Summary
All Might, also known as Toshimori Yagi, was Japan’s symbol of peace. He was a hero whose immense strength and presence instilled hope in civilians and fear in villains. Although All Might was born quirkless, his encounter with Nana Shimura changed the trajectory of his life. She passed down the One For All quirk to him and made himthe hero the citizens of Japan grew to love.
However,all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, not only did All Might’s reign end, but he went back to being quirkless after using up all the embers of One For All to temporarily defeat All For One. All Might’s decline started from his first fight with All For One, as All For One left him with life-threatening injuries that prevented him from being a hero, but All Might persevered. This injury started a fast countdown to retirement and forced him to actively be on the lookout for a successor. Most fans wonder what the world ofMy Hero Academiawould look like had All Might not lost his quirk, his ability to maintain his muscular form, and his strength to fight.
Journey To Being Quirkless
How All Might Went From Being Strong To Weak
All Might’s hold on Japan was something he had always wished for. Growing up, he wanted to be a hero who instilled fear in villains. He wanted his mere presence to be a source of peace, and luckily, he was able to achieve this withthe help of Nana Shimura. Unfortunately for All Might, there was a villain who was equally as powerful as him, and this villain,All For One, gave him a run for his money.
All For One has been terrorizing Japan since All Might was a quirkless young boy, and now that he is grown,Japan still suffers from the influence of All For One,but All Might’s presence has been doing a good job of keeping him and other villains in check. It was only a matter of time till the big guys faced each other, and it was an intense fight. All Might’s first battle with All For One left him in a horrible state, and All Might had to increase his search for a successor as he became visibly aware that his time was running out thanks to the dent All For One left in his chest.This dent was the beginning of the end for All Might and his reign as the number-one hero in Japan.
His second fight with All For One returned him tohow he was born—quirkless. By the time the second fight happened, All Might had already transferred the One For All quirk to his newly found successor, Izuku Midoriya, and was surviving on little embers of the quirk. These embers would have lasted for a long time, but All Might used it all to fight All For One again, and at the end of the fight, All Might lost his status as the symbol of peace, the number one hero in Japan, his quirk; he threw Japan into a state of worry, but most importantly, he officially passed the baton to Midoriya.
However, things would have been entirely different if All For One had not left All Might with the chest injury in the first fight and All Might had not transferred his quirk to Midoriya.
All Might Would Have Remained As The Symbol of Peace
His Quirkless Nature Forced Him To Retire
The most important thing that would have happened if All Might never became quirkless is that he would have remainedJapan’s symbol of peace.He would have become an unrivaled hero, sitting comfortably at thetop of the hero billboard chartas the number one hero in Japan and maintaining balance and peace within society.
His presence as the number one hero deterred criminal activity, with villains fearing his power and citizens feeling protected. All Might’s ability to function at full capacity for longer would likely mean that society’s dependency on him would only deepen, making him even more integral to the stability of the hero world.
If he had remained the symbol of peace, All Might would not have had the urgency to pass on the torch, holding on to One For All for as long as he could. This delay would likely change the course of Midoriya’s development and potentially the timing of the rise of other aspiring heroes.
Hero Society’s Over-Reliance on All Might Would Only Deepen
One thing for sure is that the hero society would still depend on All Might, and the dependence would have only gotten deeper, further blocking other heroes from shining or growing. Younger heroes might develop slower, without the need to step up and fill the gap that All Might’s retirement eventually leaves behind. In this alternate scenario, heroes like Endeavor, who rise to prominence following All Might’s departure, might never face the same pressure to improve or take on larger roles.Endeavor’s obsession with overtaking All Mightwould have only progressed more, and Endeavor would not have reflected on his flaws had All Might not retired.
Villains might also adopt a wait-and-see approach, delaying their attacks in hopes that All Might’s eventual aging would naturally weaken him. This could potentially set up a massive villain resurgence once All Might is finally out of the picture, leaving hero society unprepared to handle the crisis without their symbol of peace. Fans saw this happen when All Might retired; crime rates in Japan skyrocketed, and the public lashed out at the hero society for not having aproper backup plan in place for the eventual end of All Might.
Midoriya’s Journey Would Have Taken A Different Turn
All Might retaining his full powers would have drastically altered Izuku Midoriya’s story.Midoriya received One for Allnot only because All Might recognized his heroic spirit but also because he had a pressing need to pass on the quirk due to his failing body. If All Might remained at full strength, he might not have chosen to transfer the quirk to Midoriya so early or perhaps at all, as he hadanother candidate in mind, Mirio Togata.
With Midoriya being quirkless, his dream of becoming a hero might not have become a reality. Without One for All, his role at U.A. High School would shift dramatically. Instead of being trained as All Might’s successor, Midoriya might have had to rely on other skills, possibly excelling through strategic thinking or intense physical training, but he would lack the overwhelming power of One for All that defines much of his growth in the series.
Bakugo Might Have Not Changed
All Might, with his quirk, would have also changed Bakugo’s development, as it is tied to All Might’s relationship with Midoriya and the passing of One for All. Without Midoriya receiving the quirk, Bakugo most likely would have retained his superiority complex longer, as he would not have had to face the sudden rise of his childhood rival, Midoriya.
Without the rivalry that formed between them due to One for All, Bakugo’s character might evolve at a slower pace or may not undergo the same degree of self-reflection and growth that fans see throughout the series.
The Aftermath
Everything Happens For A Reason
All Might becoming quirkless was an unfortunate event that needed to happensooner rather than later. Japan being under the protection of All Might was good, but there were no plans put in place for his eventual retirement, and this made them vulnerable to deadly attacks.
If All Might never became quirkless, the world ofMy Hero Academiawould look very different. His continued reign as the top hero would delay many of the series’ pivotal moments, altering Midoriya’s journey, the development of his peers, and even the rise of villainy. Ultimately, All Might’s decision to pass on One for All marked a critical turning point for Midoriya and the entire world of heroes and villains.
