All For One is one of the main antagonists in the popular anime and manga series My Hero Academia. He is an incredibly powerful villain with the ability to steal and bestow Quirks onto others. All For One has a distinctive appearance, most notably that his eyes appear to be missing or severely damaged. This has led many fans to wonder, what exactly happened to All For One’s eyes?
All For One’s Backstory
To understand what happened to All For One’s eyes, we first need to examine his backstory from the series. All For One was active as a villain long before the events of My Hero Academia, back when Quirks first started appearing in people. During this time, there was no organized hero society, allowing All For One to amass power and build his criminal empire.
He had a younger brother who was believed to be Quirkless. However, the younger brother actually did have a Quirk – one that could stockpile power. All For One gave this Quirk to his younger brother, along with several other Quirks. This turned the younger brother into the hero who would come to be known as One For All.
All For One and One For All had an epic battle, during which One For All managed to finally defeat his older brother. The injuries All For One sustained in this battle are likely what damaged his eyes.
Theories on How All For One’s Eyes Were Damaged
There are a few popular fan theories about how All For One’s eyes were injured in his original fight against One For All:
One For All Damaged Them Directly
One possibility is that One For All directly attacked All For One’s eyes/face and caused the injuries. This could have been an intentional move to impair All For One’s vision and give One For All an advantage in the fight. Damaging the eyes/face would have been a smart strategic decision against such a powerful opponent.
Collateral Damage from Their Powerful Quirks
Another theory is that the damage to All For One’s eyes was just collateral damage from the intense clash between these two incredibly strong Quirks.
Both One For All and All For One have Quirks that can unleash devastatingly powerful attacks. Even if One For All did not intentionally aim for the eyes, the sheer energy discharge from their fight could have caused injuries as a side effect. All For One’s eyes may have gotten caught in the crossfire, so to speak.
All For One Sacrificed His Eyes to Survive
Some fans speculate that All For One willingly gave up his eyes/vision as a last resort to survive One For All’s attacks.
This theory suggests All For One absorbed the damage himself by funneling it into his eyes to protect the rest of his body. Sacrificing his eyes in this way allowed him to survive, while also severely injuring One For All by forcing him to critically damage All For One in self-defense.
The Nature of All For One’s Eye Injuries
While the exact cause is still ambiguous, the nature of the eye damage itself provides some clues. Based on All For One’s appearance, it seems clear that the injuries are quite severe and likely irreversible.
He is Completely Blind
The lack of visible eyes and scar tissue seem to indicate complete destruction and removal of the eyes. This points to full blindness rather than partial vision loss. If the eyes were still partially functional, they likely would have been left in place rather than removed entirely.
His Eyelids Were Cauterized Shut
The scarred, sealed eyelids also suggest severe burning/cauterization to the eye area. Cauterizing the eyelids closed would help prevent infection in the empty eye sockets. This cauterization was likely a necessary follow-up treatment after the initial eye damage occurred.
He Requires a Breathing Apparatus
Adding further evidence of facial damage, All For One wears a breathing apparatus that covers his nose/mouth. This implies his sinuses, nasal passageways, or respiratory system were also compromised, potentially as a direct result of the injuries to his eyes/surrounding facial area.
How All For One Adapted to Blindness
Despite his blindness, All For One has remained an extremely formidable villain through a combination of adaption and compensation:
Enhanced Other Senses
Like many real-life blind people, All For One developed his other senses to partially compensate for his lost vision. His hearing in particular is now extremely precise, allowing him to perceive minute sounds and pinpoint locations. Smell and touch sensations also help provide environmental awareness.
Quirk Assistance
All For One’s powerful collection of Quirks provides assistance as well. Quirks like infrared vision or air current detection can grant impressions of his surroundings. Other Quirks enhance his reaction time, danger detection, and fighting ability without needing to see.
Reliance on Allies
All For One likely relies on allies like his servant Daruma Ujiko for some tasks he cannot perform himself without sight. However, he takes care not to show weakness – even his closest allies may not realize the full extent of his disability.
Tactile Environmental Cues
Within his base hideouts, All For One arranges furniture, wall fixtures, etc in consistent places. This allows him to navigate smoothly via touch and spatial memory rather than visual cues. It also provides a home advantage against intruders unfamiliar with the layouts.
How All For One’s Blindness Impacts Fights
Despite losing his vision, All For One remains one of the most powerful villains in My Hero Academia. However, his blindness does impact his fights in some key ways:
Difficulty Dodging Unexpected Attacks
Without sight, All For One struggles to react quickly to surprise attacks or blows coming from outside his other senses’ detection range. For example, sniper shots from a concealed location could be especially dangerous.
Disadvantage in Mobile, Unpredictable Battles
All For One prefers to draw opponents into prepared environments and control the battle conditions. Prolonged mobile, chaotic battles are disadvantageous since he cannot visually track opponents’ movements.
Dependence on Vibrating Floor Sensors
In his final battle with All Might, All For One relies heavily on vibrating floor sensors to detect All Might’s location via vibrations from his footsteps. Destroying or separating him from the floor sensors cripples this strategy.
Forced to Predict Enemy Actions
With no vision, All For One must attempt to strategically predict his opponent’s next moves rather than reacting. This requires excellent battle instincts and mental acuity. Speedy, unpredictable foes can catch him off guard.
| Advantages of All For One’s Blindness | Disadvantages of All For One’s Blindness |
|---|---|
| Enhanced hearing, smell, touch | Cannot dodge surprise attacks |
| Forced to hone battle prediction skills | Unpredictable mobile fights harder |
| Others may underestimate him | No visual info makes battles harder |
How All For One’s Backstory Reflects Reality
While fictional, All For One’s backstory mirrors some real issues faced by blind people:
Assumption He Was Helpless/Weak
All For One’s younger brother assumed he was Quirkless and helpless without powers. This assumption that disabled people are inherently weak is a harmful stereotype. In reality, disabilities do not define competence. All For One demonstrates that blindness does not equate to weakness or inferiority.
Loss of Status and Identity
Becoming blind cost All For One his position as the most powerful villain. Losing status and a sense of identity post-disability is an adjustment reflected by many newly visually impaired people. Rebuilding identity and self-worth is crucial but challenging.
Mixed Reactions from Society
The villain society seems to pity All For One’s blindness while continuing to respect/fear him. Wider society often has mixed reactions to disabilities – sympathy may be well-meaning but still implies blindness is “tragic”. All For One wants neither pity nor special treatment.
Adapting his Environment
All For One adapts his hideouts’ layouts to be optimally accessible without sight, much like real-life adaptive accommodations. However, society rarely puts in the effort to be universally designed for disabled access. The burden falls on individuals to adapt to environments not built for them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, All For One’s distinctive eye injuries were most likely sustained in his epic first battle with One For All. Though now permanently blind, All For One remains highly capable through compensation and adaption. His struggle reflects some of the real issues faced by blind people in an often ableist society. All For One demonstrates that disabilities do not have to define or limit someone from accomplishing their goals. However, his methods of pursuing power through villainy are morally reprehensible, regardless of his disability.
