Summary
The following contains spoilers forMy Hero AcademiaChapter 401, “The Lunatic,” by Kohei Horikoshi, translated by Caleb Cook available in English fromViz Media.
My Hero Academiachapter 401 finally dropped and it is safe to say that this chapter did well to live up to the expectations set by the previous one. While the chapter did not go exactly how fans of All Might would have wanted it,it gave All For One a much better showing, given that you have been quite underwhelming in this fight up until this point.
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The chapter did well to conclude the battle between the powerhouse that are All For One and All Might, however, there might still be hope left for the former Number One Hero. While short, this chapter certainly had a lot worth discussing.
Stain’s Big Role
The following contains spoilers forMy Hero AcademiaChapter 400, “Beyond Limits,” by Kohei Horikoshi, translated by Caleb Cook available in English fromViz Media.in the previous chapter. Fans know that these two characters have been at each other’s throats for quite a long time. Their history has made them incredible rivals to each other and this fight has only gone on to solidify that even further. This is, by all means, going to be the last battle between All Might and All For One and, as such, both of these characters need their moments. All Might has done exceedingly well in this battle and overwhelmed All For One on quite some occasions, despite being much weaker than him. His incredible battle intellect has helped him out tremendously and he has succeeded in reversing All For One’s age quite a lot.
Currently, All For One appears to be a teen and that is all thanks to the effort put in by All Might. On the flip side, All For One did not look all that impressive in the fight at all. He has been outsmarted on various occasions in this clash and his threat didn’t look as big as it should have, that is, until this chapter. As soon as Stain used his Bloodcurdle ability to stop All For One in his tracks, All Might propelled himself forward to land the finishing blow on his arch-nemesis. Stain joined the battle to help out All Might because, in his eyes, he is the only person worthy of holding the hero title. Stain holds All Might on a pedestal and that is why he was willing to risk his life to join this fight and ensure that All For One is defeated.
All For One Counters Stain
Despite using his ability to the fullest and stopping All For One in his tracks, Stain was not able to help in any way. Having gotten access to his blood by tracking down these two powerhouses, he thought he was going to make a big difference by allowing All Might to strike the final blow and seal the battle for good. However, right before All Might could finish the job, All For One revealed his contingency plan and completely changed the composition of his blood. It was as if his body started expelling all the blood inside and using new blood instead.This effectively rendered the Bloodcurdle ability that Stainpossessed useless and allowed All For One to move once again. As expected, with his level of strength, he immediately turned to counter Stain and blew him away.
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At the same time, All Might immediately realized that Stain’s life was in danger and rushed to his rescue. He tried his best to goad All For One into turning his focus to him once again, however, this time, it did not work. For the very first time in this battle, fans could feel the aura of threat coming from the entity that is All For One and that was certainly a very refreshing thing to see in this battle. All For One has been underwhelming for the vast majority of the fight and it was time for him to show everyone why he was the demon lord.
All Might Crushed
My Hero Academiachapter 401 also marked the end to this fightbetween All For One and All Mightfor now. Immediately after All For One changed the properties of his blood, it was almost as if he could finally see that he was falling for All Might’s traps. He finally came back to his senses and it was much easier for him to fight back against his enemies. He immediately crushed Stain and when All Might charged towards him, he was able to blow him away with a single blast as well. All Might would have died from this attack had it not been for Hercules.
The shield came in the way and blocked one last attack before getting crushed completely. This prevented All Might from dying, however, he was blown away regardless.
My Hero Academiachapter 401 made it quite clear that All Might was now at his very limits. His entire armor was crushed and he had nothing that would allow him to fight the threat of All For One. All Might was completely defeated; however, his fighting spirit has not died. All Might still wants to continue fighting and he believes that it is not over yet. Even Nana wants him to get up once again and continue fighting. Despite the cruel fate that he knows he might face, All Might wants to show the world that he is still a Hero and he can still fight.
In a very powerful panel, fans saw All Might drag his body across the ground and not give up in this fight. It is unclear as to how he will continue fighting, however, It does not seem like he intends to stop anytime soon.
All For One Gets Closer To Shigaraki
Meanwhile, All For One is now closer than ever to his goals.My Hero Academiachapter 401 highlighted quite well that All For One emerged as the victor in this fight. He crushed both Stain and All Might together and now, his eyes are set on Shigaraki. Towards the end of the chapter, the fact that he was very close to Shigaraki was highlighted and it is only a matter of time before he gets there, unless someone comes in his way and stops him once again. Judging by his body, he still has some time left before he finally vanishes. His body is still that of a teen at the moment. That means All For One has enough timeat hand to go to Shigaraki and pull off his plan.
Whether that will happen or not is something that fans will only find out as the Final War Saga ofMy Hero Academiacontinues. For now, All Might has still not given up and he might yet join the battle once again. How he will do that is not clear but it would be strange for Horikoshi to see him want to continue to fight and even persist by dragging his body, telling it to keep moving, and then not do anything significant.
That said, it does look increasingly unlikely that he is going to make a big difference. He put up an admirable fight and deserves praise for that. Now, it is time for the story to move to the very final phase where the battle between Shigaraki and Izuku pans out, with the threat of All For One looming as well.
