My Hero Academia: Is All For One dead in the manga? Explored

The epic showdown between Bakugo and All For One in My Hero Academia manga's latest chapter has generated immense hype among fans. The presumed conclusion of the fight in Chapter 409 has left the fandom eagerly anticipating updates to unravel the outcome of this intense clash.

Unfortunately, with the manga taking a break in the upcoming week, fans have been engaging in speculative discussions about the potential resolution of the battle. This has led to a looming suspicion regarding whether the formidable antagonist AFO meets his demise at the hands of the show's deuteragonist, Bakugo, a childhood friend and rival of the protagonist, Deku.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia manga.

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All For One's fate following his intense showdown with Bakugo in My Hero Academia manga

Chapter 409 of My Hero Academia seemingly draws the curtain to the ongoing face-off between Bakugo, aka Kacchan, with the hero society's nemesis, AFO. The battle concludes with Bakugo overpowering AFO using a barrage of powerful explosions.

The manga's storyline previously revealed AFO using Eri-chan's Rewind quirk to revert his body to its prime state. However, the My Hero Academia fandom is well aware of the side effect of Eri's quirk–overuse can lead to someone ceasing to exist.

AFO in a shrunken state, as seen in the closing panel of chapter 409 (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha)

The same is evident in AFO's battles with Mecha All Might and Katsuki Bakugo, also known by his hero name The Great Explosion Murder God: Dynamite.

Throughout the fight, AFO progressively gets younger with each overpowering move and every injury sustained. All Might speculates that with AFO's ultimate attack, he would likely revert to being a baby.

Consequently, after his failed attempt to bypass Kacchan and enduring numerous explosions, readers ponder whether AFO meets his end or ceases to exist. While My Hero Academia Chapter 409 doesn't explicitly clarify the outcome, the final panel of the chapter cryptically shows a miniature figure that appears to be AFO.

Despite Bakugo's onslaught, he seems to be alive, groaning in agony. It can be assumed from this that the demon lord still lives, albeit reduced to a weakened and shrunken state.

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Bakugo vs. All For One showdown and the aftermath

Bakugo vs. AFO (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha)

The previous chapters of My Hero Academia delve deeper into the backstory of the demon lord of the quirk society and his little brother, Yoichi Shigaraki. In the closing pages of Chapter 408, AFO prepares to unleash his ultimate attack, Omni factor Unleash: All For One Goal, to bypass Bakugo and reach Shigaraki.

Edgeshot surmises that AFO intends to secure victory by propelling himself with a massive energy surge. All Might warns Bakugo to evade, recognizing this as AFO's most formidable attack, where he unleashes all his stolen quirks.

Bakugo explodes AFO in My Hero Academia chapter 409 (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha)

In My Hero Academia Chapter 409, AFO commences his ultimate attack. However, as AFO's attack launches, Bakugo explodes AFO's head, sending him and his overpowering charge crashing to the ground.

To AFO's surprise, Katsuki Bakugo reveals that he had previously planted his explosive sweat drops on AFO, outsmarting the demon lord. AFO, angered at being outwitted, erupts in rage, declaring that this is his story and others are merely side characters. Nevertheless, Bakugo responds with one of his strongest attacks, the Howitzer Impact, declaring:

"This is our story."

Subsequently, AFO is obliterated by more of Bakugo's overpowering explosions, reducing him to a shriveled state.

AFO's ultimate attack Omni Factor Unleash (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha)

The image depicting the outcome is relatively small, making it challenging to precisely discern the exact state of the antagonist. However, the narrative strongly indicates that AFO is not deceased yet.

Despite this, the uncertain and precarious state he appears to be in raises questions about the duration of his remaining life. It can be expected that Mangaka Kohei Horikoshi will reveal more about AFO's current state in the forthcoming manga chapter.