Warning: Contains spoilers for chapter #419 of My Hero Academia.
Summary
All For One gave Shigaraki the Decay ability, not his original ability, as part of a grand plan to steal One For All. All For One arranged the death of Shimura's family to make Shigaraki vulnerable and make him his pawn. Shigaraki's tragic origin reveals how different he might have become if he had kept his original powers or the original version of Decay.
My Hero Academy finally revealed Shigaraki's swift origins, confirming one of the darkest theories about Shigaraki's origins. The latest chapter finally confirms that Decay was never Shigaraki's original vice and was actually given to him by All For One as part of a grand plan to steal One For All.
Chapter #419 of My Hero Academia reveals that Shigaraki wasn't born with Decay, but another strange element passed down by his parents and taken away by All For One when Tenko was just an infant. This chapter also reveals that All For One received Decay from Dr. Garaki and that the original ability also has the ability to reverse its effects, similar to Chisaki's Overhaul ability.
However, All For One took away this ability and gave Shigaraki only the remaining half of his destructive element. This chapter also confirms that the suspicious man who brought young Tenko home seen in chapter #235 and #415 is indeed All For One, as fans have theorized.
All for one caused Shigaraki to decline
My Hero Academia created by Kohei Horikoshi, chapter #419 “Design”
First seen in chapter #235, the faceless man who took young Tenko home seemed like an insignificant memory. This scene only occupies a very narrow frame and is easy to miss because it is at the beginning of Shigaraki's story. However, chapter #419 reveals that it was during this meeting that the mysterious man, now revealed to be All For One, gave Shigaraki his powers.
The latest chapter shows that All For One transferred Decay's powers while holding young Tenko's hand and led him home, approaching him on that fateful day with this very goal in mind. This revelation confirms that Shigaraki's allergies and itching, which only developed after the curious incident, was actually due to Shigaraki receiving the Decay ability.
All For One Engineered The Death Of The Shimura Family
Although All For One does not state why he chose Kotaro's family in particular, it is quite clear that he did so out of a grudge against Nana Shimura, One For All's seventh user. All For One possesses a rather complex information system, so it was not difficult to find Nana's family despite her desperate efforts to keep Kotaro hidden and safe.
Chapter #419 reveals that in addition to giving Shigaraki destructive abilities, All For One also sowed seeds of discord in the family. indirectly causing the deaths of Shimura's family just to make Tenko vulnerable enough to be turned into his pawn. What's interesting is that Yoichi predicted that All For One was actually capable of such meticulous planning as early as chapter #305. Yoichi speculates that All For One may have planned to take over Shigaraki's body and soul as part of a grand plan to capture One For All, and the latest chapter proves that Yoichi actually knows his brother well. me.
Shigaraki could have played out differently
Given Decay's prominent role in Shigaraki's dark storyline, one can't help but imagine How different he might have been if he retains the innate ability or even the complete version of the Degeneration ability along with the ability to revert its effects. Shigaraki's original Quirk may be a slightly different version of Nana Shimura's Float Quirk, which could help him truly become a hero like his grandmother.
Even the original version of The Decay Quirk could have been used for good in many ways if controlled. Shigaraki could have been an excellent rescue hero with the ability to save people crushed under rubble or even a fearsome warrior. Overhaul is a prime example of how such an oddity can only add to the tragedy of Shigaraki's character.
Overall, Shigaraki has become My Hero AcademyMost tragic character in a chapter. The revelation that All For One was behind his tragedy was a particularly devastating blow as Shigaraki finally accepted responsibility for his actions and seemingly let go of his hatred. The the origin of decline and All For One's return has certainly changed the tide of battle once again and it's hard to predict which direction the story will take from here on out.
My Hero Academy available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.
