My Hero Academia‘s latest episode has just seen two villains joining the fight who had previously been on the sidelines, but just which side they’ve come to fight for may be a surprise. The return of Lady Nagant and Gentle Criminal is helping to tip the scales back in the favor of the heroes, but their presence has far more significance than just a few additional bodies on the field of battle–it proves the very themes of the series.

Lady Nagant was a former hero who became disgusted with the way that the Hero Public Safety Commission was run and turned to being a “villain” after assassinating her corrupt former boss. Gentle Criminal was a man who once dreamed of being a hero, but whose presence at the wrong place at the wrong time led to him interfering with a real hero’s rescue, resulting in grievous injury to an innocent person. After that, he took to a life of theatrical crime, but ultimately never got up to much more than petty mischief.

Lady Nagant & Gentle Criminal’s Return Ends The Villain Redemption Debate

Their Decisions to Aid the Heroes at Cost to Themselves Proves Villains Can Be Redeemed

Both of these characters have origins that prove they were once good people, and that simply calling them villains is an oversimplification. It reduces the complexity of their characters down to being no different from someone like All for One, which clearly isn’t the case. The situation proves that labeling everyone who breaks the law a villain automatically paints the world in a black-and-white manner that simply isn’t a reflection of reality. And while they’re aiding the heroes right now, they might not have been if it weren’t for the efforts of Deku to make them remember who they once were.

Deku’s firm belief in the ability of villains to be redeemed, even those as horrible as Shigaraki, has led him to reach out, recognizing that even your average villain isn’t someone who’s fundamentally evil. This simple act of reaching out to them, to offer them a second chance rather than condemn them as filth, has inspired Gentle and Nagant to take up arms and help out the heroes, to do what they can to put an end to the real evil. Villains aren’t born; they’re made by circumstance, and they can just as readily be unmade in the same way.

The fact that Nagant and Gentle have come to his aid proves that Deku was right to reach out to them. Had either of them been up against another hero, particularly one with an extremely black-and-white way of looking at things like Endeavor, they may never have even had the chance to redeem themselves, and the heroes would be struggling that much more than they already are. Without Gentle’s aid, U.A.’s flying fortress would’ve crashed into the ground, killing almost everyone aboard, and it’s only thanks to Deku’s kindness that this didn’t happen.

How Lady Nagant & Gentle Criminal Can Make A Big Difference In My Hero Academia’s Final War

The Heroes Need All the Help They Can Get

Gentle has already had a tremendous impact on the battle by keeping U.A. afloat; without his help, not only would countless heroes and students have died, but Shigaraki would no doubt have survived and been freed from the confines of the school. This would’ve allowed him to meet up with All for One that much more easily, likely tipping the scales irrevocably in the villains’ favor. And Gentle isn’t doing this alone; he wouldn’t be able to hold up something as large as U.A. if it weren’t for La Brava’s Love Quirk giving him the strength to do so.

Lady Nagant is in bad shape physically, still recovering from the self-destruct Quirk which All for One implanted into her, but she put her own life on the line to help out Deku, because he inspired her so much with his relentless optimism. Nagant already saw herself as irredeemable, but if someone like Deku can still see the good in her, then perhaps it’s not gone after all. As a long-range sniper, her support can help to pin down Shigaraki and keep him from dodging Deku’s attacks, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

It’s not clear how long she’ll be able to last, but any support she can offer will be critical. Gentle, meanwhile, need only outlast Toga’s Twice doubles, as it’s their added mass which is weighing U.A. down. So long as Gentle can keep the school in the air until Toga’s defeat, there’s nothing else to worry about.

Do Villains Like All For One & Shigaraki Still Deserve Redemption?

The Most Extreme Villains May Be Beyond Redemption

Of course, with every case of redemption, there will also be those who are too far gone to come back from, and that’s certainly the case for All for One. But even All for One has reasons for being the way he is; he grew up in a world that treated him like trash, so it’s little wonder he turned on the world once he had the power to do so. Shigaraki’s abuse and manipulation at All for One’s hands make him much more sympathetic, as symbolized by the young image of Tenko Shimura, shown buried deep within Shigaraki.

Deku is able to see that boy inside Shigaraki, and wishes to rescue him from the clutches of All for One, even after all that Shigaraki has done. Whether it’s possible to do that remains to be seen, but he’s not wrong that Shigaraki is just another victim of All for One. The key to redemption is that the villain in question must want to be redeemed; some part of them needs to feel shame or remorse for what they’ve done, and wish to make up for it. All for One has no such remorse, so it’s impossible for him to be redeemed.

Deku is skilled at spotting even the tiniest bit of remorse, and recognizing those who secretly long for redemption. With these two villains having turned to the side of good, there can be no doubt that Deku’s willingness to forgive is a key theme in My Hero Academia, and that redemption is always an option for those who seek it.