WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter #315, "Platitudes,” by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
Once again, Deku proves why he is the worthy successor to All Might in My Hero Academia Chapter #315, but his best intentions towards Lady Nagant backfire. In “Platitudes,” Deku calls Lady Nagant out for having the soul of a true hero, and surprisingly, she knew it was true too. Unfortunately, Lady Nagant’s acknowledgment of Deku comes at a price since her change of heart triggers All For One’s Quirk, causing an internal explosion within her body.
All For One must have known that Lady Nagant would fail in capturing Deku and made sure to incorporate a safety measure to eliminate her if things didn't go according to plan. Deku’s ability to rekindle the justice within individual heroes is one of his more extraordinary skills, but there have also been clues of Lady Nagant’s internal heroism scratching the surface.
My Hero Academia Chapter #314 revealed that Kai Chisaki accompanied Lady Nagant on her mission to track Deku. However, Lady Nagant’s initial decision to bring Chisaki hints at her inner goodwill since his only remaining wish was to reunite with his father figure/boss -- which she promised to do. While she claimed to view Chisaki as another victim of the corrupt hero society, the same corruption that led her to defect, her need to help those suffering was still prevalent.
The biggest tell for Deku to appeal to Lady Nagant’s sense of justice was her decision-making in combat. From the moment Lady Nagant fired her first shot at Deku, she avoided his vital spots. Considering that Lady Nagant is a trained assassin, her not killing or seriously wounding Deku with her first shot was more than mere luck. She had the upper hand and element of surprise on him but instead chose to warn Deku, giving him a chance to turn himself in, meant that she was still merciful. Ultimately, Deku’s strong belief in Lady Nagant’s heroic heart causes her to realize her potential missteps, misunderstandings and failings. Unfortunately, her change of heart triggers a trap All For One implanted within her, causing her body to explode.
The explosion leaves Lady Nagant's life in the balance as Hawks swoops in to catch her charred body, yelling out that it's not the time for her to die. Hawks’ belief in his old senpai shows that even he had some notion of believing Lady Nagant could still be a hero at heart. With Hawks himself being used for similarly unsavory tasks by the Safety Commission, he not only can relate to her but likely knew the truth about Lady Nagant and her secret missions. Since Hawks is always one step ahead of his peers, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had always held out hope for Lady Nagant.
All For One's distrust in the heroic soul of Lady Nagant essentially confirms her true allegiance. Lady Nagant's initial spark and love of heroism became obscured by her internal deception built up by working with the Safety Commission. Strangely, her decision to turn against the corruption speaks more to Lady Nagant's inherent heroism and the Safety Commissions' failures. Still, despite her internal struggle and her decisions afterward, Lady Nagant never truly defected from being a hero. All For One knows what it takes to be a disciple of evil, and the simple fact of him adding a safety measure to eliminate Lady Nagant in case she failed her mission should be a wake-up call if she recovers.
Now that Lady Nagant has potentially rekindled her inner hero, Deku could be one step closer to finding the location of All For One and the League of Villains. However, it’s still unclear if Lady Nagant survived the explosion placed inside of her by All For One. Still, the chances of her living long enough to provide valuable information are plausible. If Lady Nagant does not survive the explosion, she will be remembered as a true hero acknowledged by Deku.
Lady Nagant's legacy and possible last words could mark a changing of the tides of All For One’s rise to power. Whether she survives or not, Lady Nagant's role and impact in the overall story is not done -- and her last action rectifies her title as a symbol of heroism.
