The universe of My Hero Academia is ever-expanding, and one significant question still stands. Who is the final villain in this universe?
Although, with the current pace of the manga, it’s Shigaraki, what if something else is hiding behind the action?
Thanks to the Twitter/X user @YasserMontasse5, they have theorized such a possibility that could lead Horikoshi sensei to announce the *actual* villain of the story, leaving Shigaraki and All For One in the dust.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into an intriguing theory where things might correlate with one of the most famous anime of all time: Attack of Titan.
The Theory of Parasite:
Before we dive in, let us not forget that theory is a simple interpretation of one’s thoughts, and everything here should not be taken for granted.
In this panel, Deku is in disbelief of AFO’s return, since he remembers what happened at the U.A. floating tomb. It might point out the existence of a third entity, which is a parasite disguising itself as AFO.
To be more precise, we are talking about the parasite that gave birth to quirks in the first place and continues to live for a whole other eternity.
The nature of this parasite is to suck the life out of its host, and since Shigaraki’s body is crumbling, it decided to choose him as the host.
The properties of the parasite may vary as this is a fictional story, but the certain parasite that took over Shigaraki’s body shares similarities with a parasite called Giardia.
How, you ask? Giardia starts its development as a skin cyst, one that we already saw on the hand of AFO’s mother in his backstory where she gave birth to him.
Giardia reaches its second phase when it divides into two, called Trophozite and this phase makes it self-conscious along with a large appetite. This might be the reason why AFO feeds on his mother even after she dies.
An important key point is how these events occur simultaneously, after the rats ate his mother’s corpse in the river, quirks started to spread all over the world. Keep in mind that the Giardia parasite is spread with infected rodent’s feces and it’s highly waterborne.
This virus continued to spread out to the world through the lake water, and even if the water goes through a filtration plant, a minuscule amount of the virus always stays there.
Looking at All For One’s narration, everyone despises him not because he’s an insecure narcissist but his will to take over the world. However, it might be possible that this will come from the parasite inside his body, that urges to multiply and dominate the world.
His Demon Lord persona was most likely created as a copium method so he does not go insane by the fact he is being puppeteered by an unseemly force.
In the past, AFO wanted to take care of his brother and even loved him. However, the parasite kept him out of his right mind and ensured to make his brain focused on his sole survival, even if it meant using everyone in his way.
The way AFO passes down the quirks to other people might be a way for the parasite to spread itself, and the ability to take away the quirks is an ability to feed it.
In the manga, whenever this entity is involved, it includes body-horror panels. If you have a keen eye for details, Eri’s horn kind of looks like the cyst that grew on AFO’s mother’s arm. And, Eri’s quirk is a mutation, so there’s a chance of a connection between these two things, but she likely did not inherit it from somebody else.
In the end, once again, it’s all a theory! There is no guarantee about this, but as these things line up pretty accurately, it might be true. But who knows?
Where To Read My Hero Academia?
My Hero Academia is available to read on the Mangaplus app and Viz Media’s website, and the chapters come out every week! Additionally, a new My Hero Academia titled “You Are Next,” with a twist of its antagonist was also announced!
Source: Twitter
