Summary
Fans of theMy Hero Academiaanime and manga series have seen the series go through a ton of ups and downs with the machinations of Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. As the aftermath of All For One’s battle with All Might led the latter into retirement, the then-number two hero Endeavor had to pick up the mantle of number one.
However, because of the kind of hero that he was, filling up All Might’s shoes is no meager task, and many wonder if Endeavor, after becoming the number one hero, has lived up to All Might’s legacy, especially with the current turmoil the world ofMy Hero Academiais in.
All Might And Endeavor
Toshinori Yagi started as a quirkless boy who was frustrated at his lack of power. However, after meeting his mentor, Nana Shimura, and gettingthe quirk One For Allpassed onto him, All Might quickly rose to the top. He quickly became the number-one hero and established himself as a symbol of peace. If he was there, then everything would be alright.
During All Might’s prime, Endeavor was always a close second. While every other hero gave up on becoming number one and besting All Might, Endeavor continued to chase after him. Unfortunately, the immeasurable gap in power between them quickly made Endeavor’s drive to surpass All Might turn into an obsession that made him lose sight of what was truly important.
All Might’s Legacy
While many heroes left feelings of inspiration and awe in people, All Might left a much deeper emotional connection with people’s hearts. His charisma, strength, moral code, and ability to brave even the direst of situations with a smile significantly shaped what hero society is today and inspired many upcoming heroes and children. A good percentage of the upcoming heroes, such as Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo, were inspired by All Might.
All Might’s strength left villains cowering in terror until he became recognized asa symbol of peace. As long as he was around, run-of-the-mill villains would not have it in them to cause catastrophes, and even if they did, it would easily be resolved. Unfortunately, after the symbol broke, the dam preventing villains from practicing villainy was also broken, and Endeavor’s ascent to fill up All Might’s shoes was that much harder.
Endeavor’s Ascent And Challenges
After All Might retired,Endeavor became the number-one hero. However, suddenly becoming number one because All Might retired did not sit well with him, as he felt he never truly won against All Might. Moreover, due to Endeavor’s obsessive behavior, he was not well received by the population at large.
To show that he was worthy of becoming number one, Endeavor simply stated two words: “Watch me.” He sought to prove his power, courage, and determination to ensure the peace of Japan and his ability to take over from All Might. Shortly after his ascent to become number one, Endeavor had to facea high-end Nomuas the world watched.Defeating the Nomurequired a tremendous amount of effort from both Endeavor and Hawks, but that was only the beginning of his challenging ascent.
Has Endeavor Lived Up To All Might’s Legacy?
Whether or not Endeavor has lived up to All Might’s legacy is an ongoing debate in theMy Hero Academiaseries; however, it is safe to say that in Endeavor’s regime, heroes are put to the test and are now collectively getting more effective in defeating villains and saving people. All Might’s regime was more of a one-man show where there were a lot of fake heroes who used their status and power to achieve fame and riches without truly grasping the concept of what it means to be a hero. While Endeavor may not be as powerful as All Might in his prime, he has managed to create a legacy where heroes come together to support each other as the fake heroes have been weeded out.
Moreover, in the time when both heroes were still active, All Might usually took on the more flashy battles, while Endeavor resolved the highest number of cases in history. This shows that Endeavor may be seen as the most effective of the two on the technical side. However, taking a broad view of things from the general populace, All Might has more renown as it would be easier to earn admiration and more merits by taking on flashy battles and defeating well-known villains. Moreover, while All Might did indeed deal with many tough villains and become the symbol of peace, he was indirectly responsible for the breeding of fake heroes and the lackluster hero service.
Looking atthe current chaotic situationof theMy Hero Academiaseries, whether or not All Might, with his quirk intact, would have been able to do a better job than Endeavor is unknown as various factors need to be put into consideration. One thing is for sure: it would be a dangerous and tough situation to resolve for any hero, and Endeavor is handling it to the best of his abilities.
While the debate of whether Endeavor has lived up to All Might’s legacy will continue, it is evident that Endeavor has, to a large extent, closed the gap between him and the former number-one hero in terms of the legacies they have.
My Hero Academiais available to stream onCrunchyroll.
MORE:My Hero Academia: Can Endeavor Truly Be Redeemed For What He’s Done?
