History#
Yoichi and Zen Shigaraki were twin brothers born from a streetwalker who wasn't even aware of her pregnancy for the first eight months. She died in childbirth by a riverbank, as a result of the twins sapping away her life force, with the older brother, Zen, consuming most of the nutrients, leaving very little for his younger brother. This was the era before Meta Abilities were known, with the mother unknowingly possessing one which caused hardened growths to appear on her arm.
Upon the twins' birth, Zen, who also happened to possess a Meta Ability to steal other Meta Abilities, immediately stole his mother's Meta Ability, Spearlike Bones, for himself while devouring the body and holding his younger brother's arm. Just as rats came to gnaw on the newborns and their mother's corpse, they were washed away by the flood. Over the years, the brothers grew up as street urchins and relied on each other.
One year later, the Luminescent Baby was born, and Meta Abilities became more widely known and recognized, with a research group hypothesizing that a "novel disease" was to blame, announcing that those with Meta Abilities were subbranches of humanity with new a genetic factor. This announcement caused many people to be divided, and chaos started to grow, with people without Meta Abilities waging war and terror against the ones with powers, and the latter doing the same.
The two brothers grew up as orphans within the hellish world. Zen grew up with an imbued hubris and disrespect for others from the moment of his birth, viewing all within his reach as his own possessions, and those who wouldn't turn to look at him when he cried, or those who couldn't provide him with anything, he responded with utter distrust. The boy would proceed to rampage throughout the streets, killing everyone who refused to help him and stealing their Meta Abilities.
During one of these rampages, Yoichi threw a can at him, weakly telling him to stop hurting people, only for his brother to kick him down in response. While Yoichi provided him with nothing, Zen still considered him one of his possessions he would not easily release, so he kept him close. Throughout his childhood, Zen would do as he pleased, killing and stealing Meta Abilities, and every time Yoichi would try to stop him, he would respond with physical abuse or retaliation for interfering with him.
One day, as Yoichi was self-teaching himself to read, his brother approached him, demanding to know what he is reading. Yoichi says he's still learning so he's reading Captain Hero; comic books, which he considers amazing, since they tell you the hopes and dreams in people through the drawings. He says one day he would like to be like the hero in the book, showing it to his brother.
The two brothers started to have a better relationship, spending time together reading the comics, with Yoichi being a fan of Captain Hero, while his brother became a fan of the Demon Lord. Deep down, Yoichi believed there was some good in his brother, having hope for him because of the faint memories when they were infants, he recalled the hand that held him tight and wanted to believe that his brother's grip had been gentle and kind.
Three years later, Yoichi was shocked and horrified when Zen appeared to him glowing. He states how the Luminescent Baby reached ten million sympathizers, calling it weird why they should be the one to become so popular just because they were the first recorded, especially with 50 babies being born with Meta Abilities in India two weeks prior to his birth. He arrogantly reveals that the child didn't have the right to mobilize so many, so he killed them and stole their Meta Ability, causing Yoichi to ask him why.
Zen repeats what the comic they read said, "one for all" and "all for one", with the hero hiding his identity and fighting in solitude, while the Demon Lord was paid tribute and rules out of fear. He says just as Yoichi was inspired to become a hero, he now wants a world solely for his own sake just like the Demon Lord, having found his dream.[1]
The two brothers began their intense conflict towards their views to each other regarding Quirks and the destruction of humanity. Zen saw it as a means to exploit for power, whereas Yoichi believed that Quirks should be used to restore order. Zen, now calling himself by his Quirk's name, All For One, decided to push his ideals into action. When he understood his older brother's intentions, Yoichi tried to do what he could to stop him, but seemingly having no Quirk, along with a weak constitution, he could hardly do anything but watch helplessly as Zen committed various atrocities one after the other. All For One stole many Quirks, attaining immense power and influence. Using his incredible might, the man gathered and unified thousands of people under his command. He then manipulated the people he gathered like pawns to further his plans and eventually became Japan's ruler.
All For One tried to show his brother that he was helping people by ridding those who believed themselves plagued and giving strength to the helpless. However, Yoichi saw through All For One's claims, deeming that he is only trying to amass people who owe him into servitude. All For One defended this by stating his Quirk is able to return order to the world that has lost its humanity at the hands of Quirks. Yoichi refused to give in to his brother's manipulative statements and tried to rebel but was constantly stopped. All For One berated his brother for not having a Quirk and a weak body, but says that he still loves him as he is his only family, and imprisoned him rather than kill him.
All For One frequently visited the captive Yoichi, who continued to refuse to submit to him and voiced his defiance, to the point where he barely ate food offered by All For One. All For One brags about his successes and says that his dream came true just like in the comic they used to read together, referencing the parallels to the current situation. Yoichi replies that his brother had only read through three volumes and that there was more to the story, saying that powerful Villains always lose to the Heroes of justice.
Insulted, All For One reproaches him that real life does not work like in comics, and that he will rewrite reality. Eventually, in a twisted showcase of affection, All For One decided to use his power to forcefully implant a power-stockpiling Quirk that even his frail body could handle, with the intent of turning him to his side. All For One grabbed his brother's forehead and transferred the Quirk into him despite his pleas to stop. It is also at this moment that All For One gave his younger brother the name "Yoichi", using the characters for "bestow" and "one", since he was his first "possession".[2][1]
However, what nobody expected is that the seemingly Quirkless younger brother had, indeed, an innate Quirk, whose only power was being able to pass it along to another. His Quirk Bestowal and the power-stockpiling Quirk merged together to make up for its lack of function, and would later become known as One For All.[3] Yoichi would remain imprisoned until he was found by two vigilantes, Toshitsugu Kudo and his partner Bruce Lee, who led an assault on All For One's base. They initially planned to kill Yoichi for his connection to All For One, but they had a change of heart and chose to rescue him instead, with the leader of the resistance offering his hand to Yoichi, who accepted.[4]
While recuperating in their base, Yoichi voiced his disappointment toward his brother to the two, about how he only sees other people as playthings and wishing he had some semblance of compassion for others, since his ability to take and give could've been the kindest power in the world. Two months later, All For One managed to track down Yoichi and the resistance as they all attempted to flee in the sewers. Enraged at his brother's defiance, All For One killed Yoichi and left nothing behind but his left hand.
However, Yoichi's blood, which splattered over Kudo, caused One For All to transfer into his body, initially appearing as an extra "unformed dud" of a Factor. Kudo recognized this as Yoichi's will still existing within him, and was determined to preserve it, keeping it out of All For One's hands, and passing it down to future generations in the hopes that one day One For All will grow powerful enough to defeat his older brother.[5][3]
Synopsis#
U.A. Sports Festival Arc#
Yoichi and the following seven users of One For All would first reveal themselves to the ninth user, Izuku Midoriya, during his confrontation against Hitoshi Shinso in the U.A. Sports Festival's tournament. Hitoshi manages to brainwash Izuku and orders him to go out of bounds, which Izuku obeys.
As Izuku is about to step out of the perimeter of the ring, he has a hallucination and sees eight shadowy figures which causes Izuku to activate One For All and attack himself by snapping his fingers, allowing him to break free of Hitoshi's control and win the fight.[6]
Vs. Hero Killer Arc#
After having trained to be capable of using One For All without breaking his body, All Might decides to tell Izuku the origins of One For All and his connection with a Villain of great power known as All For One. He tells him how the younger brother of this Villain opposed him, and how, out of compassion or looking for a way to subdue him, All For One forcibly gave his brother a Quirk, without knowing that the younger brother already had one. Both Quirks merged and became One For All.[3]
Pro Hero Arc#
After an extensive day of One For All training, Izuku returns to Heights Alliance where he falls asleep immediately, experiencing a dream where he sees the previous users of One For All, recognizing them as the vestiges he had seen at the U.A. Sports Festival. Izuku proceeds to view a series of past events regarding Yoichi and All For One that led to the creation of One For All.
However, much to Izuku's shock, Yoichi starts to communicate directly with him. He notes how he wanted to show Izuku more but since his current level can only handle about 20%, it won't permit it, though assures him that he is not alone. When their hands touch in the dream, Izuku wakes up after involuntarily activating One For All, damaging his room.[2]
The next morning, Izuku decides to tell All Might everything, who cannot help but be surprised and concerned to learn that the first user was able to interact directly with Izuku.[7]
Later that day, during a training exercise with his class, Izuku suddenly manifests Blackwhip, the Quirk of the fifth user of One For All, Daigoro Banjo. After re-entering back into the vestige world, he meets Daigoro who reveals to him that the One For All Quirk has evolved to the point that the users can briefly communicate with Izuku, while also telling him that the six Quirks of the previous users have also re-emerged, and that Izuku will be able to utilize them as he gets more control of his power.[8]
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, Yoichi 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.[9]
Paranormal Liberation War Arc#
Izuku and his classmates participate in an operation to dismantle the Paranormal Liberation Front, although their mission is to evacuate the citizens of Jaku City while a large force of heroes led by Endeavor is tasked with raiding Jaku General Hospital. This is where Tomura Shigaraki is located, who was undergoing a painful and long operation at the hands of the Doctor Kyudai Garaki, ally of All For One and responsible for the creation of the Nomu, to become even more powerful. In addition to making Tomura's body even more powerful and empowering his Decay, he also transplanted All For One's Quirk into his disciple. Now they only needed time to stabilize, but the heroes start the raid before it's completed.
As Izuku and the students evacuate the citizens, Endeavor and his squad arrive at the secret laboratories below the hospital after defeating all the Nomu that Dr. Garaki releases in an attempt to stop them. However, when the heroes think they have already won, at that moment Tomura Shigaraki wakes up. Despite the distance between the two, Izuku gets a bad feeling that something terrible is coming. Soon, the voice of Yoichi, whom he hadn't heard from since before the Joint Training Battle, begins to warn him of Tomura's awakening, and urges him to stop him. When Izuku fixes his gaze on the Jaku Hospital, the building suddenly crumbles to dust as a result of Tomura using his empowered Decay, killing dozens of heroes in the process. The disintegration begins to spread rapidly, reaching in a short time the city itself.[10]
Izuku and his companions manage to escape the destruction in time with the civilians, but later, when listening to a radio communication between Endeavor and Burnin, he discovers that Tomura Shigaraki is going after him, or more specifically, he is going after the One For All. Knowing this, Izuku runs away as far as possible so as not to put his classmates and civilians in danger, being followed by Katsuki.[11]
Tomura soon catches them up, leading to an intense battle in which they, and several heroes, try to stop Tomura.[12] However, thanks to Kyudai Garaki's operation, Tomura is much more powerful than before, and manages to seriously injure Gran Torino,[13] Eraser Head,[14] and Katsuki.[15] Because of all of this, Izuku goes berserk on Tomura, who in turn tries to prevent All For One's consciousness from taking over him. During the struggle, "Tomura" manages to put his hand on Izuku's face and to try and extract One For All, as Izuku and Tomura find themselves in a mindscape.
Izuku finds himself back in the mist-covered wasteland of his dreams, and in front of him, he sees All For One half fused with Tomura, trying to take control of his body as Tomura tries to reject him. Nana Shimura appears to help him,[16] and both All For One and Tomura are aware of their presence. All For One mocks Nana, while Tomura recognizes his grandmother, who he calmly says he despises her too. Tomura's anger causes One For All to erode, while at the same time trying to destroy his master's manifestation. The eroding stops as All For One realizes his rage is not enough, as Yoichi appears alongside Nana to stop the decay. All For One says it is because his brother is just as obstinate as himself. Yoichi seems to understand what he is using Tomura for, to which All For One blames him for that he could never make him his.
Yoichi proclaims he does not intend to allow him to harm the boy they have chosen as their new heir, as he and Nana start to push the influence of All For One back. All For One tries combining his power with Tomura to fight back and steal his brother's Quirk, while he insults and derides Izuku, claiming that his brother made a mistake for entrusting One For All in the hands of an inexperienced boy. Yoichi, however, rebuts All For One's arguments by praising Izuku's resolve to save people no matter what, and deems him worthy of wielding the Quirk, and they will follow him because of it.
After hearing these words, Izuku's manifestation tries to move towards Tomura one more time. In a grand explosion, Izuku wakes up from the dream world as he and Tomura fall away from one another in the sky. Izuku realizes Tomura failed to steal One For All, as All For One tells Tomura that the reason why was because his body hasn't fully adapted to his new Quirk.[17]
Despite the heroes putting up a fight, All For One manages to take full control of Tomura's body, and uses it to escape the battlefield, as everyone is forced to deal with the ramifications of the costly battles.[18] Through the exhaustion of the battle, Izuku passes out and is taken to Central Hospital, alongside most of the other injured heroes, to heal. However, unlike most of the others who had awaken after several days, he still remained unconscious.[19]
This is because his mind was back in the vestige realm, where he found himself faced with all the previous users of One For All. Yoichi reveals to Izuku that originally they were only able to interact with him during specific instances, but since the power has grown exponentially over the past couple months, the vestiges are now able to more freely communicate with each other.
The users also reveal to Izuku the revelation that they had discovered through conversing with All Might's vestige and examining his real life counterparts investigations: the 4th user, Hikage Shinomori, who held One For All for 18 years and died at the age of 40, died due to possessing multiples Quirks which ate away at his lifespan. Yoichi points out that due to all the other users dying young and in battle, there wasn't much to compare Hikage's situation, especially considering All Might held onto the Quirk for much longer with no issues, until they all realized the one major difference; All Might was Quirkless.
Yoichi goes on to explain how the spirits of the predecessors within One For All are the user's original Quirk Factors, with All Might being the sole exception as One For All because his true Quirk. He continues that a vessel with an existing Quirk could not receive One For All without it warping and spilling over, and attempting to force it results in a shortened lifespan, like what happened with Hikage.
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, with Izuku following up that especially now that the previous user's Quirks have started manifesting, One For All can not be given to someone with a Quirk. Yoichi says that due to Quirkless individuals slowly vanishing each year, it was fate that Izuku managed to be the one who was bestowed the power, and that if they had a way to contact him sooner, they could've prevented more people from dying. Daigoro adds that because of this, Izuku may end up being the last successor of One For All.[20]
After Izuku's contemplation of this revelation, Nana Shimura turns to him, asking if he can kill Tomura Shigaraki, clarifying it isn't a request, but a question of his resolve. She reminds him of their last confrontation with him, and that since all of the inheritor's are connected to his emotions, they could sense that he saw him as someone who needed saving.
Yoichi tells Izuku that he believes his brother purposefully raised Tomura to be completely filled with hatred as part of another plan to claim One For All. The users reveal that All For One had attempted to steal One For All from them twice, but failed both times, 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. The inheritors tell Izuku that One For All was itself a powerful will meant to resist All For One, and that they have been cultivating it for the specific purpose of destroying him.
Despite the warnings of what could happen if Tomura manages to reach his complete form, Izuku tells the users that when Tomura's conscience manifested in One For All, he could see and feel deep down within him, an image of his younger self, as Tenko, crying. He tells the users how he never got the chance to understand what drove the Villains to end up that way, and wonders if the resolutions would've ended up differently if he did.
He declares that despite everyone Tomura has hurt, he stands his ground believing One For All is a Quirk meant to save lives, not kill, and that All Might and all the users who have helped grow and cultivate the power, have in the process saved and brought hope to countless people, and that One For All's purpose has changed overtime to become more than just defeating All For One. He tells them he understands he may have to kill Tomura, and he doesn't know how he will deal with everything exactly yet, but he still wants to try and save "that little boy". Yoichi happily accepts Izuku's answer, telling him that he and the others will be there for him, and that he's grateful that he and All Might inherited their power, as he comforts the crying vestiges of All Might and Nana.[21]
Yoichi turns towards Kudo and Bruce, who had their faces up against the back wall the entire time, telling them to play nice and cooperate with Izuku, as he'll need their help to unleash the Quirk's full power. After they react in silence, the other users proceed to converse with Izuku, while Yoichi speaks to Kudo and Bruce.
Bruce talks about their time living in the era when All For One's control was at its peak, and how their leader, Kudo, did everything in his power to strike back against his rule. Kudo talks to him about how many lives he took in order to bring down All For One, and that he can't get behind devoting their efforts to a boy who wants to "save" their mortal enemy, calling it a ridiculous delusion.
Yoichi then asks why the two saved him despite their initial plan to kill him due to his ties to their "enemy" when they found him. He tells Kudo that if it wasn't for him rescuing him from his vault, One For All would've never been born in the first place, and reassures him that, with all of them behind him, Izuku will be the one to finally be able to bring an end to All For One's terror.[4]
Dark Hero Arc#
Izuku decides in order to protect his friends and loved ones, he will leave U.A. and act as bait to lure Tomura and All For One out of hiding, intending to fight and defeat them once and for all. Unfortunately, the searching proves fruitless, as the physical and mental stress begin to wear at Izuku, turning him into a ferocious looking creature that refuses to stop moving. He heads off on his own, ignoring the words and advice from the other Heroes to take a break. This causes the other users of One For All to tell him not to push himself since his wounds haven't fully healed yet, but Izuku still doesn't listen, using Danger Sense as an excuse to head out towards the next threat.
Within the vestige world, Nana fears her feelings are affecting Izuku heavily, but Daigoro Banjo states that for Izuku, every cause is a worthy cause. Hikage adds that for better or worse, awakening all of their Quirks enables him to act according to his primary motivation, to save everyone as a true superhero. Kudo says he is doing the right thing by pushing on without rest, because in this peculiar situation, that is the responsibility of the bearer of One For All and everyone's wills. He does, however, suggest something to bolster him; the support of his classmates that can help him carry the burden.[22]
My Hero Academia: You're Next#
Under Deborah Gollini's Day Dream, 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.
Nana tells 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, she he must find a way to break it.
Izuku then sees Giulio Gandini's dream, acting as the butler for Anna Scervino, taking care of her, and helping her when she starts to reel in pain due to her Quirk.
In reality, Deborah attempts to have one of the bystanders strangle him to death while Giulio is hypnotized, which he sees as Anna doing so to him. When she does, Izuku calls to Giulio in his dream, which makes him snap back into reality, and thanks to his prosthetic eye, he is able to see through Deborah's deception and turns his right robotic arm gun toward her, shooting her in the shoulder, causing Deborah to deactivate her Quirk, and freeing everyone who was hypnotized by her Day Dream.[23]
Final War Arc#
Eventually, all the Heroes come together to defeat the Villains once and for all in the Final War. They successfully lure All For One and his forces out of hiding, and manage to warp the villains to separate locations so they can be fought individually. Izuku is planned to face off against Tomura within a now floating U.A. High, which has been specifically designed to keep him contained. However, Izuku is caught off guard by an intervention by Himiko Toga, and warped to Okuto Island instead. With them unable to warp him back, he must make it there himself, which he does by combining Float, Fa Jin, and Air Force to fly across the ocean.[24]
During this journey, Yoichi senses something amiss regarding his older brother, and contacts Izuku to tell him he has a bad feeling.[25] Just at this moment, American fighter jets arrive to escort him back to U.A., as he uses Blackwhip to swing across them, reaching the battlefield and joining the fight against Tomura. Izuku has a freak-out upon seeing all his barely conscious allies, but is able to calm himself down, asking "All For One" if Tomura is still within.[26]
He claims that Tomura no longer exists, as he and All For One's minds have fully melded into a complete being. However, Mirio Togata reveals that during his battle, "Tomura" had an outburst at him, almost like as if he was a child. Realizing that the essence of "Tenko" still resided within their body, further uncovered by Nana noticing the faces of the Shimura Family on the transformed "Tomura"'s hand, they know that he's still in there.
"Tomura" attempts to fight Izuku, but he activates the Quirk of the Second User, Gearshift, causing him to access a tremendous amount of speed and power, overwhelming "Tomura" unable to defend. During their beating, Yoichi appears before Tomura and All For One, declaring to his brother that today is the day they finally end their long fight.[27]
With the full power of One For All, combined with all the Quirks of the previous users, and their spirits backing him up, Izuku unleashes all of his strength and promptly beats down "Tomura" until he's barely able to move. As his body falls with a gaping hole in his chest, Yoichi states how One For All and All For One have begun to resonate with each other, as "Tomura" is able to see the One For All users, and he is able to see his brother within "Tomura". He continues that what Mirio said is correct, and that the course of the battle, and the events that led to this moment, has shaken the balance of their melding.[28]
After Izuku destroyed Tomura's absolute defense 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 in order to confront him now that his Quirks have returned.[29]
As their battle continues, All For One eventually makes it to the battlefield, though has now rewound to that of a child and is on the verge on rewinding out of existence. In an effort to take out all of his enemies as well as transfer himself into Tomura all in one move, All For One executes his ultimate gambit and uses "Omni-Factor Unleash: All For One Goal", releasing every single Quirk and Quirk Factor in his body. Yoichi senses the incredibly immense level of power he is about to release.[5] However, just as All For One blasts off, Katsuki manages to counter the attack and overwhelms him with his Explosions, along with his negative emotions disintegrating his control of his Quirk Factors, allowing him to finally be defeated.[30] As All For One is now reverted into a infant, Katsuki makes his final stand until his body reverts back to that of a fetus, then into that of an egg cell, and finally disappears for good. In the vestige realm, Yoichi senses the death of his older brother, and had no happiness or relief, but only watched with a somber expression.[31]
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 their 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. Hikage is the first one to sense the sudden danger, as he turns around to see Tomura's giant hand appearing above, about to consume them. As everyone rushes to evade it, Hikage stands in the way and is caught. As the hand retreats, Hikage tells the others that the Ninth is in their hands, before disappearing. Soon after, his chair crumbles too, with Tomura now in possession of Danger Sense.
With Tomura now effortlessly able to dodge all attacks, Izuku is forced to go on the offensive and takes several blasts from Tomura, being knocked all the way to Mt. Fuji. Bruce informs Izuku about Gearshift being over soon, and also that his physical strength remains the same, since that is stored within One For All and not the other Quirk Factors, so he just needs to survive until he's recovered.
However, now that Tomura has the willpower to overcome One For All, En anxiously asks why Izuku isn't using his power to escape and save himself, saying that Hikage and Danger Sense were what saved them just then, so 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 dances amongst his own destruction, the vestiges realize that he chased them to Mt. Fuji on purpose, as the mountain will erupt when he decays it, and realizing he is no successor to All For One; he only delights in destruction, being "ruin incarnate". Despite this all, Izuku stands his ground, declaring that despite the villain's own insistences on the matter, he is a person.[31]
Izuku constricts his Blackwhip into his muscles to make him move manually and unleashes a massive Delaware Smash to destroy Tomura's Decay area. Despite that, Tomura is still attacking Izuku mercilessly, and with Gearshift's time up, the recoil blowback is kicking in, making him unable to breathe. Just like how Tomura is able to see the One For All vestiges inside him, Tomura tells Izuku to take a deep look inside himself, where there exists a visage of crumbling buildings melded together. He declares that 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 tries to tell Izuku to give up on Tomura and that his only option is to kill him in a single blow, but Izuku refuses, wondering why he can't let go of the sad, lonely past of his, knowing he just put a lid over his feelings, and until he shatters the lid completely, he won't stop smashing away at it. 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 a 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 has an innately human heart, which he wants to believe.
Suddenly, a visage of Star and Stripe points to something at Tomura's warped core, which Kudo and the All Might vestige notice. They realized where she was pointing at: a large mental scar left behind during Tomura's battle with her, and realizing what this means, Kudo has come up with a plan to defeat Tomura.[32]
As Tomura pushes Izuku further back into the mountains, Kudo appears before him, explaining what they are going to do. He reveals that deep within the dark mass of Tomura's soul there is a mental wound that can't be healed with his Regeneration, and since Tomura has become too strong to beat single-handedly, in order to defeat him they are going to forcefully transfer One For All to him, breaking through the scar, to give his soul a good beating.
Many users protest to this because if the Quirks of One For All get stolen, then Tomura can use them just like Hikage's Danger Sense. Kudo admits there's no guarantee it'll work, but if he goes first, the 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, asking what they are all muttering about, 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. Izuku makes his decision and retaliates with a hoard of Blackwhips which consume him and regain control of his body.[33]
Izuku prepares the execute the plan, which is to attack Tomura hard enough that he can insert some of his blood right into his system, forcefully transferring Kudo and Gearshift. 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. Izuku uses his cape as a decoy, alongside a Blackwhip tendril holding Kudo's vestige from Blackwhip, distracting Tomura for a short time as Izuku closes in and charges 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. Kudo flies in to Tomura's warped core, and tells Izuku not to let it weigh on him, since he was only ever a phantom, and 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.
Suddenly, Izuku sees visions of Dabi and Himiko from the day they first met Tomura, followed by visions of Shoto on the day of Izuku's match in the U.A. Sports Festival, and Spinner meeting Tomura. Yoichi realizes the two's memories are starting to blend together, and En yells for Izuku not to let up, since Kudo's plan appears to be working but it's still not enough.[34]
With Tomura's absolute defense form struggling to adapt to Gearshift's recoil, 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. Yoichi thinks about how in order to claim One For All, his brother sought a soul, but no matter how much power he amassed, the soul resides right in them. And now, they face the ultimate villain, with armor forged from malice and hatred, and putting a stop to the heinous calamity is the reason they have been woven into the chain of power, and why they are here now.
As Izuku and Tomura scream each other's names, Izuku executes another point-blank punch into Tomura's stomach, as Yoichi and the other users all try to enter Tomura's scar. Through sheer willpower alone, Tomura rejects the full transfer, with En being the only one who manages to get through and sacrifice himself by successfully piercing right through the scar, inflicting more damage on Tomura. Despite Tomura taking damage, Izuku and the users wonder how they are going to break through Tomura's giant, growing 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.[35]
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 Yoichi, Bruce, Daigoro, and All Might's vestiges, allowing them to pierce through Tomura's leaden soul, nearly destroying it, with Nana eventually making through and finishing the job.[36] The transference shatters Yoichi's vestige along with the other users, rendering One For All unusable in the process, and unintentionally resulting in All For One's vestige re-emerging to take back control of Tomura's body, due to feeling a hollow vengeance at Yoichi's destruction.[37] As "All For One" regained control of Tomura's body, an army of Heroes arrive to provide support for Izuku and carve a straight path toward Tomura. Izuku manages to plow through "All For One"'s attacks and bashes a Smash right through his chest.[38]
As a result of all the damage he received after Izuku forcibly transfer One For All, 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, Yoichi was reawakened after the final clash, and All For One sees Yoichi's remaining embers. Yoichi says that Izuku managed to adjust the violent transfer in just a way that the barest fragment would remain intact, which resonates with the embers still within him, so that he could complete One For All as they were meant to be. All For One manically says it doesn't matter because he wants him not to fade away and to show his face, but Yoichi says it's impossible since his time is up. All For One's face returns as he further panics, begging Yoichi that he's his and to let him see his eyes. Yoichi apologizes to All For One that he couldn't guide him down the right path, and what Izuku conceived for them here was their final salvation, but All For One shouts that he won't allow it, telling Yoichi that he loves him and that he will be hopeless and nothing without him, but Yoichi simply says it's time for him to pay the price for his crimes.
He concludes by revealing that Izuku reawakened not just him, but Tomura and the One For All users from the void. Before All For One can react, they all land one last hit on All For One to destroy him for good, ending his reign of terror once and for all. In the physical realm, Izuku defeats Tomura, as he succumbs to his injuries and dies as his body disintegrates into ashes.[38]