The Biggest Twist in MHA History: The UA Traitor

The UA traitor’s identity in My Hero Academia has been a mystery since the earliest chapters, but the shockingly true culprit manages to go unnoticed until now.

Kohei Horikoshi, brought back the topic after teasing Toru Hagakure as a possible traitor in chapter 335 of the MHA manga.

Yet, Horikoshi is known for his spins and indeed gave us the biggest twist in My Hero Academia history which is Yuga Aoyama admitting being the traitor all this time.

Yuga Aoyama admits in front of Izuku Midoriya that he is the traitor in UA in chapter 336 of the MHA manga. Aoyama also reveals that he was the one responsible for leaking the details about the USJ and training camp incident.

1. How did Yuga Aoyama get associated with All For One?

Since the earlier times, All For One is known for taking someone’s quirk away and redistributing this stolen quirk to anyone. Now, asking the king of villains for a favor means walking on thin ice.

Yuga Aoyama, just like Izuku Midoriya was a quirkless kid when he was little. He was bullied and looked down on by others just for being quirkless. Aoyama’s parents knowing how difficult and scary it was for him to be different wanted him to be happy like everyone else.

As a result, his parents did the unthinkable that was to approach All for One and ask him to give Aoyama a quirk.

Aoyama got his quirk as he desired for but at a price which he never wished for “his parents’ lives on the line.” Aoyama had to become the spy in UA for All For One villainous activity just to protect his parents.

His body’s trouble in adapting to his quirk reminds me of Midoriya’s early days. While Midoriya got adapted to his quirk later on Aoyama’s quirk never did. This may be another leverage that All For One can use if ever Aoyama’s parents were to die.

2. Why did Aoyama reveal himself as the traitor?

The amount of emotions Aoyama had to go through when his parents talk about why he has to follow All For One’s orders. Just when he is regretting every bit of it, the most unthinkable happened to him.

Out of all the students in UA, it is his first friend Midoriya who came looking for him.

As he listens to Midoriya talking he remembers what he said to Iieda in the Provisional License Exam. Aoyama had tried to sacrifice himself, to use himself as bait while Iieda runs past him to pass.

That reflection alone was enough for Aoyama to gather up all the courage he had to reveal that he is the traitor.

Aoyama wants to be truthful to his friend, Midoriya who he thinks deserves better than him. He is willing to throw everything away for his friend to succeed, to become a Hero.

I believe here, Aoyama is trying to sacrifice himself once again even though he knows that it will cost him everything. He is giving himself up, so that the heroes can have some leverage over the villains.

This also shows how Aoyama is trying to fix his past mistakes. He can’t bear to lie and keep secrets anymore, when it’s his friends who are suffering.

3. What will Izuku Midoriya do after knowing Aoyama as the traitor?

Midoriya is always known for his kind heart and his strong sense of justice. After knowing how tragic and helpless Aoyama feels, I’m sure Midoriya won’t leave him alone.

Midoriya will try to convince Aoyama’s family that he can help. That if they are together they will be able to solve this issue.

He has seen what All For One does to those who don’t honor the contract, so Aoyama’s family is in danger anyway. That’s why they need to team up with the heroes in UA and decide the best course of action.

After talking to principal Nezu, Aizawa, All Might with Tsukauchi, they will probably decide to leave things as they are. Aoyama will pass the information on to All For One like before so he doesn’t suspect anything.

That way Aoyama’s family can be out of danger for the time being. Also by doing this, UA can regulate the information which will be provided to All For One. Aoyama, the double agent may be born out of this crisis.

4. What is the significance of Yuga Aoyama as the traitor?

Aoyama may not be the most fearsome opponent for Midoriya but his significance as the traitor goes well beyond that.

Like Midoriya, he was born without a quirk and later obtained one. The big difference lies in where they got their quirks from. Midoriya got his powers from All Might who is the greatest force of good while, Aoyama got his from All For One who is the personification of evil.

Both characters’ stories are representative of the dark side of the superhero society shown in the series where being born “normal” is the greatest sin. The different paths they took are mostly due to the influence of their parents. Midoriya’s relationship with his mom was fundamental in shaping his heroic attitude.

While, Aoyama’s parents pushed their son into the hands of All For One even if they believed they were acting for his good.

In Vigilantes, All For One said he believes a “villain” to be more than a “quirk criminal,” that it is someone whose will and whose quirk are at odds with each other. Giving an attention-grabbing navel laser beacon to a kid who wants to fit in should do the trick, eh?

Aoyama’s implication as a traitor perfectly aligns with the All For One ideal. It’s not just that Aoyama’s body wasn’t built for his quirk. Aoyama’s fundamental desires, personality, and quirk are all out of alignment, which is what All For One precisely wants.

5. Is Toru Hagakure the second traitor in UA?

Toru Hagakure is known well for her small circle of friends, with her closest friend being Twice. Lately, Hagakure’s actions have been very suspicious especially with her having concerns about Aoyama after all of the recent events thus far.

She may have been genuinely worried about him or she may be a pawn of All For One all along who’s told to keep a watch on Aoyama.

She finds out about Aoyama’s secrets after following him to the forest. Something that particularly doesn’t add up is as to why would she go straight to Midoriya instead of a faculty member or her other classmates after finding the truth.

Arguably in defense, I can say she didn’t want to get our poor baby Aoyama in distress and hoped Midoriya could talk him out of it or something.

Nevertheless, I think All For One is toying them with emotions in the sense that he’s pitting a lot of people against each other. Hagakure could still be the traitor and have a completely different mission from Aoyama’s.

I’m anxious it may all be a plan of All For One to isolate Midoriya from everyone else for some kind of ambush.

6. About My Hero Academia

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 37 tankōbon volumes as of February 2023.

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, where almost everybody is born with one.

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.