Why Eri will show up to help Deku in My Hero Academia's final stages, explained

My Hero Academia chapter 419 ended with Izuku losing both of his arms. Chapters 418 and 419 unveiled All For One's manipulation of Shigaraki since infancy, stripping him of his original quirk and bestowing the decay quirk. This revelation suggests that Shigaraki once possessed a different quirk and lacked AFO's psyche or quirk factor.

Deku losing both of his arms and All for One completely taking over Shigaraki's body has made it clear that only Eri's quirk will be the most useful asset for the heroes.

With Eri absent, speculation about her potential role in the conclusion of My Hero Academia has given rise to many theories, especially due to fans regarding Eri's quirk as a deus ex machina.

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

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My Hero Academia: Eri will be Shigaraki's savior

Eri and her quirk, capable of reversing a body's time to its previous stage, have been significant plot points in the My Hero Academia series since her debut. Despite its usefulness, Eri's quirk is a one-time use ability with a long cooldown period, requiring her to accumulate enough power to use it again.

Previously, Eri used her quirk to restore Mirio Togata's quirk by reverting his body to the point before he lost it due to one of Overhaul's quirk-erasing bullets. Many fans also expected Eri's quirk to be the savior of Eraserhead after he lost one of his eyes and one of his legs.

After Izuku rescued Eri from Overhaul, it was revealed that she had been using her quirk in small instances to regenerate the limbs of bugs and lizards. This information can be seen as foreshadowing her later role in the story.

Tenko Shimura as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Bones)

In My Hero Academia chapter 419, it was revealed that Shigaraki had been manipulated by All For One (AFO) since his birth. Soon after his birth, AFO took away his quirk and replaced it with a rudimentary quirk, decay, purified to only have the destruction aspect.

It was explicitly stated that the decay quirk was originally a complete quirk with a regenerative factor, but AFO removed it, explaining Shigaraki's imperfect appearance. Shigaraki previously had a quirk that was stolen and replaced by AFO. Additionally, his main quirk, decay, was a more complete version that might have had the potential to undo its effects.

The current arc has focused on the evolution of quirks, with Shigaraki's decay evolving into a stronger version, allowing him to decay objects without direct contact. Eri's quirk has served as a deus ex machina since its reveal, with little detail about its workings and limitations.

Eri as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Bones)

It is possible that Eri's quirk will evolve in response to her emotions and helplessness, particularly as her friends and parental figures suffer during this arc. Chapter 419 revealed that Deku had lost both of his arms, leaving Eri's quirk as the only known ability capable of regenerating limbs.

It is highly likely that Eri may become the heroes' last resort, evolving her quirk to regenerate Deku's body and limbs to continue the battle against Shigaraki. Alternatively, she could reverse Shigaraki's body to infancy, undoing AFO's influence.

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Final thoughts

In chapter 419, after Deku's classmates rescue him, Eraserhead's injuries remain unhealed, suggesting Eri may come to heal Deku in chapter 420. Throughout Deku's fight against Shigaraki, he has expressed a desire to save him, recognizing him as another victim of AFO's schemes. Eri could potentially reverse Shigaraki's time to infancy, allowing the heroes to rescue him like they did with Eri herself.