My Hero Academia’s All For One Would Have Been Unstoppable if He Had These 3 Quirks

Kohei Horikoshi’s manga My Hero Academia has come to an end, and the final season of the anime is on the horizon. The series embodies the core elements of the Shonen genre, packed with intense action and rich lore. What sets it apart is the concept of Quirks, unique abilities that have given rise to a diverse array of heroes and villains. Among them, none are more menacing than the main antagonist, All For One, whose terrifying Quirk, the ability to steal or transfer other Quirks, makes him a standout threat.

All For One’s Quirk allows him to steal the abilities of others and store them within himself, giving him access to a vast arsenal of powers. This makes him highly unpredictable, as he can deploy any number of Quirks to overwhelm his opponents. His ability enabled him to dominate the nation for decades until All Might rose to challenge and eventually defeat him. While the series has showcased All For One using an array of powerful Quirks, there are three particular options, any of which could have made him even more formidable. These Quirks would have either extended his range or provided him with defensive capabilities, potentially making him truly unstoppable.

1) Ectoplasm’s Clones

Ectoplasm in My Hero Academia is a Pro Hero and a teacher at U.A. High School. What enables him to excel in both roles is his impressive Quirk. His Quirk, Clones, as the name suggests, allows him to generate multiple copies of himself. What makes these clones truly unique is that they operate through a hive mind, functioning as direct extensions of Ectoplasm. This ability allows him to personally monitor multiple students simultaneously. Specifically, he can produce around 30 to 36 clones at once, which marks his limit.

Had All For One acquired this Quirk, essentially enabling him to create multiple versions of himself, he would have been nearly unstoppable, especially if each clone could access his vast arsenal of stolen Quirks. With multiples of himself, All For One could effectively become an army, posing an even greater threat than he already does in the series. However, Ectoplasm’s clones have a critical weakness: they disappear if hit with a strong enough blow. Given that many heroes are capable of such attacks, taking down these clones wouldn’t be overly difficult. Still, the hive mind feature of this Quirk could have greatly enhanced All For One’s surveillance and coordination, allowing him to plan and execute his sinister schemes with even greater precision.

[Related: My Hero Academia’s Final Season Will Be Incomplete Without Its Real Ending]

2) Twice’s Double

One of the most notable villains in My Hero Academia is Jin Bubaigawara, infamously known as Twice. He became a significant threat to both heroes and society through his involvement in numerous fraudulent activities. His Quirk, Double, allows him to create a clone of anything he desires, living or non-living, with the same properties as the original. Twice was frequently seen using his Quirk to duplicate himself, though this unfortunately led to deep psychological trauma. Unlike Ectoplasm’s clones, Twice’s doubles had independent minds, which caused severe identity issues when multiple versions of himself began to claim they were the original.

Since Twice’s doubles essentially functioned as complete versions of whatever he replicated, All For One acquiring this Quirk would have made him even more dangerous. Unlike Ectoplasm’s clones, whose ability to use the original’s Quirks is uncertain, Twice’s doubles could likely access the full range of All For One’s stolen Quirks. This would have allowed him to multiply his power and range several times over, creating independent versions of himself, each armed with devastating abilities.

The series never shows All For One attempting to acquire Twice’s Quirk. This could be because he viewed Twice as a close member of the League of Villains, particularly valued by Shigaraki. Stealing Twice’s Quirk might have risked destabilizing his larger plan of grooming Shigaraki as his true successor and extension, a risk All For One likely deemed unnecessary.

3) Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow

Fumikage Tokoyami is one of the few students from Class 1-A in My Hero Academia whose Quirk possesses immense power. His Quirk, Dark Shadow, allows him to summon a shadowy creature that is loyal to him and can be materialized at will. The strength of Dark Shadow increases in the absence of light, growing more powerful to scale with the surrounding shadows growing larger. The peak of Dark Shadow’s power was showcased during the final war, where Tokoyami unleashed its full strength against All For One. The attack was so overwhelming that even the Demon Lord himself was stunned and brought to the brink of defeat. Had All For One not used the Rewind drug bullet, this might have been his end.

Witnessing Dark Shadow’s unleashed potential, All For One was visibly impressed and considered stealing the Quirk. However, the countdown of his rewinding body forced him to redirect his priorities. Still, had he managed to acquire Dark Shadow, it would have served as either an impenetrable defense or a devastating offense capable of crushing his enemies with a single blow. Combined with Twice’s Double Quirk, Dark Shadow would have made All For One truly unstoppable, allowing his clones to be protected by Dark Shadow and deliver lethal attacks, turning the tide of battle decisively in his favor.

My Hero Academia can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Netflix.