The dreaded Sludge Villain, who had been hinted at the start of My Hero Academia's final war, eventually made a brief comeback at the containment facility intended to hold Gigantomachia hostage. Although though the Sludge Villain's great war debut was short-lived, he was nevertheless able to portray All For One's forces in a demoralizing light. All For One's chances of winning are getting less if the rest of his henchmen lack conviction as well.
Since his introduction in MHA, the Sludge Villain has been portrayed as extremely cowardly. He possessed a mildly powerful Quirk, which gave his body semi-liquid properties and the ability to fuse with and control the bodies and Quirks of others. Despite this, he has only ever targeted children. When he was first apprehended, the Sludge Villain attempted to escape by stealing Bakugo's body, and it appears that his strategy hasn't changed much since then. Instead of fighting alongside his ostensible allies, the Sludge Villain intended to possess Hitoshi Shinso and flee the war entirely.
The Evil Army in My Hero Academia Isn't Allegiant to One
The Sludge Villain’s rationale for desertion was that the war was as good as won anyway. He returned to the ruins of Jaku Hospital with a group whose sole mission was to wake the monster Gigantomachia up with a recording of All For One’s voice. This reawakening was supposed to guarantee the villains' victory, so the Sludge Villain preferred not to risk his neck any further. Unfortunately for him, his attempt at escape was foiled by Mina Ashido. Before he could fully fuse with Shinso, she injected Acid into his fluid body, forcing him to abandon his prospective new host.
The ease with which the Sludge Villain attempted to abandon his teammates speaks to a larger issue within All For One’s ranks. Although he may have amassed a villain army larger than any other in history, the sheer numbers may be working against him. Many of these villains have no loyalty to All For One or the future he represents; when push comes to shove, they are more likely to cut and run just like the Sludge Villain tried to. Fickle allies means that teamwork within All For One’s army could prove fatal. None of those villains are truly capable of trusting their lives to their comrades.
During the battle at Central Hospital, My Hero Academia demonstrated All For One's folly in entrusting his war to uninspired fighters. All Mezo Shoji had to do to free the heteromorphs from AFO's control was to ask them to seriously consider the consequences of their actions. Apparently, the promise of unchecked chaos isn't enough to buy unwavering loyalty from All For One. Spinner has already lost the trust of an entire heteromorph army; if stragglers like the Sludge Villain continue to leave quietly, there will soon be no one left to fight for All For One.
The Pro Heroes of My Hero Academia Are More Powerful Than Ever
While the villain army's numbers continue to dwindle, the Pro Heroes are enjoying a consistent stream of surprise new allies who are systematically engineering All For One’s defeat. The team of Gentle Criminal and La Brava forced Skeptic out of UA’s flight network, preventing the school and everyone in it from plummeting to a fiery death. Lady Nagant is showing off her sharpshooting prowess by disarming Shigaraki from miles away. Even All For One’s most loyal servant has been turned against him, and Gigantomachia is the latest victim of Shinso’s irresistible Brainwash Quirk.
The Pro Heroes currently engaged in battle with All For One are at their strongest ever as a group. They had to go through a screening procedure after the Paranormal Liberation War to make sure that everyone who chose to openly oppose All For One did so with unwavering convictions. Because of a shared desire to bring society back to normal for the benefit of those who take part in it, they are all willing to put themselves at danger of serious harm or even death in order to oppose the powerful evil.
