Chapter 379

Hopes is the three hundred and seventy-ninth chapter of Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia.

Summary
Shortly after Kurogiri's escape from Central Hospital, the staff rushed to escort the injured inside to be treated. At this moment, Lady Nagant had emerged from her bed, ignoring the doctor's warnings that she could die if her wounds reopen. She asks where the enemy is but he won't say due to her still being a convict, so she responds that Izuku asked her to fight alongside them. Rock Lock then appears, telling the doctor he'll take responsibility for her and gives her information regarding the state of the battle and U.A. He says their full mobilization hinges on their faith in Izuku, and if her heart tells her to act for him, he will put his trust in her.

In the present atop the hospital, Lady Nagant managed to successfully shoot a bullet right at Tomura Shigaraki, though causing a blowback to the damage internally in her body. Despite the pain, she still has one shot left in her, and thinks about how she was drowned in darkness until Deku and her successor reminded her of her shining hopes and reason for being. Using her last remaining strength to make it reach him, she shoots out another bullet, blasting Tomura's left arm right off.

All For One within Tomura hysterically cries out to Nagant, lambasting her for trying to play the victim after murdering her fellow Heroes. He continues only to be shut up by Tomura as an endless array of fingers begin to emerge from his mouth. Tomura laughs asking if his attempts at manipulation have failed and mocking his current state. He further criticizes his attempts at grooming him, using All Might and Nana Shimura to irritate him, scheming to hijack his body and soul and attempt to absorb his hatred to steal One For All.

However, he continues that as they merged together and became part of him, he hated all of it, so hid his own core deep within his own soul, and without him noticing, has been reclaiming himself from the inside and out, following the path toward his origin. All For One tries to command Kurogiri to transport him to his other self, but "Kurogiri" begins to stutter, repeating he will protect Tomura, while Oboro Shirakumo's personality re-emerges.

Tomura declares he doesn't need One For All and that he won't let himself be controlled anymore. Unlike the other former Villains, he says his heart won't waver, and that everything that exists in the world led to the existence of the house he grew up in. Breaking free of All For One's vestige, "Tomura Shigaraki" and "Tenko Shimura" state their one and only hope: the destruction of everything that stemmed from that house, which will be the only thing that will save him.

Just then, Deku grabs Tomura, blasting him out of U.A., surprising Gentle and Lemillion, as he thinks about how since Tomura can use his Quirks again, he can't fight him in the "tomb" anymore. Landing on the ground, while from above one of the Business Course students films them, Deku states that while he won't let him do that, he also can't pretend he didn't see him crying back there.

Chapter Notes

 * Lady Nagant briefly joins the fight using her remaining strength to shoot Tomura from atop Central Hospital, as her way to pay back Izuku.
 * Tomura regains control of his body from All For One's vestige, criticizing his attempts to manipulate him and others, freeing both himself and Tenko from within.
 * He further declares his intentions to destroy society as retribution for creating the household he grew up and suffered in, saying that as his only salvation.
 * All For One attempts to force Kurogiri to warp him to his main self, but the conflicting feelings of both him and Oboro prevent this from happening.
 * Deku reiterates his intention to save Tomura as he tosses him outside of the U.A. Flying Fortress, as they prepare to battle on the ground below.

Author's Comment
"It's been cold, so I've been playing syrup16g. Their new album is great."

- Kohei Horikoshi

Trivia

 * Tomura's vestige emerging from All For One's mouth, and him not being able to control Tomura, seems to be a reference to the Titan, Kronos, from Greek mythology. In an effort to prevent his children, the Olympian gods, from overthrowing him much like he did with his own father Uranus, Kronos swallowed them each as they were born. However, his wife Rhea secretly saved her last-born child, Zeus, who grew up and went on to rescue his siblings (who managed to mature and grow themselves) from their father's stomach by getting him to vomit them up.