Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter #427

My Hero Academia took some time during the epilogue to check in with one of its few surviving villains, Spinner, by having Deku deliver Shigaraki’s message to him in person. It seems like Spinner won’t be fading away quietly, however, having resolved himself to a new goal: to tell the story of the League.

Chapter 427 opens with a news report about the aftermath, and the public giving their opinions on Shigaraki. It serves as a direct counterpoint to Spinner’s words throughout the chapter, showing how different Spinner’s perception of Shigaraki is from that of the general public. Deku delivers Shigaraki’s message and makes it clear it was meant only for Spinner, not the League in general, a fact which seems to upset Spinner. Spinner begins to go on about how they were friends, and describes Shigaraki like a person, listing things they both liked.

He grows in size and begins to threaten Midoriya, who waves away any help in favor of hearing Spinner out.

Spinner Will Tell the Tale of the League of Villains

The League’s Story is One That Must Be Told

The thing that’s important to realize here is that both the news report and Spinner’s recounting of Shigaraki are true. Shigaraki was indeed a gamer, and a friend to Spinner and the other members of the League. They looked out for each other in much the same way the heroes do, and their feelings towards each other were genuine. While they absolutely were destructive monsters, they’re also still people, building relationships and having feelings just like anyone else. Spinner decides he wants to write a book about them, showing the truth of their struggle to the public at large.

One thing that’s been sorely lacking in My Hero Academia‘s public is a sense of compassion for those who are down and out, like Spinner was before the League. It’s entirely possible that Spinner’s book could help to change that, by giving people a glimpse of just how villains like them are created. If people were a bit more open and welcoming, then someone like Spinner wouldn’t have been in a position to be enticed by villainy in the first place. While it’s hardly his intention, a well-written book showcasing how the villains came to be, and that they were still people in spite of their villainy, could be just what hero society needs.

It’s easy to dehumanize one’s enemies, particularly when they’ve been responsible for so much death and devastation. What’s more difficult is seeing them as real people, people who have largely been hurt and are lashing out as a result. Understanding even one’s enemies as people is the key to compassion, and Spinner’s book has the chance to open people’s eyes to this fact, which many of them are willfully ignorant of. That’s not to say that Spinner and the League should have their vile deeds forgiven, but rather that they can be understood, and through that, prevented in the future.

My Hero Academia has put the burden of being the lone survivor on Spinner, and it seems like he might just have been the perfect choice, as the one most qualified to tell their story to the world.