Overhaul could never cut out as the main antagonist in My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia brought to fans quite a few antagonists, each with unique Quirks and ideals. At the top of the Villain chain stood Tomura Shigaraki/All For One, who remained the series' overarching antagonistic duo till the Final Battle at the end. Alongside, there were a number of others like Twice, Toga Himiko, Dabi, Stain, and others who left great impressions on audiences.

However, one of My Hero Academia's antagonists didn't seem to be cut for the role of Villain - Kai Chisaki aka Overhaul. Serving as the main enemy during the Shie Hassaikai Arc, Chisaki was a Villain and a former leader of the Yakuza. He was obsessed with "cleansing" society of Quirks and attempted to use Eri's powers to achieve his goals. But through it all, Chisaki never entirely fit the Villain bill.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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My Hero Academia: Overhaul wasn't shaped to be the main Villain

Kai Chisaki in My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

Kai Chisaki's goal to "cleanse" society of the "Quirk disease" was established early on in his childhood. Living in an orphanage owned by Kyudai Garaki, he was one of the children raised with the intention of becoming a vessel for All For One (AFO). Here, he came across a book with an old theory - mice carried a virus that kickstarted the Quirk phenomenon.

Lacking any kind of concrete evidence, it was enough to influence young Kai and cement his belief that all Quirk-holders were diseased people. As seen in the story, this stuck with him through to his adulthood as well. This eventually fed into his goal of erasing Quirks and restoring the Yakuza to power. But as noted by Tomura, he was heavily dependent on Quirks to achieve.

This begins the discussion on why Overhaul couldn't really be the main antagonist. Though he wanted to get rid of Quirks, he was using those very powers to do so. In essence, he needed Eri's Quirk to manufacture the bullets or "cure" that he thought would allow him to achieve his goal. In fact, his own Quirk, Overhaul, was a key tool in his hands when faced with difficult situations.

Eri in My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

All this stemmed from wanting to restore the Yakuza to power. After learning about Eri's power, Kai brought forth his plan. He wanted to manufacture and distribute Quirk-erasing bullets to Villains. To counter, the Yakuza would later give the Heroes a Quirk-restoring serum. But none of these items would be cheap. Thus, they would sell each at high prices to potentially rake in massive profits

This was the scope of his ambition, which varied vastly from characters like Shigaraki or AFO. Their visions were grander and sought to disrupt the entire societal structure. But Chisaki’s plans found their roots in selfishness and nostalgia. Rather than create a new world or dominate the existing one, he wanted to revive a dying organization.

Chisaki's aims didn't have the broader ideological weight that a main villain's normally has. Thus, his drive felt insufficient and outdated in comparison to My Hero Academia's other antagonists. Moreover, Overhaul's charisma to unite and rouse people for his cause was absent. Key antagonists are often known to rally people and inspire fear and/or admiration. This was something Chisaki couldn't do.

The way he treated the Yakuza members, his cold attitude, and his inability to incite loyalty isolated him. Ruling through fear and manipulation, Overhaul's empire turned out to be fragile and ultimately easy to topple.

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Final thoughts

Kai Chisaki in My Hero Academia (Image via Studio Bones)

In conclusion, Kai Chisaki, aka Overhaul, was a memorable villain in My Hero Academia. However, he ultimately didn't possess the depth, ambition, and influence required to serve as the series' main antagonist. His objective to revive the Yakuza, coupled with his hypocritical reliance on Quirks to eliminate Quirks, led to his ideology feeling fragile and antithetical.

Shigaraki and AFO embodied broader, more devastating threats to Hero society. Meanwhile, Overhaul’s aims stemmed from outdated traditions and personal greed. Further, his unsustainable method of leadership made his criminal empire inherently unstable. Rather than leading a movement or instilling widespread fear, his ways isolated him, thanks to his cruelty and manipulation.

Thus, while Overhaul's character was important in shaping key characters, he was never positioned, or even fully capable, of donning the Main Villain mask.

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