My Hero Academiaintroduces fans to a myriad of interesting characters, each with their own strong motivations, ideals, and goals. Though the series predominantly focuses on the lives and struggles of its heroes, plenty ofattention is given to the villainswho drive its narrative forward. One of the series most impactful evildoers left a mark on fans, not due to his actions, but more so due to his unique motivations and ideals.
Though the series main conflict is heavily centered around the generational struggle between All For One and One For All, Stain forcedMy Hero’scast and fans to re-examine the state of its hero society. While the Hero Killer has cemented himself as a villain with his dreadful actions, it’s worth looking into what drove him to do such terrible things.
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Who Is Stain?
Many know Stain due to his villainous actions, but the man who would eventually come to be known as the “Hero Killer” started his career off with the best intentions. Like many otherprominent characters in the series, Stain was inspired by All Might’s impressive debut. The inspiring show of selflessness and resolve drove the young Stain to pursue his own career in heroics in the hopes of upholding those laudable qualities.
As he grew and came to be familiar with various aspects of hero society, Stain grew disillusioned with what he saw as a fundamental issue with the status quo that had developed over the years.My Hero Academia’ssociety turns heroics into commodities, which Stain saw through early on in his life. Unable to participate in what he viewed as a corrupt constitution, he gave up on being a hero and shifted towards vigilantism.
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As the vigilante, Stendhal, Stain was able to act upon his beliefs while circumventing the bureaucracy of hero society. As someone whostarted out with good intentions, vigilantism served as the perfect way for Stain to uphold his ideals while resisting the current structures he felt diminished that which he held in such high regard. Sadly, Stain’s experiences and rejections as a vigilante only further twisted his worldview, making him into the monster he is by the timeMy Hero Academia’snarrative begins.
Stain’s Disdain For Hero Society
Stain’s disillusionment over the years causes him to become much colder, with a merciless approach to dealing with those who he sees as having contributed to societal decay. It’s telling that Staindoesn’t target villains, who most would attribute society’s failures to. Instead, Stain looks to the system in place and the heroes that drive it, taking issue with their surface-level motivations. This intense disdain for heroes and hero society, in general, is what drives Stain to kill and maim those who he feels are part of the overall problem.
To Stain, All Might represents the ideal hero. This is a sentiment that many in the series echo, though none have taken that sentiment and twisted it in the way he has. Heroics are dependent upon selfless sacrifice to Stain. Though many view it as a typical profession, Stain rejects those who would take up the mantle of hero for fame and fortune. To him, these people present a fundamental flaw within the current hero society, and purging them serves as a way of inciting permanent change.
Stain certainly possesses great resolve, but his methods and ideology have beentwisted from years of disillusionment. Though he is right in stating that the values brought about by hero society are flawed, and even brings to light some of the fundamental issues with hero society as a whole, Stain ultimately regressed into a horrifying caricature of the values he upheld.
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