The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 6, Episode 13 “Last Stage,” now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
Mr. Compress’ penchant for showmanship has made him one of the most easily recognizable members of My Hero Academia’s League of Villains. Yet past the specifics of his Compress Quirk, precious little is known about him.
His involvement in the Paranormal Liberation War has been minimal, until he unveiled his “final performance” to help his teammates escape Best Jeanist’s clutches. As a showstopper, Mr. Compress finally revealed his true identity and lineage — as well as the surprisingly noble commission that pushed him to join the League of Villains.
Mr. Compress Is Unflinchingly Loyal to MHA’s League of Villains
After Shigaraki Tomura was woken, it seemed the villain’s domination in the Paranormal Liberation War would never come to an end. No matter how many Pro Heroes rose up to fight against him, Shigaraki beat them all back down. It wasn’t until Best Jeanist arrived at the battlefield that their forces became somewhat evenly matched. With Shigaraki unconscious and the life slowly being choked out of the rest of the League of Villains, Mr. Compress decided he had nothing left to lose. After thanking Spinner for their time spent as a squad, he began the gruesome task of freeing his teammates from their binds.
Since Best Jeanist bound them tightly enough to prevent even an inch of movement, Mr. Compress’ only path to escape was to carve out a mound of his own flesh with his Quirk. The resulting injury was fatal, but it at least allowed him to safely free Shigaraki and the rest of the League by compressing them. At this point, Mr. Compress considered his life forfeit and began to reminisce on the series of events that led him to join Shigaraki’s anti-establishment squad.
A flashback revealed that Mr. Compress is the last living descendant of an illustrious individual known as the peerless thief. Oji Harima lived near the dawn of the Hero society, in a time when Quirks had not yet become as commonplace as they are now. He despised corrupt people who treated the Pro Hero job as an easy opportunity to line their pockets while shirking their duties, and exclusively robbed them. He wasn’t concerned with enriching himself, but distributed the money and valuables to the vulnerable in society.
How Mr. Compress’ Legacy Influenced His Career as a Villain
Mr. Compress’ family idolized their ancestor and passed down his legend throughout the generations. In another flashback, his father called him by name for the first time — Atsuhiro — and lectured him about his family’s legacy of justice and exposing unfairness. It’s no wonder he grew up with the same anti-hero sentiment and aspired to contribute to any movement that would ensure similar societal reform. To Mr. Compress, the League of Villains was the only group actively working toward the kind of change Harima Oji would have supported, so he was happy to give his life for their cause.
Mr. Compress made a big show of his escape in order to draw all the heroes’ attention toward himself. He discreetly freed both Spinner and Shigaraki, knowing that once their leader was awake, a team of Nomu wouldn’t be too far behind in ferrying the rest of the League of Villains to safety.
Ultimately, Mr. Compress died from his self-inflicted injuries but it was entirely on his terms. His dream continues to live on in My Hero Academia’s League of Villains, a group he was proud enough to associate with to give his love for their cause.
