All For One Would Have Won The War if Not for One Mistake

My Hero Academia has seen countless villains with powerful Quirks, but none as terrifying or iconic as All For One. Throughout the series, he proves himself to be ridiculously strong and a major threat with his unique ability that lets him steal other people’s Quirks. During the final war, victory seemed within his grasp – he had the power, the strategy, the momentum, and the same fearsome presence that had crushed heroes for generations.

He had just torn through multiple heroes and was heading toward Tomura Shigaraki to complete his plans, while the heroes were running out of time, energy, and hope. All he needed to do was keep going, but then he spotted All Might, the one person he couldn’t ignore. Instead of staying focused, his ego took over and led him to make a decision that cost him everything, showing that in the end, All For One wasn’t defeated by a stronger opponent or by bad luck, but by his own worst enemy: himself.

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The Need to Dominate, Not Just Win

All Might, also known as Toshinori Yagi, was Japan’s Symbol of Peace; his strength and presence gave civilians hope and frightened villains. But his first battle with All For One left All Might with life-threatening injuries. He recovered, but he was never the same. And when he temporarily defeated All For One again, he used up the last embers of One For All still inside him, making him essentially Quirkless and forcing him towards an early retirement.

But even after All Might lost his powers, All For One still viewed him as the man who haunted his existence for decades, a fixation that ultimately cost him everything when All Might returned to the battlefield in a special suit as bait. All For One knew it was a distraction, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to completely defeat his rival. So, instead of making his way to Shigaraki, he turned around, even though it was strategically the worst possible choice. 

For all his strength and experience, All For One had one weakness that ultimately destroyed him: he believed he was untouchable. His ego blinded him to the possibility that he, too, could be manipulated. So when a Quirkless All Might stood before him, All For One took the bait. 

All Might Knew Exactly What He Was Doing

And here’s what makes it even more poetic: All Might knew exactly how All For One would react. He had defeated him, shattered his image, forced him into hiding, and was the only one who had ever truly humiliated All For One. He understood his enemy’s psychology better than anyone, so during the final battle, All Might risked his life, not to win, but to play one final mind game, becoming bait that his nemesis couldn’t resist.

All Might then deliberately provoked the Symbol of Evil, his taunting pushing All For One into a blind rage. As the latter’s emotional state visibly deteriorated, he became increasingly reckless with every move, even regressing in age as he burned through powers to heal himself mid-fight. On the other hand, despite suffering multiple injuries, the former Symbol of Peace kept smiling and fighting, knowing that every second he held All For One’s attention was another second tipping the scales toward victory.

By engaging in his pointless vendetta, All For One gave the heroes exactly what they needed: precious time to regroup, call for reinforcements, and shift the battle back in their favor. And honestly, that’s what made this moment so brilliant. In a world filled with superpowered Quirks, it was a human flaw – pettiness – that brought a god-like villain crashing down. Proving that sometimes, the strongest weapon is simply knowing your enemy’s biggest weakness. In the end, All For One threw away his almost certain win over a personal grudge, sacrificing his tactical advantage and, ultimately, the entire plan, all because he couldn’t let go of his need to crush All Might once and for all.

This Wasn’t the First Time

Worse, this wasn’t the only time All For One’s ego got the better of him; it’s been a recurring flaw of his throughout the series. All For One was a sadistic and twisted man who liked to rule from the shadows while controlling others. In the past, he used his powers to help people, but only if they served him, and once they were no longer useful, he would abandon them. 

He took Quirks from those who didn’t want them and gave them to those desperate for strength, building a loyal army that followed him without any question. With this, he began seeing himself as a god-like figure and even compared himself to a demon lord from comic books. His obsession with stealing powerful Quirks just because he could also hints at kleptomaniac tendencies; he simply couldn’t resist taking what he viewed as rightfully his, and this need for domination and superiority ultimately led to his downfall.