Shigaraki's memories in My Hero Academia suggest he could have been the ideal All Might successor

The battle between Tomura Shigaraki and Izuku Midoriya, aka Deku, continued in My Hero Academia chapter 418, where Deku was seen making a desperate attempt to stop Shigaraki's rampage.

Tomura Shigaraki has undoubtedly led an extremely tragic life, which set him on the path of becoming one of the worst villains that the world has ever seen. His destructive nature and thirst for violence easily make him an irredeemable villain, despite all the tragedies that he had to face.

That said, chapter 418 of the My Hero Academia manga put this notion into doubt, as Shigaraki's memories may have subtly hinted that he could have been the ideal successor of All Might.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia chapter 418 and reflects the writer's opinions. Reader's discretion is advised.

My Hero Academia chapter 418: Shigaraki's ideology could have made him an ideal successor of All Might

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My Hero Academia chapter 418 starts with Deku still inside Shigaraki's subconsciousness, where he continues to try and alter the events that led to Shigaraki's downfall.

By transforming into a child-like version of himself, Deku reaches out to Shigaraki (Tenko) and grabs his hands. Determined to prevent any further bloodshed, Deku held on to Tenko's hands, despite feeling the effects of his powers. It was at this moment that Tenko started to become overwhelmed by his conflicting emotions of hatred, sadness, and confusion.

Although his hatred's flow was too strong at first, Tenko eventually started to waver. Deku's refusal to let go of Tenko's hand made him feel at ease, as Deku reaffirmed that he would remain at his side to offer support and understanding.

Shigaraki as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

Despite the faint ray of hope, Shigaraki ends up acknowledging that he is and will always be a villain who destroys everything in his path. He went on to claim that even if all his hatred went away and he became an empty shell, he would still need to become a 'Hero' to the Villains.

Shigaraki was still responsible for all those people who followed him on his path and shared his goal of destroying everything. As such, he simply couldn't abandon his role as a Villain, even if he were to lose all his hatred.

Shigaraki's sense of responsibility for his comrades, aka the League of Villains, is something admirable in its way. The way he feels that he needs to be a 'Hero' or an inspiration for his allies, makes him similar to All Might in a way.

Tenko Shimura accidentally killed his family in My Hero Academia (Image via Bones)

Just like how All Might knew he needed to be a Symbol of Peace for the world and its people, Shigaraki shares the same ideology, seeing as how he feels responsible for his followers and the Villain society at large.

Shigaraki is to the League of Villains, what All Might was to the world - a Symbol of Hope. The fact that the members of the League were even prepared to die for him at some point, makes him a bit similar to All Might and the effect the latter had on the world and the Hero society in particular.

That said, these qualities alone don't make Shigaraki a suitable successor for All Might. During his childhood days, Shigaraki, who used to be known as Tenko Shimura at the time, was seen to be an extremely kind, innocent, and compassionate person. He deeply loved his family and even aspired to become a hero one day.

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However, Tenko was frequently abused by his father due to his dream of becoming a Hero. Because of this, Tenko eventually snapped one day when he developed his Decay Quirk and ended up accidentally killing his family.

One can only wonder how Tenko's life would have turned out, had he not been subjected to such cruel treatment by his father. If only his family had been a little more supportive of his dream and helped him control his powers, there's little doubt that Tenko would have grown to become a great hero like All Might.

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Instead, all the tragedies that Tenko had to face, turned him into a heartless villain, who now goes by the name of Tomura Shigaraki. Instead of turning out to be an inspiration to the world like All Might, Shigaraki is now an inspiration to the villain society instead. What he couldn't be to the rest of the world, he ended up becoming to his followers in the League of Villains.