All for One is the Devil, Confirmed.

My Hero Academia S6, Ep 10 Review

One of the unspoken things that I like so much about My Hero Academia is the themes. Specifically, the themes surrounding All for One and One for All. All for One is, for all intents and purposes, the Devil. His brother, the first user of One for All, is God. Which leaves Shigaraki as the Anti-Christ and Deku as Jesus/the Chosen One. Why am I mentioning all of this? Because this week sees Deku fight a battle inside his mind for the fate of One for All itself against All for One. Not Shigaraki, but All for One.

The Ones Within Us

After seeing Bakugo get skewered by Shigaraki, Deku loses himself in his rage and starts tearing into Shigaraki like it’s no tomorrow. Visually, it’s amazing to look at: the artwork is superb and the animation’s kicked into overdrive. It’s clear that the animation studio’s not holding anything back.

Sadly, the fight between the two young men gets cut short, as Deku puts himself within grasping distance of Shigaraki. Instead of killing him, though, Shigaraki tries to steal Deku’s Quirk for himself. Or rather, for his master, All for One.

As previously noted, All for One’s a Satanic archetype, a supreme evil that corrupts all he touches. In this case, by implanting his Quirk into Shigaraki, it allows AFO to take control of his student’s mind and body; at least, to an extent. Shigaraki fights AFO tooth and nail even as his master sprouts from his mental image like a hideous parasite. I thought the symbolism was pretty spot-on: All for One controls others, even his own allies.

In contrast to this, the imprints of the previous users of One for All appear as separate entities before Deku. They protect and support the young hero in a form of symbiotic relationship. It really hammers home how different the two Quirks are, and how only one of them will likely survive the end of the series. That, and Deku’s got crazy willpower to move while missing part of his body.

The Villain’s Time to Shine

Meanwhile, Gigantomachia’s rampage across Japan continues, with the heroes barely able to slow him down. Amidst all of this, the League of Villains hides away on the giant, until Toga decides to strike out on her own. Her target: Tsuyu and Uraraka, AKA Froppy and Uravity. 

I’ve always found the relationship between Toga and Uraraka to be an interesting one. While Toga is firmly a villain, she’s also a complex character with her own ideals and morals. She’s got a twisted view of friendship and love, but she does care about the people she calls friends. And after seeing her friend Twice die at the hands of the heroes, she’s got a right to be mad. Uraraka’s going to be in for a hard time.

However, the villain to truly watch out for isn’t even Shigaraki; it’s Dabi. If you’ve read the manga, then you know who he is and what he’s got planned. I won’t spoil anything, but what he’s about to do will rock the superhero society to its core. The worst part, though? It’s the fact that he’s not wrong in what he has to say. When we see Dabi in the next episode, it will be his time.

This whole arc, really, has been the villain’s time to shine. Despite looking like a lost cause, the villains now stand to win. If the heroes hope to stop them from destroying everything, they’ll need to live up to All Might’s iconic words: GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “The Ones Within Us” a 4/5

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