My Hero Academia is filled with superpowers that are as varied as they are powerful. You have bodies producing nitroglycerin to act like human bombs through Bakugou Katsuki. You have a ‘Hot And Cold’ situation going on with Shoto Todoroki’s Quirk. And then you have whatever the heck is Tomura Shigaraki’s surgically modified hellscape. But no power holds as much weightage in the plot as One-For-All, a Quirk that you aren’t born with, but end up inheriting instead. Right now, it’s in our protagonist’s capable hands, but for how long will Midoriya be able to keep it?
While Izuku Midoriya has never lost his Quirk after inheriting its mantle from its previous owner and his idol, All-Might, you can never say never. Especially in a series as high stakes as My Hero Academia tends to be. One-for-All is Catch 22 of the premise. It’s the Quirk to end all Quirks because it borrows from its previous hosts and then some. But it’s become pretty clear that, while All-Might passed the Quirk along like his predecessors, Midoriya will be the final user.
Again, power is the name of the game here. My Hero Academia is the story of Superheroes VS Supervillains. Hell, they have an entire career based on being a Pro-Hero, going to a specific training school for honing your Quirk and whatnot. Quirks matter in the world-building of the franchise. And something like One-For-All is extremely rare, even with all the strange powers that exist. In the wrong hands, it can prove deadly for everyone involved.
This is why it’s a good thing that it’s currently in the possession of someone like Midoriya, who is as selfless and kind as they come. He’s dedicated to using his powers for good, never taking the miracle he has for granted once. He is responsible, but could there be a future where makes a mistake so callous that he ends up losing it? Let’s discuss that in today’s Lore Analysis – where we break down plotlines to predict where they might end up going.
One-For-All: A Quirk As Chivalrous As It Sounds
There is no shortage of extremely powerful Quirks in the world of My Hero Academia, we are already aware of this fact. But One-For-All isn’t just an anomaly based on its sheer power alone, but also in its very nature.
You see, Midoriya was born Quirkless, i.e., he was just a normal civilian with no powers despite being obsessed with the idea of becoming a Pro-hero someday. Even if he knew he’ll never make it there, he tried his best. Despite knowing that, without a Quirk, you’re a sitting duck. However, seeing how noble Midoriya was during an emergency that All-Might was handling, All-Might finally saw his new protégé.
And since then, One-For-All has been Midoriya’s ace-in-the-hole. However, its history is pretty dark. It emerged when All-For-One forced a Quirk on his brother, Yoichi Shigaraki and he refused. Thus, awakening the dormant power that was always inside of him. That became One-For-All, a transferable Quirk that isn’t limited to a single ability. It is merging with the Quirk already present and then the Quirk being forced on Yoichi meant that it could do the same with others. And so, it collected abilities from every host that held its power.
It is the will to never back down and never give up, given life. It’s both strong in its strength and also at its core, where it holds the wisdom of those that came before Midoriya.
Why Midoriya Will Be The Last Holder Of One-For-All:
However, it’s likely that after everything is said and done, Midoriya will be the last host for the formidable Quirk.
It’s been confirmed through the 4th user, Hikage Shinomori, that One-For-All is just far too much for someone to handle when they already have a Quirk. This is why Toshinori Yagaki, aka All-Might, was believed to be the perfect host. Because he was also born Quirkless and could live beyond age 40, thanks to his body compensating. When he stumbled upon Midoriya, a Quirkless like him who truly needed the power, it was a miracle.
However, there are almost no recorded cases of Quirkless folks in the generation that is coming after Midoriya. Especially not any that can showcase that need for One-For-All that the previous hosts had. Likely, this is the end for the legend and Midoriya will be the last.