Summary

All for One probably avoided the Overhaul Quirk due to his narrow focus on his ultimate plan.
He likely refrained from capturing Overhaul's Quirk to minimize risks and maintain secrecy.
All for One dislikes Quirks with learning curves, which may have prevented him from stealing Overhaul's Quirk.

In My Hero Academia, All for One is shown to be quite greedy for useful Quirks, going out of his way to steal and distribute many Quirks over his long lifetime. However, one Quirk he never tried to get was the Overhaul Quirk, which was held by the villain of the same name.

This Quirk seems extraordinarily strong in My Hero Academia, granting the user the ability to disassemble and reassemble essentially anything the user wants to. It seems strange that All for One, who seems obsessed with hoarding the most powerful Quirks for himself, never tried to claim Overhaul for his schemes. Just why did All for One avoid capturing this Quirk, especially given the potential usefulness it would have had in reconstructing his decaying body?

Shoto Todoroki with his Fire and Ice Powers in My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia: How Half-Cold Half-Hot Perfectly Compliments Shoto Todoroki's Character

As My Hero Academia progresses, Shoto’s growth is defined by his ability to embrace both sides, not just of his power, but of himself.

Posts

By Oluwatokiloba Folami

All For One's Focus Was Narrow

He Was All-in On His Shigaraki Plan

Throughout much of My Hero Academia, All for One was hiding in the shadows, slowly assembling the pieces for his plan to get revenge on All Might and regain his former dominance over Japan. Even though Overhaul was also operating carefully in the shadows, it’s likely All for One knew about him and his abilities, but had no use for the Quirk in his perfectly formulated plans.

He had already selected a Quirk for Tomura Shigaraki, and All for One often gets frustrated when his plans go off course. Even if Overhaul’s Quirk could have helped advance his plan, he might be less likely to attempt to steal it because it would mean deviating from the way he envisioned things going. All for One may have felt that adding too many variables would have been counter-productive, choosing instead to focus on the grooming of Tomura's strategy, which he had already been committed to for years by the time the series started.

All For One Is Extremely Careful

It’s Possible Going After Overhaul Wasn’t Worth the Risk

All Might VS All for One in My Hero Academia (2)

In addition to being focused on his Shigaraki plan, All for One was also extremely careful after his previous defeat by All Might. The top hero believed he was dead, and All for One wanted to keep it that way as long as possible. If All for One moved too carelessly out of the shadows, it could tip his hand before his plan was ready.

The risk may also have been too great for his physical body. All for One would be risking his entire being if he tried to steal Overhaul’s Quirk, which could have destroyed his body with a single touch. This risk to All for One and his ambitions may have been deemed to be too great to chance, even if the Quirk could have been useful in restoring his body sooner or in a better way.

All For One Hates Quirks With Learning Curves

The Villain's Pettiness May Have Prevented Him From Stealing It

Best Jeanist thread — Best Jeanist uses his quirk during the Kamino Raid. (My Hero Academia)

As an ancient being and one of the first Quirk users, All for One feels like he exists in a lofty state where he can judge other Quirks. This gives the villain an unshakable mindset of arrogance, causing him to constantly comment on Quirks his enemies use against him, as if he is already the owner of every Quirk in existence.

“The permeation Quirk huh? I have no patience for attacks I can’t predict.” -All For One commenting on Mirio’s Quirk while possessing Shigaraki’s body in Episode 126.

A common theme that emerges from All for One’s judgments is that he dislikes Quirks that have a skill barrier or require hard practice to use properly. He also dislikes Quirks that have some kind of drawback that might affect his curated stockpile of other Quirks.

“Now I see. Your strength comes from practice and practical experience, not raw power. I don’t need your Quirk. It wouldn’t pair well with Tomura’s disposition.” All for One after casually defeating Best Jeanist in Episode 48.

It’s possible that All for One didn’t make a move to capture Overhaul’s Quirk because he judged it to be too skill-intensive for his liking. He already had the perfect destruction Quirk made for Tomura, and while a reconstruction effect may have been useful for healing his broken body, he might not have wanted to put in the effort to learn how to use it properly.