Star and Stripe: Horikoshi's biggest mistake in My Hero Academia wasn't Star and Stripe's fate but what happened to Shigaraki afterwards

Horikoshi's biggest mistake in My Hero Academia wasn't Star and Stripe's fate but what happened to Shigaraki afterwards

Modified Jan 21, 2025 12:30 GMT

Shigaraki vs Star and Stripe (Image via Studio Bones)

My Hero Academia has been known for its in-depth storytelling and character development. However, some narrative choices have sparked debate among fans. One such contentious point is Star and Stripe's battle against Tomura Shigaraki, an important moment in the story. While her unfortunate demise didn't please many, a closer look reveals the real misstep hidden in plain sight.

In essence, Shigaraki's later handling is being referred to here. Star and Stripe's ultimate sacrifice seemed to not have as much of an impact as previously hoped for. The Quirks she destroyed weren't really ones Shigaraki later used, thus proving inconsequential. The one that did make a difference was resolved off-screen, which will be mentioned later in this feature.

Moreover, the author manipulating the series' timeline also seemed to not sit well in the long run.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion.

My Hero Academia: Not Star and Stripe, but Shigaraki's fate was Horikoshi's major miss

Star and Stripe (Image via Studio Bones)

As mentioned, Horikoshi's handling of Shigaraki after the Star and Stripe Arc in My Hero Academia was likely a misstep. It reduced the impact that was supposed to be felt following Cathleen Bate's ultimate sacrifice. Many feel that Star and Stripe, although a noteworthy addition to My Hero Academia, was mainly to exclude foreign intervention. USA's Number 1 being dismissed meant serious business.

Her untimely demise was pointed out as an issue by a major part of the fandom. This turned out to be its own separate discussion later. Anyhow, this feature looks at how this also impacted Shigaraki's handling after the incident. Being given a two-month preparation time for his body to be complete made Star and Stripe's action void in a way.

She did destroy a couple of Quirks that Shigaraki originally had. However, these Quirks proved unimportant as he did not need them later in the story. Many might argue that he didn't use them because he didn't have them. But even so, the fact remains that he only ever used the Quirks powerful enough to help him fight off Deku and the others.

Tomura Shigaraki (Image via Studio Bones)

The Quirk that was important and did suffer damage, i.e., a regeneration-type Quirk, was fixed off-screen by All For One. In essence, Shigaraki wasn't really damaged by Star and Stripe. Initially, a two-month gap (in the manga) was planned before the Final War Arc. However, Horikoshi reversed this decision and effectively reduced it to three to four days between Aoyama's reveal and the final battle.

This rushed the timeline and the events that ensued. Had it been kept, it would have been used to explain Deku's proficiency with One For All and further power up the supporting cast. Undoubtedly, one of My Hero Academia's strong points is its colorful cast, and this could have been a great opportunity to flesh them even more to enhance the overall narrative.

To top it off, Shigaraki using different and odd Quirks later on once more become a point of heated discussion in the fandom. They felt that Star and Stripe had a minimal impact, and returning to fight the final bout, Shigaraki was stronger than ever. So even though he didn't technically have a body that was 100%, he was powerful enough to fight off nearly all the Heroes.

Final thoughts

In retrospect, while Star and Stripe’s sacrifice had the potential to be a pivotal turning point in My Hero Academia, its impact was largely undermined by how Shigaraki’s character and abilities were handled afterward. The author’s decision to push the timeline and remedy key concerns off-screen diminished the Star and Stripe Arc's narrative weight. It made her actions feel trivial in the grand scheme.

By negating damage to Shigaraki’s most important Quirks and compressing the preparation time for the Final War Arc, the story seemingly gave up an opportunity to explore meaningful growth for both the main and supporting cast. Despite suffering setbacks, Shigaraki returning stronger than ever might have diluted the stales that would have been higher otherwise.