The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 6, Episode 15 “Tartarus,” now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
Ever since his introduction in My Hero Academia, All For One has been characterized as a personality who puts himself and his own gain above all else. Yet, the villain has fostered a relationship with his protégé, Shigaraki Tomura, that can be likened to All Might’s teacher-student relationship with protagonist Midoriya Izuku.
All For One has played the part of a nurturing sensei eager to send his villainous disciple out into the world on his own, but in Season 6, Episode 15, his true intentions for Shigaraki are finally revealed.
All For One Wants Shigaraki to Be His Next Self
Shortly after Shigaraki woke up from the procedure to imbue him with his master’s Quirk, he noticed a nagging voice in his subconscious. It turned out to be the vestige of All For One that had remained in his Quirk; it was slowly but surely assimilating with Shigaraki’s own personality and threatening to replace him entirely. In the heat of the Paranormal Liberation War, having two personalities was a boon for Shigaraki, as All For One was about to take the reins when Tomura passed out — but now his master is refusing to hand them back.
Immediately after Mr. Compress facilitated the League of Villains’ escape, All For One began scheming to break his real body out of Tartarus. Infiltrating the max security detainment facility for individuals with dangerous Quirks would have been impossible for any other villain, but by synchronizing both the aspect of his personality hidden in Shigaraki and the one locked in Tartarus’ depths with Quirk-based EMP blasts, All For One was able to coordinate a mass breakout that overwhelmed Tartarus’ guards. In the chaos that ensued, his original body was reunited with Shigaraki Tomura.
As they broke into Tartarus, Shigaraki’s consciousness resurfaced for a brief period and demanded that All For One return his body. In response, his master asked him not to worry and that everything would still be going according to Shigaraki’s own wishes. He reminded Shigaraki that it was his decision to receive his master’s Quirk, attempting to placate the young man by tagging the strength they shared as a result of his strong will. When Shigaraki retorted that he wouldn’t become a mere pawn, All For One chuckled and finally told Shigaraki that he was to become the Demon Lord’s next self.
Why All For One Needs Shigaraki to Be His Next Self
All For One’s controversial decision might have been made for the same reasons that All Might passed One For All on. After the legendary battle that took one of the latter’s lungs, neither party completely recovered. All Might was only able to work as a hero for a limited period each day after that, and All For One became dependent on a special apparatus to keep him alive. Without his helmet or the life support equipment that he is perpetually attached to, All For One would not be able to survive in My Hero Academia.
