My Hero Academia Reveals the Inspiration Behind Iron Man All Might

My Hero Academia has revealed the inspiration behind All Might’s Iron Man armor, and in doing so, the series brings one of its extraneous parts into beautiful focus, during this climatic Final War battle between All Might and All For One.

 As the villain overlord went barrelling toward his vessel, Tomura Shigaraki, and ultimate evil power, only all All Might was left to stand in his path. For the first time ever, Toshinori Yagi had to face his nemesis without the mighty power of One For All – but luckily for All Might, he’s had plenty of friends with little-to-no quirk powers along the way, who taught him that being a hero isn’t all about how strong your quirk is… 

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW! 

During his fight with All For One, All Might delivers a monologue that reveals just where the idea for his new armored suit came from namely, a man who didn’t have the quirk power to help others but still had the desire to deeply embedded in his heart: 

“Back then, when you brought us to our knees, I had no choice but to take refuge over in the states!” All Might yells at All For One. “I made a friend there,” the hero explains, and these are the fruits of that bond! All that I’ve been blessed with, will bear its weight against you!” 

All Might’s Iron Man Amor Explained

David Shield was All Might’s friend from California, met during the years Toshinori Yagi spent studying in the US. David’s quirk, “Squirmy Fingers” didn’t qualify him to be pro hero, but it did make him an accomplished scientist and engineer in the field of pro hero support items. He worked with fellow student All Might to stop criminals and was even part of the inspiration for All Might’s Ultimate Move, California Smash. 

The My Hero Academia: Two Heroes movie was all about All Might reconnecting with David – and the latter ultimately being revealed as having very misguided views about quirks and his all-powerful friend. David died saving his friend from some villains he had unwittingly fallen in league with, but his selflessness, and general views on helping others helped All Might look at things very differently. 

In My Hero AcademiaChapter 396, All Might’s armor is a testament to the influence that David had on his life. Even without his quirk power, All Might has not only the sort of support tech David would’ve created – he’s also using that tech to mirror powers and techniques he’s learned from others, like Izuku Midoriya’s Shoot style technique with One For All. 

My Hero Academia releases new chapters online.