The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 6, Episode 21, “The Lovely Lady Nagant,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Season 6 of My Hero Academia has long proved it can still reach new narrative and visual highs. From the battle against the Paranormal Liberation Front to the Tartarus prison break, the anime has progressed at a fast pace full of twists — such as Dabi’s shocking revelation — and emotional climaxes. Nevertheless, Episode 21 was arguably among the best this season despite focusing on a relatively unknown character. Lady Nagant’s fight with Izuku Midoriya was a spectacular clash of powerful Quirks and conflicting ideals that ended up making this episode deeply poignant.
A former Pro Hero with a dark past, Lady Nagant suddenly turned evil and decided to join forces with All For One. While she battled Midoriya, she tried to coax him into accepting that the hero society he is defending isn’t what he thinks it is. A world that Lady Nagant trusted horribly disappointed her — she doesn’t believe heroes are inherently good. Does that make her evil? And what made her turn her back on life as a Pro Hero?
Lady Nagant and Midoriya’s Fight Is a Spectacular Battle of Ideals
In the My Hero Academia anime’s current storyline, Lady Nagant has been sent by All For One to capture Midoriya alive, but she isn’t above crushing him if that’s what it takes to reach her goal. Her Rifle Quirk — a sniper’s perfectly aimed shot — and the one that All For One gave her, Air Walk, make her a tough opponent even with Midoriya’s enhanced power, now including the simultaneous use of the Quirks received by One For All’s previous holders.
As she tries to catch Midoriya, Lady Nagant makes fun of his naivety, challenging his belief that hero society is on the right side of history. According to her, the ‘peace’ built by the Hero Commission is only an illusion hiding a terrible truth — heroes are secretly sent to kill whatever enemies are threatening society’s delicate balance. All For One is the lesser evil in this scenario, his dream world at least being a transparent nightmare.
When Midoriya manages to win the fight, it’s through his acceptance that what Lady Nagant is saying is right — the world isn’t black or white. However, that also means even Lady Nagant can revert to being a hero. As she falls, All For One’s failsafe Quirk — a ticking bomb activated by Lady Nagant’s failure to complete her task — blows her up from the inside out. However, Hawks manages to catch her before she falls to her death; she is still alive.
Lady Nagant’s Story Shows the Hidden Truth of MHA’s Hero Society
When she was Midoriya’s age — and with the same innocence and enthusiasm shining in her eyes — Lady Nagant chose to become a hero so she could be part of the fight against evil. Her journey started similarly to Midoriya’s and his classmates’, following a dream inspired by the role models seen on TV and in the streets. Being a Pro Hero, however, wasn’t nearly as exciting as Lady Nagant expected. Her Rifle Quirk proved more effective for killing than saving lives — she was soon tasked to kill fellow heroes gone rogue and villains suspected of planning future crimes. Unsurprisingly, the blood on her hands turned into an unbearable weight.
Unable to face the children who looked up to her as the perfect hero, she finally confronted her superior to challenge the system. When he threatened her, she ended up killing him, although another cover-up by the Hero Commission allowed the incident to remain secret. All For One, freeing her from Tartarus, provided a tantalizing alternative to a world of hypocrites and killers masquerading as heroes.
Is My Hero Academia’s Lady Nagant Really a Villain?
With Season 6 of My Hero Academia showing her hunting down Midoriya like a predator going after its prey, Lady Nagant looks like she is past the point of no return. Ironically, despite all the assassinations carried out previously for the Hero Commission, killing her superior was the act that branded her as a villain. Yet in the battle’s last moments, Midoriya notices that she hasn’t seriously tried to kill him — all her attacks were aimed at non-vital areas of his body. Is she really as irredeemable as she claims?
In fact, it sounds like all Lady Nagant wants is to be heard. When Midoriya finally acknowledges her story, that’s the moment she breaks down and admits defeat. He might be her enemy, but he knows very well that hero society needs reforming — just like with Shigaraki, he believes no one is beyond salvation. In this respect, the fight with Lady Nagant is a turning point for both Midoriya’s character journey and the anime itself. He is finally recognizing that, while he blindly followed All Might before, he is now his own person, with his own belief and his own moral standards. Similarly, after a slow build-up, MHA is erasing its protagonist’s black-and-white actions as he sees the world isn’t simply good vs. evil.
While introducing Lady Nagant earlier in the story might have helped to make her fight with Midoriya an even stronger narrative moment, she still stands out as one of the most complex and intriguing characters in the show. Her ideas resonate with the audience as much as the general public inside the anime’s world — her resentment toward hero society is what set My Hero Academia in motion, the discontent growing progressively until it reached its breaking point.
Season 6, Episode 21 showcased a scene of impressive tenderness when Lady Nagant was shown being young and wide-eyed, staring at her future with hope and trust. The tragic nature of her story comes from shattered dreams — all she ever wanted was to help, but life turned her into a ruthless killer. Choosing to betray All For One is effectively Lady Nagant’s moment of redemption, the little girl she once was finally being vindicated and saved.