WARNING: The following contains minor spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 342, "The Calm Before the Storm," by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
My Hero Academia Chapter 342 all but confirmed that the heroes' final conflict with All For One is about to begin. For a while, the manga has focused on how both the heroes and villains have prepared for the clash. The wealth of information revealed during this short period can be hard to keep track of, so here are the most important details to remember before the war begins.
Deku Can Use One For All at 45% Capacity
Although Deku has made One For All his own for a while, he's still a long way from fully mastering the awesome Quirk. Currently, he can use it at 45% of its full capability without injuring himself, but the Quirks he's received from the previous holders give him a lot more moves at his disposal. Fa Jin, Blackwhip, Smokescreen and Float already make Deku a formidable opponent but he may get even more powerful in MHA's near future. One For All has a final Quirk locked within it, and after how long its reveal has taken, it's sure to be the most exciting.
Deku Wants To Save the Villainous Shigaraki
When Shigaraki agreed to receive All For One's Quirk, he had no idea it would come with a copy of his master's consciousness. He gained enough power to finally bring his dreams of total destruction to fruition but hasn't been able to use it freely, as he's been fighting for his very survival. All For One plans to create someone entirely new from the fusion of his mind and Shigaraki's body; a perfect combination of them both.
Right now, Shigaraki is powerless to stop this process but he may not have to fight it alone. During the Paranormal Liberation War, Deku became privy to the mental battle Shigaraki is fighting and sensed his discomfort when All For One attempted to steal One For All. He's not entirely sure how he'll achieve this goal but ever since that moment, he's resolved to save Shigaraki. Who knows, Deku may end up being the hero Tenko Shimura needed all those years ago.
Did All For One Successfully Pass New Order to Kashi Kashiko?
Star and Stripe's reality-altering Quirk, New Order, seemed set to revolutionize how battles were fought within My Hero Academia -- until it was destroyed. However, the death of the series' most interesting ability facilitated the introduction of an intriguing new character, Kashi Kashiko.
A convicted robber and murderer, Kashiko was one of the villains freed in the mass breakout shortly after the war. He planned a low-profile existence for his second shot at life, but that was impossible as soon as he crossed paths with All For One.
Fearing Star and Stripe's final command would ravage Shigaraki's body, All For One attempted to pass New Order on to Kashiko after stealing his Quirk. There's no telling whether the transfer was completed before New Order was thought destroyed, but All For One took Kashiko along with him when he escaped. Kashiko's Quirk also remains confirmed, so that's another mysterious ability All For One has added to his arsenal of Quirks.
UA's Rival School Shiketsu High May Return
During MHA's Provisional License Exam, Deku and the rest of Class 1-A were introduced to several other hero course students from different schools. Shiketsu in particular made an impression on them, partly because of the students' competence during the exam, but also because Inasa Yoarashi was impossible to ignore. He'd held a grudge against Shoto Todoroki for a time and in the middle of the test, used his powerful Gale Force Quirk to interfere with Todoroki and the rest of 1-A.
Luckily, Inasa and Todoroki got past their differences and UA and Shiketsu maintained their cordial relationship. There were even talks of a joint training program between the schools, but the upcoming war might do one better. The tunnels that connect UA to Shiketsu make the rival schools each other's emergency escape in the event of an attack, and a quick channel for reinforcements to fight back. UA third years Hado Nejire and Amajiki Tamaki have already been shown to be in close contact with Shiketsu, so the two schools coordinating in the near future is not a far-fetched concept.
Toga Can Get Revenge For Twice's Death
During the League of Villains' conflict with the Meta Liberation Army, Twice finally pushed through the complex that restricted him from making doubles of himself and instantly became the League's most powerful member. His Sad Man's Parade was their trump card and his death during the Paranormal Liberation War cost them severely, both emotionally and in terms of manpower.
Twice may yet have one final parade though. Shortly after his death, Dabi managed to draw some blood from his body. Knowing Toga could use the Quirks of loved ones she'd transformed into, he gifted it to her. Losing Twice hit Toga especially hard, so now that she's been presented with the opportunity to give her best friend the redemption he'd long sought, MHA fans should be prepared for the possibility of an even bloodier Sad Girl's Parade.
UA's First Years Are Even Stronger
Just like Deku, the other members of Class 1-A have grown in leaps and bounds. Bakugo's Explosions are now more powerful than ever since he developed his cluster move, and Todoroki has equally powered up. He's now able to control his left side's flames with as much dexterity as his right's ice and has almost completely eradicated the overheating problem that plagues the Todorokis.
The rest of 1-A's new strength hasn't been discussed yet but they did reveal they'd continued intensive training with the Wild Wild Pussycats during Deku's vigilante days. Their mentors trust them completely and they've already proven their competence by stepping in for the overworked Pro Heroes, but this war will be their ultimate test. If Bakugo and Todoroki's improvements are anything to go by, Class 1-A are more than ready for it.
Spinner's Heteromorph Alliance & Shigaraki's Fate
As the de facto heart of the League of Villains, Spinner took on roles that resembled those of a leader during Shigaraki's absence -- but the team was never truly his. As someone who joined the League because he believed it to be affiliated with Stain, Spinner's story has always been intertwined with the Hero Killer. Even after he discarded Stain's ideology and fully committed to Shigaraki, he entrained his old costume that was modeled after Stain's. It held sentimental value for Spinner, and soon became a symbol for a growing underground movement of disgruntled heteromorphs.
Tired of being relegated to society's underbelly, these heteromorphs fully embrace the Meta Liberation ideology that the League of Villains co-opted. Without even realizing it, Spinner had become a beacon of resistance for heteromorphs as they strive to create a place for themselves in My Hero Academia. Both All For One and Skeptic are urging Spinner to take the reins for their benefit, but Spinner isn't exactly loyal to either of them.
The only reason he's allied with All For One is because he believes the villain boss to be Shigaraki's best hope of making a full recovery. Once he learns Shigaraki's true fate, it's likely Spinner will turn against All For One -- and take a sizable number of heteromorph villains with him.
