My Hero Academia's League of Villains was handled perfectly, and Spinner shows why

Modified Dec 15, 2024 22:30 GMT

My Hero Academia's main antagonistic force, namely the League of Villains, held a rather intriguing position within the story. Although their initial actions toward the main protagonists were outright villainous, their message was deeply rooted in morality, aiming to address the ignorance of hero society.

While Shigaraki and the entire League of Villains were manipulated by All For One in his quest for world domination, the individual members of the League still had a clear mission.

However, this mission was somewhat different for each member. Shigaraki's death, along with the vastly different endings of the League members, further exemplifies the shared yet disjointed philosophy of the League. These aspects are coherent with their characters when analyzed.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia series and reflects the author's opinions.

My Hero Academia: Shigaraki and Spinner's bond makes their ending perfect

Shigaraki as shown in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

Shigaraki Tomura and his entire vision were to spread chaos and make the world acknowledge their existence. In essence, Shigaraki wanted to become a symbol of hope for the villains and the outcasts of society. This mission eventually manifested itself in their goal of spreading chaos, which claimed the lives of many.

Although the entire League was made up of villains and outcasts who shared the same eventual goal, their personal agendas heavily influenced their actions. Shigaraki and Spinner both shared a deep disdain toward society, which is somewhat present in every member of the League. However, members like Toga, Dabi, Twice, and Compress had their own set of problems.

Spinner as shown in the anime (Image via Bones)

Toga was a victim of stigma around quirks, which eventually resulted in an outburst. This ultimately ended with Toga's death after her fight with Ochaco, which initiated an active effort toward reducing the stigma against peculiar quirks.

Dabi’s outburst, caused by Endeavor’s atrocities, resulted in his family essentially reconciling with each other, including Dabi. Twice’s internal conflicts and the contrast between his actual personality eventually created internal conflict within Hawks. This led to an overhaul of the Public Safety Commission.

Only Shigaraki and Spinner held onto the original goal of spreading chaos and destruction. They stayed loyal to each other and the shared vision of the League of Villains. Shigaraki's final words were:

"That even to the bitter end, Tomura Shigaraki kept fighting to destroy."

This perfectly encapsulates their deep bond and friendship, which started due to their shared contempt for society and its negligence and hostility toward them. While Toga, Compress, Dabi, and Twice held a special place in Shigaraki’s heart, his bond with Spinner was the most important one.

The League of Villains as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Bones)

This is exemplified in both chapter 411 and chapter 418 of the manga. Shigaraki's final words, which were only intended to be known by Spinner, add another layer to their endings. Most League members met their ends pursuing their own agendas, while only Spinner stayed true to the League's goal and Shigaraki’s vision.

Although many fans argue that Shigaraki leaving his final words only for Spinner does not make narrative sense, it is important to note that Shigaraki held Compress, Toga, Dabi, and Twice dear to him as well. However, their final disjointed endings stay true to their characterization, which was separate from the League of Villains. Thus, their endings were also disjointed from Shigaraki's, with the exception of Spinner's ending.

Final thoughts

The My Hero Academia manga ended with a total of 431 chapters. Of these, 430 are available on Shueisha's MANGA Plus platform, while chapter 431 stands as a volume 42 exclusive. The anime recently completed its seventh season, with the final season, season 8, confirmed for release sometime in 2025.