My Hero Academia's Symbol of Peace concept does more harm than good

In a world dominated by superhumans with powers known as 'Quirks' in My Hero Academia, Toshinori Yagi, famously known as All Might, served as the sole Symbol of Peace meant to protect innocents from the threat posed by villains.

For several decades, All Might protected the peace of the world with his overwhelming power. After receiving the One For All Quirk, he trained rigorously under his mentor Nana Shimura, to become strong enough to protect the world himself. Soon enough, he became ridiculously overpowered and was widely recognized as the strongest Hero in the entire world.

However, the gap between him and the rest of the Heroes was so immense that the world descended into chaos as soon as he retired from being a Hero. As such, having a Symbol of Peace might have done more harm than good. It created an unrealistic standard for heroes, leading to increased dependence on them and ultimately contributing to a rise in villainy worldwide.

Disclaimer: This article is solely based on the writer's opinion.

My Hero Academia: How having a 'Symbol of Peace' became a flawed ideal that did more harm than good

All Might in his prime as seen in My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

Born as a Quirkless boy in a world predominated by people with Quirks, Toshinori Yagi strived to become a 'Symbol of Peace' meant to protect people from villains. After receiving the One For All Quirk from Nana Shimura, Toshinori underwent rigorous training under her and Gran Torino in order to become powerful enough to protect the world all by himself.

He was eventually able to do so, as he soon became the No.1 Hero as All Might and was even awarded the title of strongest Hero. His overwhelming strength and unwavering dedication to protecting society created an aura of security and hope for the public, ultimately shaping him into a pillar of peace.

This idea of having a singular Symbol of Peace in the world did more harm than good because it created a society dependent upon one person powerful enough to solve all of their problems.

In fact, this applies to civilians and the Pro Heroes themselves. This was made prominent in the first episode of the My Hero Academia anime. All the Pro Heroes were on standby and waiting for someone with a better Quirk to step in and help save Katsuki Bakugo, who at the time was held hostage by a Villain.

Toshinori Yagi as seen in My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

It is an indisputable fact that as the 'Symbol of Peace,' All Might set an unrealistic standard for Heroes in general. As the series went on, the gap between All Might and the other Heroes became more prominent, especially in his second battle against All For One and after his retirement. He was the only one to have beaten All For One fair and square twice. Even the No.2 Hero, Endeavor, was shown to be no match for the Demon Lord.

This is why the Hero society soon descended into chaos after All Might retired. His absence was felt especially during the Paranormal Liberation War, the aftermath of which left the Hero society in shambles. People not only lost their faith in Heroes, but the latter themselves ended up losing their faith and resolve to continue forward.

Another point that highlights the negative impact of All Might's role as the Symbol of Peace is that it served as a catalyst for villainy. To be more precise, the idea of a Symbol of Peace inadvertently paved the way for several villainous motivations. Characters like Tomura Shigaraki and Stain emerged as direct responses to society's overdependence on All Might.

All Might in his armored suit in My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

While Shigaraki viewed All Might as an obstacle and the embodiment of a flawed system within society, Stain, on the other hand, believed that the majority of the heroes were corrupt and self-serving. He took issue with the Hero society built around commercialism and fame rather than genuine selflessness, which, in his eyes, was only displayed by All Might.

Therefore, presenting All Might as the ultimate solution to society's problems as the sole Symbol of Peace created an unrealistic standard for other Heroes in general and led to an overdependence on them. It also essentially became a mask that concealed the systemic injustices present within the society, which often drove regular and innocent civilians toward villainy.

Rather than addressing and resolving these issues and injustices, the Hero society built around All Might suppressed them, which eventually led to the creation of Villains. This act of rebellion against society did not arise out of personal vendettas alone but because the 'Symbol of Peace' did not offer any real solution to everyone's problems and grievances.

In the end, however, All Might cannot be blamed for the harm that his ideals inadvertently caused to society since his role as the Symbol of Peace was well-intentioned. Instead, it disclosed how flawed the idea of placing faith in one person to represent and uphold peace was in the first place.

Final Thoughts

All Might in My Hero Academia season 8 (Image via Studio Bones)

Toshinori Yagi's influence on the world as All Might had its upsides and downsides. Back when he first took on the mantle of All Might, the world was in a state of chaos that desperately needed a pillar of peace and hope for downtrodden innocents.

After All Might became the Symbol of Peace that the world needed, things changed for the better. However, at this point, things had finally become stable in the world, the Hero society and the public at large became complacent and overdependent on All Might's existence.

Therefore, while Toshinori Yagi may have been what the world needed back when he first became All Might, his habit of shouldering everyone's burdens and portraying himself as an indestructible and infallible Hero inadvertently caused the Hero society's downfall.