The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 6, Episode 12 "Thread of Hope," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
My Hero Academia finally delivered its audience what they had been expecting with bated breath -- the final confrontation between the heroes and Shigaraki’s League of Villains. Thanks to the invaluable inside help provided by Hawks' infiltration behind enemy lines, the heroes have been able to attack the villains’ base of operations, leading them to what could have been a great victory.
However, Shigaraki’s awakening has caused a dangerous setback. In an effort to fight him and his formidable ally Gigantomachia, the heroes have gone all in, proving that what sets them apart from the villains is their ability to work together to save even one more life.
Best Jeanist and the 'Threads of Hope'
In an unexpected twist, Episode 12 saw the reappearance of Best Jeanist, who was presumed dead. He joined the fight, managing to restrain most of the villains and a struggling Gigantomachia. His resurrection from the dead spurred on the heroes, who gave all they had left to face the Nomu and Dabi, whose attack had annihilated Endeavor’s will to fight.
Suddenly, Gigantomachia fell to the ground, defeated. The anesthetic that the UA students had managed to make him drink finally kicked in. As Best Jeanist comments, their victory is the result of every single hero’s action, which all together contributed to overwhelming the villains. Their acts of hope and resistance to evil are like 'threads of hope,' spun together to bring them the final victory.
The Villains Fight Only for Themselves
As much as they claim that the heroes are no better than them, the villains have once more proved the truth of who they are. From Dabi to Shigaraki, they are selfish individuals who only fight for their own good. Perhaps Twice, with his generous heart and ultimate sacrifice, was the exception; everyone else, however, only chases after their own ends, be it power or revenge.
Both Dabi and Shigaraki have proved this many times over. Dabi in particular, after revealing his real name, has proved that his only goal is revenge. He doesn’t care about Stain’s ideals or a society without heroes -- his only desire is to see his father suffer, even if that means killing his younger brother.
"Threads of Hope" has shown the audience, who might be doubting the heroes as much as the general public is in the anime, that what makes the heroes different from the villains is their faith in the good of humanity. Their unwavering trust in what’s right gives them the strength to always fight back together, even when all seems lost.