Shimura Nana
Shimura Nana is a pivotal character in My Hero Academia, serving as the seventh successor of the Quirk One For All and the sole female lineage holder among them. She acted as the beloved master of Yagi Toshinori (All Might) and was a close battle comrade of Gran Torino. Dedicated to fighting great evil, she championed the heroic philosophy that true strength lies in saving people's hearts alongside their lives while maintaining a reassuring smile in the face of despair.
Overview
Shimura Nana is a pivotal character in My Hero Academia, serving as the seventh successor of the Quirk One For All and the sole female lineage holder among them. She acted as the beloved master of Yagi Toshinori (All Might) and was a close battle comrade of Gran Torino. Dedicated to fighting great evil, she championed the heroic philosophy that true strength lies in saving people's hearts alongside their lives while maintaining a reassuring smile in the face of despair.
Appearance
Shimura Nana is a physically well-built, muscular woman featuring short black hair, grey eyes, and a distinct beauty mark located beneath her mouth. Her signature hero attire consists of a dark-colored bodysuit paired with a white cape and yellow gloves, reflecting her athletic and imposing presence as a professional hero.
Personality
Characterized by her bright and intelligent disposition, Shimura Nana maintained an unwavering smile regardless of the danger she faced. She firmly believed that genuine heroes must uplift the spirits of those in distress, asserting that individuals who smile through fear possess true strength. Warm and personable, she affectionately addressed close companions by their given names. Despite her steadfast heroic resolve, she harbored intense emotional pain regarding the difficult choices she made for her family, deeply burdened by the tragic consequences that later befell her grandson.
Abilities
Shimura Nana possessed her innate Quirk known as Float, which granted her the ability to levitate and remain airborne. In addition, she inherited One For All, a stockpiling power passed down through successive generations that vastly enhanced her physical strength and combat capabilities. Utilizing these combined powers in battle against evil, she ultimately transferred the accumulated power of One For All to her pupil, Yagi Toshinori.
Background
After her husband was killed fighting evil, Shimura Nana inherited One For All from the mortally wounded sixth user. To shield her young son, Shimura Kotaro, from villains, she placed him in foster care and instructed her allies never to contact him. She later met the Quirkless youth Yagi Toshinori, taking him on as her apprentice and bestowing her Quirk upon him. When Yagi was eighteen, she engaged in a fierce battle against All For One, sacrificing her life to ensure her student's survival. Following her death, her consciousness survived as a vestige within One For All, continuing to offer guidance to the ninth successor, Midoriya Izuku.
Relationships
Shimura Nana held deep affection for her student Yagi Toshinori (All Might), instilling her core heroic philosophy in him before passing on her Quirk. Gran Torino served as her trusted battle companion and loyal confidant. She loved her son Shimura Kotaro deeply, but her decision to sever ties with him inadvertently enabled her mortal enemy, All For One, to turn her grandson Shigaraki Tomura into a villain. Within the mental realm of One For All, she offers guidance and support to the ninth successor, Midoriya Izuku.
Trivia
The name Nana shares its pronunciation with the Japanese word for the number seven, referencing her role as the seventh bearer of One For All. Her emotional remark to her child about watching over him from the sky served as narrative foreshadowing for her innate Quirk, Float. The events surrounding her tragic final confrontation against All For One were depicted in the bonus comic ALL MIGHT: RISING.
