My Hero Academia: Final war arc explained – Deku vs All For One begins

Time of India

09-05-2025

My Hero Academia: Final war arc explained – Deku vs All For One begins
Credit- Fandom
Last year
my Hero Academia
returned with its most explosive and emotional story to date — the Final War arc. As heroes and villains alike take sides and prepare to do whatever it takes to arm their teams with the power to release their home realm from the grasp of the darkness, fans all around the world are counting down the days until Season 8 exclusively reveals the ultimate victor.
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Just what in the world is the
Final War arc
, and why is it one of the most hotly-anticipated moments in
anime
history for both saga veterans and newbies?
Based on the Japanese manga, My Hero Academia is an anime series that takes place in a world where the majority of the population are born with unique supernatural abilities, or 'Quirks'. These powers include everything from super strength to explosive sweat, and the series tracks a teenaged hero-in-training named Izuku Midoriya (aka Deku) as he fights villains and works to inherit the title of the world's greatest hero. Now, the climactic showdown arrives — and it's larger and more complex than ever before.
Here's a look at all of that and more, as well as what to expect from the Final War arc, who's competing and where you can catch all the action as it unfolds.
What is My Hero Academia's final war arc
The Final War arc, which is the climax of the My Hero Academia manga, spans from Chapter 343 to 424. While the 7th anime adaptation started kicking in back on Season 7, Episode 143, a majority of the big fights and tear-jerking events will be adapted into Season 8—better known as My Hero Academia: The Final Season.
This arc in particular focuses on a huge war between the heroes — consisting of
pro-heroes
and U.A. High students — against the villains under
Tomura Shigaraki
, who has recently gained the power of All For One, the series' main villain.
Hero strategy: How the final battle begins
The heroes have one big ace up their sleeves, and that's the fact that Shigaraki has given away his big plan. His aim, to use his own words, was to create 'a little revolution.' To absorb Deku's One For All Quirk and take over the world. Don't despair—the heroes have their own Anti-Plan.
Aoyama, the student who had been rotten enough to work for All For One in secret, reluctantly agrees to help the heroes set a trap.
Eraser Head (Aizawa) utilizes Shinso's Brainwashing Quirk to cloak the charade from Shigaraki's lie-detector quirk.
In all forms of the story, the heroes take the villains and divide them into separate battle arenas to prevent them from assisting one another.
One of the coolest elements of this plan? Turning
U.A. High School
into a floating fortress — this moves the battle up into the sky, out of reach from innocent lives, and contains Shigaraki's destructive Decay ability.
Heroes vs Shigaraki and All For One
The war opens with a series of very bloody fights at different sites. The recent focus has largely been on the climactic battle between Deku and Shigaraki/All For One.
Bakugo, often treated as a 'side character' by Shigaraki in the narrative, takes center stage in the climactic battle.
All Might's final confrontation with All For One is as much allegory as action-adventure, a life-and-death conflict between two ideologies that displace personal ties to the degree that they find themselves in opposition.
Every single counter-force, including benefactors like Endeavor and Aizawa, almost synergistically pool their skills together to finally bring down this villain earthquaker.
After all that turmoil, Deku's last attack is as much an emotional release as it is actual destructive power and it does the job.
Suddenly, Shigaraki's body crumbled to ash, and we were at the end of the biggest threat the world has ever known.
All For One's Origin: Who is the real main villain behind My Hero Academia?
To better appreciate why this arc is so significant, it's worthwhile to know just who All For One is.
Born several decades before the series' main cast were born, he was one of the first individuals in the world to possess a Quirk and this allowed him to steal other people's abilities.
He became consumed by a desire for power and control, later on raising Shigaraki to be his successor.
His brother, Yoichi, was the first to oppose him and became the first inheritor of One For All — the power currently held by Deku.
The fight between All For One and the One For All heirs has been decades in the making. The Final War is where the books' tragedy comes to a close.
Where to watch My Hero Academia final war arc
You can stream My Hero Academia Season 8 including the Final War arc on
Crunchyroll
, available in the US, UK, and other major countries. New episodes are released weekly, so be sure to catch up on Season 7 before the war heats up in Season 8!
Final thoughts
The Final War arc is not just a battle — it's the emotional conclusion of everything My Hero Academia has built over the years. With high stakes, intense action, and deep character growth, this arc is a must-watch for anime fans — and a great entry point for newcomers looking for a powerful superhero story.
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