop and several floors below. Unable to maneuver in the air, Number 6 falls to the bottom, being shot several times by Knuckleduster with a shotgun while falling. Once on the bottom, the vigilante continues to beat him. Knuckleduster admits that killing him was his best long-term option, but now that he had fallen into his trap, it is worth capture him to interrogate him. Knuckleduster tells Number 6 that the building is damaged, and therefore another blast will gonna bring the whole building down, becoming his tomb. He can't escape even with his super speed.
Number 6 tells him he is naive, because his decision to no kill him gives him the chance to strike back. Number 6 confesses to Knuckleduster that he has bomber cells in his body, as parasites, before self-detonating his left arm, blowing Knuckleduster away.[21] Seriously injured, Number 6 praises Knuckleduster for his stubbornness, considering him as the best hero, even better than All Might himself. However, he is going to surpass him, and be the new O'Clock. Knuckleduster tells him that that will not happen, because in addition to his injuries, he will end him.
Number 6 shows Knuckleduster that, although he doesn't know as much about Overclock as he does, he can do things with the Quirk Knuckleduster could never achieve. Combining overclock with the Bomber's cells of his body, he accelerates the growth of the cells, obtaining an explosive arm where before his left arm was, then, he extends the cells to the right arm, thus obtaining two explosive arms.
Despite all this, Knuckleduster is willing to face him and attacks without contemplation. Admiring Knuckleduster's resolve, Number 6 recognizes that he is certainly the best, before attack him, initiating the final battle between both.[22]
Days later, the police investigate the scene of the confrontation. The only thing they find there are blood samples that correspond to Knuckleduster and Number 6. According to the police lab, Number 6 blood type and DNA is mixed with a number of other chemicals. Eizo Tanuma, who lead Trigger investigator and knows the truth about Knuckleduster, questions if "the thing they're chasing" is even human.[23]
Final Performance Arc#
A few years pass since the fight against Knuckleduster. Its outcome is unknown but Number 6 survived, and over time, he starts to scheme against the Naruhata Vigilantes. At some point, Number 6 adopts the persona of Rokuro Nomura, a guy quite pathetic and with a self-insecure personality but who is also the new manager of the Marukane Performers. He also at some point managed to obtain his hero license.[24]
While acting as the manager, one day he reports to girls members that, as Narufest was becoming less and less popular, the Marukane's executive had decided that next month's Narufest will be the last, which shocks the girls. The manager apologizes for not having managed to convince them of the contrary, but Miu comments that decision was predictable, although Kazuho is sad.[25]
One day, posing as Rokuro, he finds Kazuho singing in the street, helping her against three thugs that were making fun of her, until the police arrive and quickly leave the place. They both go to a cafe to talk about her solo project, where Kazuho explains that she's trying to craft a future for herself beyond Narufest, now that it's about to end. "Rokuro" wants to help her on her project, and asks her to let him listen to her song, and gets so moved about the lyrics that he starts crying, and tells Kazuho that her song is amazing.
On the way back, Kazuho and "Rokuro" meet again with the trio thugs who had made fun of Kazuho earlier. The leader is angry because he considers them responsible for the police hassling him, and attacks them. To everyone's surprise, Rokuro retains him with a hold and advises the thugs to quit picking fights as he is a hero, showing his hero license to prove it, to Kazuho's surprise and admiration.[26]
After a meeting at Marukane, "Rokuro" agrees with the attendees who will contact the FeatherHATS members for the last performance. As soon as the meeting is over, Kazuho and Rokuro leave quickly to carry out a street performance. After changing her clothes, he tells her that she has the permits so she can sing without problems. Kazuho sings one of the songs she had composed and to which Rokuro had given a few tweaks, and the performance becomes a great success among the attendees.
After this, Kazuho and Rokuro celebrate their success at the bar. There, they meet the three thugs of the previous day but instead of causing them problems, they congratulate them. After finishing drinking, Kazuho and "Rokuro" walk back through the streets. At that moment he confesses to Kazuho and tells her that he wants to do everything possible for her. Even though Kazuho is flattered by his words, his feelings are unrequited, and her songs are to give herself courage. She leaves giving thanks to Rokuro for everything.
At that moment the three thugs appear, who are actually his friends, to cheer him up. It turns out that "Rokuro" had developed feelings for Kazuho, and he crafted his persona and organized that whole act specifically to get Kazuho to like him. His friends tell him to be himself after Kazuho rejects him. Number 6 decides that they're right and he no longer needs them. He gets rid of his Rokuro Nomura persona and attacks them.
Later, he receives a call from Kazuho, who is crying heartbroken. She apologizes for rushing off earlier and says that she needs him to be there for her. Sitting on the beaten bodies of the thugs, Number 6 replies not to worry, that he will help her, since he is her fan and will always be on her side.[27]
The next day, while posing as Rokuro Nomura, Number 6 meets with Kazuho in a cafe. Kazuho explains that she wanted to talk to someone she is close to (Koichi), but in the end she couldn't do it for an unknown reason. Number 6 suggests that maybe it's because she didn't get the timing right, to which Kazuho agrees.
Internally, Number 6 is glad he got it right with his response. He imagines his "master", O'Clock, giving him advice on how to use his Quirk Overclock to interpret a person's subconscious reactions to both manipulate and react to their reactions without the subject even knowing. With this ability he can give her the correct answers and the words that Kazuho wants to hear.
Back to the conversation, Kazuho says that she still has no confidence in herself. She says her family and friends only know a part of her and she is afraid of being rejected if they know how she really is. Number 6 tells her that will not happen because everyone loves her, and after suggesting a change of scenery, he tells her that what she needs is to calm down, take stock and examine her feelings and then have healthy communication with all of them. Kazuho agrees and leaves the cafe with him.
While walking down the street, Kazuho is glad to have "Rokuro" with her, since he is a kind and honest person, although "Rokuro" denies that saying that he actually has a passionate side and a complex inner life. Kazuho takes his words as another of his jokes, and Rokuro decides to invite her to his secret hideout, in the basement of a ruinous looking building. Kazuho accepts their invitation, and once they are there, Number 6 decides to stop his persona as Rokuro Nomura and reveal his true self.
Before Kazuho can react, he pushes her into the room and locks her up. That basement is where Number 6 had hidden and took care of the only surviving bee that he rescued from the fight between Knuckleduster and Kuin Hachisuka two years ago. During all that time, he had been feeding it with victims, until the bee regained strength and became a new Queen Bee, forming a new swarm. Now all that was needed was a new host which the Queen Bee could parasitize, and Number 6 had decided it was Kazuho.[24]
Because Kazuho is missing for several days, her family informs the police of her disappearance and her friends and acquaintances go in search of her, walking the streets of Naruhata, unaware that Kazuho had been parasitized, becoming Bee☆Pop. Koichi is one of those who are looking for her, so Number 6 decides to announce the arrival of the "Bee☆Pop" with a spectacular show as well as destructive.
Bee☆Pop attacks Koichi with several Bomb Bees, generating several explosions that attract large numbers of people to the place.[28] Seeing people begin to gather, Number 6 tells Bee☆Pop that it is time for her performance to begin.
To the rhythm of a song that they composed, Bee☆Pop uses her Queen Bee Quirk to release several Bomb Bees that explode at random, rampaging the streets of Naruhata. Number 6 witnesses how Koichi tries to stop Bee☆Pop failing in his attempt and being shot down and rejected by her, proclaiming it's over for him, as "Kazuho" is not his little princess anymore but a queen. After this, Bee☆Pop considers that their "performance" is over and tells all the witnesses that she will return with an even greater performance.[29]
As a result of her attack, "Kazuho" is considered a villain by the authorities and registered in the villain designation registry. Numerous heroes patrol the streets in case she decides to reappear as promised. Koichi is also being wanted for his relationship with Pop☆Step but they have not managed to find his whereabouts.[30] With these conditions, Number 6 decides to implement his great plan.
The next week after the Bee☆Pop attack, Number 6 joins Naruhata's hero patrols under his persona of the inexperienced hero Rock. He's partnered up for a patrol with another Pro Hero, Compass Kid, who from the first moment shows a friendly attitude towards Rock.[31] The two have a friendly chat while on patrol until their talk is interrupted by a sudden explosion caused by Bee☆Pop. Compass Kid tries to call the HQ, but his phone doesn't work because Bee☆Pop hijacks the radio spectrum with her Quirk, so he tells Rock that the only thing he can do for now is evacuate civilians while they wait for the arrival of backup.
Several of the heroes try to stop Bee☆Pop, but she avoids them and continues her explosive performance. The situation changes when Endeavor kicks in.[32] Compass Kid and Rock hear a siren and calm the citizens by telling them that the horn indicates that a hero team is about to deploy and ask them to take shelter in a nearby building. After being informed by his sidekicks that the streets have been evacuated, Endeavor unleashes his Quirk to its full potential and attacks Bee☆Pop with Hellfire Storm. Bee☆Pop is about to be cremated, when Koichi shows up to rescue her, forcing Endeavor to cancel his attack.[33]
Endeavor is forced to rest for several minutes to cool down his body before trying again to defeat Bee☆Pop and that obtrusive vigilante. His team sounds a siren signaling to the other heroes to go ahead and apprehend Bee☆Pop. Compass Kid suggests to Rock they should help capture the villain when suddenly Koichi slides right past them, destroying the Bomb Bees that had gotten too close to the heroes, while avoiding and luring them in order to capture Bee☆Pop.
Number 6 realizes that Koichi is trying to ruin his plans and decides to take action as well. Using Overclock, he instantly jumps up onto a building and pulls out his gun, taking out several Heroes that were pursuing Koichi and Bee☆Pop. Compass Kid witnesses the situation and informs Number 6, in his Rock persona again, that some Heroes have been shot dead. Number 6 accuses The Crawler of being the killer, but Compass Kid doubts that it was him and uses his Pointer Quirk to find the real killer, getting a nasty surprise when he discovers that it is his partner "Rock". Number 6 immediately grabs him and drags him into an alley, where he kills him before putting his costume back on and leaving the scene, eager to see the showdown between The Crawler and Bee☆Pop.[34]
Koichi faces the possessed Bee☆Pop once again in order to stop her, but he is knocked down again. Bee☆Pop decides to end her performance gathering the Bomb Bees around her to blow herself up, ending her life, but Koichi manages to make his way to Pop☆Step one more time, yelling out her name. This causes Kazuho's real mind to break the mind control that Queen Bee has over her.
When it seems that everything is going to be ok, Number 6 draws his pistol again and shoots Kazuho with great precision. Number 6 states that Pop☆Step seemed to be forgetting her dream, but fortunately for her, he is here to make sure she doesn't, as he is her biggest fan.[35]
Koichi grabs Kazuho before she hits the ground and manages to land in an alley. Once there, Number 6 appears in front of Koichi, introducing himself as the person who shot Kazuho, but calmly clarifies that he shot her with a special syringe containing a drug that controls the bees. Koichi was wide-eyed at first but he calms down after hearing his explanation.
Then Number 6 starts donning his hero costume, while monologuing that he is sure that Kazuho is an innocent person who has been manipulated by a villain in the shadows. Koichi finally realizes that something is fishy about that hero, especially when he sees his hand transform. Number 6 declares that Koichi is the villain and he, as the hero O'Clock II, will beat Koichi into a pulp with his fist of justice.
O'Clock II asks Koichi if he nailed his monologue properly and that there's two reasons why he's droning on and on. The first reason is that every self-respecting hero needs a story behind them, and for this having an arch nemesis is essential. Increasingly suspicious, Koichi tells him that he does not have time for his monologue, to which Number 6 agrees, and clarifies that the second reason of his speech is that he is buying time for the drug to kick in, which causes the Queen Bee and the hive eager to self-destruct. A large swarm of bees leaves Kazuho's body, and Koichi is forced to carry her in his arms and flee as quickly as the bees explode around him.
On top of a building, Number 6 watches as Koichi manages to dodge the explosions. For the villain, Koichi's flashy getaway benefits his plans and states that when the time is right, he will swoop in and take down Koichi, while "tragically" the villainess Bee☆Pop blows herself up, and after this "tragedy" he will swear on her wretched soul to never let such a thing happen again. In this way, he will create the "heartbreaking" debut of O'Clock II that will make people instant fans of him, because everyone will eat that mummery up with a spoon.
However, when he sees that Koichi is managing to escape, Number 6 decides to intervene so that his plan does not fail. Using his Overclock Quirk, the villain attacks Koichi with an explosive punch, but to his surprise, Koichi manages to dodge his blow by increasing his speed by boosting the force field of Koichi's Quirk under his feet. As Number 6 continues chasing Koichi, while planning the best way to kill him, he suddenly sees Endeavor appear in front of them after his cooldown was over.[36]
Despite this setback, Number 6 still believes that his plan may work as he has not been noticed by Endeavor. As he plans a way to lure Koichi away and attack him in an alleyway, to the villain's surprise, Koichi dives right into Endeavor, dodging all the fireballs that the hero shoots at him. Realizing events are not unfolding as he would like, Number 6 considers announcing his presence to Endeavor and fight alongside him or otherwise he won't get any credit for taking down Koichi.
However, his plan fails when Endeavor, pissed off by Koichi, uses his Hell Minefield to make the ground explode forcing both Koichi and Number 6 to jump to dodge the ground level attack. While in mid-air, the villain thinks he has managed to get to safety, but he realizes too late that Endeavor's move is actually a two-folded attack. Endeavor lets off a huge explosion, which takes out all the bees that were chasing Koichi.
Since he is still in the mid-air, Number 6's unable to use his Overclock Quirk to avoid the explosion and is engulfed by the flames. Number 6 begins to get burnt, annoyed that this one little mistake is ruining his plan. While burning alive, Number 6 notices that the energy at Koichi's feet transformed, allowing him to blast off into the air and avoid the attack. Number 6 becomes even more enraged, calling Koichi a cheating bastard whilst he still burns.[37]
Having survived and become horribly disfigured by Endeavor's attacks, Number 6 follows Koichi and meets him on a rooftop. There, he eerily monologues about how his plan had been ruined, and that he is back to being the "nameless Number 6." Koichi, more concerned about 6's injuries, offers to get him help, but Number 6 angrily demands that Koichi listen.
He explains his status as a creation, put together like a craft project, and not knowing who and what he even is. Despite having his plans ruined by a nobody like Koichi, Number 6 says that things are clearer than ever: he will get revenge on garbage like Koichi, who ruin other people's dreams. Number 6 declares to the vigilante that once he kills Pop☆Step and Koichi, the story of O'Clock II shall truly begin.
Number 6 finally collapses due to his injuries, and when Koichi is about to help him despite his threat, he uses Overclock to crawl away, leaving a trail of blood resembling skid marks, as Koichi becomes concerned by his words.[38]
Underground Masquerade Arc#
After recovering sufficiently from his injuries, Number 6 sets out to destroy and erase any evidence related to his activities and the Villain Factory. His first targets are Detective Eizo Tanuma and the documents related to a case he worked on several years ago with O'Clock: the Underground Masquerade incident. As they are at the police station, Number 6 disguises himself as a police officer who works in the archives.
Once inside, he locates Eizo alone in his office, precisely studying the UGM documents. Using the pretext that there has been a problem with the paperwork he had submitted, Number 6 asks him to check the files he just signed out. Without suspecting anything, Eizo gives the document, asking to return them as soon as possible, because since he's tying the Underground Masquerade case to the Villain Outbreaks in Naruhata the past few years.
Once he has the files, Number 6 uses his Self-Detonation Quirk to destroy them, saying to the dumbfounded Eizo that making the connection would cause far too much trouble. Shocked, Eizo asks him who the hell he is, but Number 6 uses his Self-Detonation again to blow up the entire office before leaping out.
The villain arrives at an alley, where a mental illusion of O'Clock congratulates him on a job well done, to strike first and erase every trace of the past, so that the powers that be can't make a move. Number 6 thanks his "master" for his congratulations, and blows his face up in order to remove the false mug. With his face still bleeding, Number 6 gleefully looks on, as he prepares to keep the enemy in the dark, to remain free and untouchable.[39]
Naruhata Lockdown Arc#
In the aftermath of his attack on the police station, with Eizo becoming hospitalized and unconscious, the police and vigilantes each become more paranoid and nervous in regards to protecting the hospital caring for Kazuho, who thanks to Koichi's warning, they know 6 is targeting. Detective Naomasa requests Koichi to turn himself in since he is a person of interest in the case, however they refuse due to wanting to keep Koichi active to protect Kazuho, as well as not wanting to get caught up in one of 6's traps, after realizing how dangerous his infiltration abilities are.
Despite this, Naomasa orders an arrest warrant for Koichi, requesting assistance from Pro Heroes Ingenium, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and Eraser Head to contain him, leading to a chase.[40]
This as it turns out is all part of Number 6's plan, to keep the heroes, cops, and vigilantes too busy fighting each other to realize they should be allies, which his hallucination of O'Clock congratulates him for being a step ahead of everyone. He proceeds to escalate things even further as he starts up his multi-phased ultimate plan, "Operation Anonymous", otherwise known as the "Naruhata Lockdown".[41]
For the first phase of the plan, Number 6 emits a large electromagnetic pulse into the sky, completely shutting down all the power and communications throughout Naruhata, forcing everyone to become disorientated. At the same time, he deploys a variety of "Anonymous" disguised in trench coats, into the city as part of the second phase, which is to block off the roads with a series of accidents. "O'Clock" reminds 6 to avoid flashy pileups and just to limit the traffic, as the drones simply disrupt the cars and trucks.
The third phase is to cause trouble throughout Naruhata, as the drones are sent throughout the city to cause a series of minor aggressions, including destroying windows, vandalizing property, and more, all with the purpose of creating a sense of unease amongst the public, leading them to become paranoid with each other and thus unable to easily cooperate with each other.
Number 6's glee is abruptly halted upon noticing Koichi and the Pro Heroes temporarily stopping their chase to assist with the civilians and try to understand the situation, though "O'Clock" reassures him it won't be enough to derail their plans. As this is going on, a group of 6's drones watch over Kazuho's hospital from the shadows, as 6 muses about the true intentions of the attacks; to keep their identities a secret and damage at a minimum so as to prevent the arrival of All Might, the only true hero he believes that could stop him.[42]
To stop the Heroes and Koichi from interfering with his plan, he has several Anonymous pretend to be civilians in trouble to distract and ambush them by blowing them up.[43] He then makes his way to Kazuho's hospital, accompanied by several Anonymous and overwhelming the police force.[44] Once at the hospital, Number 6 leaves the Anonymous to wander around the hospital premises while he goes inside alone to kill Kazuho. "O'Clock" congratulates Number 6 on his smart thinking, using Overclock to control the hive mind that is the Anonymous. Number 6 then blows up a door and makes his way to a hallway, where Naomasa and several officers attempt to arrest him.
Naomasa warns Number 6, saying that this time he will shoot, while Number 6 taunts him about how he should have dealt with Eizo Tanuma sooner. He threatens them, saying that if they get in his way, he will kill them too. However, Soga Kugisaki shoots through the window, startling Number 6. Soga then switches his gun to automatic, firing randomly throughout the hallway, but learns from O'Clock's illusion that he is purposefully firing to make him use Overclock and deplete his oxygen.
Number 6 waits until the gun runs out of bullets and tries to catch his breath, only for Koichi to jump in through the window and being fired at by his Shooty-Go-Blams. Struggling to defend himself from Koichi's blasts, Number 6 is shot in the legs by the officers, causing him to fall on his knees.[45]
Naomasa and the Police Force restrain Number 6 with cuffs, which the O'Clock illusions notes includes a stun function. As Naomasa calls on Midnight to assist, he states to himself that since her Quirk will put his brain to sleep, he has to shut this down now. Using Overclock, in conjunction with the Bomber cells in his body, he transforms it to make it all melt away from the cuffs, before remerging his body and freezing time right behind Naomasa. He taunts to him that since his Bomber cells take commands from his brain, shooting his hands and legs won't do anything, and he should've aimed for the head.
The O'Clock illusion reminds him to not let his guard down as Soga is still outside with his sight on him, but Number 6 reassures that he won't pull the trigger with the officers in the way. As he prepares to take the rest of them down with a Self-Detonation attack, Koichi starts blasting more shots at Number 6's faces. "O'Clock" notes that despite being low impact and low velocity, they're still more annoying to deal with than they'd expect, and recommends retreating for now so as not to run out of breath, which Number 6 reluctantly does.
Making his way back outside, Number 6 decides to regroup to make his way back in, using the Anonymous to take care of the officers, and sending some more to go after Soga. He continues to discuss with "O'Clock" about their next move, until he sees Koichi blast his way up into the sky. "O'Clock" figures out that the Police had requested Koichi summon All Might, warning Number 6 that they'll only have about 60 seconds until he arrives. He recommends that they can just go in and eliminate Kazuho quickly and make their escape, however, Number 6 doesn't like it since he doesn't like the idea of "running scared" from Koichi, and sticking with this anonymity will just leave him as "nameless" and "faceless" as ever, instead deciding to indulge and try to slaughter everyone himself.[46]
Suddenly, Koichi lands directly behind him, to his surprise, which also cause the Anonymous he was controlled to stop. He taunts Koichi for appearing in front of him, while Koichi questions if he's the same person he met the other day, due to how different his charred face looks now. Number 6 starts to freak out, unaware he forgot to put on his faces, as he uses the Bomber cells to transform it into his "Rokuro Nomura" face.
He declares to Koichi that his "Rock" face is one of his favourites to wear, also revealing that he directly modeled it after Koichi himself, and because of that, he'll need to disappear so they don't appear as twins. Number 6 starts to go on a tangent with himself, thinking about how if he got rid of Koichi, he could patch things up with Kazuho, allowing the "Rock and Pop" duo to make a comeback, though "O'Clock" states she's a liability and should be eliminated.
Number 6 is once again caught off guard when Koichi gets on his knees and begs him to go with that option, and that he'll disappear if it means she won't get hurt. Irritated and confused by his response, Number 6 restates that by "disappear" he means "die", and prepares to stomp on Koichi with his explosives. Instead, Koichi uses his Quirk in this position to sweep his legs, forcing him into the air and unable to his Quirk, as Koichi prepares to blast him in the face.
However, Koichi hesitates and shoots directly to the side of Number 6. Taking advantage of this, Number 6 quickly speeds up behind him, telling him he has to "commit", before punching him with a powerful blast of explosions.[47]
With Koichi seemingly taken out, Number 6 gloats to himself how he was able to accomplish it through a high-speed flurry attack with his fist loaded up with Bombify, Detonation, and Regeneration, with his limit being three punches in one breath. He turns to Rapt and Moyuru, who are hiding in the bushes, and prepares to kill them next, however they are all surprised to see Koichi up relatively fine.
Irritated and confused, Number 6 rushes back in to punch him again, while "O'Clock" reminds him to pay attention to seek out the "unknown factor". He manages to deduce that Koichi has been using the repulsion blasts from his Slide And Glide to disperse his explosions, neutralizing the damage. Referring to it as another "cheat code", Number 6 tries to think of a way around it, while "O'Clock", noticing that he's on guard, and recognizing his superior speed, maneuverability, and flight, suggests a retreat.
Now incredibly ticked off, Number 6 ignores "O'Clock"'s warnings and gives chase to Koichi, who speeds off into the city.[48] He attempts to attack him with more explosive punches, however Koichi manages to evade them at every moment. "O'Clock" surmises that Koichi has managed to lure Number 6 away from the hospital, and potentially still intends to seek All Might's help, with him taking the bait, something he is painfully aware of already.
"O'Clock" figures out that Koichi's been reading his patterns and using sound to determine whenever he leaps, instinctively dodging his attacks, and suggests in order to catch him off guard, he'll have to alter his approach. After thinking about how air resistance tends to start pushing you back when people reach speeds of over 45km/hr, in order to fight the drag, Number 6 decides to go on all fours, turning his hands and feet into claws, and pushing himself forward to go faster, dubbing it "Number 6: Crawler Style."
Koichi jumps into the air and starts to shoot more repulsion blasts as Number 6 gets closer, however instead, he's able to dodge all of them, and taking advantage of Koichi being in mid-air this time, speeds up behind him and prepares to detonate him in the back. However, once again to his shock, Koichi manages to block the detonation punch with a repulsion blast from his back, and does it again when he attempts with his other hand. As the two land and recover, Number 6 realizes that his Slide And Glide is able to project his force fields anywhere on his body, not just his hands and feet, and starts to openly question how it is his speed is able to match that of his Overclock in the first place.[49]
He frustratingly punches a car to demonstrate the power of his Knuckle Bomb punches, openly wondering how Koichi is able to still stand. When he's unable to respond, "O'Clock" realizes he must be handling Overclock's attacks subconsciously. Thinking that he's just been lucky by "button mashing", Number 6 goes for a rush attack, blasting him with a flurry of punches he's forced to reflect. "O'Clock" tells him that the tactic is ill-advised, as Overclock is meant to be utilized for precise actions, and without the proper strength, the rapid fire approach won't be effective.
Number 6 ignores the advice, claiming his body can handle it, while also noticing that Koichi's force field defence's are surprisingly accurate. Pushing himself faster, he manages to land a hit in Koichi's chest, temporarily stunning him and allowing him an opening to punch his head off, but instead Koichi instinctively fires off a repulsion blast, grazing Number 6's head and forcing him to once again back off.
He remains bewildered how Koichi has managed to match his speed, until "O'Clock" figures out what is going on. He explains about how typically human bodies will take action before a conscious decision has been made, and that Koichi has reached the point where his body can react to anything even faster than Number 6 using Overclock can process his thoughts.
"O'Clock" suggests Number 6 abandon the mission and retreat, while also stressing to not encounter Koichi ever again. He states that thanks to his superior Quirk, which grants him high-speed movement, ranged attacks, and defensive force fields, as well as the subconscious reflexes to trigger them all when needed, if he continues into the future to perfect his abilities, he will become Number 6's perfect foil: a foe, just like All Might, worthy of being avoided.
Number 6 angrily rejects this statement, not caring about the future, and only that he was supposed to be in full control today. Deciding to make Koichi his Number 1 target now, he starts to morph and change his body, transforming into a giant monstrous beast, which he declares as being Phase 6 of Operation Anonymous: the Hi-Crawler.[50]
Number 6 confidently declares his new form is built to withstand his high-speed movement, rushing toward Koichi to slice up his legs with his claws, which he just barely reacts to. As Koichi continues to try and dodge and block, Number 6 uses his new extreme speeds to come at him with a headbutt, followed by a body slam, and a continued flurry of slices, putting Koichi on the ropes.
"O'Clock", meanwhile, advises Number 6 against his current tactics, explaining that while typically, the acceleration state of Overclock would overload the pressure of an individual's body, thanks to all his current modifications, Number 6 is able to withstand the limitations through his remodelled muscular structure and extra eyes, able to remain in the acceleration state permanently and become the ultimate predator.
However, he reminds him his opponent is "The Crawler." Thanks to his years as a vigilante, rather than like traditional heroes and police who make the first move against villains, Koichi has always been on the defensive side, and has experience taking the first hit, meaning that he has indirectly developed a "flight or fight" response to any fight: a "variant fighter", trained to counter any attack, which he once again manages to accomplish during Number 6's assault.[51]
"O'Clock" warns Number 6 he's been too focused on mimicking O'Clock's fighting style, and against a "variant" like Koichi, he must think ahead to box him into a corner. Transforming himself to reveal several extra arms, Number 6 creates an arsenal of bombs along his body, which he uses the arms to throw into the air, distracting Koichi enough for him to throw more bombs toward his feet, forcing him to jump out of the way.
As the midair bombs go off, forcing Koichi further into the sky, Number 6 throws another wave of bombs toward him, which Koichi shoots down using his Shooty-Go-Kablam, forcing him into a rough landing before once again speeding away."O'Clock" states that since the grenades turned out not to be the key to victory, Number decides to use a different type of bomb.
Number 6 executes the true purpose of Phase 6 of Operation Anonymous: throwing all available resources at the target. Using his parallel processing, he summons the remaining Anonymous scattered throughout the city, which all begin to swarm the fleeing Koichi, as thanks to the Hi-Crawler form boosting Overclock, it allows Number 6 dynamic control over the Anonymous as well as simultaneously accelerating his cognitive abilities.
"O'Clock" reminds Number 6 that this is all because he is not an "ordinary person", with Number 6 thinking about how much his brain has been on fire over hatred directed at Koichi, as his hatred spills out into a web of bloodlust executed by the Anonymous, all targeted at him. "O'Clock", meanwhile, thinks to himself that changing targets has come at a considerable cost, and while he considers the mission a failure, the experiment has taken an intriguing turn, as a twisted smile emerges on his face, gleefully telling Number 6 to follow his twisted path, seek his culmination, and surpass his every limit.[52]
Number 6 uses the Anonymous to lure Koichi down an alleyway, as he stands on a nearby rooftop, laughing to himself about making him careless enough for him to finally get him off guard. After unveiling several rifle parts and bullets he had hid in his body, Number 6 once again transforms his physique, locking all of his joints into place, and turning his body into a sniper rifle, dubbed Sniper Style. Using the power of Overclock, in combination with all his bloodlust toward Koichi, Number 6 prepares to blast a supersonic shot directly at him.
Suddenly, a huge punch, followed by a flurry of consecutive punches, ram right into Number 6's face, knocking him over, as a familiar voice taunts him, revealing to be a still alive Knuckleduster, declaring he's here.[53] Knuckleduster continues to beat Number 6 to a pulp, briefly halting to let him try and speak. Number 6 manages to transform back into his "Rock" face, only to be pummelled some more. Number 6 screams to Knuckleduster why he chose Koichi and not him, as all he ever wanted was to become him, pointing his hand at him to shoot a bullet out of it.
Knuckleduster easily avoids the shot by grabbing Number 6's arm, telling him he picked the wrong guy to idolize, and that even though he was born with a decent Quirk and some brains, that has nothing to do with a man's true value, and that everything worth it about him that's left he's passed on to more deserving people. He gleefully states all he has left to give him is his own worthless life, as Number 6 fearfully notices the holding detonator in his hand.[1]
Number 6 manages to shoot him several times in the stomach, making fun of him for wasting time monologuing, but Knuckleduster continues to beat him up, thanks to the fact that the bulletproof vest he is wearing greatly protected him from damage. As he continues punching him, Knuckleduster starts the countdown, pressing the detonator at zero, but to his surprise, the explosives do not explode. Soga suddenly appears armed with a machine gun, telling Knuckleduster that he figured out his plan when he first noticed the bombs and had disarmed them. He berates him for trying to sacrifice his life when he and Koichi are trying hard to make sure no one dies.
Number 6 can't contain his laughter when he realizes that Knuckleduster's elaborate plan has failed like that. He kicks the old vigilante over and proceeds to taunt Soga asking him if he would be able to take advantage of the fact that he is weakened to kill him with one shot. Number 6 knows Soga doesn't actually have the guts to take a life, while he can rip them apart instantly with no effort. He gives him one more chance to make a move before he is completely healed and kill the both of them.
But Soga was not there to confront him, but rather to distract him enough for Koichi to knock Number 6 off the building by surprise, before thrusting him into the sky, knowing that the one thing the villain can't do is fly. Enraged, Number 6 angrily thinks about how Koichi always gets in his way, as his frontal scar starts to light up and he blows himself up.[54]
He continues to think about how his goal was always to become the next O'Clock, and that All Might was seemingly the only one who stood in his way, which is why he made sure to avoid him at all costs. However, no matter what happened, Koichi was always there to obstruct his life's goal, seeing him now as no longer just a "pest" but the "ultimate villain" who stands opposed to his existence. Number 6 emerges from the explosion, after using the Bomber cells in his body to transform into a living blend of plasma energy, known as Lightning Style, allowing him to fly through the air, bursting his way toward Koichi.
Number 6 starts to shoot blasts of energy from his finger tips, that Koichi tries to evade, only for them to start homing in on him, with too many to shoot down. Number 6 quickly speeds his way forward cornering Koichi, as he speeds up to counter all of them with his replusion blasts, as their battle results in a flurry of explosions filling the air.[55]
A news copter arrives on the scene, reporting on the dogfight currently in progress. "O'Clock", now shedding this identity and presenting himself as All For One, criticizes Number 6 for how bombastic their battle got, calling Operation Anonymous a total failure, and telling him to move on to the retrieval phase. However, Number 6 disagrees, as all he wants and needs to do left is killing Koichi with all the strength he can muster: his sole desire left. All For One gleefully lets Number 6 show him how brightly his existence can burn.
Number 6 blasts toward Koichi, shooting a barrage of missiles that home in and hit him from his back, while he readies to come at him with a Knuckle Bomb punch from the front. With no way out, Koichi defends all the attacks with all the power he can muster. To his surprise though, Number 6's body suddenly evaporates, leaving behind just the skeleton that plummets to the ground.
However, Number 6's plan, after overusing the rest of his Bomber cells, was to buy enough time to summon the remaining Anonymous to the streets below them, catching his fallen corpse. Upon reaching them, he fuses with the remaining Anonymous, abosorbing their Bomber cells into him, blasting back up forward toward Koichi, for one final Detonation.[56]
Thanks to the Anonymous combusting and transferring their power to Number 6, he transforms into a giagntic monster known as "Destruction Style", that immedately punches Koichi off the side of a building, knocking him back down onto the streets. He proceeds to stomp right in front of him, causing him to be blasted away and knocked into more debris. With several bones broken, Koichi makes his escape into a nearby building, just as Number 6 prepares to punch him again.
Staring down at the building, All For One tells Number 6 that his target is a "master of hide-and-seek" and he'll be trickier to hit underneath the building, asking what his next move is. Number 6 thinks about how burning hot he is feeling in his combustive state, with no air to breathe, feeling the same he did when he was previously hit by Endeavor's Hellflame attack. However, his brain is burning hotter than any fire, overheating within his skull, and that it's time to make the internal fire explode, with All For One noting he has reached his conclusion just like his "old chum", as he completely pummels the building into nothing.[57]
Number 6 continues to pound on the building, looking for Koichi, telling him he can no longer hide, and preparing to flatten everything in the vicinity, until he's surprised by a sudden explosion below. Emerging under the rubble is Koichi, having punched his way out of it using Slide and Glide on his fists, dubbed "Knuckle Style".[58] Number 6 starts to attack again, as Koichi once again resumes the chase, dodging each one of his blasts. He comes in closer, only for Koichi to eventually swing his Knuckle Style punch, blasting three huge shots directly into his body.[59]
Number 6 quickly regenerates from the attack, and prepares to blast the fleeing Koichi again, with him retaliating with several more punches of his own. Koichi is flung backwards after countering one of his attacks, leaving him open for long enough for Number 6 to throw his punch at him, seemingly engulfing him in flames.[60] Number 6 screams out in agony after his supposed victory, all the while All For One congratulates him, noting that even though he will soon lose control of his combustion and burn away to nothing, he has achieved greatness in this experiment.
Through his pain, Number 6 begins to imagine in his head his younger self, going out to the playground to play hero with the other kids, however they all leave, causing him to be all alone, until one kid shows up. He and All For One are then surprised when they see Koichi is still alive, sliding along the street with his right leg broken, still smiling.
Number 6 roars out, while back in the imagination, a young Koichi appears with an All Might figure, as Number 6 takes out his O'Clock figure to play. In the real world, the monstrous Number 6 once again blasts Koichi away, and while the child Koichi and Number 6 continue to bounce back and forth playing around with each other, the real Koichi and Number 6 continue to endlessly fight to the death.[61]
As their playful assault continues, Koichi destroys one of Number 6's arms, prepared to dodge the other upcoming one, when he is caught off guard as the arm regenerates faster than he anticipated, with Number 6 clapping his hands together, critically injuring Koichi in the middle. Koichi is barely able to survive by grabbing onto the side of a building and slowing down his descent. Number 6 continues his rampage on the buildings, as more civilians start to appear around the battlefield. He smacks the newcopter trying to inform the citizens to evacuate, causing everyone to fall out of it, only to be saved by the returning Pro Heroes.[62]
While the Heroes focus on escorting the civilians, Number 6 continues his pursuit of Koichi, now accompanied by Eraser Head, as the three each exchange their attacks and blows. During the battle, all the nearby civilians cheer on Koichi to succeed and defeat the monster, with the reception having a negative effect on Number 6's psyche, causing him to halt his rampage. His inner child starts to envision all the kids on the playground returning to play with Koichi, leaving him all alone once again. Number 6 thinks about how his dream, and everything that he has ever wanted to become, is now all happening for Koichi, proceeding to scream out in despair.
The overload of power in his brain reaches the point that it causes him to explode, and splitting into numerous mini bomber erosion of himself, that begin to suicide bomb all throughout the city.[63] The bombers aimlessly scatter throughout the city, with the Heroes doing everything they can to protect the civilians. Eventually, the combined power of All Might and Endeavor allows all the mini bombers to be safely disposed of. However, Number 6's main body managed to survive, hiding in an alleyway. All For One confronts his skeletal remains, noting that another crisis has been averted by All Might's meddling, but he still commends Number 6's creativity, and how even he was able to outmaneuver All Might at the last minute. He states that now no one can stop him, and the world is his oyster, as flames start to re-grow from Number 6's body.[64]
Using Overclock to keep himself out-of-sight, Number 6 stumbles his way between the evacuating crowds of civilians, all the while All For One reflects on his current burnt up display, stating that without enough Bomber cells, his combustion ended before completion, but still should be capable of achieving his final goal. He reminds Number 6 that his specialty lies with "Operation Anonymous", and with the Heroes believing to have defeated the threat, he is once again the "invisible man" and able to finish The Crawler with no one the wiser.
They manage to locate Koichi on a nearby rooftop, with All For One telling him to do one quick strike to kill him, also telling him to collect his body for him to study. However, Number 6 instead brushes All For One's visage away, transforming into his "Rokuro Nomura" face, and calling out to the vigilante. Koichi reacts with a relieved look, saying that after how beat up they both got they should go to the hospital, but Number 6 says its too late, as he's got absolutely no body left, and that it's only his Quirk holding his form together.
Number 6 states that he's already dead and no one can save him, so Koichi's "nice guy" act is pointless, but Koichi simply responds he doesn't know much about finding meaning in stuff so they should just go anyway. Exasperated, Number 6 says at the end of the day, they aren't the same; all he wants is meaning and proof he existed, leaving a mark on the world before he goes. He quickly goes to attack Koichi, slicing him on the cheek, before backing away laughing at how he's left a mark that'll leave a sick scar. He exclaims that every time he sees the scar, he'll remember the weight of responsibility, the meaning of existence, and the one guy he failed to save no matter how hard he tried.
As Number 6 unleashes one final explosion, his brain slowly being obliterated, he tries to draw on his past memories, only for there to be nothing worth remembering, no past or future. However, he then begins to hear a song: Pop☆Step's song. He's confused why he's remembering that, since his "Rokuro Nomura" persona was seemingly a sham just modelled after Koichi, but even still, he remembered it being really nice, and even started crying when he first heard it. He continues to recall the song as his body explodes into several pieces, and his mind finally gives out for good.[65]