My Hero Academia just confirmed its most tragic villain, and it’s not Shigaraki, as much as he seems like the obvious choice. Although My Hero Academia ended back in December, its world lives on through its Vigilantes spinoff. And My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2‘s most recent episodes shift their focus away from Koichi, allowing viewers to spend time with familiar faces from the original series. This includes Shota Aizawa — and through his backstory, the anime definitively decides who its most tragic villain is. SPOILERS ahead for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2, Episode 7.
After Aizawa has a run-in with Koichi, who is saving a small cat, he thinks back to another stray kitten and the person who saved him: his friend, Oboro. And as Aizawa reflects on his time with Oboro and Yamada at U.A. High, it becomes increasingly clear which My Hero Academia villain has the saddest background. In fact, the last two chapters of Vigilantes open that wound all over again.
The Latest Episodes of Vigilantes Confirm Kurogiri as My Hero Academia’s Most Tragic Villain
Image via Studio Bones
We know from My Hero Academia that Oboro is turned into the the villain Kurogiri after he perishes during a villain attack. And that knowledge from the original anime (plus Aizawa and Yamada’s tragic realization) is enough to convince us that Kurogiri’s backstory is devastating. However, the latest chapters of Vigilantes drive that point home, settling any debate about who the series’ most tragic villain is.
It’s true that Shigaraki has a backstory that’s just as gutting — probably even more so. Shigaraki grew up in an abusive home, never knowing the peace that Oboro had before his death. He also killed his entire family when his Quirk manifested, opening him up to be manipulated by All for One. It’s traumatizing enough to see why Deku’s so desperate to save him. But if there’s one thing Shigaraki proves in his final moments, it’s that he has some agency over what he becomes. Even after finding a new family in the League of Villains and learning to master his power, Shigaraki chooses to hurt people. He’s not at fault for his upbringing, but he allows it to continue shaping him in harmful ways.
By contrast, Oboro has no say in what he becomes. He’s turned into a Nomu without his consent, then turned against the very people he once called friends and mentors. Being told that in My Hero Academia puts him on par with tragic villains like Shigaraki and even Toga. However, it’s one thing to acknowledge that’s what’s happening objectively. It’s another to see what Oboro was like before becoming an unwilling villain. And somehow, the latter makes his character even sadder.
Seeing More of Oboro Makes My Hero Academia’s Kurogiri Twist Much Worse
Courtesy of TOHO Animation
Perhaps what’s truly gutting about the latest episodes of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is that they paint Oboro in such a drastically different light than Kurogiri. As a teenager, he’s so clearly full of spunk and energy. Compared to the more reserved Aizawa, he shines bright, pulling a smile out of everyone around him — including Aizawa. He’s also fiercely loyal, something My Hero Academia also proves, and strives to do the right thing. Seeing what a genuinely good person he was makes it even more heartbreaking that he dies so young…and that he becomes something he’d balk at while at U.A. High.
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