Gran Torino's words to Shigaraki are My Hero Academia's most misunderstood

Modified Feb 20, 2025 15:48 GMT

As fans may remember, during the Paranormal Liberation War Arc in My Hero Academia, Shigaraki Tomura tailed Izuku Midoriya, hoping to steal his One For All quirk. While several heroes followed him, only a few knew about Deku's secret back then, one of which was Gran Torino.

Gran Torino tried his best to keep Shigaraki away from Deku. During this, he said some pretty hurtful words to Shigaraki, telling him that his very existence hurt Toshinori (All Might). However, as per one fan, there is a chance that the audience may have misunderstood what the hero meant by his words.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinion.

My Hero Academia fans may have misinterpreted Gran Torino's words to Tomura Shigaraki

Shigaraki Tomura and Gran Torino as seen in My Hero Academia manga (Image via Shueisha)

As per My Hero Academia fan on Reddit u/Witty-Honey-4693, fans may have misinterpreted Gran Torino's words to Shigaraki Tomura during the Paranormal Liberation War Arc. While Tomura Shigaraki was on a rampage, Gran Torino arrived to stop him. He asked the villain to quit trampling all over Nana Shimura's memories. However, the villain seemingly had no recollection of his grandmother.

Your very existence...hurt Toshinori so much..."

That's when Gran Torino said some pretty harsh words to Shigaraki Tomura. Fans interpreted Torino's words as him telling Shigaraki that he should have never been born. While it is possible that he must have said these words to himself and not Shigaraki, it did not necessarily mean that the hero believed that Shigaraki's existence was a bane.

Gran Torino as seen in the Boku no Hero Academia manga (Image via Shueisha)

Gran Torino was one of the few people who truly knew what happened with Tomura Shigaraki. He knew he wasn't born bad, but that did not mean that All For One's influence absolved all of Shigaraki's crimes. When Gran Torino condemned him for existing, there is a likely chance that he wasn't cursing him for being born but rather telling him that he should have died alongside the rest of his family rather than being groomed to be a villain by All For One.

The hero was never mad at Shigaraki for being groomed by All For One, but for taking out his anger on innocent people who had nothing to do with his terrible fate. All For One was indeed the one who gave Shigaraki the idea and tools to become a villain, however, Shigaraki could have still prevented his transition into a villain.

Tenko Shimura as seen in the Boku no Hero Academia manga (Image via Shueisha)

Therefore, when Gran Torino condemned Shigaraki Tomura for his existence, he wasn't blaming him for being born, but for the person he had become following his family's tragedy. With that, the hero wanted nothing to do with the person Tenko Shimura had become. However, learning the truth also left Toshinori Yagi with a wavering mind. He admired his master Nana Shimura, hence it hurt him that her grandson Tenko Shimura became All For One's successor.