My Hero Academia: The Consequences of the Star and Stripe Arc

Highlights

Cathleen Bate’s death widened the hole in hero society, leaving a void that raises concerns about who can defeat Shigaraki now.
Star’s sacrifice paved the way for other heroes to defeat Shigaraki by reducing his power and giving them a temporary advantage.
The death of America’s number one hero impacted the hero-villain dynamic, leading to more chaos and emboldening villains worldwide.

Now reaching the final saga of the hero-filled anime My Hero Academia, heroes and society as a whole are faced with a force that scares even the bravest amongst them. Shigaraki Tomura is now ninety-eight percent completely fused with the diabolical villain One For All, and he has his sights on destroying the one hero that can end his spree of destruction, Star and Stripe.

The two titans of good and evil inevitably clashed due to the perceived danger both of them felt for each other. The high-stakes battle was eventually won by Shigaraki, even after Star was on the ropes the entire fight. This resulted in the biggest obstacle to One for All’s plans being defeated, creating another large hole in the hero society. After All Might’s retirement, the world felt a shift in the paradigm of good and evil. The villains in hiding finally came out and turned society on its head. Star was one of the last great titans capable of defeating the now-overpowered Shigaraki. Now that she’s gone, what will happen to the world? Who is capable of defeating Shigaraki Tomura?

The Effects On The Arc In Terms Of Repercussions

Her Death Has Widened The Hole in Hero Society

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The fight that occurred during the arc was a high-stakes one that carried the entire future of the series along its back. Unbeknownst to both parties, all sides of society were paying massive attention to the outcome of their battle. The victor would tip the scales of prominence on the winning side, and for the heroes, this would have meant that the villain rampage and mistrust in hero society would finally stop and society could go back to normal. Now that that is not the case, the death of America’s number one has left a bigger hole in hero society, as her death signifies the absence of another titan, making everyone worried about who can defeat Shigaraki now that All Might is retired for good.

As long as people stand up to save each other, someone will inherit that heroism. And make no mistake; they will strike you down.

The repercussions were not all bad, as Star did some serious damage to Shigaraki, almost killing him, but most importantly, destroying multiple of his quirks and reducing his overall power. As a result of this, she paved the way for the other heroes, giving them a greater chance of defeating him. Furthermore, the death of Star led to a strain in international relations between Japan and the rest of the world, as they refused to aid Japan further after the events.

Shift In The Hero-Villain Dynamic

The Villain Pandemic Rages On

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Arguably one of the biggest repercussions of the death of America’s number one during her battle with Shigaraki is the shift in the hero-villain paradigm for the worst. The battle was to be a deciding factor in the quirk society and eventually worsened the issues that were plaguing the world. Anarchy caused by villains was already at an all-time high but became worse after her death. The events encouraged villains to be emboldened even further, causing the lack of hope and pandemonium to further worsen.

Shigaraki’s death would have dealt a decisive blow to All For One and nipped the bud in the villain’s rampage; unfortunately, Star could not finish the job, but it helped pave the way for Japan’s heroes to come up with a plan to defeat him, as her parting gift to them was that Shigaraki’s transformation was delayed for a week.

Psychological Impact On Heroes

A Ray Of Hope In A Cloud Of Despair

Star and Stripe stood as a pillar of hero society and was a light that shone in the midst of a tumultuous and challenging time. She served the same purpose that All Might did for her country and meant a lot to her mentor and those around her, due to the bright and charismatic personality she emulated from All Might. Her death dealt a blow to the hopes of Japan’s heroes, as she would have been a great addition to their forces, and together with her powers, she would have been a powerful force against One For All and his antics.

Now that the heroes have lost their powerhouse, they have only the time she bought as a parting gift and her last words as encouragement. She firmly believed that amidst the pandemonium and despair, the spirit of heroism would triumph over all, as long as there were those willing to stand up and save others. Her bravery and strength in the face of evil encouraged other heroes to be steadfast in the face of uncertainty, keeping hope even in such a doomed situation. Additionally, Star’s death was felt heavily by her mentor, All Might, who felt closeness to her as someone who watched her grow as a hero and shared his vision for great peace.

The Effects Of The Arc On The Final Saga

She Paved The Way For The Heroes, Even in Death

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Cathleen Bate was a hero who was short-lived in the anime but had a large impact on the story and greatly affected its direction, even with her loss. If she had been allowed to manifest fully and meet up with the heroes of Japan, it would have spelled certain doom for All For One’s antics, considering the fact that she almost defeated Shigaraki all on her own. In her short appearance, she stood as one of the last anchors and shunned hope directly as a powerhouse capable of taking on an almost complete Shigaraki in her final moments.

The American Maverick stood as a pillar in a trying time and fought a good fight. She fought the fight of ten heroes put into one and did what the current number one hero Endeavor and a couple of other heroes could not pull off together. Due to her quirk New Order destroying a multitude of Shigaraki’s quirks as well as the damage she inflicted on him, she bought Japan’s heroes a week and gave them enough time and data to come up with a plan, now that Shigaraki is weaker than he was before, renewing their hope and giving them a fighting chance.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.