Is Shigaraki dead? Will he inherit All for One?

My Hero Academia has been building Shigaraki up to become the strongest rival Midoriya will ever face. The battle between the advocates of good and evil, aka Deku and him, has been highly anticipated by followers of the series.

However, in the recent chapters, a major death flag was raised for Shigaraki. As the inheritor of All for One, will he grow up to become one of the main villains of the series facing Midoriya, or will he fall too soon?

1. Is Shigaraki dead?

Shigaraki Tomura is not dead. He went into a comatose state after Present Mic broke his capsule in Dr. Ujiko’s lab during the raid. After an edgy battle of wills with his conscience, Shigaraki manages to wake up as the new inheritor of evil and user of All for One.

What happened?

The last few chapters of My Hero Academia have seen Endeavor and his fellow Pro Heroes Mirko, Crust, Eraser Head, Present Mic, and others pressing ahead hard with their surprise attack on Dr. Ujiko’s lab.

Dr. Ujiko is desperately trying to activate his nightmarish league of Intelligent Nomu, to stall the heroes so that he can activate a fully-powered Tomura Shigaraki, who has been lying dormant in a stasis tank.

In chapter 269, it is shown that before Shigaraki can awaken, Present Mic uses his quirk to attack them. To Kyudai Garaki’s horror, the vat containing Shigaraki completely shatters exposing the villain’s body.

Seeing Tomura’s body, it is found that the villain’s heart has already stopped and that he is not breathing and is presumed dead.

In chapter 270, the truth is revealed. While the other villains leave Tomura behind, he does not actually die but wrestles with his ghosts as the memories of his family try to keep him from All For One.

The older man reassures Shigaraki that he is on the right path, and the dreamlike sequence ends with him waking up. Hence, Shigaraki does not die.

I. Will he die?

Shigaraki is not dead and will not be dying any soon. Instead, he has become more powerful after being enhanced by Garaki. The mental handicaps that All For One placed on him have fallen away and he has reconnected with his tragic past.

In the future chapters of the manga, the chances of him dying are quite less. One of the main reasons for this is that since the start of the series, a final showdown between Shigaraki and Midoriya has been teased – The final fight between One for All’s inheritor and All for One’s inheritor.

Hence, he will most likely not die before this highly anticipated fight.

II. Will he wake up?

In chapter 269 of My Hero Academia, when the fight breaks out, Garaki assesses the damage to the vat containing Shigaraki and is pleased that while the machine is damaged, the data is still intact.

However, before Shigaraki can awaken, Present Mic uses his quirk to attack them. To Kyudai Garaki’s horror, the vat containing Shigaraki completely shatters exposing the villain’s body. Seeing Tomura’s body, it is found that the villain’s heart has already stopped and that he is not breathing and is presumed dead.

However, the truth is that Tomura is in a deathlike state in order to better withstand the burden of the process. In addition, the capsule is meant to revive him if necessary.

In chapter 270, while the other villains leave Tomura behind, he wrestles with his ghosts as the memories of his family try to keep him from All For One.

The older man reassures Shigaraki that he is on the right path, and the dreamlike sequence ends with him waking up.

2. Shigaraki’s new powers

Tomura Shigaraki has not only had his disintegration quirk boosted by Ujiko but also has the power of All For One at his disposal. Shigaraki is now able to tap into a new power when he needs it the most and has become stronger than ever before.

I. Boost in his decay quirk

Tomura Shigaraki has not only had his disintegration quirk boosted by Ujiko but also has the power of All For One at his disposal. Shigaraki is now able to tap into his upgraded decay power whenever he wants.

Up until now, the decay quirk only worked if Shigaraki touched a person with his bare hands and all five fingers. Now, it looks like the quirk can affect victims even if they’ve not been touched. Shigaraki is at his most powerful state currently.

II. Does he have all for one?

My Hero Academia chapter 270 revealed that Shigaraki received the original version of All for One’s Quirk.

It was unveiled that what Shigaraki possesses is the original quirk of One for All, and what his mentor uses is just a copied version of it made by Garaki.

Since Shigaraki and Deku possess complete control over their respective quirks, they now represent the next apotheosis of their respective alignments.

The close connection between All For One and One For All, which is Deku’s Quirk, is something the young hero is able to sense, meaning the two are now about to start repeating the paths of their respective mentors.

The Paranormal Liberation War‘s climax will almost certainly see Deku and Shigaraki unleash the full One For All vs. All For One powers in battle.

Once that happens, it’s not just the risk of both boys dying in the fight but it could be the fulfillment of the Quirk Singularity doomsday theory that Garaki warned of.

3. Will Shigaraki kill All Might?

Shigaraki will desire to kill All Might but whether he will succeed is still questionable. The main barrier to his and All for One’s goal is All Might’s successor since All Might himself has no power left.

However, to get rid of his symbol of hope and strength, Tomura might go after All Might.

Whether Midoriya is strong enough to face Shigaraki will make all the difference at this moment.

Shigaraki & All Might’s Relationship

Another thing that points towards Shigaraki’s desire to killing All Might is his relationship with him.

Shigaraki Tomura, whose real name is Tenko Shimura, is the grandson of All Might’s teacher – Nana Shimura. In addition to All Might being a symbol of piece, severing that final tie to his life before he was a villain, would be the breaking point for Shigaraki. This is the last wall standing between him and his status as the true inheritor of evil.

4. About the series

My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected in 24 tankōbon volumes as of August 2019.

It follows a quirkless boy Izuku Midoriya and how he backed the greatest Hero alive. Midoriya, a boy who has been admiring heroes and their ventures since the day he was born, came into this world without a quirk.

On one fateful day, he meets All Might the greatest Hero of all time and discovers that he was quirkless as well. With his diligent attitude and unwavering spirit about being a hero, Midoriya manages to impress All Might. He is chosen to be the heir to the power of One for All.