The Most Important Characters In The Final War

Summary

• All Might’s final stand showcases the importance of heroism beyond having a quirk.
• Aizawa’s crucial role in nerfing Shigaraki demonstrates heroism under mental strain.
• Midoriya’s test to save instead of kill Shigaraki epitomizes heroism and sacrifice.

Saying My Hero Academia‘s story ends with a bang would be putting it mildly. After All For One, Shigaraki, and the rest of the League of Villains become way too powerful for their own good, it quickly becomes clear to the heroes that a full-scale war is on the horizon. The conflict in question makes up the final arc of the series, and while every hero and villain does their part in contributing to the war effort, there are definitely a few key characters who are most responsible for turning the tides on more than a few occasions.

Many of the key players in the final war also receive plenty of character development, and even gain, or even lose, some of their powers in the process. With so much going on in My Hero Academia‘s final story saga, it can be tricky to keep track of everyone at once, but these characters below are some of the most important in this arc to keep an eye out for due to their efforts and relevance to this final portion of the story.

This list contains spoilers until the end of season 7 in the anime!

8

Gentle Criminal

Gentle Returns To Save Midoriya And The Students When They Needed Him Most

• First Appearance: Episode 81

Upon being defeated by Midoriya moments before the U.A. Summer Festival, Gentle isn’t seen for several story arcs, though the fans certainly didn’t forget about him. This is why it’s such an incredible moment when Gentle makes his grand return to save several of Midoriya’s classmates from crashing to their death while fighting Shigaraki in the floating Coffin in the Sky structure during the final war by using his Elasticity Quirk.

Though Gentle had been led down the path of villainy after trying to save someone with his Quirk as a younger man, this time around, he was able to prove himself as a real hero by putting it to good use. It’s fair to say that if Gentle hadn’t turned up in the nick of time, half of Class 1-A would have been killed in action right there and then, which would have had a disastrous effect on the morale of all the heroes, Midoriya included.

7

Aizawa

Aizawa’s Quirk Is The Only One Capable Of Nerfing Shigaraki’s Power

• First Appearance: Episode 5

Aizawa’s Quirk, Erasure, allows him to prevent a person from using their own Quirk so long as he maintains eye contact with them. This becomes incredibly useful in the final war since it allows the heroes to execute their divide and conquer battle strategy without Shigaraki blowing the country to smithereens in an instant. However, keeping his eyes locked on Shigaraki for so long is far from easy, and considering Aizwa’s mental state during the war is far from stable after learning everything that had happened to his friend Oboro, it’s truly heroic how he manages to hold it all together.

When Midoriya is suddenly zapped away from Shigaraki, it’s Aizawa who manages to keep the villain in a weakened state, at least for as long as he can, before Deku’s grand return. For that alone, he deserves a lot of credit and should definitely be considered a crucially important member of the hero’s forces during the epic conflict.

6

All Might

All Might Makes A Final Stand And Proves That Being Quirkless Doesn’t Mean A Thing

• First Appearance: Episode 1

Though All Might was more than willing to pass down his One For All Quirk to Midoriya at the beginning of the series, the truth is, he struggles to find his place in society after the embers finally burn out, and he returns to his normal form. Once Midoriya learns about the Vestiges and the purpose of his newfound Quirk, All Might starts to feel left behind, but at the same time, he realizes he can’t sit back idly while his archnemesis is running rampant across the city.

As a result, All Might decides to make an epic final stand by using his Support Gear to become Armored All Might – a bulky and immensely powerful form that enhances the hero’s speed tenfold. Seeing All Might proudly proclaim, “I am here,” after being on such a downer for so long is a truly special and memorable moment, and for him to be able to hold his own against All For One, he proves to be an incredibly important character in the final arc of the story.

5

Dabi

Sabi’s Madness And Explosive Power Are Put On Full Display

• First Appearance: Episode 31

Dabi may seem like the quiet and reserved member of the League of Villains at first, but after he decides to reveal the truth behind his father’s abusive actions to the world, he starts to feel far less ashamed about showing his true self. Once war is declared, Dabi quickly becomes one of the most dangerous participants in the entire conflict, whose enhanced fire Quirk is more than capable of turning an entire area into ash at the expense of his own body.

With his entire family arriving to confront him, Dabi finally gets what he’s always wanted: to be watched by his loved ones, primarily his dad, Endeavor. Dabi is a key villain in the conflict who becomes the top priority for the heroes to deal with in the early stages, but he’s also a character who receives a lot of screentime and development in this particular part of the story.

4

Katsuki Bakugo

Bakugo Steps Up To Keep Shigaraki At Bay For A While Longer

• First Appearance: Episode 2

While Midoriya gets plenty of time in the spotlight in the final arc of the story, Bakugo also steps up to the plate and pushes his deadly Quirk ability as far as it can possibly go. While it doesn’t take long before Shigaraki begins to overwhelm the heroes aboard the U.A Coffin with his disturbing endless finger form, Bakugo decides to use his explosions to push the villain back before unveiling his epic Strafe Panzer support gear.

Bakugo would deal so much damage to Shigaraki that he was able to widen the wound in his memory, forcing the villain to reflect on his tragic past, which would be very helpful for Midoriya not long later. It’s also just a massive symbol of personal progress to see Bakugo literally putting his life on the line for the sake of saving others, proving he had come to fully acknowledge and respect the responsibilities of being a true hero.

3

All For One

The Origins And Goals Of All For One Are Finally Revealed

• First Appearance: Episode 49

For much of the My Hero Academia story, All For One is a villain who lingers behind the scenes, considering he’s confined in the depths of Tartarus – that is, until he takes control of Shigaraki and frees himself. All For One plays a massive role in the final battle, and while Shigaraki is the main focus for Midoriya, All For One is the one pulling the strings. Where he really comes into action is after using a copy of Eri’s Rewind Quirk to make himself younger and even more powerful, making him appear more or less unbeatable.

This is also the story arc where All For One finally spills the beans on his goals, and more specifically, his dream of becoming the Demon Lord, in stark contrast to his brother. Simply put, All For One is a joy to watch in action thanks to his immense power and ever-changing design, and the final arc does a good job at fleshing him out a little more and exploring his past and beliefs.

2

Midoriya

Time For Midoriya To Put His Mastery Of One For All To The Test

• First Appearance: Episode 1

By the time the final war officially begins, Midoriya is aware that he is the only one strong enough to take down All For One with his Quirk. Therefore, this final battle acts as a test of Midoriya’s training to see if he is capable of using all of his Quirks to compliment one another, since only then will he be capable of dealing any sort of damage to Shigaraki, with every other hero heavily relying on his strength to get the job done.

However, Midoriya doesn’t want to kill Shigaraki, he wants to save him. As a result, it’s also a trial of heroism, as it pushes Midoriya to see whether he is capable of saving someone who is distraught with sadness, despair, and hatred. The truth is, the war would probably have been over before much if Midoriya wasn’t there to provide assistance, so while he does go on a little detour at first with Toga, once he faces Shigaraki, he puts everything he has on the line to put him down once and for all.

1

Tomura Shigaraki

The Final War Dissects Shigaraki’s View Of The World And Lust For Villainy

• First Appearance: Episode 10

Though Shigaraki’s backstory is explored a few arcs before the final war kicks off, it is clear that there is still much more to this troubled young man that was begging to be explored. With his mind being split between All For One’s influence and a burning hatred for the world and everyone in it, Shigaraki is a fascinating character to explore in this arc. Of course, he’s also massively important because of his abilities, specifically Decay, which is capable of decimating entire landscapes in the blink of an eye with a single touch.

Since Shigaraki tends to remain in the shadows and rarely ever reveals anything about himself, it’s a treat for longtime fans to see the man himself being exposed on an emotional level, especially with Midoriya trying to drag him out from his bleak and pessimistic mindset. Shigaraki is the hero’s main target in the final war, and he’s a character who demands the reader or viewers’ attention any time he shows up on screen.