Is Gran Torino Dead in My Hero Academia? Here’s What Happened to Him

The My Hero Academia anime finally reached one of the most important and praised arcs in the series, the Paranormal Liberation War arc. This is when we see an ultimate direct clash between the heroes and the villains of the story, as Shigaraki has elevated himself to a whole new level, and Endeavor together with the other heroes and students prepares to finish him off. One of these heroes is actually Izuku Midoriya’s mentor, Gran Torino, who ends up getting badly hurt and some are even wondering if Gran Torino is dead in My Hero Academia.

Gran Torino is not actually dead in My Hero Academia. After Tomura Shigaraki severely hurt Gran Torino’s leg and gave an extremely powerful blow to his stomach, it pretty much seemed like Gran Torino was going to die in this arc. We later find out Gran Torino is not actually dead, but is in fact really hurt and is still in the hospital during the recent chapters of the manga.

Gran Torino is an important piece that greatly influenced Izuku Midoriya’s growth and it would be truly sad to see him go. So, what exactly happened during this fight? How did Gran Torino get hurt and how did he survive? Let’s dive a bit deeper and see what we know about this.

Gran Torino Vs. Shigaraki Tomura

In the Paranormal Liberation War arc, the heroes make a country-wide plan to defeat the Paranormal Liberation Front led by Tomura Shigaraki. Not everything goes according to plan since Shigaraki who was in a deep sleep state is woken up and turns out to be stronger than ever, now he has All For One’s quirk and a really strong body. The heroes did not expect to fight against Shigaraki, let alone a greatly improved version of him.

While Endeavor is the one who is mostly giving his all to defeat Shigaraki, he is being aided by other heroes, like Ryukyu and Gran Torino. Eventually, he will also get the help of Eraser Head, making the fight against Shigaraki much easier. Midoriya and Bakugo also arrive at the scene and try their best to help the heroes defeat Shigaraki.

Shigaraki eventually has a chance to go on and attack Eraser Head, who is sealing away his many quirks, and as he prepares to deal a powerful blow to Eraser Head, Gran Torino quickly tries to go as fast as he can to save Eraser Head. When Shigaraki is as close as ever to Eraser Head, Midoriya and Bakugou show up and take Shigaraki away from Eraser Head. For as long as Eraser Head is there, they also can fight against Shigaraki since they to not want to lose their precious teacher and will go as far as they can to protect him.

At some point, in an attempt to protect Endeavor, Gran Torino enters the fight and lands a blow that sends Shigaraki to the ground. After attacking Shigaraki, Gran Torino tries to get distance from him, but Shigaraki grabs Gran Torino’s left leg and crushes it. While Gran Torino is remembering Nana Shimura, his former partner, and Shigaraki’s grandmother, Shigaraki puts him to the ground and smashes his arm through Gran Torino’s chest, almost killing him. After this Gran Torino is unable to continue fighting and eventually receives first aid.

Gran Torino’s Recovery

After the Paranormal Liberation War, Gran Torino is treated by paramedics and they send him to the hospital to get better treatment. He rests there and does get a chance to survive, but he is in extremely bad shape.

During Gran Torino’s stay in the hospital, Izuku Midoriya went there to visit him in order to pay his respects and give him Nana Shimura’s regards who was worried about him inside One For All’s singularity. Gran Torino thankfully accepts her thoughts towards him and talks to Midoriya about how he should have tried his best to actually kill Shigaraki and tells Midoriya he should not be as kind as he is and think outside the box, since death can also be seen as a way to save someone.

Before Midoriya leaves, Gran Torino gives him his signature cape, which Midoriya goes to use and incorporates into his suit.

So, as of November 2022, Gran Torino has not officially died in the My Hero Academia anime or manga and many fans are grateful for that since Gran Torino has been an incredible and important part of Izuku Midoriya’s improvement and a great mentor. But we do need to stay tuned since many other characters are in danger this season.