History DeconstructedCharacterArchetype / MyHeroAcademia

* Sir Nighteye deconstructs TheFatalist. He is a firm believer of YouCantFightFate; no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and he has a very cynical view of every situation and only sees worst case scenarios. He looks at Izuku as a SketchySuccessor for not having the noticeable heroic qualities and negatively compares him to Mirio, Nighteye's student and the one many believe would've been the next Symbol of Peace before All Might met Izuku. He also criticizes him for wanting to rush in to save Eri from Overhaul without thinking and jeopardize an investigation that's been going on with him. Consequently, his world view hampers his Foresight Quirk (which itself is responsible for his negative attitude in the first place). As he later found out, saving Eri in the first place would have solved all his problems in the big picture, since it would pretty much end Chisaki's operation without her as raw material for the drug fabrication. However, he is not above acknowledging this and he defends Mirio and Izuku from the accusations of a colleague since they were following his orders and thus it was Nighteye's responsibility. [[spoiler:His own cynicism would indirectly lead to his own death as well the crippling of Mirio (due to a Quirk-neutralizing drug he was shot with). Furthermore, while Nighteye's caution is warranted given Overhaul's Quirk turns out to be very powerful, he was still alone and as we would later see, Mirio's own Quirk could counter it and along with having Izuku, they could've likely taken Chisaki in, cripple the organization and kept him from the Villain Alliance.]]

* In general, All For One is a deconstruction of the CardCarryingVillain who commits evil for [[ForTheEvulz no other reason than to do it]], demonstrating just how depraved and monstrous a person would have to be to actually ''want'' to be a villain, [[TheSociopath exploring the reasons]] why someone might be that way and the {{Logical Weakness}}es that come from it. All For One freely admits that one of his long-held goals has always to be HatedByAll as a testament to his thorough villainy, and towards the final arc the negative consequences of ''actually being'' such a despicable figure start to reflect back on him to his detriment.

* As the story progresses and Izuku Midoriya undergoes CharacterDevelopment, it starts to deconstruct several of Midoriya's StockShonenHero traits, especially during the Dark Hero Arc.

* The series uses All Might to pick apart the implications of having a superhero who's TheCape and the BigGood, in several different ways:

* Katsuki Bakugo has a couple of these since his worst traits are actually portrayed fairly negatively.

* Endeavor/Enji Todoroki, #2 Hero, deconstructs UnknownRival. He is motivated by being the best and initially sought to become equal to surpass All-Might. Unfortunately, the physical limitations of his Quirk inhibit him, even after All Might's own crippling. He eventually turns to his children in the hopes they will surpass him and All-Might later on. His wife undergoes SanitySlippage, injures one of her children and gets put into a mental institution; their eldest son, his initial successor, is heavily implied to be either [[spoiler:dead or critically injured since despite his superior Fire Quirk, he inherited his mother's weaker constitution and thus could not handle his own Quirk]]; two middle children suffer from ParentalNeglect (with the older of the two getting PromotionToParent and becoming the only force that holds the remnants of the family together); and the youngest one, Shoto, is subjected to TrainingFromHell and isolation from his peers since he was 5, which in the long run leaves him with PTSD and NoSocialSkills. [[spoiler:And to top it all off, Endeavor does become a #1 Hero... not due to his own accomplishments, but solely because All Might is forced to retire, thus ''making everything he subjected his family to AllForNothing''.]]

* Kai Chisaki, alias Overhaul, is a deconstruction of AlwaysSomeoneBetter. Initially, Overhaul appears to be Shigaraki's better in every way: he has more resources, a larger force, is a more effective long-term planner, and his Quirk is even a better version of Shigaraki's Decay. By all accounts, he would have been the next BigBad, reducing Shigaraki to a BigBadWannabe, but it's ''because'' of this that Shigaraki steps up his game and ultimately outgambits him. His scale as a potentially worse threat than the League drives both the heroes and villains alike to bring him down, ending with Overhaul's organization dismantled, [[spoiler:and Shigaraki removing his arms to render him Quirkless and using him as a stepping stone by reaping the benefits of his life's work.]]

* The deconstruction of BadPowersBadPeople goes to [[spoiler:Himiko Toga. She was ostracized by her own parents for her [[BloodLust obsession with blood]] even at a young age, despite being specifically because her Quirk is blood-based rather than out of any innate sociopathy. The stress of trying to be "normal" and deny her urges eventually caused her to snap and become the SerialKiller she is today]].

!!Considering that the very existence of All For One is a massive spoiler, and how connected he is to almost every other villain in the story as well as the Quirks he has handled, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff all spoilers on this folder are unmarked]]!

* UnskilledButStrong is another deconstruction. Despite having multiple Quirks and more than enough time to train them given his [[LongLived extended lifespan]], All For One displays [[BrilliantButLazy little finesse in actually using them]], mainly mashing Quirks together for destructive combo attacks. This backfires on him constantly as those who have actually trained with their Quirks are capable of holding their own against him despite being weaker than him. Furthermore, him alone controlling multiple Quirks that he doesn't possess full mastery over means that his AbilityMixing tactic isn't ''truly'' working together in tandem to enhance each Quirk's maximum potential. This contrasts against Izuku's own ComboPlatterPowers and the heroes combining efforts to buff up Dark Shadow to maximum output, overwhelming All For One because the power he wields alone [[PowerUpLetDown cannot contest]] against powers wielded as a true unison.

** All Might essentially is the ideal hero... but this means that he may have set the bar for superheroism a bit too high. On the hero side, it means that other heroes end up with inferiority complexes and/or serious envy when they can't measure up. On the villain side, a number of villains [[EvenEvilHasStandards do respect him]], but think every other hero who doesn't stack up to All Might [[WellIntentionedExtremist is obviously a false hero who must be eliminated]]. And then there's the fact that being the Big Good makes him a target for the villains who want to destroy the hero establishment.

* Katsuki Bakugo deconstructs TheAce. He is good at almost everything he does, from sports to studies, and has a powerful Quirk to boot. Combined with lots of praise from everyone since he was a child and not enough (if any at all) reprimands considering his attitude towards others, it resulted in him growing up to be a massive {{Jerkass}} with a painfully [[DontYouDarePityMe fragile]] [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex ego]]. It even results in him failing [[spoiler:the Provisional License Exam]], since his jerkassery managed to overshadow his skill display.

** Immediately afterwards, Endeavor deconstructs TheAtoner. [[spoiler:After winning the #1 Hero spot on a technicality, a heart-to-heart with All Might convinces Endeavor to reevaluate his life and attempt to fix his mistakes regarding his family. However, Endeavor quickly learns that there are some things that are impossible to reconcile. His wife still fears him, Natsuo still hates him, Fuyumi is willing to be civil for the sake of the family, and Shoto is still on the fence about actually forgiving him. It all boils to a head when Natsuo is attacked by the villain Ending. Endeavor realizes that the damage done to his family is irreparable and decides the best way for them to heal is to cut himself out of their lives. To that end, he moves his family to a safer location while he lives at their old house alone. But then things [[FromBadToWorse take a turn for the worst]] during the Paranormal Liberation War Arc where he learns that his son Touya is still alive...and has become the notorious villain Dabi. And worse still, Dabi has broadcasted all of his family's dirty laundry for all of Japan to see, effectively tarnishing Endeavor's reputation. A brutal demonstration that no matter how much you want to atone for your mistakes, the consequences of your actions will follow you wherever you go.]]

* His [[{{Sadist}} sadism]] and HopeCrusher tendencies get deconstructed as a psychological flaw. For All For One, it's not enough to just win, he has to completely crush his enemy's spirit so he can fully bask in his victory and gets irritated when his opponents do not show fear against him, leading to him making tactical blunders to prove them wrong, tossing away a pragmatic fighting style for the sake of making a dramatic statement. He tried to kill All Might with a warped version of his SignatureMove, which just brought him into range for All Might's own FinishingMove, and he wastes valuable minutes of his HourOfPower tried to break the spirits of the 'side characters' fighting him, only realizing his mistake when he visibly de-ages into a young man.

* His [[{{Sadist}} sadism]] and HopeCrusher tendencies get deconstructed as a psychological flaw. For All For One, it's not enough to just win, he has to completely crush his enemy's spirit so he can fully bask in his victory and gets irritated when his opponents do not show fear against him, leading to him making tactical blunders to prove them wrong, tossing away a pragmatic fighting style for the sake of making a dramatic statement. He tried to kill All Might was a warped version of his SignatureMove, which just brought him into range for All Might's own FinishingMove, and he wastes valuable minutes of his HourOfPower tried to break the spirits of the 'side characters' fighting him, only realizing his mistake when he visibly de-ages into a young man.

* PersonalityPowers are also deconstructed though his titular Quirk. Having the ability to instantly steal the strength he needs to win from others has lead to All For One developing a dependence on this tactic to succeed in his plans. Despite being aware that the issue with absorbing [[ForbiddenFruit One For All]] stems from his own [[TheSociopath lack of strong emotions]], he instead embarks on a [[ComplexityAddiction convoluted scheme]] to foster Tomura's hatred against the world to a level that he can then [[SplitPersonalityMerge steal]] it and use it to finally assimilate One For All. This backfires from him trying to monopolize a force he ''implicitly groomed'' to be more powerful than himself, and finds it's [[BullyingADragon too much to handle]]. Likewise, "stealing the strength to win" means that he lacks any true strength of his own, which is showcased in the Vestige Realm, a metaphysical location wherein All For One cannot monopolize any of his accumulated abilities to benefit himself, and suffers multiple setbacks and defeats from various parties because of it. These two factors ultimately result in his own Vestige getting destroyed by Tomura's to seize the role of BigBad from him for good.

* The ArchEnemy is another deconstruction. All For One declares Izuku Midoriya to be his new nemesis during the Dark Hero Arc and goes out of his way to destroy him so he can complete his centuries-spanning goal of stealing One For All. However, this hyperfixation on Midoriya, as well as his sheer arrogance and obsession with comic books, causes him to ignore other potential threats to his plans as he sincerely believes he cannot be challenged by anyone other than a user of One For All, viewing other heroes as "Jobber Characters" who exist just to show off his strength. This costs him his life during his fight with Team Endeavor when they, with help from the collective wills of those whose Quirks he stole, work together to destroy his life-support mask, allowing Endeavor to nearly burn him alive with Prominence Burn. He has to use [[RetGone Rewind]] on himself in order to keep fighting, and he confirms he's ensured his death sentence. More than that, Shigaraki is the one who comes to claim the position of Midoriya's ''true'' ArchEnemy and de-facto BigBad to boot by destroying All For One's vestige, ensuring he will ''never'' achieve his dream of being [[MaouTheDemonKing the Demon Lord]].

* The final arcs, particularly his battle with Team Endeavor, deconstructs the AscendedFanboy, namely demonstrating the negative aspects of this trope. What do you get when someone who identifies with, and aspires to be a demon lord form an Isekai manga is suddenly granted the power to live out his childhood fantasy? A dangerously narcissistic and megalomaniacal sociopath with delusions of grandeur. Having been an avid fan of comics as a child, All For One seems to genuinely view the world as a real-live comic book starring him as the invincible Demon Lord. Naturally, this mindset backfires on him constantly as he keeps assuming events will proceed in a certain way and learns the hard way that real life doesn't follow the rules of a comic book.

As All For One's character is explored throughout the series, particularly in the final arcs, he's gradually revealed to be a deconstruction of classic comic book supervillains such as ComicBook/LexLuthor, ComicBook/NormanOsborn, and ComicBook/TheJoker as well as the various tropes associated with such characters.

** In general, All For One is a deconstruction of the CardCarryingVillain who commits evil for [[ForTheEvulz no other reason than to do it]], demonstrating just how depraved and monstrous a person would have to be to actually ''want'' to be a villain, [[TheSociopath exploring the reasons]] why someone might be that way and the {{Logical Weakness}}es that come from it. All For One freely admits that one of his long-held goals has always to be HatedByAll as a testament to his thorough villainy, and towards the final arc the negative consequences of ''actually being'' such a despicable figure start to reflect back on him to his detriment.
** The Dark Hero Arc deconstructs All For One's status as TheSociopath. He's narcissistic, charismatic, manipulative, intelligent, and utterly devoid of empathy. Ironically, it is because of his sociopathy that he is unable to accomplish his lifelong goal to steal One For All as it leaves him incapable of generating the emotional growth needed to overcome the will of the Torch Bearers. Hence, his goal is to have his Quirk vestige possess Shigaraki and use his boundless hatred for Hero Society to steal One For All. And this ultimately backfires on him ''spectacularly'' during the Final War Arc when Shigaraki's own emotional willpower proves to be far stronger, allowing him to retake his body from All For One's control.
** All For One deconstructs the InvincibleVillain and SmugSuper. All For One is every bit a dangerous threat, however, the final arcs demonstrate that his effectiveness as a villain is severely hampered by his sheer hubris. Almost all of the setbacks he suffers are the result of him underestimating his opponents and overestimating his abilities. The heroes even know All For One thinks he can't lose and exploit his arrogance at several points during the final battle. Being so used to things going his way leaves him flat-footed when he's taken off guard.
** Of TheChessmaster and the DiabolicalMastermind. All For One is a clever and intelligent villain, but is also incredibly arrogant and self-absorbed. The concept that his enemies might be stronger or smarter than he thinks never even crossed his mind. When they spring a trap on him, he can't comprehend how it's possible for them to do so and finds himself unable to think on the fly.
** The final arcs, particularly his battle with Team Endeavor, deconstructs the AscendedFanboy, namely demonstrating the negative aspects of this trope. What do you get when someone who identifies with, and aspires to be a demon lord form an Isekai manga is suddenly granted the power to live out his childhood fantasy? A dangerously narcissistic and megalomaniacal sociopath with delusions of grandeur. Having been an avid fan of comics as a child, All For One seems to genuinely view the world as a real-live comic book starring him as the invincible Demon Lord. Naturally, this mindset backfires on him constantly as he keeps assuming events will proceed in a certain way and learns the hard way that real life doesn't follow the rules of a comic book.
** The GenericDoomsdayVillain is also deconstructed. His embracement of the role of a villain just [[ForTheEvulz because he wants to]] and refusal to [[CharacterDevelopment grow or change as a person]] leaves him as little more than [[FlatCharacter a caricature of a human being]], utterly lacking in depth or redeeming traits. The heroes make no attempts to do [[BeyondRedemption anything less than kill him]] by the time of the FinalBattle, and nobody truly supports his end goals willingly, instead allying with him out of desperation and a need for the power he holds to try and make their own dreams come true.
** His battle with Team Endeavor also deconstructs the HandicappedBadass and the DarkLordOnLifeSupport. His battle with All Might in the past left him severely injured to where has to rely on a life support system and several sensory Quirks to function. During the final battle, the collective wills of those whose Quirks he stole start rebelling against him, leaving him open to an attack by Tokoyami that destroys his life support mask. Once his mask is destroyed, his body begins shutting down, leaving him unable to defend himself from Endeavor, who burns him alive with a point-blank Prominence Burn. If not for Eri’s Rewind Quirk, he would've died then and there.
** The BadBoss is also deconstructed. Though All For One claims to value his subordinates, he truly only sees them as tools to be manipulated and discarded at his leisure. And because of how cruelly he treats his underlings, none of them are truly loyal to him, only serving him out of either fear or for their own ends, and will gladly turn on him when the opportunity presents itself. Aoyama and his family helps the heroes lure All For One into a trap for the final battle and Lady Nagant, having survived All For One's assassination attempt on her, comes to Midoriya's aid by shooting Shigaraki's hand to prevent him from using Decay. His abusive treatment of his underlings is so bad, even ''Gigantomachia'' eventually turns on him, despite having been ''the'' codifier for BlindObedience towards his master up to that point.
** The ArchEnemy is another deconstruction. All For One declares Izuku Midoriya to be his new nemesis during the Dark Hero Arc and goes out of his way to destroy him so he can complete his centuries-spanning goal of stealing One For All. However, this hyperfixation on Midoriya, as well as his sheer arrogance and obsession with comic books, causes him to ignore other potential threats to his plans as he sincerely believes he cannot be challenged by anyone other than a user of One For All, viewing other heroes as "Jobber Characters" who exist just to show off his strength. This costs him his life during his fight with Team Endeavor when they, with help from the collective wills of those whose Quirks he stole, work together to destroy his life-support mask, allowing Endeavor to nearly burn him alive with Prominence Burn. He has to use [[RetGone Rewind]] on himself in order to keep fighting, and he confirms he's ensured his death sentence. More than that, Shigaraki is the one who comes to claim the position of Midoriya's ''true'' ArchEnemy and de-facto BigBad to boot by destroying All For One's vestige, ensuring he will ''never'' achieve his dream of being [[MaouTheDemonKing the Demon Lord]].
** TheDreaded. All For One's immense powers, resources, imaginative cruelty and sadistic enjoyment of tormenting others makes him a fearsome enemy to all and his stated goal is to be the world's most feared and reviled villain much like the Demon Lord in the comics he read about as a child. However, his reputation as this ends up having the opposite effect as rather than run, the heroes as well as former villains such as Lady Nagant and Gentle Criminal all team up to take him down once and for all. Also, as Inasa points out in the final battle, because he spent so long [[ShadowDictator ruling from the shadows]], the passage of time has left him [[{{Unperson}} a non-entity]] to the present generation, who see him as somebody clinging to his past glories in [[IRejectYourReality denial]] of his insignificance.
** His rampant egoism ultimately deconstructs the EvilMentor, especially in a series that has a CentralTheme about [[PassingTheTorch Succession]]. After his defeat at All Might's hands All For One decided to make Tomura Shigaraki his successor, taking great strides to help him grow from a PsychopathicManchild into "[[TheDreaded The Symbol of Fear]]". However, it's eventually revealed that his idea of a "[[SuperiorSuccessor successor]]" is simply himself in Tomura's younger and enhanced body by having his Quirk and vestige possess him. Unfortunately for All For One, he did ''too good'' a job in teaching Shigaraki as the latter is able to [[BastardUnderstudy bide his time and wait for the opportune moment to destroy All For One's vestige and retake his body for good.]]
** UnskilledButStrong is another deconstruction. Despite having multiple Quirks and more than enough time to train them given his [[LongLived extended lifespan]], All For One displays [[BrilliantButLazy little finesse in actually using them]], mainly mashing Quirks together for destructive combo attacks. This backfires on him constantly as those who have actually trained with their Quirks are capable of holding their own against him despite being weaker than him. Furthermore, him alone controlling multiple Quirks that he doesn't possess full mastery over means that his AbilityMixing tactic isn't ''truly'' working together in tandem to enhance each Quirk's maximum potential. This contrasts against Izuku's own ComboPlatterPowers and the heroes combining efforts to buff up Dark Shadow to maximum output, overwhelming All For One because the power he wields alone [[PowerUpLetDown cannot contest]] against powers wielded as a true unison.
** PersonalityPowers are also deconstructed though his titular Quirk. Having the ability to instantly steal the strength he needs to win from others has lead to All For One developing a dependence on this tactic to succeed in his plans. Despite being aware that the issue with absorbing [[ForbiddenFruit One For All]] stems from his own [[TheSociopath lack of strong emotions]], he instead embarks on a [[ComplexityAddiction convoluted scheme]] to foster Tomura's hatred against the world to a level that he can then [[SplitPersonalityMerge steal]] it and use it to finally assimilate One For All. This backfires from him trying to monopolize a force he ''implicitly groomed'' to be more powerful than himself, and finds it's [[BullyingADragon too much to handle]]. Likewise, "stealing the strength to win" means that he lacks any true strength of his own, which is showcased in the Vestige Realm, a metaphysical location wherein All For One cannot monopolize any of his accumulated abilities to benefit himself, and suffers multiple setbacks and defeats from various parties because of it. These two factors ultimately result in his own Vestige getting destroyed by Tomura's to seize the role of BigBad from him for good.
** His [[{{Sadist}} sadism]] and HopeCrusher tendencies get deconstructed as a psychological flaw. For All For One, it's not enough to just win, he has to completely crush his enemy's spirit so he can fully bask in his victory and gets irritated when his opponents do not show fear against him, leading to him making tactical blunders to prove them wrong, tossing away a pragmatic fighting style for the sake of making a dramatic statement. He tried to kill All Might was a warped version of his SignatureMove, which just brought him into range for All Might's own FinishingMove, and he wastes valuable minutes of his HourOfPower tried to break the spirits of the 'side characters' fighting him, only realizing his mistake when he visibly de-ages into a young man.

** The Villain Hunt Arc deconstructs All For One's status as TheSociopath. He's narcissistic, charismatic, manipulative, intelligent, and utterly devoid of empathy. Ironically, it is because of his sociopathy that he is unable to accomplish his lifelong goal to steal One For All as it leaves him incapable of generating the emotional growth needed to overcome the will of the Torch Bearers. Hence, his goal is to have his Quirk vestige possess Shigaraki and use his boundless hatred for Hero Society to steal One For All. And this ultimately backfires on him ''spectacularly'' during the Final War Arc when Shigaraki's own emotional willpower proves to be far stronger, allowing him to retake his body from All For One's control.
** All For One deconstructs the InvincibleVillain and SmugSuper. In the past, he very much ''was'' every bit the unstoppable, charismatic, feared and intelligent villain he believed he was, compounded with his unique ability making him uncontested in his prime, but as time went on and Quirks and their users gradually became more powerful down the generations, his ego inevitably outstripped his actual capabilities. By the present, though he's extremely formidable, it's not impossible for powerful heroes to face him in a fight, and his bloated sense of self-importance actually prevents him taking them seriously at all, along with him constantly over-estimating how smart he's been and that nobody can possibly stop his plans. His refusal to accept any setbacks of failures means he never learns from his mistakes, and his obsession with the 'comic book narrative' he sees events unfolding as has him making several blunders that allow his enemies to have a fighting chance. The heroes even know All For One thinks he can't lose, so they allow him to keep thinking that until it's too late and he's LuredIntoATrap. Being so used to things going his way leaves him flat-footed when he's taken off guard.
** Of the DiabolicalMastermind. All For One is a clever and intelligent villain, but is also incredibly arrogant and self-absorbed. The concept that his enemies might be stronger or smarter than he thinks never even crossed his mind. When they spring a trap on him, he can't comprehend how it's possible for them to do so and finds himself unable to think on the fly.

** He deconstructs having the reputation of TheDreaded. All For One's immense powers, resources, imaginative cruelty and sadistic enjoyment of tormenting others makes him a fearsome enemy to all and his stated goal is to be the world's most feared and reviled villain much like the Demon Lord in the comics he read about as a child. However, his reputation as this ends up having the opposite effect as rather than run, the heroes as well as former villains such as Lady Nagant and Gentle Criminal all team up to take him down once and for all. Furthermore, being such an awful, malicious person, ''nobody actually wants to talk about him'', or cares to remember him after his apparent death at All Might's hands. This undermines his attempts to [[YouHaveNoIdeaWhoYoureDealingWith intimidate]] those heroes willing to stand up to him despite his power, because despite once being Japan's ShadowDictator, the passage of time has left him [[{{Unperson}} a non-entity]] to the present generation, who see him as somebody clinging to his past glories in [[IRejectYourReality denial]] of his insignificance.
** His rampant egoism ultimately deconstructs the EvilMentor, especially in a series that has a CentralTheme about [[PassingTheTorch Succession]]. Initially, All For One's resources, vast intelligence, insight into other's mindsets and how to nudge them in the right direction without being too overt about it, and ability to plan long-term see him make immense strides in rapidly evolving Tomura from a PsychopathicManchild into "[[TheDreaded The Symbol of Fear]]", especially compared to All Might's own bumbling attempts to train Izuku. However, All For One's [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]] means he never truly intends to give away anything of value from himself, and eventually it's revealed that his idea of a '[[SuperiorSuccessor successor]]' is simply himself in Tomura's younger and enhanced body. His belief that he alone is best suited to lead the villains because of his experience and long-standing plans eventually becomes a handicap that limits their full potential, and gives the heroes multiple advantages to outmaneuver them, and his refusal to cede control to Tomura no matter how dire the situation becomes results in Tomura having to destroy his Vestige in order to truly succeed him as the main villain.

** PersonalityPowers are also deconstructed though his titular Quirk. Having the ability to instantly steal the strength he needs to win from others has lead to All For One developing a dependence on this tactic to succeed in his plans. Despite being aware that the issue with absorbing [[ForbiddenFruit One For All]] stems from his own [[TheSociopath lack of strong emotions]], he instead embarks on a [[ComplexityAddiction convoluted scheme]] to foster Tomura's hatred against the world to a level that he can then [[SplitPersonalityMerge steal]] it and use it to finally assimilate One For All. This backfires from him trying to monopolise a force he ''implicitly groomed'' to be more powerful than himself, and finds it's [[BullyingADragon too much to handle]]. Likewise, 'stealing the strength to win' means that he lacks any true strength of his own, which is showcased in the Vestige Realm, a metaphysical location wherein All For One cannot monopolize any of his accumulated abilities to benefit himself, and suffers multiple setbacks and defeats from various parties because of it. These two factors ultimately result in his own Vestige getting destroyed by Tomura's to seize the role of BigBad from him for good.
** He deconstructs the idea of being [[NothingIsScarier a shadowy unseen menace]]. It greatly benefits his plans because nobody can pre-empt his endgame, and allows him to psychologically torment his enemies with the fact that he ''does'' have events in motion they cannot stop. He relished in being considered by all the fearsome "Demon Lord" lurking in the shadows during his 'Golden Age', even without a direct hand in events. However, possessing such a vague undefined control over events as a ShadowDictator meant that when he was defeated, he effectively left no lasting legacy and has become [[{{Unperson}} a forgotten nobody]] by the present. And it transpires that as much as he builds up the hype of the unbeatable Demon lord, in reality [[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll he's not as capable of being said figure as he pretends to be]]. The heroes are able to repeatedly outwit and outplay him once they see through the persona of the 'Symbol of Evil' he devotes himself to, because [[FlatCharacter there's not actually much more to him beyond that]].
** His HopeCrusher tendencies get deconstructed as a psychological flaw. It makes him a fearsome opponent, especially long-term, as he's willing to devote immense resources and effort solely towards breaking his enemies' will, for the prettiest of reasons. However, it becomes clear that he has a ''need'' to mentally destroy those who oppose him in submission of his awesome might, which allows the heroes to predict his exact moves to finally beat Izuku, solely on the basis that it'd be the [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill worst possible moves]] he could make to destroy him. Likewise, he becomes irritable and distracted in battles when people espouse faith in a happy outcome, or that he can be defeated, leading to him making tactical blunders to prove them wrong, tossing away a pragmatic fighting style for the same of making a dramatic statement. He tried to kill All Might was a warped version of his SignatureMove, which just brought him into range for All Might's own FinishingMove, and he wastes valuable minutes of his HourOfPower tried to break the spirits of the 'side sharacters' fighting him, only realising his mistake when he visibly de-ages into a young man.

!!Heroes

!!Villains

[[folder:All For One]]

* All For One: As All For One's character is explored throughout the series, particularly in the final arcs, he's gradually revealed to be a deconstruction of the classic comic book supervillains like [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] and the [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]].
** The Villain Hunt Arc deconstructs All For One's sociopathy. As befitting one called the "Symbol of Evil", All For One has all the traits of a classic sociopath: He's narcissistic, charismatic, manipulative, intelligent, and utterly devoid of empathy. And it was these traits that allowed him to rule as Japan's ShadowDictator for a time. Ironically, however, it is ''because'' of his sociopathy that he is unable to accomplish his lifelong goal to steal One For All. As Hawks notes, to steal One For All requires a powerful will to overpower the collective willpower of the spirits residing in it. But as an unfeeling sociopath, All For One is incapable of generating the emotional willpower necessary to overcome the collective will of the Torch Bearers. [[spoiler:Thus, his goal is to possess Shigaraki and use his body in hopes that his burning hatred for Hero society will allow him to counter the vestiges.]] Also, because he has no ability to form meaningful bonds or be selfless, those things are beyond his ability to grasp. As a result, every setback he suffers is normally due to [[EvilCannotComprehendGood his inability to understand good]].
** All For One deconstructs the idea of an InvincibleVillain. For much of the story, his plans continue with little in the way of slowing down, with even being defeated factoring in. However, towards the endgame, the fact he genuinely ''believes'' himself to be invincible and his victory assured is precisely ''why'' cracks start showing and his plans begin to crumble. The heroes know All For One thinks he can't lose, so [[BatmanGambit they allow him to keep thinking that]] until it's too late. Furthermore, being so used to things going his way leaves All For One flat-footed and unable to react properly when he's genuinely taken off guard.
** Of the [[TheChessmaster cunning]], CrazyPrepared DiabolicalMastermind. All For One is a genuinely clever and intelligent villain with grand ambitions and the forethought to achieve those ambitions over time, and has various backup plans in place in case his original plans fail, but he's so arrogant and self-absorbed that he [[TooCleverByHalf mistakenly believes victory is an absolute certainty]]. The concept that his enemies might be stronger or smarter than he thinks never even crosses his mind. [[spoiler:His attempts to isolate Izuku all end in failure, his gambit against Star and Stripe ends with a good chunk of his Quirks destroyed and Shigaraki's completion delayed, and most damningly, the heroes are able to lure him into a trap simply by acting like his plans are still proceeding as he thinks they will. When they spring it, he can't comprehend how it's ''possible'' for them to have done so. Even his Vestige in Tomura falls into this, as his inability to [[EvilCannotComprehendGood comprehend that Tomura might]] actually have [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes connections that would interfere with their fusion]] and can't really think of any viable response other than 'try to do what I was doing quicker' to the point of taking his attention off the other heroes.]]
** He also deconstructs the AscendedFanboy, namely demonstrating the negative aspects of this trope. What do you get when someone who constantly likens himself to, and aspires to be like, a demon lord from an Isekai manga he read as a child is suddenly given the power to live out his childhood fantasy? A dangerously narcissistic and megalomaniacal sociopath with delusions of grandeur. All For One, at times, seems to ''genuinely'' view the world as a real-live comic book starring him as the invincible Demon Lord. Thus, he believes that he will easily win his fight against the so-called "extras and jobber characters" and go on to have his destined battle with his ''real'' ArchEnemy and main protagonist Midoriya. Also, because he, by his own admission, skipped the part where the heroes triumphed over the demon lord, he doesn't seem to realize that most real-live comic books lean into an idealistic edge, which means that while heroes will struggle fighting him, there is also a chance that he ''will'' be taken down just like the demon lord he so admires. [[spoiler:Sure enough, this mindset ends up being his undoing as Jirou, Hawks, and Tokoyami, with the help of the collective wills of all the people whose Quirks he has stolen, manage to actually break his life-support mask and leave him vulnerable to a devastating attack from Endeavor.]]
** The FinalBattle also deconstructs the HandicappedBadass and the DarkLordOnLifeSupport. No matter how much he's compensated for his disabilities, and no matter how hard he tries to hide his weakness and pretend that he's unfathomably powerful, a handicap is ''still'' a handicap, and no matter how strong he is, he's nowhere hear as strong or dangerous as he ''could'' be at full health. He's left with a massive AchillesHeel that heroes far below his power level can exploit to weaken him and no matter how much he protects it, the damage starts piling up on it as the fighting continues, eventually leading to him basically holding his Life-Support mask together almost with sheer force of will in desperation. His damaged body also cannot contain as many Quirks as he could before, limiting the amount of strength he can bring to bear, [[spoiler:and given he swapped out his original Quirk for a copied version to further his [[GrandTheftMe plans for Tomura]], he discovers too late that the copied version has a weaker "authority" over the vestiges contained within it compared to the original, leaving him more vulnerable to [[FightingFromTheInside a mental counter-attack]] than he was with his old Quirk. And even when he compensates for his lack of natural senses with Quirks, he's still not actually ''regained'' said senses through them, only substituted them with alternatives as a crutch. The vestiges rebelling against him cuts off his control over his Quirks and leaves him unable to sense Tokoyami rushing straight at his head with a MegatonPunch, leading to his mask getting fully shattered.]]
** During the FinalBattle, his ComboPlatterPowers is deconstructed in [[UnskilledButStrong his fighting style]]. His most dangerous ability is being able to [[AbilityMixing combine various Quirk effects together]] to create massive, devastating attacks, but these are however extremely straightforward. Furthermore, it takes All For One several minutes to properly combine his Quirks together to achieve the destructive force One For All could unleash in an instant, for example, stacking 13 Quirks together against All Might for a FinishingMove was only possible because the latter was on his last legs and couldn't dodge or attack him, and All For One needed to forcibly create space for himself with his ArmCannon against the other heroes regardless. [[spoiler:During his fight with Team Endeavor, their swift blows pressure him enough he can only react with individual quirks to fight with, of which he isn't particularly skilled with because he has so many to choose from, and he was only able to enact combos of 2-3 quirks together once he successfully [[BreakThemByTalking made Endeavor lose his focus]] and took him momentarily out of the fight to get some breathing room. He obscures this weakness with a long-range fighting style, but All For One simply has too many quirks to have mastered all of them, and [[AwesomeButImpractical combining them mid-fight leaves him open to being attacked by the heroes]] if he has to spend too much focus on complex quirk combinations, much like Izuku couldn't think of a way to fight back against Bakugou because the latter was intentionally pressuring him with a SpeedBlitz.]]

* All For One: As All For One's character is explored throughout the series, particularly in the final arcs, he's gradually revealed to be a deconstruction of the classic comic book supervillains like ComicBook/LexLuthor and the ComicBook/TheJoker.

** He also deconstructs the AscendedFanboy, namely demonstrating the negative aspects of this trope. What do you get when someone who constantly likens himself to, and aspires to be like, a demon lord from an Isekai manga he read as a child is suddenly given the power to live out his childhood fantasy? A dangerously narcissistic and megalomaniacal sociopath with delusions of grandeur. All For One, at times, seems to ''genuinely'' view the world as a real-live comic book starring him as the invincible Demon Lord. Thus, he believes that he will easily win his fight against the so-called "extras and jobber characters" and go on to have his destined battle with his ''real'' ArchEnemy and main protagonist Midoriya. Also, because he, by his own admission, skipped the part where the heroes triumphed over the demon lord, He doesn't seem to realize that most real-live comic books lean into an idealistic edge, which means that while heroes will struggle fighting him, there is also a chance that he ''will'' be taken down just like the demon lord he so admires. [[spoiler:Sure enough, this mindset ends up being his undoing as Jirou, Hawks, and Tokoyami, with the help of the collective wills of all the people whose Quirks he has stolen, manage to actually break his life-support mask and leave him vulnerable to a devastating attack from Endeavor.]]

** During the FinalBattle, his ComboPlatterPowers is deconstructed in [[UnskilledButStrong his fighting style]]. His most dangerous ability is being able to [[AbilityMixing combine various Quirk effects together]] to create massive, devastating attacks, but these are however extremely straightforward. Furthermore, it takes All For One several minutes to properly combine his Quirks together to achieve the destructive force One For All could unleash in an instant, for example, stacking 13 Quirks together against All Might for a FinishingMove was only possible because the latter was on his last legs and couldn't dodge or attack him, and All For One needed to forcibly create space for himself with his ArmCannon against the other heroes regardless. [[spoiler:During his fight with Team Endeavour, their swift blows pressure him enough he can only react with individual quirks to fight with, of which he isn't particularly skilled with because he has so many to choose from, and he was only able to enact combos of 2-3 quirks together once he successfully [[BreakThemByTalking made Endeavour lose his focus]] and took him momentarily out of the fight to get some breathing room. He obscures this weakness with a long-range fighting style, but All For One simply has too many quirks to have mastered all of them, and [[AwesomeButImpractical combining them mid-fight leaves him open to being attacked by the heroes]] if he has to spend too much focus on complex quirk combinations, much like Izuku couldn't think of a way to fight back against Bakugou because the latter was intentionally pressuring him with a SpeedBlitz.]]

* All For One: As All For One's character is explored throughout the series, particularly in the final arcs, he's gradually revealed to be a deconstruction of the classic comic book supervillains like [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] and the [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]].

* All For One: As All For One's character is explored throughout the series, particularly in the final arcs, he's gradually revealed to be a deconstruction of the classic comic book supervillains like ComicBook/LexLuthor and the ComicBook/TheJoker.

** During the FinalBattle, his ComboPlatterPowers is deconstructed in his fighting style. His most dangerous ability is being able to [[AbilityMixing combine various Quirk effects together]] to create massive, devastating attacks, but these are however extremely straightforward. Furthermore, it takes All For One several minutes to properly combine his Quirks together to achieve the destructive force One For All could unleash in an instant, for example, stacking 13 Quirks together against All Might for a FinishingMove was only possible because the latter was on his last legs and couldn't dodge or attack him, and All For One needed to forcibly create space for himself with his ArmCannon against the other heroes regardless. [[spoiler:During his fight with Team Endeavour, their swift blows pressure him enough he can only react with individual quirks to fight with, of which he isn't particularly skilled with because he has so many to choose from, and he was only able to enact combos of 2-3 quirks together once he successfully [[BreakThemByTalking made Endeavour lose his focus]] and took him momentarily out of the fight to get some breathing room. He obscures this weakness with a long-range fighting style, but All For One simply has too many quirks to have mastered all of them, and [[AwesomeButImpractical combining them mid-fight leaves him open to being attacked by the heroes]] if he has to spend too much focus on complex quirk combinations, much like Izuku couldn't think of a way to fight back against Bakugou because the latter was intentionally pressuring him with a SpeedBlitz.]]

* Lady Nagant deconstructs the HitmanWithAHeart. She was used by the Hero Public Safety Commission as a hitman to assassinate potential threats to society even before they commit any crimes, depriving them of due process or even a right to a trial. At first she complied with her orders for the sake of protecting society, but soon the guilt and pressure began to eat away at her to the point of her suffering PTSD and she soon became disillusioned with Hero Society. It all boiled to a head when she confronts the president of the Commission, who not so subtly threatens to have her killed if she attempts to quit, prompting Nagant to shoot him dead and leading to her being the cold and cynical individual she is today. [[spoiler: It's further deconstructed in that AFO is implied to have sent her after Izuku specifically because of this trait- not to beat the potential SpannerInTheWorks before he better masters his powers, but solely just so that Izuku would attempt to reach out to Nagant once he realizes [[BrokenBird what kind of person she was]]— and AFO could render his efforts pointless by detonating her [[ForcedToWatch right in front of him]], using the tragedy of her existence and Izuku's failure to save her to further demoralize the young hero before their proper rematch.]]

** There is also the implication that his firm belief in the fact [[HeroismIncentive heroes shouldn't be paid for being heroic]] would lead him to view [[TheChick Uraraka]] as [[OnlyInItForTheMoney fundamentally corrupted]] since she did enter the hero career in the hope to get rich, even though her actual goal of trying to support her family is actually quite noble.

** The final arcs, particularly his battle with Team Endeavor, deconstructs the AscendedFanboy, namely demonstrating the negative aspects of this trope. What do you get when someone who constantly likens himself to a demon lord from an isekai manga he read as a child is suddenly given the power to live out his childhood fantasy? A dangerously narcissistic and megalomaniacal sociopath with delusions of grandeur. All For One, at times, seems to ''genuinely'' view the world as a real-live comic book starring him as the invincible Demon Lord. Thus, he believes that he will easily win his fight against the so-called "extras and jobber characters" and go on to have his destined battle with his ''real'' ArchEnemy and main protagonist Midoriya. Also, because he, by his own admission, skipped the part where the heroes triumphed over the demon lord, He doesn't seem to realize that most real-live comic books lean into an idealistic edge, which means that while heroes will struggle fighting him, there is also a chance that he ''will'' be taken down just like the demon lord he so admires. [[spoiler:Sure enough, this mindset ends up being his undoing as Jirou, Hawks, and Tokoyami, with the help of the collective wills of all the people whose Quirks he has stolen, manage to actually break his life-support mask and leave him vulnerable to a devastating attack from Endeavor.]]

* All For One: As All For One's character is explored throughout the series, particularly in the final arcs, he's gradually revealed to be a deconstruction of the classic comic book supervillains like [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] and [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]].
** The Villain Hunt Arc deconstructs All For One's sociopathic mindset. As befitting one called the "Symbol of Evil", All For One has all the traits of a classic sociopath: He's narcissistic, charismatic, manipulative, intelligent, and utterly devoid of empathy. And it was these traits that allowed him to rule as Japan's ShadowDictator for a time. Ironically, however, it is ''because'' of his sociopathy that he is unable to accomplish his lifelong goal to steal One For All. As Hawks notes, to steal One For All requires a powerful will to overpower the collective willpower of the spirits residing in it. But as an unfeeling sociopath, All For One is incapable of generating the emotional willpower necessary to overcome the collective will of the Torch Bearers. Thus, his goal is to possess Shigaraki and use his body in hopes that his burning hatred for Hero society will allow him to counter the vestiges.
** He also deconstructs the idea of a villain who is genuinely pure evil with no good in them. Because All For One is purely evil with no ability to form meaningful bonds or be selfless, those things are beyond his ability to grasp. As a result, every setback he suffers is normally due to [[EvilCannotComprehendGood his inability to understand good]].
** All For One deconstructs the idea of an InvincibleVillain. For much of the story, his plans continue with little in the way of slowing down, with even being defeated factoring in. However, towards the endgame, the fact he genuinely ''believes'' himself to be invincible and his victory assured is precisely ''why'' cracks start showing and his plans begin to crumble. The heroes know All For One thinks he can't lose, so [[BatmanGambit they allow him to keep thinking that]] until it's too late.

* All For One: As All For One's character is explored throughout the series, particularly in the final arcs, he's gradually revealed to be a deconstruction of the classic comic book supervillains like ComicBook/LexLuthor and the ComicBook/TheJoker.

* All For One

!!''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''