My Hero Academia is known for its impressive rogue gallery, as it boasts an expansive line-up of fleshed-out villains with profound backstories. From Shigaraki’s tragic past to All for One’s overarching presence, author Kouhei Horikoshi has pulled out all the stops in terms of writing credible antagonists. In the midst of these recurring names is Lady Nagant, a hero-turned-villain corrupted by the dark side of hero society.

Lady Nagant’s backstory is quite intriguing as it sheds light on the corruption within the Hero Public Safety Commission, showcasing the irony within the hero world. Her backstory is rather significant as it not only reveals her villainous roots but also delves into how an organization meant for maintaining peace is behind such bloodshed and evil.

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An Assassin Born Out of Necessity

Lady Nagant started off as an aspiring hero, with the goal of maintaining peace and protecting society. Her quirk ‘Rifle’ further made her a suitable candidate to be a hero, even gaining the attention of the Hero Public Safety Commission's President. The President offered her a position within the HPSC, taking responsibility for training her and evolving her Rifle quirk.

However, Lady Nagant was met by horror as she was tasked with taking down other heroes within the Hero Commission. These atrocities acquainted her with both the greed instilled in heroes and the underhanded tactics of the commission. In a bid to gain rewards and fame, some heroes would purposely incite violence or hire criminals to make a scene. Instead of publicly addressing these issues, the president of the HPSC tasked Lady Nagant with taking down these hero delinquents.

Lady Nagant’s duties included killing off any heroes that had ties with criminal organizations, no matter the gravity of their crime. However, the incessant killing of heroes and villains alike slowly chipped away at her mental health, leading to hallucinations of blood and death. The corrupt nature of the HPSC forced Lady Nagant to tread a dark path, one that eventually broke her.

How the Hero Public Safety Commission’s Betrayal Led to Lady Nagant’s Descent to Villainy

Lady Nagant never wanted to become a villain, yet she was forced into this role due to the Hero Public Safety Commission’s atrocities. After being on the verge of losing her sanity, Lady Nagant confronted the president of the HPSC, asking him if the death of these heroes would solve anything. However, the president insisted that this was necessary to keep the people’s trust and faith in the heroes of society.

Lady Nagant refused to acknowledge his vision, as it was clear as day that the president only viewed people as nothing more than pawns that could be discarded. When Lady Nagant refused to take on the task, the president intended to kill her, forcing her to take the president’s life first. Instead of cleaning up the HPSC’s mess and fixing the system, the new president covered up the scandal and sentenced Lady Nagant to life in prison, banishing her to Tartaros.

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Lady Nagant could have easily been sentenced to death, yet the new president took pity on her as she was aware of the atrocious missions of her predecessor. Lady Nagant’s remorse and hatred for the hero world grew the longer she stayed within Tartaros, despising the horrid system that plunged a once-aspiring hero into the depths of darkness.

All For One’s Prison Riot Changes Lady Nagant's Life Forever

While Lady Nagant’s heart had already grown bitter towards the hero world, it wasn’t until All For One’s prison riot that she truly joined the ranks of villainy. After All For One caused a riot in Tartaros, he offered Lady Nagant a position within his ranks since the two had goals that aligned to some extent. She was never too fond of All For One, and she was tasked with killing him at one point, though she had to put her biases aside, since All For One was her gateway to breaking the status quo.

Lady Nagant despised killing people, and her purpose for joining All For One’s ranks was never to exact revenge on the Hero Public Safety Commission. Instead, she simply wanted to collapse the current hero society to form a new world order, one where principles such as transparency and accountability would take precedence. It was during this time that she was tasked with retrieving Izuku Midoriya, leading to a fight that changed her life for the better.

Lady Nagant’s fall from glory accurately depicts the moral ambiguity within the hero world, tearing away the facade of these righteous heroes. Up until the point Lady Nagant’s past was revealed, the Hero Public Safety Commission was viewed as an institution that only fought for justice. However, this revelation shed light on the atrocities of a supposedly peaceful organization, and how its actions corrupted those within it.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Prime Video.

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