The Bittersweet Experiment called Number 6

Key Takeaways

• Number 6 served as an experiment for All For One to test his mentoring methods.
• All For One saw potential in Number 6, using him to prepare for nurturing Shigaraki.
• All For One molded Number 6 to gather knowledge for nurturing Shigaraki into his ideal vessel.

All For One is known for being a master manipulator and strategist. To prepare his ideal vessel for when he got his hands on his younger brothers Quirk, One For All, All For One needed to exercise various methods to give him his ideal results in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Number 6 was a lost cause due to his rare disorder, which left him without a sense of self and lack of relatability. However, All For One saw this as a marvelous opportunity to test his mentoring ability. All For One already knew what makes a villain in the Hero Society, so he used Number 6 to test his theories to best prepare himself for nurturing Shigaraki.

What was Number 6’s purpose?

Number 6 Was All For One’s Experiment in Which He Could Test His Methods of Mentoring

Number 6, also known as Rokuro Nomura, was the main antagonist of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, and unfortunately, his past was somewhat tragic due to his mental disorder. When Number 6 was a young child, he developed a rare disorder called Agnosia, and as a result, he had no awareness of his own self. It was unclear what caused this disorder, as Dr Garaki Kyudai listed several causes for the rare disorder.

As a result of this disorder, Number 6 had no purpose in the organization, as he was unable to relate to society. A sense of self is born when individuals form interpersonal relationships with others in their community, and through this, they learn to be social and develop social skills. A sense of self is thus based on your traits and beliefs as you navigate life and those around you; however, as Number 6 was unable to relate to others, he was deemed defective by Dr Garaki in Chapter 111.

However, although Dr Garaki could not see any potential in Number 6 becoming All For One’s pupil, All For One saw this as a marvelous opportunity to mold Number 6 and use his experiences as research. The Vigilantes series takes place several years prior to the start of My Hero Academia; at this point, likely, Shigaraki Tomura was already in the possession of All For One, and he thus adopted Shigaraki with all intents and purposes of nurturing his villainous side.

All For One recognized the potential that Number 6 held, as he was a clean slate, ready to be molded to anything All For One wished. Although All For One already had his master plan of turning Shigaraki into his ideal vessel for when he becomes the demon lord, it is likely that Number 6 also served as a means to prepare All For One for Shigaraki’s nurturing.

This little one is an unbridled lump of potential. Possibly even the twisted entity we seek… Given a strong enough impetus. Yes, he’s ready to be kneaded like a wad of clay… into whatever form I desire.

How Number 6 served as an experiment for nurturing Shigaraki

Through Number 6, All For One Learned How to Nurture and Groom Shigaraki’s Twisted Personality

As All For One realized the potential of Number 6, he took on a mentor-like relationship with him. It’s highly likely All For One was using this process to determine the outcome of Number 6’s choices, as he had given him a Quirk that he desired. Throughout the series, Number 6 juggled between being a Pro Hero and working as a villain for the Villain Factory.

These are two conflicting roles, and while Number 6 had the conviction to become like the ex-Pro Hero O’Clock, these two personality types were at war with one another. Throughout the series, All For One often appeared to Number 6 as the Pro Hero, O’Clock, and began mentoring and advising him. During the series’ final arc, All For One would appear more often to direct Number 6 during his battle with Koichi.

However, this was different from the route he had taken with Shigaraki Tomura. During his time with Shigaraki, All For One had taken a step back in his mentoring approach, unlike what he had done with Number 6. All For One may have noticed his interference did not give him the desired result when it came to Number 6’s action leading up to his self-inflicted death.

As we’ve seen in My Hero Academia, All For One had distanced himself from Shigaraki’s choices, leaving Shigaraki to figure out his own strategies while giving him the resources to do so. While Number 6 was not going to be All For One’s ideal pupil, Number 6 had served as an experiment that would give All For One the knowledge required to nurture Shigaraki into his ideal vessel.

In Chapter 92 of the Vigilantes manga, All For One explains what a villain is to the newly formed Kurogiri. At this point, it’s certain that All For One was aware of how a Quirk can change one’s personality and will. When extreme and violent behavior stimulates a Quirk into running amok, or if an unruly Quirk twists an individual’s will, it will create an imbalance and, thus, an unstable character that deviates from society.

To be a teacher means to… make your pupil be able to stand on his own.

This explanation is precisely what has occurred to Shigaraki and how he had been deemed a villain. While Shigaraki’s Quirk and lack of assistance from heroes gave him a twisted personality, All For One’s nurturing behind the scenes allowed him to create the ideal vessel. Due to Number 6’s Agonsia, All For One noticed he was not able to find conviction without any sort of assistance; with this, All For One approached the situation from Shigaraki in a different light. While he would control his environment and give encouragement occasionally, All For One would not be a teacher that Shigaraki would physically rely on.

My Hero Academia is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.