My Hero Academy introduced many great heroes, but none compare to Everything canthe greatest hero the series has ever seen. He embodies hope and peace, making him the ideal that every hero aspires to but only a few actually achieve. However, none of this would have been possible if Toshinori Yagi, long before becoming All Might by inheriting One For All, had not already displayed the defining trait that set him on his heroic path.
Before All Might received One For All, its previous wielders had unique abilities of their own. However, this didn’t stop Nana Shimura from passing on the precious Quirk to young Toshinori. She saw something in him beyond brute strength, his desire to change the world. When asked how he intended to address the world’s injustices in a crucial conversation, young All Might responded with conviction: he wanted to demonstrate overwhelming power to become a symbol of peace.
By giving a great display of power, All Might became the number 1 hero
To become a symbol of peace, everything had to be put on a pedestal
In My Hero Academy episode #159, titled “Battle Without A Qurik”, a flashback reveals a young All Might following Nana Shimura, insisting on becoming her student. Nana mocks the peculiar boy for trying to protect a ten-foot radius around him. However, Toshinori vehemently declares that he simply cannot accept the world as it is, where those who steal earn more, while the victims’ sadness turns into hatred.
So when Nana asks if he has a solution for this, All Might firmly states that he wants to create a world where everyone can laugh and a symbol of peace is necessary for that to happen. As All For One has reigned over Japan for a long time, he has essentially instilled fear among the people of this nation. Toshinori explains that no matter how many buildings are rebuilt, the fear will persist. To counter this, he promises to make a great show of powerprotecting well beyond the three meter radius that others already struggle with. He concludes by saying that, as a quirkless boy, this is the only path available to him.
There could never be another hero like All Might My Hero Academy
Your path was as difficult as Deku’s
All Might’s hero name perfectly represents his ideal. By standing so high with his undeniable strength, he single-handedly created a sense of hope among the people, ushering in an era of peace. Although this didn’t last forever, Toshinori’s efforts cannot be dismissed. His path was one of self-sacrifice and isolation, and only he could walk it, thanks to the conviction he demonstrated as a child, which impressed Nana so much that she decided to pass One for All on to a quirkless boy.
My Hero Academy has only one true symbol of peace: All Might. Although others, including Deku, have tried to follow in his footsteps, no one can ever embody the symbol that All Might has become. While Deku’s efforts inspired heroes and even ordinary citizens to act, he only worked to improve the peace that All Might had already established. In contrast, All Might built the peace symbol from scratchrising to the challenge during a period of chaos under All For One’s decades-long reign.
Furthermore, unlike Deku, who lost his Quirk just a few years after receiving it, forcing him to step down as a hero, All Might remained active until he was fifty, continually strengthening the symbol he had created. It’s true that All Might’s model proved flawed, because the peace he created crumbled when he was no longer able to fight for it. However, no other hero has achieved such a lasting impact. Deku’s journey is to overcome All Might and his idea of ​​what it means to be a “hero”, but Toshinori’s path was no less difficult, and Everything can stays like My Hero Academia’s number 1 hero, unlikely to be surpassed.