The following article discusses events from Season 6 ofMy Hero Academia,currently streaming onCrunchyroll.
While the fact that Nana Shimura is Shigaraki’s granny is no longerthe biggest secret inMy Hero Academia,not much has been said about his grandfather, who allegedly died after All For One tracked him down many years ago.
This unfortunate circumstance forced Nana to distance herself from her own son for his own safety, believing that the villainous mastermind will assuredly target her family again; the weakest links between himself and the highly sought-after One For All. Viewers can’t believe their eyes when Nana’s innocent son is revealed to be none other than Shigaraki’s hateful father, Kotaro. This begs to question: are there more secrets hidden in the Shimura Family Tree?
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Kotaro’s Condemnation
Fans get thrown into the deep end ofShigaraki’s horrendous childhoodin Season 5’s exploration of the My Villain Academia Arc and are saddened to see the brutality he was subjected to from a very young age. Kotaro Shimura spent most of his life harboring intense bitterness and resentment towards Heroes because of their skewed priorities and false conduct, but mostly due to his personal experience with these celebrated saviors. It is assumed that Kotaro had a relatively happy start to life in his little nuclear family, that is until his Pro-Hero mother attracted the wrong attention, which led to his father’s untimely demise. If things weren’t bad enough, the young boy then suddenly lost his mother too, when she abandoned him to the foster system and disappeared without a trace.
Nana knew full well thatAll For One would not stopuntil he gets his hands on One For All, and so she made the tough choice of removing herself from her son’s life for his own protection (and the chance to continue with her Pro-Hero career.) However, an innocent bystander suffering the repercussions of a Hero’s, well, very existence, simply did not sit right with Kotaro, whose contentment for the Quirked Wonders grew deeper with each day. After surviving his hellish childhood (no thanks to his mother), Kotaro settled down and started a family of his own, who would be normal, everyday citizens as far as he was concerned. When his son, Tenko (now known as Shigaraki) started to show interest in these “beloved” Heroes, he cold-heartedly squandered this newfound passion with an iron fist.
Kotaro’s mother saved thousands of lives during her career, however, at the cost of raising her family (a sentiment that Shigaraki drew inspiration from during his grand speech in Season 6, episode 8.) Presumably “learning” from his mother’s mistakes, the stern man did everything in his power to avert his own son from following the path of a Hero (regardless of how brutal), inadvertently creating one ofthe most dangerous Villainsknown to man. True, All For One had a great deal to do with that transition, but a tormented and broken boy was the perfect putty for his sinister schemes (whereas someone with access to unconditional love would have required greater efforts to convert to the dark side.)
Note: Likely due to his aversion to anything Hero-related, Kotaro’s Quirk is neither seen nor discussed, although it is not suggested that he is Quirkless, either. The businessman probably tries his best to live a “normal” life, and either does not approve of his powers or finds no use for them.
Gran Torino’s Involvement
In most cases, Nana’s other half is simply referred to as the “un-named husband” who was brutallymurdered by All For One himself, but that neither confirms nor denies Gran Torino’s potential connection to this traumatized family. The few flashbacks that viewers have had the pleasure of watching depict the strong bond between these two heroes, as Nana is often seen alongside a young strapping Gran Torino when reminiscing about the “good” old days. While it is entirely possible that their relationship has never exceeded the platonic stage, it is equally feasible that the (exceptionally attractive) pair crossed that line at some point along the way, which could have resulted in a pregnancy.
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This theory does not necessarily imply that Nana was unfaithful, as it is unclear how long she had been married. The wedding could have plausibly happened after Kotaro’s birth (or possibly even been a rouse to diffuse the dangers of having two Hero parents to keep off All For One’s radar.) Nana even admits to doctoring the family registry to remove her presence from Kotaro’s records, and she would therefore be perfectly capable of erasing the biological father’s name too. And while a couple ofpals comforting each otherduring times of hardship does not scream “sexual relations,” the dialogue shared between Nana and Gran Torino in Season 6, episode 8 includes some provocative remarks that only raise suspicions further.
Suggestive Wording
Thespeedy Hero also made sureto hang around as Nana handed her boy off to strangers, protectively (and paternally?) watching from a distance and Gran Torino even refers to putting Kotaro in foster care as “ourdecision.” He seemingly takes personal responsibility for past events, but why would he have so much authority over the youngster’s life if he were just a family friend as suggested? Being a parent does not mean that one cannot accept advice from a friend, however, the obligation for that child’s well-being (and any chosen contributing factors) falls solely on the parent, no questions asked.
While Gran Torino is consoling Nana, in order to relinquish her connection to Kotaro, she repeatedly states that “I have no child,” (not “we.") This could indicate that she is the only biological parent in the scenario, or she could be internalizing her personal issues with handing off her only offspring, assuming that Sorahiko has his own method for coping. Presuming that Nana’s husband was the one to raise Kotaro (up until his death), it would have been more respectful for Gran Torino to take a step back to allow them to bond. This would also imply that he had already essentially ‘lost’ his child after removing himself from the family dynamic and relinquishing his title of “father” (theoretically, of course.)Having two Pro-Heroesas parents would be a dangerous situation for anyone, regardless of All For One’s involvement, but by effectively covering her traces, Nana did her best to keep her loved ones safe.
