All Might’s first fight with All For One is a massive event within My Hero Academia’s history that has been left largely untouched throughout the series’ lifespan. While glimpses of a younger All Might have been shown, most notably in My Hero Academia’s first film Two Heroes, the mystique of All Might and All For One’s almost mythological battle has remained preserved, and perhaps for the better. After all, could watching or hearing the details of a showdown between the world’s greatest hero and villain really live up to its own hype?
However, the perfect time to tell that story may soon be approaching. Since the release of the third film World Heroes’ Mission, there have been no rumors of another feature-length My Hero Academia anime movie in production, and considering series author Kohei Horiokoshi’s comments on how Heroes Rising was likely the final film for the series, it’s possible that there won’t be another any time soon. After all, there are few places within My Hero Academia’s recent and upcoming story to be able to fit a side mission with new villains for Class 1A to face off against. Instead of trying to squeeze another film into the current canon, it may more exciting to use the next anime movie to finally reveal what happened in the first fight between All Might and All For One — an event that has been anticipated for years.
How All Might vs. All For One Perfectly Fits a Movie Format
All three of My Hero Academia’s movies take place in a separate location, where Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki fight one-off villains made specifically for that film. While these films are supposedly canon and are given spots within the timeline into which they can fit, the nature of their plots means they can’t help but feel disconnected from the main storyline. A 90-minute movie starring All Might as he dismantles All For One’s crime syndicate and restores justice in Japan is one that has a direct relationship to the current events of My Hero Academia. There’s still plenty of room to introduce new villains and heroes for All Might to fight and work with, but there’s no question of how this story fits into the franchise’s timeline. It would be a clearly defined yet self-contained film that can hit all the emotional beats an anime film should, all without feeling forced or out of place.
Another defining feature of an anime shonen film is its guarantee of gorgeous animation and visuals due to an increased budget and focus on a single project. All Might and All For One’s first fight would be the perfect playground for animators to display some of the best choreography and action sequences of the entire series. This film would feature All Might at the peak of his powers — a hero who is faster and stronger than almost any viewers have seen before — up against a monster with dozens of powerful quirks who killed his master Nana Shimura years before. The in and out-of-universe buildup for this battle would lead to incredible emotional investment for the audience, even if they already know the outcome. Showing how All Might received his brutal injury and how, despite being near death, he still dug deep enough to defeat All For One, would create one of My Hero Academia’s most memorable moments.
Fans Want to See All Might’s in His Prime
A film about All Might and All For One would also allow the audience to get an extended amount of time with All Might at the peak of his powers. This was a hero who single-handedly reduced Japan’s crime rate and separated himself from anyone else simply due to how incredible he was. While viewers have seen a younger All Might before in Two Heroes, All Might was still in training and just starting out his hero career. Watching the story of prime All Might as he attempts to find All For One and clean up crime would answer many questions about just how powerful All Might used to be, finally satisfying the audience’s curiosity about the kind of hero one of their favorite characters was during his heyday.
Seeing a younger All Might wouldn’t just provide a chance to further develop our understanding of All Might’s character but also other characters within My Hero Academia’s story who mostly remain in the background. Sir Nighteye for example, All Might’s former sidekick, was brutally killed off before the audience could learn much about him. This film could showcase what their dynamic was like, how they found each other and how Nighteye helped All Might be a better hero. Similar relationship dynamics could be unveiled with Gran Torino or Detective Tsukauchi, All Might’s mentor and best friend respectively. All these characters could be presented in a new light and receive much-needed focus and development to help inform the way the audience views them in the main story.
MHA’s Hero Society Before the Symbol of Peace
Another fascinating aspect of what a film about younger All Might could cover is how hero society as it’s presented in My Hero Academia came to be. Before All Might, Japan was a hopeless and dangerous country, ruled from the shadows by All For One. Capturing the atmosphere of a land without hope that slowly regains more and more of it as All Might grows in success would offer a unique and constantly evolving setting for the film. This could highlight All Might’s impact on the creation of modern hero society and give the audience a greater understanding of what All Might accomplished as he became the Symbol of Peace.
This is particularly relevant considering the current events of the My Hero Academia anime. With heroes retiring left and right and the general public once again losing faith in heroes, examining what society was like during its darkest days could inform the viewer about how close it is to returning to that hopeless state. Even before All For One’s prison break, My Hero Academia placed an emphasis on showing the darkest parts of hero society, such as its heroes for profit, prejudice against heteromorphs and over-reliance on a single pillar. This film could highlight the origins of those darker societal features, providing greater context and understanding of how the public and society function after All Might’s retirement.