Summary

• The Paranormal Liberation War in My Hero Academia results in heavy casualties for the heroes.
• Heroes like Midnight and X-Less are among the casualties, while the villain Twice is the only casualty on the villains' side.
• Despite the losses, Shigaraki/All For One escapes and the heroes must deal with the aftermath of the battle in the second half of Season 6.

After the climactic mid-season finale of Season 6 of tarnished their reputation in the eyes of My Hero Academia's world.

The Paranormal Liberation War culminates with an assault by the assembled Pro Heroes of Japan against the villains' Paranormal Liberation Front. The heroes are split into two teams: one, led by the #1 Pro Hero Endeavor, attacks the Jaku Hospital in an attempt to stop Shigaraki from awakening at his full power; the other, led by #2 and #4 heroes, Hawks and Edgeshot, attacks the Paranormal Liberation Front's base in the Gunga Mountains.

The heroes' plan was to take the villains by surprise and capture them all, but Shigaraki's awakening and the raw power of Gigantomachia turned the battlefield into chaos.

X-Less, Crust, & Many Others Were Killed in the Jaku Hospital Raid

On the heroes' side, the first victims of the battle are in the Jaku Hospital raid. Thanks to Mirko, Shigaraki's awakening was seemingly prevented before his new body was completed. However, My Hero Academia's hero X-Less makes a mistake and destroys a machine, creating an electric discharge that awakens Shigaraki. The first victim is X-Less himself, followed shortly thereafter by Crust, who sacrifices his life to save Eraserhead, fully aware that his Quirk is the only thing that can stop Shigaraki's Decay Quirk. A Pro Hero seen in the Stain arc, Native, and another called Funkman, are among the victims.

In the Gunga Mountains, the first victim is Eel Boy, a hero with the power to sprout giant eels from his hands. He quickly moves to capture Mr. Compress and Himiko Toga, but is stabbed in the back of the head by the last surviving clone of Twice. Most casualties, however, happen after Gigantomachia starts moving in My Hero Academia, following the call of his master, Shigaraki.

My Hero Academia Season 6's Biggest Casualty Was Midnight

The most well-known victim is Midnight, one of the teachers at U. A. High. She tries to use her Somnambulist Quirk on Machia, but is repelled by Mr. Compress, falling dozens of feet to the ground before being ambushed and killed by a gang of villains. The students later find her body in the forest and tearfully mourn their teacher, whose last words were a request for Yaoyorozu to create a powerful anesthetic to stop Machia's rampage. Also lost to Machia's rampage is Majestic, without whom the students may not have survived.

Twice Was The Only Villain to Die

On the villains' side, the only victim is Twice. The heroes follow a policy to avoid lethal force, which is why Hawks' decision to kill Twice at the beginning of the battle was so controversial. However, the villain's Quirk, Double, could have turned the tide of the battle in an instant, overwhelming heroes with sheer numbers, which led to Hawks' regretful choice.

In the end, nineteen Pro Heroes perished during the battle, while 16,929 soldiers of the Paranormal Liberation Army are apprehended. Sadly, Tomura escapes along with the remaining Near-High End Nomus, while the heroes have to deal with the dramatic aftermath of this battle in the second half of My Hero Academia Season 6.

How Do My Hero Academia Season 6’s Deaths Compare to Past Deaths?

Very few characters had died in My Hero Academia prior to the Paranormal Liberation War arc, with Sir Nighteye in the Shie Hassaikai arc as the only real example of a hero dying in the line of duty. Sir Nighteye's death was made out to be a very big deal, due to his close connection with major characters like Deku and All Might. Nighteye at least survived long enough to make it to a hospital, where he was able to say his goodbyes before ing away. It's a luxury that none of the characters who died in season 6 had, unfortunately.

Due to the number of heroes who died, most of them did not get as much focus as Sir Nighteye did before his death, so their losses generally hurt less; it becomes an example of deaths becoming little more than a statistic, a painful reality that applies even to the deaths of heroes. Midnight is the only one who had substantial screen time before her death, and her death was so sudden that she didn't really get a chance to have a goodbye the way Sir Nighteye did. By including a familiar character like Midnight among the casualties, it makes the loss feel more "real."

How My Hero Academia Season 6’s Deaths Will Impact Season 7

The loss of Midnight in particular is likely to be a major blow to morale among the UA staff and students, who now comprise an essential component of the heroes' response system. Most of the students had never experienced a loss like that before, and were utterly devastated by the discovery of her body. With the situation forcing the students back to school, the absence of Midnight is sure to be felt as they attempt to find some return to normalcy.

The biggest impact of the Paranormal Liberation War and its casualties among the heroes is that there are just that many less heroes to help deal with future problems. With a handful of exceptions, like Midnight, the characters who died were largely minor characters whose individual presence or absence is unlikely to affect the story much. Some of them, like Crust, were high-ranked and experienced heroes, so losing them and their experience is likely to have a bigger impact on the heroes' strategizing. That's not even getting into characters like Mirko, who suffered some substantial injuries that may stop her hero work, but ultimately survived.

Ultimately, the heroes will be at something of a disadvantage when it comes time to face off with the villains again, as the villains' numbers have increased dramatically due to prison breaks, while the number of heroes has only fallen. Reinforcements from abroad can't necessarily be counted on, so Japan's heroes will have to manage on their own. The final battle of My Hero Academia still lies ahead in season 7, and it'll be up to those who survived the Paranormal Liberation War of season 6 to bring this conflict to a definitive end.