Toshinori Yagi, once a quirkless student at U.A. High, harbored dreams of becoming a hero, a vision he shared with young Izuku Midoriya. His life took a dramatic turn when he inherited the formidable One For All quirk from Nana Shimura just before her fateful battle with All For One. With this new power, he assumed the mantle of All Might, rising to become the most powerful and revered hero in the world of My Hero Academia. Furthermore, he emerged as Japan's Symbol of Peace, with his mere presence alone contributing to a remarkable three percent reduction in crime.
In his prime, All Might reigned supreme, a virtually unstoppable force, much to the chagrin of villains, especially his arch-nemesis, All For One. However, a grim turn of events unfolded as All For One managed to inflict life-threatening injuries on All Might, causing him to weaken and eventually retire from the hero scene. The world had known All Might as the epitome of strength, but now they could only witness his vulnerability as he became a mere shadow of his former self.
6 The Chest Wound
The indomitable truth is that no one can endure an endless barrage of punches without bearing the scars of those battles, and All Might faced his fair share of relentless assaults from various villains and, most notably, All For One. Among the heroes, All Might stand alone as the one who confronted All For One on two separate occasions, with the second encounter leaving him hanging on by a thread. While he succeeded in putting All For One in a precarious state during their battle, the anime series reveals the gradual recovery of All For One. Simultaneously, All Might, bearing a visible chest wound, had no choice but to step down from his role as the number one hero.
This chest wound stands as one of All Might's most significant weaknesses, as, without it, he might have retained his position as Japan's top hero. This injury abruptly drained the life force from him, and he wasn't ready to relinquish his role as All Might. With no alternative, he embarked on a quest to find his successor, even though he already had one in mind. When he encounters young Izuku Midoriya, who bears an uncanny resemblance to his younger self, he decides to make him his successor, passing on the torch of One For All.
5 The Idea That Everyone Can Be Saved
Indeed, the unwavering determination to save people is a prominent trait among many heroes in My Hero Academia, and while it's an admirable quality, All Might exemplifies it to an exceptional degree. He persists in his heroism even when suffering from the devastating impact of All For One's devastating blows. However, it's a crucial lesson for heroes in the My Hero Academia world to understand that being in their best physical condition is essential for effective hero work. Taking time to recover is a necessity.
All Might's fervent desire to uphold his legacy as the Symbol of Peace, even at great personal cost, is a testament to his dedication. He's willing to continue his hero duties despite his evident weakness. Yet, he knows that if the world sees him in a weakened state without a successor to carry on his legacy, it could have a detrimental impact. Villains might lose their fear and respect for him. Fortunately, his timely encounter with young Midoriya provided a solution. He started to train Midoriya to become his worthy successor, ensuring that the Symbol of Peace lives on.
4 All Might Had No Contact With Previous Users Of One For All
Fans can agree that All Might was the best during his prime, but imagine how unstoppable he would have been if he had the connection to other users like Midoriya does. If All Might was able to use all the past users’ quirks, maybe he would have been able to defeat All For One permanently.
In the Dark Hero Arc, fans see Deku fully utilize all the quirks One For All has, but he is still not at 100% og his potential. One can only imagine the impact All Might would have made if he could use all their quirks. Regardless, he was still able to make quite an impact.
3 Taking Up The Spotlight
When a villain breaks free or trouble arises, All Might is always there to save the day. That is good, because it shows he takes his hero duties seriously. However, it is not good for other heroes, as they cannot shine with All Might being in the spotlight all the time.
There was no space for other heroes to thrive, and they barely got any recognition from civilians. This is why Endeavour was obsessed with giving birth to a child who could become stronger and one day defeat All Might.
2 All Might Was 'Too Kind'
Being kind is good, but some villains in the My Hero Academia world do not deserve any form of kindness. As someone who always saw the good in villains and deemed them fit for redemption, All Might rarely uses dangerous force during his fights (except in needed cases). He always wants to give them a second chance, but these villains do not care. If they had their way, they would get rid of All Might permanently.
All Might was lucky enough to face All For Once twice. The second time should have been enough to finally get rid of the greatest threat of all time, but unfortunately, All Might failed. He was too kind and could not bring himself to finish off his foe, even though All For One had no trouble doing so.
1 Attachment To Being The Symbol Of Peace
Before All Might retired, he had self-doubt and deep concern for the world. After his second fight with All For One, it was evident that he would have to retire due to his chest wound. Unable to let go of his status as the Symbol of Peace, he tries as much as possible to drag out his retirement.
He battles with this new reality as a soon-to-be ex-hero, but with the help of Sir Nighteye and his encounter with Izuku Midoriya, who becomes his successor, he is able to leave the spotlight and retire as All Might. In the end, this is a weakness he was able to overcome.
My Hero Academia
