My Hero Academia has given Hawks the last laugh against All For One – and what a sweet victory it is!
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Back in My Hero Academia Chapter 385 (April 2023), fans got hit in the gut when archvillain All For One stole Hawks’ quirk, Fierce Wings. Hawks was left battered and broken, as the Final War Arc seemed to enter its darkest point. Now, in Chapter 409, the light of hope is shining through – and Hawks isn’t about being a humble winner!
(My Hero Academia Chapter 409 SPOILERS) All For One’s goal of merging with Tomura Shigaraki came down to one final ultimate attack, using the sum of all his stolen quirks. Standing in the path of annihilation was Katsuki Bakugo, who returned from the dead with a few new tricks up his sleeve. Bakugo not only manages to detonate All For One’s attack – he also provides the last battle damage needed to reduce All For One’s age to a childlike state, arguably ending the villain’s reign for good.
As Bakugo is damaging All For One’s exterior, inside the villain, the “souls” of all the quirks he stole over the years are rebelling en masse – and the spirit of Hawks’ quirk is leading the charge!
When All For One is reduced back to his freaky-eyed childlike state, he sees his quirks breaking away in the form of a mob of people walking away and leaving him alone in the darkness of his soul. The crowd is gathering around the spirit-avatar of Hawks, who can’t help but boast in All For One’s face: “Check it out. This join is my fan meetup venue now.”
If that wasn’t enough, Hawks has to stick it to All For One and twist it, by stating the obvious: “Swallowed up by Shigaraki, huh?”
MHA fans knew that Hawks would find some way to come back around and still lend a heroic effort to winning the Final War – and this chapter showed just how he did just that! Hawks getting in this small victory was a great turn for his character arc of having to earn popularity while hiding his true origins.