My Hero Academia Finally Proved Why Killing All Might Early On Would Have Been a Massive Mistake

Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia, Season 7, Episode #19All Might is one of My Hero Academia‘s most popular characters, but in spite of that fact, there are some fans out there who feel like the story would’ve been better served by killing off the hero a long time ago. However, episode #19 of season 7 has proven that All Might still has a lot of worth in My Hero Academia‘s story, and his role is as critical as ever.

All Might is a crucial mentor character throughout My Hero Academia, but particularly early on, when Deku and his friends were still just learning the ropes of being a hero. Having the top hero of all time as their teacher was an incredibly valuable experience, and the students of Class 1-A were not only able to learn the realities of hero work, but also the ideals that are so essential to being the kind of hero that the world needs. All Might’s mentor role made him a character that would’ve been easy to kill off, with many fans pointing to the All Might vs. All for One fight as when it should’ve happened.

All Might’s Mentor Role Still Holds Sway Over His Students

No Other Character Commands the Respect All Might Does

However, killing off All Might at that mid-story juncture would’ve been a tremendous mistake. All Might still paid a heavy price there, losing the last embers of his power and becoming Quirkless, meaning they wouldn’t be able to count on his strength in the future. But All Might still had a lot to offer the story; not only was he a font of knowledge on the past users of One for All for Deku, but he also still had plenty to teach his students. Most importantly, though, All Might still had a massive amount of respect from his students which gave his words added meaning.

This is seen very clearly in episode #19, “I AM HERE,” when All Might orders Todoroki and Ida to head to Dabi’s location and attempt to prevent him from self-destructing in an explosive manner. The pair aren’t sure they can make it in time, but All Might’s faith in them gives them the strength to attempt it. All Might’s words carry far more power than those of anyone else because of how his students feel about him; his faith in his students, not just Deku, comes from his experiences training with them, something that would’ve been lost if he’d been killed off.

All Might’s Character Growth Has Proven He Hasn’t Overstayed His Welcome

All Might Continues to Grow and Showcase Why He Was #1

All Might was a figure who did everything by himself–he earned the moniker “Symbol of Peace” because he alone could be counted on. However, without his power, All Might had to learn new ways to contribute, and to entrust others with the responsibilities he once took on. That hasn’t been an easy lesson for him, but he’s taken to his new role as a teacher with gusto following his loss of power. He’s certainly been a far better teacher since losing his power than he was before, building relationships with all the students rather than just Bakugo and Deku.

And contrary to Deku’s behavior, he still needed someone looking out for him, the way All Might did during his “dark hero” period. While a rift grew between them during this time, that was again only possible because All Might was still around; the arc wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if All Might were dead, and Deku had no one trying to provide for him. And since All for One himself didn’t die in that fight, having All Might die there would’ve made his death feel in vain at this stage. Instead, All Might is getting one more shot at his old foe in a grudge match.

Killing Off Characters Isn’t Always Best for the Story

Character Death Can Add Drama, But That Doesn’t Mean It’s What Should Happen

Many proponents of having All Might die earlier in the story cite the emotional growth it would force Deku to undergo as a reason to kill him off. However, the story proved it wasn’t necessary for All Might to die to force growth out of Midoriya. As the successor to All Might’s power, Midoriya already felt the weight of having to take on All Might’s role when his powers disappeared. Midoriya without All Might would’ve simply been left alone and floundering, without the benefit of All Might’s insight into One for All’s past and power.

Killing off a character can be beneficial for a story, and authors shouldn’t necessarily shy away from doing it. However, killing All Might just because it “makes sense” for him to die at a certain point isn’t a good reason to do it. Horikoshi clearly weighed the value of All Might’s presence, and decided it added more to My Hero Academia to keep him alive, and the story has since proven he was right to do so.