The following is filled with spoilers from recent chapters of My Hero Academia. You have been warned.
It looks like Tomura Shigaraki’s newly acquired freedom was short-lived. After being mentally and spiritually attacked by Deku and the vestiges of One For All, the vestige of All For One has taken over Shigaraki’s mind and body once again. It turns out that Shigaraki would maintain control of himself as long as his hatred and willpower remained strong. However, at the first sign of weakness, All For One would regain control. Now, it looks like All For One has taken control for good this time.
I must say that I am disappointed with how Shigaraki’s story turned out. He was a villain with so much potential and promise. I wanted him to break free of All For One’s shadow so he could become his own person and create his own legacy as a supervillain. Sadly, I get the feeling that Shigaraki’s potential was wasted because of these recent developments. Because of this, I often wonder how Shigaraki could have turned out if he realized his full potential as a villain.
Shigaraki was at the height of his power in terms of followers and resources when the Paranormal Liberation Front was formed. As the organization’s Grand Commander, Shigaraki had access to a wide variety of assets. He had an army of over one hundred thousand soldiers united under a single commanding will. Thanks to Sceptic’s connections, Shigaraki had a degree of control of the internet and the media. Since Re-Destro was a CEO, Shigaraki had control of a corporation with deep ties to industry. With Dr. Ujiko, Shigaraki had access to more High-End Nomu and his augmentation surgery. Through a politician like Trumpet, Shigaraki had sway in politics. With Twice, Shigaraki could bolster the Paranormal Liberation Front’s numbers whenever he wanted. Shigaraki also had Gigantomachia to act as his bodyguard and enforcer. With such a large and powerful organization at his command, Shigaraki could have become a very influential figure in the criminal underworld. Unfortunately, due to undergoing Ujiko’s surgery and the superheroes’ intervention, Shigaraki was never given the chance to lead and take full advantage of what the Paranormal Liberation Front had to offer.
In terms of his quirks, personal strength, and overall character development, Shigaraki was at the height of his power when he regained control of himself and his body was complete. At this moment, Shigaraki briefly broke free of All For One’s vestige and was on his way to become his own villain. His hatred and willpower were strong enough to overpower not just All For One, but also the collective willpower of the previous users of One For All. His Decay quirk evolved to the point in which he could destroy a country as big as Japan in one week. He was starting to get the hang of the additional quirks he gained from All For One and proved to be a capable combatant with his limited experience with these quirks. After his body was completed, the physical augmentations Shigaraki received from Dr. Ujiko’s surgery advanced to the point in which he could keep up and match the god-like speed and strength of Deku. In addition, his defensive form would automatically manifest when his body sensed an incoming attack he could not afford to be hit by. Thanks to his arsenal of quirks and augmentations, Shigaraki could not be beaten by Deku in a direct contest of brute strength. In general, at this point in his life, Shigaraki became a god among mortals.
Unfortunately, despite all this power and augmentations, all the development Shigaraki made as a supervillain was swept away. When Shigaraki’s otherwise indomitable hatred and impregnable willpower weakened, he lost control to All For One’s vestige all over again. Shigaraki was at the zenith of his character development and was just starting to understand how to wield his true power. Then all of that was taken away when he finally achieved freedom.
Overall, I feel as though Shigaraki was underused as a character. Like I said, he had so much potential and promise as a villain and none of that was fully fulfilled. I frequently wonder how much more of a force of nature Shigaraki would have been if his full potential was fulfilled. Imagine if he still had command of the Paranormal Liberation Front in its entirety while his body was not only complete but under his complete control. If both events took place at the same time, Shigaraki would have been the kind of supervillain that no one would want to fight. Sadly, that scenario will never come to pass, which leaves us wondering on the god-like supervillain that never materialized.
Grady P Brown - Author 