My Hero Academia: Who is Yoichi Shigaraki?

Yoichi Shigaraki is the maker of My Hero Academia's entire storyline. This character is the mysterious figure entirely tied to One For All’s legacy in My Hero Academia. Yoichi Shigaraki is the frail, white-haired man who started it all.

Most importantly, he is the first user of One For All and the younger twin brother of All For One, the series’ ultimate villain. Yoichi was introduced in My Hero Academia’s later arcs and was a quirkless person. His brother, All For One, “gifted” him a Stockpiling Quirk to control him.

What neither brother realized was that Yoichi had a Quirk – one with no power except the ability to be transferred to others. This act backfired as his body merged the quirk with his latent power and gave birth to One For All.

He believed quirks should be used for a good purpose. Yoichi Shigaraki once held hope that his brother had some good in him, vaguely remembering childhood moments when they were close.

These hopes were crushed when All For One murdered the Luminescent Baby out of jealousy and declared his intention to rule the world. So, Yoichi rebelled against his brother and became the first prisoner of All For One.

He laments that his brother's ability to give and take Quirks "could have been the kindest, most charitable power the world's ever known." It thus shows how powers themselves aren’t inherently good or evil but are defined by how they’re used.

Throughout My Hero Academia, Yoichi is portrayed as someone who, despite his physical limitations, stands firmly against his brother's evil ambitions. He refused to join All For One, even when repeatedly pressured. His mental fortitude became a defining characteristic of future One For All users.

Even when physically imprisoned by his brother, Yoichi never abandoned his principles. A power born from the will to resist evil and protect others. When faced with All For One and Tomura's attempt to steal One For All from Deku, Yoichi's vestige showed remarkable willpower. And expelled the villains from the vestige world. Even Tomura was stunned by this display of mental strength.

Yoichi Shigaraki’s role in My Hero Academia

Even though Yoichi died centuries ago, he acted as a vestige within One For All. He guided Deku alongside past users. In My Hero Academia Season 6, Deku communes with Yoichi and unravels the quirk’s secrets. He is the moral compass of the series. All the flashbacks and vestige conversations in the series circle back to Yoichi's original stand against tyranny.

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His belief that “quirks are for saving people” mirrors Deku’s ideals. Even All For One’s deranged successor, Tomura Shigaraki, shares Yoichi’s bloodline—an irony My Hero Academia loves to exploit. Plus, for a character who’s technically dead, Yoichi’s influence is everywhere. He’s the reason One For All exists and the reason Deku fights. Not bad for a quirkless kid who just wanted to do the right thing.

In short, Yoichi Shigaraki in My Hero Academia is the foundation of its hero vs. villain saga. His heroism comes from within; weakness doesn’t determine one’s worth, and standing up for what’s right matters more than raw power.

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