Tomura Shigaraki is one of the most interesting villains in My Hero Academia (MHA) because his backstory is magnificently fleshed-out and well-developed!
With his awakening powers currently on the rise in the infamous My Villain Academia (MVA) arc, can Izuku Midoriya (“Deku”) and his friends still redeem him?
For one thing, Tomura’s redemption is a debated topic in the MHA community. He’s a villainous, misunderstood, and interesting character of a popular franchise! That is why fans are either all for him or against him.
It’s crazy how the actions of a fictional character like Tomura spurs the fans to love or hate him even more!
Regardless of how fans react towards the leader of the League of Villains, let’s discuss whether he can still turn around and is worthy to be saved!
Tomura Shigaraki can become a good character IF Deku can extend a helping hand to him and reach his heart. But at this point in the manga, he cannot be redeemed.
The current circumstances happening to Tomura in the series are overwhelmingly terrifying: All for One has possessed his body, mind, and Quirk!
But there’s a possibility that Tomura can become a good character by the end of the series — even for a moment! He can be the one to defeat All for One alongside Deku and his friends!
Turning over a new leaf is a different story. It’s unlikely at this point and by the end of the series because too much damage has been done and too many lives have been lost!
Worst of all, Tomura might die! This is a fate that half of the fandom speculated about a long time ago. He can die at the hands of All for One or the hands of a hero!
And if it’s All Might who’ll finally defeat him, that’d be an ironic twist! Imagine All Might killing the grandson of his beloved master — Nana Shimura — that’d be a heartbreaking but emotional death scene!
Will Tomura Shigaraki Become Good?
There’s only one way for Tomura to become a “good” character in the MHA series: to allow his tortured heart to enter a healing process.
Take note that I emphasized “process” in this sentence because healing cannot occur on a single day. No. Tomura’s heart must be healed! And the first step is to let Deku touch his heart and mind.
Out of all U.A. students and pro heroes in the manga, Deku is the only hero who wishes to save people no matter how dire the circumstances are:
- He saved Katsuki Bakugō from the Sludge Villain at the beginning of the series even fully knowing well that he’s Quirkless since 4-years old.
- He also saved Shōto Todoroki during the Sports Festival by inspiring him to use his left side. Had Deku’s pep talk with Shōto failed during their match, Shōto would have held onto his grudge towards his father and would have not used his left side. The ice on Shōto’s right side would not have melted (thus, giving Shōto hypothermia!)
No matter who they are, Deku’s willingness to save Tomura is undeniable!
Even if Tomura is a dangerous villain whom All for One created and manipulated, Deku won’t hesitate to lend a helping hand so this crying lost child can be found and saved!
Can Tomura Shigaraki be Redeemed?
Tomura Shigaraki cannot be redeemed, and if he’s saved, it will be short-lived.
I can see Tomura working hand in hand with Deku and his friends to stop All for One down the road. But sadly, this could only happen briefly in the series (possibly, for seven or nine chapters).
Horikoshi-sensei wrote Tomura Shigaraki’s as the fated villainous rival to Deku’s hero journey. As soon as Tomura’s evil role in the series ends, he’s no longer “the other side of the coin” to Deku’s heroic story.
If Tomura and Deku work hand in hand, it will be to defeat or bring All for One down once and for all! After Tomura becomes the other “hero” thanks to Deku and his friends’ help, he will still likely die — likely at the hands of All for One or another pro hero like All Might (ironic, I know)!
I don’t know what kind of death awaits Tomura Shigaraki, but it’s likely to be a bittersweet one!
He can’t return to his innocence since All for One and Dr. Kyudai Garaki took those moments away from him since he was 5-years old. And the League of Villains only enabled his evil deeds!
A third party could also eventually attack and kill Tomura for good; but who knows who that will be if not All for One, Deku, or All Might!
Leaving Tomura’s death tragically and emotionally for many fans might work; there’ll be no redeeming arc for him after all.
But Deku can still save Tomura at the last minute. So, fans rooting for Tomura shouldn’t lose hope! They’ve got Deku to save Tomura and Horikoshi-sensei is doing his best to tell fans a story of saving lives and being saved!
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.
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