Warning: Contains spoilers for chapter #425 of My Hero Academia.

With the big battle against All For One and Shigaraki beautifully concluded, My Hero Academia appeared to be nearing the end of its story, or so fans presumed. However, the latest chapter teases the possibility of a whole new arc before the series truly ends with the introduction of brand-new characters and sub-plots that could lead the series in a different direction.

Chapter #425 of My Hero Academia introduces a mysterious new character who is seen panting and wandering through the wreckage in Japan. The chapter does not provide a clear view of the character’s face other than a brief glimpse of their tear-filled eyes, making it difficult to be sure of their gender. However, it is clear that the figure does not resemble anyone fans have seen before.

The introduction of a new character at this point in the story coupled with Kohei Horikoshi’s extended two-week break suggests My Hero Academia‘s epilogue could end up being long enough to be considered an arc of its own.

My Hero Academia’s Newest Character Teases the Possibility of a New Arc

Created by Kohei Horikoshi, Chapter #425 “Out-of-Season”

It makes little sense to introduce new characters this late into the series without a clear purpose unless Horikoshi plans to extend the epilogue or squeeze in one more arc before the series ends. Horikoshi’s comment in chapter #424 did seem to indicate that this epilogue will be a lengthy one, though the introduction of the new mystery character in the latest chapter suggests the beginning of a whole new plotline rather than the resolution of any existing ones.

It is unlikely that the figure in chapter #425 is All For One or Tenko, as both these characters have served their purpose and their character arcs have been resolved in the most fitting way possible. Bringing back Tenko or All For One would be pointless and cause more harm than good to the story. The mysterious character also cannot be Kurogiri, as he was supposedly obliterated by Bakugo’s explosion in chapter #423. The character also has dark hair which is nothing like Shirakumo’s cloudy white locks.

That said, the mysterious dark-haired character does appear to be wearing a muzzle, which has led many fans to assume that this could be Deku’s father, Hisashi Midoriya, who is said to possess a fire-breathing quirk. The mystery of Deku’s father is one that has been haunting fans since the very beginning and the epilogue could finally provide some explanation for his absence throughout the story. It would certainly be quite an interesting turn of events if Deku’s father was revealed to be a villain who had been locked away all these years.

My Hero Academia Still Has Many Plotlines Left to Resolve

Besides the new mysterious character, chapter #425 of My Hero Academia also introduces a new third-year student named Mawata Futa and reveals that Aoyama has left U.A., allowing Shinso to take his place in the hero course. The chapter also confirms that Deku will be continuing his education in the hero course despite being practically quirkless, perhaps even becoming the first quirkless hero in My Hero Academia.

Deku still has plenty to accomplish, not only in terms of his own dreams and goals but also in terms of the promise he made to Shigaraki in his final moments. Though the battle is over, the latest chapters indicate that things simply won’t go back to the way they were, and nor should they. Hero society needs to change to ensure it does not create more victims and villains like Tenko, and as things stand, there have been no efforts towards any kind of reform. This change simply cannot happen overnight, so realistically it would take multiple chapters or a time skip to achieve.

Mawata, the newly introduced third-year, does reveal that the young heroes in training will be traveling around the country to fight crime. However, this alone will not be enough to truly change society to its roots, especially if this period of turmoil is buried as Mawata claims. As Tododroki points out in the latest chapter, it was during such circumstances that a villain like All For One emerged, which only makes the new mysterious character seen in the subsequent pages seem all the more ominous.

Additionally, Endeavor is also seen in a wheelchair in front of an ominous device shrouded in darkness, indicating that the Todoroki family’s story is also yet to be completely resolved. It is difficult to guess what exactly Endeavor could be looking at, though one possibility is that Dabi could still be alive, even if just barely.

Nonetheless, it will take more than a handful of chapters to neatly wrap up all of these loose threads, and it may not be all that surprising if Kohei Horikoshi ends up adding one last story arc to properly do so. For better or for worse, this means My Hero Academia isn’t ending just yet and fans may have some more time before they have to bid the series farewell.

My Hero Academia is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.