WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter #309, "Can't Be A Child Anymore,” by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
The fall of the hero society in the My Hero Academia manga has given rise to one of the best collaborations in Chapter #309, “Can’t Be A Child Anymore.” Not only do we discover that Deku has been receiving assistance from All Might while he hides in the shadows, but the top three heroes, Endeavor, Hawks and Best Jeanist, are also revealed to be working with them.
The true objective of the team-up is to protect Deku from the League of Villains, while also tracking their movements. Society’s faith in heroes is still faltering, so maybe this new alliance can help change the status quo. But as exciting as it is to see them working together, there could be some disadvantages to it.
It’s no surprise that All Might is assisting Deku in his solo heroism, but that means he must have had to abandon his teaching responsibilities at U.A. Having Deku and All Might leave U.A High at such a crucial time will only raise more questions among the students and staff. All Might is dressed incognito in the chapter, confirming he's keeping his role a secret. This makes sense since he technically can’t defend himself against a major villain attack, highlighting, unfortunately, how much of a liability he is.
In the past, All Might was always under the protection of U.A High, but now that he is out and about, his vulnerability could be taken advantage of. He can easily be captured and be used as bait to lure Deku into the League’s hands without retaliation. Although All Might is cautious, there are new villains on the playing field with unknown abilities. Potentially, All Might is one of Deku’s greatest weaknesses in this regard.
The fact that Hawks is constantly in contact with All Might about Deku’s current condition means that he is the only one that is really aware of the whole situation. The League can attack at any moment, which is why Deku is constantly on the move. The team must always be ready for any attack, which might be very difficult given that they are all working on their own to capture villains. Endeavor is not seen in action in this chapter, but that might have to do with how society still sees him. Reception of him is still mixed, and his title as the Number #1 Hero has been completely stripped. Endeavor is a great addition as the muscle, but when it comes to this new team building up their reputation, it might be too soon to unleash the Flame Hero.
Even though it seems like My Hero Academia's greatest alliance has now been established, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best move to change the status quo. Heroes have lost all credibility, and civilians are forced to defend themselves against the villains. Reliable heroes are scarce, but that doesn’t mean they are gone, and that is one of the primary goals of the new team. Other schools are providing aid with their third-year students, but the Pros are still the ones getting the work done. It’s going to take the collective effort of all heroes to make sure the League of Villains is finally stopped. The former top three heroes teaming up with Deku and All Might is a step in the right direction, but that is not enough to start creating change.
The new team is, however, also setting up Deku to take up the mantel of the new Symbol of Peace, but he will need more help than he can get from these old Pros. Students from other schools are running around, foreshadowing the return of the rest of the U.A High cast in the coming chapters. Their involvement could cause some hardship for Deku, but in the end, they’ll likely understand his reasons for leaving. It also seems like All Might is being set up for his similarly foreshadowed death. After all, Deku is going to need that final push to unleash his full capabilities, which his old mentor may need to shoulder the deadly brunt of.
