The popular manga series My Hero Academia is moving towards its climax. The main hero character, Izuku Midoriya, is battling the main villain, Tomura Shigaraki. This has prompted fans to look back at older parts of the manga and discuss details.
Readers know that the supervillain All For One has killed many key characters since he was young. However, one new fan theory suggests that All For One was not behind the death of one major character who died previously.
So a theory of mine
AFO didn't kill Yoichi, Yoichi mistakenly activated and used OFA which resulted his limbs to pop off and his body to explode, just like how Allmight described back in S1 to to Deku about an untrained body using OFA .#MHA #OFA #AFO pic.twitter.com/Bcf3KObZfL— Aspirant (@2024_just19276) February 2, 2024
This theory has sparked debate and close re-reading of past manga chapters among fans as the series builds to its finale. The identity of this possibly exonerated character and the full story behind their fate remains a mystery.
The Fate of Yoichi and the Origins of One For All
Chapter 407 of My Hero Academia provides a backstory on the complex relationship between the villain All For One (AFO) and his younger brother Yoichi.
AFO’s birth drained his mother’s life force, foreshadowing his power’s capacity to only take from others. Yoichi was born frail since nutrients went to AFO’s development instead.
However, Yoichi had a subtle but pivotal meta ability – to both pass on and stockpile quirks. Though dismissed at first, this power evolved over generations into One For All.
In the latest chapter, we see events from AFO’s perspective as he pursues Yoichi, who tries to flee his brother’s lack of love and growing villainy. Their backstory highlights the seminal role of the two brothers’ abilities in the series’ broader conflict.
The latest chapter reveals that during AFO’s pursuit of Yoichi, his brother managed to encounter another individual and enable their escape. It’s implied Yoichi passed on his meta abilities before his own death soon after.
While the prevailing assumption among My Hero Academia fans is that AFO directly murdered his brother, an intriguing fan theory offers an alternative – that Yoichi’s demise was tied to the inaugural activation of One For All after transferring his quirks.
This is supported by the series’ lore that OFA requires intense physical conditioning for each new user’s body to withstand its power, lest they risk self-destruction.
For example, Izuku Midoriya underwent months of training to safely inherit OFA from All Might. So perhaps after enabling the first OFA recipient, the quirk’s energy backlash led to Yoichi’s end.
While imaginative, the idea that Yoichi exploded after transferring One For All contains flaws. Izuku Midoriya required intense physical training mainly due to One For All’s cumulative Stockpiling aspect, amassing the strength of every past holder.
However, given Yoichi was the quirk’s original recipient directly from All For One, Stockpiling would have just begun with him.
With no accrued power yet, it’s highly unlikely Yoichi’s limbs would have detonated from activating his newly received ability.
The Stockpiling quirk itself would still have been weak at inception. So this fan theory can reasonably be debunked on logical grounds stemming from the series’ power system mechanics.
The simplest explanation remains that AFO himself more likely caused his brother’s death either directly or as a consequence of the ability bestowed.
More About My Hero Academia
Young Izuku Midoriya dreams of being a superpowered Hero despite bullying over his lack of abilities. After a fateful meeting with his idol All Might, the world’s greatest Hero, Izuku inherits All Might’s power “One For All.”
This quirk stockpiles might across generations and enables All Might to defeat the sinister mastermind All For One, who can steal others’ powers.
Izuku enrolls in U.A. High’s hero program alongside former bully Katsuki Bakugo. They work to sharpen their emerging abilities as villainous threats arise, like the League of Villains led by All For One’s disciple Tomura Shigaraki.
His plot to kill All Might thrust the students into life-threatening battles where they display increasing heroism.
After an athletics festival, Izuku and friends Shoto Todoroki and Tenya Ida defeat the hero-killing villain Stain but inspire criminal followers to join the League. Izuku later rescues Bakugo when the League kidnaps him and discovers All For One is the mastermind.
All Might defeats his arch-nemesis in a final clash before retiring. Izuku’s journey to succeed the Symbol of Peace continues against Shigaraki and a weakened League after All For One’s imprisonment.
