My Hero Academia What-if: Who would have been Deku's Successor for One for All?

My Hero Academia concluded its manga run by having Izuku "Deku" Midoriya give away his One For All Quirk to destroy Tomura Shigaraki from within, thus ending that legendary power's existence and becoming the last user. However, if Deku had managed to win the final war without losing his Quirk, who would have been his successor in the long run?

Naturally, the story has established some potential candidates throughout the My Hero Academia manga, to the point that even one of the movies showed Katsuki Bakugo using the One For All Quirk. Furthermore, it is also worth pointing out that Mirio Togata was considered by All Might and Sir Nighteye as a potential candidate, which could play a role in this discussion.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga/anime and reflects the opinions of the writer.

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Explaining who would be Deku's One For All successor in My Hero Academia in a What-If scenario

Bakugo and Deku using One For All in Heroes Rising (Image via Bones).

Author Kohei Horikoshi revealed that the conclusion of the Heroes Rising film was intended to be the original ending of the series, or at least the first idea he had to wrap up this story. This means that Izuku "Deku" Midoriya was supposed to give One For All to Katsuki Bakugo, who would then carry on the legacy of this powerful Quirk, which is highly relevant in this "What-If" scenario.

It would make sense for Bakugo to become Deku's successor for the One For All Quirk because Horikoshi has developed their friendship as a crucial element in the story. By the end of the manga, there's a sense of trust and familiarity between them that would make this transition all the more logical and feel organic.

On the other hand, many people would criticize this decision since Deku ending the story as Quirkless had already received significant backlash in the canon conclusion. Furthermore, Bakugo is a character who elicits a wide range of opinions, making this event even more controversial.

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The Mirio Togata variable

Mirio and Deku as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

Much like Bakugo, there is evidence in the My Hero Academia franchise that Mirio Togata was considered a candidate for the One For All Quirk because of his exploits working with Sir Nighteye. And because Mirio and Deku developed a good friendship when rescuing Eri from Overhaul, there is a ground for them to make this succession.

Furthermore, once Mirio loses his Quirk when fighting Overhaul, Deku offers One For All to him, with the former declining. However, Horikoshi could have repeated this scenario at the end of the story under a different context and could have had a different outcome, especially considering Mirio does become the Number One Pro Hero in the canon ending.

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Final thoughts

In an alternate scenario in My Hero Academia where Deku had to choose a successor for the One For All Quirk, Mirio Togata and Katsuki Bakugo seem like the most obvious options given the narrative of the series. Furthermore, both characters have been associated with this power in some shape or form, thus making it a lot more valid.

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Related articles:

• The Quirks in the My Hero Academia movies suffer the most from the time constraints
• Horikoshi's reasoning for Toga's death in My Hero Academia does justify it
• Todoroki vs Bakugo wouldn't have changed with Shoto's flames, and My Hero Academia fans need to realize why
• Deku's final Pro Hero Ranking in My Hero Academia still doesn't justify him losing One For All