My Hero Academia’s Stain Invites All Might To Stop Him for Good

Warning: contains spoilers for My Hero Academia chapter 326!

The hero killer Stain just invited the former number-one hero All Might to kill him in the latest chapter of My Hero Academia. Of course, All Might wouldn’t perpetrate such an offense, but it’s likely that he will take Stain up on his offer of a confrontation.

Before making the surprise proposition, Stain confronts All Might during a particularly low moment for the former number-one hero in chapter 326 of My Hero Academia. All Might first reaches an area that causes him to confront all of his failings in one place while on a personal mission to check on the hero-hating groups who have refused shelter. There, he sees a torn section from Deku’s costume on the ground in close proximity to a vandalized statue of himself with a sign dangling around its neck that mocks one of his signature catchphrases: “I am not here.”

When Stain appears, the hero killer reveals what All Might truly represents and why he matters now more than ever. Stain leaves All Might with notes he made during his time at the high-security prison Tartarus where the villain All For One and his minions had been imprisoned before saying: “Come for the life of Stain – the man who murdered 40 heroes. All for the sake of fixing society.” Stain has long worshiped All Might as one of few true embodiments of heroism, so it makes sense he’d go so far to revive his sense of purpose.

This is an intriguing invitation. All Might has been struggling with a profound sense of worthlessness ever since his second run-in with All For One left him physically unable to maintain the chiseled, muscular form of All Might, forcing him to retire. Hearing Stain’s encouraging words, especially about how All Might doesn’t need power to be great, undoubtedly planted a seed in the former hero’s mind, which will cause him to become Stain’s vision of himself even without his One For All quirk. The fact that Stain delivers his monologue about All Might during a moment when the latter has been forced to confront how he failed Deku when the young hero needed him the most means his words will serve as the main foundation for keeping All Might positive going forward. All Might is desperate for redemption, and Stain just offered him a path to attain it.

It’s also crucial to note how All Might always shouldered the burden that came with wielding One For All alone. This is how he’s always operated, and, ironically, it’s a mentality that Deku now espouses. It’s likely that All Might will revert back to his old habits even though he lacks his old power. Stain feels so strongly about how a hero should be that he’s willing to kill those who claim the title but don’t live up to his expectations. And as All Might is one of the few heroes who meet his high standards, it would be a fitting ending for Stain to coax All Might back to his old self, even if it means sacrificing his life or freedom to do so. Of course, My Hero Academia has never been without twists and turns, so just because All Might accepts Stain‘s challenge to end his killing spree doesn’t mean their conflict will turn out like either expects.

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