Summary
In the world ofMy Hero Academia,barely 20% of the population is born without a quirk, and Toshinori Yago, also known as All Might, was part of this minority without a quirk. Luckily for him,he meets Nana Shimura, who takes him under her wing. Toshinori is able to acquire a quirk from her as she passes down the One For All quirk to him. With this quirk, Toshinori became All Might, an international hero known in Japan and the United States of America, and, most importantly, Japan’s symbol of peace.
In his prime, All Might was an iconic herowho would show up for the citizens or people in danger without thinking twice about it. He does not care about the danger or himself, as he puts his duties as a hero over himself. His catchphrase, ‘I’m here,’ assured citizens that he would always come to their aid to protect them from danger. All Might’s era represents a golden age of peace and symbolizes the pinnacle of the pro-hero system.
How It All Started
The Birth Of All Might
Toshinori was born when All For One had great influence, and because of that, villains were constantly attacking and society was on the brink of destruction. Crime rates were at a peak, and Toshinori had lost his family to villains. Broken and devastated by the death of his family, Toshinori desires to be a powerful hero and would try to help people in danger whenever he can, but unfortunately, he was born quirkless, so there was little help he could offer.
While trying to fight a group of villains with nothing but a pipe, Nana Shimura shows up to fight these villains and save Toshinori from the eventual wrath of his powerful opponents. With his favorite hero in front of him, Toshinori does not hesitate to beg her to take him as one of his students, which she rejects because he is quirkless.
Even though Nana Shimura rejects him,Toshinori does not give up, and he urges her by telling her his dream of wanting a society where everyone lives peacefully. He wants to be a symbol of peace, a pillar of support for society so that harmony can exist. Toshinori’s words move Nana Shimura, and she decides to take him under her wings.
She passes on the One For All quirk to Toshinori, and he is able to enroll at UA High, a hero academy, where he receives all the necessary training to fight and utilize his new quirk. This is how All Might is born. Without Toshinori’s encounter with Nana Shimura, he would have never been able to acquire the quirk that made him who everyone in theMy Hero Academiaworld knows him as, All Might.
The Symbol Of Peace
More Than Just A Hero
From the beginning, Toshinori had always wanted to be more than a hero. He wanted to be a source of peace; he wanted his presence to induce fear in the hearts of the villains, paralyzing them from making a move and creating harmony among the citizens. Toshinori wanted to be a light in the dark world, and with enough training, he is able to achieve this.
Upon achieving the title of symbol of peace, Japan’s crime rates drastically dropped, and there was a favorable tilt towards the heroes. His unwavering presence and unmatched strength created a sense of security and stability in society.His catchphrase:
I am here
were not mere words but a declaration of his constant vigilance against threats putting Japan at peace. In as much as All Might was a source of light, there was still a source of darkness that he had not been able to get rid of, All For One.
His Impact On Society
All Might’s Presence Reduced Crimes
There were some downsides to All Might’s constant and unwavering presence, as it made society heavily depend on him, and the other heroes had big shoes to fill in his absence. Society’s dependency on All Might became glaring after his retirement because, as much as there are othertop 9 heroes, excluding the other heroes who did not make the rank, no one could perform half of what All Might did. Society never prepared for a time when All Might would not be in the limelight, and after his retirement, crime rates increased as villains came out of their hiding spots, ready to strike without any consequences.
Other heroes felt inadequate and could not fill the big shoes that All Might left, and his successor was too unready to take his spot. All Might could have done better at preparing for his inevitable absence, but even he did not think that time would ever come. All Might unknowingly put the current heroes and the next generation of heroesunder a lot of pressureto protect Japan.
Setting The Standards For True Heroism
During All Might’s era, heroes were seen as public servants and also as celebrities. This brought about a shift in how heroes approached their roles, as some focused more on public approval and rankings than actual heroics. The focus on public approval, fame, and money caused the hero killer,Stain, to go on a killing rampage. Stain’s targets were fake heroes who were only concerned about the benefits and not their heroic duties. To Stain, All Might was the only true hero in the world. Much cannot be said about All Might’s competitor and the number two hero in Japan, Endeavor. Endeavor, unlike All Might, prioritized ranks and, for the longest time, had anunhealthy obsession with overtaking All Might.
Decline And Legacy
Every Good Thing Must Come To An End
No one can reign forever, and All Might tried his best, but unfortunately, being the symbol of peace took a toll on his physical body. It was only a matter of time beforeAll For One came for All Might, and as the greatest villain in this world, All For One needed to be defeated so that Japan could be free. However, All For One is as strong as All Might, if not slightly stronger. Their fight was a tough and intense one, and All Might managed to cause great harm to All For One, but at the expense of something far more important, his body.
All Might has built a whole legacy around his muscular body, and All For One destroying it has caused a setback in his plans as the symbol of peace. Villians would not fear him if they saw him in a fragile state, and that is what his fight with All For One reduced him to. With all the life practically sucked out of him, All Might uses all his strength to keep up with his image while looking for a successor who will take his place.
All Might becomes a teacher at UA High, hoping that one of the students will be his successor, but he runs into Midoriya during the entrance exam arc.All Might saves Midoriyafrom the sludge villain, and the young boy is grateful. However, Midoriya had pressing questions that he needed All Might to answer. He follows All Might and asks him if it is possible to be a hero without a quirk, but before he can answer, he turns into his weak self, shocking Midoriya.
The End Of All Might’s Era
The Symbol Of Peace’s Final Act And Passing The Baton To Midoriya
Even after sustaining severe injuries in his first fight with All For One, All Might continues to be a hero and maintain his status as a symbol of peace. It was only a matter of time till he retired, even though he tried to stall for as long as he could. All Might’s era ended during theHideout Raid arcas he got into another intense and dangerous fight with All For One.
Unfortunately for All Might, All For One blasts him so much that he reverts to his weak and true state. The whole country was watching this fight as it was broadcast live, and they all saw All Might’s true state, which shocked them and put the country in a state of confusion as they wondered what came next for them now that the Symbol of Peace had been defeated.
In this pitiful state, All Might is wounded by All For One’s words as he mocks him for failing at defeating him. He manages to get himself,revert to his muscular form, and uses all the remnants of One For All to deliver the United States of Smash Blow to All For One, leaving him badly injured and claiming his final victory as the symbol of peace.
In front of the whole world, All Might in his muscular glory points out to Midoriya, telling him he is next. This symbolizes the end of the era of All Might, the symbol of peace and the number one hero in Japan.
Villians Are Back
With All Might out of the picture, the villains have an edge over the heroes. They start attacking again, and the crime rates increase. The hero society has to make adjustments and attempt to keep their world from getting destroyed.
The teachers in UA High, including All Might, have to vigorously train their students as the pressure on them is greater and they are Japan’s only source of hope.Getting rid of All For One would not be easy, but these pro-heroes and students are doing their best to ensure they are ready. Luckily for the students, they have the whole era of All Might to draw inspiration from.
