Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 374While the past of many My Hero Academia characters have become embroiled in the war that's currently unfolding, only Aizawa's past could be the determining factor in deciding who gets the benefit of one of the series' greatest Quirks.

The villain known as Kurogiri was being kept in a hospital, where the attacking rioters were trying to break him free under Spinner's leadership. As Spinner lost their support, it came down to a contest between Spinner and Present Mic to win his loyalty, but as it turns out, Spinner had been given a secret weapon: the hand Shigaraki once wore, which contained a microchip that activated Kurogiri's programming once again and prompted him to open warp gates.

Related: My Hero Academia's Aizawa Is Unstoppable With One Underrated Pro's Help

It's important to know that Kurogiri was once Oboro Shirakumo, a UA student who was killed while performing his hero work-study in what was apparently a deliberate attempt on Aizawa's life. As Kurogiri is a Nomu, Shirakumo's body was used as the basis for Kurogiri's being, while his Quirk was an essential part of the creation of the Warp Gate Quirk. Chapter 374 sees those warp gates open across all the active battlefields, but Kurogiri and Present Mic emerge from a portal that happens to be right behind Aizawa. In the previous chapter, it seemed like Kurogiri was struggling for control, while the original, dormant personality of Aizawa's long-dead childhood friend started to reemerge. The programming kicking in may have changed all that, but the end result is still that Aizawa is now face-to-face with the being that was once his friend.

Can Aizawa Get Through to Kurogiri?

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Kurogiri's warp gates are almost as strategically valuable as Aizawa's quirk-canceling Erasure ability, so his loyalties represent a potential turning point in the battle. Since there have already been indications that Shirakumo is still in there, being so close to someone that he has strong memories of and feelings towards could give Shirakumo the edge he needs to gain control. It's interesting to note that in the final pages of this chapter, All for One talks about how one's youth will determine their life, and that he trusts in the emotions of people. While this is implied to be about Toga and Twice, the words actually appear in the panels where Kurogiri is warping in and Aizawa is reacting. All for One may have just accidentally revealed exactly why he'll lose control of Kurogiri: his formative experiences as Shirakumo and his feelings towards his friends weigh far heavier than All for One's malicious programming. It all comes down to Aizawa and Present Mic, and whether they can remind him enough of who he really is.

The battle for Shirakumo's soul has begun, and the outcome will have a major impact on My Hero Academia's final arc no matter which way it's decided.

Next: My Hero Academia Confirms a Big Theory in the Best Possible Way

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