All For One's death in My Hero Academia is one of the ending's best choices

My Hero Academia's plot, for the most part, was dominated by the All For One, the series' evil overlord, and the ending of the series had him dying in a way that was both fitting and logical when all things considered. That is not just connected to the character's conclusion but all the different decisions he made along the way, which fit with his established personality and ethos.

All For One in My Hero Academia represents pure evil and villainy, often undone by his arrogance and ego. While some see his failures as plot convenience, his tendency to lose control out of personal vendettas ultimately cost him the war.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

---

Explaining why All For One's death works so well in the My Hero Academia ending

All For One's iconic look as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

It is worth pointing out that while All For One managed to be calculating and manipulative throughout the series, his own arrogance and hubris often cost him.

A good example of this was him attempting to get Star and Stripe's Quirk instead of using his edge over the Japanese heroes at the time to finish them over, which was a major missed opportunity to defeat them once and for all and have the world at his feet, with the American Number One Pro Hero just being a small obstacle.

There were multiple fights where he could have taken out various heroes, including Endeavor, Katsuki Bakugo, and even All Might but he chose to play around with them instead of finishing them. A good example of this is how he intentionally fell for All Might's trap in their last battle simply because he wanted to humiliate his nemesis, which shows a bit of his mindset.

As he fought and died against Izuku "Deku" Midoriya and the remaining heroes, he was fighting against people he could have killed in other moments of the series, which is a fitting and satisfying conclusion for him. He was also metaphorically stabbed in the back by his apprentice, Tomura Shigaraki, who he had betrayed, in the vestige world, which could be interpreted as retribution for all the people he left behind out of mere convenience.

---

The legacy of All For One's character

All For One as seen in the anime (Image via Bones).

There is no denying that All For One is one of the most iconic My Hero Academia characters and is the main driving force of the conflicts in the series. He was responsible for most of the chaos in the series, including building Tomura Shigaraki and Dabi as villains, destroying All Might, and overall manipulating others to get what he wants.

The character, though, had his own issues, such as a lot of people thinking he overstayed his welcome after the Kamino battle with All Might and him trying to manipulate Shigaraki to get his body. Some fans felt this undermined Tomura's agency as a villain and the latter's true origin was worsened by All For One's contributions, which is something that is bound to be divisive for the coming years.

---

Final thoughts

All For One got a fitting conclusion by dying as a result of his own hubris in My Hero Academia and conceding to his ego. It is a character trait of his that was quite consistent and one that says a lot about him as a person.

---

Related articles

• Shigaraki not being Quirkless was the My Hero Academia ending's greatest mistake
• Shigaraki was a hero all along in My Hero Academia, and the ending proves it
• My Hero Academia's narrative concept is ruined by its plot
• The My Hero Academia world's biggest issue is All Might's fault