My Hero Academia could’ve ended in the first season if one character wasn’t “stupid”

My Hero Academia is approaching the end, and fans have picked out a moment in the first season where things could’ve wound up very different in the overall story.

Since we’re close to the My Hero Academia ending, everyone’s reminiscing about the path. It’s been a long road for the superhero anime, even if the timeline is actually only the length of a school year.

Readers and viewers have been looking at points where the franchise could’ve finished much sooner; the forks in the road that contributed to where we currently stand. One such event occurs very early on, where Shigaraki could’ve killed All Might were it not for a single choice.

On Reddit, a fan points out that in the first season, Shigaraki had an opportunity to ask All Might for a handshake among a group of fans. With his Decay Quirk, that would’ve killed All Might in no time, ridding the universe of its Superman stand-in.

Alas, he decides against it, and fans are discussing reasons why this might have been. “All Might would notice the decay and immediately back away right? It didn’t kill Aizawa immediately when he got his arm, it needs prolonged exposure before it got buffed,” says one comment.

“S1 Shigaraki is stupid that’s why Horikoshi gave him some character development to reduce his stupidity,” adds another.

Or, the simplest explanation could be found in the top comment: “Y’know how shy people are.”

Sometimes it’s a confidence thing.

Of course, this now makes the genocidal maniac slightly relatable, but Shigaraki is a person too, behind all the murder. Check out our My Hero Academia Season 7 guide so you never miss an episode, and our look at Chapter 428 if you want to keep up with the manga.