Sorry AFO fans, Shiragaki will always be my favorite My Hero Academia villain, and for a good reason

With an extensive plethora of villains in the My Hero Academia series, fans have often had difficulty choosing who plays the most significant role compared to the rest. While All for One can be considered the series's main antagonist, there was one more who had a way better narrative and villain arc in the story.

The character being discussed here is Tomura Shigaraki, the second most important antagonist of the series. He plays an extensive role in Deku's, the series' protagonist, story arc. This article mainly reflects the opinions of the writer as to why Shigaraki might be a better villain than All for One in the My Hero Academia series.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains potential spoilers from the My Hero Academia anime and manga.

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Shigaraki had a way better villain arc in My Hero Academia than All for One

When it comes to describing Tomura Shigaraki as a villain from My Hero Academia, the lore and narrative's extensiveness are way too much to handle in one article. From being traumatized as a child to being manipulated into becoming a puppet for All for One, Shigaraki probably had a more tragic life in the series than any other character, whether hero or villain.

When Shigaraki was a toddler, his father often abused him both physically and mentally just because he aspired and dreamed of becoming a hero one day. No one stepped up to help him find his way whenever he needed guidance, particularly with his quirk. While his father would always undermine him, he did get some love from his mother and sister.

Shigarki's dream of becoming a hero was further strengthened when he learned that his grandmother was Nana Shimura, the seventh user of the One for All quirk and the former mentor to All Might. However, this only fueled his father's rage even more towards him, as his grandmother allegedly abandoned his father to become a hero.

One day, unbeknownst to his quirk- Decay, Shiraki accidentally killed their pet dog and, in panic, followed up by killing his sister, Hana Shimura. As Shigaraki was having a mental breakdown from the incident, he also accidentally killed his mother, Nao Shimura. As he was grasping for help from his father, Kotaro, his father struck him with a metal pipe rather than helping him.

This incident ignited the evil within Shigaraki that had been deeply hidden from all the years of abuse, and this was the first time he intentionally killed someone, his father. After committing the crime, Shigaraki's life took a dark turn as he became acquainted with All for One. All for One seized the opportunity of Shigaraki's vulnerability and started coercing him.

While pretending to be his friend and giving him a sense of belonging after Shigaraki lost everything, All for One slowly manipulated him, turning him into a villain, and ultimately used Shigaraki's body as a vessel for himself. All For One's Quirk Vestige took over Shigaraki's body, allowing him to suppress Shigaraki's consciousness

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Shigaraki's narrative was more impressive than All for One in My Hero Academia, and final thoughts

While All for One was a villain from the outset in the My Hero Academia series, similar to several other villains in the series, Shigaraki was never inherently evil. If he had been given proper guidance when he needed it, things would have turned out very differently for him, especially if there was someone to teach him what's right and what's wrong.

The fact that Shiraki was made a villain has also created several debates among the fandom, with many sympathizing with him rather than outright calling him evil. He also had one of the best ending sequences in the series with Deku, which also works in favour of determining how well Horikoshi wrote his character's narrative in the My Hero Academia series.

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