All For One, the infamous Symbol of Evil of My Hero Academia, has been revealed to be motivated by something other than his desire to rule the world. In chapter 421, the Villain reveals that he keeps going due to the immense grief he feels after seeing Yoichi’s vestige, the only memory left of his brother, destroyed.
It is this unusual feeling for the sinister man, as he now wants everyone to share his pain. Seeing All For One care for someone else is something never seen before in the series. The cunning and devious Symbol of Evil has never shown any compassion, love, or even appreciation for anyone but himself. This comes as even more of a shock, as he is the one who caused his brother’s death in the past.
My Hero Academia chapter 407 reveals the origins of both All For One and Yoichi, children born during the advent of Quirks. Since birth, the future Symbol of Evil considered the world his to possess, wanting to control everyone and everything. The name he gave his brother, Yoichi, made it implicit that his sibling was just another object he owned. All For One’s megalomaniac tendencies became even clearer when he began killing and stealing Quirks simply because he wanted them. Worse of all, when his brother tried to oppose him, the Symbol of Evil ended Yoichi’s life himself.
Although not explicitly stated in the manga, it is likely that All For One did not mourn his brother when he died, as he was aware that his vestige would live inside One For All. The Villain believed that once his objective of taking Yoichi’s Quirk back and conquering the world, he would be reunited with his property. The man never expected to lose his brother before absorbing One For All. When this happened, he realized that his only family was now gone. Despite the Villain being unaware of it, he most likely had a deep love for his brother.
Other than All Might, no Hero has ever been close to beating the Symbol of Evil. For years, he has ruled Japan in the shadows, unopposed and unrestricted. Whatever he wanted, he would acquire, no matter the cost. The Final War Arc proves that the previously undefeated Villain is slowly realizing that his reign of terror is in danger of ending. The Heroes of Japan are going to fight until the bitter end to see the man defeated, as proven by Deku willingly sacrificing his Quirk to accomplish this goal.
Despite being decades old, the Symbol of Evil could never have accounted for these circumstances, becoming terrified of actually losing. Not only was his main plan thwarted by Bakugo and All Might, but even his Plan B seems to have gone wrong. Shigaraki’s body is now his, although the young man received so much damage that the vessel can barely fight. The final nail in the Villain’s coffin is the arrival of all available Heroes on the battlefield. For the first time in his life, the Symbol of Evil found himself cornered.
After realizing that his brother is gone, All For One claims that he has become stronger due to the pain and regret that he feels. This is an important statement, because All for One has always been characterized by a lack of emotions, something atypical for a villain. He tells Deku that he now understands that what makes humans more resilient is tragedy, and that all should feel what he feels. However, Sero, a minor character until now, interjects to state that tragedy does not make people stronger and that he would like to prevent his friends and family from suffering. Despite being in front of the Symbol of Evil, Sero is not afraid to speak up, as he feels empowered by his friends and allies.
It is this small moment that helps us understand why All For One is wrong. The loss of his brother may have awakened emotions other than greed inside of him, but his views have not changed. He believes that since he lost everything important to him, others should suffer the same fate. On the other hand, the Heroes of Japan are fighting precisely to stop civilians from suffering as they have been during the war. Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of the manga, is sending a powerful message of cooperation and compassion. He’s also flipping around the typical shonen scrypt of a hero that becomes stronger through loss and tragedy.
A few moments after being born, All For One and Yoichi’s mother passed away, leaving the newborn babies to fend for themselves. This was the first time in which the future Symbol of Evil had to rely on his power to survive. Things got worse after this event, as a war against humans with Quirks began in Japan. During this time, although unconsciously, All For One used his abilities to keep himself and Yoichi safe from those who wanted to kill him. Due to his immaturity, likely, All For One never realized that he cared deeply for his brother.
As he spent most of his days plotting how to take over the world, he never stopped to think about how he truly felt about his brother. His deep belief that Yoichi was another thing he owned blinded him from realizing his fraternal love for his sibling. It was not until he realized that he would never see his brother again that he began to understand what he had lost.
In the end, All For One had to suffer the ultimate loss for his more humane feelings to arise. Woefully, it seems as if not even the loss of his brother will be enough to persuade him to stop his rampage against Japan. Yet, this small moment proves that in the eyes of Horikoshi, even the most unforgivable Villains of My Hero Academia have some humanity in them, including All for One.
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