Tomura Shigaraki was never meant to be My Hero Academia's final villain
My Hero Academia has several popular characters and Tomura Shigaraki ranks high on that list because of his personality, abilities, and development throughout the story. However, a lot of people were disappointed that he didn't become the final villain of the series, but some of his actions in the manga prove that he wasn't meant to be that.
The final villain in My Hero Academia, All For One, proved to be a sadistic, manipulative, and generally evil person who used everyone around him and showed loyalty to one. While Shigaraki is still a terrorist and fundamentally a broken and corrupt person, he still has a degree of humanity that his master didn't share, and was shown through his care for his allies and friends.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.
Explaining how Shigaraki's actions in My Hero Academia prove he wasn't going to be the final villain
There is no argument that Tomura Shigaraki proves throughout the story to be a corrupt and broken person, causing terrorism and destruction across Japan during his run as a villain.
However, even during this time, he is proven to care for his allies, evidenced earlier in the series when he scolded Kurogiri for describing the Vanguard Action Squad as "sacrificial pawns", which is a direct contrast to All For One's way of using and discarding everyone around him.
His constant clashes with Overhaul also highlight their differences in morality, with Shigaraki disgusted at how Kai Chisaki would be willing to use his men as shields to protect himself. Later on, when he rips off Overhaul's arms, he takes the time to highlight his hypocrisy of despising Quirks, while still using his to achieve his goals, which highlights how he calls out the double standards of villains.
When fighting the Meta Liberation Army during the events of the My Villain Academia arc, he praises Twice for unlocking his Sad Man's Parade ability but is also angry by how his friend and ally were pushed to his emotional limit. This degree of empathy is something that not a lot of villains in the series, which were the seeds for the conclusion he got in the story.
More examples of Shigaraki's treatment of his allies
Spinner's friendship with Shigaraki might be one of the most important in My Hero Academia, since it shows Tomura's humanity and his ability to still make connections with others. This is emphasized when he fights Deku to death and asks him to give Spinner his final words, which highlights how much his friend means to him.
There is also the fact that when he was fighting Deku in the final arc, Shigaraki takes the time to explain how even the villains need a hero to look up to. His efforts to become a symbol for villains and outcasts prove how, even in a twisted and corrupt way, he wants to help others who he deems were left behind by society.
Author Kohei Horikoshi didn't construct Shigaraki to be the ultimate evil that had to be vanquished but rather a symbol of a good person who was corrupted by circumstances. This is further highlighted by his contrast with Deku and the impact Tomura had on him.
Final thoughts
Tomura Shigaraki is one of the most popular My Hero Academia characters and is easy to see why when considering his development and philosophy. While he was ultimately an evil individual, he still had a degree of humanity, which was evidenced by how he treated his allies and friends.
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