The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 6’s “Dark Deku” arc, now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
All Might is emblematic of the perfect hero within the My Hero Academia universe. As the former Symbol of Peace, his example sets the standard for every hero from Deku to Endeavor on what it means to be a true hero. Yet as inspiring and incredible as he was, All Might wasn’t perfect; in fact, that strive for perfection was his greatest flaw.
His desire and insistence to be the core backbone of a stable society set a dangerous example for every hero who came after him, with Deku the most affected. As seen in the most recent episodes of the MHA anime, All Might has been forced to face with the long-term effects of his individualistic attitude and the consequences it’s left on hero society. How it moves on from All Might’s example — toward a stronger, more community-focused model of heroism — will likely be a key issue in My Hero Academia moving forward.
My Hero Academia‘s All Might Emphasized the Individual
All Might was a living legend who lived up to the mythology — his power and speed were second to no hero or villain, and his charisma helped him quickly endear himself in the public eye. Toshinori Yagi’s original goal when he first met Nana Shimura decades ago was to become a pillar of trust and reliability that a crumbling society could rely on. Over the years, All Might’s consistent crime fighting and ability to take down any villain, no matter how strong, earned that trust. He became the world’s undisputed greatest hero, the model for every hero after him to follow, and the first and last line of defense against any major threat to normal life. The citizens of My Hero Academia‘s Japan became able to trust their government and institutions once again, all because of the belief they developed in All Might.
While All Might grew to accomplish that and while grabbing the title of world’s greatest hero, the consequence of chasing that goal was the burden of living up to the legend. All Might worked tirelessly for decades to be the best possible hero he could and meet the expectations of the public, and while he never lost the fight, the toll it took on his body and society is obvious. All Might believed that, as the 8th wielder of One For All, only he had the power to be that Symbol of Peace.
While he got along with a few other heroes, All Might worked alone for most of his cases in MHA, only confiding the truth about his ability and All For One to a select number of people. He shouldered the burden of being the best by himself and didn’t trust in other capable heroes for the most important conflicts. While he won the public’s love and trust, he was forced into an early retirement while hero society was left staggering without its lone pillar.
How Deku Inherited All Might’s Best and Worst Traits
When All Might chose his successor in Deku, he found someone who exemplified his best and his worst qualities, a fact that’s mentioned multiple times by characters like Gran Torino. While Deku has the heart of a true hero who always puts others before himself, never gives up and works effortlessly to become the best at saving others, he prioritizes those qualities over his own health and happiness to a dangerous degree. From the injuries to his arms in the Sports Festival to his most recent all-out body-breaking experience fighting Shigaraki, Deku has always put his hero work above his future. While All Might never directly encouraged this behavior, he continuously enabled it because he views heroism in the exact same way.
Yet during MHA’s recent “Dark Deku” arc, All Might saw the consequences his model had on Deku for the first time. Although he took an edgier approach to it, Deku went down the same path All Might did all those years ago after his master was killed, trying to do everything on his own. Now that All Might has retired from heroism and his primary relationship to Deku is more parental rather than a mentorship, he can fully feel the tragedy and loneliness of trying to become someone society relies on from an outside perspective. In his admiration for All Might, Deku tries to emulate him by taking on the burden of the world alone — at great personal cost.
How MHA’s Hero Society Is Moving Past the Lone Symbol
One of My Hero Academia‘s main themes is showing how society can move on from the loss of its greatest hero, and its resolution of the “Dark Deku” arc is a prime example. Deku tries to become All Might and is barely able to move after just a few weeks. Class 1-A must reason with and support him, reminding him that he is never alone. Instead of trying to replace All Might as a new pillar of peace, Deku must be supported by the entire next generation of heroes like Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki so society can rely on multiple pillars.
All Might was so incredible that he could be the Symbol by himself, but his retirement made the very fabric of society unstable as a result. This approach wasn’t necessarily wrong for the time, and he helped usher in peace and prosperity when there was none. However, repeating the same idea in My Hero Academia‘s current generation is impossible; no one can live up to All Might’s example, and it’s harmful both to the hero who tries and to society.
While All Might is still an inspiration for the kind of hero someone should be, the new generation of heroes must trust one another and work together to restore peace and defeat All For One. If Deku can trust in his friends and work with them openly going forward, then the heroes can move past All Might’s greatest flaw and build an even more prosperous society.
