My Hero Academia's All For One will always be inferior to Bleach's Aizen in an obvious way
'It went all according to plan,' is something fans have heard numerous times from Aizen (Bleach) but might have never heard from All for One (My Hero Academia). However, does a plan need to be successful to create a perfect antagonist? The answer is obvious and fans know it because the most successful antagonists in anime are the ones that act according to a plan by first making one.
As compared to Aizen, whose every move was calculated and executed with finesse, All for One believed more in acting first and learning later. All for One's plans couldn't be considered perfect given how he often faced defeat in front of the heroes. This wouldn't make him one of the greatest antagonists like Aizen but it could put him alongside antagonists like Blackbeard from One Piece.
Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the My Hero Academia manga series and has the author's opinion.
Exploring why All for One from My Hero Academia might never match up to Aizen Sousuke from Bleach
Aizen Sousuke is one of the central antagonists from Bleach and an ally of the Soul Society from the Thousand Year Blood War arc. Introduced as lieutenant of the 5th Division from the Soul Society, Aizen was a transparent shinigami who was apparently kind and caring about his subordinates.
Unfortunately, he revealed his true colors after faking his death and declaring war against the Soul Society. Another key aspect of his personality was how he planned every move before entering the battlefield, just like he did with Ichigo's birth.
After Ichigo defeated him, Aizen was sealed inside Muken, the lowest level (8th) of the Central Great Underground Prison. However, after Yhwach and his subordinates outnumbered the Soul Society, Shinsui released him and Aizen joined the Soul Society as a temporary ally.
All for One is the central antagonist of My Hero Academia and is also referred to as the demon lord. Born to the same mother as One for All, the antagonist had a rebellious personality from the start which soon developed into consuming every quirk.
This soon had him trying to consume his brother's quirk, One for All, until the quirk kept getting passed on to Izuku Midoriya. Even though he vanished in the fight against Bakugo, he reappeared as a vestige inside Shigaraki and tried to take over the world. However, he was soon defeated by Deku and his friends.
Both the My Hero Academia and Bleach antagonists have their own merits and embody evil until their last breaths. However, the latter takes the cake of the better one given how he always acted on a plan and philosophy. This was obvious from the fight between the My Hero Academia antagonist and All Migth which took place in the Kamino Ward.
The antagonist re-emerged after a very long time so it was hinted that he might win against the Symbol of Peace. However, despite knowing everything about One for All, All for One didn't take into account every aspect and faced defeat. This was continued in the future too where he lost against Bakugo and didn't take into account the effects of Eri's quirk drug.
On the other hand, Aizen was a powerhouse who couldn't be defeated until the old allies of the Soul Society, and Ichigo intervened. Even with his defeat, he is still regarded as a mastermind antagonist, unlike All for One who always had a second plan of leaving everything to Shigaraki.
Final thoughts
While Aizen's defeat is a mark of disappointment for the antagonist, it doesn't change the fact that he attained what he wanted, the Hougyoku. However, compared to him, All for One died without becoming the demon lord as he was defeated by the heroes.
So, All for One could be considered similar to antagonists like Blackbeard from One Piece (who acts on a plan but fails most of the time), but he is nowhere near the mastermind Aizen Sousuke.
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