Shigaraki Tomura's consciousness has had to contend with his former master's for control of his own body ever since he accepted the idea of hosting the All For One Quirk within himself. For a time, the two achieved a perfect fusion of their personalities and transformed into a being who claimed to be neither All For One nor Shigaraki, but rather an entirely new entity.
The original Shigaraki reappears in Chapter 377 of My Hero Academia to taunt Deku, adding yet another layer to his already complicated relationship with All For One.
My Hero Academia 377 Features Shigaraki Tomura's Return
Fans of My Hero Academia will be familiar with Shigaraki Tomura as he has been entirely absent from the plot for some time. The villain's claim about completely assimilating the young man was more credible because All For One entirely fostered his hateful personality and even gave him his name. Shimura Tenko emerged from the melee as the conflict raged on Shigaraki's alter ego and true self. Shigaraki appeared to have vanished forever.
As soon as Toga Himiko’s army forced Monoma Neito to lift Erasure, however, All For One’s lie was exposed. Their body, spurred on by Simple Growth’s directive to adapt to any new situation, split them into two nearly identical Shigarakis. The split-second transformation was followed by an explosion from their body that was powerful enough to rock the entire floating UA structure and destroy a vital power line.
After a momentary silence, the being finally began to speak and referenced an experience Deku had shared with Shigaraki before his transformative process. He asked Deku what he would do if he told the hero that he was the same person who chatted with him at the mall several months ago. Shigaraki then furiously proclaimed that nothing of the sort would happen anymore, taunting Deku by calling him “Hero”, and declaring that he, Shigaraki Tomura, was specifically Deku’s villain.
How Will Shigaraki Tomura's Comeback Affect MHA Going Forward?
The heroes' precarious situation isn't made any worse by Shigaraki's return in MHA, but there is a tiny bit of hope in the knowledge that All For One isn't quite as in control of his "perfect body" as he'd like to be. Intriguing questions about Simple Growth and how it relates to the various personalities Shigaraki harbors are also brought up by the image of him almost severing in two. For instance, it is unclear whether the Quirk would be able to create a completely new body, a feat already accomplished by the Hood, the first High-End Nomu Endeavor that was thwarted.
Simple Growth has already proven that the limits to its adaptation abilities are even broader than its user’s imagination. When young Shimura Tenko stirred for the first time, the Quirk instinctively responded to his discomfort, and conjured up likenesses of his long-dead family within his body.
Shigaraki or Shimura might be able to create entirely new bodies for their conflicting personas if they made the commitment to exist in bodies separate from All For One. Though it's currently difficult to distinguish between each personality inhabiting Shigaraki's body in My Hero Academia, the fact that outside forces can interact with each of them separately serves as yet another indication that Deku's mission to save Shimura Tenko in particular is not an ineffective pipe dream.
